Saturday, July 30, 2022

On Writers, Ageism and Racism

Ageism/Racism & Writers of Worth: 3 Excellent SF Writers to Consider
By Alex Ness
July 31, 2022

JAMES PATTERSON Racism And Ageism

Writer James Patterson decries Racism against old white men

Writer James Patterson has sold many books. I've not found any to be my cup of tea, but others certainly have enjoyed his work. And as he has grown older, his works still sell, but he has found selling new works far more difficult to do. He says, it is a response to rejection of ageing white men by Hollywood and publishers. But, aside from whether or not that is true, aging artists always face issues upon reaching various ages in media based cultures. And again, I'm not discussing whether that is right or not, but he has aimed an accusation of race into that mix. I think the race addition is a load of crap. But I think that not because white men are innocent angels, rather, that whites have likely recently seen less success in areas of culture where they used to dominate. Well, boo hoo.

I heard a metric crap ton of people saying we needed change from old white men as president when Trump was running in 2020, and the person who was chosen to oppose him? Someone who was whiter and even older. If culture has begun to see more races, see more genders, see people for their quality rather than assuming there should be leaders in areas of the arts, I think that is a good thing. To use words of someone far brighter than me, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." (Albert Einstein). If we tend as a culture to throw out the elders and ageing, I think that is a bad practice, and one that we rightfully regret and call ageism, if we add race to that, then it sounds a lot more like a grumpy entitled old fart saying I was fortunate to get rich, and now I want more.

Three SciFi Writers who are worth seeking


James Patterson is alive and his work doesn't move me, but here are three white guys who are no longer around who are well worth reading. In the present world in which we live, there are issues that present the human civilization with existential questions that must be answered. These writers were nearly prophetic in their future views.

John Christopher was a serious mind, but for a portion of his career he considered serious questions from the perspective of crisis and human response. To call his work science fiction in genre is fair, but he was far more than writing stories. Each of his works shown ask big questions about the likely human civilization response to the disasters. Would we become desolate and surrender and thereby go extinct in response to a comet impact, drought and vegetation extinction, ice age or plague? He found a way to craft a narrative that let the reader feel the worrisome issue, hope for the future, and finish the work with a perspective worth gaining.

J.G. Ballard was more than a writer of science fiction. His works often balanced utopias and dystopias, love versus lust, decadence and true essence.  He wrote in ways that were often stylistically intense, perhaps similar in tone and text to Joseph Conrad's work, especially Heart of Darkness, and placed his characters in extraordinary settings, disasters, future technological societies that function well despite the catastrophically deficient humans that people the society. His works considered enormously worrisome situations, such as plague, sea level rise, drought and famine, and the exhaustion of crop lands leading to massive deserts and lost civilizations. If his human characters were not heroic, they were forced to at least learn to endure the world they were faced with, and by doing so, they give us hope for the future, even a disastrous future.

John Brunner's works were just as profound as Ballard and Christopher, winning awards within the creative world written for and among the professionals in his industry. Stand on Zanzibar features the problem of overpopulation. The Dreaming Earth features a time when humans will choose drugs to create an alternative to the world of misery in which they live. Shockwave Riders was an essentially a cyberpunk work before the idea of the net was developed and being processed, telling a story about life in a corporation led state, human slavery to the corporations, and life's purpose redistributed through new societal ideals. The Sheep Look Up is about the further impact of societal degradation and overpopulation leading to exhausted lands, decay of reserves, and heavy pollution.  His works might be seen as dark, but they were prophetic and important. 

About Getting Reviews from Me

I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.



MY LINKS:


My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess

Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com

Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com


All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.

“If there is such a phenomenon as absolute evil, it consists in treating another human being as a thing.” John Brunner

Saturday, July 23, 2022

IF I WERE KING

IF I WERE KING
By Alex Ness
July 24, 2022

PASSINGS

Alan Grant, writer of Batman and Judge Dredd passed away, July 20, 2022.  His work was loved by fans, it was consistently good, and he left a body of work that other writers won't approach if they'd lived three lifetimes of writing.  He also wrote The Demon, a funny, dark, well written and conceived series for DC in the 1990s.  I never had the chance to interview him as by the time I had the balls to contact him, he was not writing as regularly and seemed to prefer having a project to discuss than a career. He will be missed.

MY GOAL IN THIS ARTICLE

I receive at least a dozen emails about the articles I write here, per month. The number is probably more, but I don't spend time counting. That may come from, I hope, the fact that I answer the emails, and that by reading my articles some people are inspired to inquire to learn more, to discover what my view is, or to clarify points not understood. More than once small publishers invited me to be a part of their company. And I have done more than 300 interviews with comic book talent, publishers and retailers over the years I've been online.

Now, I'm not someone who knows all there is to know about the comics or any creative medium's industry. I'm not beloved in any way, across the comics industry or any other creative industry, and I've never been told I am easy to work with. Instead I've been called an stubborn idealist. OK, maybe I am that. The two best offers to work at a publisher I was offered would have meant I'd need to live on either coast of the US, and I'd have to get paid less money per month than it would cost to live in that area, so beyond simply being disagreeable, I would never leave my home and family for work no one cares enough about to pay me enough to live. However, even if I am not employed in such an industry I do have ideas about the inner workings of comic books, I've done a great deal of writing and for many sites over the years, and I do try my best, even if people perceive me to be a prick.

Someone who writes somewhat regularly asked me the subject of today's article. What comic book character/setting would I match up with creative teams, and what movies could be made about the "weird but true" things I have written about here?

IF WERE KING: THE COMICS I'D WANT TO READ
Part I

Something Space Opera
Mike Oeming & Bryan Glass

Oeming's art and character design plus Bryan Glass's words and depth of concept make a space opera a comic that anyone with intelligence and taste would enjoy. Conflict isn't always one versus another, sometimes the hero within must fight the villain, from the same within. These two could get it. And the result would be better written than any damn movie, and with Oeming's art you'd have the greatest of tales with an unlimited budget for visionary art.

Something Cyberpunk
David Hine & Brian Haberlin

With Hine's Strange Embrace, Hine's showed himself an unique talent, able to rescue the reader from the depths of sorrow and pain, and still rise. In Hine and Haberlin's Sonata and The Marked, they told stories that defy easy genre tropes, with depth and fascinating twists. Add Haberlin's HellCop to the rest, and Haberlin's skills and talents become obvious and stunning. You can see the powerful connection the pair have. And to enter the future in a dystopia fashion, they'd do the best one out there.

The Ravens Have Left the Tower
Jamie Delano & Chris Weston

There has been a longstanding legend that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it." This series need not focus on the ravens, but the consequences and disastrous events that accompany the moment they leave. No other writer does the mad genius work that Jamie Delano has done. Chris Weston has done work on so many series that I have highly enjoyed, and the works The Filth and Ministry of Space pretty much demonstrate how his attention to detail and artistic excellence could illustrate the words of the mad genius Jamie Delano is. I'd likely pay this lavish attention and give it the promotion deserved, should I be truly be king. After all if I were king perhaps the subject matter might make it necessary for me to pay attention, lest I fall from the throne.

Tales From Jack Kirby's Life After the Great Disaster
Erik Larsen & Walter Simonson


I've interviewed and commented often how Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon is a more adult work that is composed of many different influences, but particularly wonderful is his Jack Kirbyesque adventures, character strengths and motivations, and simply stated, fun. Walter Simonson's Orion and Jack Kirby's Fourth World stories illustrated that Simonson is also an apt inheritor of the Kirby mantle. In both cases, the works do not simply evoke Kirby, they embrace it, understand it, and create new works in that same spirit and quality.

The Micronauts
Mike Carey, Steve Kurth and Barbara Schulz


You might note, this is a work that isn't a new one nor is it an adaptation of another work. But I love the Micronauts, I think it has much potential. A writer of the quality of Mike Carey could give it purpose and relevance. The super clean and dynamic art work of penciler Steve Kurth and inker Barbara Schulz could allow the writer Carey to tell a story that would achieve the heights of concept and development of characters. Schulz and Kurth worked on Devil's Due's version of the Micronauts, but that version struggled with changes to the creative team and not having a consistently well written story. IDW released a version of the Micronauts, but it was pretty to look at, while the stories told were bland in taste.

PART II

IF WERE KING: THE MOVIES I'D WANT TO WATCH

THE GREATEST COMMANDO RAID

Ever heard of the Raid on St. Nazaire? During the Second World War there was a period of time where the Nazi control over continental Europe was limited to land army dominance but that didn't extend much over the control of the seas.  The U-boat actions did damage the merchant fleets of the UK and the US. But convoys and collaborative efforts with air units and naval units meant that could improve and come under control for the UK.

There was a fear by the British Command that the French dry dock and repair facilities in the port of St. Nazaire could be used to allow the better surface ships of the German navy to be used as raiders, and to enter fleet actions with the potential to repair any battle damage suffered in such actions. British Command could not accept that likelihood, and planned to ram a ship into the dry dock and blow it up. Commandos entered into action that was reckless in bravery, and risky in terms of result desired versus cost and ultimate utility of the raid. But it did work, and at the time, Germany seemed to be in control of the war. The spark and flame caused by the action lit the lamp of hope throughout occupied Europe.

THE RAMAYANA

For the western audience, many of whom are unaware of story, the backstory and myths, the story of the Ramayana, it is amazing. It was written centuries ago, is set in an ancient, pristine, and magnificent India. It features the story of the legendary Prince Rama of Ayodhya city in the kingdom of Kosala. He is called to fight for his kingdom, and experiences trials and must rely upon the help of an army of monkeys, versus demons and men. It is visually powerful, mythic in scale, and wonderfully epic in every aspect of the telling. It was well adapted by Virgin Comics in the Ramayan 3392 AD, and if someone were willing to spend the money, would make for a film that was an equal to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other Fantasy or Science Fantasy movies. It would definitely require a budget and a master in the director's chair, but I think it would be amazing.

THE BLACK DAHLIA: SEVERED

The case of the Black Dahlia deals with the murder of Beth Short, in a gruesome manner.  It might also involve a number of similar killings both before and after.  It is at this point still officially unsolved.  There was a film adapting James Ellroy's book The Black Dahlia. And, it was an ok work, but it was far more of a fictionalized and spectacle based work, than an answer to the mystery of who killed Beth Short. A true to source movie of the Black Dahlia based upon John Gilmore's work Severed would answer the questions of the case, and tell a dark and twisted tale. John Gilmore was highly talented in numerous realms, but his masterwork is how he acquired the likeliest suspect in the Black Dahlia case. He was a friend of many film stars, he easily work in and traveled through many creative domains, and I believe essentially solved the case. (I'd interviewed John Gilmore and he did the foreword to my book A LIFE OF RAVENS, and I liked him very much.  I'd also interviewed Steve Hodel, and I once favored Hodel's book, it featured a theory that his father was the killer Black Dahlia victim Beth Short. Hodel's father was indeed a dark soul, but, when Hodel later wrote that his father was also the Zodiac killer and who knows what else, I tended to see the flaws in his outlook more accurately. I like and liked both men (John Gilmore passed away), but Severed is the superior and the most twisted of all the works considering the case.

About Getting Reviews from Me

I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.



MY LINKS:


My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess

Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com

Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com


All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

HEROES

GREAT SUPERHERO SERIES
By Alex Ness
July 17, 2022

SO WHY NOT SUPERHEROES?

In a recent comic based article here I had mentioned that superheroes don't move me as they once did. That single comment led to a number of emails defending them, and one even suggested that I was a bit of fool to say I like comic books but am not a fan of superheroes. However, as much as that might sound reasonable, since superheroes are involved in many if not most comics released and are a valid form of expression, I have a right to evolve over time in my taste. I also have the right to have works resound or not as they do, as I evolve.

This does not mean I dislike superheroes. It simply means that of the various legends and myths, heroic tales I enjoy, the presence of superheroes doesn't nearly have the impact that they once had. I think that comic book medium is valid, and as it evolves, the need to tell stories of masked vigilantes will some day be a far smaller portion of the stories told. That isn't, in the least bit, meant as an insult to comic reading people, or the creatives of comics. It is meant to suggest that as comics are a medium that can tell many kinds of stories, there are almost no limits to what the medium can do.

I think that superheroes are fine. I also think that there are myths and legends from as long as humans have existed, that should equally be utilized for the content of their heroic journey. But I do think, superheroes require suspension of belief from the very beginning, since people in costumes aren't the norm of existence. As a child, it can be easy to believe but the older I get, the less I believe.Vigilante justice has grown rather more illegal, so, it isn't even as if I can assume that a story is likely even without a mask involved. I confess, writing my own work has led me to look at superheroes differently than at one time. I can still enjoy works that came out when I was younger, but going forward I've become more critical and less accepting of the more fantastic of aspects of a heroic story.

MY 5 FAVORITE SUPERHEROES


Cyclops: Young, tall, mutant, X-Man, moody guy in love with a redhead. (Marvel)
Hawkman: Golden age hero, Archeologist, lover of a redhead. (DC)
UnderDog: Newspaper boy, lover of reporter Polly Purebred. (Charlton)
Orion: Son of Darkseid, moral warrior who opposes his father. (DC)
Captain America: Patriotic super soldier, true American, man out of time. (Marvel)

Yes, there are some shared aspects of each character in that list. I would just say, I am married to a beautiful redhead who moves me to do courageous things. But to be entirely honest, I have too many favorites to list.  I love comics, and think them a valid and an exciting medium. And, I didn't list Batman, or a variety of other heroes I think are fascinating, but they aren't my favorites, just that the characters have had great stories featuring them.

MY FAVORITE SUPERHERO TV SERIES ALL TIME

This is a short list, because I've tended to not like most comic book based shows. And, while I don't list the Green Hornet, I did enjoy it, I've just not watched the single year of shows. 

Powers: 2 seasons only, and imperfect. For various reasons there were changes to the series of Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming, that didn't altogether work. If I'd forgotten what I'd read, and accept what was on the screen as whatever it was, it was quite good. And I was rather sad it never went beyond two seasons, it had tons of potential.

Batman the Animated Series was a true to original source work that perfectly captured the Batman mythos and legacy, and did it in a way that never grew old.

Samurai Jack is a brilliant confluence of myth, legend, narrative and science fiction. It is fun, funny and exciting. It is full of joy, and drama. I loved it.

Ultraman from Netflix reunited a boring old fart with a beloved scifi superhero series. I truly loved the original, and especially more as I grew older and appreciated the story telling and myth making found in the original. Ultraman from Netflix was a brilliant adaptation of the series, taking off where the original left. It was so good I had tears in various moments. I loved it even more than the original, it is my favorite all time television series.

X-Men Evolution took the basic X-Men story, re-aged the characters, added new story telling narratives, and kept the whole of the original story in the comics. I definitely loved it.

Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward is innocent fun. Some people who wanted a series hero hated it, but not me. It dwells in my memory and nostalgia zone comfortably and with kind thoughts towards that time of life.

About Getting Reviews from Me

I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

MY LINKS:


My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess

Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com

Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com


All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted

Monday, July 11, 2022

SICK ‘N TWISTED UPDATE

Blind Indie Publisher Lassos Fellow Outlaw

30 Years, But Tim Tyler to Finally Appear in Joe Monks’ New Project

​(CAPE CORAL, FL) In the early ‘90s, a group of indie rulebreakers came to be known as comics’ Outlaw Publishers. The moniker swiftly took hold, and at the 1991 Motor City Comic Con, such publishers were grouped together, and at Chicago Comic Con in 1992, a whole row was devoted to the work of creators like Dave Quinn and Tim Vigil (FAUST); Vincent Locke (Deadworld); Jim O’Barr (The Crow); and Joseph M. Monks and Joseph Linsner from Cry For Dawn. In that burgeoning group of hellraisers, though, Tim Tyler was one Monks wanted to work with—but couldn’t.

“I had a hit list,” Monks explained recently. “I was talking with Brian Pulido about an Evil Ernie original with Steven Hughes. I wanted Jim O’Barr on a vampire story ("DECAY," which would eventually be illustrated by Ken Meyer Jr), and I wanted Tim Tyler (Clown Shock) on a zombie tale. People I was working with inside CFD, however, resisted, and unfortunately, the opportunity slipped by.”

Now, Monks is getting his wish. Tyler, currently releasing titles through Rat House Comics, is providing an original tip-in card for the Kickstarter campaign for SICK ‘N TWISTED, Monks’ new splatterpunk extravaganza. And, while he can’t see this piece, Monks is still thrilled.

“I think of guys who should have been in Cry For Dawn who were absolutely interested. Problems behind the scenes prevented it, but now? There are lots of folks I’ve been talking to about making up for lost time, and the Gory Lori piece we’ve been showing off has gotten people asking for a full story. I can’t ask for better.”

SICK ‘N TWISTED ships this September and is available both through the Kickstarter campaign and with Diamond Comics supplying comic shops. 32 pages, no ads, and firmly in the Mature Readers category.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

The Mixed Bag of Books

DIFFERENT BOOKS TO CONSIDER
By Alex Ness
Sunday July 10, 2022


The shame of reviewing, or calling what I do as reviewing, comes from the fact that I despise having to share less than positive views of a product I know someone of talent created. Their hours of labor and efforts have worth, and usually, I try to avoid any comment when a work doesn't work for me, since most of the time I could argue, correctly, that it would have worked for someone else. But I hope here in this article, to give reasons to read various offerings or know before reading, what the flaws might be.

In this article I offer one book that fails for the right reasons. One set of books that are interesting but fail in ways that some might not agree with me regarding, and two sets of books without such flaws.  (All books purchased by me, or acquired through trade or as a gift).

HIDDEN HORRORS: Japanese War Crimes in World War II by Yuki Tanaka with foreword by John W. Dower, is well written, as it tells what it does with clarity and obvious purpose. The purpose of the book is to attempt to discuss war crimes committed by members of the Japanese military in World War II. But it really doesn't discuss the prime subject as well as relay the facts of it. It speaks of things that are terrible, but tries to balance them by pointing out that it wasn't unusual since the Allies and their partner in the Axis pact Germany all committed similar crimes. There is an attempt in the book to equate abuse of civilians, slaughter of prisoners of war, cannibalism towards the same, rape, and neglect through starvation, as well as murder of wounded prisoners, with the use of nuclear weapons to end the war by the US. The use of bombing against civilian targets, through nuclear weapons, fire bombs or normal arsenals of bombs, was not a crime of war, particularly, since all sides participated in that exact behavior. While I believe that the use of nuclear weapons was unnecessary and likely done in an act of racial hatred, it was only different in scope of damage. The use of strategic bombing did not make any party of war criminal, in as much as war itself is not criminal.

Historian John Dower is a voice of reason regarding the bestial violence of the Pacific War of the larger conflict of World War Two.  His books demonstrate the racial views that underpinned the course of behavior in the Pacific War. But open and vile racism along with killing aren't the issue that led Japanese soldiers to commit on a regular basis terrible acts.  As such, there are far better books to consider what was done, including those by Dower. The purpose I had reading this book was to gain further insight into how a people who are manifestly disciplined and thoughtful, creative and culturally important, could commit such acts, on a relatively regular basis. As such there are far better books, particularly, The Pacific War by Saburo Ienaga, which shook the country of Japan's cultural elite, for the brutal honesty it presented. Japan's Secret War is a book written with bias, but it does demonstrate the case that if it was wrong for the Allies to use nuclear weapons, the Japanese seem to have pursued similar weapons, and with a mind towards use. Japan's Infamous Unit 731 tells a story sadly similar to the story of Nazi science, carried out in Concentration camps and other locations, where brutal acts in the name of science were carried out. It is necessary to consider how the Unit 731 data was used and what happened to the leaders involved.

I KNOW WHAT I SAW: Modern-Day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient Lore by Linda S. Godfrey is a work that has quality and an interesting subject. It is however somewhat close to ridiculous.Written in a reportorial style, the work is newsy, serious enough without entering dry science data, and with a quality of thought that is commendable. I think the subject matter, once you've delved into it, goes far beyond credulity. And as such, along with the other works I've read by Godfrey, I think true believers would find this an awesome work, but most people would find it silly. Arguing that a witness of an event knows what they saw, the author speaks towards an attempt to legitimize eye witness accounts, by suggesting that without proof, one might find reason to believe. Interestingly, Linda Godfrey argues a couple different theories. One, that whatever society believes through myth and legends, is probably false. Two, that the number of reports suggests something, and the reports and their similarity in kind and behavior of unknown creature are remarkably similar.

Whatever people see, it seems to be fulfilling something in our ideas, but probably isn't what we are afraid that we are seeing.  Now, as much as it might sound as I dislike these books, I don't. And I think they are well done, with great covers and interior look. I just don't think I believe this, and as a book about real encounters, it becomes a thorn in the side of the premise, if your starting point is, eh, I doubt it. So, while this isn't meant negatively, I think what it is is good, for what it is, it doesn't work for me.

THE FAERIE QUEENE Books 1-6 Many people who've read me are aware that I have an affection for the work by Edmund Spenser. The collection shown is one that I've read but do not own. The art accompanying the written work is magnificent. The editorial commentary and presentation is brilliant beyond words.  So, if you like or love the Faerie Queene, find this series, read even deeper than ever before with the help of editorial commentary, and appreciate the lavish art and detail offered. It is quite magnificent, deserving of such treatment.


I own three of the four books shown by Robert M Schoch, Ph. D, with Voices of the Rocks being a book I read but do not own. I plan to change that.  The content of all four books is especially well written, since the result of academic minds pondering great theories can be difficult, dry or plain old uninteresting.  But Schoch's words create a concept that I've learned a great deal from, appreciate for the newness of it, and think it is needed throughout academia.  His idea of the world being older and more complex is not entirely new, but how he explains it, displays it, and proves it make the simplest minded reader able to see the bigger picture.  His ideas on the page make me aware of the mysteries that have still not been solved, but offers hope that they can be solved.

First with his work with John Anthony West, he discovered proof that the ancient Sphinx might well be far older than otherwise thought.  Some called the work fringe theory, but it is far from that.  In fact, the defense from the Egyptology orthodoxy becomes more and more fringe with every new piece of data... There is reason to believe that what was thought to be the case, is not. Schoch's works, especially in Voyages of the Pyramid Builders, can be seen as enlightened, logical, and moving. Far from using his imagination, he uses the data known and suggests that our world was far more advanced and civilized, and that perhaps catastrophes caused the general human population to lose their awareness of the excellence of the past.  His warnings of past solar outbursts that will affect future civilization is well considered by me, and I think with so much of the modern world's data being electronic, archives turned over to digital collections, one major outburst from the sun would change the present, and destroy our future.  All of Schoch's work needs to be considered by more, and responsible academics and leaders.  It is important.

About Getting Reviews from Me

I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.



MY LINKS:


My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess

Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com

Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com


All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.

Saturday, July 2, 2022

ODDS and ENDS

ODDS & ENDS
By Alex Ness
Sunday July 3, 2022

ON THIS DAY, LONG AGO

This article appears on July 3, 2022.  My mother died in October 2012, but her birthday was 7/3/1926. I've spent almost a decade in mourning, and despite many good things in my life, she still appears in my thoughts every day, and many times a day. I mention this only because of the date of the article, I really am not looking for sympathy. I do, however, try to be reflective and transparent, and I make certain to become aware of my outlook, and note that for others in case they think my work reflects that outlook.

WRITING FOR OTHERS

As I write this, I have long been aware that some folks wouldn't see it as fairly being called a neutral or unbiased review or interview work. Beyond personal taste or the quality of work, there's a difference between what a writer of such work has been exposed to, what they choose to consider and the difference between quality of work versus enjoyment of a work. If one doesn't have product to review, they can only review what is before them. If one only likes one kind of work, the focus will be narrow, even if written well.

Advocacy is entirely different than analysis. Exposure allows a context of a work to be more than a single note in concert, but it would be fair to say, everyone starts with a blank slate, so it can difficult to assess a work as falling within the genre, or even singularly due to the amount of information offered. There are movies, for instance, that are fine work, but not of a subject I like. Even then, if I'm aware of what has been done before, I can consider the importance of a work, as how it fits in the previous considerations.

Someone I know wrongly called Star Wars the first movie of its kind, when it appeared 45 or so years ago. George Lucas has spoken of the influences upon his movie/franchise I'm not going into that at the moment, but the movie and franchise were built upon b/w serials and adventures, samurai films and more. Science fiction had long existed when 1977 arrived. I do think Star Wars was good, it just wasn't new as a genre or new to the public within the genre it appeared within. My point isn't to say I'm important, I've important views, or what I think is something you should agree with. I am saying I have an opinion, I'm sharing that, and hoping if something is good to share that well enough to encourage the reader to themselves seek out the work.

CATS

My health has been off, due to pain and other causes. I've missed a lot of sleep. Just as I mention my mother I can honestly say there is just one source of pain relief for me, the answer would be my cat princess Katya.  So, if you imagine me reading, watching or listening to something, imagine I have the cat shown on my lap or nearby in a very cute position. I'd be lost without her, and that really isn't exaggerating.  

MEMORIAL DAY MOVIES ADDED FILMS TO CONSIDER

In my desire to give the readers 12 War movies to view, I tried to make a list of great films from many different eras of film, and different subject matter (different wars or battles). In doing so I had to cut corners that made the list less in numbers in order to make certain WWII and Vietnam War films didn't dominate the list. As such, I made mistakes that I wish I'd avoided. Here are five movies I wanted to include but forgot, or squeezed out of the list for less than great reasons.

THE BEDFORD INCIDENT: This movie features an amazing cast, uses a limited setting, and tells a story that is hyper focused upon a single event and the factors leading to it.  It shows in lavish detail how the clues and path of an attempt to hunt leads to considerations of motive, false beliefs and tragic mistakes that could lead to absolute Armageddon.

PORK CHOP HILL: I saw this movie as a young kid, when my brother and I were staying with our Grandma in Minneapolis for 3 weeks in the summer.  She'd read Harlequin Romances, her air conditioner was pumping gloriously cold air, and my brother and I absorbed some great movies. While my childhood memory had the story happen between the UN troops versus Communist Chinese in the Korean conflict, this is a story of an American action at the end of the war, when negotiation delays meant dead soldiers and false hopes. Pork Chop Hill would be one of many battles in a war and later wars of a similar nature where the goal was abstract, and one no one would likely think worth a life's end.  It is both brutal and powerful.

ZULU:  The battle of Roarke's Drift saw a slaughter of a battle between a then modern armed army of the British Empire and the mass human wave attacks called the Horns of the Buffalo, or a moving crescent, by warriors armed with spears and shields. Courage wasn't the determiner of victory, and blood shed didn't mean the war was won or lost. There are modern viewers who think this movie might revel in the racially white army of the British defeating the mass of backwards black folks, and it does exist, but that isn't the story told. The colonial context forms the background information and part of the reasons for the battle.

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS: After the French Foreign Legion and other French colonial forces have been defeated in Vietnam, they have been reassigned to the dangerous region of Algeria, a French department in open revolt against the French mother country. The Battle of Algiers is a lesson in brutality towards those who revolt, the choice to torture, and fight for reasons that aren't altogether moral or for good reasons.  It also depicts the life of those who choose to fight against the mother country's forces, and what they must do to survive. If a film can be called a documentary as well as dramatic, I'd suggest this work does that. It is easy  

ENEMY AT THE GATES: A sniper duel fought within the ruins of the city of Stalingrad, where the Soviet soldiers finally held the ground against the invading German army, of the Nazi Reich and Adolf Hitler. It is claustrophobic, moving, and based upon how the Soviet political system created a hero, and the hero chosen had to somehow do his work despite the need to fulfill expectations of those in power. In doing so he loses friends and allies. I love this film, it is beautiful in look despite being a war film, CGI laden, and written about a subject that was juiced up to make a better movie.


THE GOOD

I received an email asking me for a list of comics that I consider the worst of all time as a balance towards the article wherein I shared my 10 favorite comics. The emailer asked me to go into detail regarding what I dislike as a way to warn potential readers what might be a comic no one should consider. While I have a list, and image, I've absolutely no interest in going deep into the detail territory. I've mentioned as a person who writes about creative works, I pretty much assume the best intentions and admire a finished product, due to the difficulty many people have simply getting published. Creative works represent a labor whereby a creative person has created something that had to be offered up to the taste of a wide number of readers. While it couldn't be said that all creative works are equal, it requires work and some talent at least to create something that others will read. I respect that. My outlook regarding creative works I don't like, I generally assume that someone else WILL like what I didn't like.

THE BAD

JTHM Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
presumes to be funny. I found it pointless and violent, even if in comic fashion of violence.  I didn't find it humorous, I didn't find the violence to be cathartic, I found it infantile. Knowing some people who loved it made me wonder about their humanity. But then I turned on my television to some Jerry Springer shows and thought I'd found who might like it.

ROB ZOMBIE'S SPOOK SHOW
was an anthology of unpleasant stories told in the most lurid fashion, but still within a R boundary. If someone thinks I dislike Rob Zombie, or Crossgen, I assure you, it hasn't anything to do with it. It was simply unpleasant and not worth the time it took to read it.

ZOMBIE KING I am sorry, but Frank Cho might be a fine artist, but
this work revealed a child with the freedom to say dirty things. It was a vile, dark and dirty work. I was shaking my head the entire time while I briefly read it. It was a pure form of crap.

EVIL ERNIE from whatever publisher, is a product that I found to be rather ill advised, uninteresting, and a waste of time to read. The absence of likable characters, the mediocre concepts, and apparent love of things evil or dark, all made me wonder the point of it.

Jim Balent's TAROT Witch of the Black Rose was a work that immediately became obvious the purpose. Without going to deep in description, the art depicts physically impossible women with enormous breasts, who then enter into occult sorcery and sex. And then more sex. And the sexual adventures involved big breasts and women with big breasts, and more breasts. As a heterosexual I clearly understand why some readers would like this, but if I wanted to read softcore porn there are dozens if not hundreds or thousands or millions of products that would do the job better.

From MARVEL both MARVILLE and ULTIMATE ADVENTURES suffered from the same issues, making them nearly unreadable. They were self referential, attempting to utilize comic reader meta themes, and parody, and each did so without nuance or able to create any interest. I'd never have read them thinking they'd be the best work I'd read, but I had hope for WAY more than I experienced. The books felt like vanity projects done by teens, rather than from veterans in publishing. Bad writing, somewhat passable art, and smug or self conceited concepts made these books a waste of money, and the time spent reading them.

CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK and CAPTAIN ATOM ARMAGEDDON were similarly flawed works from DC Comics. Captain Carrot was marginally good per issue, but nothing great. And it then was ended with such an obvious editorial dictated ending, it felt like the reader who paid for the book essentially spent money on a work from a big company that could just as easily been released as a 2 or 3 panel cartoon for free on their corporate website. The individual issues of Captain Atom were ok if not good, and there was potential. Until the last 3 pages rebooting everything saying, essentially, the comic you spent $27 damn dollars on never happened, and there is no true ending of what was written.

CHOSEN by Mark Millar and Peter Gross was a real disappointment to me. I think both of those creative talents are able and gifted in ability, but chose to take a road down Blasphemy Lane to tell a story that felt old, clumsy in concept and worthless overall. The concept that doesn't work takes a 12 year old boy and says he is the returned Christ, and "hilarity ensues". That's sarcasm, btw. Mark Millar's Unfunnies was a concept that maddened certain crowds, but it was a powerful lesson in how archetypes and tropes can be manipulated to get a reaction from a reader. Chosen was simply a boring attempt at tearing down certain constructs, without being willing to erect new and better ones. 

About Getting Reviews from Me

I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.



MY LINKS:


My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess

Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com

Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com


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