DC Comics has introduced a younger, somewhat troubled Superman in a grimier, sleazier Metropolis in a new graphic novel for depressed contemporary audiences. Is this your idea of a good Superman tale? Find out here.
DC Comics has introduced a younger, somewhat troubled Superman in a grimier, sleazier Metropolis in a new graphic novel for depressed contemporary audiences. Is this your idea of a good Superman tale? Find out here.
This week’s Review presents a couple of mysteries from the Victorian Age, inspired by Mike Gray’s American Culture post, titled “A Note About Victorian Detective Fiction“. But first there’s an introduction and one writer’s top ten list of Victorian Detective stories. Then it’s Edgar Allan Poe’s sequel to “The Murder in the Rue Morgue,” followed by a story written in 1893 by Catherine Louisa Pirkis. This Review isn’t limited to Detective Fiction. Other stories included in this issue are classics by Daniel Keyes and Leo…
by Mike Gray I’m not “into it,” as they (used to) say, so I’m not recommending any of this. Proceed at your own risk. -Lovelace – The Origin. -Girl Genius Online (first installment: 4 November 2002). Click on image to enlarge. Click on image to enlarge.
Neil Gaiman, in his obituary of the obscure SF author, described R.A. Lafferty, pictured above in a portion of his personal library, as “a genius, an oddball, a madman.” He “never fit,” Gaiman wrote, “ as an sf writer as a fabulist or as a horror writer, although his work was sold as such and he won the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award. He was a genre in himself, and a Lafferty story is unlike any story by anybody else: tall tales from the Irish…
Another week, another passel of links into the wide, wide world of wondrous word-smithery. This week closes out with a bit of verse from Gerard Manley Hopkins, who was born on July 28, 1844. Short Fiction: “The Doors” by E.B. White When Jane Met Rochester – A scene from Libby Sternberg’s soon to be released novel Sloane Hall The Sisters of the Sacred Heart Criticism and Commentary: The Real Carver: Expansive or Minimal? “The Designs of E.B. White” by Gerald Weales What is Art? A Fish Studying Water –…
For your reading pleasure, as the work week comes to a close. Spend some time this weekend with a selection of links from this week’s Fiction Friday newsletter, produced by the Culture Alliance. Here is a miscellany of short fiction, news, opinion, advice and criticism from the publishing world. Short Fiction The Taborin Scale – a novella by Lucius Shepard “The Story Teller” by Saki (H.H. Munro b.1870 – d.1916) Reviews Triple Crown by Dick Francis – A Review by Lars Walker The Prince of Mist by…
The new Hellboy graphic novel arc hits the newsstands August 4, and the story takes an amusing turn: the title character is revealed to be the rightful king of England. Hilarity ensues, one suspects. Story here.
News of publishing’s demise is greatly exaggerated. Wander into any bookstore, be it a so-called Big Box or your local independent bookseller, and you’ll be inundated with more books than you could possibly read in a lifetime. If you’re into technology and pick up an e-reader, then you can download gigabyte after gigabyte of text. This post begins a weekly offering of links to stories, news, reviews, and opinion from around the publishing world. My intent is to inspire interest in fiction of all sorts, from…
2009 was the centenary year of the birth of a great American artist and writer. At his peak he had some 60 million fans who regularly followed his work. Author John Steinbeck once declared this individual should have received a Nobel Prize in Literature. His admirers ranged from Charlie Chaplin and Harpo Marx to John Kenneth Galbraith and Queen Elizabeth II. So why did the 100th year since his birth go by with nary a peep from major media outlets and the cultural influence professional…
Artist Frank Frazetta, who passed away today, may have sold more fantasy books than any other person other than Tolkien.
Archie Comics is welcoming a gay character. It isn’t Archie, Jughead, Veronica, or Betty. Same-sex attraction enters Archie’s world through a character named Kevin Keller. Salon’s Douglas Wolk describes his first appearance in Veronica No. 202 (cover caption: “Meet the Hot New Guy!”), written and drawn by veteran Archie artist Dan Parent, will introduce slender, blond Kevin Keller. From the few pages of the story released so far, it appears Parent is treating Kevin’s orientation as a surprise but not a shock: The hot new…
As the recent passing of Mission: Impossible star Peter Graves reminds us, the mid-’60s were surely the heyday of adventure fiction on television. In addition to MI, there were numerous other TV series devoted to action and adventure in the decade—fondly remembered shows such as The Man from UNCLE, T.H.E Cat, It Takes a Thief, The Wild, Wild West, The Fugitive, The Avengers, The Saint, The Prisoner, Secret Agent (aka Danger Man), Amos Burke: Secret Agent, Honey West, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,…
Stephen King brings vampires to America’s Old West in a newly published comic book. Unfortunately, probably the most prolific author working today displays a penchant for clichéd dialog and a theme near and dear to Michael Moore. Stephen King’s properties have been adapted to comics before with The Gunslinger Born, The Long Road Home, The Stand Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and others. American Vampire, however, is the first time King produces his own comic book script. In an interview with King, The Daily Beast…
Between eight and ten thousand sequential art, science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts gathered within Seattle’s Washington State Convention Center to celebrate the comic book and pop culture this past weekend. The fans came, some in costumes, seeking personal sketches and autographs from the gathered artists. Artists and writers came to meet their fans and to network with publishers in order to advance existing careers or establish new ones. In contrast to San Diego’s massive event, which draws over 10 times the number gathered in Seattle,…
TAC Fiction and Poetry Review
Welcome to November. There’s a Greek greeting shared between folks on the first day of each month. This isn’t the first day of the month, but it is the first TAC Fiction Review of the month, so I share with you, Kalo Mina, which means, ‘good month.’ In effect, it’s a wish that the coming month bring you blessings and happiness. Terry Teachout posted a George Orwell quote that one might want to reflect one prior to pontificating on what the coming months and years…
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