Favorite Panel Friday (On a Thursday)

Comics are a big deal to me.

That deserved a paragraph of its own. I'm so into comics that my dream comic gig isn't X-men (though that one would be awesome) or Wolverine (who is my favorite character and has been since I read Uncanny X-men #193 and started seriously collecting comics) it's Devil Dinosaur. So... proof positive I'm a comic geek.  And I've been trying to think of things to blog about more and, given that you guys probably don't want to hear about every cool thing my sons do each day, I think I'm going to start doing something I've avoided in the past and talk about comics.

One thing I'd like to do each week is feature my favorite panel from the week's new releases and since tomorrow I'm going to cheat and pick one that's from a comic I read yesterday that wasn't a new release, I thought I'd share my favorite panel from a new release today:

It's from AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #2

Not my favorite title of the week (that would likely be Fatale #1 or Uncanny X-force #19.1), but still fun. I dig Jeph Loeb's stuff and I'm a big Ed McGuinness fan, so I would have been picking this comic up even if it wasn't a preamble to the big upcoming cross-over between Avengers and the X-men. 

Spoilers Follow: So... one of the things I enjoy in a good time travel storyline is when the time travelers have things wrong because they are acting on assumptions so far into the future that their knowledge of them basically guarantees that future won't exist. I just wish the time travelers themselves would realize that every once and a while.

If we read what's happened correctly, then Cable has made a huge error. He thinks the Hulk is some guy named Talbot, but we know *shhh, it's a secret to everybody* that he's actually Thunderbolt Ross. (And Talbot is a Mouser from my Void City books, so while he could be behind all of this, I highly doubt it. Note: And yes, I know he likely meant Glenn Talbot, but I'm being silly.) Cue sound effect: Bum-bum-BUM! Of course, Cable has already made a huge error in thinking that the Avengers he knows are going to decide to murder Hope, his adopted daughter and last "hope" for the mutant species as a whole, etc, for no good reason... Cause Captain America and Iron Man are always running around and murdering people.  Oh wait.  No they don't. Hey... um... Cable...

But, we have to give Cable a break because he is trying to do all this last minute daughter saving while the techno virus that gives him that big metal arm and stuff is finally eating him, killing his brain, and turning him into a techno-organic lump of either dead stuff or evil villain.  Who can know for sure? I know this, I'm really digging the scenes from Cable's time with Hope when she was growing up.

Happy New Year From The Void

The holidays have put me behind on blogging. 

And... 

Okay... 

Writing stuff that you can't see yet has put me way behind on blogging, too. As has Skyrim, but don't get me started on that. Seriously awesome, but also a serious time sink. (Note: My cat does look good in his Dragonplate, though. He will look spooky in his Daedric Armor when I'm done with it, so I'm not sure if he'll wear it even if the armor rating *is* better, because I don't fancy the idea of him looking quite so much like the Dark Lord Sauron.)

Did I mention Burned: A Void City novel comes out on the last day of January?

Yep, it does. So that's cool. Or, I think it is.

Also cool is that the awesome folks at Bragelonne sent me this card via international mail:

You would not believe the smile that put on all of our faces here at the Lewis House. They also picked up the French language rights for CROSSED. :)

New Comic Day: 12-14-2011

Those of you who know me, know that I love comics. 

LOVE THEM!

I cannot remember a time when I did not read them and long before the move toward acceptance of comics (or Graphic Novels, if you prefer... I will rant about the supposed difference at another time) as literature, I was on board. I worked in a local comic and games store for something like a decade (Lion & Unicorn - I miss you). So... You could say I'm invested in the medium. For as far back as I can recall, I have wanted to write comics, too.

So it seems odd that I haven't spent much time blogging about them. To be honest, I've probably spent way more time reading comics than novels... Though I read a copious number of those as well. That, the lack of blogging about comics, ends today.

What I bough this week in the Comixology app:

Green Lantern #4

Walking Dead #92

Bone #48 & #49

Atomic Robo: Ghost of Station X #4

Avengers: The X-Sanction #1

And via the Dark Horse App:

The Goon #32

How were they? I'll let ya know, once I get a chance to read em. ;)

Un Pieu dans le Coeur de J. F. Lewis

I have to admit that the publication of a French translation of STAKED really has me stoked. I haven't actually held a copy yet, but I checked out the free preview on a few sites and from what I can tell with my smattering of French, the translation seems like a good one. It's hard for me to tell how harsh Eric's language is from one language to the other, though.

More interesting, however, is seeing what the French think about the book. I mean, Eric is not the nicest guy when the series starts (though I do think he becomes, if not more pleasant, then more understandable and a little more heroic as the series progresses) and there is always the chance that the series will be misinterpreted as a love story between Eric and Tabitha and... It isn't.

That's one of the reasons I had Talbot spell things out so clearly to Tabitha in STAKED. I think Tabitha's "heroic journey" has more to do with growing up and understanding that she has let men and what they want from her define her entire existence for way too long. She has to move beyond that and value herself. Having written her is several books now, it will be cool to see if I get to play around in the Void City universe long enough for Tabitha to make that change and become as kick ass as I think she can be. I think we see a glimmer of that by the end of BURNED.

Also. I'm always worried that the reason Eric treats his lovers so badly, when they aren't in bed, is too easy to miss. Does the whole "cruel to be kind" thing come across? A reader once asked me about Eric infamous "moist, warm, tightness" statement: "It's almost like he was trying to make her dump him."

My answer: "He was" seemed to shock the reader.

The series does have a love story in it, but it's not the one people tend to think it is. There are two, really: The platonic love story between Eric and Greta and the core romantic one between Eric and Marilyn. Of course, there is also, the whole heroic journey aspect, the delving into vampire politics aspect, and the simple fact that I love to highlight the dark humor in things whenever I can. What also has me super curious, is how, if Milady continues with the series, will Greta's POV come across in French as she slowly takes over the role of secondary main POV character... I can only wait and watch in gleeful anticipation. :)

NO SPARKLY VAMPIRES - REMIX

This time, as per reader feedback, Wolfy is showing his Void City pride! ;)

A (mock) Public Service Announcement

Heh. Now you know what sort of mischief I get up to when I'm on my lunch hour and start doodling on my iPad. :)

Do You Know...

... who the woman on the cover of BURNED is?

Hint: The last time we saw her was a very brief encounter with Eric back in STAKED.

(iIf all else fails, you can find out January 31, 2012 when you read the book.)