Off the Mark Comic Strip, December 18, 2015 on GoComics.com
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Doc Savage: The Secret of Satan's Spine -- Kenneth Robeson (Will Murray)
The one thing I'd like to see more of in Will Murray's new series of "the All-New Wild Adventures of Doc Savage" is a page or two in which Murray explains exactly how much of the book comes from Dent's original ideas or outlines or fragments. All we get this time is the book's dedication: "For Charles Moran, the Doc Savage editor who killed this idea back in 1943 . . . ." From this I infer that the idea was proposed by Dent or one of the other Kenneth Robesons but rejected. It's a good idea, no matter whose it was, and I wonder why it was deep-sixed.The seeting this time is 1943, when the world is involved in WWII, the Big One. The story begins when an attractive young blonde woman attempts with some success to sidetrack Monk, who's supposed sail to England on the Northern Star for a consulting job. Shenanigans ensue, and the woman is kidnapped. Eventually Doc is brought into things, and he, Ham, and Monk wind up on the ship. Many of the crew are members of a gang headed by a man called Diamond, but others of the crew turn out to be old friends of Doc. Fans of the series will know them when they appear.
There's a lot going on, including a mysterious and deadly sculpture, invisibility cloaking (Doc had it before Harry Potter), disguise, time spent in the brig, a takeover of the ship by Diamond and the gang, and plenty of fisticuffs and shooting. Not to mention the Secret of Satan's Spine, which is a good one, for sure and which I of course will not reveal.
All of this is leading up to climax when the monster hurricane that's been threatened through the story finally appears and wreaks mucho havoc.
As you've probably gathered by now, Will Murray's done it again, with a fast-paced story that's true to the spirit and style of the original adventures and is not to be missed by fans of the series.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
This Fossil Found in Texas Suggests Pterosaurs Could Fly Really Far: Paleontologists have dug up a 94-million-year-old pterosaur fossil in Texas—the first of its kind discovered in North America. A paper recently published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology reports that the species' closest relative is a pterosaur that was native to what would have been England today, indicating that the creatures were capable of flying extreme distances.
Friday, December 18, 2015
No word on whether he filled his mouth with cannon balls and powdered his behind
Man arrested, alligator in custody after SWAT standoff in Cleveland: The man used the alligator "as a weapon"
Frank Roderus, R. I. P.
It's been announced on the Western Fictioneers list that Frank Roderus has died. I first became acquainted with his work back in the middle 1980s, starting with his series about a man named Heller, a sort of Travis McGee type. There were, I believe, six books in the series. Here's my review of one of them, done for an FFB feature a couple of years ago. His western novels are all very good, and I recommend them.
Interview with S. Craig Zahler
Any movie director who recommends novels by Vin Packer, Sax Rohmer, David Goodis, Harry Stephen Keeler, and a lot of other greats has to be okay.
bare•bones e-zine: Bone Tomahawk: Into a Moral Crucible of Cowboys & Cannibals
bare•bones e-zine: Bone Tomahawk: Into a Moral Crucible of Cowboys & Cannibals
FFB: Previews of Entertainment through June, 1952 -- Gilbert Seldes
Sometimes I feel as if I'm reading a book nobody else in the entire world is reading. It's a truly forgotten book. Published in October, 1951, it's what it says it is, a preview of entertainment options for the first half of the coming year. Naturally a guy who misses the old days would love something like this. It's a real time machine.What you have is essentially a series of lists of names and titles, followed by a capsule summary and sometimes an opinion. Even animated cartoons get a brief section, with mentions of things like Barefaced Flatfoot. I'm surprised by how many of the movies I saw or have seen since as well as by how many I'd never heard of. There's even a section called "The Gleam in the Eye" about movies that are rumored to be in production or about to be, with a warning that some of them might not appear. In that group are Spartacus, Gandhi, and 1984, which did eventually appear, but certainly not in 1952. Then there's Hiawatha, which did come out in 1952, with none other than Vince Edwards in the title role. Here's Seldes' interesting comment about that movie: "Once dropped because someone suggested that the idea of peace among the Indian tribes might be considered anti-American propaganda, the picture is again scheduled -- in color."
There's more, so much more about books and TV and radio that I can't begin to quote it all to you or even describe all the categories and items that are listed. I'll just say that I bought this book on eBay for $2.89, and it was the best bargain I've found in a good while.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Real Life Is Stealing from My Books Again
The Smoking Gun: As detailed in a Tewksbury Police Department report, when cops contacted Moore, he was “wearing a piece of tinfoil on his head under his cap”
The 2015 Black List
A Surreal Epic About Michael Jackson's Chimp Topped the 2015 Black List: The Black List is an annual ranking of Hollywood’s most promising yet-to-be-produced screenplays. Past years have highlighted eventual awards-grabbers like Argo, American Hustle, and The Social Network, as well as genre entries like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This year’s mix is similarly all over the map.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
EQMM Diamond Anniversary
OUR DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY YEAR | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Last week, EQMM January 2016, the first issue in our 75th year in continuous publication, went on sale. I hope you’ve seen it!
Luigi Creatore, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Luigi Creatore, a songwriter and record producer who teamed with his cousin Hugo Peretti to create hits for Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Perry Como and others, died on Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 93.
They Needed Forensics for Smart Persons
The Graying Thieves Who Nearly Got Away With a Record Heist in London: The operation, meticulously plotted — with the help, the police would later find out, of the book “Forensics for Dummies” — was finally set in motion the Thursday before Easter this year, as Brian Reader, the ruddy-faced ringleader whom the others called “the Master,” boarded the No. 96 bus near his home in Dartford, Kent.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
When John D Met the Movies and McGee
The Trap of Solid Gold: When John D Met the Movies and McGee: This article originally appeared in the November 12, 1989 issue of the Sarasota Times. It was written by MacDonald's No Deadly Drug collaborator Pete Schmidt.
Is there still any point collecting books?
BBC News: A lifetime of collecting books has left the writer Howard Jacobson with back injuries, a lack of living space and a sense of sheer pointlessness. But he'd do it all over again.
And deeply embarrassing to proofreaders, as well
America's newest warship breaks down at sea after 20 days: The site of the $437 million vessel being towed to shore in Virginia will be deeply embarrassing for the navy.
Riddled with Gilt
AbeBooks: Riddled with Gilt: Gilding is an age old art which consists of applying gold in powder or thin sheet (gold leaf) form to an object - in this case, a book's pages or even cover boards. The gold in gold leaf has typically been mixed or alloyed with other metals such as silver or copper. But there are other options, and not all that glitters is gold. Some cheaper editions simply have gold-colored paint, which can dull quickly, while at the other end of the spectrum are firms like Easton Press, who still accent editions in genuine 22kt gold.
Overlooked Movies: Rob Roy
Roy Roy might not be a great movie, but it's sure a good one, with Liam Neeson in the title role and Jessica Lange as his wife, Mary. They're both excellent, and so is the rest of the cast, especially Tim Roth as Archibald Cunningham, the most villainous villain that ever villained. This is not to slight John Hurt, as Montrose, who's also very good, but when it comes to villaining, Roth is the champ.Rob Roy borrows money from Montrose, and Archie, always broke, steals the money from the messenger delivering it to Rob Roy. When Rob Roy asks Montrose for more time to repay the money that he never received, Montrose says he'll give him an extension only if Rob Roy grasses on his friend Argyll. Naturally Rob Roy, being a man of honor, refuses.
Bad things ensue, namely Archie's rape of Mary, along with the slaughter of Rob Roy's cattle and the burning of his home. Rob Roy becomes an outlaw, striking back at Montrose, who strikes back even harder. Eventually Rob Roy is taken prisoner, and there's a great escape scene. And finally there's an even greater sword fight scene, one of the best ever filmed. You don't have to take my word for it. You can watch it here. At the beginning you might think that Archie doesn't have a chance. Rob Roy towers over him and would seem to have the advantage, but Rob Roy, using a broadsword, is cut numerous times by the agile Archie, who's using a smaller weapon. Rob Roy tires and becomes exhausted, while Archie seems fresh as the dawn. Guess who wins.
I first saw this in the theater 20 years ago (seems more like 20 days), and it's just as fresh and exciting as ever, and everything about it works: the story, the acting, the scenery, the photography. A real winner.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Another Time I Was Part of History
In late July, 1960, I was celebrating a birthday and thinking about the fact that in a little over a month I'd be returning to The University of Texas at Austin for my sophomore year. Little did I know that Fate had a little something extra in store for me.As it happens, the Mexia High School band had been asked to march at halftime at a football game in Dallas in early August. Because some students were on vacation and others had to work in the evenings, and because the band director wanted 100 people to march, he put out the call for recent graduates to participate. I was never one to pass up an opportunity like that, so I volunteered.
In case you want photographic proof, there I am up on the left, photobombing Judy Carr and Sally Baldree at practice. I don't know who took the picture or how I got a copy, but you can take my word for it that it was sometime in early August of 1960.
You've probably already guessed the historic event I referred to in the heading for this post. It was the first football game ever played by the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. Now they call them preseason games, but then they were called exhibition games. The Cowboys had played two previous games in other cities, but this was the first one at home, back when they played in the Cotton Bowl. Naturally they lost.I already followed professional football a little bit, but since I'd now seen Dallas play and seen great Baltimore stars like Johnny Unitas and Lenny Moore in person, I began to take more interest in things. I became a Cowboy fan and maintained my enthusiasm for years. I watched every game I could on TV and listened to others on the radio. My enthusiasm started to wane when Jerry Jones took over, and now it's almost entirely gone. I like the Houston Texans better.
The game was played in the afternoon. Afterward, we got to go to a movie. We didn't get to choose which one. The whole bunch of us was taken to The Apartment, just the kind of movie for small-town high-school kids. Being a mature college sophomore, I was, of course, able to understand and appreciate it perfectly. I'm sure some of the whippersnappers didn't, though.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Chase The Rabbit: Gretch Bayonne Action Adventure Series Book #1 eBook: Steven M. Thomas, Haans Peterson, Nick Russell: Kindle Store From the barrooms of New York City, to the movie studios of Hollywood, Steven M. Thomas has crafted a tale of intrigue that captures the early 1930’s as freelance writer Gretch “Bay” Bayonne attempts to unravel the mystery of why a dedicated family man would abandon his life for no apparent reason. Along the way he encounters movies stars, Nazis, and newspaper tycoons, and barters a banana for a mysterious gold key stolen by a runaway monkey on a walkway atop the magnificent dirigible Graf Zeppelin. This first book in the Bay series is sure to grab readers from the first page and will not let go until the last!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)