Comics Geekery

There's an odd thing about Hollywood -- the city essentially shuts down between Thanksgiving and February now, and over a big chunk of the summer, AND with the Jewish holidays ... it is a miracle we manage produce even the low-quality swill we foist upon you.

That said, I need to finish up these two projects in the next week, or they get bumped back a considerable length of time. Seeing how we're already scouting locations for one, that would be bad. So I'll toss out some comics pimpage and 4GM stuff over the next few days, but otherwise things will be pretty light.

Interview over at Newsarama on how I'm taking over Blue Beetle solo as of issue #11. Over at BOOM!'s joint they have the reviews for the latest entry in their anthology series, Pirate Tales. It's a fine piece of work -- but their next one, Ninja Tales, is all kind of "sick" as the kids say. I think. Diggity. Their new Cthulhu Tales collection is also very creepy and possibly even nastier than the last. I don't have a story in that one, so I get to read it as a civilian and enjoy.

I'm a bit in love with these anthology collections, remniscent of how the pulps worked back in the day. I don't know if Ross will be able to continue them as he moves into a much larger business model (Warhammer 40k anyone?), but goddamit it's fun as a writer to take a single concept laden with all sorts of baggage and either explore or subvert it. I can honestly say I never, ever would have written the story I did for Ninja Tales without the spark of the anthology gimmick. Yet, easily my favorite thing I've written this year. Preview of the art for that story -- "Desert Sun" -- is what's at the top of the page. Ninjas. 1945. You do the math.

Oh, and Warren sent me the first two issues of his next project. This is why I both love and hate him. I've been talking with a couple other writers about this whole neo-pulp vibe, maybe doing a project -- and Warren just goes ahead, independently, and writes the shit out of rockets and ray guns and aero-battles. You will want to buy this, oh yes you will. Keep an eye over at his joint for when it goes on sale.