Call of the Wild Errata
Posted on April 18, 2006
So, let’s say you reviewed a comic for somebody, and let’s just say it was Mike Oliveri and Joe Bucco’s Werewolves: Call of the Wild, and let’s go a step further and say your only real critique was with the colors.
Then let’s say you found out you were sent the wrong color files.
Well, that’s what happened. I just looked at Call of the Wild’s final colors, and they are incredible, the perfect fit for the artwork. So, go read my previous review, then imagine it with me saying the colors kick ass.
Sorry, everybody.
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Official…
Posted on April 17, 2006
Two paragraph, positive write-up of A Trip to Rundberg on page 32 of the current issue of Rue Morgue. Certainly our most widespread coverage so far. Go check it out.
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A look at Werewolves: Call of the Wild
Posted on April 14, 2006
I recently got a chance to read the first issue of Mike Oliveri And Joe Bucco’s upcoming Moonstone series Werewolves: Call of the Wild, and I am here to proclaim that it is well worth your hard-earned dollars.
Werewolves begins with an act of brutal violence, one that seems unexplainable. This mystery becomes the basis for the issue. A mysterious stranger comes to town, sniffing around for answers, and the police appear to be covering something up. They are, after all, the ones who did the shooting.
That’s all I’m telling, plot-wise. You want to learn more, go pick up the issue. It should be out any day now.
Oliveri’s writing on this is tight, with dialogue that keeps the talking heads scenes entertaining. He keeps things sparse in all the right places, letting the art do its thing, and he’s telling a good tale here. I want to know where the story’s going. He’s got me hooked, as all the kids say these days.
Bucco’s art is solid, though I did notice his facial anatomy slip in a panel or two. He excels at the action scenes, and there are more than a few splash panels that will make your jaw drop.
In fact, my only real criticism of the first issue would be the coloring. The colorist seems to be going for a fusion between the flatter Vertigo style and the more vibrant Image style. The result is a little confusing, and I think the book might have been better served with some more subtle color work, closer to the colors of Fables or DMZ. That’s just me, though, and until I see what kind of paper the book is printed on, I really can’t make a final judgment.
In short, if you’re into equal helpings of mystery and horror, pick up a copy of Werewolves: Call of the Wild. I think you’re gonna dig it.
I don’t do star ratings, but this one would be up there.
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A Trip to Rundberg at Maximum Horrors
Posted on April 13, 2006
Maximum Horrors has listed A Trip to Rundberg as their spotlight book for April. There’s a great review there, so go check it out. Thanks a lot to the Maximum Horrors guys!
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The Plan
Posted on April 13, 2006
Now. with less than a month until World Horror Con, I have enacted The Plan. What’s The Plan? I’m glad you asked. The Plan is a multi-item course of action designed to get my ass published.
The Plan follows:
1) Polish first three chapters of A Family Matter, give to Shawna to proofread.
2) Polish first three chapter of Run Like Hell, give to Shawna to proofread.
3) Polish first three chapter of Tower Four, give to Shawna to proofread.
4) Enter Shawna’s proofreading notes.
5) Write synopses for all three.
6) Polish synopses and hand to Shawna.
7) Enter those notes.
8) Practice pitching (this is a biggee, because I suck at it).
9) Print up a lot of pages, put them into packets, and sell them bitches!
Easy, huh?
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So that’s how it feels.
Posted on April 11, 2006
I’m sorry to swerve this place away from its writer-centric roots again, but there’s a story I wanted to tell.
This is Simon.
Simon is my cat. True, Shawna brought him hom when he was only a couple weeks old. She found him sick and starving outside a convenience store somewhere between Austin and Abilene. When Shawna presented the diseased miscreant, I gave her one of those looks that says “You’re pushing it, sister.” We didn’t need another pet, and I sure as hell didn’t want one.
And then Shawna had the nerve to set Simon up in my writing room.
And a friendship was born.
Maybe I should stop here and clarify something…
Simon is fine. I realize this sounds like the set up for a memorial. It isn’t.
But it almost was.
Over the last two years or so, Simon has grown to be a healthy cat of 12 pounds or so (did I say healthy?). He’s an energetic little booger when his favorite toy comes out, and he sprints around the living room, doing backflips and swatting at the air when I play with him. It’s amazing he’s so big, really.
Simon is one of my best friends, and I certainly love him more than the other three pets.
And Saturday, Simon went missing.
Shawna and I spent the morning at the Austin Farmers’ Market, then stopped to get some food on the way home home. We were probably gone almost two hours, total. Once we made it home, Shawna led the dogs to the back door to let them outside, and that’s when she noticed that Greta had some how managed to get the sliding glass door open.
Simon was gone.
We checked the neighbor’s yards on both sides. We checked behind the fence, in the doghouse, up the tree, on the roof, and up and down the street. I drove around the neighborhood, and Shawna started knocking on doors.
We did this for two hours, and still no sign of Simon.
So I started working on the MISSING posters.
And I broke down.
Shawna saw me sniffle a little, then grabbed the first batch of posters and went to go hang them up. That’s when the dam burst and I sat at my desk, screaming and bawling for a good ten minutes. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard before, and it was all over this cat that I didn’t want in the first place.
I went to hand out posters to the neighbors, and I cried in front of all of them. I didn’t care. I just wanted my cat back. My cat! I didn’t even lose a dog like most other respectable males. Maybe that’s because I hate dogs. I’m not sure.
After a few more crying jags, I ran out of flyers and went home to print up more. I hit the print button and stepped out back to give one last look for my cat. I did this because I didn’t want to explain to Shawna that Greta owed me blood. So I stepped onto the back porch…
…and there was Simon.
He probably thought I was trying to kill him, I hugged him so hard. I don’t know where he was for those almost three hours, and I don’t care. I care that he’s back, and that I can still feed him every morning and drag him around the living room by his paws at night.
I love you, Simon.
Don’t ever leave.
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Hmmm…
Posted on April 11, 2006
Just realized one of the women on last night’s episode of Wife Swap is a MySpace friend of mine. The world just keeps shrinking, doesn’t it? She said she made the uptight uberchristian woman attend a Brian Keene chat. That must of been a blast!
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That was nice…
Posted on April 11, 2006
That was just what I needed, a day to just get shit DONE! Over the course of eight hours, I lettered FEAR pages, finished the first three chapters of TOWER FOUR, and spent some quality time on A FAMILY MATTER and RUN LIKE HELL. And I did all of that while not giving in to the urge to watch downloaded episodes of The Shield.
So, when I head off to WHC in a little less that a month, I’ll be pitching a novel and two novellas, all of which will be met with a hearty “Who are you again?”
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The Work
Posted on April 10, 2006
Taking a personal day today for writing and housework purposes. Will be away from all communication. Back tomorrow.
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I left my heart…
Posted on April 7, 2006
You know how the rest of that song goes, and if you don’t, you got some serious problems.
This weekend is APE, the Alternative Press Expo, out in San Francisco. I went with Shawna and Danny from Frequency Press last year. Shawn Richter flew in from Canada. We had a ball. Shopping in Chinatown, munching down food at Noriega Teriyaki, getting crushed at The Isotope. That doesn’t even cover the convention, which was great on all accounts.
In a perfect world, I’d be going again this year, but this isn’t a perfect world, and I’m stuck in Austin this weekend. Don’t cry too hard, now. I’ll be in San Francisco in four weeks or so for the World Horror Convention, where I’ll spend four days drunk off my ass and trying to sell books. Y’know, as great as Comic-Con is, it’s just too hard to drink during the day.
Speaking of Comic-Con, I’d like to go this year, but once again I don’t think it’s in the cards. Between WHC in May and Horrorfind in August, I’m just about tapped out. Shit, I’d also like to go to Necon! How the fuck do writers pull this shit off?
Anybody want to chime in with helpful suggestions?
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