Cooke/Stark: The Hunter
Check out Geoff Boucher’s great LA Times review of Darwyn Cooke’s adaption of Richard Stark’s The Hunter by clicking here. I can’t wait to pick up my copy. When reviews are universally this good, how can you go wrong?
Category: Books
All Aboard for Shutter Island
I really like the look of this poster for Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. Let’s hope the movie is half as good as Dennis Lehane’s novel. If so, we’ll be in for a fun couple of hours.
Heroes Here I Come!
Tomorrow I’m heading to Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina. Most folks refer to it as the best comic convention on the East Coast. Most folks would be right. From Friday, June 19th to Sunday, the 21st I’ll see if the praise still holds true. My guess is, it will.
I plan to tweet updates from the show and post a major con report next week. Until then…
“Shutter Island”
I loved the novel “Shutter Island”. This trailer makes it look like I’ll at least like the movie.
Mills’ SpyFi Channel
Hey, if you’ve got some time to kill [and you must or you wouldn’t be here], then you might want to check out Chris Mills‘ latest blog, which he calls the SpyFi Channel. I don’t know which I like best, the name or the header that Chris created.
At the SpyFi Channel, Chris will cover the world of spies — movies, books, tv — the whole enchalada. Be advised that Chris won’t update regularly, but when he does, it will definitely be worth a view. He’s started off with a look at Robert Conrad’s spy series [no, not The Wild, Wild West – one of my all-time favorite shows] A Man Called Sloane.
It’s cool that Chris has another blog going… as long as it doesn’t take away from getting the next Gravedigger story out. And I still think a Gravedigger novel could really work! Until then, you’ll find me at the SpyFi Channel!
Hard Case Crime T-Shirts
If you enjoy genre fiction, especially Hard Case Crime, and wear t-shirts. what are you waiting for?
“The Road” Trailer… A Different Road
This trailer for The Road makes it clear that there’s been changes made from Cormac McCarthy’s award-winning novel of the same name… but, boy, does the movie still look worthy!
The Hunter Preview
IDW has posted up a 19 page preview of Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Hunter. Man, I want this book now!
FX is a Week Away!
We’re a week away from FX International. My buddy, John Beatty will there as a guest along with other comic book artists, movie and tv celebs and thousands of fans. I’ll be hanging out at Big John’s table on Friday and Saturday as he autographs and sketches. [Oh, and if you plan to get a sketch from John be sure and print out his Big Beatty Stimulus Bucks Coupon! It will get you five dollars off any sketch purchased!]
Speaking of sketches, I’ll be hoping to get a few more additions to my Stallone theme, as well as a couple of autographs.
Drop me a comment if you plan to attend. A fun time will be had by all.
Darwyn Cooke’s Big Update
Yesterday Darwyn Cooke wrote a guest article for Jimmy Palmiotti’s blog and gave us quite an update! Here are a few highlights:
- Darwyn is providing covers for The Last Resort which he describes as a “Horror/Comedy… kind of a cross between an Irwin Allen picture and some of the great serials that you’d get back in the day from Heavy Metal.” It’s written by Jimmy Palmiotti and will be published by IDW this summer.
- Darwyn is designing and contributing color for the dustjackets on The Complete Torpedo Collection, the five volume set which for the first time ever collects the entire Sanchez Abuli and Jordi Bernet classic series.
- Our buddy, John Highashi got a shout out for his bowling prowess!
- Darwyn’s work on Richard Stark’s The Hunter is nearly complete and the book is scheduled for a July release!
- Darwyn’s friend Calum Johnston hosts “Almost Darwyn Cooke’s Blog” which provides updates on what the main man is working on. Until yesterday I didn’t know this blog existed and now it’s on my must read list.
Speaking of must read — if you want to check out Darwyn’s entire guest article, then click here.
Maberry & Patient Zero
I’m currently about halfway through Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry and I’m totally diggin’ it. The story reminds me of something that you’d get if you combined the best of Charlie Huston, Lee Child, Steve Niles and Duane Swierczynski. Yeah, it’s THAT good.
Maberry has a blog where you can learn more about him and Patient Zero [and it’s sequels — I can’t wait!], read interviews, reviews and more.
Shutter Island Tease
RopeofSilicon.com posted a first look at theShutter Islandteaser poster. I like the art for the hardback book (posted above) better than the teaser.
I’ve read (and loved) Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island novel and am excited to see how the big screen treatment with Martin Scorsese at the helm turns out. If it’s even half as good as the novel, we’ll have a winner.
Beat the Reaper
The Pitch: Beat the Reaper is like The Sopranos meets ER as written by Charlie Huston and Duane Swierczynski
The Overview: Peter Brown, a mafia hitman, now in the witness protection program finds his cover as an emergency room physician blown when he is recognized by one of his own associates. With hitmen in the hospital, Brown will have to use his new skills as a doctor coupled with his hitman abilities if he is to survive.
The Good: Josh Baszell’s writing presents a unique spin on a mafia hitman. Nothing is as it seems. Footnotes. Yes, footnotes. This book moves. The characters.
The Bad: Being dumped in a shark tank. Stuck with a hypo full of **** and another full of infected fluids. Thrown out of a 6th story window.
The Ugly: What Brown has to do to survive.
The Summary: I loved Beat the Reaper. I can’t remember the last time I read a book by a first time author that I enjoyed so much. Bazell has created a winner and I can’t wait for his follow-up.
The Rocketeer is Coming Again!
IDW Publishing recently announced that in October they will release two editions of Dave Stevens’ “The Rocketeer.” Both editions will feature all of Stevens’ Rocketeer material in a single volume [recolored by Laura Martin — the colorist that Stevens handpicked]. The project’s editor, Scott Dunbier said the deluxe edition will be:
“Oversized, about 8 x 12 inches, and loaded with unpublished Dave Stevens Rocketeer art. There will be tons of drawings, sketches, cover roughs—100 pages of them! How’s that for the ultimate Rocketeer collection?”
Pretty good, I’d say.
Robert B. Parker Speaks!
Robert B. Parker is a busy author. He writes the Spenser series, the Jesse Stone series, the Sunny Randall series, young adult novels, and has just finished up his western trilogy. It all averages out to about three new books a year. You’d think that at age 76 that would be a bit much. Not for Parker.
He even found time for this interview with the Wall Street Journal.
