This is very late, as they just wrapped up posting the whole of the first trade collection, but I’ve just learned that Newsarama has been hosting Powers Online, which has been daily posted a page from the "Who Killed Retro Girl?" first story arc of Powers. This is a terrific comic, featuring Oeming’s colorful, cartoony art and Brian Michael Bendis’s quirky, Mametesque dialogue as they introduce a brand new super hero universe through the eys of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and his new partner Dana Pilgrim. Give it a try at the Newsarama site.
Via Conlan Press, which has fought on behalf of Peter S. Beagle over monies he feels are owed him from The Last Unicorn animated film, we learn that a 25th anniversary DVD edition is being made available with a number of extras. As part of a special deal cut with the producers of the DVD, Conlan Press is selling the DVDs from its own site, including copies with personalized autographs from Mr. Beagle. More than half of the proceeds from the DVD sold by Conlan Press will go directly to Mr. Beagle, whereas he’ll not profit a penny from DVDs sold via other outlets while the dispute continues.
I remember the cartoon quite fondly as one of the most beautiful of the Rankin-Bass animated productions, perhaps due to the fact that much of the work was done by Japanese animators who would move on to become the core of the great Studio Ghibli, and it featured a top-notch voice acting crew (Mia Farrow, Christopher Lee, Jeff Bridges, Alan Arkin, and others). You can see the theatrical trailer for it here.
The book is excellent as well.
Via Colleen Doran (buy A Distant Soil !), I found out about this documentary project about the incomparable Harlan Ellison. Say what you will of him, but he knows how to tell a confabulation as you can see for yourself if you click the “Prince Myshkin” link.
The Sci-Fi Channel has released a list of in-development programs, and a very interesting item appears therein:
Peter Watts’s Blindsight has been causing quite a stir in on-line SF/F reviewing circles (see William Lexner’s review for one example), with many heralding it the early favorite for the 2007 Best Novel Hugo. Apparently the buzz has had some impact, because so many people have contacted Watts to let him know they can’t get a hold of a copy that he’s decided to do something bold: he’s giving the book away in a free, electronic edition. Watts is also hoping to see whether the model successfully used by some other authors and publishers—that giving away electronic editions for free actually increases sales of hardcopy—will work with this novel.
Given the buzz, this seems like something even readers who aren’t particular fans of “Strossian”, wildly imaginative near-future SF should take a look at.
Even if we haven’t managed to read as many books as usual of late, we’ve still found quite a few new(ish) things to recommend and as before we have also dug up some old favourites that deserve some more recognition. We’ve also snuck in a couple of non-book things.
Penguin, Guy Gavriel Kay’s present publisher in Canada, has launched a lovely official site for his latest novel, Ysabel. The site features an excerpt, photographs from Provence, France (in which the novel is set), and more.
The third chapter of Belladonna (due out in March 2007) is now up on Anne Bishop’s own website.
According to Stephen R. Donaldson’s official site the second book in the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, called Fatal Revenant, will be published in the UK in October 2007.
Guy Gavriel Kay has announced that his novel, The Last Light of the Sun, has been optioned and that he is set to adapt the screenplay himself. This is another Hollywood development project for Kay, whose The Lions of Al-Rassan has been in development at Warner Brothers with Ed Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai, and other films) attached to direct.
The second chapter of Belladonna can now be viewed on Anne Bishop’s own website. The book, due out in March 2007, forms the conclusion of the Ephemera duology which started with Sebastian.
One of the most consistently amusing, off-kilter superhero comics out right now is Warren Ellis’s Nextwave, published by Marvel.
Anne Bishop has posted the first chapter of her next book to her website. Belladonna, as its called, is due out in March 2007 and it forms the conclusion of the Ephemera duology which started with Sebastian.
Big news today in the fantasy world, as it’s revealed that newcomer fantasy writer Naomi Novik has had her debut series, Temeraire (which artfully combines talking dragons with the Napoleonic wars), optioned by Peter Jackson. An interview at Ain’t It Cool News shows that Jackson is quite enthusiastic about the property, and that he hopes to start WETA on some design work while he, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens get to work on developing screenplays.
Coming out of Diamond’s Retailer’s Summit following the Baltimore Comic Convention is some pretty significant news for Dabel Brothers Productions: they’ve partnered with Marvel Comics (publishers of such fine teams and characters as Captain America, Wolverine, X-Men, and Spider-Man).