Ricky Sprague's Blog, page 8
August 6, 2013
New story in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine!
A story I wrote with Big Ed Gorman, "Real Life, Real Death," is in the current (double-sized!) issue of the renowned Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Please pick it up now!
June 23, 2013
My first attempt at a mashup
Featuring the Michael Zager Band's song "Let's All Chant," and the "We Accept Her/One of Us/Gooble Gobble" scene from "Freaks." It was really hard to do.
June 5, 2013
Will "Man of Steel" be the superhero movie that finally wins a Best Picture Academy Oscar? 6 reasons why this movie will break the streak of superhero movies not winning Academy Oscars
Even though the best movies are superhero movies, and everyone knows it (which is why they're so successful, see "Captain America," "Amazing Spider-Man," "Avengers"), superhero movies have yet to experience the thrill and prestige that comes from winning the coveted Best Picture Academy Oscar.
That may be about to change, and the upcoming "Man of Steel" Superman movie is the movie that will do
That may be about to change, and the upcoming "Man of Steel" Superman movie is the movie that will do
February 26, 2013
Max Allan Collins Seduction of the Innocent review
I wrote a review of Max Allan Collins's new novel, Seduction of the Innocence, which can be read over at Unleash the Fanboy. Here's a sample:
As the superheroes that commanded so much of the market during the late 1930s- late 40s lost their appeal to readers, comic book publishers shifted their focus toward other genres. Romance, westerns, science fiction, crime and horror all rose up to
As the superheroes that commanded so much of the market during the late 1930s- late 40s lost their appeal to readers, comic book publishers shifted their focus toward other genres. Romance, westerns, science fiction, crime and horror all rose up to
January 18, 2013
Why Taylor Swift is one of my top 20 favorite current celebrities
Taylor Swift is a "country" singer -- I put the word "country" in quotes (ironic quotes) because first of all I don't know if she's still pretending to be a "country" singer and second of all, her music always sounded more "pop" to me (or at least "soccer mom country," a term I put in sneer quotes as opposed to ironic quotes) -- whose music I do not care for. Her song "Mean," for instance, a 
January 12, 2013
When will Vice President Joe Biden start investigating the influence of the novel on our society?
Over at Unleash the Fanboy, I've got a new post up about the current anti-video game wave. A sample:
On April 21 and 22, and June 4, 1954, the US Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency held public hearings at which certain experts in juvenile crime were invited to testify along with artists and publishers of comic strips and comic books. Comic books as a medium did not fare well in the
On April 21 and 22, and June 4, 1954, the US Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency held public hearings at which certain experts in juvenile crime were invited to testify along with artists and publishers of comic strips and comic books. Comic books as a medium did not fare well in the
December 5, 2012
How a Wonder Woman comic from 1942 led to the Great California Cow Exodus of 2012
Recently, Bill Frezza at Real Clear Markets published a story about cows fleeing California for other states because California's state-minimum pricing of milk is too low to turn a profit.
The crisis in California stems from Golden State cheese makers carrying more political clout than dairy farmers. As a result, the minimum legal price of milk in California is 2 ½ cents per pound less than the
The crisis in California stems from Golden State cheese makers carrying more political clout than dairy farmers. As a result, the minimum legal price of milk in California is 2 ½ cents per pound less than the
November 30, 2012
James Gunn's "Superhero Sex" post
Over at Unleash the Fanboy, I've written a post on the controversy surrounding director James Gunn's "superhero sex" blog post. Here's a sample:
The first post was entitled "The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have Sex With: 2nd Annual Poll Results!"
From that title alone, two things should be immediately apparent: The first is that Gunn has a broad, absurd sense of humor. The second is
The first post was entitled "The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have Sex With: 2nd Annual Poll Results!"
From that title alone, two things should be immediately apparent: The first is that Gunn has a broad, absurd sense of humor. The second is
November 19, 2012
Some justice for Wonder Woman?
Over at Unleash the Fanboy, I wrote a review of a book about the Wonder Woman TV show, called Surfing Channels: Wonder Woman. Here is a brief sample:
Somewhere, on some other of the Infinite Earths, the pilot script was re-tooled, and "Wonder Woman" became a smash hit, propelling the character to pop culture superstardom. She surpassed even the success of Batman, who was largely forgotten by the
Somewhere, on some other of the Infinite Earths, the pilot script was re-tooled, and "Wonder Woman" became a smash hit, propelling the character to pop culture superstardom. She surpassed even the success of Batman, who was largely forgotten by the
November 14, 2012
New novel: The Fabulous Fanboy
My new novel, The Fabulous Fanboy, is now available in ebook form. It's a rather dark and humorous examination of an obsessive fanboy whose attempts to drive the cultural narrative through the posting of vitriolic comments on the internet -- among other things -- causes him to lose, well, his perspective. Here is the description I posted on amazon:
NO DESCRIPTION COULD DO JUSTICE TO THIS
NO DESCRIPTION COULD DO JUSTICE TO THIS
