Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 62

To Money and a TV Book Signing Event!

The Monster Comic Lounge at 2091 Gottingen St, Halifax, Nova Scotia will host the first book signing to celebrate the release of To Money and a TV, the second novel in Larry Gent’s Benedict Forecasts series. Saturday January 9, 1pm-3pm!

Come pick up a copy of Award Winning author Larry Gent’s newest book – TO MONEY AND A TV! Meet the author and get your booked signed!!

Available on location:

Never Been to Mars – $10

To Money and a TV – $20

Alternatively, for those unable to make the event, the digital edition on To Money and a TV will be available as an eBook for 99 cents until January 10th!

Digital or Print, pick up your copy today!

Thinking of attending? Join the Facebbok event!

 

Purchase:

Canada:

To Money and a TV (amazon.ca)

To Money and a TV (chapters.ca)

US:

To Money and a TV (amazon.com)

To Money and a TV (Barnes&Noble)

Title Information:

Benedict has never been the same since coming home from Iraq but he’s getting better.  He’s rejoined the lives of his family, he’s keeping busy with work, he has a kinda-sorta-but-not-really girlfriend and his Netflix queue has just expanded.  Everything’s coming up Benedict.

When an evil movie quoting sniper starts taunting him over the phone, Benedict gets worried.

When the sniper starts killing people and leaving items from Benedict’s past at the crime scene, Benedict gets scared.

When his kinda-sorta-but-not-really girlfriend wants to have the relationship talk, Benedict get terrified.

Benedict already misses his TV.

ISBN:
978-1926903279


Release Date:
December 01 , 2015


Status:
Available


Book Type:
Paperback (5 x 8 in)


Cover Price:
US $19.99 / CAN $19.99 / UK £18.99


Page Count:
322

5 Comic-Book movies that should be tried, but won’t be – Distractions

I’m giving myself a Holiday present, and that present is a non-Engen characters related post. While there’s no specific rule against this (we’ve all seen Erin Vance’s terrific travel blog) I still tend to limit myself to posts revolving around the site, the novels, and the characters of Engen Books. But everyone deserves to indulge themselves this time of year a little, and this is my indulgence.

(Also it fits the theme of this blog: pondering the future of comic-book movies takes up far, far too much of my time and creative energy. Maybe writing this post can excise some of those thoughts and let me move on to more creative endeavors.)

So, these are my ideas for 5 major (or minor, in many cases) comic book movies, tv shows and original series that will – probably – never happen. But hey: you never know.

5. Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle

This one doesn’t take a whole lot of creative straining to see how it could be a huge, huge move for Marvel. Marvel has proven they can do big (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, everything)… but can they do small? One of the things that made the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man so inspired was the fact that he – like Tony Stark – was a futurist with a crazy creative streak that had fallen victim to substance abuse: basically, RDJ was playing himself in a iron suit. One of my big personal pet peeves with Iron Man 2 was that they teased, then sidestepped, the alcohol issue by revealing that he had been drinking chlorophyll to stop the degeneration. In an effort to make Iron Man more kid-friendly, they stripped him of one of the most intriguing parts of his character.

Robert Downey doesn’t seem to be doing any more Iron Man films, sticking to appearances as the character in other Marvel films instead: but could he be swayed for a smaller film? Downey has a soft spot for smaller films, like the 2014 film The Judge, and other dramatic roles. What if the next film to star RDJ wasn’t called Iron Man 4… but just Demon in a Bottle?

Picture a small, inexpensive film whole main budget went towards the main actors, Robert Downey Jr and probably Gwyneth Paltow, as they deal with Tony’s alcoholism. No big explosions. No shots of the Iron Man armor at all, except maybe archival footage. No need for even the arc reactor special affect, post Iron Man 3. Just a small, indie-style movie of the kind RDJ loves that deals with Tony Starks alcoholism, its roots, and his overcoming it. You wouldn’t even need a lot of advertising, as the Marvel Movies tend to advertise themselves.

On the merit of seeing Robert Downey in his signature role alone, it would rake it millions at minimal cost.

4. Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules

Speaking of small-scale: loathe as I am to provide 20th Century Fox with any advice that might lead to them retaining the Fantastic Four rights any longer, next time you plan a movie just to block the rights from receding to Marvel: think small.

Unstable Molecules is a graphic novel by James Sturm which tells the story of the ‘real life’ characters that inspired Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to create the Fantastic Four. It’s just a simple, dramatic story of four very different (and often volatile) personalities and their interactions. It’s great amazing storytelling, and the best Fantastic Four story I’ve read in years, and best of all: no super powers. No special affects. This one could be cranked out for the cost of the actors and 60’s-era sets alone.

I mean: the contract for the film rights for Fantastic Four didn’t specify that it had to be a Fantastic Four superhero movie, did it? Couldn’t it be an adaptation of any F4 story? ;)

 

3. Darkhold – Pages from the Book of Sins

Never has there been a series more suited for adaptation into the Netflix or television arm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Darkhold. The premise is simple: it’s Agents of SHIELD meets The X-Files / Supernatural (depending on your generation).

A very mature early 90s comic that ran only 16 issues, Darkhold told the story of 3 accidental paranormal experts (a CIA agent, a Professor of Occult Studies and Anthropology, and a woman who has visions) investigating the occult side of the Marvel Universe. Their primary antagonist is a dwarf (cough cough Peter Dinklage cough cough) who hands out black letters containing – what else – Pages from the Darkhold, which can be read by anyone despite being in Aramaic, and grant wishes in horrific, demonic ways.

Get one of the mainstays of the SHIELD series to transfer over as the CIA agent and just start exploring. You have the superhero side of Marvel, you have the street hero side, you have the cosmic side: it’s time to bring out the mystical side. And with Doctor Strange on the horizon, the time is now.

2. Blade: Retroactive Inclusion

Speaking of the expanding occult side of Marvel, there has been speculation for years regarding a new Marvel movie (or series) featuring Blade, who was the first bona-fide movie hit for Marvel, coming right before X-Men and Spider-Man… but here’s a crazy idea, is there any reason not to simply state, retroactively, that the Blade Trilogy is canon?

Blade eliminated vampires at the end of the third movie, following a plot involving the Montesi’s from the comics. he introduced genetically-altered vampires and a modernized Dracula. There haven’t been vampires seen yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: couldn’t we say that was because Blade eliminated them? Personally, I would love to see the first 3 Blade movies become known as “Marvel: Phase Zero” and for the new Marvel Occult stories to branch off from its lore. That vision-getting member of Darkhold I mentioned above? Her last name is Montesi, the daughter of the person who developed the spell who defeated the vampires. The continuity is already there waiting, and as Daredevil has proven, Marvel isn’t afraid to let darker elements into the MCU.

1. Spectacular Spider-Man: The Hunger

And I don’t mean to say that Marvel should actually adapt The Hunger: I mean, adapt literally anything that is not Spider-Man’s origin. Literally anything. Any story, not the origin. We’ve seen the origin in film twice now. It was already one of the most known origins in pop culture. You can leave it alone. Just start In Medias Res.

Spider-Man’s inclusion in Captain America: Civil War makes it seem like they’re going this route, as well as the hints dropped that the character already exists as of Ant Man. But I’m still worried.

Remember Spider-Man: The Animates Series? Never once addressed the origin directly, was never a problem. Think about it.

 

Well, that was fun. Maybe I’ll do this a little more often. For anyone new to the site, click around and you’ll find lots of books and eBooks. We operate in a shared original universe — much like the MCU, but of our own devising. Give us a try, especially our eBooks. You might find something you enjoy. :)

24 hours left!

There are 24 hours left to submit your short story to the Sci-Fi from the Rock anthology title, scheduled for release in cooperation with Sci-Fi on the Rock on April 1, 2016. Sci-Fi on the Rock will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John’s. Deadline for entry to the anthology is tomorrow, December 31, 2015.

Do you have a story to tell?  We think everyone does!! This year is Sci-Fi on the Rock’s 10th anniversary, and we want to ring it in in style with a new anthology celebrating the convention’s decade of celebrating science-fiction and fantasy in our region…but Sci-Fi on the Rock isn’t just made possible by its staff and guests: it’s made possible by you! So until midnight tomorrow, Engen Books will be accepting final submissions for publication in the 10th anniversary Sci-Fi From the Rock anthology from anyone who attends the convention or wants to help celebrate its ten-year history!

Send all entries to submissions@engenbooks.com by 11:59 PM NST December 31st, 2015, with the following information: Your name, the title of your story, the genre of your story, and the length. Please note: a reliable e-mail address is required so that all applicants can be contacted following the December 31st deadline.

For this anthology, applicants are asked to submit stories suitable for the equivalent of a PG or PG-13 rating. This is in the interest of creating an anthology that, like Sci-Fi on the Rock, can be enjoyed by fans of all ages. Applicants wishing to submit material outside of this range may do so only for consideration in future publications.

Top Ten Books to Read if you like X-Men

So here's a rare opportunity offered by The Broke and the Bookish, as April 29's topic was Top Ten Books If You Like X tv show/movie/comic/play etc. (basically any sort of other entertainment). At first I was just going to do a straight comic-book list, hightlighting the best of each franchise from which I'd read... but then I figured, lets have some fun. I've been on my way through all of the X-Men comics, and although I'm nowhere near done, I'm going to take a moment and do my current Top-Ten favorite X-Men books. Although I'm not limiting it to comics, something tells me they'll dominate the list.

And this time, they are going in order, with #1 being my favorite.

10. X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song, Scott Lobdell: This book really set in motion that X-Men crossovers had to happen, and had to be as confusing as possible... but you can't blame this book for that! The reason it's that way is because this book is so great! Intriguing and epic in scope and scale, this book focuses on the mysterious Cable and his relationship to Cyclops and Jean Grey! Although the mysteries don't get resolved here, there are enough hints and clues to keep any reader guessing, and the ending will leave you satisfied nonetheless.

9. X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine, Chris Claremont: Despite a rocky first chapter, this story works exceptionally well as a sequel to the Claremont/Miller opus of a few years before, but is often overlooked. I actually like it better than the original, cementing the relationship between Pryde and Wolverine while updating her character into Shadowcat, the persona she would inhabit for the remainder of the franchise (to date).

8. X-Men: Phoenix Rising, Roger Stern: An oddity for an X-Men book, this book features stories from Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Factor... but they all come together to tell the story of Phoenix's rebirth into the Marvel Universe, deftly written by Roger Stern. While probably not the greatest book for someone hoping to break into X-Men, its nevertheless a great tale of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, especially when coupled with the wonderful X-Men Classics Vignettes contained within.

7. Civil War: Wolverine, Marc Guggenheim: Sure to be one of the only post-2000 books on this list, Wolverine's Civil War arc features Logan traveling the world on quest for vengeance against Nitro, the super-villain responsible for the deaths of nearly 500 schoolchildren that sparked the start of the Marvel Civil War. As much a political thriller as it is action-packed, this comic proves Logan's place in the modern Marvel Universe, as a soul of vengeance and true avenging force.

6. Wolverine: Not Dead Yet, Warren Ellis: this is an epic tale of survival as Logan is forced to confront a man from his past he thought he'd killed, hunted through the backwoods of New York as the killer physically and psychologically tortures Logan to try and let the beast inside out, and prove who is the better killer. Revealing, interesting stuff.

5. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, Chris Claremont: I'll get flack from fellow fans for putting this one so high up on the list, but while I enjoyed it there was something a little-ham fisted about it. It got points at the time for peeling away the veil of illusion behind the race-parable to X-Men, opting to outwardly claim that the word "mutie" was just like the n-word. Kitty Pryde outwardly says the word. But aside from the surreal nature of seeing the n-word in print in a Marvel comic, there's not a lot going for it. The racial message is ham-handed and is making too broad a point to be successful, and eventually they reveal the giant machine to kill the mutants and the thing because a standard beat-em-up that undercuts the root message. It gets on this list just for its ballsyness, though.

4. X-Men: Mutant Genesis, Chris Claremont: At the time it was both the best-selling comic book of all time AND Claremont's farewall to the series he revolutionized, but it was also a great book. The X-Men's greatest foe, Magneto, has returned to threaten the Earth because he believes that the "softer" persona he's developed ever since Claremont took over the title was in fact set upon him by Professor Xavier. Outwardly renouncing the amnesty he worked so hard to achieve, Magneto comes back to villainy and we wouldn't have it any other way.

3. Essential Wolverine, Vol. 1, Chris Claremont: Yes. Not the Frank Miller limited series, or anything else, this. These stories, which take place while the X-Men were thought dead, revolve around Logan in his alternate identity as Patch trying to manage a bar in the fictional ghetto-island of Madripor while navigating the complex political schemes of the crime families therein. It forces him not to simply pop his claws to deal with every problem as it comes up, and forced the character (and the author) to think about what they're doing. The character had never been written better and never has been since, proving why (at the time) he needed his own monthly title.

2. Astonishing X-Men, Joss Whedon: It's popular to pour the love onto Joss Whedon these days, and why not? A cult success for years, he now helms the most profitable movie franchise in existence. But between Buffy and Avengers, Whedon did a lot of comics. One of which was this amazing run on X-Men, from which he took the main cast leftover from Grant Morrison's run on the title and gave them their own series. Wonderfully written and heartfelt, this was one of the first true modern extensions of the book we loved during the 70s and 80s. Romantic, adventurous, and filled with witty Whedon dialog.

1. X-Men 1 Backpack Marvels, Chris Claremont: Without a doubt my favorite X-Men collection of all time, and my favorite way to view it as well. The art translates beautifully to this black-and-white collection, whereas modern artists rely so much on color that removing it is damn near impossible. This book is imaginative and epic, taking the reader from the birth of the Morlocks to Rouge joining the team, and finally to Wolverine's wedding. It, and its sequel X-Men 2 Backpack, are some of the best comic books in existence and I would recommend them to anybody.

Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces of Art

I'm going to make up for lost time not posting to Top Ten Tuesday by doing the two previous weeks listed on their website. This one, from May 6, is fairly straightforward.

Here, in no particular order, are the Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces of Art.

10. A Winter's Tale: The Wreck of the Florizel, Cassie Brown: The Newfoundlander in my just loves this, the ship on the water being tossed about by a harsh and powerful sea. This speaks to me on that level, on the level that was born with that understanding and fear of the great, terrible, beautiful ocean. I would have this on my wall, possibly in a den above a couch.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Artobiography, Kevin Eastman: Hell yes! I can't speak to this one on any artistic level, or pretend that I think this is something the majority of people would find appealing. I simply love Ninja Turtles, and the image that comprises this cover is one of my favorites. Possibly superseded only by the first video-game cover by Konami, taken from the reprint of the fourth issue. But for the purposes of this list: yes, I would put this on my wall. Proudly. Probably in a study, or whatever man-den I had to write in.

8. Alias Omnibus, Brian Michael Bendis: One of my favorite comic book characters of all time? Yes. Favorite series? Yes. Favorite covers? Of course. Beautifully painted in abstract imagery all, the covers to Alias are magnificent works of art. But this one? The Omnibus cover? This one perfectly shows the series at its core, with the perfect clean lines of comics history being stripped away to reveal Jessica Jones underneath.

7. Say Cheese and Die!, R.L. Stine: What can I say? I have a weird sense of humor. I would love to hang this cover in a hallway or porch of a home, in a place where a normal sweet family portrait would be. That just seems hilarious to me. I would mine that for all the double-takes and conversation starters I could.

6. Death, Mourning, and Burial, Antonius C.G.M. Robben: The cover of the anthropological text, taken from the film "The Seventh Seal," is another awesome and dark image. I picture this stretched out in a long landscape, possibly in a hallway. This one isn't even for shock value either, I just think it's a striking and beautiful image.

5. Facing the Sea: Lightkeepers and Their Families, Harold Chubbs: Another cover that speaks to me on that level on my home. That island in the middle of nowhere with the small, tall building on it, crashed with the waves and left steadfast and alone. It's a great image, and whoever took it is a gifted photographer. It reminds me of home.

4. Bipolar Expeditions: Mania and Depression in American Culture, Emily Martin: This is a bit of a cheat. I mean, if you took the words away from this cover, you're left with just the painting by Van Gough, so I'm basically just saying I want a Van Gough on my wall. And I'm fine with that. Of all his work, I have to say that this is probably one of my favorites. The emotional quality it evokes is wonderful and touching. I would put this anywhere in my home, but probably most likely in the bedroom.

3. Sci-Fi from the Rock Returns, Steve Lake: I love this cover... that's why I chose it for publication! It was taken by Ellen Louise Curtis on a trip to Topsail Beach near St. John's, Newfoundland. I love the contrast of the deep red of the strawberry and the wonderful blue of the sky behind it. It's crisp and clean and perfect, and I love it.

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey: I like this image. It is well crafted and ominous. I don't know where it would go, the reality is it would probably creep me out and I'd end up putting it in a closet or something, but what can you do? There's no accounting for taste I guess.

1. Sophocles II: Ajax/Women of Trachis/Electra/Philoctetes (Complete Greek Tragedies 4), Sophocles: Nothing to say here, I just love the image. I love tree images. There is something very like this on my wall behind me now, that I got for reasons I do not recall. Perhaps it reminded me of the cover of this book, or perhaps the link is simply a coincidence of my adoration of nature imagery. Either way, I would have this on my wall as well.

There were more comic books on this list than I would have liked. :P

Never Look Back
Matthew Ledrew

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I almost put down, but didn't.

Well, here we are again. I used to do Top Ten Tuesday, a function of The Broke and the Bookish, over at my blog when I hosted with Wordpress. I've been enjoying the Goodreads engine lately, and decided to try it over here. Let's see how it goes.

For those new to the concept, Top Ten Tuesday is a blog meme in which they post a topic every week and bloggers pick 10 books to fit that topic. By chance, this weeks topic is Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down, but Didn't

So, in no-particular order...

10. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad: This one sat unfinished for years. I started it when I made it my quest to finish all the books on the BBC Booklist (a quest that is still in progress). I just couldn't finish it. The start of it killed me, switching from one first person narrative to another. But recently I have been forced to look at it again for school and chose to approach it via an audiobook, and have found it much more tolerable in spoken word. If you MUST read this, that is the way to do it.

9. Marvel Masterworks: X-Men - Volume 7, Marvel Comics: The result of another such "literary quest," I chose to balance the heavy literary part of my reading with a bit of nostalgia by reading some comic book trades. I embarked on a quest to read every X-Men comic -- ever. Yes, I'm that insane. While much of the early X-Men comics were pretty insufferable, this is the worst of it. It covers a period of time in which the book had actually ceased production and the X-Men only existed in sporadic guest appearances in other titles. The Beast got his one feature in a Marvel anthology title, and while it was remarkable in turning him into his familiar blue form... it is horribly written. It was clear Marvel didn't know what to do with many of these characters, and was very ready for the all-new, all-different X-Men by the time I was done reading this.

8. The Waste Lands, Stephen King: This one was never abandoned due to disinterest, but simply a busy schedule. I was reading it for pleasure when the need to read for work with Engen Books or the need to read for school forced me to stop, and I only recently got back to it. Upon having the opportunity, I plowed through it (starting again) and the rest of the series in a little over a week. It's an amazing series that I cannot recommend enough.

7. Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1, Danny Fingeroth: Of my desire to read all the X-Men titles, this has been the hardest to get through by far. It is horrible, sexist, and stupid. It makes me hate... reading. Yes, it is so bad that it makes me hate the act of reading. Avoid at all costs, if you must read, take migraine pills first.

6. Dexter in the Dark, Jeff Lindsay: This book suffered from the drawback of the digital age. Sometimes when I'm at work I cruise Wikipedia and browse topics I like. At the time I was very into the HBO adaptation of Dexter, and went from that to the article on the book series. I hated the first book and loved the second, so when I read that most people reviled the third... that didn't give me much hope. I read about three pages, decided this wasn't for me, and gave up on the series. Big mistake, because this ended up being a great book. I don't understand the negativity toward it. I ended up reading the fourth directly after. Try them out, they're okay popcorn books.

5. The Whirlpool, Jane Urquhart: Hard to get into, with themes and a narrative that are hard to decipher at first. A book I was forced to read for school, but afterwards became one of the books I recommend the most, especially to young authors. Especially to young authors attempting to master the craft of weaving several interlocking story-threads together. In fact I would call it required reading in that respect.

4. Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Volume 1, Scott Tipton: I hesitate to call this a "book," or even "fiction." It is a horrible collection of short episodes that, alone, would be the worst single-issues I'd ever read but together form one of the worst trades I have ever read. The publisher, IDW, drops the ball here, as TV adaptations are a great way to get non-comic readers into comics. Anyone coming over from Doctor Who that reads this as their first comic would never pick up another.

3. Love's Labour's Lost, William Shakespeare: I find Shakespeare very hard to read, but once I got into this one I found it an enjoyable and funny read. I suggest that anyone forced to read the dramas in high school try out the comedies before writing-off the man altogether.

2. Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity, Patrick Curry: So difficult to read, as the author is less a academic than he is a flag-waving fanboy. Tolkien is great, but the people that follow him frothing at the mouth and refute any literary critique against him bother me to no end.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien: Well really, how could it not be this? I hear so many stories of people that read this at age nine or younger. Ellen Louise Curtis reportedly read it and did a report on it in the first grade. But I just cannot get behind that. I tried reading it at a young age and couldn't. Tried again in high school, and couldn't. Finally I recently had to for a course, and was surprised to learn that it was very enjoyable. Much like Heart of Darkness though, if you have trouble reading it, try the audiobook. It makes Tolkien's language much easier to manage.

Well, that's my list. Hope everyone enjoyed it and I hope I see you next Tuesday!

Never Look Back!
Matthew Ledrew