Author Dick Francis dead at 89
The Associated Press has reported that author Dick Francis has died at age 89. The former jockey wrote 42 novels, many focusing on the world of horse racing. Francis was among my favorite writers, and I’m sorry to hear of his passing. But he left a great legacy of mystery thrillers that if you haven’t read – even if you aren’t interested in the world of horse racing – you should definitely check out. Read more about Francis at NewsOK.
- Matt Price
From the lighthearted to the macabre, gift ideas for comics fans
If you have a comics fan in your life, there’s a plethora of gift possibilities on shelves at comic-book stores and other retail outlets. Most comic stores should have staples including comic-book collecting supplies, graphic novels and even gift certificates.
The following is a selection of some gifts that should please a discerning reader.
When Superman met Wonder Woman: Voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt at Comic-Con
Husband and wife voice actors Yuri Lowenthal (Superman in “Legion of Superheroes”) and Tara Platt (Wonder Woman in “DC Vs Mortal Kombat”) took a few minutes to talk to me at Comic-Con International about their upcoming book, Voice-Over Voice Actor, available for pre-order at BugBotPress.com.
- Matt Price
Harry Potter 6 hits theaters tonight; books flying off library shelves
The sixth movie adventure of Harry Potter, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” hits theaters at midnight tonight.
Local librarians and booksellers say the movie, and the release of the seventh book in paperback, has quickened Potter mania yet again. They say “Harry Potter” books are flying off the shelves.
“They are pretty much always checked out in the last two or three weeks,” said Leanne Cheek, teen librarian at the Moore Public Library, which is sponsoring a Harry Potter party from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The Oklahoma City Zoo will bring owls and a snake to the event from 4 to 5 p.m. The party will also feature a sorting hat, a costume competition and a Horcrux hunt.
There will be events geared at age groups from first grade to adult.
The magical events are pulled from the pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” book series.
“It’s been the one series that got a lot of kids interested in reading,” said Alicia Cox, manager at Second Chance Books in Warr Acres.
Cox said the store has been selling “Harry Potter” books every day for the past few weeks.
Mark Heisey, assistant librarian at the Noble Public Library, said movie releases tend to spur interest in the books.
Fans can watch the previous movie in the series and have Harry Potter-style snacks at the Noble library at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, tickets to the movie, including tonight’s midnight screenings, are going fast, with at least five screenings already sold out in the state.
“Harry is tracking to match last year’s juggernaut, ‘The Dark Knight,’ in advance ticket sales,” said Rick Butler, chief operating officer of online ticket seller Fandango, in a news release.
“Show times are selling out at a very fast pace, and it’s clear that the film’s wider blockbuster appeal, solid word-of-mouth and positive Internet buzz on ‘Half-Blood Prince’ are helping fuel the demand.”
Cheek said the progression of the characters and the battle of good versus evil are among the reasons that “Harry Potter” remains popular.
“It mixes our world with a magical world so that the things that happen are easy to imagine and easy to relate to, but also fantastical and fun,” Cheek said.
By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
Superman meets Batman in 1950s Cold War novel
WORD BALLOONS
Superman meets Batman in the new novel from writer Kevin J. Anderson, “Enemies and Allies.” Anderson sets the first meeting of the two in the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War.
“It seemed unlikely to set a story in the modern day, and say that Batman and Superman have never heard of each other before,” Anderson said in a phone interview with The Oklahoman. “It felt more in keeping with the spirit of the universe if we set it back in a more nostalgic time. And of course the ’50s is the time we all remember from George Reeves as Clark Kent and Superman, and Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and that was the flavor I wanted to pick up on.”
In “Enemies and Allies,” Bruce Wayne’s Wayne Industries is at the forefront of many technological breakthroughs. But he’s being spied on by another industrialist, Lex Luthor, who wants to stoke Cold War tensions to build his own military-industrial empire.
“Set in the Cold War universe with Bruce Wayne as the big industrialist as well, Lex Luthor just seemed like the natural foil for both Bruce Wayne and Wayne Industries, and Clark Kent and Superman,” Anderson said.
Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen, reporters for the Daily Planet, are sent to look into a possible flying saucer crash.
“We did the story in stages,” Anderson said. “One was doing Batman and Superman and deciding to set it in the ’50s. And in the ’50s, the primary thing is the Cold War, and everybody was afraid that the Russians were going to launch nuclear missiles at us, and everybody was doing disaster drills. The movies at the theater, they’re … all these wonderful flying saucer paranoia pictures.”
Ultimately, the 1950s setting became interwoven completely with the story.
“It became not just window dressing, but the ’50s setting and everybody’s attitudes about the Cold War, the paranoia about flying saucers, and all of these details became integral to the plot rather than just little backdrops,” Anderson said.
Another new release from Anderson is “Terra Incognita: The Edge of the World,” a fantasy novel
featuring high-seas adventure. Additionally, a CD from ProgRock Records tying into the book’s release has lyrics by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, with music by Erik Norlander (keyboardist for Asia Featuring John Payne).
“This idea’s been in my head for a long time, because I think a lot of the people who listen to that kind of music also listen to the kind of books that I write,” Anderson said. “It’s a crossover rock CD and fantasy novel.”
More about Kevin Anderson’s “Enemies and Allies” and “Terra Incognita” can be found at his Web site, www.wordfire.com.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Local author to sign at Moore Public Library
Jessica Akers, author
Local author Jessica L. Akers, who has written a book for young adults, will sign at the Moore Public Library on Saturday. Check out the full release:
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Young Adult Fiction author Jessica L. Akers will be signing copies of her newly released novel The Speaker at the Moore Public Library on Saturday, May 30, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Akers developed a passion for writing at a very young age. “I would write stories, draw pictures, and make them into books. Then I’d take them to school and my teacher would read them after recess.” Akers remembers. Akers got her inspiration for The Speaker while writing another book. She says that a line from the book just popped in her head and she immediately needed to know more about the girl who was talking and immediately The Speaker was born.
The Speaker takes place in Rapid City, South Dakota, revolving around the life of Nata Francis, a young Sioux Indian girl who discovers she has inherited the gift of orenda from her dearly departed grandfather. This gift is a sacred and honored power to possess, but Nata sees it all as a hoax and extreme inconvenience. It is not until one summer night, when a boy who needs help only Nata can give that she realizes she must accept this gift as well as her destiny. Nata must choose between following her head or following her heart.
Akers is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Akers has worked in production and has written articles for The Vista and is a member of Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. For updates on upcoming books and other events please visit www.jessicaakers.com.
Wolverine Wednesday – X-Men: Law of the Jungle
Looking for more “Wolverine” reading? For this week’s “Wolverine Wednesday” I’ll go off the beaten path a bit and recommend an out-of-print (but findable) “X-Men” novel from 1998: X-Men: Law of the Jungle, by Dave Smeds.
Ka-Zar calls the X-Men to the Savage Land when Sauron and a gang of mutates are kidnapping Savage Land natives. Sauron’s goal, however, was to lure in the X-Men, to feed on their mutant energies. This Sauron seems more devious than ever before — Psylocke, of the X-Men, thinks she knows why. The X-Team featured in this book are Wolverine, Cannonball, Beast, Iceman, Psylocke, Archangel and Storm. If you enjoy Ka-Zar and his supporting cast — Shanna the She-Devil and Zabu the sabretooth — you’re even more in luck. I’ve been slowly making my way through all the X-Men novels in the past few years, and I’d say this is one of the better ones.
Admittedly, this might have been more appropriate for a Ka-Zar day than a Wolverine Wednesday — this is the most prominently I’ve ever seen Ka-Zar featured in a Marvel novel. But Wolverine does have a starring role, and, just check him out taking on Sauron on that cover!
– Matt Price
Chuck Klosterman to visit OU
Writer Chuck Klosterman will visit the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday to speak about the media and journalism. Klosterman, known for his pop culture essays in books including “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs,” is attending at the request of some of the top students in the Gaylord College of Journalism.
“Every year the Gaylord Ambassadors bring a special guest or guests to speak to the College and University as a whole,” said Chris Borthick, adviser to the Gaylord Ambassadors. “The Ambassadors, comprised of some of the top students in the College of Journalism, came up with ideas regarding who to invite, but the name on the majority of their lists was Chuck Klosterman.”
After that it was a matter of contacting him and working on getting him here
Klosterman graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1994 and began work as a journalist. After his first book, “Fargo Rock City,” he moved to New York City in 2002 where he worked for publications including Spin, GQ and The Washington Post.
Variety reported in November 2008 that Klosterman’s 2005 book, “Killing Yourself to Live,” had been optioned for film by Half Shell Entertainment. In “Killing Yourself to Live,” Klosterman wrote about his experiences traveling to places where famous musicians died.
Chuck Klosterman
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Dale Hall, Room 200.
433 Lindsey, Norman
Book signing immediately following in Gaylord Hall
By Matthew Price
From Monday’s The Oklahoman
Oklahoma writer Mel Odom to craft Green Hornet tale
Oklahoma writer Mel Odom, of Moore, will create a Green Hornet story for Moonstone Books. The publisher plans a series of short-story collections featuring the character.
The Green Hornet is secretly newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who is assisted by his ally Kato, who was played by Bruce Lee in the 1960s TV series.
Odom, who sported a “Green Hornet” lunchbox in the 1960s, was excited to return to a favorite hero.
“For a chance to get to play around with heroes you grew up with, you can’t go wrong with that,” Odom said in a recent phone interview.
Odom said the story would be set in the past, and be true to the Green Hornet’s mythos.
“It’ll have some of the flavor from the TV show and radio show,” Odom said. “It’s going to have the feel of crime fiction … he’s going to be a man totally on the outside.”
The Green Hornet was himself an outlaw, pretending to ally with criminals to destroy them from inside. Thus, he faced danger from the police and criminals alike.
“We’re obviously thrilled to add The Green Hornet to our stable of licensed properties,” said Moonstone publisher and The Green Hornet editor Joe Gentile in a release. “As a huge fan, I’ve dreamed of bringing back and adding to these great characters’ legacy. It is an honor and a responsibility we take very seriously. I can’t wait to see the new crime fiction stories come in from the many talented authors we have lined up.”
Contributing authors include Harlan Ellison, Max Allan Collins, Ed Gorman, Mel Odom, Greg Cox, Will Murray, Ron Marz and others. Actor Van Williams, who starred in the 1960′s television show, will introduce the first prose volume.
Former Disney artist Rubén Procopio will art direct and contribute cover art and interior illustrations for each volume.
“Watchmen” books advance film
WORD BALLOONS
“Watchmen,” the Zack Snyder adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, hits theaters next month. In the meantime, DC Comics and Titan Books have created books and merchandise to take fans into the alternate 1980s world of “Watchmen.”
First, the story itself. Named one of Time magazine’s 100 greatest novels, the “Watchmen” graphic novel is available in a variety of formats.
Most impressively, the oversized “Absolute Watchmen” ($75) features 48 pages of supplemental material beyond the 12-issue series. It contains the series proposal, pages from the original script, and additional art. The art was remastered and recolored for the original printing of “Absolute Watchmen,” and it’s now used for all of the “Watchmen” reprints.
Also available are a “Watchmen” hardcover ($39.99), a “Watchmen” trade paperback collection ($19.99) and a single-issue reprint of “Watchmen” issue No. 1 ($1.50).
In addition to the book, DC’s toy division, DC Direct, has created action figures, busts and props of the “Watchmen” characters.
Titan Books, meanwhile, has released four tie-in books surrounding the “Watchmen” film.
“Watching the Watchmen,” written by Dave Gibbons, comes in two editions. The comic-store exclusive edition has a cover featuring the character “The Comedian” and additional pages. It’s also signed by Gibbons and comes with exclusive prints. This edition retails for $50. The standard edition retails for $39.95 and has a cover featuring Dr. Manhattan.
“Watchmen: Portraits” ($50) features black-and-white portrait shots of people in the film, ranging from stars to extras, and was shot by official movie photographer Clay Enos.
“Watchmen: The Film Companion” ($29.95 hardcover, $19.95 softcover) was written by Peter Aperlo and explores the behind-the-scenes making of the film. Aperlo also writes “Watchmen: The Art of the Film,” ($40), which features storyboards, photography and preproduction art. Possibly most intriguing for comic-book fans will be the new art created by Gibbons, as well as alternate takes on the characters by comic-book artists John Cassaday, David Finch and Adam Hughes.
All of the Titan Books releases contain spoilers for the film and graphic novel, so read the book or see the film prior to reading the ancillary material.
Judging from the books, Snyder and company look to have created a rich alternate world, and tried to respect the graphic novel, which has engrossed readers for more than 20 years.
– Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
