News of the World
SF Diplomat deconstructs Iron Man. I don’t see what all the hubbub is about. So he’s an alcoholic, workaholic, control-freak millionaire military contractor who is his own superpowered bodyguard and often runs his own foreign policy — what’s the big deal? I don’t see anything odd there…
Neil Gaiman was kissed during the Eisner Awards by U.K. TV star (and major comics fan) Jonathan Ross, and has posted the snogging on his blog for all to see.
Forbidden Planet International examines the website for the Watchmen movie. I imagine, if you ask them, they’d also read tea-leaves to see how good the movie is going to be.
Industry News has some documents from Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster’s 1947 lawsuit against National Periodical Publications, part of a larger collection of material from the lawsuit that is now for sale.
I thought Comics Reporter had already done his big Comic-Con wrap-up, but here’s another one.
Again with the Comics goes there to wonder how Ben Grim makes sweet, sweet love. [via Journalista!]
USA Today profiles Neil Gaiman.
DC is getting some impressive press coverage for their new Minx line – why, they even cracked the powerful York Journal today.
Paul Kincaid at Bookslut admits that he likes Philip K. Dick’s mainstream novels as he reviews the last previously-unpublished Dick book, Voices from the Street. Ah – he’s the one!
The Boston Globe looks at race and science fiction via the recent Readercon, and the tale of two fen. (Though they didn’t lead off with "It was the best of cons, it was the worst of cons.")
SFWA announced that SFWA Member Edward Carmien won both the Heinlein Centennial’s professional division short story prize (for “The Beautiful Accident”) and the Science Fiction Research Association’s Mary Kay Bray Award (for a review of The Space Opera Renaissance from the SFRA Review, issue 277). Both awards were given to Carmien at the recent Heinlein Centennial celebration.
John Scalzi points out that writing SF stories really doesn’t pay. (Although he could mention that it hasn’t paid directly for decades, and possibly also listed the circulations of Astounding in 1939 and Analog today for a more realistic comparison.)
Walter Jon Williams thinks that Harry Potter is a throwback to a 19th century hero – a Tom Brown rather than the modern Harry Flashman.
The new issue of Bookslut has interviews with Thomas Mallon (who used to pretend to teach at my alma mater) and Matt Ruff, a look at how “everyone” was reading Harry Potter, the usual columns, and more.
Artist John Picacio has the list of nominees for this year’s Chesley Awards, given by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. I note with pride that “my” art director, the great Nicholas Sica, was nominated in the “Best Art Director” category, which is the first time I think he’s been so honored. Good luck, Nick!