Part Shaft and part Batman sans the costume, Luke Warfield is an expert in various fighting arts and scientific disciplines. He’s a brother who gives back to the community in the form of his venture capitalist outfit, Essex Ltd. Like a digital age Jay Gatsby, rumors abound as to how he made his wealth — from doing wet work as a black ops merc in the Far East and Africa, to ripping off a secret cache of Wall Street insiders ill gotten gains. What is known is that if there’s trouble, Luke Warfield will engulf himself in the heat of action.
In 10 Seconds to Death, his first outing in a planned series, the Essex Man goes on the trail of the villain who killed his foster father and uncovers not only ghosts from his past, but must stop a deadly plan of mass slaughter in his own backyard.
We’ve talked about being disrespectful of the dead because you don’t like their creative work. Now let’s talk about being disrespectful to the living.
As has been reported elsewhere, some pages from Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man #700 have been leaked to the Internet prior to its December 26 (tomorrow!) release date, including the big conclusion to the current plotline that fans have been speculating about. Despite this being its own unfortunate situation (of spoiling a story conclusion Slott has spent a slew of issues building up), that’s not what I want to focus on.
As it turns out, the spoilered ending appears to drastically change the status quo of the Spider-Man story. This is not the first time that’s happened in comics or anything (not even the first time in Spider-Man, as I’m sure we all remember (hello, Clone Saga and One More Day!). But this particular change, which Slott knew would bring controversy, has drawn a huge amount of venom, and all of it is being heaped on Slott’s head – in many cases, in the form of death threats.
Death threats. Against a writer of fiction. About a fictional character. Whom he has been writing to great acclaim for quite a while now. People, I think we need to step back and think about our priorities and our behavior for a minute, here.
I can understand disliking the work of a writer who takes on an already beloved character and then does something unexpected with him or her (hello, certain Deadpool writers). I can also understand liking a writer’s work but not liking the turns they decide to have a story take. I can even understand taking to the Internet to discuss your unhappiness with the whole situation. What I can’t understand is threatening to physically harm someone because they wrote some words (or drew some pictures) you didn’t like. That is just not okay, and even if the people making the threats are being facetious (and some of them may not be, which is scary), that sort of behavior encourages an acceptance of a casual attitude towards violence, that, especially with the recent tragedies this year, should certainly be discouraged.
Look, I love comics just as much as anyone out there. I get invested in the characters and the stories too. I might get upset, or even stop reading a series, because they’ve changed the direction and I don’t like the result. And that’s A-OK. As readers, it is our prerogative to stop reading a comic if we no longer enjoy it, and it’s also one good way to show our dislike of the current direction of a story, since the companies pay attention to sales data. And as readers, it’s also fine to express our unhappiness in public forums, and can even influence further changes in direction, as these companies also tend to take note of the aggregate level of satisfaction we the readers are expressing about story direction. We are actually lucky in that way; it’s a pretty special thing to know that our opinions on a work of fiction might actually mean something to the future of that fiction. So hooray for us, consumers of a medium that, uniquely, tends to listen to its consumers sometimes and adjust its story accordingly. That’s cool.
What’s not cool is forgetting that this is a creative medium and a fictional world, produced by real people without whom it would not exist and who deserve our consideration as fellow human beings. What’s also not cool is getting so involved in hatred for a storyline that you forget what comics are – a series of stories that, by their very nature, must change and adjust with the times, and to keep the series from stagnating; a fate which to my view would be worse than a change in the status quo. The plots of ongoing comics will inevitably include some crazy stories like the Punisher turning into Frankenstein, or people making a literal deal with the devil (or demon) which makes them forget they were married and brings other people back to life. That’s actually part of the fun and wonder that is encompassed by the medium – that writers can do that kind of stuff (whether it turns out well or not) and then do something else, and then something else – and the story keeps changing, even when the fundamentals (generally) remain the same.
In this instance, I doubt the current turn of events will remain in place forever… and even if it did, well; would it really be so bad? Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn’t. We don’t know, because the rest of this story hasn’t been written yet. It may turn out to be an amazing story. And if it doesn’t; well, then in time, it may be replaced by something better. Either way, it’s kind of how comics work, and it’s not worth threatening to harm a real, living, breathing person.
Slott has said that he’s taking the threats to his person seriously, and I’m glad. But I’m sad for the fact that he has to do that. Imagine living in that situation for a minute – being a known entity, with your picture out there for all to see, and knowing that more than one stranger out there has expressed the desire to hurt you, and could possibly do so. That’s a terrible and undeserved thing for someone to have to deal with. He shouldn’t have to be worrying about that, especially in the midst of what is probably some well-deserved time off for the winter holidays.
I didn’t realize when I started writing this piece that it would happen to fall on Christmas, but I find it apropos at a time when we are supposed to be experiencing the joy of the holidays and expressing goodwill towards our fellow people, to be posting this request to comic fans at large, and particularly to those who have been taking their fandom much too seriously lately:
Let’s keep remembering, as a community, that comics are a wonderful thing, created by wonderful people, and that those people deserve our respect and consideration as fellow human beings.
Oh, and one more thing: let’s remember that real people are more important than fiction. And not threaten to harm them, because that is terrible.
Thank you.
And now, all that remains as the year draws to a close is to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas! Or a Happy Hanukkah! Or a happy holiday of whatever sort you may celebrate!
And until next time, be kind to each other, and Servo Lectio!
There was a once-in-a-century storm that delayed the original premiere date. But Lilith will not be denied.
Join poet-violist (and ComicMix contributor) Alexandra Honigsberg, international artist composer-clarinetist Demetrius Spaneas, soprano Christina Rohm, and pianist-conductor James Siranovich at the premiere of Lilith: Mother of Dreams, a chamber opera of the iconic demon goddess. It’s debuting tonight at a historic haunted opera house, Flushing Town Hall.
The Lilith Project is conceived as a modern American suitcase opera, a chamber monodrama: intense, human, universal, compact in form and forces, accessible.
Before there was Eve, there was Lilith: Adam’s first lover, once human, made from the same dust, sensuality’s queen, bride of the Angel of Death, mother of opposing cosmic forces – strong, willful, unstoppable. She rules the storms of the skies and the heart – night owl, holy woman of power. From ancient tales of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, to Greece’s Lamiae and Daughters of Hecate, to Native American lore and Victorian Gothic Horror, Lilith looms large in the minds of men and women when the lights go out and they enter dream time. Some call her demon, vampire, child killer – others mother, lover, elder, friend. But whatever the appellations, she persists in the realms of our imaginations, from holy books and high literature to popular feminist concert series, TV shows, and Japanese anime. Child of Light? Daughter of Darkness? Both? Neither? You decide.
Composer Spaneas is a long-time professional, curator of Cornelia St. Café’s Serial Underground award-winning new music series’ 25th year, and Fullbright Specialist of the State Department’s musical diplomats. Librettist Honigsberg is a veteran violist, award-winning songwriter, long-time published poet, and this year’s winner of the Mayor’s Poetry Prize. Both Rohm and Siranovich have established opera careers all over the US and cities abroad. Long-time colleagues in many configurations over the years, Lilith marks this creative team’s debut.
There will be a talk by the artists before the performance and then time for questions and answers, afterwards, and a reception to which all are invited. Come as you are, but gala premiere attire, period dress, and other unique finery is encouraged!
The production is fiscally sponsored by Composers Collaborative, Inc. $10 suggested donation/FTH members free, all welcome.
Frederick Nebel’s unforgettable character Jack Cardigan was one of the main reasons behind the success of the legendary Dime Detective Magazine. His hard-boiled P.I. stories were a major influence to other writers of the era, yet only a handful have been reprinted since their original 44-story run eighty years ago. Volume 4 of this series contains the last 11 installments, complete and uncut, with the original illustrations by John Fleming Gould.
A Couple of Quick Ones (June 1, 1935) The Dead Die Twice (August, 1935) Death in the Raw (October, 1935) The Curse of Cardigan (December, 1935) Blood in the Dark (January, 1936) The Sign of Murder (March, 1936) Lead Poison (April, 1936) Murder By Mail (June, 1936) Make Mine Murder (November, 1936) Behind the 8-Ball (March, 1937) No Time to Kill (May, 1937)
Available in paperback. 412 pages Approx. 6″x9″x1″ Approx. 1.6 lbs.
Learn more about The Complete Casebook of Cardigan, Volume 4: 1935-37 here.
Meet Modesty Blaise (aka the female James Bond) Modesty Blaise is glamorous, intelligent, rich and very, very cool. She’s been called the female James Bond but she’s much more interesting than that.
Modesty started life in 1963 as a strip cartoon in the London Evening Standard. The first of the novels followed three years later.
Daphne Alexander plays Modesty in Radio 4’s adaptation of A Taste for Death.
Modesty Blaise – A Taste for Death Episode 1 of 5 Duration: 15 minutes First broadcast: Monday 17 December 2012 She’s glamorous, intelligent, rich and very, very cool. Modesty Blaise has been called the female James Bond but she’s much more interesting than that. With her expertise in martial arts and unusual weapons, the ability to speak several languages and her liking for fast cars, twenty-something Modesty became a female icon long before the likes of Emma Peel, Lara Croft, or Buffy.
In Stef Penney’s brand new radio adaptation of Peter O’Donnell’s novel, Sir Gerald Tarrant, Head of a secret British agency, tempts Modesty out of retirement and into a job involving a young woman with extra sensory powers, an exotic desert location, and a larger than life public school villain, intent on murdering his way to a vast fortune. With its perfect cocktail of glamorous settings, hidden treasure, a twisting turning plot, and characters to root for, A Taste for Death is an action packed treat – and a guilty pleasure.
With an original score by Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, arranged by Ian Gardiner, and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster.
Produced and Directed by Kate McAll
Interesting Modesty Facts: Modesty first started life in 1963 as a strip cartoon in the London Evening Standard – the first of the novels followed three years later.
Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta, is seen reading a Modesty Blaise book in Pulp Fiction.
Learn more about Modesty Blaise – A Taste for Death Episode 1 of 5 here.
New Pulp Author Tom Johnson has posted information on his latest projects on his blog.
From Tom’s Blog: Over the years I’ve written new stories featuring many of the original pulp characters, as well as some in the new pulp tradition. If you are a fan of any of these character, you might be interested in my short story collections from Altus Press www.altuspress.com/ and NTD www.bloodredshadow.com/ These are available also on Amazon, plus I may have a few copies on hand if you would rather get them from me at fadingshadows40@gmail.com
PULP DETECTIVES, available from Altus Press and Amazon, $24.95: Nine all-new stories starring the classic pulp heroes of the 1930s, featuring the following characters, written by pulp scholar Tom Johnson, it’s nearly 350 pages of excitement: The Phantom Detective in “Satan’s Minions” The Black Bat “Murder Under The Big Top” The Lone Eagle in “The Nazi Spider Staffel” The Masked Detective in “The Masked Detective’s Deadly Trail” Secret Agent X in “The Spider’s Web” The Black Bat in “Guns of Vengence” The Phantom Detective (sort of) in “Fangs of Death” Nightwind in “Mystery of Haunted Range”
EXCITING PULP TALES, available from Altus Press and Amazon, 24.95: The exciting sequel to Tom Johnson’s 2010 anthology, PULP DETECTIVES, brings you ten more all-new stories featuring classic pulp heroes: The Angel in “The Devil of A Case” The Green Ghost in “The Case of The Blind Soldier” The Cobra in “Curse of The Viper” The Crimson Mask in “The Mask of Anubis” Gentle Jones in “Nazis Over Washington” The Purple Scar in “The Skull Killer” Funny Face in “The Star of Africa” Mr. Death in “Coffins of Death” The Jungle Queen in “Jungle Terror” Ki-Gor in “The Lost Valley of Ja Far”
PULP ECHOES, available from NTD and Amazon, $15.50: Seven new stories in the pulp tradition, both new and original characters: The Bat in “Blind As A Bat” The Crimson Clown in “The Crimson Clown – Killer” Nibs Holloway battles Dr. Death in “Till Death Do Us Part” The Black Ghost in “Carnival of Death” Captain Anthony Adventure in “Terror In The North Country” The Black Cat in “A Cat Among Dogs” Senora Scorpion in “Senora Scorpion”
Also available now on Kindle are three new books by Tom Johnson.
HUNTER’S MOON, featuring the Moon Man in his best adventure since Frederick C. Davis. With the police closing in on Angel’s hideaway, the danger for the Moon Man may be escalating for Great City’s Robin Hood. To compound matters, tragedy strikes closer to home. This time, he will not be able to provide help to someone close to him. Sergeant Steve Thatcher, seeing the people struggling to survive, dons the mysterious garments of the Robin Hood thief to relieve the filthy rich of their ill-gotten gains to be distributed among the poor by ex boxer Ned Dargan. When they come up against an illegal weapons manufacturer masquerading as a toy company, his fiancé is taken prisoner by criminals and he must not only remove them of their money, but put a stop to their weapons sale overseas. $1.99
IN THE SILENCE OF DEATH, Colonel Jeremiah Custer’s Wild West Show comes across murder in a small Texas town. A mystifying murder mystery ensnares the famous criminologist and sharpshooter, Colonel Jeremiah Custer when his team encounters a young boy accused of mayhem. The lad cannot deny the charges for he can neither hear nor speak. The scientific brain of the greatest man hunter is put to task as he attempts to unravel this new crime! The ex intelligence officer puts his scientific brain to work to prove that the deaf mute boy is not the killer. Follow Colonel Custer and his aides as they unravel this deep mystery, and bring to justice this evil murderer. $1.99
THE DEATH TOWER. Secret Agent X is back in The Death Tower. What could a German agent be after in America? During Secret Agent X’s recovery at the Montgomery Mansion after the battle with Zerna’s drug gang in 1937, Betty Dale falls into a trap while following a suspect and is captured by a German Spy. Her whereabouts are unknown, and indeed, it’s not known if she’s even alive. Although the Agent hasn’t fully recovered from his previous battle with Zerna and the underworld, it’s imperative for him to locate and rescue the girl. For Betty Dale is more precious to him than anything in the world. If she has been harmed, he will exact vengeance on those responsible! $.99
Prime Books has announced their newest anthology, Weird Detectives. The cover art by Sherin Nicole has been released as well. Look for Weird Detectives in April 2013.
PRESS RELEASE:
Paranormal investigators. Occult detectives. Ghost hunters. Monster fighters. Humans who unravel uncanny crimes and solve psychic puzzles; sleuths with supernatural powers of their own who provide services far beyond those normal gumshoes, shamuses, and Sherlocks can provide. When vampires, werewolves, and thing that go bump in the night are part of your world, criminals can be as inhuman as the crimes they commit, and magic can seep into the mundane—those who solve the mysteries, bring justice for victims or even save the world itself, might wield wands as well as firearms, utter spells or simply use their powers of deduction. Some of the best twenty-first century tales from top authors of the century’s most popular genre take you down mean streets and into strange crime scenes in this fantastic compilation.
Contents (alphabetical by author): “Cryptic Coloration” by Elizabeth Bear “The Key” by Ilsa J. Blick “Mortal Bait” Richard Bowes “Star of David” by Patricia Briggs “Love Hurts” by Jim Butcher “Swing Shift” by Dana Cameron “The Necromancer’s Apprentice” by Lillian Stewart Carl “Sherlock Holmes and the Diving Bell” by Simon Clark “The Adakian Eagle” by Bradley Denton “Hecate’s Golden Eye” by P.N. Elrod “The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman “The Nightside, Needless to Say” by Simon R. Green “Deal Breaker” by Justin Gustainis “Death by Dahlia” by Charlaine Harris “See Me” by Tanya Huff “Signatures of the Dead” by Faith Hunter “The Maltese Unicorn” by Caitlín R. Kiernan “The Case of the Stalking Shadow” by Joe R. Lansdale “Like a Part of the Family” by Jonathan Maberry “The Beast of Glamis” by William Meikle “Fox Tails” by Richard Parks “Imposters” by Sarah Monette “Defining Shadows” by Carrie Vaughn
Weird Detectives: Recent Investigations Edited by Paula Guran Type: Trade Paperback Pages: 480 Size: 6″ X 9″ ISBN: 9781607013846 Publication Date: April 10, 2013 Price: $16.99
The fourth episode of Barry Reese’s The Shadow Fan Podcast is now live! This week’s discussions include The Shadow’s first meeting with The Avenger, review “Messenger of Death” and “Room 1313” and learn all there is to know about the mysterious Burbank!
Join poet-violist (and ComicMix contributor) Alexandra Honigsberg, international artist composer-clarinetist Demetrius Spaneas, soprano Christina Rohm, and pianist-conductor James Siranovich at the premiere of Lilith: Mother of Dreams, a chamber opera of the iconic demon goddess. It’s debuting on Halloween Weekend (this Sunday at 7 p.m.) at a historic haunted opera house, Flushing Town Hall.
The Lilith Project is conceived as a modern American suitcase opera, a chamber monodrama: intense, human, universal, compact in form and forces, accessible.
Before there was Eve, there was Lilith: Adam’s first lover, once human, made from the same dust, sensuality’s queen, bride of the Angel of Death, mother of opposing cosmic forces – strong, willful, unstoppable. She rules the storms of the skies and the heart – night owl, holy woman of power. From ancient tales of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, to Greece’s Lamiae and Daughters of Hecate, to Native American lore and Victorian Gothic Horror, Lilith looms large in the minds of men and women when the lights go out and they enter dream time. Some call her demon, vampire, child killer – others mother, lover, elder, friend. But whatever the appellations, she persists in the realms of our imaginations, from holy books and high literature to popular feminist concert series, TV shows, and Japanese anime. Child of Light? Daughter of Darkness? Both? Neither? You decide.
Composer Spaneas is a long-time professional, curator of Cornelia St. Café’s Serial Underground award-winning new music series’ 25th year, and Fullbright Specialist of the State Department’s musical diplomats. Librettist Honigsberg is a veteran violist, award-winning songwriter, long-time published poet, and this year’s winner of the Mayor’s Poetry Prize. Both Rohm and Siranovich have established opera careers all over the US and cities abroad. Long-time colleagues in many configurations over the years, Lilith marks this creative team’s debut.
There will be a talk by the artists before the performance and then time for questions and answers, afterwards, and a reception to which all are invited. Come as you are, but gala premiere attire, period dress, and other unique finery is encouraged!
The production is fiscally sponsored by Composers Collaborative, Inc. $10 suggested donation/FTH members free, all welcome.
I think I have too many RSS feeds in my reader; I keep getting behind and then leaving things unread to deal with “later” — but then there’s too much new stuff I haven’t even looked at, which pushes “later” much further than I’d like.
That’s all prologue to the fact that these awards came out some time ago, and, if I’m going to blog about them at all, I should do it more quickly. Nevertheless, here’s what’s happened recently in award-land:
Locus Awards for 2012 Locus magazine, the newspaper of the skiffy field, has polled its frighteningly well-read readers yet again, and these are their choices for the best of the year past:
Science Fiction Novel: [[[Embassytown]]], China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
Fantasy Novel: [[[A Dance with Dragons]]], George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)
First Novel: [[[The Night Circus]]], Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday)
Young Adult Book: [[[The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making]]], Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel and Friends)
Novella: Silently and Very Fast, Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA; Clarkesworld)
Novelette: “White Lines on a Green Field”, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean Fall ’11)
Short Story: “The Case of Death and Honey”, Neil Gaiman (A Study in Sherlock)
