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Review: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire

Vampires and ghosts, and ghost vampires, and vampire ghosts and séances for vampire ghost … things? That’s just about what you can expect with The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire from Titan Books. Check out my review at OneMetal for more information.

A good mystery always remedies boredom, and adding a deerstalker hat, cape, and pipe makes a good detective story even better. Sherlock Holmes’ wit and talent situated alongside his investigative partner, John H. Watson, makes for a cannon of juicy stories, which span from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth. The uncouth often worm its way between logic and sensibility, but the elementary duo manage to decode the most befuddling whodunits, murders, and nefarious schemes known to Europe … in most instances, anyway.

Tags: Fred Saberhagen, OneMetal, Séance for a Vampire, The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Titan Books
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Review: Firefly: Still Flying

Whedon fans enjoy a good venture into the Black once and awhile, and so does Titan Books, which has published a new companion book called Firefly: Still Flying. Here’s a preview of my OneMetal review:

Browncoats, gather ’round for more of your favorite Big Damn Heroes. Titan Books celebrates the legacy of Joss Whedon’s sci-fi runaway hit Firefly, revisiting every corner of the Black and charting new territories that the series’ dedicated, active fanbase helped build. Still Flying records the most influential moments in the beloved television show’s history, which extends far beyond its Fox shelf-life.

There’s a lot of shiny treasure to discover within this collection’s pages. Spilling with storyboards, production art, rare exclusives, and previously unreleased photographs, Still Flying takes apart the acclaimed show and reconstructs it piece by piece for the reader. Key members of Firefly family remember the short-lived drama by infusing otherwise humdrum explanations of the writing process, costuming, location scouting, prop and “boat” designing, and stunt coordinating with personality and anecdotes. The book spotlights the actors, meshing together fragments of interviews, and recollects the crew’s behind-the-scenes, episode-to-episode efforts. The vibrant web that results sleekly embodies Firefly’s overall spirit and intelligence.

Read the rest here.

Tags: Bed Edlund, Brett Matthews, Firefly, Fox, Jane Espenson, Jose Molina, Joss Whedon, OneMetal, Serenity, Still Flying, Titan Books
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Review: Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer

Two thumbs up for movies! Who doesn’t love ‘em? Well, I guess old school reading elitists, and people who despise Hollywood idiocy … okay, I’m not making a very convincing defense of movies, but I do adore them, generally speaking. And so does Vern, Ain’t It Cool News writer and long-time moviegoer. Recently he put together and shipped off to Titan Books a new paperback that collects over eighty film reviews and essays.

Moviegoers, hold that popcorn; cinema lovers, be kind and pause; amateur and professional film critics, move over because the Seattle familiar and internet scribe popularly known as “Vern” has once again entered the literary arena, widening the scope of film studies with his intense and utterly entertaining new book.

Two years after publicizing Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal, Vern returns to Titan Books to channel his energy into another instant hit: “Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!”: Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema, and Other Important Topics. The frequent Ain’t It Cool News website contributor packages more than a love for ’80s action movie icons like Bruce Willis and Clint Eastwood into his roughly 400-page monster, a lovechild of his movie career that spans film generations and traces genre and actor legacies. Always insightful, Vern groups his eighty-plus reviews into thematic sections, dedicated to such topics as the warrior code and masculinity, society, the near pornographic (or downright disturbing), summer blockbusters, and various other oddball trends. Sifting through little known or foreign gems (several of them still only available on VHS) and then grazing more mainstream classics, Vern’s collection offers a well-rounded film education: He focuses his attention on such titles as Enter the Ninja, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Knightriders, Brokeback Mountain, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Zoo, The Gingerdead Man, and Yojimbo, to name a handful.

Read the full review at OneMetal.

Tags: Titan Books, Vern, Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer
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Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie

Pumped for Kick-Ass on April 16? You can get a juicy sneak peek and behind-the-scenes scoop with Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie from publisher Titan Books. The book well deserves your money. You can read the in-depth review at OneMetal.

You’ve probably read OneMetal staffer Dave Convery’s lukewarm review of the highly anticipated Kick-Ass flick, but some of us are still drooling over its upcoming, mainstream release. Surely the folks at Titan Books could sense our excitement because they’ve sent us a tightly bound companion book that documents the hot-selling story’s origins. Unlike many works of its kind, Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie honors both the printed and on-film renderings by chronicling one surreal phenomenon. With the comic’s issues hitting stands during the film’s ongoing production, this brightly colored tie-in thoroughly explores Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s innovative world of Kick-Ass. Fans rejoice, for these glossy, high-quality pages deliver not only eye-popping flash and bang, but also fascinating insight and notes.

Tags: Jane Goldman, John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass, Mark Millar, Matthew Vaughn, OneMetal, Titan Books
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The 3-Dimensions of Asimov’s Foundation

If you haven’t heard, Asimov fans, there are plans for a 3-D, motion-capture Foundation movie in-the-works. Few details have surfaced as of now, but you can read news of the director, co-producer, and script writer over at RadNerd:

This discussion somehow slipped through my sci-fi clutch, but Roland Emmerich will be directing a three-in-one film adaptation of The Foundation Trilogy, written by science fiction slash professional robot overlord, Isaac Asimov. Under Columbia Pictures’ banner, Michael Wimer (2012 and 10,000 B.C.) joins Emmerich as co-producer.

Good or bad idea? Does Foundation sail for you, or should they be adapting a different Asimov work?

Tags: Isaac Asimov, Michael Wimer, RadNerd, Robert Rodat, Roland Emmerich, The Foundation Trilogy
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RadInk: A Wind Named Amnesia/Invader Summer

Dark Horse recently passed along A Wind Named Amnesia/Invader Summer, two excellent novellas rolled into one pretty little book. Vampire Hunter D fans will want to grab this one, as it’s written by the series’ creator. Those unfamiliar with Kikuchi’s work will definitely enjoy the two stories, as well.

Most books and comics never make it out of their papery, multi-colored form or burst out of their speech bubbles, and that’s okay—we nerds like ’em just the way they are. Here at RadNerd, we don’t always need fancy pants movie adaptations endorsed by big budget Hollywood mouths or plastered with Nicholas Cage’s face. A little less Nick is good for everyone. We love movies and TV just as much as the next joe, but sometimes going back to to the roots of what we adore just sounds better. You know … all those crazy words and stuff. Letters are like atoms for the literately-inclined.

Vampire Hunter D writer Hideyuki Kikuchi unleashes a science-fiction double feature with the new A Wind Named Amnesia/Invader Summer book. The merry folks of Dark Horse Comics pack two novellas into one paperback collection featuring the sporadic black and white illustrations of Yoshitaka Amano. You can now swipe the English translation and enjoy a refreshing culture switch.

Read the rest at RadNerd.com.

Tags: A Wind Named Amnesia, Dark Horse, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Invader Summer, RadNerd, Vampire Hunter D
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RadInk: Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames

Need one last gift for the holidays? Or maybe you just want to splurge on a little something for yourself? Put your wallet away, because over at RadNerd we’re giving away a copy of Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames (3rd Edition)—currently but temporarily available in print until the fourth edition hits shelves. It’s a pretty sweet giveaway, endorsed by author Leonard Herman himself. Entering is easy, so head over, take a gander at the contest rules, and leave your witty comment by 12 midnight (PST) this Friday, December 18.

It would be great if you’d spread the word … just make sure your comment is better than your friends’, right?

Most books and comics never make it out of their papery, multi-colored form or burst out of their speech bubbles, and that’s okay—we nerds like ’em just the way they are. Here at RadNerd, we don’t always need fancy pants movie adaptations endorsed by big budget Hollywood mouths or plastered with Nicholas Cage’s face. A little less Nick is good for everyone. We love movies and TV just as much as the next joe, but sometimes going back to to the roots of what we adore just sounds better. You know … all those crazy words and stuff. Letters are like atoms for the literately-inclined.

In a world of high scores and coin-operated frenzy, there’s more than one way to save the history of video games. Our own records of Italian plumbers and barrel-throwing apes began with our first console or handheld, and for writer Leonard Herman, his passion for the pixelated was kindled by a local bowling alley’s Pong machine and an Atari VCS that he took home six years later in 1978. With a trove of cartridges and magazine articles under his belt, Herman can definitely bring the power of video games to the players—one year at a time.

Tags: Leonard Herman, Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames
Posted in Books, Gaming, RadNerd, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »