An Interview with LYNDSAY FAYE

A little while back, a rather intriguing press package turned up on my doorstep. It was for Lyndsay Faye’s second novel, The Gods of Gotham (which I had originally learned of from Fantastical Librarian Mieneke). As a sucker for anything New York-related, I promptly put it on my TBR pile. And have not yet had time to read it, for which I’m rather annoyed with myself. So, in lieu of a timely review, I decided to get in touch with Ms Faye, and ask her some questions about her work, writing, and so forth.

Comics Round-Up (Apr.4)

A very good, diverse week of comics: spies, twisted fairy tales, undead kings, real American heroes, superheroes, and also zombies. Covers most of the bases.

Reviewed Herein: Danger Girl: Revolver #3, Fanboys vs. Zombies #1, G.I.Joe #12, Grimm Fairy Tales #71, Grimm Fairy Tales: April Fool’s Special 2012, Grimm Fairy Tales: The Library #5, Incorruptible #28, Infestation 2: 30 Days of Night, Supurbia #2, Valen the Outcast #5, The Waking: Dreams End #1, Wolverine & the X-Men #7

[Supurbia #2 review delayed until later in the week]

“Void Stalker” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)

The Conclusion to the Night Lords Trilogy

The hunters have become the hunted. The Night Lords flee to the dark fringes of the Imperium to escape their relentless pursuers – the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Their flight takes them to the carrion world of Tsagualsa, where their Primarch died and their Legion was broken. There, history will repeat itself as a deadly assassin stalks the shadows, and the Night Lords are drawn into a battle they are destined to lose.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s fiction. I think he is ridiculously talented, and his novels and short stories are all among my favourite sci-fi stories. In this final volume in his Night Lords series, in which he has managed once again to humanise what are effectively super-human terrorists, he ties up all the plot points into a very satisfying conclusion. Superb. Again.

“The Newsroom” – New Sorkin TV Series (Trailer)

I am so very excited about this…

Politics and the media? This is right up my street, and I am very, very much looking forward to this.

Maybe with the show on HBO, this won’t be cancelled as quickly as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and also allow Sorkin to write, direct and produce the show he’s always wanted to produce – unfettered by restrictions that exist on non-Cable channels.

Good Daily Comic: “Ink Pen” by Phil Dunlap

I thought today’s Ink Pen strip would be of interest to readers of this blog, because of the “The Hooded (Wo)Man” on book covers debate.

[Should en-biggen if you click on it…]

Ink Pen is one of my favourite daily comic strips (there are quite a few that I read, now…). For those of you unfamiliar with it, here’s the “official” description:

Ink Pen: the insider’s look at the seedy underbelly of cartoon character employment. Find out what happened to loveable Bixby the Rat! Witness the struggles of Ham Hock, the talking pig, as he tries to break into a business that sees him as nothing more than a slab of meat. Meet (briefly) the plucky sidekicks, thrust into danger by careless superheroes and the villains they duel.

If you have any interest in comics and super-heroes, then I’d recommend this satirical look at its tropes. I subscribe to Ink Pen through GoComics.

Artwork: STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff (Tor)

Ah, finally! I heard about Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer what feels like AGES ago (but was probably only last year), so when the cover was revealed, it all started to feel rather more imminent. The first in Kristoff’s The Lotus War series, here is the artwork:

I must admit, this isn’t what I was expecting. At the same time, I should probably admit that I’m not really sure what I was expecting. This cover puts me in mind of Lian Hearne’s Tales of the Otori series (Across the Nightingale Floor, etc.).

Published in September 2012, the novel has been described as “a dystopian steampunk fantasy with a flavour of feudal Japan”, here’s the synopsis from Amazon UK:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father are sent to capture one for the Shōgun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him. But the mission proves less impossible and more deadly than anyone expects.

Soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. Although she can hear his thoughts, and saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. Yet trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu form a surprising and powerful bond.

Meanwhile, the country verges on collapse. A toxic fuel is choking the land, the machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure, and the Shōgun cares for nothing but his own dominion. Authority has always made Yukiko uneasy, but her world changes when she meets Kin, a young man with secrets, and the rebel Kagé cabal. She learns the horrifying extent of the Shōgun’s crimes, both against her country and her family. Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu are determined to make the Shōgun pay – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Expect more coverage of this novel on the blog, and I will (of course) attempt to interview Kristoff at some point in the near future.

[I found the artwork on The Story Siren, who is running an interview with Kristoff & a signed-copy-giveaway.]

An Interview with HELEN LOWE + Giveaway!

The second volume in Helen Lowe’s Wall of Night series, The Gathering of the Lost, has recently been released worldwide. To celebrate the book’s release, and learn a little bit more about it, I decided to get in touch with Helen, and see if she’d be interested in talking about her novels, writing process, and more. In addition, if you read right until the end, there are also details of a giveaway…

“Red Hood: The Lost Days” (DC Comics)

How Jason Todd became the Red Hood

Writer: Judd Winick | Artists: Pablo Raimondi, Cliff Richards, Jeremy Haun

Jason Todd, the former Boy Wonder, returns to life and fights to rediscover his humanity in this exciting adventure from the six-issue miniseries. Learn what secret events led him down the path of death and destruction as he tours the DC Universe in an effort to find his way in a world that left him behind.

In the first of what I hope to be many pre-New 52 character introduction reviews, this graphic novel is a brilliant look at the evolution of a newly-resurrected Jason Todd (the second Robin) into the brutal vigilante Red Hood. I tried out Red Hood & The Outlaws (part of the New 52 range of titles) on a whim, and really loved it, so wanted to find out more about Jason Todd and how he came to be the Red Hood. This book offers a good deal of his background (it is an incomplete account, however – more on that, later), explaining his education and also motivations.

The aim of these reviews is to take a look at past stories of some of my favourite DC characters, pre-re-boot. Red Hood and Batwoman were the easiest to track down, but I’m also going to try to get some Nightwing, Catwoman, and Batgirl. And, of course, more Batman stories (Hush, Batman Reborn, and other classic storylines).

“The Boys Vol.1: The Name of the Game” (Dynamite)

Who watches the Super Heroes?

Writer: Garth Ennis | Artist: Darick Robertson | Colours: Tony Avina

Don’t miss this dark, twisted look at super – people, and the men and women who make sure the world's “heroes” never go too far.

This series has been recommended by a lot of people, and I finally managed to get my hands on the first volume. (That makes it sound like more of an ordeal than it was – all I had to do was go to a bookstore…) It’s quite an interesting title, too – visceral, brutal and imaginative. Definitely not for the squeamish (or the young reader), it has a lot to recommend it, and it’s not hard to see how it’s become a popular on-going series for so long.

An Announcement from Zenescope

“We felt 52 was a unique number to place on this exciting event since it was so unique and rarely used.”

- Somebody who doesn’t work for Zenescope but works in the same business complex.

“Grimm Nobody asked me if they could use my name! I’m about to reduce the average lifespan of comic book professionals!”

- The Grim Reaper.