S K Y L A R K I N G: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

SUPERMAN HAS... RACING STRIPES???

The latest set pictures of Henry Cavil as Superman in Zach Snyder's MAN OF STEEL movie.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

This is interesting. John LeCarre's 1974 spy novel, Tinker Tailor, Soldier Spy was originally adapted for television back in 1979 and starred Alec Guiness as Carre's protagonist George Smiley. My father was a big LeCarre fan and I remember watching the mini series with him.

Now the novel is being adapted as a feature with Gary Oldman as George Smiley. This ought to be an interesting take on the classic cold war spy story.

I just wish my dad was still around. I would have loved to have called him up and asked if he wanted to go to the movies with me.

Here is the trailer:

I WISH THAT I COULD SHAKE IT LIKE MY SISTER KATE

In the summer of 1979 and I was in Great Britain. Kate Bush's album THE KICK INSIDE had just been released and I couldn't go anywhere without hearing her on the radio, seeing her on television, or hearing her music on the streets of Brighton. I became a Kate Bush fan then. It seemed I had little choice. She was everywhere with her eerie lyrical vocals on WUTHERING HEIGHTS and her theatrical stage presence.

The iconic image of Kate for me is this one from the BABOOSHKA music video. What does the sword-weilding valkyrie she transforms into have to do with the song? Fuck all, as far as I can tell but she really rocks that look and, as you probably already know, images of women wielding swords is one of my great weaknesses.

I am still a big fan of Kate's and I am gratified that my daughter has also fallen under her spell. She carries Kate's discography around with her on her ipod.

But it is that first album that will always be my favourite as it always brings back such great memories for me.

Here are three videos from that album:

BOOK SHOPPING

G. W. Thomas and I managed to get some book shopping done in between "high level strategy meetings".

We visited four different stores as well as stumbling onto a roadside market that was advertising books. G. W. managed to find a lot more than I did. He's writing a book about the history of the Sword and Sorcery genre ad is constantly on the hunt for obscure titles in that genre. I was not quite so driven and only found a few things.

I passed up a specialty edition of Robert E Howard's A Witch Shall be Born. It was a hardcover illustrated by Alicia Austen. It is a gorgeous edition and I hated to have to let it go but the asking price was a bit steep for my budget.

I managed to find a copy of the Del Rey collection of Howard's EL BORAK stories which I had been looking for. It was priced just right for my budget and I was quite pleased. However, I found a second Del Rey edition, CRIMSON SHADOWS, a collection of Howard's horror tales, at the roadside market, which was entirely unexpected and the asking price was half what I'd paid for the El Borak.

Joy!

IN MY FAVORITE DREAMS...

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

LASER BOOKS

Does anyone remember LASER BOOKS?

Laser Books was a line of 58 paperback science fiction (SF) novels published from 1975 to 1977 by Canadian romance powerhouse Harlequin Books (http://www.eharlequin.com/). Laser published three titles per month, available by subscription as well as in stores. The books were limited to 50,000-60,000 words. They were numbered as a series, though each was a standalone novel. All the covers were painted by Hugo Award winning artist Kelly Freas.

Harlequin edited the Laser books to conform to the standards then imposed on the Harlequin Romances. This included prohibition of blasphemous and scatological words and explicit sexual scenes, but not of sexual situations and implied sex. There was also a tendency to edit to correct grammar and exclude slang in exposition but not in dialogue.

When Harlequin closed the Laser line, all rights were reverted to the authors. The Laser line was important to many beginning writers and greatly expanded the market for 50,000 to 60,000 word books. Many Laser books were later published by Pocket, Ace Books, and Tor. Some remain in print.

Back in the 70's these Laser titles showed up pretty much anywhere you could find a paperback rack (remember those?) I remember as a youngster coming across these books with some frequency. They all had gorgeous Frank Kelly Freas covers and they looked exciting. I never picked them up, at the time, though.

I can't remember exactly why because I do remember finding them very exciting books. I imagine it was probably a lack of pocket money that was responsible. My meagre funds were earmarked for purchasing Bantam DOC SAVAGE paperbacks or the James Blish STAR TREK novelizations or any and sundry PLANET OF THE APES books I could get my grubby little hands on.

Looking back I wish I had collected them. They are an interesting footnote in the sf publishing world.

Here is a complete list of all the Laser Books courtesy of the Wikipedia:

0. Seeds of Change by Thomas F. Monteleone, 1975, ISBN 0-88950-900-X

1. Renegades of Time by Raymond F. Jones, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72001-7

2. Herds by Stephen Goldin, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72002-5

3. Crash Landing on Iduna by Arthur Tofte, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72003-3

4. Gates of the Universe by Robert Coulson with Gene DeWeese, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72004-1

5. Walls Within Walls by Arthur Tofte, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72005-X

6. Serving in Time by Gordon Eklund, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72006-8

7. Seeklight by K. W. Jeter, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72007-6

8. Caravan by Stephen Goldin, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72008-4

9. Invasion by Aaron Wolfe (pseudonym of Dean R. Koontz), 1975, ISBN 0-373-72009-2

10. Falling Toward Forever by Gordon Eklund, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72010-6

11. Unto the Last Generation by Juanita Coulson, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72011-4

12. The King of Eolim by Raymond F. Jones, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72012-2

13. Blake's Progress by R. F. Nelson, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72013-0

14. Birthright by Kathleen Sky, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72014-9

15. The Star Web by George Zebrowski, 1975, ISBN 0-373-72015-7

16. Kane's Odyssey by Jeff Clinton, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72016-5

17. The Black Roads by J. L. Hensley, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72017-3

18. Legacy by J. F. Bone, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72018-1

19. The Unknown Shore by Donald Malcolm, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72019-X

20. Space Trap by Juanita Coulson, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72020-3

21. A Law for the Stars by John Morressy, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72021-1

22. Keeper by Joan Hunter Holly, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72022-X

23. Birth of Fire by Jerry Pournelle, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72023-8

24. Ruler of the World by J. T. McIntosh, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72024-6

25. Scavenger Hunt by Stephen Goldin, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72025-4

26. To Renew the Ages by Robert Coulson, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72026-2

27. The Horde by Joseph Green, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72027-0

28. The Skies Discrowned by Timothy Powers, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72028-9

29. The Iron Rain by Donald Malcolm, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72029-7

30. The Seeker by David Bischoff with Christopher Lampton, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72030-0

31. Galactic Invaders by James R. Berry, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72031-9

32. Then Beggars Could Ride by R. F. Nelson, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72032-7

33. The Dreamfields by K. W. Jeter, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72033-5

34. Seas of Ernathe by Jeffrey Carver, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72034-3

35. I, Aleppo by Jerry Sohl, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72035-1

36. Jeremy Case by Gene DeWeese, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72036-X

37. The Meddlers by J. F. Bone, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72037-8

38. Ice Prison by Kathleen Sky, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72038-6

39. Brandyjack by Augustine Funnell, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72039-4

40. Master of the Stars by Robert Hoskins, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72040-8

41. Future Sanctuary by Lee Harding, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72041-6

42. Cross of Empire by Christopher Lampton, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72042-4

43. Spawn by Donald Glut, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72043-2

44. But What Of Earth? by Piers Anthony and Robert Coulson, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72044-0

45. Finish Line by Stephen Goldin, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72045-9

46. Dance of the Apocalypse by Gordon Eklund, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72046-7

47. Epitaph in Rust by Timothy Powers, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72047-5

48. Rebels of Merka by Augustine Funnell, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72048-3

49. Tiger in the Stars by Zach Hughes, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72049-1

50. West of Honor by Jerry Pournelle, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72050-5

51. Mindwipe! by Steve Hahn, 1976, ISBN 0-373-72051-3

52. The Extraterritorial by John Morressy, 1977, ISBN 0-373-72052-1

53. The Ecolog by R. Faraday Nelson, 1977, ISBN 0-373-72053-X

54. The River and the Dream by Raymond F. Jones, 1977, ISBN 0-373-72054-8

55. Shepherd by Joan Hunter Holly, 1977, ISBN 0-373-72055-6

56. Gift of the Manti by J. F. Bone and Roy Myers, 1977, ISBN 0-373-72056-4

57. Shadow on the Stars by Robert B. Marcus Jr., 1977, ISBN 0-373-72057-2

IMPORTANT STUFF and BAD NEWS

Well, the IMPORTANT STUFF was discussed. Sadly the news is not good.

The simple fact is that sales are down. Normally when we release an issue of DARK WORLDS MAGAZINE there is a bubble of sales which trickle off over time. With the release of issue #6 sales have not even started. It may have something to do with the economic downturn, it may be that there was too long a gap between issue 5 and this new one. Given the fact that sales of the last anthology that Rage Machine Books offered on Amazon.com, SWORDS OF FIRE, have been equally dismal, it seems that economics may be to blame.

Either way, it is discouraging because issue # 6 was the most promoted of all the issues we have put out so far, This is the issue that had the support of the magazine's blog which has been averaging almost half a million visits a month since it began. Unfortunately those visits have not been translating into sales.

So, unless sales pick up, it looks like issue # 6 will be the final issue of Dark Worlds Magazine.

This has led us to rethink what we are actually offering and how we are offering it. Without going into too many details we have decided to narrow our focus a bit and concentrate on smaller projects rather than the larger anthologies and the magazine. We are also going to try a different delivery service that cuts out some of the middlemen. That will, hopefully, maximize returns for the authors and artists, rather than the service bureaus.

So keep watching this blog and visit the DARK WORLDS blog for new developments which we will be offering soon.

NEW MASTHEAD!

Just sayin'... you know? In case you didn't notice it. Looks nice, doesn't it?

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Monday, August 29, 2011

LET'S KILL HITLER...NOT!

So the whole Hitler angle to DOCTOR WHO's mid season opener was a bit of a red herring. The episode wasn't about Hitler at all, it was about River Song (again!) and her regeneration from Melody Pond to Alex Kingston. In fact, they don't even try to kill Hitler, but they end up saving his life. Then Hitler gets put into the cupboard by Rory and that's where he stays. If only we could ignore Hitler so easily just by having Rory put him in the cupboard.

Speaking of Rory, he's about the only one who did anything heroic in this episode, holding a gun on Hitler, riding a motorbike, punching out Nazis... good going, Rory!

So my question is this: What was it about "Fish fingers and custard" that made the Doctor change into a tuxedo while he was dying from the poison? What was the point of that? Mind you, I did like Matt Smith's longer coat he was sporting before donning the tuxedo. I approve of the long coat.

So, again, some answers but just as many new questions to ponder. I'm thinking Steven Moffatt should just develop a River Song spinoff series. Russell T. Davies had Torchwood and Sarah Jane, Steve could go nuts with River Song on her own and let Doctor Who be Doctor Who.

Anyway, I hope we get some answers to the many (many) questions that the series has posed before the season finale.

Six long coats out of 10.

BEHOLD THE CONQUERING HERO COMES!

Congratulations are in order for the unexpected (but most welcome) return of Admiral Fluffy to the Cave of Cool. When it looked like all hope was gone, he came back from his secret mission and Kal and all the other agents of the Cave of Cool (you know who you are( (wink wink) could not be happier with this happy development.

Just remember, it is always darkest before the dawn.

WHEN I SHUFFLE OFF THIS MORTAL COIL

Cal over at the Cave of Cool had a post about this idea.

Seems you can have your remains used to grow a tree.

I don't like that idea. Trees are a dime a dozen. I have left explicit instructions that after death I am to be shot out into space (not just up and back but up and out) in a capsule of some kind, my body completely intact (no autopsy) on the off chance that my body will be found by aliens who will revive me.

Failing that I wish my ashes to be converted into a diamond which will be set in a pendant engraved with the words: "Shine on you crazy diamond" which I will specify must be worn around the neck of my descendants until the end of time.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Sunday, August 28, 2011

FUNNY, YES, BUT KIND OF SAD TOO

Yeah, it's true. I've got the bad posture to prove it.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

BLOOD SHARED by C. J. Burch

So here's one of the things that I've been working on. C. J. Burch is going to be re-issuing all of his books on Amazon.com and he has asked me to do all-new cover art for each. In the coming weeks I will be doing four more covers so keep a look out for them!

This is the first one. It's for his collection of novellas called BLOOD SHARED.

And if you want to read any of C.J's stories (because they are all terrific!) you can find them in back issues of DARK WORLDS MAGAZINE or you can pick up a copy of his book THE STAR OF KALEEL at Amazon.com

Saturday, August 27, 2011

IMPORTANT STUFF

Today myself and the other publisher of DARK WORLDS MAGAZINE, G. W. Thomas are haunting the local second-hand bookstores in the interior. Along the way we'll also be discussing IMPORTANT STUFF.

What stuff you ask? Well, I don't know, but it'll be important!

When we come back I shall blog about any cool treasures we have found and let you know about any decisions that we make regarding the IMPORTANT STUFF.