Brett Weiss: Words of Wonder

Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990 -- REVIEW

2012-01-23T07:37:00.005-06:00

A nice review of my latest book, Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990, appeared on About.com. You can read it here.

Livia J. Washburn

2012-01-17T19:49:00.002-06:00

The January issue of Mystery Scene contained my article on novelist Livia J. Washburn. Here's the text from that article:

While she’s never held a traditional day job, former bookstore owner Livia J. Washburn has been a hard-working freelancer for more than 30 years, cranking out historical adventures, romance novels, westerns, and, most prominently (not to mention most prolifically), mysteries.

Washburn is best known for her cozy “Fresh-Baked” and “Literary Tour” series, both of which are populated with strong women, supportive men, faithful friends, and, of course, a rascal or two. The question of “whodunit” hangs over every novel, and romantic entanglements sometimes ensue. However, sex and violence are downplayed in favor of humor, yummy food, and small-town charm. In short, these are books you could recommend to your teenager or your grandmother.

The “Fresh-Baked” books star feisty Phyllis Newsom, a devoted cook and retired history teacher living in the relatively small town of Weatherford, Texas. Phyllis, a widow who loves to cook, runs a boarding house that is home to other retired teachers, including romantic interest and former high school basketball coach, Sam Fletcher.

“Using retired teachers was a natural since I was surrounded by teachers in my family,” Washburn says. “My mother, my mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and now both my daughters are (or were) teachers.”

It’s no accident that Washburn set the “Fresh-Baked” series in Texas. A Texan through and through, she’s a lifelong resident of Azle, which, like Weatherford, is a smallish suburb of Fort Worth. Washburn enjoys experimenting with recipes, so the baking theme is also a natural. In fact, each of the “Fresh-Baked” novels includes several recipes created by Washburn.

“My agent, Kimberly Lionetti, let me know the publishers were looking for foodie mysteries, and she asked me if I thought this was something I would be interested in trying,” Washburn says. “And of course I was. Kimberly’s a terrific agent. She actually had bidding wars going for both the ‘Fresh-Baked’ and ‘Literary Tour’ series. It was very exciting.”

In the first “Fresh-Baked” mystery, A Peach of a Murder, Phyllis yearns to win the top prize in Weatherford’s annual Peach Festival baking contest, an honor one of her housemates, Carolyn Wilbarger, has won twice before. Unfortunately, one of the judges dies after sampling Phyllis’s cobbler, placing the peachy protagonist in the role of amateur sleuth.

The sixth and most recent “Fresh-Baked” book is The Gingerbread Bump-off, in which Phyllis, a budding Sherlock Holmes at this point, has decorated her boarding house for the annual Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes. She’s also busy preparing a Christmas Eve bridal shower and a New Year’s Eve wedding. Naturally, someone gets murdered on her front porch, putting the intrepid cookie maker once again in pursuit of a pestiferous perpetrator.

In addition to cooking and writing, Washburn, who went to Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, but had to drop out due to various health issues, enjoys working with power tools and traveling. The former she does frequently, but she doesn’t get a chance to travel nearly as much as she’d like, thanks to the responsibilities involved in taking care of her elderly parents.

When Washburn’s agent suggested she write a series of mysteries about literary books, she jumped on the opportunity. “I thought that writing about literary tours would give me the perfect excuse to do some traveling,” Washburn says. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t work out. Just as I started writing the first book in the ‘Literary Tour’ series, my mom’s dementia got worse, and she had foot surgery. Also, my dad fell on their icy driveway, broke his ankle, and had to have a plate put in.”

Although familial responsibilities keep her close to home most of the time, the “Literary Tour” series lets Washburn (and her readers) travel vicariously to places both real and imagined, including: the Tennessee Williams Literary Tour in New Orleans (Killer on a Hot Tin Roof); a Mark Twain-themed cruise on the Mississippi River (Huckleberry Finished); and an old plantation modeled after Tara from Gone With the Wind (Frankly My Dear, I’m Dead).

The protagonist of the “Literary Tour” series is Delilah Dickinson, an independent-minded divorcee who opens a travel agency in Atlanta. Full of sass and brass (and a touch of class), Delilah is a character readers will find themselves rooting for again and again.

In the next “Literary Tour” book, For Whom the Funeral Bell Tolls (Feb. 2012), the always adventurous Delilah takes a tour group to Key West, Florida to explore the literary heritage of Ernest “Papa” Hemingway. Fortunately for mystery buffs everywhere (but unfortunately for the poor victim), Hemingway’s former residence becomes the scene of a murder.

For mystery fans who like their novels a little less cozy, Washburn’s darker, edgier “Hallam Mysteries” may be just what the doctor ordered. Set in the 1920s, during the glory days of the Hollywood western, these books star former Texas Ranger Lucas Hallam, a rough-and-tumble movie cowboy and private detective who tangles with gangsters, zombies, religious cults, the Ku Klux Klan, and other disreputable sorts.

There are four books in the Hallam series: Hallam (featuring the first appearance of the character); Dead Stick (someone tries to sabotage Hallam’s current film); Dog Heavies (Hallam must take a spoiled New York actor to a ranch in Texas to make him a credible cowboy star); and Wild Night (winner of The American Mystery Award and The Private Eye Writers of America's Best Original Paperback Award).

Along with writing her own books, Washburn proofreads her husband James Reasoner’s novels. The author of the 10-volume “Civil War Battles” series (among numerous other titles), Reasoner often writes more than a million words in a single year, keeping Washburn plenty busy. While it’s a time-intensive chore, working as an assistant to her husband has paid off for Washburn, who grew up reading, but never really saw herself as writing for a living.

“In school I was the weird child that enjoyed writing papers, especially research papers,” Washburn says. “But I never dreamed of writing professionally until I saw James succeed. He was writing stories in longhand for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, and I would type them up for him. I kept telling him of other ways his stories could have gone until he finally suggested that I try to write my own.”

Washburn took her husband’s advice, and suddenly a career was born. Her first published story—“The Lord Will Provide”—appeared in a 1978 issue of Mike Shayne. Her first novel, The Emerald Land, was published in 1983 by Fawcett Gold Medal (as written by Livia James). Her first mystery novel was Wild Night, published by Tor Books in 1987 (as written by L.J. Washburn).

To research the people, places, and things she writes about, Washburn used to visit as many as half a dozen libraries in a single day. But now, thanks to the Internet, that aspect of her job has gotten easier. “I still use books,” she says, “but Google has become my friend. When I want to get the description of a setting right, I usually call up as many images as I can. With the maps they have now, you can ‘walk’ down the roads you’re trying to describe. Also, I belong to several email lists where the other members are also writers, and if I run into something that really stumps me, I ask the group. Chances are someone usually knows the answer.”

Currently, Washburn is hard at work on Wedding Cake Blues, the next novel in the “Fresh-Baked” series.

“In many ways writing has been a dream job for me,” Washburn says. “I've been able to raise a family, work with my husband, and tell stories that entertain people all over the world. I can't think of anything better.”

1000 Comic Books You Must Read

2012-01-10T13:42:00.004-06:00

1000 Comic Books You Must Read
Krause Publications
$29.99, color, 272 pgs., hardcover
Writer: Tony Isabella

A labor of love from “America’s most beloved comics writer and columnist,” who’s been cranking out comic book commentary for almost four decades, Tony Isabella’s 1000 Comic Books You Must Read is a big, slick, lavishly produced volume. Each chapter represents a different decade—from the late 1930s to the present—and each page is illustrated with rich, colorful, beautifully reproduced comic book covers.

Accompanying each cover is publisher and copyright information, along with creator credits, historical tidbits, plot synopsis, and/or short, but pointed commentary. As always, Isabella writes clearly and enthusiastically without a lick of pretension. Eschewing false modesty, Isabella, who created Black Lightning (DC’s first major African American hero), includes a number of comic books he wrote. In fact, it could be argued that a disproportionate number of the featured comics bear his name.

As is typical with this type of book, certain fans will bemoan the absence of their favorite titles—where the heck are James Robinsons’ Starman and Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come?—but the diversity on display here, encompassing every genre from romance to horror to crime to war to humor to super-heroes and beyond, is truly impressive.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

1000 Comic Books You Must Read is indeed a nice looking book that is fun to flip through, but it would benefit from more text. Virtually every entry is brief, but the book’s large pages offer plenty of room where Isabella could’ve expanded some of the more interesting or important entries.

Originally published in 2009, 1000 Comic Books You Must Read deservedly sold out of its initial print run and is back via a second printing. If someone were to write a book called “1000 Books You Must Read,” Tony’s titanic testament probably wouldn’t make the cut. However, comic book fans who enjoy bite-sized chunks of fun-to-read info could make a fairly convincing case that it should.

Click on the following link to order the book:

1000 Comic Books You Must Read

How I "Broke Through"

2012-01-02T17:58:00.004-06:00

The new issue of The Writer, currently available at Barnes and Noble, features my story on how I broke through as a freelance writer.

Here's the text from the article:

Breakthrough -- Brett Weiss

A lifelong reader, I love perusing the printed page—books, magazines, newspapers, comic-books—you name it. And I’ve always wanted to be a writer. However, I never seriously pursued this longing until 1993, when I sold my business (a pair of comic-book stores) and suddenly found myself with plenty of time to write.

My first goal was to learn the craft and get published, which I did in 1997—with a whopping $10 sale to an online fiction magazine. I continued cranking out short stories, but only found limited success, netting a sale here and there in an assortment of long-forgotten small-press magazines. Undeterred, I kept plugging away: read-write-repeat.

Breakthrough

In 1998, my brother-in-law emailed me a classified ad for the All Game Guide (www.allgame.com), a database that would catalog, describe and review every video game ever released. As an avid video game collector, I jumped on this opportunity and quickly got the job.

My part-time All Game Guide gig transformed into a highly profitable (relatively speaking) writing/editing position, inspiring me to seek additional non-fiction venues, including the Comics Buyer’s Guide, where I became a member of the long-running magazine’s Review Crew.

Unfortunately, following the post-9/11 economic downturn, the All Game Guide released its off-site writers, leaving me frustrated and heartbroken. A friend who happened to own a garage door company offered me a job as a dispatcher, which let me work at home and gave me plenty of time to write between phone calls.

In 2006, I attended Comic-Con International in San Diego, where I networked with an editor working for McFarland Publishers. Much to my surprise, she emailed me a few days later, asking if I had any interesting book ideas.

And that is how my Classic Home Video Games book series was born, the third volume of which was released last fall. The series credit has not only looked good on my resume but has helped me get countless freelance assignments, including steady work for AntiqueWeek, Filmfax, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and various other publications.

What I learned

For most writers, especially those of us who didn’t exactly excel in school, writing clean copy doesn’t come naturally, no matter how much you have read or how much you have dreamed of one day becoming a writer. You have to work at it every day, whether you are getting published on a regular basis or not.

Without writing all those bad short stories, I may not have been able to work my way up to editor with the All Game Guide. Without writing hundreds of reviews for the All Game Guide and the Comics Buyer’s Guide, my writing probably would’ve lacked the polish to justify a book contract. In short, I learned that real, working writers write constantly and feel compelled to do so.

Advice

Begin each day by waking up a couple of hours before everyone else, fixing yourself a strong caffeinated drink, and getting in some time at the computer or word processor while you are fresh and the house is quiet—you’ll soon find yourself looking forward to this morning ritual.

Act like a professional, even if you haven’t had a single word published. Call yourself a writer, establish a fully outfitted office area in your home, and keep business cards in your purse or wallet. Carry a notebook wherever you go, jotting down anything interesting you may hear someone say or any idea that might pop into your head.

Keep an organized filing system containing such things as publisher contact information, query letters, story ideas, and rejection and acceptance notices. Never throw away anything you have written, no matter how bad. That terrible piece you wrote years ago could provide the skeleton of an idea for a terrific screenplay or novel.

Prior to submitting an article, story or query, read at least a couple of issues of that publication to get a feel for what they publish (free sample copies or PDF files are often available online). No matter how sparkling your prose or how clever your turn of phrase, ill-fitting, inappropriate material will be rejected every time.

BIO BOX

The author of the Classic Home Video Games book series, Brett Weiss is a full-time freelancer living in Fort Worth, TX with his wife and two teenage children. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Auction Exchange, Fangoria, Farm World, Game Informer, Robot magazine, Toy Shop, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Batman Filmography: Live-Action Features, 1943-1997

2011-12-23T16:30:00.005-06:00

McFarland sent me a copy of this book, which is a pretty cool read for a Batman fan such as myself. Full review below.

The Batman Filmography: Live-Action Features, 1943-1997
McFarland Publishers
$29.95, b&w, 230 pgs.
Writer: Mark S. Reinhart

After a lengthy introduction that provides an overview of The Dark Knight Detective’s four-color and silver screen adventures, the author of The Batman Filmography proceeds to analyze each of the hero’s live action features: Batman (1943), Batman and Robin (1949), Batman (1966), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Batman and Robin (1997).

Batman Begins (2005) is mentioned in conclusion, but neither it nor The Dark Knight (2008) is covered. This is because the first edition hardcover was published in 2005, and this newly minted trade paperback hasn’t been updated to include those films. This is a shame because Reinhart does a nice job critiquing each movie (he’s a fan, but he offers objective criticism), and he includes production history without bogging down the text with too much minutia or technical jargon. He’s also adept at comparing the filmic Batman to the comic Batman.

The Batman Filmography is fun, informative (if dated) reading, but it could use quotes from cast and crew members. Photos—even some black and white shots—would also be nice.

www.mcfarland.com
ISBN: 978-0-7864-6117-2

Marvel Comics in the 1970s: An Issue by Issue Field Guide to a Pop Culture Phenomenon

2011-11-16T17:43:00.003-06:00

I haven't had time to blog much lately, but here's a recent book review I wrote for the Comics Buyer's Guide. If, like me, you grew up reading Marvel comics (I read more DC than Marvel, but loved and read a ton from both companies), you'll enjoy this book:

Marvel Comics in the 1970s: An Issue by Issue Field Guide to a Pop Culture Phenomenon
TwoMorrows Publishing
$27.95, b&w, 224 pgs.
Writer: Pierre Comtois
Grade: 3.5 Stars (out of 4)

The follow-up to Marvel Comics in the 1960s, this book covers the “Twilight Years” at Marvel, which saw the departure of Jack Kirby, the diminishing role of Stan Lee as a writer, the rise of Roy Thomas as an editor, and the introduction of a new stable of creative talent, including Gene Colan, Marv Wolfman, and Steve Gerber.

Comtois waxes eloquent about the good and the bad of the decade, referring to the “rise of imaginative new features and professionals” as well as the “growing lethargy among the company’s established titles.” Comtois is highly opinionated, and True Believers may cringe at some of his harsher criticisms, but it’s obvious from page one that he has a great deal of respect for the House of Ideas.

To tell the story of Marvel in the ’70s, Comtois adroitly breaks down key issues, such as Avengers #68 (Sal Buscema takes over as penciller), Conan the Barbarian #1 (a distinct departure from super-heroes), and Dracula Lives #1 (Marvel’s new line of black-and-white magazines begins). Key creators are spotlighted as well.

twomorrows.com
ISBN: 978-1-60549-034-2

Sample Pages Now Online!

2011-09-13T12:12:00.003-05:00

There are now sample pages of Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990 online. To view them, click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

You can order the book HERE.

Foreword by Bill Kunkel

2011-09-09T14:49:00.002-05:00

To honor his memory, McFarland has posted a pdf of Bill Kunkel's foreword to Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988.

The Great Bill Kunkel

2011-09-04T17:08:00.007-05:00

I'm stunned and saddened to learn of the passing of Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel, co-founder of the first and best videogame magazine, Electronic Games.

As a teenager, I eagerly devoured every issue of Electronic Games, reading them again and again until they literally fell apart. When I got to meet Bill at the Classic Gaming Expo in 2007, it was awesome--he and his wife were so gracious and kind. When he bought my first book, I was humbled and honored. When he agreed to write the foreword to my second book, I was left almost speechless. Luckily, Bill had plenty to say--he always did, and that's a good (make that great) thing.

Without Bill, there likely would be no Classic Home Video Games series of books. He was a good friend, and he will be greatly missed.

(Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988--foreword by Bill Kunkel)

Orbit: Stephen King

2011-09-03T06:57:00.003-05:00

A huge Stephen King fan, I recently reviewed Orbit: Stephen King for the Comics Buyer's guide. Here's that review:

Orbit: Stephen King
Bluewater Comics
$3.99, color, 28 pgs.
Writers: Michael Lent, Brian McCarthy
Artist: Kent Hurlburt
Grade: 2.5 Stars (out of four)

Orbit: Stephen King covers the well-known highlights (and lowlights) of the famous novelist’s life, such as how his father walked out on the family, how his wife, Tabatha, encouraged him to finish Carrie (his breakthrough novel), and how, in the summer of 1999, he was hit by a van and almost killed.

Indeed, the issue reads like a greatest hits (so to speak) of King’s biography, and it does so with dialogue, an omniscient narrator, and quotes from King’s non-fiction masterpiece, On Writing. Hardcore King collectors have heard these stories many times, but there may be a few surprises in store for casual fans, such as the fact that his first independently published story, “I Was a Teenage Grave Robber,” first appeared in 1965 in a fanzine called Comics Review (though it doesn’t mention that a young Marv Wolfman later published the story as “In a Half-World of Terror”).

Orbit has a stylish, cartoony look, but a more realistic take on the subject would’ve been preferable. Also, the text could use a little polish here and there.

www.bluewaterprod.com

DC Comics -- The New 52

2011-09-01T15:42:00.002-05:00

My article on the DC Comics reboot was in last Monday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You can read it here.

Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990

2011-08-15T21:57:00.009-05:00

Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990: A Complete Guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and TurboGrafx-16 Games is finally available. You can order yours via AMAZON. Don't let the cover dates of 1989-1990 fool you, EVERY game for the systems featured are included in the book, regardless of release date.

Here's a description of the book:

The third in a series about home video games, this detailed reference work features descriptions and reviews of every official U.S.-released game for the Neo Geo, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, which, in 1989, ushered in the 16-bit era of gaming. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. Video game entries include historical information, gameplay details, the author’s critique, and, when appropriate, comparisons to similar games. Appendices list and offer brief descriptions of all the games for the Atari Lynx and Nintendo Game Boy, and catalogue and describe the add-ons to the consoles covered herein--Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, Sega 32X and TurboGrafx-CD.

Here are accolades for my previous books:

Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988:

"This is a great book...information is spot-on...100% accurate...a must-own"
--Video Game Trader

"A great tome of reference...excellent...a must-own for any avid 8-bit collector"
--Retro Gamer

"Valuable...great...succeeds with flying colors...vivid commentary and descriptions...will save you time, money and frustration"
--Nintendo Age

"Classic Home Video Games 1985-1988 offers exactly what you want in a collection of capsule reviews: well-written text that is clear and to the point...this is the current gold standard for video game reference guides."
--Retro Gaming Australia

Classic-Home-Video-Games-1972-1984:

"a labor of love...comprehensive...recommended"
--Library Journal

"a great-looking new book"
--classicgaming.gamespy.com

“thoroughly researched”
--Game Informer

“a must-read...both fun and informative, a highly recommended purchase”
--Video Game Collector.

"Brett Weiss knows his video games, and this book is a must for all fans"
--Bart Bush (former editor of Larry Bieza's Pinball Price Guide)

“Weiss’s deep familiarity with his chosen subject matter is an asset of the text, and as a writer he conveys information clearly and without pretension...Weiss’s reviews of obscure games make the book a treasure...impressive and fun book...valuable...the breadth of coverage here is astounding...a fun read and a nostalgic trip supreme...undeniably smart, historically valuable and wide-ranging in coverage”
--GameCulture Journal

Pac-Man Collectibles -- Book Review

2011-08-02T08:19:00.003-05:00

Pac-Man Collectibles
Schiffer Books
Deborah Palicia
$29.95
2002, 160 pgs.

A good looking book that would make a nice addition to anyone’s game room library, Pac-Man Collectibles begins with an earnestly told and at times informative introduction. However, said intro does contain its fair share of shortcomings. For example, the book mentions that the arcade classic Pac-Man (1980) was created in Japan by a Namco designer, but it doesn’t refer to him by name (Tōru Iwatani).

Further, in a section called “The Creation of Pac-Man,” the author states that “The game is thought to be the first that did not center on fighting in video outer space but rather introduced the maze.” Wrong and wrong. A little rudimentary research will turn up numerous non-space games that predated Pac-Man (such as Midway’s Gun Fight and Atari Football), and Head On, a driving game released by Sega/Gremlin in 1979, featured a top-down maze in which players drove around tracks to clear dots from the screen.

Fortunately, the bulk of the book consists of pictures of merchandise featuring Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and their pals. There are 415 full color photos of various and sundry items, including puzzles, pinball games, party napkins, cereal boxes, glassware, records, candy, lap trays, a trash can, a lamp, animation cels (from the cartoon show), and much more. I remember seeing many of these items in stores back in the day, but there are quite a few I don’t recall, making for a nice blend of nostalgia and discovery.

Anyone with their finger on the pulse of 1980s pop culture will enjoy thumbing through this book. It was published in 2002, so some of the pricing is out of date, and the author admits there are many Pac-Man collectibles not pictured, but it’s a fun conversation piece and a good resource for collectors looking to add to their array of Pac-Man swag. Without this book, for example, the average collector probably wouldn’t know to look for Archie’s Double Digest #5 and the 24th Annual Hot Rod Show World Magazine, both of which feature Pac-Man covers.

Ordering information: Pac-Man Collectibles.

Publisher Website: Schiffer.

2011-08-01T14:30:00.006-05:00

John Hardie, Sean Kelly, and Joe Santulli, organizers of the annual Classic Gaming Expo, have launched the Videogame History Museum – a 501©(3) non-profit charity dedicated to preserving and archiving the history of the Videogame industry. Currently the group is seeking initial working capital using the unique crowdfunding business plan offered through their project on the kickstarter web-site (www.kickstarter.com) The initial goal is to raise $30,000 to help finance additional fundraising activities and also to better mobilize the museum’s collections for exhibit at various industry trade shows.

The enormous success of their display at the recent E3 trade show was evident as they garnered several “Best of Show” nominations from the gaming press along with positive testimonials from show-goers. “The videogame industry is double the size of the music industry and while there are several music “halls of fame” and museums, there isn’t a single dedicated, all-inclusive videogame museum”, said Joe Santulli. “We’re taking the necessary steps toward creating a physical museum, research facility, and reference library to honor and archive the history, hardware, software, events and people of this industry.”

The Museum has the support of many of the legends that helped create the industry and their Board of Advisors is comprised of some of the most recognizable names in the history of gaming. David Crane, one of the founders of the first third-party software publishing company (Activision), and the sole programmer of the original Pitfall and many others says: “I have always wished [the Classic Gaming Expo guys] success in finding a permanent home for [their] collection, which I consider to be the most comprehensive repository of videogame collectibles and memorabilia in the world.”

The Videogame History Museum’s collections are based on the popular Classic Gaming Expo museum which is comprised of over 20,000 artifacts ranging from games, hardware, memorabilia and prototypes to a vast digital archive containing magazines, design and developer notes, company press kits, back-ups of unreleased games and much more. Founder Sean Kelly states,”The Videogame History Museum is the natural extension of the work we started over 20 years ago. The museum we envision promises to be all-inclusive, comprehensive and interactive. Unlike some of the other efforts in recent years which have a limited focus, our intention is to cover it all: every game made for every system, every piece of promotional material made for each game, every revision of every console with specific notes as to the differences, the design progression, and so on.”

To get more information, watch their video, or to donate and become part of the movement to make this all happen, please visit the Videogame History Museum website:
Videogame History Museum

The Stoogeum

2011-07-14T21:24:00.004-05:00

Film critic Leonard Maltin visits The Stoogeum.

This article appeared in a recent issue of AntiqueWeek:

The Stoogeum

by Brett Weiss

“Dewey, Burnham, and Howe.” “Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.” “Moe! Larry! The Cheese!”

If the above phrases don’t make you chortle, chuckle, grin, or guffaw, you have no soul. Okay, that’s more than a little hyperbolic, but even those who don’t quite “get” the pinching, poking, pummeling antics of The Three Stooges will have to admit that the tussling trio is one of the most popular comedy teams of all time, arguably more well-known than such dynastic duos as Abbot and Costello and Laurel and Hardy.

Originally a part of the vaudeville comedy team Ted Healy and His Stooges, which began performing in 1925, the Stooges didn’t officially became The Three Stooges until 1934, when they broke away from Healy and signed with Columbia pictures. During their 23 years at Columbia, the Stooges starred in five features and 190 film shorts.

Remnants from the Stooges’ Columbia days and much more are on display at The Stoogeum museum, a three-story, 10,000-square-foot facility billed as “the world’s first and only museum of Three Stooges memorabilia.” In addition to such offerings as a research library, an 85-seat theater, and a 16mm film storage vault, the museum boasts nearly 100,000 pieces of Three Stooges artifacts, from games to toys to movie props to costumes to artwork to rare photos (spanning 50 years of Stooges history).

The Stoogeum is home to a number of unique items, including Joe Besser’s passport, Larry’s driver’s license, and Shemp’s discharge from the United States Army. One of the coolest one-of-a-kind items currently on display at the Stoogeum is a custom Three Stooges pinball machine, which was built and designed by Eric Strangeway. The pinball is set up on free play, as is a 1984 arcade game manufactured by Mylstar. There’s even a Three Stooges slot machine customers can try their luck on.

Regrettably, unlike most museums, The Stoogeum does not keep regular hours. Rather, they are only open approximately one day per month (admission is free, but visitors should feel free to make a donation). To find out when you can get your “nyuks” on at The Stoogeum, check their website.

Contact:
267-468-0810
www.stoogeum.com

LPs Make a Comeback

2011-07-07T00:38:00.002-05:00

This article on the state of the record industry appeared in a recent issue of AntiqueWeek:

LPs Make a Comeback

By Brett Weiss

Remember the satisfying feeling of breaking the shrink wrap on a new record album, sliding the vinyl disc out of the cardboard jacket and paper sleeve, placing said disc on the family turntable (often a component of a massive wooden console), plopping down on your favorite beanbag chair, and letting the immersive sounds of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, the Doors, or the Eagles wash over you as you whiled away the hours on a lazy summer afternoon?

If you grew up during the’60s or ’70s, it’s very likely you experienced something similar to the above scenario. Similar to today (at least conceptually), you could purchase single songs then—actually, there were two songs on a 45 RPM record since there was a second song on the flip side (often called the “B” side)—but it was the long-playing record album (LP for short) that could truly show what a musical act was capable of, both in terms of musicianship and experimentalism.

The record industry of the ’50s and early ’60s was dominated in some respects (such as radio airplay and units moved) by hit singles, but when acts like Bob Dylan (Highway 61 Revisited), the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), the Beatles (Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band), the Jefferson Airplane (Surrealistic Pillow), the Rolling Stones (Their Satanic Majesties Request), and The Who (Tommy) helped turn the rock album into a singular (no pun intended) art form, no rock ’n’ roll connoisseur worth his or her headphones would be caught dead buying a 45 (though singles were still very popular with kids and mainstream consumers).

For the aforementioned landmark albums, the final product was much more than the sum of its parts. Taken out of context, the dreamlike “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” for example, is a great song, but woven into the tapestry of the epic Sgt. Peppers, it’s nothing less than a transcendental masterpiece.

Long before MP3 players, iTunes, and the Internet, which make sampling music from a variety of artists cheap and convenient, going to K-Mart or Sears to purchase a new record was an almost spiritual experience as you usually had to take it on faith what the album would sound like based on little more than cover art and maybe a song or two you heard on the radio. The anticipation, mystery, and fascination surrounding an album’s unknown contents were in fact part of the appeal of the format.

In a recent issue of The Sunday Times Magazine, longtime rocker and LP fan Jon Bon Jovi, grumpily railing against the jejune nature of downloading songs, went on a “get off my lawn” type of rant against Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, claiming that he “is personally responsible for killing the music business.” (Apple’s iTunes Store is the number one music vendor in the country.)

Explaining his position, Bon Jovi said, “Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it. God, it was a magical, magical time.”

Bon Jovi’s trashing of Jobs is a bit unfair—as EW.com points out, “Jobs is really pretty much the only guy who has managed to successfully monetize online music consumption”—but his waxing nostalgic about buying record albums as a kid does resonate, at least for those of us who grew up doing the same.

Bon Jovi is hardly alone in his preference of records to downloadable songs (or, for that matter, CDs). Certain audiophiles, precocious teens, collegiate hipsters, and nostalgic baby boomers are once again (or for the first time, in the case of younger listeners) getting their groove on (so to speak) with vinyl.

According to the Nielson Company and Billboard’s 2010 Music Industry Report, vinyl sales rose 14% from 2009, in which 2.5 million records were sold, to 2010, in which 2.8 million records disappeared from store shelves. In the previous two years, LP sales rose from 990,000 units to 1.88 million units, resulting in a jump of 89%.

This is a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to CD sales and music downloads (LPs count for only one percent or so of the entire market), but it is a trend worth watching as it’s rare and maybe even unprecedented that an outdated form of electronic media makes such a strong comeback.

In addition to the romanticism of the LP espoused by Bon Jovi, many vinyl devotees claim that record albums, if played using the proper equipment, have a thicker, richer, meatier sound than digital music, thanks in part to superior mid-range quality. Also, most LPs released nowadays feature collectible (or just plain fun) inserts, such as posters, booklets, stickers, limited edition art, and/or extended liner notes. (Some older records, such as Love Gun by KISS, featured special inserts, but it was hardly the norm).

As a concession to modernity, many new albums also include complementary digital downloads of the content contained on the album, meaning the music buyer can have his or her cake and eat it too. Jenkins Boyd, co-owner of Doc’s Records and Vintage in Fort Worth, TX, says that most of the popular current bands release their new material on vinyl. “People like their iPods and their downloadable songs, but they also want to have a physical piece of music.”

Even though CDs outperform LPs by a wide margin at retail giants like Best Buy and Hastings, that’s not necessarily the case at specialty shops. “We really don’t carry very many new CDs because they don’t sell well,” Boyd says. “Records are just a lot cooler than CDs, and people like the inserts and larger cover art.” (According to Billboard.biz, the top three selling vinyl artists of 2010 were the Beatles, with 36,700 units sold, Black Keys, with 36,000 units, and Radiohead, with 30,500 units. LPs by Vampire Weekend, Beach House, Pavement, the National, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, and Metallica also fared well.)

In addition to new records, Doc’s carries a wide variety of previously owned LPs, including a ton of stuff from the 1ate ’60s through the ’70s. “We can’t keep Led Zeppelin records in stock,” Boyd says. “We also sell a lot of Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles. Certain Rolling Stones titles are popular as well.”

Speaking of the Beatles, Doc’s has a hard time moving some of the Fab Four’s rarer, higher priced records. “Really expensive Beatles stuff doesn’t tend to sell very well,” Boyd says. “Everyone wants the cheaper reissues. They just want to listen to the music—they don’t care so much about the collectability.”

Despite its lack of Beatlemania, at least when it comes to prestige items, Doc’s does cater to record collectors, offering an assortment of first pressings, foreign releases, picture discs, promotional items, colored vinyl, and out-of-print music. However, the majority of customers who walk through Doc’s doors are looking for a bargain, meaning most used records at the store sell in the $4 to $15 price range.

Of course, for those who are interested in rare LPs, one of the best sources is eBay. A quick search of recently completed eBay auctions turned up the following: a mono/promo/factory sealed copy of Something New by the Beatles ($967); a clear vinyl/first pressing of Stoneaged by the Rolling Stones ($455); a Sober/Prison Sex picture disc by Tool ($399); a first U.S. pressing of Moon Dance by Van Morrison ($360.55); a factory sealed-with-poster copy of Burning Love and Hits from His Movies by Elvis Presley ($314.99); a white label promo copy of Live Cream by Cream ($265); and a copy of The Beatles VS The Four Seasons ($245).

Other sources for purchasing collectible records online include: www.musicstack.com, www.wegotrecords.com, and www.gregsgrooves.com.

The record industry, which reached its peak during the 1970s, has its roots in Thomas Edison’s cylinder phonograph (1877), a crude, but revolutionary machine that recorded and reproduced sound onto a tinfoil sheet phonograph cylinder. Chichester A. Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter, working for Alexander Graham Bell’s Volta Laboratory (Chichester was Alexander’s cousin), improved upon Edison’s invention by using wax-coated cardboard cylinders and a floating stylus, the latter of which replaced Edison’s more rigid needle.

In 1888, Emile Berliner furthered the concept by inventing the gramophone record, which was a flat, two-sided disc. The 78-RPM phonographic disc followed (RPM refers to rotations per minute), and in 1948 Columbia released the first modern day LP in the form of a 12-inch, 33⅓-RPM microgroove vinyl record. Prior to vinyl, records were made of such materials as hard rubber, metal, or, most prominently, shellac, which was brittle and could shatter fairly easily.

During the 1980s, compact cassettes and compact discs began replacing LPs as the medium of choice among music buyers. By the early 1990s, thanks in part to major music labels convincing consumers to “upgrade” their music library to CDs, vinyl was declared all but dead.

Lucky for collectors, nostalgia enthusiasts, vinyl purists, and hipsters, and for “grumpy old men” like Jon Bon Jovi, the long-playing record album is once again a player in the music industry. Whether it reassumes its role as a major player is yet to be seen.

For more info on records, check out the following books: Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting (2003, St. Martin’s Griffin); Goldmine Record Album Price Guide (2009, Krause Publications); The Music Lover’s Guide to Record Collecting (2002, Backbeat Books); Price Guide for the Beatles American Records (2007, Four Ninety-Eight Productions); and Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948-1991 (2010, Krause Publications).

A Forbidden Look Inside the House of Ackerman

2011-06-17T10:27:00.005-05:00

Book Review by Brett Weiss

During his 92 years, the late, great Forrest J Ackerman indulged in many an eerie endeavor, from winning the first Hugo (#1 Fan Personality) to creating Vampirella to coining the term “sci-fi.”

Forry was an actor, a writer, a literary agent, the editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland and the world’s foremost collector of SF (ahem, sci-fi) memorabilia, the latter housed for many years in the Ackermansion, an 18-room vacation destination for thousands of monster kids. (Forry called it Son of Ackermansion since it was actually the second home to house his immense collection).

I never had the pleasure of visiting the hallowed halls of Forry’s aforementioned abominable abode, but in 2006 I did manage to squeeze in an hour or so at the Acker-mini-mansion, a Hollywood bungalow displaying a drastically reduced portion of Forry’s autographs, posters, movie props and other items. (Advanced age, health problems and financial concerns had forced Forry to sell much of his memorabilia and move to a smaller house).

I was struck by the informal nature of the visit, with Forry—hard of hearing, but still sharp—sitting in his easy chair, commenting on his collectibles, posing for photos, telling jokes and fawning over his favorite film: Metropolis (1927), which he told me he had seen 105 times.

As the title suggests, A Forbidden Look Inside the House of Ackerman isn’t a history book (photos far outweigh the text), but it does offer certain behind-the-screams tidbits, such as co-author Paul Davids helping Forry move, and attending the 2009 auction of “the last remaining treasures from the famed Forrest J Ackerman collection”

More importantly, the book gives readers an up close and personal view of the Ackermansion (all three locations) and its many treasures, including Bela Lugosi’s Dracula ring, Lon Chaney’s teeth from London After Midnight (1927), original art by Basil Gogos, a latex head of Forry as the Ackermonster, a torso from the Rod Steiger character in The Illustrated Man (1969) and many more rare, one-of-a-kind and otherwise invaluable items.

In addition to collectibles, the book includes color photos of the mansion’s occupants (Forry and his beloved Wendayne), along with some of its more prominent guests, including Ray Harryhausen, Fritz Lang and Barbara Steele.

Forry and his Ackermansion(s) is no longer with us, but A Forbidden Look Inside the House of Ackerman will help the preserve the legend for generations of SF (ahem, sci-fi) fans to come.

My family and I hanging out with Forry at his Hollywood home back in 2006.

NOW ON KINDLE -- Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984

2011-06-13T06:23:00.003-05:00

My first book, Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984, is now available on Kindle for $19.24, which is less than half of the price of the hardcover version (previously, only the second book was on Kindle).

You can read sample pages here: Sample Pages

You can order the Kindle version of the book here: Kindle

What they are saying about Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984:

"a labor of love...comprehensive...recommended"
--Library Journal

"a great-looking new book"
--classicgaming.gamespy.com

“thoroughly researched”
--Game Informer

“a must-read...both fun and informative, a highly recommended purchase”
--Video Game Collector.

"Brett Weiss knows his video games, and this book is a must for all fans"
--Bart Bush (former editor of Larry Bieza's Pinball Price Guide)

“Weiss’s deep familiarity with his chosen subject matter is an asset of the text, and as a writer he conveys information clearly and without pretension...Weiss’s reviews of obscure games make the book a treasure...impressive and fun book...valuable...the breadth of coverage here is astounding...a fun read and a nostalgic trip supreme...undeniably smart, historically valuable and wide-ranging in coverage”
--GameCulture Journal

Got the fliers in the mail today...

2011-06-06T17:53:00.003-05:00

(click on the image *twice* for a closer look)

Monday Night Football

2011-06-03T07:35:00.005-05:00

On a recent trip to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, seeing this Monday Night Football game instantly transported me back to my childhood. My brother and I played this game for hours and hours.

For more photos and info on our spring break getaway, check out my wife's blog post:
Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Recently published in...Back Issue

2011-05-27T18:28:00.006-05:00

When the Dead Heroes Issue was announced by my editor at Back Issue magazine, I knew I had to throw my hat in for Barry "The Flash" Allen, since he's my favorite comic book character of all time. Luckily, the editor liked my pitch. At 6,000 words, the article was quite a chore, but it was a rewarding project, and it was fun to re-read those old comics I enjoyed so much as a teenager.

Back Issue #48 is now on sale at finer comic book shops everywhere.

Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988

2011-05-19T13:46:00.007-05:00

*****

A 5-star review of my second book just popped up on Amazon:

I just purchased this on the kindle. I was very pleased with the savings over the hardcover copy. I wish the hardcover copy was a little cheaper. With that being said, I found this book to be a great reference book for entire video game library of the NES, SMS, and Atari 7800. The descriptions were very informative and I liked the feature of listing the number of players and where else the game was released. The only thing I wished it had was if the author rated each title on a 1-10 scale. You can sort of tell the titles he really likes, but I would love to see how he would actually rate them. Also, as another reviewer noted screenshots would have been a big plus if possible. With that being said, I am looking forward to the author's next book and I might have to pick up the first one to hold me over until then. (Written by cybersp78)

You can view sample pages of the book here:
Sample Pages

Hardcover ordering information here:
Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988

Kindle version ordering information here:
Amazon Kindle

Good news and bad news...

2011-05-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

I had terrible news this week. Two publications I write for--The West Texan News and Living with Panache(both Star-Telegram supplements)--are being canceled. One bit of good news, though, came in the form of an emailed jpeg of the cover to my new book, which will be released this summer (or possibly early fall):

Publisher description of the book:

The third in a series about home video games, this detailed reference work features descriptions and reviews of every official U.S.-released game for the Neo Geo, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, the three of which, in 1989, ushered in the 16-bit era of gaming. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system, followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. The video game entries include extensive historical information, gameplay details, the author’s critique, and, when appropriate, comparisons to similar games. Appendices list and offer brief descriptions of all the games for the Atari Lynx and Game Boy, and catalogue and describe the add-ons to the consoles cited in this book--Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, Sega 32X and TurboGrafx-CD.

Now Reading...

2011-05-03T15:39:00.002-05:00

Driving Crazy
Written by Randy D. Pearson, published by Riley Press (http://rileypress.hypermart.net)
$12.99, 261 pgs., 2010

Writing a novel with a narrative that holds together from beginning to end is truly a difficult endeavor. But that’s just what Randy D. Pearson has done with Driving Crazy, a story about two slacker-types who drive from Lansing, Michigan to Weedpatch, California to pick up a Crazy Climber arcade videogame.

Along the way, the two friends—Crazy Climber coveter Jay Naylor and his unemployed ally Austin Ridenour— enjoy an assortment of adventures and encounter a variety of funky folks, all of whom come across as more than a little clichéd. There’s the guy who loses a game of pool and pounds his opponent’s face; the grumpy greasy spoon waitress who exclaims, “Look Mac, this ain’t no fine dinin’ experience”; and the kindly diner owner and his matronly wife who put the boys up for a night with free food and lodging.

Indeed, no one will confuse Pearson’s prose with that of Jack Kerouac (of On the Road fame). For a fairer comparison, Rob O’Hara’s real-life adventures in his nonfiction work, Invading Spaces: A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Arcade Games, are amusing without resorting to the type of cheesy humor found in Driving Crazy. Jay and Austin enjoy way too many “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” moments.

Despite its flaws, Driving Crazy is coherent and structurally sound. And, at least for a self-published novel aimed at hardcore gamers, it is fairly entertaining.

Recently published in...The Writer

2011-04-03T13:24:00.004-05:00

My bio on and interview with the highly prolific James Reasoner.

(click on the image twice for a closer look)

Spring Videogame Preview

2011-03-03T07:15:00.003-06:00

My spring videogame preview was featured in the Fort Wort Star-Telegram earlier this week. You can read the online version here: Spring Preview.

Recently published in...

2011-03-03T07:08:00.003-06:00

Comics Buyers Guide #1676 (reviews of Pocket God #1 and Batman: Hidden Treasures #1)

Back Issue #46 (article on The Wolfman)

Living with Panache (articles on AIM Construction and Ajax Glass)

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo.

2011-02-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave #1

2011-01-21T22:19:00.004-06:00

My review of Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave was published in Comics Buyer's Guide #1675:
(click on image to enlarge)

Horror Video Games Review

2011-01-21T22:17:00.003-06:00

My review of the book, Horror Video Games, was in Video Game Trader #16:
(click on image to enlarge)

Recently published in...

2011-01-21T22:08:00.005-06:00

(Toy Robot Museum)

Finally...

2011-01-18T05:17:00.002-06:00

...after 2 and 1/2 years, 166, 075 words, 115 photos, 100s of hours of research, and way too many 4- and 5-hour nights of sleep, my 711-page manuscript for Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990: A Complete Guide to the Neo Geo, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16 is ready to put in the mail.

2011-01-03T13:59:00.003-06:00

R.I.P. ANNE FRANCIS.

To commemorate her life, I'm reprinting my article on the 50th anniversary DVD release of Forbidden Planet.

The 50th Anniversary of Forbidden Planet

Released in 2006 in conjunction with the film’s 50th anniversary, the Forbidden Planet Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD boxed set rarely disappoints. Housed in a shiny red and green metal alloy case, with the typically deceptive painting of Altaira in Robby’s arms gracing the cover, the two-disc extravaganza comes packaged with a 3.5 inch Robby the Robot toy (which doesn’t speak, unfortunately), a mail-in movie poster offer, and a nifty packet of Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy lobby card reproductions. The set looks great on the shelf of any hardcore fan, but less devoted viewers can feel safe picking up the standard edition, which contains all the disc content of its more collectible counterpart.

Disc one contains a new digital transfer of Forbidden Planet (looking and sounding beautiful), lost footage from the film (including a wobbly C-57D space cruiser), excerpts from The MGM Parade (featuring Walter Pidgeon talking to Robby), trailers from seven sci-fi classics, an episode of The Thin Man starring a sinister Robby the Robot (he was frequently less than hospitable outside of Forbidden Planet), and deleted scenes. It’s easy to see why the deleted scenes in question were excised from the final cut of the film, but it’s fascinating to watch what might have been: Dr. Ostro waxing philosophical about unicorns; Robby taking the “space wolves” on a ridiculous looking ride in his atomic car; and, far less egregiously, the C-57D nearly overheating as it approaches Altair-IV.

Disc two is home to The Invisible Boy, a black-and-white thriller from 1957 that shares two things in common with the main feature: Robby the Robot and screenplay writer Cyril Hume. The film does have its share of absurdities, such as the dad trying to spank his invisible kid, who, we are told, fools his father by wearing his pants backwards (ouch!). However, it does boast an unusual concept for the time: that of a super computer achieving sentience and planning to take over Earth. In a sense, The Invisible Boy is a precursor to Terminator 2, complete with a boy commanding his machine pal to do his bidding. Even better, the movie features Robby in a relatively action-packed role as he battles the Army and blasts off in a rocket.

The second disc also contains a trio of documentaries. Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet has the cast key cast members (minus Pidgeon, who died in 1984) and other genre giants (John Carpenter, Alan Dean Foster, John Landis, etc.) sounding off on the greatness of the film and its importance to movie and TV science fiction. One of the more fascinating aspects of the doc is the interview with (and accompanying photos of) Bebe Barron, who composed the film’s electronic score. Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon lives up to its title, giving viewers an insider’s look at the famous creation that Morbius “tinkered together.” Finally, Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us, which was first seen on the Turner Classic Movies network, takes a more general approach to the subject of sci-fi films and culture.

A few months prior to the release of the Forbidden Planet DVD set, I attended Comic-Con International 2006 in San Diego, which played host to the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking film. Richard Anderson, Warren Stevens, and Earl Holliman were on hand to sign autographs, talk with fans, hand out photos, and answer questions. At one point, a fan asked each actor what role they were the most proud of. Anderson chose Major Saint-Auban in Paths of Glory, Stevens picked Kirk Edwards in Barefoot Contessa, and Holliman selected Sergeant Bill Crowley in Police Woman. The gentlemen seemed to enjoy (or at least tolerate) the attention, but were perhaps a little baffled with all the hoopla surrounding Forbidden Planet. Regrettably, Lesley Nielson didn’t make the con, and neither did Anne Francis, but I did meet the lovely Ms. Francis at a Fort Worth film festival a few years ago. She was gracious enough to sign a number of items that I had brought along and sweet enough to put up with my effusive praise.

So, the question remains: Why the ongoing fascination with Forbidden Planet? From a personal standpoint, it’s one of my favorite science fiction films of all time, right up there with The Time Machine, Planet of the Apes, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and War of the Worlds. Unlike those movies, however, I didn’t see Forbidden Planet as a young child. Rather, I stumbled across it rather serendipitously at an older friend’s house one Saturday afternoon during the mid 1980s. I was a 16-year-old Star Trek and Star Wars fan and was blown away by the obvious influences Forbidden Planet had on those two franchises. At the time, I didn’t realize that the film was based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but I was struck by the film’s glorious production values and leisurely pace, the latter of which gave viewers plenty of time to ogle the rich colors and lush terrain of Altair-IV, the technical marvels of the mysterious Krell, the gee-whiz gimmickry of Robby the Robot, and, let’s face it, the gorgeous legs of Anne Francis.

It’s clear that Forbidden Planet is a beloved classic of sci-fi cinema. It has stunning visuals, a literate (if sometimes goofy) script, an out-of-this-world musical score, a virginal beauty to end all virginal beauties, and the coolest robot ever. If the movie fails to generate the same level of interest for another 50 years, film fandom’s “space pay” should be docked indefinitely.

Facebook Fan Page for Classic Home Video Games Book Series

2010-12-21T08:58:00.003-06:00

I've created a fan page for my Classic Home Video Games book series. You can check it out by clicking on the link below. If it's not too much trouble, please "like" the page when you go to it. Thanks!

Facebook Fan Page

Recently published in...

2010-11-30T22:15:00.003-06:00

The PinGame Journal #142 (Texas Pinball Festival report), Filmax #125 (Thundarr the Barbarian article), Living With Panache Dec 2010 (advertorial on a plastic surgeon named Dr. Rumalla), and AntiqueWeek #2157 (article on the American Numismatic Money Museum).

Wizard World Austin Comic Con

2010-11-15T21:21:00.010-06:00

For years Wizard World Texas was at the Arlington Convention Center, which is about 25 minutes or so from my house in Fort Worth. Last year there was no WWT, which was a bummer, but this year they renamed the event and moved it further south. Wizard World Austin Comic Con was a big success. There were lots of cool guests, a huge crowd (including many people in costume), and tons of comics, action figures, T-shirts, and other nifty items for sale.

Ryan and Katie got to meet Ray Park, who played Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace and Toad in X-Men. He was very friendly.

The kids also got to meet Predator. He was less than friendly, but at least he spared their lives.

Erin Gray, who played Col. Wilma Deering in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Lou "The Hulk" Ferrigno

Lindsay "Bionic Woman" Wagner

Lots of fans wore costumes, including this couple, who made a dashing, incredibly detailed Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter.

Harley Quinn and the Joker

Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in Star Trek TOS.

The highlight of the show was when the kids got to meet Nicholas Brendon, a.k.a. Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He had a great attitude and was a lot of fun to talk to.

Three Buffy cast members: Brendon, Clare "Glory" Kramer, and James "Clem" Leary. They were charming and hilarious as they answered questions from fans.

Recently published in...

2010-11-04T07:28:00.005-05:00

My Creature from the Black Lagoon story was slated to be the cover feature for AntiqueWeek #2153, the Halloween issue, so I was alarmed when I got my contributor copy in the mail and saw this:

I breathed a sigh of relief when I flipped the issue, which was folded, and discovered this:

Recently published in...

2010-10-21T08:22:00.003-05:00

The Fort Worth Star-Tele-Gram (Oct. 21 edition), which includes my article on educational video games. You can read it online: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/20/2559973/ten-video-game-titles-engage-the.html

Recently published in...

2010-10-21T07:51:00.004-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2152, which includes my articles on: vintage jukeboxes, the Klown Doll Museum, the Newseum, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Recently published in...

2010-10-13T13:57:00.003-05:00

Back Issue #44, which contains my article on the old Electric Company skit, Spidey Super Stories.

You can subscribe to Back Issue here:
http://twomorrows.com/

Recently published in...

2010-10-09T09:10:00.003-05:00

The West Texan News, a supplement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in which I write about southwestern artist Johnny Mahto Hogue.
(click on the image twice for a closer look)

Recently published in...

2010-10-09T09:07:00.002-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2149, in which I did a little investigative reporting to uncover the truth behind Stephen King's first published story.

Recently published in...

2010-10-09T09:03:00.001-05:00

Video Game Trader #16, which contains my review of the book Horror Video Games.

(click on image twice for a closer look)

Recently published in...

2010-09-28T07:35:00.003-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1671.

(click on the image twice for a closer look)

Recently interviewed in...

2010-09-24T11:11:00.005-05:00

Classic Gamer Magazine Vol. 3 #1. The issue also includes my article on comparing classic arcade games to console remakes.

You can read it for free on their website (though a donation to Cav and the gang would be appreciated).
CLASSIC GAMER MAGAZINE

Interview with Buddy Saunders

2010-09-07T14:10:00.004-05:00

Alter Ego #96, now on sale at comic book stores everywhere, includes my interview with Lone Star Comics and mycomicshop.com owner Buddy Saunders.

(click on the images twice for a closer look)

Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988

2010-08-31T16:20:00.006-05:00

*Durable hardcover binding
*Descriptions/Reviews for EVERY game for the Atari 7800, NES, and Sega Master System.
*Detailed gameplay information
*Developer/publisher info
*Historical data
*Console Biographies
*Genre definitions
*Video game term definitions
*Comparisons to arcade classics
*Photos
*Author preface
*Foreward by the legendary Bill Kunkel
*Editorial content based on the author's 35 years experience playing video games
*277 pages
*A book you will refer to again and again
*Fun and informative
*Perfect for taking to conventions and retro game stores, and for having on hand while shopping for games online

What they are saying about Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988:

*"This is a great book...information is spot-on...100% accurate...a must-own"--Video Game Trader

*"A great tome of reference...excellent...a must-own for any avid 8-bit collector"--Retro Gamer

*"Valuable...great...succeeds with flying colors...vivid commentary and descriptions...will save you time, money and frustration"--Nintendo Age

*"Professionally executed and an obvious labor of love"--Booklist/RBB

VIEW SAMPLE PAGES HERE

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

Oklahoma Video Game Expo 2010

2010-08-28T09:21:00.003-05:00

I'm really looking forward to this:
(click on image twice for a closer look)

Elvis Presley and Graceland

2010-08-27T15:11:00.007-05:00

My article on Elvis and Graceland is in AntiqueWeek #2144, which is on sale now.
(click on the images twice for a closer look)

It Remains to be Seen...

2010-08-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

I found this graphic novel at Half-Price Books the other day. I'm quoted on the back.

(click on the image twice for a closer look)

Recently published in...

2010-08-23T21:34:00.004-05:00

The September issue of Living with Panache, which is a supplement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

(click on the image twice for a closer look)

Recently published in...

2010-08-10T17:37:00.002-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1670.

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CGE 2010

2010-08-04T14:34:00.010-05:00

CGE 2010 has come and gone. Not surprisingly, it was a blast.

Videogame Jeopardy

Looks like Sonic the Hedgehog lost his head.

Joe from Atari2600.com, along with his lovely bride. Joe's booth is always a standout at CGE. I do some freelance writing for Joe, and he's a stand-up guy and a good business man.

In addition to rare cartridges, the Atari2600.com booth had lots of nifty handheld and dedicated games.

AtariAge had lots of homebrew games for sale. I picked up Jr. Pac-Man for the 7800 and Lady Bug for the 2600. Both are fantastic ports of classic arcade games.

The always fun CGE auction.

Auctioning off one of three "mystery boxes," the proceeds of which went to charity.

Michael Thomason of Good Deal Games and Leonard Herman, author of ABC to the VCS and Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames.

Dinner with the fellers. Chris Cavanaugh, pictured on the right, was my editor when I wrote for the All Game Guide. He also keeps busy publishing Classic Gamer Magazine.

Michael offered to let me put my book on his table, which is much appreciated. (Thanks also to CGE co-organizer Joe Santuli for letting me put books on the Digital Press table).

Me and Lenny Herman.

There were lots of consoles set up for attendees to play.

Arcade games set up on free play were in abundance as well.

I stayed at The Tropicana, which is a good venue for the convention, but a dive compared to many other Vegas hotels.

New York, New York is across the street from the Tropicana.

Now playing...

2010-08-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

The Void: Centauri Conflict for the ColecoVision

Enter The Void, if you dare.

The Void: Centauri Conflict is an enjoyable new homebrew game published by Atari2600.com, one of the best and most respected videogame retailers on the planet. It’s an old-school shooter in the tradition of such time-honored classics as Astrosmash, Demon Attack, and Gorf.

Players guide their ship back and forth along the bottom of the screen, firing upward at four different types of attacking alien ships that move either right, left, down, or in a zigzagging motion. There are never too many enemies onscreen at once (though some of them must be shot more than once), and they are spaced apart pretty well, making for a challenging, but fair game in which accurate aiming is crucial to the player’s success. There are also asteroids and boss ships, the latter of which move horizontally and fire long beams.

The graphics are flat, but serviceable, and the ship design is uninspired. However, you do get to select from four different ships, each a different color and speed, and each upgradeable by grabbing a special weapon: Daisy (dual bullets with single shot kill), Dr. O’Celoc (torpedo with remote detonator), Adam (shield bubble), and Illusion (ray beam). In addition, there are 12 player rankings to work your way through, each taking a larger amount of points to acquire: Space Cadet, Second LT, First Lt, Captain, Major, Lt Colonel, Colonel, Brig General, Major General, Lt General, General, and Fleet Admiral.

Overall, The Void is a solid shooter and a nice addition to any ColecoVision owner’s library. You may have to hit the reset button from time to time due to an occasional glitch, but this is hardly unheard of in a homebrew game.

You can order the game here.

Now reading...

2010-07-27T15:20:00.008-05:00

Founders of Comic Fandom, written by Bill Schelly.

Founders of Comic Fandom is an awesome undertaking, featuring "profiles of 90 publishers, dealers, collectors, writers, artists and other luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s," including such well-known names as Len Wein and Marv Wolfman (who started off active in fandom and later turned pro). The book is chock-full of fan history, fanzine publishing info., and much more. I was pleased to see several of my friends featured in the book, including Lonestar Comics owner Buddy Saunders and Oklahoma Alliance of Fans co-founder Bart Bush.

I was also pleased to be mentioned in the book. In the entry on Bart Bush(page 171), it says: "A 40-year reunion of the members of OAF was held in 2007 at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. The event which was coordinated by Bart brought together members of the group from a multi-state region, including some who hadn't been in touch for decades. The emotion-laden affair was attended by many of the original OAFS, as well as dozens of others who had joined later, including such fans as Mark Lamberti, Jerry Weist, Rick Kelsey, Larry Bigman and Brett Weiss (who wrote an account of the event for Alter Ego #87)."

One disappointment was the absence of an entry for longtime fan/writer/pro Tony Isabella, a fellow contributor to the Comics Buyer's Guide. On page 1 Bill mentions that the reason Tony, Gary Groth, Russ Cochran, and certain other key members of early fandom were not included was due to simple space limitations. He also says he would be happy to write a second volume pending sufficient demand. I, for one, would love to see a sequel. (Current CBG contributors who do have entries include Michelle Nolan and Maggie Thompson).

Founders of Comic Fandom is an informative, fun-to-read book on an esoteric subject. It's a must-own for those interested in both comic book fandom and comic book history in general. For ordering information, click here.

Recently published in...

2010-07-27T14:28:00.002-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2140, which contains my articles on the International Bowling Hall of Fame & Museum and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

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Recently published in...

2010-07-27T14:27:00.002-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2139, where I write about my wife's favorite television show.

Recently published in...

2010-07-18T21:24:00.003-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2137
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Recently published in...

2010-07-18T21:18:00.002-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1669...

...where I review:
Gotham City Sirens #7
Age of TV Heroes
and the following (click on the image *twice* for a closer look):

ScrewAttack Game Convention REPORT!

2010-07-04T12:26:00.005-05:00

FRIDAY:

The show was basically the same as last year, but with no Nolan Bushnell or other keynote speakers. Also, there were only four arcade games set up for free play. The dealer's room was the same odd mix of imports (including a Super Game Boy 2 that I'd never new existed), trinkets, and common and relatively common older and newer games, but there were some rarities for sale (including Adventures of Tom Sawyer for the NES with manual that I bought for $5) and some interesting odds and ends (such as the Captain America and the Avengers arcade marquee that I bought for $10). The GameAttack booth had plenty of common PS1, Genesis, NES, SNES, and Dreamcast games to choose from.

From a personal standpoint, the organizers wouldn't let me set up at a table near the entrance like I did last year, but I was able to acquire a press pass. They said it wouldn't be fair to other dealers for me to have a table, but last year they thought it was cool to have an author on hand to do a book signing. They agreed that it added a different aspect to the show. They were polite enough, but for some reason they didn't have the same attitude about the signing that they did last year, which is strange since it went so well. Last year while doing the autographing, I directed people to the sign-up booth, brought in some new customers who otherwise wouldn't have gone to the show (they were simply staying at that hotel), talked to attendees who got bored between things to do, and sold a fair number of books. It was a win-win situation, and I'm baffled as to why they didn't feel that way this year.

We met Keith Apicary in the dealer's room, and he was very nice, but, as always, totally in character. If you've never seen his videos on ScrewAttack or YouTube, check 'em out. They're hilarious.

Overall, the show has an odd feel to it. Very exclusive. It seems like most of the people there knew each other from the website, and the people who run the show are YouTube "celebrities," so that's kind of different. It's hard to explain, but ScrewAttack has a different vibe than any other convention I've ever been to. A lot of people there spend lots of time just hanging out, playing their DS, fake sword fighting, screaming, etc. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

mugenmidget from the Digital Press boards recognized me and introduced himself, so that was cool. It was nice meeting him.

Friday evening was the AVGN autographing. He was friendly, he posed for a picture with my son, and he was having a good time talking to everyone. There was a long line, but it went fairly quickly and was well organized. The people in line were cool, and Keith Apicary was going around acting crazy, keeping everyone entertained.

SATURDAY:

We arrived at 3:00 in the afternoon for a screening of Wizard, which my son wanted to see. He figured everyone would be making fun of it (some were), and that it would be fun to watch the film with a room full of people. Unfortunately, the movie didn't start until 3:45. I asked the ScrewAttackers at the registration desk to put the movie on, but they said there was nothing they could do about it. It was only after several other people approached the registration desk and asked the same thing that the film got played.

There were four more arcade cabinets set up on free play, including Donkey Kong. By sheer coincidence, I had watched The King of Kong that morning (for only the second time), so I was definitely in the mood for some Kong. Unfortunately, I didn't break the world record. My high score for the day was close to 40,000.

I had a nice time talking with Pacecar (from the Digital Press boards) and picked up boxed copies of The Empire Strikes Back and Guerilla War for the NES.

Keith Apicary and his Talking Classics circus was funny, but it started about 45 minutes late. Also, there was way too much male flesh on display for my tastes, though all the guys running around saying they were Rambo was mildly amusing. Keith himself is an amazing physical comedian and was very quick witted with off-the-cuff answers to the various questions posed by the audience.

Overall, it was an entertaining show, but I far prefer the more traditional videogame conventions like the Classic Gaming Expo and the Oklahoma Video Game Expo. As one person at the show said, ScrewAttack is not a convention--it's a party. Maybe I'm simply too old.

A couple of suggestions for the good folks who run ScrewAttack:

There needs to be a larger vendor's room with more videogame dealers.
There needs to be more of an effort to make the show more inclusive to outsiders. I saw no families and very, very few parents with their children. And it wasn't real clear how to sign up for tournaments or other events.

There aren't many videogame shows in Texas, so Kudos to SGC for a fun (if headache-inducing) convention (I mean party). With a few tweaks here and there, SGC could be truly great.

Ryan with the Angry Video Game Nerd, who posts incredibly popular game reviews on YouTube.

Ryan with Keith Apicary, a hilarious performance artist whose convention hijinks are the stuff of legend.

Recently published in...

2010-07-03T05:18:00.003-05:00

The West Texan News, which is part of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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Recently published in...

2010-06-28T13:26:00.006-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2134.
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Recently published in...

2010-06-27T08:42:00.004-05:00

Living with Panache, which is a supplement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Writing "advertorials" pays pretty well, but there's no byline. (Yes, I do write about things other than comics, movies, books, collectibles, science fiction, and video games.)

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Recently published in...

2010-06-14T18:36:00.002-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1668, where I review a couple of kids' comics.

Recently published in...

2010-05-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2131, where I write about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, of course, Iron Man.
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Recently reviewed in...

2010-05-27T20:26:00.004-05:00

Game Room Magazine, which amusingly refers to me as "Brett Davis" (at least they liked my book).

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Recently published in...

2010-05-27T20:24:00.001-05:00

The West Texan News, which is part of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Recently published in...

2010-05-18T06:40:00.004-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2130.

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Recently published in...

2010-05-13T17:47:00.003-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1667.

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2010-05-10T20:16:00.002-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2129:
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R.I.P. Frank Frazetta

2010-05-10T16:59:00.003-05:00

The great fantasy artist died of a stroke earlier in the day. Here's just a sampling of the Frazetta cover art in my collection:

Texas Frightmare Weekend

2010-05-07T05:31:00.010-05:00

My son, Ryan, and I went to Texas Frightmare Weekend this past Saturday and had a blast. We enjoyed meeting the stars, seeing fans in costume, checking out the dealer's room, and attending the panel on Christine, which included director John Carpenter and several cast members.

One of the perks of my job: getting in free to conventions.

William Katt, whose sincere performances in Carrie and Greatest American Hero made him a very likable actor.

Ryan with Keith Gordon of Jaws 2, Christine, and Back to School fame. Gordon was kind enough to pose for this photo and thought it was cool that Ryan knew him from Jaws 2.

Ryan with Jarlath Conroy, who played William McDermott in George Romero's Day of the Dead.

Despite my press pass, Margot "Lois Lane" Kidder didn't want me taking a photo of her without first buying something. Like the famous character she played would have done, I snapped a shot anyway.

These guys were actually pretty creepy, skulking around the convention.

Leatherface trying to kill me. He didn't.

The great John Carpenter, director of Halloween, They Live, Escape From New York, and other genre classics, hanging with the Texas Frightmare staff.

John Carpenter meeting and authographing items for fans.

The great George Romero, director of the seminal classic zombie trilogy: Night of the Living Dead (my all-time favorite zombie film), Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead.

Romero meeting and autographing items for fans.

Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, still looking great.

Ryan with one of the cars used in Christine, a film that we'd watched the night before.

Charles Cyphers, a character actor who appeared in several John Carpenter films, including Halloween, The Fog, and Escape from New York.

At the convention we ran into Johnny Lloyd, a longtime friend of the family.

Recently published in...

2010-05-03T17:07:00.003-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2128, where I write about one of my all-time favorite rock bands.

Recently published in...

2010-04-30T17:32:00.004-05:00

The West Texas News, which is a supplement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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Recently published in...

2010-04-26T16:27:00.005-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2127, which contains my articles on The Official Marx Toy Museum and The Super Museum.

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Dallas Sci-Fi Expo

2010-04-25T20:56:00.010-05:00

Over the weekend my kids and I had a lot of fun attending the Dallas Sci-Fi Expo, where we bought some cool stuff, ran into a few friends, saw some interesting costumes, and met some celebs.
Ryan and I enjoy watching Lost, but we were a little disappointed meeting Mira "Danielle Rousseu" Furlan, who seemed a bit distracted and was unwilling to pose for a photo with us. In fact, her personality resembled her character on the show.

Deep Roy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame hangin' with Ryan. Deep was friendly and fun to meet.

A Klingon flanked by two really cool kids (who indulged their father by posing for a "nerdy" photo).

Kez Wilson, one of the editors for Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave, was on hand to promote the forthcoming comic book series. It was cool talking with Kez, and I was happy to get my free contributor copy of that awesome Lugosi poster by Kerry Gammill.

Kate Vernon, who played Ellen Tigh in Battlestar Galactica, was nice enough to pose for this photo. She was very sweet and seemed happy meeting fans.

Recently published in...

2010-04-15T16:27:00.002-05:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1666, which includes my reviews of:
Blackest Night: The Flash #1-3
Billy Batson & the Magic of Shazam! #9
Superman/Batman #65
Betty #184
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Illustrated #1
Titans: Old Friends

Plus:
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Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo

2010-04-14T14:29:00.004-05:00

I spent this past weekend in Oklahoma City, hanging out with my brother-in-law and signing books and selling games at the Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo.

Rob O'Hara, who also writes books on videogames, took this photo:

For a report of the show, check out Rob's website.

The following photos were taken by my aforementioned brother-in-law, who helped me run my table (thanks, Mike!):

Recently published in...

2010-04-08T16:56:00.007-05:00

Video Game Trader #15, which contains my cover feature on the Intellivision, celebrating the system's 30th anniversay.

Also in the magazine is a review of my latest book, Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988. Reviewer Patrick Burton calls it a "great book" and says that it "makes for nice reading," but wishes there were star ratings for each game and a textbook-like tabbed index system.

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Nintendo Age Ezine Reviews CHVG 1985-1988.

2010-03-29T23:05:00.007-05:00

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Recently published in...

2010-03-23T20:21:00.003-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2122.
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Classic Home Video Games 1985-1988 - Reviewed on Amazon.com

2010-03-16T22:50:00.008-05:00

A review of my new book, Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988, popped up on Amazon recently. It was written by Brian E. Kidd:

In these days of Wikipedia, printed reference books are a dying breed. In their heyday, reference books that were actually enjoyable to read were the exception to the rule. That is why I am so pleased to recommend both of Weiss' books on classic home video games. They are the rare tomes that are both comprehensive and imminently-readable. It is obvious from both Weiss' Introduction and the actual entries on each system and game that he truly loves the subject about which he writes. While the sheer amount of information available on the Internet, by its very nature, dwarfs that of any printed book, it can be difficult to sort through all of the ephemera and find concise descriptions of classic console games. Weiss' books fill that need nicely. The only negative aspect of both books is the lack of screenshots of the games. This may be due to copyright restrictions, but it does hurt the overall experience of reading them. That minor gripe aside, for those of us who were the original "Video Game Generation" or for newer fans who are discovering the treasures of video gaming's past, Weiss' books are invaluable.

If you want to sample the book before you buy, you can view several pages by clicking here.

You can order the book here.

Recently published in...

2010-03-16T22:43:00.004-05:00

AntiqueWeek #2121, which published an abridged reprint of my article on the Toy & Action Figure Museum. (The article originally appeared in an issue of the now defunct Toy Shop magazine).

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Recently published in...

2010-03-11T17:08:00.003-06:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1665.

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Recently published on...

2010-03-04T05:24:00.005-06:00

Atari2600.com, which features my article on Alien.

You can read it here.

Reviewed in Retro Gamer #71

2010-02-26T15:56:00.004-06:00

Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988 is featured in the Retroradar: Retro Booty section of Retro Gamer #71. The book is the British pub's "Treasure of the Month," and the reviewer calls the book "excellent" and a "must-own for any avid 8-bit collector." The book is also featured in a sidebar as #3 in a list of Top Five Books (presumably of all time since some much older books are listed).

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Recently published in...

2010-02-25T15:51:00.003-06:00

Fangoria #291, which includes my review of Bill Warren's Keep Watching the Skies.

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Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo 2010

2010-02-10T14:09:00.004-06:00

Here's the press release for the Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo, which will be held April 10th:

It's official, OEGE is BACK! The 2010 Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference will mark our 3rd year of hosting this event, and this year it will be an even bigger event with more speakers, workshops, exhibitors, and game tournaments.

This year also features an Animation Festival and various design challenges in areas such as Photoshop and computer programming. The Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference (OEGE) is a one day conference hosted on the Oklahoma City Community College campus that seeks to bring together students, educators, enthusiasts, and professionals in all areas of Computer-Aided Technology and highlight Oklahoma as a creative outlet for these industries.

The 2010 OEGE event will take place on April 10th from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. This event is free and open to the public, so bring your friends and comecheck it out! For more information about OEGE check out oege.gamesok.org

We are also now accepting applications for exhibitors, sponsors, media partners, and guest speakers as well as animation submissions for our new Animation Festival.

If you would like to participate in this year's event, please visit us at oege.gamesok.org or send an email to oege-info@gamesok.org. Hope to see you there!"

8-track Article

2010-02-04T17:46:00.001-06:00

My article in AntiqueWeek on 8-track tapes is now viewable online:

http://www.ktsprod.com/antique_week_020110_ctrled.html

Sean Patrick Flanery at Dallas Comic Con

2010-02-04T09:08:00.002-06:00

Dallas Comic Con attending actor Sean Patrick Flanery posing with some costumed fans.

Dallas Comic Con

2010-02-02T22:40:00.012-06:00

Over the weekend I went to the Dallas Comic Con in Richardson, which is north of Dallas. I had a great time trading for cool stuff, catching up with friends and comics pros, and seeing all the costumes, comic books, and other ephemera on display. Also, the stars were out in abundance, and there I was with camera in hand.

Anne Lockhart, who played Sheba on the original Battlestar Galactica.

It was a kick talking to Adam West, who remembered doing an autographing at my comic book store back in 1993.

Twilight's Daniel Cudmore.

Herb Jefferson Jr., who played Boomer on the original Battlestar Galactica.

It was nice meeting Charisma Carpenter, a.k.a. Cordelia Chase on Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

That's Chewbacca on the left (actor Peter Mayhew).

Bob Wayne (on the left), DC Comics' VP of Sales, was on hand to talk about forthcoming comics.

Fans dressed as DC's Batgirl and Harley Quinn and Marvel's Elektra.

Batgirl and Harley duke it out.

Fan dressed as Deanna Troi from Star Trek the Next Generation.

Elektra strikes a pose.

Harley Quinn and Zatanna apparently getting along.

Recently published in...

2010-02-02T16:07:00.002-06:00

AntiqueWeek #2111. The cover feature is my 1,943-word article on the Atari 2600.

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Recently published in...

2010-02-01T19:24:00.005-06:00

AntiqueWeek #2115.

The cover feature is my 1600-word article on 8-track tapes.

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Thanks to Kathy Gibson of Kate's Track Shack for some great quotes.

Kathy Gibson with Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick.

Kathy with Tom Peterson of Cheap Trick. Kathy is holding a copy of Cheap Trick's The Latest in the 8-track format, which Kate's Track Shack produced for the band.

Recently published on...

2010-01-25T22:06:00.005-06:00

Atari2600.com, which features my article on Dodge 'Em.

You can read it here.

Recently published in...

2010-01-24T13:41:00.002-06:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1663, which includes my review of:

I Sell the Dead
Image Comics
$4.99, color, 44 pgs.
Writer: Glenn McQuaid
Artist: Brahm Revel
Grade: 3 Stars (out of 4)

I Sell the Dead tells the tale of two grave robbers, one of whom begins as an apprentice and learns to accept and even enjoy his unseemly profession. As with most grave robbers in any number of horror movies, the duo begins by digging up graves and then, losing their inhibitions over such grizzly goings on, starts finding other ways to obtain fresher, more readily accessible corpses.

For a story of its type, I Sell the Dead is fairly elaborate, incorporating a ruthless gang of rivals, a hard-as-nails hooker, and a priest eager to hear the confession of a condemned man. More importantly, it puts a fun, yet dramatic spin on the well-trod ground by having the grave robbers unearth the unexpected. Visually, the issue is sketchy, but expressive and atmospheric.

This is the graphic-novel form of the 2008 film (starring Dominic Monaghan and Ron Perlman), written and directed by Glenn McQuaid. With its British speech patterns, cleavage-enhanced femme fatale, and ample dialogue, this comic-book format for I Sell the Dead also successfully evokes a 1960s Hammer or Amicus horror picture.

Recently published in...

2010-01-19T15:55:00.008-06:00

AntiqueWeek #2113. My 1600-word article on DC action figures is the cover feature. (Click on the image for a closer look).

You can read part of the article on their website: AntiqueWeek.

Thanks to my lovely wife, Charis, for taking these photos, some of which accompany the article:

The Greatness of George Orwell

2010-01-11T21:00:00.008-06:00

For decades I've been obsessed with reference books (such much so that I've written a couple myself). It started when I was a little kid and would pore over the Guiness Book of World Records. I would sit with that book for hours, utterly transfixed by such phenomena as the world's tallest man, the world's longest fingernails, the world's heaviest twins, and the woman with the world's thinnest waist. In the years since, I've read a variety of reference books to tatters, including The Book of Lists (all three volumes), the Big Secrets series by William Poundstone, the Imponderables books by David Feldman, the Why Things Are books by Joel Achenbach, Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts, The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (a British publication with thousands of comic book series reviews), The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael Hart, and countless others.

Today I was reading David Pringle's Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels, and there on the first page of the first entry, I read what is now my favorite quote. In the piece on George Orwell's 1984 (one of my favorite all-time books), Pringle quotes a line from an Orwell essay called "Wells, Hitler, and the World State." In writing about H.G. Wells (one of my favorite authors), Orwell (also one of my favorite authors) wrote: "It was a wonderful thing to discover H.G. Wells. There you were, in a world of pedants, clergymen and golfers...and here was this wonderful man who could tell you about the inhabitants of the planets and the bottom of the sea, and who knew that the future was not going to be what respectable people imagined."

Now, I've got nothing against clergymen or golfers (or pedants for that matter), but I love that quote. Not only is it cool to contemplate Orwell discovering Wells, it artfully, cogently, and concisely illustrates Orwell's preference for the outré (or at least the fantastic) over the mundane (or at least the commonplace), and that there are others out there of like mind.

Recently published in...

2009-12-22T19:49:00.002-06:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1662, where I review:
Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 Special Edition
and:

The Flash: Rebirth #4
DC Comics
$2.99, color, 32 pgs.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
Grade: 2.5 Stars (out of 4)

When compared to Green Lantern: Rebirth, in which the usually reliable Geoff Johns masterfully redeemed Hal Jordan, The Flash: Rebirth has thus far been a letdown. Final Crisis brought a reluctant Barry Allen back from the dead, and this six-issue series plays off of that resurrection, featuring an aloof Barry and a strange-acting Iris Allen.

In this issue, Reverse Flash battles Barry, Jay Garrick, and other speedsters, with the fights frequently getting bogged down by speed force technobabble. For example, Max Mercury delivers this yawn-inducing groaner: “When you run, you generate the kinetic wall between the present and the time barrier. It’s an electrical energy that exists in every dimension, every universe and every era.”

Geoff Johns likes him some DC history, and Flash fanatics will feel a tinge of nostalgia when Johns references Julius Schwartz’ late, lamented “Flash Facts,” and when he refers to Linda being Wally’s connection to the corporeal realm. As always, Ethan Van Sciver’s art is beautiful, the pages crackling with electricity, the characters appearing bold, detailed, and larger than life.

Tron

2009-12-11T06:19:00.006-06:00

Tron Legacy, a 3D film from Disney, is "only" a year away (Dec. 17th, 2010 is the official release date). To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement. I loved the original Tron, primarily for its cool concept and groundbreaking visuals. Here's hoping the new movie has a tighter, more coherent plot than its progenitor.

Recently published in...

2009-11-20T17:02:00.005-06:00

Comics Buyer's Guide #1661, where I review:

Gotham City Sirens #1
DC Comics
$2.99, color, 32 pgs.
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Guillem March
Grade: 3.5 Stars (Out of 4)

Written by Harley Quinn creator Paul Dini, Gotham City Sirens stars Batman’s three sexiest enemies: Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Cat Woman. Issue #1 finds the enigmatic Cat Woman rescuing a pair of innocents from a skull-faced super-villain named Boneblaster (his sonic pulse gloves can splinter bone), with Ivy stepping in to lend a helping vine. The titular trio moves in together—a great concept for a monthly series—first with a mesmerized Eddie Nigma, and then on their own.

Harley, Ivy, and Cat Woman have distinct, well-defined personalities. Instead of telling readers this, like a lesser writer might do, Dini shows readers this through the characters’ actions (Ivy seems at once majestic, naïve, and sinister regarding her love for plants, for example). In addition, there are fun moments galore, including comical appearances by Zatanna (in which Ivy shows just how formidable a foe she can be) and a shady real estate agent known as The Broker (who finds hideouts for super-villains).

Pretty, pleasant, eye-pleasing art by Guillem March (Joker’s Asylum: Poison Ivy) seals the deal.

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