An Ordinary Day

"Life is too short"

How often have I heard that phrase and never really understood the significance of it?

The Bible says, "Life is like a vapor."  It is.  It's here only for what seems like a moment and then like a puff of smoke, it's gone.

As I've grown older I find myself celebrating fewer births and weddings.  Instead I attend more funerals.  In the past three years I've lost at least a dozen close friends and family members.

No one expects to die.  No one wakes up one morning and plans on having their life cease at a precise moment and location.

Sometimes death is long and drawn out.  Sometimes it happens in a wink of eye.  It is no respecter of age, gender or station in life.  It is the great equalizer.  Like birth, all humans have death in common.  As our preacher has a habit of saying, "You'll never see a U-Haul trailer hitched to a hearse.

Since my retirement I've had a lot of time to think about life, living and death.  I've come to realize that all those things that seemed so important to me when I was younger (career, family, fame, fortune) mean very little if nothing at all.

The best anyone can hope for is that their life meant something.  Not to themselves, but to others.  What impact did they have on other people's lives?  Were they kind?  Did they give more than their money?  Did they give their time?  Did they tell the people close to them that they were important and loved?  Did they place God first in their life.  If they did, everything else was taken care of.

When my time comes I don't want a big funeral.  A simple memorial service over my cremated ashes.  I want my family and friends to celebrate my life, remember the good times and know that I loved them.

With so much time on my hands I've come to appreciate just being still and quiet.  There's no reason to rush.  No urge to accomplish great things.  Long-held terrestrial goals seem to fade and disappear.  I'm content just to be alive and spend time with my wonderful wife, visit my friends, attend church and take a big breath and 'chillax' as my daughter puts it.

That's not to say that day-to-day chores are left undone or that planning for vacations, trips, family outings and the like are removed from my agenda.  It's just that having no promise of tomorrow I've slowly beginning to enjoy the moment.  Life is for living day-to-day, minute-by-minute.  It's not a race because in the end we all wind up on the finish line and if Heaven is our ultimate goal, we win.

The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction, #726, July/August

NOVELLAS

The Vanishing Kind

NOVELETS

Desert of Vanished Dreams

Vishnu Summer

The Thing On The Shelf

SHORT STORIES

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful

Spells Are Easy If You Have The Right Psychic Energy

An Open Letter To The Person Who Took My Smoothy

From The Break Room Fridge

Last One Out

Killer

Jesus Has Forgiven Me Why Can't You?

DEPARTMENTS

BOOKS TO LOOK FOR

BOOKS

FILMS

SCIENCE

PLUMAGE FROM PEGASUS

COMING ATTRACTIONS

CURIOSITIES

CARTOONS

Star Trek Legacies Book 1

50 years!  Hard to believe but Star Trek premiered on TV 50 years ago.
I can remember watching the very first episode.  That's all it took to make me a die-hard Star Trek fan for the rest of my life.

In celebration of 50 years of broadcast and movie excellence Pocket Books and author Greg Cox present Star Trek Legacies Book 1 that brings together three crews of the starship Enterprise under Captain April, Captain Pike and the Enterprise's current captain: James T. Kirk.

When former First Officer of the Enterprise, under April and Pike,  Number One, makes an unexpected visit to the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock and the crew are delighted.

It's not often such a legendary Federation officer makes an appearance.

Once onboard the Enterprise niceties are and introductions are completed and Number One retires to her guest quarters.

Leaving her room she breaks into the Captain's quarters and removes a carefully hidden item and leaves the Enterprise.

Said object has been under the care of the past three Enterprise captains and is a closely guarded secret.

Once the object is detected as missing the Enterprise makes chase after Number One's shuttle only to discover that she is heading directly to the planet where the mysterious events surrounding the object began-a planet now deep in Klingon space.

So begins the epic adventure that is guaranteed to take readers on wild adventure as only Star Trek can deliver. 

Little Book Of Super Heroes

"Size matters."  No, not really.  
At least as far as content goes when it comes to writing about comic books in G2 Entertainment's and authors Mike Gent's and Michael Heatley's new book: Little Book Of Superheroes, is concerned.

It may be small in size but it is packed with photos and text aplenty about the history of superheroes, key heroes and villains, the creators of said characters, superheroes on the Silver Screen and TV, collectibles, quotes, catchphrases and trivia.

Even if you're a crusty old collector like myself or someone just starting out reading and collecting superhero comic books you'll discover some interesting facts, insider info and more in this 'little' book with 'big' aspirations.

It's a condensed, colorful and color-filled cornucopia about comic book characters for collectors. 

The Battle For OZ

An evil Queen is banished.  Living in a den with ferocious bear-like creatures the Queen hatches a plan to get her power back but in a different kingdom: OZ.

Using her black magic she creates a portal to the mystical Land of OZ and in short order captures OZ's queen, defeats it Good Witch and sets about changing the Emerald City and OZ to her own liking.  

The people of OZ need a champion so they turn to the one person who freed them in the past: Dorothy.

But, time has passed and Dorothy has grown up.  Things have changed and she believes she cannot fight the evil Queen alone so she calls upon another legendary heroine to help her: Alice of Wonderland.

Tougher the two woman (along with Toto, the Tinman, Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter and other creatures and people from OZ and Wonderland) unite to defeat the evil Queen and free the Queen of OZ and restore the Land of OZ to its former glory.

The Battle For OZ, written by Jeyna Grace and published by Inkshares, combines two classic casts of characters in a spectacular, imaginative adventure fans of each series are sure to love.

Preview, July

COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

Alters #1 l AFTERSHOCK COMICS

Days Missing Volume 3: Enox HC l AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY PRODUCTIONS

Josie & The Pussycats #1 l ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS

Skybourne #1 l BOOM! STUDIOS

The Official Art of Big Trouble In Little China HC l BOOM! STUDIOS

Jungle Fantasy: Ivory #2 l BOUNDLESS COMICS

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #100 l BROADSWORD COMICS

Art of Atari HC l D. E./DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Boo: The World’s Cutest Dog #1 l D. E./DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Love & Rockets Monthly #1 l FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

Attack on Titan Anthology HC l KODANSHA COMICS

Night’s Dominion #1 l ONI PRESS INC.

Barbie Volume 1 GN l PAPERCUTZ

2000 AD Prog #2000 l REBELLION / 2000AD

Assassin’s Creed: Locus #1 l TITAN COMICS

Vikings: Uprising #1 l TITAN COMICS

Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas HC l TOKYOPOP

Britannia #1 l VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC

BOOKS

The Art of Jock HC l ART BOOKS

Comics Confidential: 13 Graphic Novelists Talk HC l COMICS

The Phantom: The Complete Avon Novels Volume 1: The Story of the Phantom l COMICS

Alan Moore: Jerusalem l FANTASY/SCI-FI

The Art of The Iron Giant HC l MOVIE/TV

Star Wars: Year By Year Visual History Updated HC l STAR WARS

MAGAZINES

Cinefex #148 l MOVIE/TV

Birth.Movies.Death. Magazine: Star Trek 50th Anniversary l STAR TREK

TRADING CARDS

Star Wars: Road To Rogue One Trading Cards l TOPPS COMPANY

Garbage Pail Kids Series 2 Trading Cards l TOPPS COMPANY

APPAREL

Suicide Squad: Task Force Shield Military Green T-Shirt l PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE WEAR

Suicide Squad: Belle Reve Wall Heather T-Shirt l PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE WEAR

2000AD: Judge Dredd: Only Dredd Can Judge Me Black T-Shirt l PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE WEAR

The Question Heather T-Shirt l PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE WEAR

Archie Meets Ramones Black T-Shirt l PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE WEAR

Batman: Rebirth II By Lee T-Shirt l GRAPHITTI DESIGNS

Batman: Chokeout By Ross T-Shirt l GRAPHITTI DESIGNS

TOYS & STATUES

Star Trek Starships Special #7: Mirror Universe NX-01 l EAGLEMOSS

The Walking Dead Figurines #18-#19 l EAGLEMOSS

Marvel Fact Files Special #22: Iron Fist l EAGLEMOSS

Power Rangers Legacy: Red Ranger Helmet l POWER RANGERS

Attack on Titan Roleplay Sword l ATTACK ON TITAN

One-12 Collective: DC Green Arrow Action Figure l DC HEROES

The Loyal Subjects X Dragonball Z Action Vinyl Series 1 l DESIGNER TOYS

Doctor Who Titans Series 22 l DESIGNER TOYS

POP! DC Heroes: The Dark Knight Returns Vinyl Figures l FUNKO

Dorbz Deadpool “Dressed To Kill” Vinyl Figure l FUNKO

POP! Star Trek: “Mirror Mirror” Spock Vinyl Figure l FUNKO

POP! Captain America: Civil War Vinyl Figure 4-Pack l FUNKO

Reaction Aliens: Ripley With Power Loader & Alien Queen 3-Pack l FUNKO

Once Upon A Time Action Figures l ICON HEROES

Mega Man: Buster Gun Electronic Replica l MEGA MAN

Transformers Generations: Fan-Built Combiner l TRANSFORMERS

Half-Life: Crowbar Roleplay Weapon l VIDEO GAMES

Legends of Cthulhu Coloring Book l WARPO TOYS

IMPORT TOYS

Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Man Artfx+ Statue l KOTOBUKIYA

Batman v Superman: Batman Nendoroid Justice Edition l BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Batman v Superman: Knightmare Batman Maf Ex l BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Final Fantasy XII: Play Arts Kai: Balthier Action Figure l FINAL FANTASY

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Link 1/7-Scale PVC Figure l LEGEND OF ZELDA

Manga Realization: Meisho Samurai Spider-Man Action Figure l MARVEL HEROES

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles S.H.Figuarts Figures l TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Glass Armor Statue l VIDEO GAMES

COLLECTIBLES & NOVELTIES

Movie Icons: The Godfather: Vito Corleone Action Figure l SD TOYS

Pixel: The Warriors Figures l SD TOYS

Star Wars: Death Star USB Car Charger l THINK GEEK GRAB BAG

Back To The Future: Flux Capacitor Car Charger l THINK GEEK GRAB BAG

Portal 2: Companion Cube Tea Infuser l THINK GEEK GRAB BAG

Star Wars: Death Star Tea Infuser l THINK GEEK GRAB BAG

DC Heroes Art Print Posters l DC HEROES

Suicide Squad Decals l DC SUICIDE SQUAD

Dragonball Z Heat Change Mugs l DRAGONBALL Z

Spider-Gwen Unmasked Bust Bank l MARVEL HEROES

Deadpool 2-Pack Pint Glass Set l MARVEL HEROES

Star Trek: USS Enterprise-D Chrome Bottle Opener l STAR TREK

GAMES

DC HeroClix: The Joker’s Wild! l WIZKIDS/NECA

Wizkids Heroclix 2016 Premium Maps l WIZKIDS/NECA

The Worst Time Of The Year

I despise Summer!  Don't get me wrong, I love the weather, the time off and the chance to travel.

But, I hate it when it comes to writing reviews.

Why?  Do you ask.

Simple.

During the Summer there are a plethora of conventions: come books, toys, games and various other popular culture meetings.

What's wrong with that?

The problem is that nearly all the publishers, manufactures and studios are busy going out and about promoting their wares, hand-shaking and generally tying up their time pushing their various products or services.

That's a good thing-right? 

Yes, I suppose it is.

Except, I'm left out in the cold because everyone is so busy they seldom have time to mail out product samples for me to review.

Don't get me wrong. 

Companies should promote themselves and trade shows and conventions are the best way to meet one-on-one with consumers and business contacts.

But, it tends to put a kibosh on how many items I can review-very few.

So, I'll bide my time, try to be patient, check the mail and UPS and Fed Ex deliveries and somehow get through this lull.

I can hardly wait for Fall.

Something To Brag About!

Recently I checked out a couple of website traffic sites and discovered some amazing news!

Are you ready for this!?

My website: www.bamcc.net, readership is up over 500,000 and is read all over the world!  Wow!  Whoda thunk?

More good news. My blog: http://bamcc-bam.blogspot.com, is averaging 4,000 to 5,000 readers and my new Facebook page is gaining readers all the time.

Now, if I can only get more publishers and manufacturers to send more review material and garner some ad revenue.

I'm giving it to God.  He can run things so much better than I can.  If it wasn't for him, none of this would have been possible.

Dice Heist, Octo Dice and Doomtown Saddlebag Expansion

Are you up for a little larceny?  Is you inner thief peeking its ugly head into your consciousness?  Does the thought of ill-gotten gain get your blood stirring?

Do you succumb? After all what's a little thievery among friends?

In Alderac Entertainment Group's (AEG) Dice Heist game two to five players take on the roles of international thieves who individually set out to heist valuable artifacts, gems and other assorted fabulous riches.

It's thief pitted against thief as you recruit Sidekicks (or go it alone), steal the precious items before the other thieves in the game do and make your successful escape. 

Who will be the premiere thief and get the goods?  The role of the dice determines who goes first and with the flip and play of the cards you choose a location and its treasure to heist, pick a Sidekick and attempt the heist.

Rolls of the dice also determine the security of said location and if you succeed or fail.

At the end of the game players tally up their heists, artifacts, gems and paintings.  Whoever has the highest score wins!

Included in the game are 15 Dice, 56 Cards and a Rulebook.

The nice things about AEG Games are they are easy to understand, simple to set up and yet provide strategy challenges, exciting game play and accessibility for all ages.

No long drawn-out dice or card combinations, precise calculations and seemingly endless rules and memorization. 

Equally fun is Octo Dice.

In this game you take on the role of deep-sea researchers, age 14 and up with a total of four players.

Something has gone wrong at the underwater research station AquaSphere.

Tools and bots have stopped working. Players must find out what is wrong and fix it-quick, before the competition does.

Lab expansion, crystal analysis, submarine docking, bot repair and activation and the capture of Octobots must be done as quickly as possible.

But, there may be spies making your accumulation of knowledge fraught with danger. Role the dice, refer to lab tiles and markers and tally up your score to see who wins.

It's all-out undersea action and intrigue that is fast-paced and can hit players like a tsunami!
A Scoring pad, 6 Dice, 9 Tiles, 16 Makers and Rulebook are included.

History has changed, the Confederacy has survived, the Indian Nations are in an uprising, monsters and other ghosts and ghoulies room The Old West and the super fuel Ghost Rock has advanced technology to a dangerous level in a primitive land.

Soon there arise heroes to fight the growing number of the evil. Gomorra (Doomtown) has a huge strike of Ghost Rock, which brings with every type of fortune hunter (good and bad) out of the woodwork.

It's up to the law in Ghost Town to keep law and order-and that's a 'tall' order.

Choose your side, your characters, your claim, your weapons and make your play.

You decide your strategy with a little magic and subterfuge thrown in for good measure.
It's the Old West like you've never seen it before.

Be sure to pick up Doomtown Saddlebag Expansion: The Curtain Rises the offers Doomtown's sheriff a new ally against the evil Fourth Ring Circus.  But is it too little or too late?

A Story Sheet and 84 beautifully illustrated Game Cards are included.


Draw partner!

Game Of Thrones Season Five and 007 Classics

RittenhouseArchives/Sci-fi Hobby has just released two new Trading Card Sets consisting of five Cards per Foil Pack with 24 Packs per Box
.
Each set features high resolution photos printed on glossy, heavy-gauge paper.  All Cards are cut with crisp edges, no shifting of images with additional information of each figure on each Card's back.

From both Boxes of Trading Cards I assembled full Base Sets with almost enough for additional full Base Sets.  No matter the Card Set I've consistently received over the years there has always been enough Cards for full Sets with plenty left over to complete most of an additional Set.

Rittenhouse Archives/Sci-fi Hobby is all about quality and providing the very best Trading Cards and special Limited Edition Insert Cards.  You can always count on getting a great selection of Base Cards and Bonus Cards in each Box.

The first of the two new releases is Game Of Thrones Season Five.  Besides the gorgeous Base Cards consisting of Character and Episodes, additional randomly inserted Bonus Cards are sure to please the most discriminating collector.

Bonus Cards for this Card Set include:

• 100 Parallel Base Cards (8 for me)
• 100 GOLD Parallel Base Cards (I received 1)
• 9 "Quotable" Game of Thrones Cards (2 in my selection)
• 10 "Relationship" Cards (Nada)
• 10 GOLD Parallel "Relationship" Cards (Nope)
• 16 Game of Thrones "Reflections" (Mirror) Cards (Zip)
• 20 "Beautiful Death" Art Cards (1)
• 20 GOLD Parallel "Beautiful Death" Art Cards (None)
• Night's Watch Relic Cards (Zip again)
• Dragonglass Relic Card (Got it!)
• Hand-drawn Sketch Cards (Nope)
• Two Autograph Cards are guaranteed per Box (Mine are Elizabeth Cadwallader and Rupert Vansittart)
• Other Bonus cards are available for multiple Case purchases.

James Bond is one my favorite Silver Screen heroes-if not my number one favorite.  Rittenhouse Archives/Sci-fi Hobby has done a number of James Bond Trading Card collections over the years and each and everyone has been spectacular.

Their newest James Bond release: 007 Classics, is no exception.  It consists of a stunning selection of Cards taken from the Pierce Brosnan era: The World Is Not Enough, that tells the entire exciting story in images and text.

Randomly inserted Bonus Sets include License To Kill (4 for me, plus one Gold Card), The Man With The Golden Gun (4 again) and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (4 once again).  I also recieved a Gold The World Is Not Enough Card.

Two Autograph Cards are guaranteed per Box (Mine are Madeline Smith and Daz Crawford) and Skyfall and Spectre Prop Cards are also randomly inserted (I got a piece of wardrobe material worn by Judi Dench--M).  

The new 007 Trading Card selection is a Licence To Thrill!

TMNT Ragin' Racer

Get ready for some serious Ninja-Flip Action with Playmates newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy fashioned after Raphael in Out Of The Shadows TMNT movie.

An exclusive Raphael figure comes with a cool TMNT motorcycle.

Raph is all decked out in his Ninja gear plus additional motorcycle garb.  Check out his goggles.

Raph comes dressed in his trademark red apparel although slightly slapped together from various pieces of material.

I especially like his wrist, hand, ankle and foot protection along with his Ninja pants, cool gray belt with red accents, four-strap and buckled backpack and red mask.

Fully-articulated, the Raph figure looks like it jumped right out of the movie screen!

Place Raph on his motorcycle and with the press of a button hidden on cycle's seat Raph flips head over heels and pounces ready for Ninja action!

The motorcycle comes decked out in red with green headlights, a custom made turtle size seat, chrome engine, exhaust and wheels, a working kickstand and lots of detail.

Roll Raph along or catapult him into TMNT action.  Both Raphael and the motorcycle are packed with details, feature cool paint and color application with no fussy, blurred blend edges, tight articulation and solid construction. 

Oh, and let's not forget Raphael's Sai!

FB: https://www.facebook.com/TMNTPlay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlaymatesToys

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tmntplay

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TMNTToys

Midnight Special

How far would you go to protect your child-especially if that child has special abilities like no other?

In Warner Bros. powerful new film: Midnight Special, released on Blu-ray Roy's son Alton has incredible mental powers coveted by a cult religious group.

Fleeing during the night the father and son lead authorities and religious group on a wild goose chase as they seek to discover Alton's unique destiny?  Will his powers help or hinder humanity?

Part sci-fi, part thriller, part drama and part action-it all ads up to a brilliant fully-developed film unlike anything you've seen before.  Ultimately it is about family and love that ties it together.

Two featurettes are included: Characters and The Unseen World. 

History Of The DC Universe Book One and Two

They're at it again!  Way back in the early 1980s DC Comics found itself in a dilemma.  Several decades earlier a decision was made to explain how there could be two Flash, two Green Lantern, etc.

Someone came up with the clever idea of introducing alternate realities (a common sci-fi device) so that multiple characters by the same name and powers could exist simultaneously.
It worked perfectly-at first.  But, sometimes a good thing can be stretched too far resulting in disaster.

Fast forward to the early 1980s.  DC Comics' editorial and writing staff found themselves bogged down in so many alternate realities continuity nightmares that something had to be done.

The solution was DC Comics' Crisis On Infinite Earths maxi-series which melded all the alternate Earths into one cohesive Earth thus effectively cleaned house.

It was a stroke of genius and DC Comics sale increases proved it.

But, it wasn't too long before continuity problems resurfaced.  DC tried to reboot once again with minimal success.  This would go on for several more decades with DC Comics periodically trying to revamp and reboot its universe.

The last such effort was labeled 'The New 52'.  Some fans loved it, some hated it.

After DC Comics initially revamped and condensed its universe with Crisis, writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez created a two volume set that brought the entire DC Universe into one timeline and cleverly wrote the history of the DC Universe so fans could have a ready available reference to understand DC's new continuity.

Titled 'The History Of The DC Universe Book One and Two' the squarebound set, through prose and pictures, led readers through a coherent, logical and detailed account of the DC Universe and its history, characters and pivotal storylines.


I consider it the bible of DC History and prefer it over all other DC Universe manifestations since its creation.

Captain America #247

Marvel Comics' Captain America has starred in three movies from Disney Studios that are some of the most successful in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's also costarred in three Avengers movies with two more in the works.

Marvel and Disney are to be commended on how well they've handled their hero 'out of time.'
When Jack Kirby and Joe Simon introduced Captain America just prior to WWII Cap was an instant success.  When the war hit he became the red, white and blue symbol for everything America stood for.

After the war ended Captain America disappeared in the pages of comic books until an unsuccessful short run during the height of the Cold War Commie Scare.

It wasn't until the early 1960s that writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby brought Cap back.
Discovered in a block of ice, frozen and in suspended animation, Cap was revived by the newly formed Avengers and soon became their leader.  Cap would go on to star in his own series, most notable by his creator Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee.

For a number of years afterwards nobody really knew what to do or make of Cap-until writer Roger Stern and artist John Byrne took over Cap's title.

Stern and Byrne captured the essence of Captain America as a man out of time.  The reestablished him as a viable character, brought in a new love interest, established him in a career and gave him a new life in the 20th Century.

That's not to say they ignored his past.  In fact in the first issue of their run Cap faces off against one of his most deadly foes: Baron Strucker-or did he?

S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury have Strucker incarcerated, only to have him escape and attack Captain America in Fury's flying car.

When the battle is over and Strucker recaptured and he is destined to spend his remaining years behind bars he gives a quick Nazi salute and explodes!

To everyone's surprise Strucker is a robot.  But who sent him and why?

In later issues Cap tackles Baron Blood, Mr. Hyde, Dragon Man and various other bad guys and even is urged to run for president!

Unfortunately Stern and Byrne's run on Captain America was short as creative and editorial conflicts with then editor-and-chief Jim Shooter resulted in Stern and Byrne leaving the title.

Their run on Captain America is credited as being one of the most influential in the series by making Cap a fully-realized and viable character.  Much of their influence can be seen in later issues by other creators and in Cap's screen adventures.

The Good, The Tough & The Deadly and Alternative Movie Posters II

It should come as no surprise that the movie action heroes of the 1970s and the 1980s have recently made a huge comeback.

You only have to go the movies to spot Arnie, Stallone, Willis and a score of past tough guys and gals to realize that the tough guy has never gone out of style at the movies.

They may be slightly grayer around the temples, carry a few more scars, are not quit as fit and sport a few more wrinkles and pounds but they're still kicking!


Schiffer Publishing and author David J. Moore have compiled an impressive hardbound book listing every tough guy and girl that starred or appeared in movies for the 1960s up until the present.

There are hundreds of photos of movie posters, detailed interviews with many of the famous action heroes and heroines and plenty of movie synopsis and insider info on said movies.

This is the 'ultimate' Action Movies and Stars guide for fans of the genre spanning from the 1960s to the present.  

In Alternative Movies Posters II: More Film Art From The Underground author Matthew Chojnacki presents stunning movie poster alternatives from some of the most influential and ground-breaking underground artists of today.

Starting with film's early beginnings and covering every genre of film the book presents fascinating visual alternatives to classic movie posters. 

Ranging from posters rendered ultra-realistic to highly stylized each example showcases the individual artists' unique styles.

As an artist and designer myself I appreciate that hard work and creativity necessary to create each work of art.
  

First Things First

There come pivotal points in your life when you have to make life-changing decisions.  Nothing radical or earth-shattering, just a change that needs to be made.

That happened to me last night while I was in bed about to go to sleep.

Over the past weeks I've been struggling about what to do with my comic books and other collectibles.  I also caught myself fretting abut my website, blog and Facebook numbers and supply of review material.

Then it occurred to me.  For 24 plus years I've collected comic books and other pop culture items and produced Collectors' Corner.  I spent a  lot of time on each, sometimes at the expense of time with my family and worst yet-time spent with God.

I am a Christian and as a Christian the focus of my life should be God.  Not because he forces me to but because having saved me I owe him my life--literally.

In the scriptures God states that you should put no other gods before him.  In other words participating in idol worship.

When the word idol is mentioned most people picture crude wooden or stone edifices, creature worship and so forth.  But, idol worship is placing anything or anyone before God.

I'm guilty, I admit it.  I've placed collecting and writing over God.  That stopped today.

Every I have, everything I am is God's.  Therefore I place everything in God's hands.  It's his anyways.

That takes a lot of pressure of me, my family and my time.  If God chooses to bless my hobby and writing that's fine.   If not, that's fine too.

No more stress, no more worrying, no more fretting about things that really don't matter in the long run anyway.

Should God wish me to continue collecting and writing I intend to do it with his blessing and to focus on the giver of all things, not the things themselves.

A word of advice: be grateful to God for your life, your family, your friends, the fact that you have food to eat, a place to live and cloths on your back.  Pray to God and thank him. 

Here's another tidbit: prayer is nothing more than talking to God as you would your family and friends.  Talk to him, about anything.  After all he made you and who knows you better than the one that made you?

Hellboy In Hell #10

WOW!  Say it ain't so!  It's a trick, right!?

Are you telling me that Hellboy becomes who he was always was meant to be?  Was his whole 'small child' demon, raised by humans a sham?  He broke off his horns for a reason?

That's just a few of the questions raised by Mike Mignola's written and drawn 10th issue of Hellboy In Hell from Dark Horse Comics.

It's great to see Mike back drawing Hellboy.  His dark and moody, steeped in shadows delineations of Hell and things that go bump in the night are second to none.

It's some of the best work he's ever done. 

I don't want to spoil it for you so I suggest you pick up a copy of Hellboy In Hell #10 and read it for yourself.  I guarantee you'll be blown away, just as I was.