Of the three cities spotlighted in Carlton/Andre Deutsch Book’sPaperscapes Books That Transform Into Cityscapes, I visited New York City when I was ten years old.
My best friend: Eddie McCain’s father was a truck driver. Eddie and I were invited along when he drove up the East Coast of the U.S. to Maine and followed the Saint Lawrence Seaway back and then through New York City.
It was night when we arrived and pulled into a wharf warehouse. I remember seeing The Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty--the rest was a blur.
I’ve always wanted to visit Europe and the British Isles, in particular London (because my ancestry hails from that area) and France to visit The City of Lights: Paris-primarily for the art museums.
New York, London and Paris are all represented in a trio of books.
Each book presents 50 key and historical locations/structures along with informative text about each. It’s a great way to learn the history of each city accompanied with illustrations,
Each illustration can be ’popped out’ of its page by following the perforated lines. Once complete the location/building stand out in silhouetted relief unencumbered by the page that once surrounded them.
The result is illustrations that cleverly highlight each important location/building.
Not only is each book fun to read and look at, once the images are liberated from their surrounding page’s paper they make great display pieces and objects of conversation.
All three are headed straight to my library for safekeeping.
Have you ever felt like you were just about to burst open in anger?
Somewhere, deep inside, there is boiling, rolling and pulsating fireball of aggression that just wants to escape and lay havoc to everything and everyone.
If you are ready to unleash the fiery beast within then Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Rising Rampage is just the vehicle by which to do so.
Let loose you fury as you fight against those with similar orbs of destruction about to explode.
And while you’re at it enjoy yourself and the company of your friends.
The nine-Card Foil Packs in the 100-Card Set include:
New members/support for the "Archfiend", "B.E.S.", "Borrel", "Charmer", "Dinowrestler", "Familiar-Possessed", "Fortune Lady", "Reptilianne", "Salamangreat", "Witchcrafter", and "Yosenju" archetypes, as well as the Trap Monster series.
Members/support for the "Dragunity", "Endymion", "F.A.", and "Number" archetypes, as well as the White series.
Introduces the "Marincess”, "Tenyi and "Dream Mirror.
I’m a frustrated cartoonist. For years I drew cartoons when I was in advertising and when I taught art at a local high school. I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) to become a comic book and comic strip artist.
The heart and mind were willing but the speed and the opportunity were lacking.
But, I’m not bitter, I still enjoy looking at other artists work and truly appreciate the talent it takes to turn out a consistent and high-quality series of illustrations.
Carlton Books has provided me with a collection of cartoon illustrations by an artist I am not familiar with: Quentin Blake.
Quentin has assembled a wonderful and whimsy collection of cartoons in Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans Press-Out Paper Adventures, featuring illustrations of author Roald Dahl’s series of books characters and places.
You may have heard of Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory? Yes, that Roald Dahl!
Inside colorful illustrations done in a chaotic and sketchy style are perfectly suited to portray Dahl’s cast of characters that guide readers through a gallery of a weird and wonderful cast of characters.
Readers can press out certain perforated sections resulting in odd and crazy pages with holes, ragged edges and shapes.
Even better, readers can press out their own selection of art to make their own mischievous world.
The book also comes with an inserted envelope to save punched out shapes and characters.
I’m not much of a videogame player-at least of modern videogames.
I much rather prefer the earlier classic games. They were fun, easy to learn, provided hours of recreation and you didn’t have to be a contortionist and strategist to play them.
I still have my original Super Mario and Nintendo 64 game consoles and game cartridges. And, yeah, I still play the games.
If you love retro video games as much as I do then you need to pick up a copy of The 100 Greatest Retro Videogames: The Inside Stories Behind The Best Games Ever Made.
The title pretty much says it all.
The book goes into detail about each game including its creation, game play, features, hidden goodies and commentaries about those that created and played the games.
Packed with full-color screen shots and character and accessories images the book is a ‘must-have’ for any serious videogame player.
Science-ya gotta love it. Without science and those who practice it the world would be a much colder, darker, frightening and primitive place.
Just imagine the lack of medicines, machinery, advances in food and farming technology and more? We are fortunate to live in such a wonderful time with all the advantages modern science provides.
The fascinating thing about science is that it never stops expanding. New discoveries emerge everyday and happen at such a fast pace it’s almost impossible to keep up. Take computer science for an example.
What will the world be like in 10, 20 or 100 years? It boggles the mind!
In Cutting-Edge Science: Up-To-The-Minute Discoveries, Facts And Inventions, author Colin Barras fills readers in on the latest leaps in scientific advances and innovations.
The information enclosed is sure to blow your mind!
The world of spies has been glamorized on TV, in movies and in literature. Too often those that practice spying are portrayed as world travelers, masters of many forms of combat, super-intelligent and so on.
The truth is spying and espionage are dangerous, ponderous, often boring and above all else--clandestine. What’s the point in being a spy if everyone knows who you are?
In Michel Smith’s new book: WWII Codebreakers And Spies: How British Intelligence & Special Operations Changed The Course Of History, readers are plunged into the dangerous and secretive world of espionage.
Archival photo, documents and charts complement the text that traces the role of espionage and counter-espionage that helped the Allies to win the war.
It’s an engrossing study of a turbulent time in history when the forces of good and evil faced off with the fate of world in the balance.
Everyone is a fan of something: sports, movies, collectibles, celebrities, dining our--the list is endless.
Triumph Books knows just what fans want especially when it comes to comic books and movies-as do writers Dan Casey, Rowan Kaiser, Brian Cronin, Mark Ginocchio and Joseph McCabe.
When it comes to comic book fans they are a much sticklers for correct information. Comic book fans are known to be very picky and astute when it comes to comic book lore.
Mention anything about the X-Men, the Avengers, Spider-Man and Batman and you best be sure you’ve got your facts straight especially when it comes to their individual timelines and events.
100 Things Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die books about the aforementioned comic book characters are sure to test the most knowledgeable comic book historian and fan.
Each book delves into the characters’ origins, key events, essential facts, trivia and things fans should do to commemorate said characters.
Diehard fans and newbies to comic books hold in their hands invaluable information about each individual character and groups.
Shoot! I’ve been a comic book collector all of my life and there are things in these books even I didn’t know!
They’re fun to read, include some photos and art and will make a fine additions to any comic book collector’s informational library.
I’ve already picked out a predominant place on my bookcase-they’re that good!
I’m not a fan of Game Of Thrones, but my daughter is. She will be absolutely thrilled when I present to her the 100 Things Game Of Thrones Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die book.
She considers herself a primo Thrones fan and knows a lot about the series. But even she is sure to be impressed by the massive amount of information in this book.
I know she will share the information with her fellow Throne fans-she may even show off a little. With this book in hand it’s a surefire bet she’ll out’Throne’ any other fan of the series.
I am a big fan of Star Wars (mainly the original trilogy). So, I am planning on going over each and every page of the 100 Things Star Wars Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die book to see if I can stump fellow Star Wars fans.
From Obi-Wan to Rey this book has it all! Yoda would be proud!
All of the books are ‘totally unofficial and unauthorized’ (as if that matters) guides that cover every aspect of every subject mentioned. They have it all!
I gotta tell ya, these books are a lot of fun to read and look through. There’s a lot of information in each and they’re written in an easy-to-follow format.
By breaking them down into 100 individual sections there is no preponderance of text thus making the books flow quickly.
Short ‘chapters’ move the books along without overloading the reader with too much information all at once. The ‘chapters’ offer a welcome pause and enough time for the reader to stop and ponder or easily take up where they left off later.
When it comes to receiving review samples from publishers and manufacturers this is always the slowest time of the year. and for one simple reason: the San Diego Comic-Con.
No, really!
Since SDCC is the biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year almost all publishers and manufacturers attend-as they should.
Unfortunately for me and other review sites that means our review material provided by them trickles down to almost zero.
That’s why in the last couple of weeks my review article output has been so low.
But, that’s OK, the convention is a god kick in the posterior when it comes to introducing new products and gaining more purchasers-meaning it’s good for me.
It takes some patience but after a couple more weeks things will pick up and before I know it I’ll be writing reviews everyday.
I got a feeling. No, I'm no referring to The Beatles song on their Let It Be album. I'm expressing my own feeling that something good is about to happen. I believe that Collectors' Corner is just about to break out and go big time.
Visitor numbers will go through the roof (it has respectable numbers now) and that companies and publishers will send lots of review products. I also believe that my Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In accounts will also increase in traffic and likes. And...I will suddenly find myself knee-deep in old comic books, toys and collectibles. All of which I will review. I refuse to give up, throw in the towel or get discouraged. I know I am turning out a good and respectable product. So look out! Things are about to go into high gear and the sky's the limit!
Like most little boys his age my two-year-old grandson loves dinosaurs. Big, small, carnivore or herbivore-it makes no difference-he loves them all.
I’ll catch him occasionally parading his dinosaur toys around, gobbling up helpless LEGO figures, rampaging through a Hot Wheels play set and trying to nip the fingers or toes of grandma and grandpa.
He’s sure to love two new books from Scholastic Books that celebrate Thunder Lizards in two unique ways.
In Roar! Roar! I’m A Dinosaur writer/artist Jo Lodge has created an interactive book where kids can make colorful and fun illustrations of dinosaurs seemingly come to life.
Watch as them open their mouths, flap their wings, stomp their feet and roar!
What a fun way to explore the world of dinosaurs!
Jane Yolen and Mark Teague present How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas?
In the book dinosaurs prepare a home for Christmas with decorations, prepare food, sing carols and enjoy the holiday with their human friends.
Full-color illustrations depict the hi-jinx and holiday hilarity that takes place. Even Santa Claus shows up for some cheery dinosaur Christmas fun.
Fall is just around the corner and what better way to introduce youngsters to the season than with a small, soft-cover book complete with photos of Fall objects accentuated with real textures?
With Touch And Feel Fall, kids can run their fingers over each item. It’s the perfect way to help them identify objects by touch.
Rub the wood of an apple bushel basket, run your fingers over a pinecone, feel a Fall sweater, touch the grill of a school bus, pet a fox, touch some hay, rub an acorn and feel the ruffled feathers of a goose.
I absolutely love wispy, whimsical and ethereal art-especially art that looks airy, soft, with delicate brush strokes, displays a strong use of pastel colors and the look of controlled watercolor.
Combine the colors with delicate lines, extreme details, enchanting settings and an expertise at depicting both human and animal figures and it’s a sure hit for me.
Soiree: Art Collection Of Nekosuke from PIE International fills the bill on all accounts.
What a wonderful soft, oversize paperback collection of magical illustrations!
Imagine cats dressed in jackets and trousers, giant rodents complete with their human companions, mystical ponds, enchanted drawing rooms, period piece costumed characters and bizarre parties and events-the list goes on and on.
What a wonderful feast for the eyes! The craftsmanship and talent to draw, design and imagine such magical settings and creatures pays tribute to the artist.
I love the use of warm earth tones, coupled with muted grays and pastels occasionally accented by bright reds, pinks, turquoise and greens. What a visual treat!
The artist displays their mastery of the medium. Paint, brush and ink all combine to create some of the most gorgeous illustrations I’ve ever seen. Such talent and imagination!
Even heroes have their moments of retribution and in Hero’s Revenge the bad guys are just about to get their due.
The Set includes never-before-released Cards from previous Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime and Manga series: new Link Monsters, high-powered tournament mainstays, and more!
Warner Bros. and DC Comics had good reason to be concerned with the launch of its recent Superman, Batman and Justice League movies.
Critics and audiences lauded the movies as too dark and somewhat plodding. Personally I liked the movies, including the Suicide Squad.
When Wonder Woman came out it was a resounding hit and WB and DC executives began to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
It just so happens that the new SHAZAM! movie was that light.
Warner Bros. nailed the depiction of the young, tough-guy, loner and orphan Billy Batson who suddenly finds himself endowed with super powers.
While eluding some ruffians Billy enters a subway. Suddenly he finds himself alone as the subway stops and Billy discovers he’s in a mystical cave confronted by the wizard SHAZAM!.
SHAZAM! tells Billy he has been chosen and with the utterance of SHAZAM!’s name Billy is transformed into a grown-up superhero possessing incredible powers.
What makes the movie so remarkable, funny and touching is that Billy has no idea how to use his powers, must be tutored by his crippled friend who loves comic books and is suddenly confronted by a bonafide super villain.
The performances are all around great. Actor Zachary Levi is downright funny as the grown-up SHAZAM! and Asher Angle makes a convincing young Billy Batson.
The entire supporting cast really lightens and livens up the movie and the villain (Dr. Thaddeus Sivana), as played by Mark Strong is both scary and totally unique.
It’s downright fun watching SHAZAM! testing his new powers, using them as any 14-year-old would and trying to impress his friends.
SHAZAM! follows the development of a superhero as Billy matures and begins to take his new powers seriously and to use them for good.
The SHAZAM! Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo from Warner Bros. also includes some great extras: a motion comic, an alternate opening and ending, deleted scenes, a gag reel, audition footage, an On The Set featurette and SHAZAM!’s back-story.
Way back in 1965, when I was 12 years old, CBS introduced a new science fiction TV series that immediately grabbed my attention and sparked my imagination.
It involved the Robinson family, their robot and an uninvited guest who took flight in a spaceship on the first ever deep space mission to another star and solar system.
Sabotage crippled the ship and the entire crew found themselves millions of miles away from home and no way of knowing how to get back. The series lasted three years. I, of course, am referring to the TV series Lost In Space.
Back in the late 1990s a Lost In Space movie premiered with mixed results and not long afterwards a pilot for a TV series was filmed, but was never picked up for broadcast.
For years Lost In Space fans have clamored for a new series and in 2018 20th Century Fox created a brand new series for Netflix.
The series was a huge success. But, it’s not your grandma’s Lost In Space.
Although the ship and crew have the same names the show has some significant difference: such as the robot and Dr. Smith-who is now a woman.
Other differences become evident as you watch the First Season. But, here’s the thing: the show still ‘feels’ like the original series. There’s the same sense of adventure and trill of exploring the unknown, some well-placed humor and the characters (albeit slightly altered) retain the same strong family ties, the robot is still Will Smith’s companion and Dr. Smith is just as dastardly (if not more so) than the original.
In the Lost In Space The Complete Firsts Season Blu-ray, courtesy of 20th Century Fox, besides all of the exciting episodes from the first season viewers can expect the some great extra features: a colorized pilot of the original series, deleted scenes, Billy Mumy visiting to the new series set, the design the new robot and much more. It’s out of this world!
In the new series the Robinson’s are part of a concerted effort by Earth to colonize Alpha Centauri. En route on the Resolute mother ship they are attacked by aliens and the Robinsons (with other passengers) are forced to evacuate on Jupiter scout vehicles.
The Robinsons are aboard the Jupiter 2, and they, like the other passengers, discover their spacecraft plunging through a black hole and winding up on an alien Earthlike planet.
The series follows the Robinsons as they cope with their dilemma, search for survivors and encounter strange, wonderful and perhaps deadly alien life and struggle to find their way back home.
It’s an exciting series; full of surprises, excellent special effects and features a strong cast and riveting plot.
When I was younger one of my all-time favorite comic book publishers was Classic Illustrated. Unfortunately the company went out of business years ago, but the fond memories still linger.
Classics Illustrated translated classic works of fiction into a comic book format filled with drawings and easy to understand text.
The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. has brought back the classics in comic book form with its brand new Graphic Novel Classics through PowerKids Press.
The first three books in its collection are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dracula written by Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes The Hound Of The Baskervilles. Author Claire Bampton does an outstanding job of editing, simplifying and modifying the text for younger readers.
I won’t take the time to go into each story, but all three are stellar adaptations provide easy to follow text and word balloons, large pages and art by Anthony Williams.
I gotta say, I love the art. It’s not overly detailed or too simplified. It offers a good balance of dynamic layouts and excellent character designs. The art strikes a good balance with open panels, no clutter and with enough detail to carry each story along.
The coloring by Rob Taylor fits the bill by augmenting the art and not detracting from it. No easy task.
I especially love the depictions of the Frankenstein Monster, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes.
Each oversize, thin, hardbound book features excellent binding, a thick stock cover and gloss inside pages. All three books will easily stand up to the rough and tumble shenanigans of young readers.
I got a kick out of the covers of each book with their text logos and indicia-both of which reminded me of comic books for the 1960s and 1970s.
Overall I give the Graphic Novel Classics an A+ in design, adaptation and reading enjoyment. Well done!
I’m a sucker for books about the movie and TV industries.
Anything and everything about the production, acting, genre and the like fascinate me.
That’s why I am so pleased that Globe Pequot sent me six titles (from various publishers) that feed my fascination with the cinema and small screen.
An Illustrated History The Art Of Horror Movies, edited by Stephen Jones and Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, presents an art and photograph gallery celebrating horror films from all over the world beginning with classic black and white and silent films.
Movie directors, producers, writers, film fans and others associated with the horror film genre contribute fascinating commentaries, little known historical facts and real insider looks at the making of the films.
The deluxe hardbound book is practically bulging at its covers with page after page of luscious poster, promotional, original and book and periodical art and photos.
There’s even some previously unpublished art included along with specially commissioned art just for the book.
If you are a horror film buff then this is the ultimate guide about the art for the films along with plenty of informative text.
It’s no secret that I believe that the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were the best years for TV. There are a few exceptions of course but by and large those three decades define good TV for me.
Maybe because TV was in its infancy and was just starting to grow up that made the shows so diverse, entertaining and in some cases unusual.
Not unlike we humans as we grow and mature.
Dashing, Daring, And Debonair TV’s Top Male Icons Form The 50s, 60s, and 70s, by author Herbie J. Pilato and Taylor Trade Publishing, delves into the macho men and masculine mystique from each TV show decade.
Comedians, dramatic actors, and variety stars: they’re all present in a wonderful collection of segments spotlighting each and every male star.
Learn all about their backgrounds, how they got into the business, what shows they starred in and so much more.
Each section includes color photos of such well-known stars as Adam West, Nat King Cole, Henry Winkler, James Arness and dozens of other stars from Westerns to Superhero shows.
What makes the book especially interesting is that it includes not just the rough and ready heroic stars but actors and other TV persona of all personality types.
The books provides hours of fun reading and after reading each entry readers come away with a real understanding and appreciation for each star’s life, career and contribution to TV and American culture.
So, you think you know everything there is to know about science fiction films? I don’t think so!
Modern Sci-Fi Films FAQ by Tom DeMichael and Applause Theatre & Cinema Books lets readers know all that’s left to know about time travel. alien, robot, and out-of-this-world movies since 1970.
Test you knowledge of pre and postproduction, actor and actresses biographies, behind-the-scenes activities, story synopses and everything else that has to do with Sci-fi films since 1970.
Trust me, you’ll come away with a whole new appreciation and head full of knowledge about each film and enjoy each and every minute of it.
I never particularly cared for actor Roger Moore’s take on super-spy James Bond. He seemed too flippant and off-the-cuff for my taste.
But I absolutely loved him as TV’s Simon Templar in The Saint and many of his other TV and movie roles.
Never one to take himself too seriously or to exude self importance, Roger Moore knew and made it quite vocal that he was very lucky in his career...and it wasn’t necessarily because of his acting talent.
Roger (with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek) recounts his career from its high and lows to its gradual decline into retirement years.
In One Lucky Bastard Tales From Tinseltown, published by Lyons Press, he recounts his 70 years in the business.
Regarded as one of the nicest men in the acting profession Roger was known for his wit, charm and as a raconteur.
Filled with anecdotes and personal recollections, the book is a delightful a whimsical look at his long career as recalled by Mr. Moore.
As much as I love watching movies and TV shows I’m just as interested as to what goes on behind-the scenes, especially as it pertains to wardrobe, set design, backlots and other activities not seen on the small or large screen.
Warner Bros. Hollywood’s Ultimate Backlot, by Steve Bingen and published by Lyons Press, provides a first-person tour of the inner workings of the famous studio.
Archival and recent photos accompany text that recounts the history of the studio along with its many stars, films and TV series filmed at the studio.
Aliens, deformities, monsters, injuries, aging-these are just a few of the tricks makeup artists provide for TV and film.
One of the all-time great makeup artists is Michel Westmore.
In Makeup Man Michel talks about his amazing career and creations from Rocky to Star Trek,
Actor Patrick Stewart provides the foreword in this wonderful collection of makeup innovations Michel has created over the decades.
Readers are privy to his makeup secrets, some little known film and TV series incidents and the many hurtles and obstacles Michael faced from actors and actresses to studio executives.
It’s very up close and personal recollection of his career as only he can chronicle it in Makeup Man from Lyons Press.
You’ll come away realizing that makeup art is much more than simply applying powder and paint, it is a high-tech amalgamation of prosthetics, hairpieces and more with more of it share of human interaction thrown in for good measure.
My wife and I watch our two-year old grandson four half-days a week: three times while his mother works and once when he goes to church with us on Sunday.
After he turned two years old his vocabulary blossomed. It used to be he would say a few words now and again.
Now, he repeats everything he hears chatters to himself and others and is expanding his vocabulary every day.
It’s one thing to say words. It’s quite another to know what those words mean.
That’s why I’m so pleased that Scholastic Books has come out with their Newly Updated Children’s Dictionary.
More than just word definitions; the book simplifies definitions, provides simple sentence context, includes a thesaurus, pronunciation guides and supplies over 1,000 full-color photos.
Children learn about geography (including maps), a section on U.S. history with a current roster of Presidents, numbers and measurement charts and so much more.
Pages contain language tips, alternate forms of nouns, verbs, etc., simplified pronunciation guides, grammar guides, guide words, alphabet color tabs, special topic boxes, detailed illustrations and cross-references.
It’s an absolute treasure of language with lots of fun things to look at, learn about and pronounce.
The Dictionary is a thick, hardbound book, with easy to turn pages, a heavy-duty cover and all bound up securely in one package.
I’m often asked, “How do you know so much about comic book history?”
The answer is simple--I do my homework. Besides a huge collection of comic books I also have an extensive library of books, magazines and periodicals about comic books that took me years to collect.
I’m constantly on the lookout for research material (both old and new) wherever I go.
I am fascinated not just by the books themselves: the art and stories, the history behind each title and publishing company but especially about the people who produced comic books over the decades.
While I like much of the new comic books being produced my love are books produced during the Silver and Bronze Ages, with a little Golden Age thrown in for good measure.
I’ve included a few photos of only a fraction of the research material I’ve accumulated. What are not shown are the file cabinets full of comic book related material and comic books and periodicals produced by the comic book publishers themselves.
As with anything you may have a passion for my passion for comic books requires research, lots of reading and a willingness to learn.
