It's no big secret that for the past couple of years I've been researching and developing a novel about William Shakespeare, an alternate history style political thriller set in Elizabethan England with a young William as a spy, a sort of a cross between a prototype Bond and Bourne ( Read more... )

So here's the latest trailer from the BBC to promote the upcoming season of Doctor Who in the UK....

Click to view

And here's the BBC America version...

Click to view

Watching both has left me wondering, what does this say about the way that the relative intelligence of the two audiences are perceived by the broadcasters involved ( Read more... )

A couple of weeks ago I felt in the mood to watch a Bond movie, no specific reason, just wanted to watch a good fun spy movie, so plucked the 2009 version of Casino Royale off the DVD shelf (OK, one of the DVD bookcases!) and sat back to enjoy Daniel Craig's debut as 007 ( Read more... )

As we move on into a new month, let's see what delights awaited me on the shelves at Austin Books this week?

Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #653 (Marvel) - Still continues to be one of the most fun books out at the moment, the momentum and action don't let up, and are underscored with some great character moments.
Batman Beyond #2 (DC) - So far so good ( Read more... )

After a week on the road, it was time to once again visit the fine folks at Austin Books to see what comics style goodies would attract my attention:

Comics
Action Comics #897 (DC) - Lex Luthor and The Joker written by Paul Cornell - excellent. Things are really building up towards the milestone issue #900.
Age of X: Alpha #1 (Marvel) - Things are ( Read more... )

Sunday's With Sullivan: How the Ed Sullivan Show brought Elvis, the Beatles, and Culture to America." by Bernie Ilson (Taylor Trade Publishing)


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A conversation over dinner last week with a friend from the UK, who is here in the USA for an extended business trip, diverted at one point into a discourse on the various (legal) ways it was possible to keep up with British TV shows while on the other side of the Atlantic. (Of course we also talked about the pain of various online 'not available ( Read more... )

So last night I finished reading the first volume of Saga of the Swamp Thing collecting the first seven issues of Alan Moore and Steve Bissette's seminal and ground breaking work on the series.


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A special evening at Austin Books last night as local writer Chris Roberson was on hand signing copies of his first issue as the new writer on Superman - Issue #707.

So along with chatting to a very happy Chris, what else did I pick up off the shelves?

Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #651 (Marvel) - the new "Big Time" story arc by Dan Slott is proving ( Read more... )

I'm a few days late posting this, but let's kick off with a look at the first stack of four-color fun I picked up at Austin Books in 2011.

Comics

Avengers Prime #5 (Marvel) - The last issue of this fun mini-series by Bendis & Davis with Thor, Cap and Iron Man trapped in Asgard.. I just wish the main Avengers book was this good.
Batman Beyond #1 ( ( Read more... )