No Blasters is Back - Now with more Hot Metroid Cosplay

My prelims are finished! I'm now ABD (All But Dissertation) and I have some time to post on No Blasters, read Old Man's War, and play Mass Effect.

So, here's some Metroid Cosplay action to celebrate.

Jenni Källberg is a Swedish student and illustrator whose hobbies are art/design, cosplay, drawing and gaming. Hemmy.net has 12 more photos for your viewing pleasure.

No Surfing (White Out, Cloverfield, Max Brooks, and Werewolf)

I'm sure there's going to be tons of stuffed coming out of Comic Con all over the net. The two things I've seen that have me excited are the poster for the movie adaptation of Greg Rucka's excellent trade paperback, Whiteout.
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And, the poster for the J.J.Abrams produced monster movie, tentatively titled Cloverfield.

Other surfing finds are a great interview with Zombie writer, Max Brooks over at Skullring and the news that the new horror channel, ChillerTV has my old favorite USA show, Werewolf.

That show was amazing and had the coolest looking werewolves I have ever seen counting movies!

Rowling says she will publish Harry Potter encyclopedia

J.K. Rowling has decided not to leave us in the lurch with the small "19 Years Later" epilogue, but will publish a Harry Potter Encyclopedia using many of her notes from the series and story-lines that had to be weeded out of the original series.

She also claims that she will provide

details about the characters who survive Deathly Hallows, characters who continue to live on in Rowling’s mind in a clearly defined magical world.

Hogwarts, for example, has a new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”), and Rowling said she can see Harry going back to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts. That class, by the way, is now led by a permanent professor, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that didn’t allow a teacher to remain in the position for more than a year.

Sounds good, but I am ready to see what Rowling will do next that isn't in the Potter-verse. With every young adult novel out there being touted as "The Next Potter," Rowling should go left field and give us something that no one is expecting.

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EDIT: Here is a another article where Rowling discusses Harry and company's future.

Ellis gives us a preview of Crooked Little Vein

Warren Ellis has posted a pdf of his upcoming debut novel Crooked Little Vein over at his site.

The first chapter grabs you by the face and pulls you into the slime that surrounds Ellis' down and out detective, Michael McGill. I'm hooked. Check out the first chapter and pre-order your copy HERE.

Mike Carey's The Devil You Know hits American Book Shelves

We finally get killer comic writer Mike Carey's (Lucifer, Hellblazer, etc) debut novel, The Devil You Know in the US this week.

According to the back of the book blurb,

Felix Castor used to cast out demons for a living, and London was his stamping ground. But in a time when the supernatural realm is in upheaval and spilling over in the mundane world of the living, his skills are in renewed demand. With old debts to pay, Castor is left with no choice but to accept one final, well-paying assignment; a seemingly simple exorcism.

I have covered Carey in a few other posts. He is a writer that you have to read. Grand Central Publishing has an excerpt from the book.

Comic Book Resources has an interview.

Neil Gaiman interview at Aint it Cool News

Quint over at Aint it Cool News has a nice long interview with the wonderful Neil Gaiman. They discuss everything movie wise from STARDUST, BEOWULF, CAROLINE, and the long stalled SANDMAN film, to how Gaiman want to direct DEATH himself.

It's just amazing that Gaiman is finally getting his due. I just passed on the love myself by giving one of my Early American Lit. professors (who studies the Uncle Remus Tales) a copy of ANANSI BOYS.

Book Review - Hidden Talents

I received David Lubar's young adult novel Hidden Talents as a gift and my first impression was a little doubtful. However, from the first line, Lubar's quirky first person narrative grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

The novel revolves around a troubled 13-year-old boy named Martin (the narrator), who, after getting kicked out of every other school, ends up at Edgeview. Now, Edgeview is one of those places where they send troubled boys to rot - a place right above juvie hall, but Martin quickly finds things that he likes about the place. The biggest thing is his group of friends who he discovers have superpowers (creating fire, reading minds, telekinesis, and so on). These friends are rejects like him, so when the school is threatened with a shut down, they band together to stop it.

I have been a superhero comic fan for years, but I had never read a novel that handled superpowers as well as I would have liked them to (if you have some recommendations, pass them my way).

Hidden Talents on the other hand, handles the powers well, by keeping them understated. There are no huge super battles or looming world shattering destinies here, just some boys using what they have to keep their school open. Lubar does a wonderful job of keeping the story low key, and you feel like a member of the gang as Martin tells you of their exploits.

The one problem I had with the work is that it seemed like Martin moved toward his theory of super powers too quickly. Though I wanted more insight into the process of his discovery, the work as a whole moved on well and kept me interested even after my disbelief at Martin's initial claims.

I recommend this book to people of all ages, and right now Amazon has it for 3 bucks. I just bought my nephew one for his birthday. The sequel, TrueTalents is also out now in hard cover, though I have yet had a chance to read it.

Deathly Hallows: Cover Art!

The cover art for Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been revealed over at Time's Nerd World.

It looks great. I can't wait to read how Dumbledore comes back, Harry doesn't die, Snape is shown as trustworthy, and Malfoy sacrifices himself to show that he is good at heart!

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No Surfing (Max Brooks and Frank Miller Interviews)

Skullring.org has an interview with Max Brooks, author of one of my favorite books of last year, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.

Esquire has an interview with 300 and Sin City graphic novelist, Frank Miller.

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Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series heading for HBO

Variety is reporting that George R. R. Martin's fantasy series "A Song of Fire and Ice" is heading for HBO television. The show will be scripted and exec produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and will use each book as a season of episodes.

Knowing HBO's reputation for quality programs such as Deadwood and Rome, this series will be amazing. But, also knowing how the cost of these shows always get them canceled after a few seasons, I hold little hope that they make it clear through all seven books that are expected from the series.

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Learn to draw with MONSTERS! Draw Your Own Mutants, Freaks & Creeps

Jay Stephens, has announced his new book, MONSTERS! Draw Your Own Mutants, Freaks & Creeps, and has some images over at his blog.

I love Stephens' monsters. This is going on my birthday list and as a gift for my nephew