Fantasy Book Sale + Free Short Stories, Oct 16 to 20

 Visit amazon.com/author/moffat to get free short stories and huge discounts on fantasy books by Charles Moffat. Sale ends on October 20th.

Why I Dislike Using Orcs In My Fantasy Worlds

By Charles Moffat

I have orcs in some of my fantasy worlds, but not all of them. Furthermore, I don't like using orcs except in very specific circumstances where I portray them in a certain way (similar to how orcs are portrayed in Skyrim is my preference, spliced with Tolkien-esque orcs).

Writers and artists in the 21st century, in my opinion, have a responsibility to avoid using racist stereotypes - especially when portraying fantasy races like orcs. Or if they do use a stereotype, they also have an obligation to subvert it so that the meaning is changed.

J. R. R. Tolkien popularized orcs in fantasy fiction, but he was using them as a metaphor to represent the Nazis and to be representational of the horrors of war.

Since then however many critics of Tolkien's work have pushed the idea that his orcs represent people of colour or so-called "primitive cultures". This portrayal of orcs as something loaded with racism and cultural superiority is something I actively want to avoid, and thus even in my settings where orcs do exist (eg. Korovia) they primarily live in Loqland, in the city of Molloch (which is itself a reference to the film "Metropolis").

Thus my orcs are essentially a mixture of the workers of Metropolis who serve their evil overlords, the warfare themed orcs of Tolkien, and also like the orcs of Skyrim, where they are more technologically advanced and intelligent. So smart orcs, still brimming with the thirst for war, but serving their evil overlords in the factory city of Molloch... But not necessarily evil themselves and some of them do break away or flee from Molloch. (But that is another story...)

So yes, they exist, but I am deliberately avoiding using them except in the right circumstances. Eg. There are some time traveling orcs that appear in one short story: "A Hound Named Hunter", which I admit doesn't sound like a time travel story, but you have to read it to understand.

The other problem with orcs is that they are so tied to Tolkien's work that if you use them too much then it draws comparisons to his books.

But if I use a different kind of humanoid race, like minotaurs, then I don't really have that same problem. This is why when I create Korovia in 1999 I made minotaurs to be one of major races of the region. (That and I really like minotaurs, having previously used minotaurs in 3 novels I wrote during the 1990s.)

And again, my minotaurs are an intelligent and technologically advanced race... Plus in Korovia they're usually vegans, pacifists, spiritual and practice martial arts. Eg. Check out the four minotaurs that appear in my novel "The Coven's Wolves".

Are all minotaurs in Korovia pacifists and vegans? Nope. There are those who 'break from tradition', so to speak, like one such minotaur in my upcoming book "The Exorcist's Dagger" who forsakes his vows as an Ironskin and becomes a prizefighter.

How we portray races in our books is important. Even the races we normally wouldn't think about as being potentially racist.

Eg. Elves and halflings.

In my book "The Demon's Sacrifice" the elf Gyburn and the halfling Kaeto don't get along, with both characters being racist against the other. What happens to the two characters during the novel is meaningful in my opinion. No spoilers here. You will have to buy the book to see what happens.

Civilization versus 'perceived barbarism' is an ongoing theme within the Adventures of Wrathgar, wherein the main character is a so-called barbarian from the Snowfell Mountains and he is traveling through the civilized regions of Korovia looking for his missing father. People often see him as a dumb barbarian and treat him as such, despite his intelligence and skills. Wrathgar, to his credit, doesn't lose his temper when dealing with such people. Despite his name, he rarely ever loses his temper. (But when he does it is spectacular...)

As a writer I feel my work has meaning, and while I use fantasy as the method to convey that meaning, I could just as easily be writing science fiction or westerns to convey the same meaning. The setting doesn't matter so much as the message I am trying to get across to the reader.

 

Writers and artists in the 21st century, in my opinion, have a responsibility to avoid using racist stereotypes - especially when portraying fantasy races like orcs.

 

If you want to learn more about my books I recommend visiting the following sites:

amazon.com/author/moffat
fiction.charlesmoffat.com

You can also follow me via:

twitter.com/charlesmoffat
instagram.com/charles.moffat
facebook.com/charlesmoffat.fans
youtube.com/c/CharlesMoffatToronto

Charles Moffat's Heroic Fantasy "The Assassin's Trail"

The Assassin's Trail is a Heroic Fantasy novel by Charles Moffat.

The original first edition book was an anthology of short stories about the titular hero Wrathgar, but the second edition version is a novel in which the short stories have been reorganized into chapters and additional chapters added to provide more information about other characters in the story.

The central plot of the story is that the main character Wrathgar grows up with a bully called Muddenklaw, which everyone believes dies during the "Test of Manhood" at the beginning of the book. However Muddenklaw later turns up alive and murders a child and leads a group of monsters to attack his village. Wrathgar is then tasked with hunting down Muddenklaw and bringing back his head. Meanwhile Muddenklaw decides to join the Assassin's Guild...

And there you go, no spoilers. But if you want more just read the reviews on Amazon it currently has 4.5 stars.

Also this book is particularly geared towards people who love archery, and the author Charles Moffat has been an archery instructor for 12+ years and also publishes nonfiction in archery magazines. So he definitely knows his archery stuff, so if you're looking for a fantasy book with a realistic approach to archery, then this is a good book to read.

The Adventures of Wrathgar is a series of novels, with 3 published so far and a 4th coming on March 1st 2021. The novels are:

1. The Assassin's Trail
2. The Blizzard's Daughter
3. The Coven's Wolves (Coming March 1st 2021.)
   
4. The Demon's Sacrifice

Each book stands alone and they do not need to be read in order. There is also a short story featuring Wrathgar called "The Sunken Castle" which takes place between books I and II of the series.

The series of books are set in the Kingdom of Korovia, which Moffat created in 1999 and has been using as the setting for most of his publications during the past two decades.

Moffat's novel "The Assassin's Trail" is currently available in two formats:

The Assassin's Trail, Trade Paperback - $9.99

The Assassin's Trail, eBook - $5.99

The older first edition version is no longer available on Amazon.

It can also be purchased from your local bookstore using the ISBN numbers:

• ISBN-10: 1095788663
• ISBN-13: 978-1095788660

Charles Moffat's New Fantasy Books

Canadian fantasy author Charles Moffat has two new books coming out on March 1st 2020.

The Blizzard's Daughter
Heroic Fantasy
Ebook $5.99 
Paperback TBD

'Blizzards' are wizards who specialize in ice magic (cryomancy) and have undergone a transformation that turns their skin blue. They become immune to the cold, but vulnerable to fire, and their cryomancy magic is enhanced dramatically. They are also very rare as only the toughest wizards can survive the magical transformation without dying...

The hunter and tracker Wrathgar knows little of wizards and their ways, but when an elderly Blizzard approaches him and asks him to track down his missing daughter and bring her home he agrees to the task knowing little of what lies ahead. What he doesn't know is that there is a prophecy about "a child of a Blizzard" and people seeking to stop the prophecy from happening have set their sights on the Blizzard's Daughter. If they can kill her maybe they can stop the prophecy from happening.

Shifting Shadows in Iztark
Sword and Sorcery
Ebook $2.99
Paperback $5.99

Wulfric the Wanderer has defeated the dark wizards inhabiting the Ivory Tower of Iztark, but upon exiting a strange old man approaches him with the promise of riches if he can assassinate the dark wizard known as Merchant-Lord Phrax Al-Amun. But Phrax's palace and harem full of women is guarded by more than mere mortal guards and the wandering barbarian-turned-assassin will have to battle his way through all manner of dangers and distractions.

Fantasy Writing Group in Toronto

By Charles Moffat.

So I am starting a small Fantasy Writing Group in Toronto and I am looking for 2 or 3 like-minded fantasy writers based in Toronto who want to share their individual chapters, short stories, fables, fantasy poetry/poetry fables, etc in a group with a total of 3 or 4 people.

So I know of at least 1 other writer in Toronto who might be interested, whom I went to university with, and I am hoping she will agree to co-create the group with me and get it off the ground. If she is available and agrees, then we only need to find 1 or 2 more people who are into fantasy writing to join us.

I am hoping to have the meetings once or twice per month on Saturday mornings at a local Starbucks. That is the plan at least. Could just as easily meet at a pub... yeah, day drinking...

Fantasy writers in Toronto who are interested in joining should contact me via charlesmoffat{atsymbol}charlesmoffat.com with the subject "Writers Group".

Conan Trailer + Conan the Berserker

Conan the Berserker

A free eBook short story: Belit is dead and Conan strikes out on his own, wandering aimlessly. What he encounters however is black magic and 'The Black Monoliths of Stygia' and Conan is forced to unlock his own rage within the dark abyss of his soul.

Fantasy eBooks = Nerd Heaven

I give the following eBooks 5 stars each. Note: You may find cheaper rates on the author's personal website.

Rise of the Blade

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

A legendary warrior has come back to life and is on a murderous rampage on the streets of Waterdeep. Retired gladiator and Academy of Combat instructor Pierce O'Hiram is dragged back into service for the Harpers one last time in an effort to stop the killings.

The Paladin Assassin

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

The Minotaur Emperor has been assassinated and the continent is on the brink of an epic war between minotaurs and humans. Wynic Doxon, the Arthian Royal Assassin, is asked to track down the assassin who killed the emperor and help prevent a war that would destroy the ancient city of Athex.

Ice War

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

An evil army has set up camp in the northern reaches of the continent and plots are afoot. The heroes from "The Paladin Assassin" are ordered north to confront this new danger and to seek out the legendary Spear of Destiny. This book is part 2 of The Crimson Companions Trilogy.

Brutus & Avianna

Ebook (PDF): $7.59

A love story between a human barbarian and an elf female, set amidst the backdrop of the Korovian wilderness. Bandits, ogres, trolls and wild sex scenes. 

Celebrities Who Play Dungeons & Dragons

ENTERTAINMENT

Mike Meyers says he used to play D&D on Inside the Actor’s Studio.

Vin Diesel, a longtime D&D player, wrote an introduction to the book "Thirty Years of Adventure: Celebrating Dungeons and Dragons".

Judy Dench was introduced to the game by Vin Diesel and continues to play.

Matthew Lillard has played D&D for charity.

Basketball player Tim Duncan is a long-time D&D player.

Robin Williams has played D&D for charity, but also plays at home with friends.

Kevin Smith is a long time D&D player and Dungeon Master.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were introduced to the game by Kevin Smith.

Daryl Hannah

Jesse McCarthy

Lauren Graham

Actor/Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) credits D&D for much of his storytelling prowess.

Joss Whedon played D&D in college.

Stephen Colbert was a big D&D player as a kid and still plays now.

Ewan McGreggor plays D&D.

Will Wheaton played D&D when not on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Sarah Silverman Show’s Brian Posehn has played weekly for years.

Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo sings about his “Dungeon Master’s Guide” in his 1994 song “In the Garage.”

Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance told Rolling Stone that he shopped for Dungeons & Dragons supplies rather than partying while on tour.

The lead singer of Marcy Playground, John Wozniak, has played D&D since he was a kid even though his parents forbid him.

Origins: Rakshasa and Yeti

The first report of a Yeti sighting by a Westerner was in 1832. B.H. Hodson, a British representative sent to Nepal, saw a creature that attacked his servants. The locals in Nepal called them "rakshas", meaning demons.

Rakshasas aren't described as being ape-like (unlike the modern myths which compares yeti to Bigfoot or Sasquatches), but instead describes the rakshasa as being more cat-like in its facial features. Rakshasa demons appear in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology and are usually evil and deceptive, known for their ability to hide or become invisible (or at very least blend in with their surroundings). They are also described to be shapechangers.

Another reliable report happened in 1925 when Greek photographer N.A. Tombazi was part of a British geological expedition in the Himalayas. He spotted a creature moving across some lower slopes who looked like a human being and was walking on two legs, but wasn't wearing any clothing. "It stopped occasionally to uproot or pull at some dwarf rhododendron bushes," he said. "It showed up dark against the snow and, as far as I could make out wore no clothes."

The British expedition later found 15 footprints in the snow. The Himalayas locals called it the "Kanchenjunga demon."

Two British mountaineers in 1951, Eric Shipton and Micheal Ward, also found and photographed footprints measuring between 13 and 18 inches long. Tracks in the snow however are difficult to interpret because the melting of the snow often makes tracks larger and misshapen.

In Dungeons and Dragons terms the yeti and rakshasa are very different... one being a mindless beast that ambushes people in the snow... the other is a demon-shapechanger with magic.

Neither is correct. The creature, based on N.A. Tombazi's description, is most likely a harmless herbivore.

The Geek Hierarchy

ENTERTAINMENT - Check out this hierarchical chart which shows fantasy art, Dungeons & Dragons players, video gamers, furries, Trekkies, anime and comicbook fans, etc. and compares them on a scale of geekiness.

Photoshopped Fantasy Books = Funny

ENTERTAINMENT - I found these rather funny photoshopped fantasy books on a website. Hilarious! I especially like the Farting Sluggoth.

Bring Back Korgoth of Barbaria

ENTERTAINMENT - In a dark future wasteland, the great cities have risen and fallen, primordial beasts have reclaimed the wilderness and thieves and savages populate sparse, dirty towns. From the frozen north emerges a warrior known as Korgoth, and his merciless savagery may be his only key to survival...

Korgoth of Barbaria was the pilot episode of an animated fantasy-action-adventure-comedy from Aaron Springer for Adult Swim (a slightly adult oriented cartoon cable network), but Korgoth unfortunately never got beyond the pilot episode. The show as loosely based on Conan the Barbarian but also pays homage to pop culture references like Dungeons & Dragons, Russ Meyer and fantasy artist Frank Frazetta.







Sign Petition to Bring Back Korgoth of Barbaria!

Dungeons and Dragons Family Tree

ENTERTAINMENT - Behold! The Dungeons and Dragons Family Tree!

4th Edition D&D: Not for me...

By Charles Moffat - 2008.

Based on a Google search there is a surprising number of hits for the words 4th edition D&D and boycott. Almost 28,000. Quite a few of the complaints are on blogs or forums.

For those not familiar with Dungeons & Dragons the game was first published in 1974 and has gone through a number of changes over the past 34 years with new editions, including some radical changes like 3rd edition.

The problem however is the new 4th edition game has pissed off many of the game's fans. 28,000 posts talking about boycotting 4th edition D&D suggests there is hundreds of thousands more roleplayers out there who are likewise pissed off by the new game and will avoid playing it.

Granted, there are those who say the new game is an improvement... but I will point out these players tend to also play Magic the Gathering, miniatures games or computer games... the new 4th edition game complicates the game to the point that players print or make "Power Cards" that they use during the game... and the new complicated rules for movement makes miniatures mandatory.

This however reduces the game to a card game/miniatures game and roleplaying, actual roleplaying TIME is reduced. The rules governing movement, powers, etc. end up wasting a lot of game time.

Time is a very relevant thing when playing RPGs. Games are only so many hours long and typically only one session every week or two. Time is therefore very precious and the more time wasted discussing rules, powers, etc. is less time doing actual character roleplaying. And it is the roleplaying that people enjoy the most.

Here's an example of what 4th edition does:

A player moves his Paladin miniature so that its beside an orc on the table. The player lifts up a card and says "I move 1 square and I Divine Challenge this orc" and points at the orc miniature on the table. He then lifts up a 2nd card and says "and then I use Holy Strike on him." The player then rolls his d20 to see if he hits or not.

The use of the power cards thus reduces roleplaying... the same player in 3rd edition could have simply moved the miniature and said "Hello foul orc! I am going to smite you so hard you are going to wish you were never born!", thus indicating to the DM that he is both challenging the orc to fight him, and intending to use a smite attack. A 4th edition player could have done the same thing in theory, but because of the power card system players tend to forget they have the option to roleplay out their powers instead of just reading off the cards.

You could try running a 4th edition game without the power cards, but it would be a lot of stuff to remember in your head and you'd be flipping through the rulebook constantly to check the different powers and the precise wording of each.

I personally have boycotted 4th edition D&D. I tried the game out for several months but eventually got bored of the lack of character development in the face of a party more interested in powers, bickering over movement rules, etc. My review of the game was 0 stars out of 5. I viewed it as a complete waste of time.

I currently am DMing a 3.0 game and I'm also an avid member of a 1st edition game and a 2nd edition Dark Sun game. I also play Dungeons & Dragons Online, which most closely resembles 3.5 D&D.

I will note that a game's roleplaying success largely depends on the players and their willingness to roleplay out situations. 4th Edition seems to discourage this however with too much emphasis on the various powers/rules. The previous editions allow players to customize their characters more statistically, but also gives them a lot more room to roleplay out their situations.

In the aforementioned 1st edition game I am currently playing a cleric and I roleplay out every undead turn check ("Begone foul undead! Back to the graves with thee!"), every spell I cast ("Goddess, heal my friend in this time of need!") and even my pathetic attempts to hit the enemy ("I swing wildly at the kobold with my hammer {rolls dice} and hit the tree standing next to him!")

There's also the regular roleplaying where you're just talking to the NPCs, trying to solve a mystery, puzzle or whatever or threatening the barkeep that if he doesn't keep pouring the ale you're going to burn down his tavern...

Some of the players in my game had never experienced this style of gaming, but once you get into it you realize its much more satisfying to cut off the bad guy's head while shouting "Thats for killing my sister and burning my town down you bastard!"

Sure the neighbours may wonder whats going on with all the noise, but that is the way roleplaying games are meant to be. Loud and fun.

Its certainly not supposed to be a bunch of geeks playing power cards and bickering. Thats not even D&D any more. Its something else and the makers of 4th edition should be ashamed of themselves.

Who are the Watchmen that you will be Watching?

Ah Comic Con is in full swing on the West Coast which means comic news is going to be coming fast and furious over the next little while. I'm going to blog the highlights of what I hear (I'm not there so it'll all be second hand) and provide links to better version of the story.

First up and roaring out of the gate is confirmation on Watchmen casting. If you have not read Watchmen, stop reading, hit a Chapters or comic shop, buy the paperback (or if you have the cash the amazing absolute edition) and read it and then come back. After you read it, you'll know why I'm excited and frightened by this coming to the screen. This is kind of like Lord of the Rings for fantasy nuts.

Jackie Earle Haley is Walter Kovacs/Rorschach
Billy Crudup is Dr. Manhattan
Malin Akerman is Juspeczyk / The Silk Spectre
Matthew Goode is Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias
Patrick Wilson is Night-Owl
Jeffrey Dean Morgan will play The Comedian

(pics available at http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33449 )

I'll be honest, I have not seen many of these people in anything. Haley apparently was nominated for an Oscar for a movie called "Little Children" but I have not seen it. In fact the only credit of his listed on IMDB that I can say 100% sure I've seen is The Bad News Bears...the original one. Crudup I know from Almost Famous and Big Fish. Patrick Wilson does an amazing job in a small thriller called Hard Candy which was one of my favorite films of last year. The rest I don't really know.

But before everyone starts critiquing the casting choices and saying things like "How can Crudup be Dr. Manhattan? He isn't 30 feet tall or blue!" I'd like to present some things to calm fan boy minds.

1) Zach Snyder. The dude has performed two film miracles. He created a remake of a Romero zombie film that wasn't only not horrible, but it was pretty damn good. he also took a graphic novel that not many outside of comics had heard of or read, called 300 and made it into a movie both faithful to the book and a blockbuster.

2) Micheal Keaton. When he was chosen to play Batman, everyone, including myself thought it was a terrible idea. Who thinks that now?

3) Hugh Jackman. No one had any clue who the dude was until X-Men came out. And he wasn't even the first choice. First choice was Doug Ray Scott.

So take heart fanboys. Yes it is one of our most cherished books but there is possibility it might not suck.

Lots of Nerd News

Man, today has been filled with tons of geek news so I'll go over bits and pieces.

Video Game Goodness
It's E3 and there is a ton of game news...well maybe not news actually a lot of grandstanding about why "My system is better then the others guy's". Nintendo bragging about their sales figures...and why the hell not? A lot of people were starting to think Nintendo was going to head the way of Sega before the DS and WII appeared. So a lot of stuff was said and very polite smack was talked and there are much better reporters covering it then me, they've even got their own channel. So for all the news and video check out G4 on your tv or head over to their website, http://www.g4tv.com/

In the meantime, here's what caught my eye.

Nintendo
Zelda is coming to the DS and man it looks cool. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass appears to be very touch screen oriented which worries me a little (Starfox, I'm glaring in anger in your direction) but the demo looked really good and it's selling craploads in Japan.

The WII blaster...a connection to make the wimote and nunchuck into a lightgun...and a resident evil game to go with it...if they weren't so hard to find I'd buy a Wii just for that...except for the fact I want Halo 3 much worse.

Xbox 360
Saw a bunch of things we already knew about but at least saw in game demos. Left 4 Dead being a little bit of a surprise. Fast "28 Days Later" style zombies, team play...drool. Assassin's Creed looks like it's coming along nicely. There was also a demo of Rock Band, the guitar hero style game but with guitar and drums and bass. And yet another Halo 3 trailer...which shows The Arbiter standing beside The Master Chief on Earth looking at the sky.

Sony
Trumpeted their non-price cut price cut (the current PS3's will be dropped by $100 which would be a step in the right direction except it's because they're bringing out another version with more memory at the higher price) and the line up of games on the way...not many of which are exclusive. That may even include the new Metal Gear. But they've also got Lair which I admit, looks awesome, piloting dragons, wiping out armies. But the games are kind of moot if no one can afford the system.

The others
Plenty of multi platform games coming but the one that caught my eye was Stranglehold, the video game sequel to one of my favorite movies, Hard Boiled...ah John Woo before Hollywood ruined him.

Comics
A bunch of little items and then one big one.

- According to comic gossip columnist, Rich Johnston (yes we do have them, he's latest column is here ) The Punisher is having a baby.

- Jim Starlin is writing a miniseries for DC called Death of the New Gods.

- I saw the following at newsarama but felt it should be posted here as well.

From Jim Lee

To my fellow professionals, artists and comic book fans--In comics, we're always telling stories about people in life-threatening situations. That's thrilling in a comic book, but in real life it's the scariest ordeal you can imagine. Right now Gordon Lee, a retailer in Rome, GA, is facing the fight of his life. This August he will finally stand trial against two counts of distributing harmful to minors materials. He faces penalties of up to a year in prison and fines of up to $1,000 on each count if convicted. Gordon has been fighting to prove his innocence for almost three years. Fighting through being overcharged with two felonies and five misdemeanors, most of which were later thrown out. Fighting though the prosecution throwing out and refiling their case because the day before the trial they discovered that their facts were wrong. And now fighting against two remaining charges that are completely meritless. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has taken up the fight for Gordon, and now we need to help them finish that that fight.Right now, I'm asking you to join me in supporting the CBLDF's work on this case. To date they've spent nearly $80,000 defending Gordon, and they expect the trial to cost another $20,000 on top of that. To ensure that they have the cash on hand for Gordon's August trial, and to shore up their reserves for what could be a very litigious Presidential election year, they need our donations now.Please join me in supporting the Fund by making a donation of cash, original art, high-grade comics, or even some of your time (like I did in 2003 when I did a signing at Defender of Liberty recipient Chuck Rozanski's Mile High Comics as part of a CBLDF benefit auction). It's up to those of us who rely on comics for our living to stand behind the Fund in protecting our own. The Fund needs all of our support to win this case, where a conviction won't just harm Gordon, but its precedent could affect all of our livelihoods.To donate art or collectibles for the Comic-Con auction, please send an email to cbldf1@gmail.com to let them know what you are contributing. If you have it available, include a jpg of your donation so they can list it in their auction preview online. You can see my donation--a penciled promo piece of Batman for the upcoming DCU MMO--above.To donate money, go to Donations-CBLDF. To make sure that the Fund can include your donation in their Comic-Con auction preview, please be sure to get in touch with them with a jpg no later than Sunday, July 15. You can send the physical piece to their office until July 20th, or deliver it to them onsite at Comic-Con.Please join me in helping the CBLDF raise the resources it needs to win this important case. If you have questions or to let the Fund know what you're sending, email Charles Brownstein or Greg Thompson at cbldf1@gmail.com or call them at the CBLDF office -- 212.679.7151. And please send your contributions to CBLDF, 271 Madison Ave, Suite 1400, New York, NY 10016 and tell them that I sent you!Thanks for joining me in support,

Jim Lee

And finally a little personal retrospective. Until the early 90's I had bought comics but never hardcore collected...until the first issue of Rob Liefled's X-Force hit newsstands. Just look at that art...alright today it looks over used and plain but back then it really stood out.

Liefeld's been an interesting character when it comes to comics. Left Marvel to help form Image, thus helping to start a revolution in comics. Then goes back and takes over a couple of marvel books along with fellow creator Jim Lee and then get's kicked off of that and then get's kicked out (or leaves depending on who's version of the story you're ready) Image and forms or joins hands with numerous companies all the while only releasing a comic seemingly every few years.

This is not to mention the feuds he's started or snide remarks he's made about others (including his former Image brothers) or remarks made about him.

So lo and behold I was nearly knocked on my ass when I saw that Rob had teamed up with his former cohorts at Image to reprint old Youngblood material and print new Youngblood material.

You can read the story here and get a good view of the whole Liefeld story here.

Now the real question is, how long till the first new Youngblood comes out after it's supposed to and how long between issues? I say 3 months late for issue 1 and a year for issue 2.

Games Workshop: The company that must not be named

I'd like to preface this piece by saying that I have no relationship or affiliation whatsoever with the Games Workshop brand (thank god) and the following is a commentary of their very crude attempt to crush fan movements based around their products.

(Via EikeHein, at Slashdot)

After widespread disappointment that the German film Damnatus, a fan film based on UK gaming franchise Warhammer, would not be released, it seems that Games Workshop (the company behind Warhammer) is amending its Intellectual Property Policy. A lot.

Check it out.

Aside from fan films, you also cannot create a 'Warhammer club', have an avatar that includes any of their IP without a disclaimer, create a webpage that uses their trademark, or even create fliers for your Warhammer event that uses their trademark. They've even gone so far as to highlight that they do not approve of people making use of their IP for their own private use.

See, if I were a more coarse person, I would say that my walls are currently plastered with GW paraphernalia that have been defaced with dirty phrases and crass insinuations about the private lives of orcs and tyranids. Why? Because they're my walls, that's why. And if I want to draw a mural of an Eldar soldier wearing a frilly hat and riding a unicorn, then I consider it my own prerogative to do so, even if no other person were to ever lay eyes on it.

But of course, I wouldn't do any of that because I don't play Warhammer. And I'm merely expressing my opinion here. And I am of the opinion that yes, 'fan works' that are heavily inspired by someone else's copyrighted material should give due credit to the original creator for the use of characters, worlds, mechanics, etc.

BUT I also think that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and there are many brilliant minds that can do great justice to a brand, if given even the slightest opportunity. Also don't forget, without Tolkien, we probably wouldn't have Dungeons & Dragons. Without Anne Rice, Vampire the Masquerade would probably have very different story material. And without Warhammer, we likely wouldn't have this very spiffy looking film:



So let the kids play.

Genre Geekiness TV

Well this fall is going to be another interesting one for those of us who like sci-fi, horror, fantasy and what not.

I say interesting because for every Firefly, Buffy, Battlestar we also get Dark Angel, Blade and Stacked (Pam Anderson working at a book store, tell me that's not fantasy? I dare you).

But this fall there are a few series that have been given the green light with a few pilots waiting in the wings at the moment. (most of this info was taken from Aintitcool )

The Sarha Connor Chronicles
Yup that's right, we get more terminator goodness (but alas no Arnie) but this time on tv. But we do get Lena Headey (the babealisous Queen from 300) as Sarah, Thomas Dekker (Zach from Heroes) as John Connor and Summer Glau (River from Firefly) as a character named Cameron which is rumoured to be a terminator but as of yet no confirmation. Apparently this will be for Fox.

New Amsterdam
Apparently about a 400 year old New York cop...you'd think he would have retired on pension after the first 100 years. Also from Fox

I also know CBS has a zombie tv show in the works but I can't seem to find any of the previous articles on it.

NBC has a new version of the Bionic Woman set to go...but how come the Six Million Dollar Man get's no love?

Plus we have the returning Battlestar (which may be the last season) and Heroes.

And in cartoon news, Cartoon Network in the states has a bunch of their pilots posted.

I particularly like the Drinky Crow Show. Click here to check'em out.

Stories in Six Words

Hemmingway famously wrote a story in six words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." and considered it his best work. Wired magazine has asked a bunch of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror writers from all matter of media to write their own. The result was made into a series of gorgeous graphic art pieces, seen here. (Much thanks to Moxywoman over at DD for pointing me to this)

In the creative writing program, we spent a great deal of time focussing on how much could be said in so few words- Ezra Pound's In a Station at the Metro, being a famous example. When we were struggling with a piece, Priscilla encouraged us to try to say what we wanted to say in only a few words. It was a great exercise.

My first story in six words:

"What's a tree, dad?" asked Tommy

My favourite from the series in wired:

"From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings." by Gregory Maguire

D&D Tournament

Hmmn...well, there's a D&D Tourney tomorrow at York that I might go to. Thing is, I haven't played Dungeons and Dragons in a REALLY long time (and by that I mean, like, two years), and I've never been much for keeping the mechanics down. I don't want to be a totally helpless twit, while everyone else is powergaming. I know what the game entails and such, it's mainly the specifics that I always forget- like what dice to roll at what time. Who knows, maybe it'll all come back to me when I get in there.

I sent two rolls of film away that I found in my jewellery box last week...I have only a vague idea of what is on them, so it should be interesting. The films are REALLY old; they were taken with my little 110 mm camera when I was around 12. Whether the film is any good is beyond me, but I've heard that 110 decays slower than the other kind (because of the cartridge), and they were out of the sun and packed away for quite a while, so it's possible they'll come back with prints. The 8mm one that I found the one time had a few pictures surviving on it, but that one was from highschool.