After researching supernatural romance detective novels for my column in The Buzz, I decided to give some of the books I haven’t yet read a try. So far I had only read all the Anita Blake books.

Rachel Morgan is a different sort of detective. Granted, it’s in the same vein as Anita Blake, and there are some similarities, and as far as the book’s gimmick goes, the differences of this world are more interesting. Instead of having characters operate in the back alleys of our world, the world of The Hollows series is an alternate history where bioengineering accidentally wiped out many humans. With so many mortals missing, the once hidden races, like vampires and leprechauns, now stood out. So instead of an all out war, every species integrated into human society. Of course, not without obstacles. Read the rest of this entry »

Cape’s Myth-behaving

Following the traditional week-long story arch formula of comic strips, this week Cape & Cowl try to drum up some suitable in-fight jokes. This was a fun week to write.

This week featured the introduction of a new member of the Cape & Cowl family, Muffy the Vampire Killer, a totally unique character that has never ever ever been thought up before. *ahem* Read the rest of this entry »

Mike MIgnola continues to build the Hellboy universe and franchise every year. What started as his monumental Hellboy comic over a decade ago has now spawned two movies, dark fantasy novels, and the spin-off B.P.R.D. series. Focusing on the other Hellboy characters at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense in Hellboy’s absence, this title is joined by Abe Sapien: The Drowning, Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus and the recently released B.P.R.D. 1946. Read the rest of this entry »

I Got 99 Problems But A Vamp Ain’t One

I’m a fan of vampires in all their forms; from the B-movie clichés of Buffy to the oversexed “Jean Claudes” of Laurell K. Hamilton. I’ve taken a class of the history of vampires and have dozens of books and comics featuring these undead fiends.

But what irks me is that when I ask many people about vampires - those who claim to be fans of the genre - have not even read Dracula. They’ve seen Interview with a Vampire and maybe read I Am Legend. Big whoop, I say. Vampires are part of a larger tradition than any one author and their legacy is rooted in the myths of Eastern Europe - myths of horrible, homicidal beasts that lurked in the night.

Author David Wellington gets that. I interviewed Mr. Wellington regarding his new novel, 99 Coffins, a novel that gets back to roots of vampire fiction. Read the rest of this entry »

The comic publishers send their product descriptions to Diamond Comic Distributors, the comic book supplier to most comic book stores for North America three months in advance.

This March there are dozens of great titles to preorder. Read the rest of this entry »

In this week’s column for The Buzz I will talk about several Marvel titles, so this week my top 5 pick will be focused on DC!

Countdown Presents The Search For Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman - “In a world of gender-reversal, an army of Greek warriors led by Wonder Man march against Washington and the JLA! The Challengers must battle to find Ray Palmer and to stop the Multiverse-spanning war.” Read the rest of this entry »