I really like O Abnormal’s Commissioned work – check it all out here – and watching for the hidden ninjas is always fun. Now there’s a great T-Shirt where they adorn all around the shirt, front and back. Check it out here.

I really like these chart things that keep cropping up. They’re always kinda funny and when you can be bothered sticking around to read till the bottom, very entertaining. Click to embiggen!

It has been a significant time since I last posted here. Life has been a little funny recently. Nothing weird or bad, just off. The World Cup happened, and that threw my sleeping patterns, not up the wall, but rather through the wall. It was wonderful though to be watching that much sport regularly again.

And of course, as my title suggests, I’ve been watching the Tour de France every night. I love the Tour. It’s my favourite sporting event in the world, and I can’t get enough of it.

Bronwyn had her holidays over the past four weeks as well, which has been weird because it has helped throw my schedule out the window.

I only just managed to get back to writing my novel today, but that was a very successful adventure, leaving me with only a few hundred words left of draft 9, which when I’m done that will leave me with about 3/4 of draft 10, and then I’ll be done.

I really want to get into working on the sequel, but I want to be diligent about finishing what I’ve got in front of me, instead of jumping to something else that will distract me.

God has me working hard, at Planetsave and throughout the IM network. I wish that life were a little easier, but I doubt that will ever happen. In fact it won’t ever be. We’ve got to plug away at what we’ve been given, and trust that God will indeed give us the daily bread to get us through.

Maybe I can write tonight. I doubt it, but if I bring it up in front of me I might be able to. We’ll see. Hope that, when the Tour finishes, I’ll write more here and get some more journaling done. We’ll see.

There are very little words to be used to describe the awesonemess that is this trailer for the first part of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow pair of movies. Just take a look for yourself.

First published on Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk)

Once again I’m going to step away from reviewing something that is strictly fantasy for something that is of such great quality that I simply can’t ignore it. Following on the heels of my review of Terry Moore’s first trade paperback of Echo, I’m going to look at the book that made Terry Moore famous; Strangers in Paradise.

There are several collections for Strangers in Paradise, but the one that I love the best is the pocket book series, a collection of 6 smaller sized books that collect almost two dozen issues in one book. The first pocket book collects the three issues of SiP Volume 1 and thirteen issues of Volume 2.

And if ever there was a book that could get you hooked on a whole series this is the one.

I started out reading SiP knowing that it was one of the most beloved comic books. It isn’t just “one of the most beloved comic book that isn’t a superhero book,” but simply one of the most beloved. When the big collection came out last year there was so much love for SiP that it was hard to miss how much people loved this series.

But I didn’t know just how much I would love the series myself.

This first collection of SiP introduces us to our lead characters, Francine and Katchoo, and a few others who will be involved in the lives of our female leads. Francine is the everyday character while Katchoo is very much the character we all wish we could be. Together they make a combustible pair that drives the story ahead with a lot of passion.

Terry Moore knows how to write people better than anyone I’ve ever read. Some authors get the way a person encounters conflict, or violence, or love, or the everyday; but only Terry Moore manages to “get” all of them and still deliver a story that is thrilling and entertaining both.

There are hints at what this story will evolve into. The love triangle between Francine, Katchoo and their friend David is beautiful and amazing to watch grow, evolve and mutate. The introduction of characters who will play a larger part later on (so I’m told) really leaves a good taste in your mind. The thriller aspect of this series is set up in this series and allows this series to have another dimension to other interpersonal stories.

And in every aspect Moore leaves you wanting more and more.

Moore’s writing is mesmerizing and he gets humans better than anyone I’ve ever read. His artwork matches perfectly.

Moore draws these characters so realistically yet so beautifully that you wish your life took place within the pages of SiP. There are ugly people and pretty people and lots of people in between, but all are drawn with such beauty that you’re left staring at the pages. Francine is a beautiful woman and it shows not just through her figure but through her face, her expressions, and her posture. Katchoo is violent but passionate and it shows in the same way. And Moore is drawing these women at home and comfortable, so there is a lot of skimpy clothing, but it isn’t sleazy or chessecakey, but just subtle and beautiful.

I’ve only read 15 issues of SiP but I already think this is one of the best series of fiction I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read more, and I really suggest everyone get out there and read some themselves. Head along to Moore’s own page to order copies of the pocket books.

9/10

OK. So I just brought up my website and found that the last three entries I’ve made – despite being haphazard in my publishing schedule – are all videos. I should probably amend that.

So I’ll point to some work on FBR I’ve just completed recently. I’ve been lucky enough to interview two fantastic authors recently, NK Jemisin and Holly Black, authors of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and White Cat (the review of which I seem to have misplaced momentarily). So please, check out the interviews below;

NK Jemisin

Holly Black

My review of The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney has been made Book of the Month at FBR, which I think is entirely justifiable considering how good the book was.

And lastly, for this post, is a review of the first trade paperback of Terry Moore’s new comic book series, Echo. The first issue of the series was released in March of 2008 and has been going for 22 issues, so far, with a plan of 30 in total. The review of the first trade is on FBR here, and look for the review of the first Strangers in Paradise TPB that I also reviewed (here on the blog and on FBR).

CNET’s very own Kent German got his hands on the iPhone 4 and does a great review you can see below. If you’re thinking about buying a new iPhone, then this is what you want to watch.

I must admit, I’m tempted, though my bank balance screams simply at my considering such an idea (ie, it’s not happening). But it is a nice phone and I am expecting to see it in the wild very soon, even here in Australia.

Check out CNET’s full page on the iPhone 4 here.

Scott Johnson recently posted a comic in his Experience Points series over at Game Culture, which pretty much sums up the awesomeness of the trailers that Bioware are putting out to tease the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. Below is the latest one, and check out the website for more.

I am SOOOO very stoked about this coming back to TV. I used to love watching the original on repeats, and now I’m getting my own one just for me! And I guess a few million other people, but that’s not the point.

Check it out, it looks really good! Daniel Dae Kim is always great, as is Grace Park, and the guy from Gone in 60 Seconds is fun! Don’t know who the other guy is.

The water splashed at his feet as he ran, the coolness on his flesh odd given the circumstances. It was sunny and the only clouds in the sky hovered over the mountainous horizon. The water stretched out behind as far as the eye could see.

Ben ran on.

He considered throwing the sunglasses away as the sun was already well behind him and they would only hinder his sight. He wore nothing else other than a pair of blue boxers and a watch.

“Wish … I’d … had a chance … to put … my boardies … on …” he panted as he ran.

A pair of seagulls squawked into flight, escaping the onrushing Ben. If only they knew that he was the least of their problems.

For behind Ben, chasing steadily, never wavering in its pursuit, was the first walking dolphin.

The seagulls had in fact seen the dolphin and were flying away, knowing that the end was near.

Ben’s lungs burned. He had been running since the moment the dolphin had stepped out of the water and eaten his little sister. He had tried to beat it off with his boogie board, but he had tripped over in his pants, still half down around his ankles when the creature had emerged from the water.

He had run. 

He felt a coward for leaving his sister to be dismembered as some first strike from a new race of dolphins, apparently bent on subjugating the world under their slimy flippers.

I have to tell someone, Ben thought to himself, pushing himself to run faster. If they take us by surprise, we won’t have a hope!

Ben just considered himself lucky that his sister had worn her swimsuit from the car. He didn’t like to think of her that way – as cannon fodder, as the proverbial sacrificial lamb – but she would not have been able to outrun this killer dolphin.

All of a sudden Ben saw a grey blowhole begin to emerge from the water to his right. “Shit!” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted and ran. “More of the … bastards!”

Ben pushed himself to run faster, hoping that he could evade the second dolphin to emerge from the blue waters that he had earlier considered to be so peaceful. More of the dolphin could be seen now, it’s front flippers still useless to the creature flapping madly in anger. Ben ran on and could see the bottom half of the dolphin start to appear above the water line. Morbid curiosity making him look at the weird tail that had developed into two legs, of a sort.

Summoning all his herculean strength Ben dug deep and sprinted past the dolphin, hip and shouldering it in the slimy belly as he ran, flipping the outraged mammal onto its blowhole, where it promptly sucked in the sand beneath it and died instantly.

“HA! Take that dolphins!” Ben screamed as he ran on.

Thanks to my mate Ben for the photo. You get what you ask for mate!