Friday, October 27, 2006

Random Thoughts and Musings


Stykman 2 Pg 1
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley.

TGIF!! After a long, hectic week, it is finally Friday evening. Yay!

I just wanted to give some shout outs and tie up some loose ends, so here we go!

In late, but very important and exciting news, Stykman creator Jonnie Allan and his wife celebrated the arrival of their son. Here is the official word:


"Those of you who visited us in San Diego noticed Miss Dawn wearing a STYKMAN T-Shirt that read "TWIG IN THE WAY." Well, he's here. On Monday, September 18 at 11:47 am Mr. Tyler James ("TJ") Allan was born and added to the Allan clan.

Tyler will begin making his convention appearances starting next year in March at Wizard World L.A.
Be sure and stop by to say hi and maybe, just maybe, get his autograph as well. "

Congratulations to Jonnie and Dawn Allan on this wonderful news! Check out Stykman #2 if you haven't already. I will try and get a review posted soon. See page one of Stykman #2 to the right.

I would also like to send belated congratulations to Laura over at Blogity-Blog-Blog-Blog. She celebrated her fourth anniversary of blogging on Sunday, October 22. That is an enviable and impressive accomplishment, and I remain a faithful reader. Here is to at least 4 more!

After reading issue one of Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures and really liking the story, I decided to order the first four books of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I just went and picked up the set tonight. It comes in a very cool coffin shaped box, which makes it all that more interesting to me. I will let you know the scoop as soon as I get a few read.

In the near future, I will be bringing you interviews with up and coming creators. I am really excited about this, and will hopefully have my first one up before the end of the weekend.

In closing, I am kinda surprised at the lack of opinions on my last post on the Wizard Hot 10 Artists list. I figured it would be a flame waiting to burn, so I don't know whether to be relieved or not. If nothing else, at least I got my opinions out there, so I feel better.

That's it for tonight. I am off to start reading the first Anita Blake book, Guilty Pleasures. I am also hoping to get a review done for at least one comic by the end of the weekend. Ambitious plans- hopefully I can follow through.

Have a wonderful evening!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've read the Anita Blake books and really liked them...at first. The series starts off really good and continues that way for awhile, but towards the newer ones I find it's more about who she's having sex with, why she's having sex with this person...

I never thought I would complain about reading about sex, but someone in the mix she seems to be losing the character and plot elements. I haven't picked up the newest one yet, so maybe she's got back on track. Cause this was one of my favorite series for awhile.

Richard said...

Your comments on the "Hot 10 artists" -- and particularly your suggestions of artists they should have included instead -- were so eminently correct and sensible that your readers may have had nothing to say other than "me too" or "I agree" and we all know bloggers are always reluctant to be that kind of person.

Anyway, I agreed with what you said!

Heidi Meeley said...

John, that is interesting to hear, and good information to have as I start to read this series. I had heard the Anita Blake books referred to as "girl porn", but wasn't sure why. That must be it.

I am half way through the first book, and am really enjoying it. The author really makes me feel like I am there with Anita, which is quite interesting.

Thanks for the heads up- as I get further into the series, I will keep an eye out for that. I like the focus being on the macabre and mysterious.

Heidi Meeley said...

RAB- Thank you for the nice words. I think I am actually blushing! It is nice to know that I am not completely off my rocker. :-)

I just got so incensed by that list, that I couldn't stay quiet. Now if I could only get Wizard to listen....

Carl said...

I tried the Anita Blake books and...... welp, in two words: hated it. If you will notice, almost every single page (at least in the first book) she kept saying how scared she was. Every. Single. Page. Yes, she should be scared, a human going up against critters of the night, especially after they are stupidly made legal (hate your government now? think of if you lived in her world!). It reminded me of Dean Koontz's "Soul Survivor". While I did finish the first AB book and promptly traded it in at the used bookstore down the road, I couldn't finish Soul Survivor since the main character mentioned again, *every single page* how he had lost his wife and child in an aircrash. After a while both reiterations of the same thought was like people repeatedly bumping into a minor hurt on your leg and making it into a screaming pain that you want to hurt someone the next time it happens. Or in the case of Anita Blake scream when you read for the 60th or more times she mentions she is scared again. It maybe just be me, but part of being an intelligent and savvy reader is that after they mention it one or twice, I GOT IT. Mental note, anyone really going up against a vampire/werewolf/ misc. monster and not invulnerable is going to be scared, got it in one.
And imagine my true horror when people told me they became "horror porn for gals". I really didn't know what to think, since I thought it weak to begin with and now it's "worse"?
And I hope I have some weight on this, I've been reading and loving vampire fiction since I read Dracula waaaaaaaaay back in like, ummmm, '72? But not Anita Blake, oh well...

Lisa said...

I've been intending to check out the other Anita Blake books myself after reading that first issue. I thought she might be similar to Ann Rice, whose vampire books I enjoyed during college.

I just found your blog, and I'm looking forward to reading it more often, espeically with interviews of creators.

Heidi Meeley said...

Carl- it is okay to not like Anita Blake novels. I am part way through the first book Guilty Pleasures, and I am actually enjoying it. I like the fact that it is told from the heroine's point of view, and that she doesn't sugar coat it.

I will agree that she is scared a lot though. The fact that she comes through when it gets ugly has made up for it so far.

I will keep you posted as to how it continues to go, Carl.

I appreciate your honest opinion every time. It makes me think, and sometimes I have a change of heart.

Heidi Meeley said...

Lisa- So far, the first Anita Blake book is pretty good. The comic is very faithful to the book, which I find interesting. I will definitely keep you posted.

Believe it or not, I have never read an Anne Rice book. Growing up, my parents really frowned on her, so I guess it is a stigma reaching back that far. Someday I will get over it! :-)

I hope my creator interviews are fun- they will focus on up and comers, which I tend to prefer.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I will look you up as well!

Anonymous said...

Just to butt in on some of the comments made by others. I don't like Anne Rice. When I start a book I will ususally finish it. Sometimes, if it's not turning out like I expected, it might take me longer than I thought it would. But if I start a book I like to at least give it the chance, so I figure the least I can do is read it and than decide if I like it or not. Sometimes this works out great. For some reason I was having a tough time starting Gore Vidal's LINCOLN. Everytime I would pick it up and try to read it I found I couldn't. Finally I decided to just finish it. And I'm glad I did. I think it's a great book. And it lead me to his other books in his "American" series. Which lead me to read more about John Hay and Henry Adams. So in that regard it worked out great.

I have tried to read Anne Rice. I've tried THE VAMPIRE LESTAT numerous times. I've tried a few of her other books. I just cannot get through them. Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful they are, but I just find them boring.

The only piece of writing that I liked from Anne Rice was her NY Times guest editoral about New Orleans after the hurricane.

Heidi Meeley said...

John, it is interesting to here that. I have heard for so long that Anne Rice is one of the great American writers, but for whatever reason, I have never been very interested in reading her books.

I do think it is rewarding if a person can get through a tough part or parts of a book and feel satisfied with their reading experience at the end. I try and gauge a book by that.

It sounds like Voodoofest was great! I am glad to hear that.