Scarlet Spider #4

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Izzard to Handle Munsters Remake

On October 1st of last year, I penned a quick post about 1313 Mockingbird Lane - NBC's new Munsters remake - but never published it for some reason. At the time, the remake/revamp/reboot was announced, no stars were attached. But now comes news that comedian and actor Eddie Izzard is set to star in and produce Mockingbird Lane. Izzard will play Grandpa.

Mockingbird Lane is said to be a dramatic departure from the classic Munsters sit-com, quite literally - Mockingbird Lane is an hour-long drama that is supposed to be "visually spectacular." Bryan Fuller of Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies wrote and is producing the pilot, which is directed by X-Men movie-maker, Bryan Singer. So far, Mockingbird Lane has no set premiere date.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Secret Avengers #25

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Severed Hardbound

In 1916, twelve-year-old Jack Garron's boxcar-hopping adventure turns into a flight from a ravenous, razor-toothed man who haunts the shadows. SEVERED (FEB120457), the Image Comics series that captures all of our childhood fear, has been collected into a hardcover collection that will go on sale on April 11^th.

Eisner-Award-winner Scott Snyder (American Vampire) and Scott Tuft weave a tale that conjures up what they describe as "the deep fright that you have as a kid, the kind that takes your breath away, makes your spine tingle... A primal fear."

New York Times bestselling artist Attila Futaki (Percy Jackson) matches their story with art rich with historical details and subtle characterization, capturing both the hope of youth and the terror of the unknown. The hardcover collection includes pages originally in issue four of the series that have been re-inked and colored.

"I just read through the collected SEVERED and I'm so proud of this book," said Snyder. "I think it might read even better as a collected book than the single issues and I cant wait for our existing fans to experience it this way. I am also excited for new fans to discover SEVERED for the first time."

"We couldn't be happier with the way that the collected SEVERED has come together," added Tuft. "The bonus material looks great and we are so happy with the design of the book. Steven Finch, our designer, did a fantastic job. We're also thrilled to have an introduction from the great Jeff Lemire who has been supportive from the beginning even introducing us Scotts to Attila."

SEVERED is a 200-page hardcover book for $29.99. Its ISBN is 978-1-607065-29-6, featuring a foreword by Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth). It will be available in comic book stores, bookstores, and online retailers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

AvX 2

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

The Infinite Horizon Collected

The completion of Gerry Duggan's and Phil Noto's Odyssey-inspired THE INFINITE HORIZON hasn't taken quite as long as Odysseus's journey home, but the nearly five years since the publication of the first issue of the Image Comics series to the April publication of the 186-page trade paperback collection (FEB120448) have been a saga of their own.

"When Phil and I began the comic in 2007 we tried to imagine scenarios that would make make a soldier's ten-year journey home believable," said writer Duggan. "I hope we made some interesting choices about the loss of technology and a crippling energy crisis, but I know we did a pretty good job of imagining a world that's pulling itself apart. We could not have imagined the Arab Spring, but the fractured world of The Infinite Horizon seems much less fantastic just five years later."

THE INFINITE HORIZON takes place in the not-too-distant future, with a small group of abandoned soldiers being led home by one man: The Captain. To get back, he’ll have to cross half the globe and endure deadly encounters with mythic enemies.

The Captain escapes shipwrecks, beats a vicious opponent wearing a cycloptic combat armor... and resists the siren's call of a predatory society, all while encountering everywhere dying breaths of a great and horrible war. Artist Noto depicts the horrors of war and The Captain's long trek home with an understated palette, the violence taking on a haunting quality as The Captain sacrifices more and more of himself to return home.

Duggan found his inspiration both in Homer's 2700-year-old epic and current events in global conflict. "In the years following the 9/11 attacks I re-examined the poem and found it to be very fresh and relevant to our society," he said. "We're now living in a state of almost perpetual war. Contractors and drones will probably remain behind long after combat troops are withdrawn. The burden of these conflicts are not shared. Military families shoulder the load, and I have doubts about whether or not they are adequately supported for their service and sacrifice."

THE INFINITE HORIZON is a full-color, 186-page trade paperback for $17.99. It collects issues #1 - 6 of the series, as well as bonus material from Phil Noto. The final order cut-off for comic book retailers for this title is March 19^th, and it will be in stores on April 11^th. Its ISBN is 978-1-582409-72-6.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Takio

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Slacking

I haven't done much of anything in days now because I bought Sims 3. I talk about playing the Sims all the time, but I have been playing the original - for going on 10 years now. I have the expansion packs for Vacation and Makin' Magic, and just installed them on the current game (on the 98 machine) a few weeks back, but I haven't been playing with them; I've been playing the original Sims for going on 10 years now (since 2003-04). Even after all that time, the game still entertains the living hell out of me.

Still, 10 years is a long time to do anything, and I decided it was time to upgrade my entertainment selection. So on Thursday or Friday, I loaded up Steam, looked up my game, and purchased Sims 3. There were some patches and general problems at first, but I got it going. Then I "poopsocked" it.

According to a gamer friend, "poop-socking" is when you play a game so much, you take breaks only to poop in your sock (because you don't have time to get all the way to the bathroom). I played Sims 3 for the entire weekend, logging what has to have been 50-60 hours on it. One of my Sims has already grown old and died and the other is Elderly and has only a few days left. They both met their Lifetime Achievements, owned half the town, and the one still living now owns the mansion of the town.

I have a lot of stuff to get to you, but I must admit that I am entranced by my new game. The newness will wear-off eventually, but I am enjoying myself and I don't have many opportunities to do that. Unfortunately, few comic books have managed to excite me as much as Sims 3 does, at least lately. I know Siege really stripped the whole thing bare for me and things just haven't been the same since. Again, this too shall pass, but if comics ever go all-digital, I won't be collecting them anymore. How would you even collect digital anything?

Anyway, if things get slow here and there, I really am probably gaming. We are still doing Chill every month or so via Google Hangouts and that's been going very well, too. After over five years of basically no communication with the outside world and no entertainment beyond comics and TV, I finally have something to do and I'm going to take advantage of it!

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Fatale #3 - Second-Printing

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

dx3 Direct

There have been some strong words said between cable and direct tv in those commercials, but there has been some truth to some of them. Satellite is affected by inclement weather, but cable and even electricity can be affected by bad weather too. Satellite has improved dramatically over the last several years and is not as vulnerable to bad weather as it once was. Direct TV also offers channels no other provider has, in addition to all the channels you expect, and On Demand.

All things said, Direct TV satellite is one of your best choices among cable or satellite providers. dx3 direct tv has all of the promotional offers and more information on their website, which you can find by following any of the links provided here or by going to www.dx3.net. You can also contact a helpful customer service agent to answer any concerns you have. Coverage areas are also listed on the website, but you should know that Direct TV is available almost everywhere - just about anywhere you can place a satellite dish, at least.

Satellites are sometimes affected by bad weather, but not often enough for it to be a major issue. Satellite has come a long way in the last decade or so, and is not subject to outages from bad weather the way it once was. Direct TV offers channels no other provider has, making it a great option right off the bat. Pound for pound, cable has no real benefits over satellite, while Direct TV offers channels and features no one else has. Check out dx3's website for more information.

New Avengers #24

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Dresden Files

This is not really a review, I just wanted to mention that I finally started reading The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I loved the series on Sci-Fi and decried its cancellation, but the series made me want to read the books, which I am just getting around to doing.

Starting out, the first book has a lot of cliches - I mean a lot. It gets tiresome, but I can't tell if I'm going to hate it or get used to it yet. I'm only a few chapters into the first book. Other than that, I don't have much to say about it. It reads quickly, which means I'm interested and the writing isn't getting in the way of things. I have a feeling that's why the author went with the cliches, but that could be a mistake on my part.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the first book so far and will probably have more to say on it the further I get into it.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Saga #1 - Second-Printing

© C Harris Lynn, 2012