Just found out that the Star Trek: Alien Spotlight Trade Paperback is due in comic stores today.  Although my contribution, the Andorians issue, garnered mixed reviews, I was pretty happy with the way the story came out.

Beyond the Andorian tale by myself and artist Leonard O'Grady, the spotlight also falls on the Gorn (written by Scott & David Tipton with art by David Messina), the Vulcans (written by James Patrick with art by Josep Maria Beroy), the Orions (written by Scott & David Tipton with art by Elaine Casagrande), the Borg (written by Andrew Steven Harris with art by Sean Murphy) and the Romulans (with story and art by comics legend and longtime Trek fan John Byrne). If you're a Trek fan, I think you'll be intrigued and entertained by these explorations into the cultures of the various alien races.

I have to say, as a lifelong Star Trek fan myself, getting to contribute to the legacy, even in a small way, was a pretty damn cool experience. 

Hope that those of you who snag the TPB (or read the Andorian issue when it came out) enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Not too long ago, Warner Brothers made the announcement that they were releasing the entire 13-episode run of the BIRDS OF PREY TV show on DVD.  And, as a bonus feature, they're including the 30+ episodes of the Gotham Girls web cartoon.

As many of you know, that cartoon holds a special place in my heart, because it was the inspiration for my 5-issue Gotham Girls mini-series at DC.  Watching the fun and quirky webisodes, I thought to myself, "I don't know why DC isn't doing a comic to tie in with this!"  So I pitched one.  DC decided that, for once, I wasn't completely mad and agreed that it would be a good idea.

Anyway in honor of the DVD release of the web 'toon, James Harvey of World's Finest Online, one of the premiere websites for info about cartoons based on DC Comics, got in touch and asked me a few questions about Gotham Girls.  You can find the answers in a brief article  titled Storrie Provides Update on "Gotham Girls" on World's Finest.

There's also a bit of news there about some recent honors for some of my past projects and a brief mention of a new one due out any time now from Moonstone Books.  Perhaps this will serve as a prod to get me to actually post of those here? 

Speaking of Birds of Prey, although many people were dissatisfied with the live-action TV show, it holds a certain nostalgia for me, in that I wrote written a story for the anthology based on the show that DC had in the works when the show was canceled.  Although that story never saw print, it did lead to my being offered a slot in Birds of Prey Secret Files 2003.

I don't do much in the way of political commentary here, but I was listening to the news on NPR today and heard something that made me want to bash my head against the wall.

As some of you may know, Michigan screwed itself, primarily speaking, by moving its Democratic primary up this year.  Supposedly so it would "count" (the complaint being that earlier primaries often carry a disproportionate weight for the constituency that are voting).  This was against Democratic party rules, everyone knew it was against Democratic party rules and they did it anyway.  Mostly because everyone assumed the party would cut some slack somewhere along the line and seat the delegates.

Except that all the major candidates took their names off the ballot, because it was unsanctioned.  All except Hillary Clinton.  Back then, she claimed it was because she got her paperwork in too late. 

As the only major candidate with her name on the ballot (supposedly, then, against her wishes), she won.  Surprise.

Now months have passed and the Michigan Democrats are trying to figure out a way to get the party to seat their delegates.  The latest proposal, according to the story I heard today, was that they would split the delegates evenly between the candidates.

The Clinton camp rejected this.  They insist that all the delegates she "won" in the unsanctioned primary -- the one that Hillary supposedly didn't want her name on the ballot for anyway -- should be given to her.

Let me be clear, here -- I've got nothing against Hillary Clinton (well, except, perhaps, that her campaign has gone more negative than I think it should).  I'm not a rabid Obama supporter.  I'm not anti-Clinton.

But the idea that she's so desperate for delegates that her campaign would be acting like the Michigan primary results, as they stand, are anything but a farce, is hilarious.  At least in that whole "I'm laughing so that I don't cry" kind of way.

Just saw a new trailer for Indy 4 online.  I've been fairly excited about the flick, but something at the end of this trailer pushed my excitement level up to 11.  Or rather someone.

I knew that Karen Allen was supposed to be returning, but actually seeing her as Marion again brought a big grin to my face.  Don't know about anyone else, but I sorely missed her in the later films. Nothing against Kate Capshaw or Allison Doody, but the chemistry between Allen and Ford was terrific and the banter between Marion and Indy was never matched.

Another Indiana Jones film?  Awesome.  Another Indiana Jones film that features the return of Marion Ravenwood? Two scoops of awesome with whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Go see Iron Man. 

It's good.

For those of you who know how judgmental I am about super-hero movies, you'll know what a big deal it is for me to simply say "It's good." and you should see it.

So go see Iron Man.

Go ahead.

Go now.

Go on.

Go.

As some you of may have already heard, Gary Gygax passed away on Tuesday.  He was, along with Dave Arneson, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons.  D&D, in turn, spawned a whole new hobby: role-playing games.

As I’d never met Mr. Gygax, I was planning to leave it to others to eulogize him.  After all, I’ve been kind of busy with a project and I wasn’t sure what I could add to the sentiments being expressed.  But as I thought about it, it occurred to me that given what a profound impact gaming has had on my life, I should at least put a few thoughts together.  Mostly as an acknowledgment of how much I owe to the forefather of gaming.

Like more than a few of my generation, I came to the hobby as a direct result of the bad press D&D received after a teen prodigy named Egbert disappeared from Michigan State University.  Rumor had it that he had gone missing while playing Dungeons & Dragons in the steam tunnels that ran beneath the college.  When he was finally tracked down, it turned out that wasn’t at all the case.  In fact, I later met a couple of guys who had gamed with Egbert who confirmed that he’d pretty much given up D&D before his disappearance.

But the articles and news reports gave a bit of a description about the game as background.  A bunch of people got together, made up fantasy characters – wizards, warriors, thieves and the like – and another guided them through an adventure.  For a teen who was already addicted to Tolkien, Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, it sounded like tremendous fun.

I picked up a Basic D&D boxed set.  I rolled up characters.  I wished I had someone to actual PLAY the game with.  So I eventually made my way to the local hobby/gaming store and asked the guy behind the counter how to find a game.  He invited me to participate in a campaign (an interconnected series of adventures) that he was going to be running for a guy in a nearby hospital who had recently been paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.  It was a kind of therapy, a chance for the guy (Ralph) to interact with someone beyond the doctors, nurses and family.

The first session, at the hospital, wasn’t much like the game I’d been reading.  There were a lot more types of characters and, rather than getting to pick who I wanted to play, the Dungeon Master (or DM -- the guy running the game) had random number charts to determine a character’s race, gender and just about everything else.  I ended up playing a female centaur that carried a lance and a musket.  Yeah, a musket.  I was bummed.  Gunpowder wasn’t a part of the fantasy literature I was fond of reading.  Still, it was pretty fun.

Then, for some reason, I wasn’t able to play for a few weeks.  (I'm thinking it was right around the time of my dad's first heart attack, so that could very well be what kept me away.)  When I got back, the game was happening at Ralph’s dad’s place and a whole new crowd was playing.  Including a lady by the name of Marta, who was to become (and still is) one of my closest friends.

I gamed a lot during my last year of high school and the year and a half I took off between starting college.  During that time, I invited my buddy Mark, whom I’ve known since we were both toddlers in the nursery at the church our family’s attended together, to join in.  The time we spent pretending to slay monsters, rescue princesses and thwart the evil schemes of villains only served to strengthen a friendship that lasts to this very day.

Likewise, I met my brother-from-another-mother Chris through gaming.  Although he moved to Chicago not long after we met, I was able to visit him pretty frequently when I went to college in Grand Rapids.  Although we haven’t gamed together in years, it’s where our friendship began.  If it weren’t for D&D, his terrific wife wouldn't be introducing me to cool new authors to read, his three awesome kids wouldn’t be calling me “Uncle Paul” and my life would be poorer.

Likewise, if it weren’t for gaming, I’d never have met my buddy Brian, the Turk to my J.D. (for all you Scrubs fans).  Way back in ’83 or so, we ran into each other at the Detroit Gaming Center (although it was in Ferndale at the time).  The Center was a place that was rented by a few gamers to give the gaming community in town a place to hang out.  It was several rooms, with lots of tables and chairs.  The price of admission was a buck a night, to help cover the rental cost.  Anyway, Brian and I didn’t game together much back then, but when we ran into each other a decade later, it gave us a starting place to renew our acquaintance.  Eventually, he mentioned that he was looking to start gaming again.  As luck would have it, I’d been playing with a regular group for a few years (including my aforementioned good friend Marta).  I invited him along.  He clicked with the group and started playing regularly, which meant that we ended up hanging out a lot.  Now we’re practically insufferable.  I know you think I meant inseparable, but trust me on this one.

Oh, and that gaming group I mentioned?  We still get together on pretty much every Thursday and Sunday.  Sometimes to slay dragons.  Sometimes to venture out to the stars.  Sometimes to fight werewolves, vampires and the forces of darkness.  Sometimes to sling lead in the Old West.  Pretty much wherever our shared imagination might take us.

So, if only for the friendships I’ve made, I owe a debt of gratitude to Gary Gygax (and Dave Arneson).  For reinforcing my friendship with Mark.  For providing an introduction to longtime friends Marta, Chris, Brian, Anne, Steve, Michael, Dave and Paul K (as well as newcomer Chapak).  For all the friends that I made through gaming over the years, some of whom I’ve lost track of since: Dave L., Mike P., Ralph, Larry, Don, Ramon, Storn and quite a few others. 

Oh, and that project that’s been keeping me busy?  The one that had me thinking I would just leave the eulogizing of Gary Gygax to others?  Strangely enough, it’s D&D-related.  So I also owe him a debt of gratitude for there being a D&D in the first place to generate D&D-related writing opportunities.

Given that, it’s pretty silly and pretty sad that I almost didn’t stop to say thanks.

So, thank you, Mr. Gygax.  For everything.  Rest in peace.

For about the last two weeks I've been telling myself that I really should post to the P(ull)-List.  I mean, at this point it's been over a month.  I hate it when other people's blogs don't update.  OK, maybe "hate" is a bit too strong.  But I always wonder what's up with the person in question.  Is life so bad or good (or even blah) that the person doesn't have time/feel like blogging?  Aren't they worried about keeping me entertained and informed?  (Because, after all, it's all about ME, right?)

The truth is, I just haven't much felt like blogging lately.  Even when I've had things I could blog about.

Like the Color of Comics Exhibit currently taking place at the Bronx Community College

FEBRUARY 8- MARCH 14: THE COLOR OF COMICS!
"The Color of Comics" is a collection of images of people of color as represented through comics.  Organized by Alex Simmons and Eugene Adams, these images were submitted by comic artists and publishers from around the world.  The opening reception is on Friday, February 8, 2008, 5-7pm.  The exhibition is at Bronx Community College in the Bliss Hall Gallery, and is free and open to the public.

For gallery viewing schedule, directions, or other information contact Alex@SimmonsHereAndNow.com or call Eugene Adams, Bronx Community College Director of Educational Outreach, at 718-249-5952.

Artwork from two projects I wrote is being exhibited.  Those projects are Gotham Girls #4, with art by Jennifer Graves and J. Bone and "The Pledge" from Captain America: Red, White and Blue, with art by David Lloyd.

Or the fact that the 5-part Twilight Crusade "event" from Moonstone Books is in this month's Previews.  The Twilight Crusade is 5 titles by 5 creative teams all giving a different perspective on the War between Heaven and Hell.  They're all terrific books, so I encourage you to pick them all up.  However, you don't have to pick them all up to enjoy whichever one(s) you are inclined to read.

My own contribution is Gabriel: Angel of Destruction, with art by Walter Figueroa.  Previews order code: FEB08 3913

In the War between Heaven & Hell, one soldier has been on the front lines of the battleground since the very beginning. Now the ultimate angel of destruction has grown weary of her never-ending tour of duty & the world it’s waged on.  After millenia of killing, she's begun to realize that even an eternal warrior needs more out of life than dealing death.

The order codes for the others are as follows:
Envoy: The story of a hitman on his way to Hell being drafted into hunting demons and other monsters for Heaven (FEB03 3911).
Templar: A tale of religious shock troops who struggle to protect mankind from the crossfire of the angels and demons waging the War (FEB03 3912).
Wolf: The truth behind Heaven's first rebel, who was cast out and brought the curse of lycanthropy down on humanity (FEB03 3914).
Succubus: The story of a fallen angel who feeds off men's souls as they sleep.  She longs for redemption, for a chance to return to Heaven, but cannot resist the hunger that burns inside (FEB03 3915).

Cool, huh?

So, why haven't I been blogging?  I think maybe I'll hold onto that for a bit.  Partly to avoid overshadowing the above announcements.  Partly because it'll give me a reason to blog again sooner rather than later.

I'll tell you this up front, this rant isn't going to be about what you think it's going to be about when you first start reading.

As some of you may already know, there's a new status quo for Marvel Comics' web-slinging, wall-crawling wonder.  The big cosmic reset button has been pushed and Peter Parker is no longer married to Mary Jane Watson.  Plus, the previously deceased Harry Osborn (Pete's best buddy in days gone by) has been returned to life.  The reset happened in a story arc titled "One More Day" and is now playing out in a story titled "Brand New Day" in the newly thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man.

If you know your comic book fans like I do, it should come as no surprise that people are up in arms.  They hate the idea.  They hate the way it plays out.  They hate Joe Quesada, Editor-In-Chief at Marvel for making it happen.

Putting aside the question of whether an emotion as strong as hate should ever be coupled to a work of fiction, here's how a whole lot of 'em are expressing their outrage:

"I've been reading Spiderman since [whenever]!  This invalidates every book in my Spiderman collection since [whenever the hell it was that Marvel married off Peter Parker]!  Marvel doesn't love and respect Spiderman the way I do!!!"

My answer?  There's no such thing as Spiderman.

And, no, I'm NOT saying anything about Peter Parker being a fictional character.  I'm saying there is not now, nor has there ever been, a comic book called Spiderman or a superhero called Spiderman.

It's Spider-Man.  Complete with hyphen and capital M.  Always has been.

You would think that people who claim to love, cherish, adore, live and breathe a character as some of these fans claim to would know that. 

I mean, if you're going to rant about a "favorite" character, the least you could do is get his name right.

So, what do I think of "One More Day"/"Brand New Day"? 

Haven't read it, so I can't speak to the execution.

Don't generally like cosmic/magical events in comics about more-or-less street-level crimefighters.  Especially those with science fiction origins.  It's usually a bad mix.

Basic idea?  That being to get Spider-Man back to his single, Charlie Brown, can't-catch-a-break, not-married-to-a-super-model roots?  Makes sense to me.  As Joe Quesada has said, Marvel's concern needs to be the longterm viability of the character. Making sure that there's a Spider-Man for readers-to-come.  One that they can connect to and want to read about.  Like Quesada, I don't think that's a 40-something, married guy.  Spider-Man was teen angst personified.  The farther you move him from that, the weaker the character becomes.

But this entry isn't about that.  It's about people who claim to be huge Spider-Man fans when they can't even spell his name right.

Come on, people.  Get on the ball.  You're giving geeks a bad name!

I know I'm running more than a little late, but I still want to wish all my friends, readers, occasional perusers the very best in 2008.  Hope it's a good one for all of you.

With apologies to CCR for the title, I am pleased to announce that Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising, the horror anthology from Moonstone Books that contains my first published prose short story, is hitting comic store shelves today!

Now, sure, the fact that I've got something new out is exciting enough on it's own, but I've got a whole lot of great folks keeping me company in the pages of this terror-filled tome.  Like writers Elaine Bergstrom, Tom DeFalcon, Clay & Susan Griffith, William R. Halliar, C.J. Henderson, David Michelinie, Christopher Mills, Mike Reynolds, Beau Smith, Stephen D. Smith, Dave Ulanski and Fred Van Lente!  Not to mention an awesome cover by Dave Dorman and cool interior illustrations by Ken Wolak.

Just the thing to stuff the stocking of any werewolf and/or horror fan of your acquaintance for the holidays!

If the book isn't on the shelves at the local comic shop, they should be able to order it for you.  Also, it's already available from Amazon.com and should be finding its way to better bookstores near you.  In a pinch, you can even order it from Moonstone Books directly!

Hope you'll check it out.  If you do, please let me know what you think here at the P(ull)-List!

I don't know how it is that I've gone two weeks without posting an update.  I've been somewhat busy, yes, but not enough to account for complete radio (OK, blog) silence.

Part of it is post-con funk.  Don't get me wrong, I had a tremendous time at Mid-Ohio Con, as I always do.  Con King Roger Price, his wonderful wife Jane and the best con crew in comics did a great job putting on a good show.  It was fun catching up with old friends, making new ones and chatting with fans.

So why the funk?

Partly because, as a freelance writer, I spend a whole lot of time sitting in my office, by myself, pounding the keyboard and generally living inside my head.  Conventions are a great opportunity to get out and interact with a bunch of folks that love comics just as much as I do for several days straight.  Plus, some of those folks are good friends that I see all too rarely.  So when the convention is over and I'm back to sitting in a room by myself for hours on end, it's kind of a bummer.  I miss the buzz of the convention floor.  I miss the chance to ramble about the artform and business of comics.  I miss hanging out with my friends from the far corners of the country.

This hits me hardest after Mid-Ohio Con.  I've been going to Mid-Ohio for something like 12 years now.  It's really become my "home" show.  Which means I know lots of folks who attend, both as professionals and as fans.  I've got a lot of good friends that I've made over the years, some that I only see down in Columbus.  Also, Mid-Ohio is the last convention of the year.  Which means I won't be seeing those people for several months or maybe even a year.  Extra bummer fuel.

Unfortunately for me, when I'm funked, I don't write much.  Not blogs.  Not emails.  Not scripts (although I pretty much have to force myself to make progress on those, funk or not).  Hence the absence from LJ.

So, what were some of the highlights of the show?

• Sitting next to Danielle Corestto, whom I've known in passing for several years, mostly via the 'Net.  Nice to actually have some time to chat in person for a while.
• Hanging out with former-Marvel editor turned All-Ages writing machine Marc Sumerak.
• Getting to see my pal Suzi and her main squeeze Justin of World Famous Comics fame, formerly of Columbus, who was kind enough to jet in from her new cosmopolitan digs in San Francisco to be with us.
• Spending time my intrepid con compadre and all around cool Joe, Thom Zahler, creator of Love and Capes, the "Heroically Super Situation Comedy."
• Chatting, albeit too briefly, with my pal Mollie.
• Visiting with Joe Gentile and his lovely wife Kathy over at the Moonstone Books booth and at the bar.
• Grabbing dinner Sunday night with the aforementioned Thom, Matt Haley and Sandi Randelle, Matthew "Feedback" Atherton and his wife Sarah, Jarrett "The Defuser" Crippen and his wife Norma, and the always lovely superfan Sarah.
• Having a chance to hang with longtime pal and DC Comics rising star writer, Sean McKeever.
• Seeing soon-to-be collaborator Jeremy Dale and his super-spouse Kelly.

I know I'm forgetting a bunch of folks whom I hope will forgive me.

At least I will be tomorrow. 

This weekend is Mid-Ohio Con, my favorite show of the year.  I've been attending for over a decade now and I look forward to it just as much today as I did back when I started.

For all the details -- guest list, programming, all that jazz -- check out the Mid-Ohio Con website.

And if you can make it down to Columbus this Saturday or Sunday, come by the show.  I'll be there signing books, talking about writing and catching up with old friends.  Hope you can join us!

The 24th Century, to be precise.  Because, you see, Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Andorians has arrived on comic book store shelves across North America today.  Tomorrow?  Well, I'm not sure about the world, but the UK usually gets their new comics on Thursdays.

Published by IDW as part of their 6-issue Alien Spotlight mini-series, Andorians features a story by yours truly and art by Leonard O'Grady.

It's the tale of one Ortees Sharad, a Starfleet Intelligence officer who returns to his homeworld only to find that a great deal of anti-Starfleet sentiment has risen in his absence.  Ever wondered why you saw so few Andorians during the Next Gen?  This should give you an idea why.

This particular comic holds a special place in my cold, withered heart for a number of reasons. 

One, I've been a Trek fan as long as I can remember.  I watched a lot of TOS as a kid, thrilling to the exploits of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov.  I played Star Trek with my neighborhood pals.  I built model kids of phasers and tricorders.  I bought iron on Trek insignia so I could put 'em on my T-Shirts to make 'em look like Starfleet uniforms.  I even started the script to a Star Trek "play" (basically an episode to be performed live) on the battered Royal typewriter that sits on my desk as I type this. 

Two, the Andorians first appeared on the episode Journey to Babel.  The one where we meet Spock's parents and his father almost gets offed by an assassin.  There is a great bit, towards the end, where Spock's human mom is chiding her husband for not thanking his son for saving his life (via blood transfusion).  He says it was the only logical thing for Spock to do.  Spock agrees with him.  No thanks are necessary.  She's more than a touch frustrated with them both.  Then comes this exchange:

Spock: She is highly emotional.
Sarek: Indeed.  She has always been so.
Spock: Then why did you marry her?
Sarek: At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do.

My dad and I did that bit, verbatim, more than a few times when my mom was off on one or the other of us for something. 

Three, I got to explore the the blue-skinned, antennaed, oh-so-cool Andorians! 

Four, I got to set a scene on Ten-Forward on the Enterprise-D.  Heck, I even got to put a few words of dialog in Deanna Troi's mouth.

Five, it was a chance to finally work with the fine folks at IDW, who have been putting out excellent comics for several years now.

Six, did I mention that I've been a Trek fan for as long as I can remember?

If you have to, head out to your local comic book store and pick up a copy, won't you?

Oh, and "Live Long and Prosper."

My dad would have been 86 today. 

He passed away three years ago.  That seems like both an incredibly short time and an incredibly long one.  Like just yesterday he was here and like he's been gone forever.

As I wasn't blogging back then, I thought I'd post the eulogy I gave at his funeral service in honor of his birthday.  I suppose I could have posted it back on October 27th, but it seems more appropriate to me to celebrate his life than his death.


More years ago than I care to remember, our family had grown to the size where we decided to draw names for Christmas, rather than everyone trying to find something for everyone else.  I drew my dad's name, and I decided to give him a 45 record -- for those of you under 20, that's kind of like a low-tech CD single -- called "The Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg, a song inspired by Fogelberg's own father.  That Christmas, I sat my dad down and played the song for him.  Then I thanked him for his influence on my life.  Characteristically, he made sure to point out that I owed just as much to my mother as to him. 

I say characteristically, because looking back on it now, that one incident exemplifies so much about my dad to me: It showed his great love and respect for my mom and the fact that he saw their marriage as a true partnership, a joint endeavor with shared joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs.  It showed his integrity and fairness, his unwillingness to take more than his fair share of credit.  It also showed his humility, his reluctance to be put in the spotlight or put on a pedestal. 

I think that last is particularly important.  You see, I don't think he saw the way he lived his life as extraordinary.  I think he just saw it as the ordinary way a person should live.  He didn't see his example as noteworthy and I think that's exactly why people took note.  Because he was a good man -- a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather, a good friend, a good Christian, a good deacon, a good Sunday School teacher and so much more -- and he saw nothing remarkable about that.  I think that's why he touched so many lives.  Because he was a remarkable man whose dedication to his Faith, his Family and his Friends seemed only natural to him.

My dad wasn't perfect, and he'd be the first one to tell you that, but despite his imperfections he was an inspiration and an example.  One I hope I never lose sight of, even though he's gone. 

In honor of my dad (and with all due respect and acknowledgment to my mom, as my dad would have wanted ), I'd like to share the chorus to that song Dan Fogelberg sang all those years ago:

Looking back, I think the words of that song are particularly appropriate.  "My life has been a poor attempt / To imitate the man"

By the time he was my age, my dad was married to the love of his life, the father of four children, a homeowner twice over, a respected member of his church and making a decent living at a career that, if he didn't love it, he at least liked.

Me?  Not so much.

So far, true love has proved elusive.  I've no children, never owned a house and my career ... well, let's just say that it has its ups and downs.

Still, I've been plugging away at this fiction writing thing for nearly a decade now.  I've written a fair amount of comics in that time and my first prose short story is due out in a couple weeks.  If I haven't built a traditional family, I've made a lot of very good friends over the years that are very much family to me.  If I haven't owned a home, I know that there are many places where I'm always welcome.  And I have the respect of some of my peers, if not all of them. 

But I still take inspiration from the example my father set, hoping and working for more.  That inspiration, that example, is his enduring gift to me.

Thanks, Pop.  For everything.

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.  Why?  Because (for those of us not celebrating it as a religious holiday), it's all about FUN.  Well, and horror.  But FUN horror.  Plus, as you might imagine, as a guy who grew up reading tales of supertypes running around in costumes (and growing up to write them), I always like to have an excuse for putting on a costume myself.  So far, however, I have resisted the urge to go out and fight crime.  Maybe after I start working out again.

Anyway, what sparked my Halloween musings?  Well, in response to another post misscoollinda asked me what my favorite horror movie was.  That seemed to me too good a topic to bury in a reply thread!

But before we get to my favorite horror movie, I have a confession to make: I am a relatively late convert to horror fandom.  I have friends who have been devotees of horror books, comics and movies for as long as they can remember.  Myself?  Not so much. 

Why?  Possibly because, as a kid, horror movies actually scared the crap out of me.  Chalk it up to an overactive imagination and being brought up to believe in things spiritual that require no scientific evidence to prove their existence.  Oh, I knew in my head that vampires and werewolves and such didn't actually exist.  People I trusted made sure I understood it.  But far back in the shadowy reaches of my imagination, there remained a whispered "What if?"  And, of course, it's those very shadowy reaches of imagination that bubble to the surface just as a youngster is drifting off to sleep.

Still, I eventually got over it.  I even got to the point where I could fall asleep without a sheet pulled up over my neck (sovereign protection against tempting vampires, don't you know)!

However, the pattern was set and I wasn't much for horror movies for a long time after. 

I think I was gradually brought back into the fold by way of a comic called Werewolf By Night.  It told the story of one Jack Russell, a guy who was afflicted by a family curse on his eighteenth birthday, doomed to sprout fur, fangs and a bad attitude anytime the full moon rose.  Deep down, though, he was a good guy (like Larry Talbot before him).  And even though Werewolf By Night had horrific elements, there was a bit of a heroic vibe going as well.  The Werewolf often ended up fighting against other, truly evil, monsters or sorcerers of even would-be monster hunters.  People and things who weren't monstrous because of a curse, but because of their own twisted souls.

It's probably no surprise then that some of my favorite horror movies are werewolf movies.

The Wolf-Man.  An American Werewolf in London.  Ginger Snaps.

I debated whether to put The Howling on the list.  I like it, but I'm not sure it goes into the "Favorites" category.

There are also flicks that I really like, but I'm not sure they really qualify as horror.  They're cross-genre movies, mixing horror and humor or horror and humor and action.  Stuff like the exceptional Cast A Deadly Spell (featuring Howard Philip "Phil" Lovecraft as a hard-boiled detective trying to prevent a return of the Great Old Ones of the Cthulhu mythos in a world where magic came back after WW2) or Tremors (about two handymen in a dessert town who end up fighting huge, carnivorous worms that lurk beneath the ground).  I mean, sure, An American Werewolf in London has its funny moments too, but the focus is on the horror and the tragic lead character.

(I should also point out that Fred Ward stars in both Tremors and Cast a Deadly Spell.  He's terrific in both and a truly underrated actor.)

But to get to my favorite horror film, we have to move away from the hellish werewolf and into the realm of Heaven.

Because The Prophecy, starring Christopher Walken as the archangel Gabriel, is my all-time favorite horror flick. 

Now I suppose there are those who would argue about whether it was "straight" horror or not.  Even if it isn't, there's something very chilling to me about the uncaring angels waging war in Heaven over whether we 'monkeys' deserve to be the apple of God's eye and that war coming, at last, to Earth.  Walken's casual cruelty and burning hatred for humanity as Gabriel, coupled with a few brief appearances by Viggo Mortensen as the Devil are enough to lock this firmly into "horror" territory in my book. 

If you haven't seen The Prophecy (or any of the movies I've listed here), I'd highly recommend checking them out during this Halloween season.  That's a whole lot of good, creepy stuff with great scripts and solid-to-exceptional acting.

In fact, I think I may have to watch 'em all again myself.

Guess what I stumbled across today?  An interview with me at Comicon.com's The Pulse!  Didn't realize it had been posted yet.

You can check it out here: Storrie Teams Shi & 10th Muse

As you might just guess from the title, it's primarily about the recent Shi/Tenth Muse one-shot that I wrote for Bluewater Productions.  Initially released this Summer, it being rereleased this month.  This time the cover by Shi creator Billy Tucci is in the spotlight.

I'd tell ya all about the book and the ladies in it, but then you'd have no reason to click through to the Pulse.  So why not go ahead and do that right now?

Go ahead.

Click through.

I'm waiting.

It's been quite a while since I've been back to my alma mater, Grand Valley State University.  That being the case, I'm expecting to be a bit stunned by the changes that have taken place since my last visit.  As I understand it, there are all manner of new buildings that have sprouted up between the ones I remember from my college days.

Still, I'm very much looking forward to participating in tomorrow's Homecoming 2007 Alumni Open House Children's Corner and Alumni Authors Showcase.  From the online schedule of events, it looks like my "Comics 101" for the Children's Corner will be taking place from 3:30 to 4 pm at the Alumni House on the North end of the campus.  Then from 4 to 5, I'll be showing off my various books and signing copies for fellow my fellow GVSU alumni.

It'll be interesting to see if I run into any of my old college friends that I've lost track of over the years.  I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't find their names among the other alumni authors.  I know that several of them had aspirations of writing professionally too. 

Although I expect to enjoy the visit, I anticipate a certain amount of melancholy to follow, remembering days gone by and friendships faded by the passing of years.  Maybe it's partly because I spend a lot of time playing "What if?" on a professional basis, but I can't help wondering sometimes about the path not taken and where it might have led.  Plus, Fall has always been a time for reflection and remembrance for me.  Which has probably been reinforced by the passing of my father, a few years back, at the end of October.

I'll also admit a bit of anxiety doing this presentation.  Much as I love doing panels at conventions, but that's primarily answering questions.  Generally with several other creators.  This time around I have to be entertaining AND informative all by my lonesome.  It's not like I haven't done so on numerous occasions, but it's a lot nicer when you can share the spotlight and the pressure!  Plus, I haven't a clue what the size or age range of the audience will be. 

Once I"m there and talking, everything will be fine.  I may be a bit anxious on the 2 hour drive over to West Michigan, however.

So here I am, feeling equal parts anticipation and anxiety.  I expect by tomorrow, the scales will tip in favor of the former.

I'll be sure to post something before too long saying how things went.

As regular readers of the P(ull)-List know, I've been pretty jazzed that Marvel was releasing Captain America: Red, White & Blue in trade paperback.  Well I just got my copy and now I'm even more jazzed that before.  Because this isn't just an exact reprint of the original volume!

Don't worry, all the original stories created for the anthology are still there, from folks like Paul Dini and Alex Ross, Darko Macan and Bruce Timm, Mark Waid and Mike Huddleston, and yours truly and David Lloyd.  But instead of reprinting "The Origin of the Red Skull" by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, "Tomorrow You Live, Tonight I Die!" by Stan Lee and Jim Steranko, "Home Fires" by Roger Stern and Frank Miller and "Dust" by John Rieber and John Cassaday (all excellent stories, by the way), there's a new batch of great Cap stories, originally presented in Captain America #50 (2002) by Katherine Kuder and Stuart Immonen, Dan Jurgens (with help from John Romita Sr., Ron Frenz, Rick Veitch, Sal Buscema and Mike Zeck), Brian David-Marshall and Igor Kordey, Jen Van Meter and Brian Hurtt and Evan Dorkin and Kevin Maguire.

Then the book wraps up with a reprint of the recent Marvel Spotlight: Captain America Remembered.  That particular publication highlighted the exceptional "Death of Captain America" storyline that writer Ed Brubaker and artists Steve Epting and Mike Perkins are currently telling in the pages of the monthly Captain America comic. 

All in all, a very cool collection of Captain America tales.  One that a Cap fan may want even if he or she already has a copy of the Red, White & Blue hardcover! 

My only disappointment is that Marvel didn't emphasize all the new material in the pre-publication hype for this collection, so that readers would know that this is a different animal than the hardcover.  Not that they didn't make it clear for those who were paying attention, but even I missed the following lines in the solicitation copy for this book:

"In all, more than fifty creators have crafted timeless stand-alone stories each told with a color palette limited to Cap's signature colors of red, white and blue! In addition to these original short stories, this anthology reprints the back-up stories in CAPTAIN AMERICA #50 (2002) and MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: CAPTAIN AMERICA REMEMBERED."

Guess I should have been paying closer attention.

It reminds me of the immortal words of another great American hero, Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Not too long ago, I got a call from the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations of my alma mater, Grand Valley State University, expressing an interest in doing an interview with me for the Alumni Newsletter.  We set up a phone interview and had a very pleasant, if a bit rambling on my end, conversation that she has now turned into an Alumni Spotlight article for the university website. 

Additionally, I'll be visiting the campus in a couple weeks for an Alumni Open House as part of the GVSU Homecoming celebration.  I'll be participating in a Children's Book Corner, as well as an Alumni Authors Showcase.  It's been several years since I've had a chance to get out to Grand Valley, so I'm really looking forward to seeing all the changes that have taken place as the university has grown over the years.

The photo above was taken to go along with the article.  For any of you who have ever wondered what my work environment looks like, now you know!  You can click the pic for a better look.

Hey Folks,

Just got a look at the alternate cover for Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Andorians by Zach Howard and I thought I'd share.



Click for larger version

I think you've still got time to put in your orders at your local comics retailer, so if you want to make sure you get a copy, pass along Previews order code SEP07 3773.  The two covers are being shipped in a 50/50 ratio, rather than having separate order codes for each, so if you have a preference, you should probably let your retailer know that as well!

Also, as previous mentioned (Has it actually been a week since I updated this thing?!?), Wednesday the 26th saw the release of the Captain America: Red, White & Blue anthology in softcover.  Very cool.



If you didn't get a copy of the hardcover, I highly recommend picking up the softcover edition.  Lots of great stories.  Lots of great art.