I dunno, this can go either way (instant classic or colossal waste of time), but I am intrigued to see the silver screen translation of Mark Millar’s (Marvel 1985, Wanted, Ultimate X-Men) comic of teen vigilantes pretending to be superheroes.

A trade paperback edition will be published by Marvel next month (9780785132615 $19.99). Single issues of this comic cost a pretty penny, so expect some interest in this once this trailer picks up some buzz (the film isn’t going to be released until April 2010).

Bonus points for both using Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation on the trailer, and casting Superbad’s McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as Red Mist.

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

I exaggerate, but only slightly.

After hearing the announcement that BEA was going to lop off plans to open the exhibit hall on Tuesday evening (to accommodate some pre-show schmoozing), erstwhile Soft Skull publisher Richard Nash took to the blogosphere to denounce the action on the Huffington Post.

What’s interesting is that it wasn’t BEA organizers that ankled this idea, but rather the exhibitors (ie. the publishers) themselves.

It’s really a shame. Sure, there are booth parties, but a lot of them happen lat the end of the day, when folks are extremely burned-out. It would be nice to get shellacked ahead of time. That way, when some New York bigwig decides to hammer you on Wednesday morning about why your numbers with them are down, you can remind them of the cellphone pictures you have of said executive with his tie around his head and the matter will be dropped.

But, sadly, it seems that no matter what talk we hear about how publishing has to change or die, some folks seem content to dig their own graves. Or, as Nash so adroitly puts it “That pain in our foot? It’s not outsiders stomping on it, it’s us, shooting ourselves”.

Richard, I got some Black Bush with your name on it. Sláinte!

• Leave a comment... (1)

The film adaptation of Sapphire’s novel Push, retitled Precious (Vintage PB 9780307474841 $13.00) is generating quite a bit of controversy.

Graphic Novel Reporter has a brief interview with the author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz.

Is there really such a thing as the Glenn Beck Effect on books that can be measured beyond the amount of column inches devoted to it in the press? And, have any of the writers he’s interviewed on his show been women or minorities? Just wonderin’.

Eleven Things You Could Do Instead of Reading Jonathan Safron Foer’s Book About Not Eating Meat. I’m not posting this to pick a fight with Foer, who, when I hear discussing the issue, sounds perfectly sane. Rather, I think it is funny when folks who reside in a majority of any kind (meat eaters, single-occupant car drivers, straight white men) feel threatened when any kind of dissenting opinion is voiced. Full disclosure: I am an omnivore, who really enjoys the variety of menu options offered to my by the animal kingdom.

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked, has chosen a rather unconventional route with the publication of his most recent novel The Next Queen of Heaven.

It is being published by a small press called Concord Free Press. And when they put Free in they’re name, they’re not just talking about freedom of expression.

The price for this new novel by a New York Times bestselling author is free. Or, more to the point, the book can be had for free, with the promise that the recipient will:

Make a donation of any size to a charity of their choosing

Pass the book on to another reader and request they do the same

It’s a publishing model that seems to be working. According to their website, Concord Free Press claims that the three titles they’ve published so far (all of their books follow this pricing scheme) have generated over $98,000 worth of donations to a variety of causes.

Obviously, it’s not a business model that every publisher can emulate (they sustain themselves with donations from the reading public, their authors, and t-shirt sales), but it would be really nice to see a few more try.

However, it’ll break my heart if I see these books for sale on eBay!

(via Jacket Copy)

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

The first thing I thought when I heard that the Harvard Lampoon was doing a parody of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga was that if it was half as funny as Bored of the Rings, then it should be pretty good.

Of course, I haven’t read any of the Twilight books to determine how good of a satire their take is. I do have to say that giving it such an uninspired title as Nightlight (RH PB 9780307476104 $13.95) doesn’t fill me with confidence.

However, it might be a hit with the tween-Hot Topic-shopping-Muse-listening crowd. It is certainly an ideal gift to buy for a Twilight fan who has read them all several times over.

Might be a wise idea to stock it in YA, next to the series, and not merely banish it to the ghetto of the humor section. The teens might have a hard time finding it if they have to wade through a bunch of Ray Romano remainders.

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

It seems that The Onion has been reading my wish list again.

Barack Obama names Alan Moore Official White House Biographer

“As evidenced by his epic run on Swamp Thing #21–64, Moore’s deft hand with both sociopolitical commentary and metaphysical violence makes him an ideal choice to chronicle my time in office”.

(via The Beat)

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

A survey published in the Independent UK reveals that respondents who admit to illegally downloading music also claim to spend more music than those who don’t fileshare.

While I think it is noble that their only use for illegally downloading music would be to test drive it, I’m not naive enough to actually believe that the majority of respondents were being honest: both in admitting their downloading and their spending habits.

Perhaps those who admit to downloading music feel like they’re statistically compensating for their proclivities?

That being said, I will say that punishing music fans for illegal downloads doesn’t really solve the problem of what is ailing the music business, nor does it enlighten the industry as to other distribution models. Treating fans as criminals only alienates and enboldens them.

If these results of the survey are accurate, I wonder if the the same would hold true for those who download, legally or illegally, ebooks. After all, isn’t this new $10 threshold for bestsellers dictated by Amazon/War-Mart et al really just a way for somebody to confront big publishing that books are becoming prohibitively expensive?

• Leave a comment... Comments Off

If you had told me sixteen years ago that Peter Jackson, director of such demented films as Meet the Feebles and Dead Alive, would direct a massive three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and that these films would become critical and financial success, I would have accused you of putting too much Drano in your crack pipe.

But, here we are. Jackson has made not only a mountain of cash,  he has also earned considerable mainstream cachet, which will be put to the test as he prepares to release his Oscar-bait adaptation of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.

The New York Times has a profile of the director and his upcoming film.

We may have to wait to see this film (the Times lists it as being released December 11th, but IMDB lists January 15, 2010), but it’s a safe bet that sales for the book will pick up once the Oscar buzz starts start swirl.

• Leave a comment... Comments Off