Friday, August 11, 2006

Other People's Toys #4 - The Grandmaster Speaks: The Barry Reese Interview Hosted by Thomas Deja http://www.serialprizes.com/heroes/opt/opt_04_0806.mp3 Barry Reese was there before the creation of the comic-company-based fanfic model--in fact, he was one of the contributors to the very first comic-company-based fanfic site, Marvel Volume 1. He's probably written more fanfiction than anyone, including one of the longest runs ever, on Pendragons. Barry has a lot to say about continuity, keeping runs fresh, research, and even discusses his time writing profiles for Marvel Comics' Encyclopedias and The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe Plus, more fanfic trailers from 2099UGR and a song from The Mercury Effect, a band featuring Strange Tales' Chris Munn!! This podcast features "Tom Cruise Crazy," by semi-official OPT troubadour Jonathan Coulton via The Creative Commons License. Please visit his site at www.jonathancoulton.com Sites discussed: The Mercury Effect: http://www.myspace.com/themercuryeffect All*Star X-Men: http://www.uncannyxmen.net/fanfic/default.asp?sec=6 Marvel Omega: http://marvel.omegacen.com JLU 2001: http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/ Marvel 2000: http://m2k.omegacen.com/ DC Infinity: http://www.dcinfinity.ca/ Altered Visions: http://www.alteredvisions.org posted by Jason Kenney Friday, August 11, 2006

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Other People's Toys #3 - The Care And Feeding Of Editors: What Do Those Guys Do Anyway? Hosted by Thomas Deja http://www.serialprizes.com/heroes/opt/opt_02_0606.mp3 Please right click and "save as..." so you can listen to this whenever you'd like. Yeah, it's a hobby--but a hobby with someone who sort of looks over your shoulder. Why do fanfic writers need editors and, more importantly, how do you behave if you end up being an editor? We talk with Dino Pollard, present editor of the Omega Central group of fanfiction (http://omegacen.com/) and the former editor of, among other sites, Marvel 2000 (http://m2k.omegacen.com/) and Marvel Revolution about what an editor does and how he goes about keeping a site breathing. Plus, more fanfic trailers from 2099UGR and Altered Visions! This podcast features "Code Monkey," by semi-official OPTs troubadour Jonathan Coulton via The Creative Commons License. Please visit his site at www.jonathancoulton.com Sites discussed: All*Star X-Men: http://www.uncannyxmen.net/fanfic/default.asp?sec=6 Strange Tales: http://mcity.compholio.com/strangetales Marvel Omega: http://marvel.omegacen.com DC Infinity: http://www.dcinfinity.ca/ Artifice Comics: http://www.artificecomics.com posted by Jason Kenney Sunday, July 02, 2006

Monday, June 05, 2006

Other People's Toys #2 - Where Is My Tangent Fanfiction?: Imprints and Smaller Universes In Fanfic Hosted by Thomas Deja http://www.serialprizes.com/heroes/opt/opt_02_0606.mp3 Please right click and "save as..." so you can listen to this whenever you'd like. If one of the purposes of fanfiction is to keep properties that are out of print alive, where are the fanfic sites for smaller imprints like 2099, The New Universe, The Ultraverse and others? David Ellis, the present man behind 2099 Underground Revised (http://2099ugr.serialprizes.com) joins us for a talk about his experiences writing for and running a site devoted to a smaller imprint, and talks about why there are no sites for other imprints. Plus, he contributes a kick-ass movie-style trailer for upcoming 2099UGR releases! This podcast features "Re: Your Brains," by semi-official OPTs troubadour Jonathan Coulton. Please visit his site at www.jonathancoulton.com. Sites discussed: X-M: http://www.uncannyxme.net/ DC Infinity: http://www.dcinfinity.ca/ Pendragons: http://www.ironrodstudio.com/av2000/titles.asp?imprint=PD Marvel Omega: http://marvel.omegacen.com posted by Jason Kenney Monday, June 05, 2006

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Other People's Toys #1 - Fanfic 101 Hosted by Thomas Deja http://www.serialprizes.com/heroes/opt/opt_01_0506.mp3 Please right click and "save as..." so you can listen to this whenever you'd like. Fanfic 101: We debut the first fanfic-oriented podcast with a little discussion of the history and nature of fanfic, with an emphasis on comic-book company style fan-fiction. Fanfic may very well go back to the pulp era, but you might not know who counts as the first fanficcer... until now! OPT1 features "Skullcrusher Mountain," an original song by Jonathan Coulton. Please visit his site at www.jonathancoulton.com. posted by Jason Kenney Sunday, May 14, 2006

Friday, May 12, 2006

New At Strange Tales http://mcity.compholio.com/strangetales/ Ghost Rider # 9 "Two Lane Highway" - Part Nine By Dino Pollard Making his debut at Strange Tales, writer Dino Pollard scribes the final chapter of "Two Lane Highway"! What will John Blaze do when the Ghost Rider's vengeful gaze falls upon his last remaining loved one: his daughter, Emma? Howling Commandos # 1 "Blood, Guts, and Horror (Because Glory Ain't What It Used to Be)" By Mike Rasbury A rainy night in Oxford drowns out the death of an unlucky SHIELD agent. A Faustian gambit backfires. Nick Fury--starved for vengeance--dips into the unholy world of black magic to resurrect a broken soul. Led by the undead, SHIELD will unleash it's new breed of soldier. Witches # 8 "The End" - Part One By Megan Curtis Vicki Montesi, Lilith, and Topaz finally reunite after the traumatic events in Rome--only to realize that all is not right in the mystic realm of Avalon. Don't miss the return of one of Strange Tales' most popular titles! posted by Jason Kenney Friday, May 12, 2006

Thursday, May 11, 2006

New At Avengers 2000 http://www.ironrodstudio.com/av2000 From the AVENGERS 2000 Imprint... The Invaders #23 "Homecoming" By Jeff Melton "I'd like to introduce you to Crimson Commando, Silver Sable, and Stonewall." Tales to Astonish #5 "Dead Devil" By Barry Reese A young woman in a colorful costume sighed in relief. "Thank heavens. He's the only one we can trust in this era." She smiled self-consciously. "Aside from you, I mean." From the PENDRAGONS Imprint... The Pendragons #96 "The Gathering" By David Wheatley "I need you to choose something, Joey.” She waved her hand and on the coffee table two objects appeared. “The sword, or the amulet." From the LEGACY Imprint... Morbius #16 "Betrayal" By Taylor Knock "He is the monster. He is wounded now. Blood is flowing from his neck. This night he has been forced to heal many wounds, and to fight many battles. He is growing tired. He is the monster. His name is Morbius. He must feed." posted by Jason Kenney Thursday, May 11, 2006

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

New At Marvel 2000 http://m2k.rlk7.com Alpha Flight #59 "Take Me To Your Leader II, Conclusion" By Gregg Epstein Heroes For Hire #4 "Teamwork, Part One" By D. Golightly Iron Man #32 "It Falls Apart, Part Two" By Barry Reese New Warriors #14 "Where Did All The Boys Go?" by Stephen Crosby posted by Jason Kenney Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

New at DC Infinity http://www.dcinfinity.ca/ Superman: The Man of Steel #1 By Tony Thornley The Last Son of Krypton is missing One Year Later...where he is will shock you...but not nearly as much as why! Justice League #1 By Josh Krenz & Mike Hintze One Year Later, the League works to protect humanity...but this is not any League you've ever seen before! When a space shuttle is in distress over Earth, the new Justice League rushes to the scene...with disastrous consequences. Nightwing #1 By D. Golightly One Year Later, Nightwing is the central protector for Gotham City...but what other HUGE change has happened to Dick Grayson? Plus: the return of a character longtime Nightwing readers will surely recognize! Manhunters #1 By Ken Hintze One Year Later, J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, faces a mystery like no other...but he doesn't face it alone! Meet his team of secret operatives as they investigate a rash of global disappearances...and the unexpected return of a classic DC Hero! DCI Showcase Presents #1 By Josh Krenz The premiere issue of our anthology series begins with Part 1 of a tale unlike any you'll see at DCI...as a young girl searches for the world's greatest heroes...the results of which will change the course of the DCU forever! 52 #1 By Mike Hintze DCI's weekly series filling in the One Year Gap! In this inaugural issue, the heroes of the DCU are picking up the pieces of their lives after Infinite Crisis...but new threats are on the horizon. Plus: An event transpires amid the JLA Watchtower ruins...one destined to have huge ramifications for the future of the DCU! posted by Jason Kenney Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Saturday, May 06, 2006

New at DC Omega http://dc.rlk7.com Action Comics #2 By Alex Hayden While the Bronze Tiger gets a visit from some government agents, the Penguin and Riddler continue to plot out their own shipments of the "smackers." Meanwhile, Nightwing and Richard Dragon find themselves up against a host of assassins... with an unlikely ally! The excitement continues in part two of "Team Up." Fallen #2 By Dino Pollard Following Samael's massacre of the train and his simultaneous death at the hands of Gabriel, Lance Kells is now forced to cope with what he's just seen. Not only that, but now he's stranded in Indiana with no way of getting to Chicago! Luckily for him, he finds a kind soul to give him a ride. Dino Pollard's novel continues with "Hitcher"! Green Lantern #2 By Ian Astheimer and Thomas Moses After the death of his mother and a crisis of faith, Kyle travels to Oa to seek the wisdom of Ganthet, only to discover the Guardian is restarting the Green Lantern Corps with Guy Gardner and Kilowog as two of the teachers! Kyle, however, has another request—reassignment! But he may get more than he bargained for as "Transitional Phrases" continues! Superman #6 By Dino Pollard During the planet's rebellion against humanity, Lois Lane was one of the casualties. Now, the Man of Steel has retreated to his Fortress of Solitude. Can a visit from the Dark Knight Detective help Clark rediscover who he is and why he does what he does? The world mourns the death of Lois Lane in "In Memorium." posted by Jason Kenney Saturday, May 06, 2006

Friday, May 05, 2006

New at JLU 2001 http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/ Showcase #21 featuring Mon El By Steve Crosby When you gain powers, you have to make choices; sometimes they only affect you, your friends, or your favorite city. In this first issue, Lar Gand makes a choice that determines the future of his whole planet. Nightwing #6 By Dino Pollard When the bodies of tortured and murdered children begin showing up, it's enough to shake even someone who was partnered with the legendary Batman. Titans Annual By Mick Edwards Beast Boy… Raven… Vic… Death and loss surround the Titans… with no end in sight. Superboy # 9 By Alex Hayden Traveling in the orbit of superheroes has its perks but most of the time, you might as well rent yourself out as a hostage. It's unfair... but it's even more unfair when you're kidnapped by mistake and used as bait to lure a super you aren't even friends with. posted by Jason Kenney Friday, May 05, 2006