The Strange, Forgotten Transformers Stories from Marvel Books

 

Over at CBR, I'm revisiting the truly odd world of early 1980s Transformers storybooks from Marvel Books. Featuring some awesome Earl Norem art, at least. 

Blind Cerulean - My Vigilante Crime Thriller Now on Audible

 

As you likely know, I'm prepping for the release of Blind Cerulean, an '80s inspired vigilante crime thriller starring a teenage vigilante and her grizzled mentor's war against a corpulent drug kingpin.

If you're an audiobook fan, I have good news -- the audio version of Blind Cerulean is available right the heck now on Audible. Narration comes from Tom Weitzel, who pulled off the task of voicing both a snarky teenage girl and a caustic older man better than I could've imagined.

Assuming you like free stuff, there are a few ways to enjoy the audiobook without releasing a dime from your wallet. (Though I'm not sure how a dime got in there, or how you'd pay for anything online that way.) Review copies are available through the AudioFreebies site for a limited time.

If you're new to Audible, you can follow this link to begin a free trial. This is the specific link for my book, which helps me out with Audible's bounty program...and who doesn't enjoy helping others?

While the ebook's release date remains November 1st, the novel is available as an Amazon preview release in both softcover and hardcover right now. The ebook's preorder price has also recently been reduced to a mere ninety-nine cents, so if you know of anyone who'd be curious about the novel, please pass this along.

(And if you missed out on your chance for a free preview copy of the book, review copies are still available on BookSirens. Click this link for your ARC copy and enjoy the novel weeks before everyone else...)

As a thank-you to my subscribers, I've also released an exclusive chapter of the book -- available only to subscribers and not on Amazon. This chapter fleshes out a bit of backstory and is hopefully pretty darn entertaining on its own. Simply follow the link for your exclusive chapter of Blind Cerulean.

As always, I want to say thanks for your time, and reiterate how important your support remains.  If you leave a review, listen to the audiobook, tell a friend, or simply check out a few preview pages, it all matters in some way.

Spider-Man's First Film Treatment Was Influenced by Frank Miller, Oddly Enough

 

I'm looking back at Jim Shooter's initial pitch for a Spider-Man movie, going back to around 1984. You can also enjoy random comments from people who think I didn't know Kingpin began as a Spider-Man villain, for some reason. By the way, an attempt was made to adapt this treatment as a graphic novel, but it was never finished. Heritage Auctions has archived Larry Lieber's penciled pages.

When Batman: The Animated Series Graced Us With Condiment King

 

I'm looking back at two separate stories from the Batman: The Animated Series canon that introduce some less than inspiring villains this week at CBR.

Image's Masters of the Universe Revival Teased a Darker Side to He-Man

 

As Nostalgia Snake continues, I'll be looking at the time He-Man faced temptation -- not in the desert, but in the bowels of Snake Mountain.

How Shredder (Finally) Faced 2003's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

This week, I revisit Shredder's full debut on the under-rated 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and its connection to the earliest TMNT comics.

And, here are a few more sections that didn't survive a final edit...

DESIGN-Y

There's a nice use of shadow in episodes, as the Turtles face the mostly-black Foot Clan and Shredder in dark alleys and midnight rooftops. The show also has a great use of flashbacks, swapping out its standard color palette for a sepia-tone look when Splinter tells the story of his past.

HEY, I KNOW THAT VOICE

Veronica Taylor, the show's voice of April O'Neil, pops up in a bit part as a young boy who walks in on Donatello and an injured Michelangelo after they sneak into his bathroom. She uses the same voice here she used as Pokémon's Ash Ketchum.

X-Men: The Animated Series - When Came the Apocalypse

 

This week, I'm looking at two episodes from X-Men: The Animated Series' debut season that eclipse two big-budget Fox films with similar plots.

And, hey, looks like two sections didn't survive someone's final edit in the actual article...

HEY, I KNOW THAT VOICE 

Apocalypse is voiced by John Colicos, the actor who played the first ever Klingon on Star Trek, Commander Kor. He's the perfect actor to deliver baroque lines like, "I am the rocks of the eternal shore. Crash against me and be broken!"

APPROVED BY BROADCAST STANDARDS & PRACTICES

Comics fans know that Angel became Death Angel after his encounter with Apocalypse, only adopting the name Archangel after yet another X-event, "Inferno." Archangel was undoubtedly a friendlier name for the censors, though.

And since comments on articles have disappeared in the past, here's showrunner Eric Lewald's kind response to the article...

'Thanks to Mr. Kendall for his insightful article. He is right about that these episodes were conceived as a two-parter and that we were guilty as charged about a few bits of "dodgy continuity." When Mark Edens and I laid out the first season of X-MEN:TAS, we were working very fast and were told simply to "try to keep as close to the spirit of the books" as we could. At the same time, X-Men superfan producer-director Larry Houston was starting to populate the backgrounds and corners of episodes with cameos/easter-eggs of X-Men-world characters. During the "Slave Island" episode, we writers had asked simply to have "a dozen enslaved mutants in the background" and, to the fans delight, Larry loaded this and other episodes with recognizable X-characters -- not necessarily checking how we might be using some of them (like Mystique) in later episodes, like these two, where she was a principal guest character. None of us caught this at the time. The same holds true with Angle/Archangel. Since we had the fun of having him "meet" the X-Men in season one, years later we should have left him out of the early-team-photo-like memories. And yes, our focus here was simple: tell the most compelling Rogue story we could while introducing two new major characters (Angel and Apocalypse). Character first. ERIC LEWALD"

Blind Cerulean - The Lost Chapter

 

Joining the ranks of 2003, I do have a mailing list you guys can join. I promise not to spam you or sell your address...or even send that many emails. I do provide updates on my projects, however, and now have an exclusive offer. 

There's a chapter of my upcoming novel Blind Cerulean I was rather proud of, and it did feature a seminal event for the characters...but darned if it didn't hinder the story's flow, and ultimately, nudge the word count a little too high. But, hey, it could also work as a tease for the book, and is pretty fun in its own right.

So my solution is to offer this chapter as an exclusive download for everyone who signs up for my mailing list. It's very possible this will be the first of several exclusives, actually. So, follow this link to join, make sure you check your Spam folder, then enjoy what could've been Chapter 7.5 of Blind Cerulean.

Tim Burton's Ultra-Obscure 1985 Batman Treatment

 

This week, I look at Tim Burton's 1985 "scriptment" for Batman, written soon after he was given the job. Surprisingly, it has nods to obscure old comics and a more emotionally mature Batman...and no Frank Miller influence, as it predates Dark Knight Returns. 

Blind Cerulean: Gene Kendall's Brisk, Brutal Vigilante Crime Thriller

 

This is a repost of an earlier entry on Gentlemen of Leisure, just in case anyone hasn't heard the exciting news -- the release of my new novel!

Gene Kendall here, appropriating a blog post like some hog and announcing the release of my new novel, Blind Cerulean. In recent years, I’ve written about a fictional ’90s post-Nirvana alt-rock band, a politically incorrect cartoonist who accidently brings a supervillain into reality, and a paranormal investigator/crappy husband who finds himself trapped in a corner of the afterlife with a coven of horny ghosts. It’s only natural that my next novel would feature a teenage vigilante determined to bring down a corpulent drug kingpin. Clearly, there’s a logical progression here.

Remember DC's Answer to the Ultimates?

 

I look back to those far-off 200X days this week at CBR. DC was serious about challenging Marvel's status as the industry's leader...and had some fun with Marvel's hottest book at the time.

Image's Masters of the Universe Revival Wasn't Exactly Classic He-Man

 

Nostalgia Snake returns, as I revisit the past of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in comics, including their 2002 return from Image Comics.

G. I. Joe's Chilling Connection to a Forgotten Sunbow Cartoon

 

I go into some deep 1980s Sunbow lore here, exploring a dark fate for a G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero character that occurred in a different show...

The Batman Beyond Villains Foiled by DC's Lawyers

 

Adventure(s) Time continues, as I look at Batman Beyond and the Marvel parody villains DC's lawyers really didn't want making a return appearance.

WildStorm's ThunderCats Revival Was Pure '80s Nostalgia

 

I'm looking back this week at the 2002 ThunderCats series from Wildstorm, notable for its Ed McGuinness art, if for nothing else. (But where were the SilverHawks?)

Batman: The Animated Series and the Softer Side of...Poison Ivy?

 

This week, I'm revisiting two DCAU Batman stories that hint that Poison Ivy isn't the nihilistic eco-terrorist we'd been led to believe. Sure...

The DC Animated Universe and All Those Royal Flush Gangs

 

Looking back this week at Justice League's "Wild Cards," which not only brought Green Lantern and Hawkgirl together as a couple, but began the DCAU tradition of fouled-up Royal Flush Gang continuity.

X-Men: The Animated Series' Manga Adaptation Turned a Bad Episode...Strange

 

I'm revisiting an X-Men: The Animated Series episode that's likely no one's favorite this week...but its manga adaptation is gloriously absurd.