How the Transformers Almost Became…Muffy and the Mysterians?

 

When Marvel Comics adapted the Transformers for a Western audience, the toy line narrowly avoided a kid-friendly, all-ages makeover. I look at the murky, odd early years of the Transformers at CBR.

Justice League Unlimited's Comics-Accurate Suicide Squad (But Don't Call Them That)

A single, iconic episode of Justice League Unlimited showcased the Suicide Squad's potential as headliners years before the films. I revisit it this week for CBR.

The Unrepentant Transformers Fan Service of Dreamwave's The War Within

 

In 2002, Dreamwave paired a fan-favorite writer and a popular online artist to craft a new chapter in Transformers lore. I revisit Simon Furman's return to the Transformers and the debut of Don Figueroa this week at CBR.

Efficient and Divine: Gene Kendall's New Novel Series

 

Quick-witted and clean-cut Mason Mackay has something dark within. Struggling to accept his sinister urges, Mason must choose between those he loves and those who deserve brutal justice.

 

Gene Kendall here, shilling my latest releases. If I don't, who will? I believe I've mentioned earlier that I've had a few short stories published on the Saturday Evening Post website, and there's also a free short story available if you join my mailing list. But while short stories are likely better suited for contemporary attention spans, I personally favor full-length novels. Foolishly, I continue to peruse the monthly Amazon Prime releases of mysteries and thrillers. I say this because the description always intrigues, the early pages grab my attention (Murder! Mayhem! Betrayal!) , and the stories then proceed to fall off a cliff.

 

What if that didn't happen? What if a contemporary mystery/thriller delivered on its promise?

The goal of Efficient and Divine is to play off the modern-day tropes of the genre while also remaining true to what once made these stories so compelling in the days of loveable drunks like Raymond Chandler. No cookie-cutter characters, no contrived "save the cat" moments to make the lead likeable despite his flaws, no cheap handwaving at the end to assure readers that everything's going to be okay. Conversely, I didn't want the story to remain steeped in nihilism, either. The characters aren't saints, but I'd like to view them as believably human. This means they react as, well, humans would react in these situations, something that's seemingly a rarity in contemporary fiction.

 

The two novels in the series are on Amazon (one is pre-order and the other is out today) -- free for all Kindle Unlimited subscribers. The second is available for preorder and goes on sale on May 5. Is this a ridiculously long novel I've split up for the purposes of padding out releases? Nope! The novels take place years apart (one before the pandemic, and the other "today"), and have separate themes, tones, and character arcs. I'm releasing them a month apart, frankly, for the novelty of it. Why wait years for the next installment when it's already in the drawer?

 

Here's the official blurb for the opening novel, Efficient and Divine: Almost Heaven…

 

Is there a demon hiding inside Mason Mackay? The world sees only a witty, handsome filmmaker. But one interview subject brings out something dark, something truly unspeakable, buried deep in Mason’s subconscious. Within hours, the interview subject is dead. The evidence points to Mason—and he can’t honestly say the police are wrong.

 

Forced to face the secrets of his past, Mason finds himself at odds with a retired FBI agent with cryptic motives. Meanwhile, a mysterious family is offering Mason not only answers, but acceptance of even his darkest urges. What lies buried within Mason must be exposed…for good or ill.

 

The novel's official release is today, but you might still be able to download free preview ARCs at Booksirens and Prolific Works. The audiobook is also coming soon, narrated by the great Brian L. Knutson, who did a fantastic job on my novel Black Hat Blues and my NYPD Blue guidebook. If you check it out, I hope you leave a review, tell a friend, and all of these things you're always begged to do. Mostly, I just hope you enjoy. (But, seriously, reviews are nice.)