Posted 3/8/13 1:00 pm EST by MTV Geek in Books
By Ali Colluccio
I know I usually talk about comics here, but I've been a lot reading books without pictures lately. And you know what? They're all REALLY good! Like, the miss your stop on the subway because you're so wrapped up kind of good. "Best Stuff" is all about the stuff that's so great I want to tell all of my friends and random strangers about it. These stories definitely fit into that category. So I humbly present to you, dear readers, Best Stuff: The Book-Book Edition!
You heard right: there is a new "Harry Potter" cover out . Not a new book, mind you. But a new cover.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone," Scholastic commisioned new covers for trade paperback versions of all seven books by artist Kazu Kibuishi. Kibuishi is the cartoonist behind Scholastic's popular "Amulet" graphic novel series. Read More...
Posted 2/6/13 4:00 pm EST by Eddie Wright in Books, Interviews
"Steel Rainbow: The Legendary Underground Guide to Becoming an '80s Rock Star" is the only how-to guide you need if you plan on strapping on some spandex, teasing up your hair, smearing on some eye shadow, and shooting a music video complete with scantily-clad ladies, Ferraris, and debauchery. Jordan Hart, the writer and illustrator of the book lays out exactly what an aspiring musician needs to survive in a rockin' Hair Metal band...other than a time machine dialed up to 1985 that is. I chatted with Hart over email to find out what exactly went into creating a book like this, and which 80's Hair Metal band is truly the greatest.
Posted 1/31/13 1:45 pm EST by Valerie Gallaher in Books
What would happen if you were pitted against your own twin to the death? Who would be smarter or braver? And who would survive?
Find out in "Dualed," a hard-hitting book written by Elsie Chapman that's already being compared to "The Hunger Games" : Read More...
Posted 1/18/13 1:50 pm EST by MTV Geek in Books
By Steven Smith
Warren Ellis is my messiah. This is not an uncommon geek thought, nor a fairly original one, but one I’m certain has crossed Mr. E’s brain once or twice. And well it should. He is without a doubt my favorite writer, comic or otherwise, and I was a fan before I knew I was a fan.
During my issue to trade paperback buying transition (see also out of college and broke time period) I began reading Warren Ellis. Yes, it was "Transmetropolitan" and yes it’s the most brilliant thing ever. You know this. I devoured it, well up until the trades caught up with the monthly series. Stupid wait time - but all this meant was that in the meanwhile I could peruse every other damn thing he wrote: "Planetary", "Gravel", "Desolation Jones" et al. "Lazarus Churchyard" fondled my eyeholes and "Ignition City" has been read and reread and reread. And it was a joy to find out he wrote all of the issues of "Excalibur" I actually liked! Bonus!
In an interview with EW, Stephen King dished a bit on his upcoming "Shining" sequel "Doctor Sleep" and how it will explore the theme of alcoholism, just as "The Shining" did, especially when it comes to the implications of Danny Torrence following in his father's footsteps. He said:
Posted 1/10/13 11:13 am EST by Eddie Wright in Books, Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
George R.R. Martin sneakily unleashed a new excerpt from the upcoming sixth book in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series "The Winds of Winter." For those who've been living under a direwolf corpse for the last few years, "A Song of Ice and Fire" is the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones" and "Winter" is eagerly anticipated following the release of "A Dance of Dragons" in July of 2011. Martin has a reputation for leisurely writing though some may say expertly crafting his work so the expected release date for "The Winds of Winter" is something like March of 2156.
Posted 1/4/13 1:30 pm EST by Valerie Gallaher in Books, TV
Can you imagine "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling penning a Doctor Who story? What a great meeting of fandoms that would be!
Well, it might happen -- at least, it's in the realm of possibility.
The site Hypable posits that Rowling might be among the “well-known children’s authors” to write a short "estory" in celebration of the Doctor's 50th anniversary this year. This supposition is based on a recent press release from the BBC announcing the project: Read More...
Posted 1/4/13 11:32 am EST by MTV Geek in Books, Movies
By Steven Smith
First and foremost the scene between Bilbo and Gollum was perfect. PERFECT. And why you may ask? Because it was super true to the book. Boom. Done. Awesome. Andy Serkis has proven time and time again he is the Stanislavski of performance capture and Martin Freeman truly was Bilbo. And the best part was the CGI for Gollum didn’t look like CGI, even in HFR a.k.a. High Frame Rate. I totally dug it.
When I first learned Peter Jackson had filmed "The Hobbit" Trilogy (seriously, trilogy? It’s the shortest book!) at 48 frames per second, well, I reacted as you might have – “Hubba what?” Had no idea what that meant. Sure I knew most film was shot at 24 frames per second, and 60mm film looked awesome and grand -- but that was it for my film knowledge, other than knowing what a Macguffin is (and "The Hobbit’s" was supposed to be the dragon but now it’s all dwarvy.) Read More...
Posted 1/4/13 10:26 am EST by Charles Webb in Books, Comic Books, Marvel, Reviews
At some point you're going to have to confront the question, "Who was Kaine?" And you're not going to have an answer to that question (at least one that doesn't involve shaking your head and mumbling something about clones and the 90's).
Want to help a new Spider-Man fan get immersed in the world of the wall crawler? DK Publishing has two handsome new hardcovers out--"Spider-Man Chronicle: A Year-By-Year Visual History" and "Spider-man: Inside The World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero"--that both take a look at the history, battles, and characters in Spidey's 50 years of publication history.
On his personal Tumblr, author Joe Hill premiered "Locke & Key" artist Gabriel Rodriguez's cover for the limited edition of Hill's new novel "NOS4A2." "NOS4A2" is Hill's take on the vampire tale and centers on a bad dude named Charlie Manx who takes children for a ride to the mysterious Christmasland in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith. The title of the book refer's to Manx's vanity license plate...NOS4A2, get it?
Posted 1/3/13 2:07 pm EST by Valerie Gallaher in Books, Movies
I thought that in commemoration of acclaimed fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday, it'd be fun to take a look at some of the Internet memes based on him and his creations. (Also, I communicate largely by Internet memes alone, though you've probably never heard of it.)
First let's look at memes based directly on Tolkien. The most popular in this category is:
Posted 1/3/13 8:55 am EST by Eddie Wright in Books
Gun Machine By Warren Ellis Trailer
Watch the very awesome trailer for Warren Ellis' new book "Gun Machine" narrated by Wil Wheaton, illustrated by Ben Templesmith and directed by Jim Batt.
Posted 1/2/13 11:57 am EST by Charles Webb in Books, Dark Horse, Reviews
Author Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's comic-apocalyptic novel "Jam" pokes fun at military-industrial incompetence, an over-saturation of hipster irony, and the corporate hive mind--all pretty soft targets for the usually sharp and funny writer. Unfortunately, given its broadsides against such dull unworthies, a lead character who's a quivering moral vacuum (although that's not a bad thing in and of itself), and a weirdly languorous structure, this story of the carnivorous strawberry jam that ate Brisbane never really does justice to the absurdity of that pitch.
Posted 12/17/12 11:17 am EST by Valerie Gallaher in Books, Comic Books, Horror
If you're a comic book lover and are looking for the perfect "coffee table" tome for your rad crashpad, seek no further than Yoe! Books and their swank collection of retro favorites -- from the wacky to the bizarre! Read More...