F.M. Busby (1921-2005)
"Both fandom and prodom suffered a loss today, Feb. 17, with the passing of F.M. 'Buz' Busby, who died this afternoon after battling an abdominal problem that put him in the hospital about a month ago. Buz, probably best known for his 'Rissa Kerguelen' series of science fiction novels, was also a BNF in the fandom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He and his wife Elinor edited Cry of the Nameless, winning a Hugo for best fanzine in 1960. Buz underwent another operation a few days ago, and was moved yesterday to a care facility because his Medicare coverage ended. He was 83 years old, born Francis Marion Busby on March 11, 1921. You can leave notes of condolence or memories on this CaringBridge page page, where additional details will be posted; I'll pass on any notes posted below to Elinor."
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Superman is a Dick
I guess that this requires no further introduction then. It is a National Lampoon site, but the covers appear to have been legit and not doctored. It is worth it, if only for the name of the page.
Superman is a Dick
Superman is a Dick
De gustibus non est disputandum.
De gustibus non est disputandum
(day GOOS-ti-boos nohn est dis-poo-TAHN-dem) Latin for “There’s no disputing about taste.” Another version of this saying is “There’s no accounting for taste.”
Words to live by.
(day GOOS-ti-boos nohn est dis-poo-TAHN-dem) Latin for “There’s no disputing about taste.” Another version of this saying is “There’s no accounting for taste.”
Words to live by.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
The Wold Newton Universe - Chronology Central
Originally created by SF author Philip Jose Farmer for his "biographies" of Tarzan and Doc Savage, the Wold Newton concept has been used and refered to by a number of authors looking to link the worlds (and families) of the great heroes and villains of the past.
The Wold Newton Universe - Chronology Central
Any GM interested in running an RPG campaign in either the Pulp or Victorian eras (or even in modern times) would do well to look over the information contained on this website. There is a lot of good, usable information contained there. I cannot reccomend it strongly enough.
The Wold Newton Universe - Chronology Central
Any GM interested in running an RPG campaign in either the Pulp or Victorian eras (or even in modern times) would do well to look over the information contained on this website. There is a lot of good, usable information contained there. I cannot reccomend it strongly enough.
The Dorkland Shop
Ok, I need the money. Proclaim your dorkiness for all of the world to see with Dorkland shirts, stickers and messenger bags. Check out the shop and the snazzy logo that I designed for Dorkland. I will probably be adding some other merchandise as time goes by. There is some nice stuff, and the quality is pretty good. Eventually, this should become your one stop dork shopping place!
The Dorkland Shop
"Welcome to my store of dorkiness. By purchasing Dorkland products and proudly wearing them you can proclaim your dorkiness loudly and proudly. Join the nation of Dorkland!"
The Dorkland Shop
"Welcome to my store of dorkiness. By purchasing Dorkland products and proudly wearing them you can proclaim your dorkiness loudly and proudly. Join the nation of Dorkland!"
Monday, February 21, 2005
Writer Hunter S. Thompson kills himself
This was some pretty shocking news for me to wake up to. This is a great shame...I am just at a loss for words. He will be missed, he already is.
Writer Hunter S. Thompson kills himself
"Hunter S. Thompson, the hard-living writer who inserted himself into his accounts of America's underbelly and popularized a first-person form of journalism in books such as 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' has committed suicide.
"Thompson was found dead Sunday in his Aspen-area home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sheriff's officials said. He was 67. Thompson's wife, Anita, had gone out before the shooting and was not home at the time."
Writer Hunter S. Thompson kills himself
"Hunter S. Thompson, the hard-living writer who inserted himself into his accounts of America's underbelly and popularized a first-person form of journalism in books such as 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' has committed suicide.
"Thompson was found dead Sunday in his Aspen-area home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sheriff's officials said. He was 67. Thompson's wife, Anita, had gone out before the shooting and was not home at the time."
Sunday, February 20, 2005
DigitalGlobe -- Images For The Media
Do you want those high-res satellite photos for your game sessions like the ones that you see on the nightly news? Here is a place where you can find them. A great resource for GMs and Publishers as well.
DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Classic Marvel Super-Heroes RPG
I know that I have this main site linked in my Dorkroll, but it is worth having an entry for it to bring attention. The original Marvel Super-Heroes RPG (as published back in the day by TSR) is one of my all time favorite RPGs. This site is great, and I have been a fan of it for at least five years now. It reproduces the core rules, and a few of the supplements, for the game in PDF form. If you like super-heroes and/or simple RPG systems and you missed this the first time around...you should go to it now.
Classic Marvel Super-Heroes RPG
"In the early eighties, TSR put out a roleplaying game called, aptly enough, 'Marvel Super Heroes.' The set was less numbers-based, and geared toward first-time players, people unfamiliar with role-playing games.
"The system really took off with the release of the Advanced Set in 1986. New powers and rules were added, the rank system made more flexible, and a number of supplements were released afterward to make for an even richer gaming experience."
This page has a link to a compendium of PDFs of the old Marvel-Phile articles that TSR ran in Dragon Magazine to support the system. There's some good stuff, plus official stats for Howard the Duck (of course I think that would be good stuff too).
Both of these sites are worth checking out. Good games don't die anymore...thanks to PDFs and the internet...they just become something that gets supported by the fan base instead. One day there won't be any more out of print RPGs.
Classic Marvel Super-Heroes RPG
"In the early eighties, TSR put out a roleplaying game called, aptly enough, 'Marvel Super Heroes.' The set was less numbers-based, and geared toward first-time players, people unfamiliar with role-playing games.
"The system really took off with the release of the Advanced Set in 1986. New powers and rules were added, the rank system made more flexible, and a number of supplements were released afterward to make for an even richer gaming experience."
This page has a link to a compendium of PDFs of the old Marvel-Phile articles that TSR ran in Dragon Magazine to support the system. There's some good stuff, plus official stats for Howard the Duck (of course I think that would be good stuff too).
Both of these sites are worth checking out. Good games don't die anymore...thanks to PDFs and the internet...they just become something that gets supported by the fan base instead. One day there won't be any more out of print RPGs.
The Basement Tapes: Definitive Run
A very interesting article, as told as a conversation between Joe Casey & Matt Fraction. I'm not sure who Matt Fraction is, but I do know Joe Casey (as I am sure do many of the readers of this blog). But still a very interesting conversation on comics today. This quoted bit is by Matt Fraction. It is well worth the read.
The Basement Tapes: Definitive Run
"From January of 1981 through February of '82, Frank Miller wrote and drew what's widely considered the definitive run of 'Daredevil.' In September of '82, he and Chris Claremont kicked out the 'Wolverine' miniseries, which is probably as definitive a run as that character has come close to having. Then, in July of '83 through August of '84, 'Ronin' came out-- at which point Frank both reinvented himself and caught his breath-- until early 1986, when he and David Mazzucchelli brought out 'Born Again' which I'd argue supplanted his earlier run as the definitive Daredevil book.
"So, as Daredevil #228 hit the stands, so did the first issue of 'The Dark Knight Returns.' Two months after that ended, 'Elektra: Assassin' began over at Epic, and at some point in there his Daredevil GN 'Love & War' also hit, both painted by the always-astonishing Bill Sienkiewicz. Then, as 'Elektra' was wrapping up, 'Batman: Year One' was starting and if there's been a Batman story more definitive and permanently iconic than 'Dark Knight,' it was 'Year One.' Think about it, the phrase 'Year One' has become industry shorthand, you know?
"So-- depending on how you look at it, that's easily five masterworks in six years, several of which are still held as the best those characters and/or books have been. Even today, this period of Miller's creative life is as inspired as it is inspirational-- whatever deal with whatever devil he made came to fruition and the guy was just on fire.
"I was pretty young during all that-- by 'Year One,' 'Frank Miller' was kind of a license to print money (maybe not Miller's license, but DC's, certainly) and, y'know, killer runs. Even 'Rolling Stone' did a story on Miller, mid-'Dark Night,' where he was giggling about the Reaganomic nightmare he'd cooked up for the caped crusader, and giggling even harder about how worried Marvel seemed over Daredevil being out of costume for six months...
"...My point, longwinded though it may be, is that this era of Miller's work was important and you knew it while it was happening.
"Is there anything or anyone comparable today? Not 'Who's the new Frank Miller,' but rather, can there be a new Frank Miller? I don't feel like creators are allowed to define themselves and their runs quite like they used to be... does that make sense? You know what I'm talking about?"
The Basement Tapes: Definitive Run
"From January of 1981 through February of '82, Frank Miller wrote and drew what's widely considered the definitive run of 'Daredevil.' In September of '82, he and Chris Claremont kicked out the 'Wolverine' miniseries, which is probably as definitive a run as that character has come close to having. Then, in July of '83 through August of '84, 'Ronin' came out-- at which point Frank both reinvented himself and caught his breath-- until early 1986, when he and David Mazzucchelli brought out 'Born Again' which I'd argue supplanted his earlier run as the definitive Daredevil book.
"So, as Daredevil #228 hit the stands, so did the first issue of 'The Dark Knight Returns.' Two months after that ended, 'Elektra: Assassin' began over at Epic, and at some point in there his Daredevil GN 'Love & War' also hit, both painted by the always-astonishing Bill Sienkiewicz. Then, as 'Elektra' was wrapping up, 'Batman: Year One' was starting and if there's been a Batman story more definitive and permanently iconic than 'Dark Knight,' it was 'Year One.' Think about it, the phrase 'Year One' has become industry shorthand, you know?
"So-- depending on how you look at it, that's easily five masterworks in six years, several of which are still held as the best those characters and/or books have been. Even today, this period of Miller's creative life is as inspired as it is inspirational-- whatever deal with whatever devil he made came to fruition and the guy was just on fire.
"I was pretty young during all that-- by 'Year One,' 'Frank Miller' was kind of a license to print money (maybe not Miller's license, but DC's, certainly) and, y'know, killer runs. Even 'Rolling Stone' did a story on Miller, mid-'Dark Night,' where he was giggling about the Reaganomic nightmare he'd cooked up for the caped crusader, and giggling even harder about how worried Marvel seemed over Daredevil being out of costume for six months...
"...My point, longwinded though it may be, is that this era of Miller's work was important and you knew it while it was happening.
"Is there anything or anyone comparable today? Not 'Who's the new Frank Miller,' but rather, can there be a new Frank Miller? I don't feel like creators are allowed to define themselves and their runs quite like they used to be... does that make sense? You know what I'm talking about?"
The Unofficial Thriller Web Page
This was one of the first comics that I remember reading that was written for an audience other than pre-adolescent boys. Engaging, complex and true to its pulp roots, Thriller (no connection to Michael Jackson) was a brilliant comic. I really wish that the creators had been allowed to finish it. Maybe DC Comics will get off of their butt, release the initial issues through their Vertigo line, and then get the creators to finish the first storyline and then continue on to new ones.
This would make a pretty cool RPG setting too...
The Unofficial Thriller Web Page
This would make a pretty cool RPG setting too...
The Unofficial Thriller Web Page
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