Life on Mars

I'm currently watching the American 'Life on Mars' TV series, from earlier this year. It's such an amazing series, but you will remember that, sadly, it was cut short and canceled after just 17 episodes. It's fun to watch the entire series like this on DVD, episode after episode, back to back. The series is innovative and unique in and of itself. In just one example, episode #11, originally broadcast in April 2009, a full seven months before the November election, predicts that Barack Obama will become President of the United States. Wow. Right there in the show! On top of all of this, the series reportedly has one of the best series finale episodes ever. I both can't wait to watch it, and never want to get there.

DavidLisa.com Gets a Facelift

With only a year to go until its 10th anniversary, I've given DavidLisa.com a facelift. Check it out.

The Outer Limits on Hulu

"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We can reduce the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits"

All 32 episodes of the original Outer Limits 1960's TV series are available for viewing anytime on Hulu.com.

Enter: Torchlight

Just when I thought that the wait for Diablo III seemed even more interminable (with the recently announced delay), along comes a new game called Torchlight to make me very, very happy. Suffice to say, if you liked Diablo II at all, you should download and purchase Torchlight from Runic Games. Torchlight is nothing less than the best Diablo clone ever made. And that's coming from a dyed-in-the-wool Diablo /Blizzard fan who generally turns his nose up at Diablo clones "because they aren't the same as the real thing." This game has so much going for it, as exemplified by this "10 Reasons You Must Play Torchlight" PC World article. I defy you to play this game for a half hour and not be motivated to buy the game. In fact, this Crispy Gamer cartoon says it best. It's THAT good. So, enjoy the ride, because this IS the dungeon crawl that will bridge the gap between now and when Diablo III is released, and perhaps longer. Bravo Runic Games. You guys are awesome.

 For more information about the game and to download the demo, get thee hence immediately to http://www.torchlightgame.com/. There's not a moment to lose!

Torchlight illustration is copyright 2009 Runic Games.

The Endless Gray Ribbon

On the road again.

Hugo Gernsback Forever

He blinded them with science.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Stranger than truth.

Circulating Comics?

Can comic books be circulated in public libraries? It's being done with success here in New Jersey!

Kick-Ass Trailer Premiere!

Kick-Ass in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

In Amongst the Prose

Here's an example of a graphic novel shelved within a fiction collection in a public library. In this library, The Alcoholic (center, with the "Graphic Novels" sticker) is shelved alphabetically by the primary author's last name, not in a separate graphic novel collection.

Populating the Shelves

Some of the best graphic novels populate the shelves of public libraries in New Jersey.

Kick-Ass #1-7: Wow!

In a word: wow! I finally gathered together all currently published issues of Marvel's Icon series Kick-Ass. Bravo Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. What an incredible reading experience! There is so much high regard for the comic book medium in there, as well as lots of references to Marvel and DC history. Expect vicious violence, explicit language, tight writing and amazing art. The end of issue #3 is a real shocker! I'm sorry to see that the limited series is concluding with #8. Looking forward to that last issue and the upcoming movie. For more information on the comic book series, go here. For an amazingly unique, adult comics experience, do not hesitate to read this, one of the best comic book series of 2008-2009.

The Joe Kubert School

The Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art in Dover, NJ.

An Ace Double

I was at Rich Harvey's Pulp AdventureCon in Bordentown today and found this neat Ace Double. This double-sided paperback consists of two Philip Jose Farmer novels, The Mad Goblin (heavily influenced by Doc Savage) and, on the flip side, Lord of the Trees (the same story, but from the point of view of a character similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes). These novels are a combined sequel to Farmer's delightfully strange novel A Feast Unknown. All three hail from the late 1960's and early 1970's. Like me, Farmer was a fan of Doc Savage and the pulps of the 1930's and 40's. This led me to read and admire some of his other works, including the Riverworld series, but that's another story. Meanwhile, at today's con, I filled in some holes in my Doc Savage collection. It was a lot of fun.

From the Photo Archives...

With Tom Savini at one of the Chiller Theater Conventions, circa 2003 or so.

Happy 9th Anniversary DavidLisa.com

On November 3, 2000, I registered DavidLisa.com. Use the Wayback Machine to see what it looked like in the olden days!