Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

After a rather crappy 2013 (for me), everything went well in 2014.  Of course there were ups and downs, but overall it was a good one. In 2014 I had the luck to travel to some beautiful places (well - at least in Europe...). I was visiting Vienna, had one week in Carcassonne,  and spent 10 days in my most favorite town, in London. And not to forget the Comic-Convention in Erlangen, Germany.

This year, my mind was blown away with "The Guardians of the Galaxy", "Winter Soldier" "Interstellar" or "Days of Future Past".  A good time for sci-fi and comic fans.

We lost some great actors and artists in 2014 - for an example, HR Giger, Lauren Bacall, Robin Williams, Maximilian Schell and Bob Hoskins. May they rest in peace. Their art and their movies will never be forgotten.

In terms of comics, its an interesting time, but also a little bit disturbing. The "Big Two" are jumping from event to event, and as a longtime reader, I get tired of it, especially of Marvel`s way to do it. I reduced my list of Marvel titles to just a few comics (Guardians of the Galaxy and Deathlok) because these constant relaunches of series get on my nerves. It is difficult to follow a hero, when he has several no. 1's during the year. What are they thinking at Marvel? An now they dug out "Secret Wars" for 2015 - is that necessary? Are they running out of ideas?

DC is a little bit better in these things."Futures End" is promising, even though I had to buy many of these 3d-covers. The Godhead Story at the Green Lantern Books is also interesting, combining the New Gods and the Green Lanterns. Next year we will see the "Crisis"-anniversary, lets see what happens.  I look very forward to the Darkseid War!

Well - that it from my side. Good luck and seize the day!

 Happy holidays and all the best for 2015!

By the way: Today its Dr. Who Christmas Special-Day! Don't miss it!

The Guardians of the Galaxy

As a reader of the Marvel Comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, I was very exited to hear that a movie of my favourite band of heroes was in the pipeline. I hoped that there won't be a disappointment, that they didn't get the "cosmic part" of the Marvel Universe right. My fears were not necessary. 

Yesterday, I was in the movie, and boy, they delivered. The movie had everything: action, fun, mystery, great music.

An assassin, a brute with a big knife, a tree, a raccoon with a love for guns and explosions, and a human who was abducted by aliens - this works really well. How the band of outlaws gets together – in prison – and how they learn to accept each other, is really good moviemaking. I love this film.

The chemistry between the actors is great – they must have had real fun doing this movie. And no other movie from Marvel hat more easter-eggs than this one, I swear!

Just the Collectors museum is a feast for the eyes. In every corner you discover something interesting. Even Beta Ray Bill? – I didn't see him, I have to check the blue-ray. But I saw a dark elf (from Thor 2), and of course Cosmo, the russian telepathic dog in the spacesuit, a fan-favourite from the comic. Or Adam Warlocks cocoon.

Remember the bad guy at the end of Avengers? This time, we saw Thanos in full, sitting on his chair, like I always imagined him. (ok, with a more metallic armor than in the comics, but its all right.) 



Like in the comics, one day (maybe in Avengers 3) Thanos will posess all the gems and sets the gems into the gold glove we saw in the first Thor Movie,  which he refers to as the Infinity Gauntlet. With it, he tries to destroy (half) of the universe, no less, to impress his Mistress Death. We'll see....

The other bad guys – Ronan, the fanatic Accuser, and Nebula (played by Doctor Who Companion Karen Gillan) are also great. 

What else is to say? Well, on my way to work this morning, I listened the "Awesome Mix, Vol. 1". Thanks youtube!

Go see the movie! 

. 

Utopia Grossband Nr. 80 (1958)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25754471@N08/13913746241

Blimey! It's another blog about comics!: Strips 78 booklet

Blimey! It's another blog about comics!: Strips 78 booklet: Art by DAVE GIBBONS In the days before Internet social networking, the Society of Strip Illustration (SSI) was an ideal organization fo...

Dumarest Saga Book 24 - Nectar of Heaven - E.C. Tubb - cover artist Ken W. Kelly - 1st publication 1st edition

Dumarest Saga Book 24 - Nectar of Heaven - E.C. Tubb - cover artist Ken W. Kelly - 1st publication 1st edition, a photo by Cadwalader Ringgold on Flickr.

First Post in 2014. Sorry, dear followers! Some more activity of mine was on my tumblr blog, and on flickr. You find the links on this page. So...lets start some really nice covers from E.C. Tubbs series of the man who searches the earth. I never followed the whole Earl Dumarest Saga, read only a few books of the series, but the Daw Books have some really beautiful covers. I discovered some on Flickr, so here's the fist one.

The Million Year Hunt by Kenneth Bulmer (1964)

"The Million Year Hunt" by Kenneth Bulmer (1964); cover by Ed Emshwiller a photo by CoffeeInSpace on Flickr.

Something for the years's end. I feel that I've been hunting for many things this year - like love, success, luck, old books, money - and sometimes I succeeded, but unlike other years, in 2013 there were many obstacles on the way. Good friends and family members got sick, I missed a plane to London, I had to get a new car (some bloke crashed in the old one) and some other "nice" surprises. Many things are ok now, but there were hard times.

So I really look forward to 2014.

But I'd like to mention also the really good things: This month, I will be godfather for the first time, my girl - who always is full of power and fantastic ideas, our holidays in France, The Day of the Doctor, the Europa Park in winter, shopping in London, helpful friends in the office, my team.

Merry X-Mas and a Happy New Year!

Utopia Grossband 73

Utopia Grossband 73, a photo by ortokur01 on Flickr.

The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

Universal War One by Denis Bajram

I just finished the excellent series "Universal War One" or "UW1" by the french author/artist Denis Bajram. I had these books quite for a long time (the french originals), but I never came farther than the first book. Now, I managed it to read all books in a week. This complex, sometimes depressing and incredibly well-written and drawn story is a hard SF, and covers timetravel, wormholes, time paradoxes, destructions of planets, and much more.
Alone the destruction of the earth, beginning in NYC (in a world where the WTC was not destroyed) caused me nightmares. It is so realistic and gripping.
About three years ago, it was also published by Marvel Comics.
If you love good science-fiction - pick it up.

RIP Ian M. Banks

One of the most interesting authors of science fiction has died, aged 59.
Read this article in the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/09/iain-banks-dies-59-cancer

I remember the first book I read, Excession, and was impressed by the scope and the multiversity of the Culture-Universe.

May he rest in peace.

UNKLE - Lonely Soul (Fighter Pilot)

Arthur C. Clarke - The Sands of Mars

Arthur C. Clarke - The Sands of Mars, a photo by ortokur01 on Flickr.

Cover by Vincent di Fate - 1974

Atomic Energy by H.D. Smyth - 1945

Atomic Energy - A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes under the Auspices of the United States Government 

This little paperback caught my eye, when I was strolling through the Portobello Flea Market in London, a few weeks ago. It cost only a few pounds, and I bought it because I am interested in the history of WW 2 and also the first days of nuclear technology. In the forties and fifties, it seemed there was no limit for the use of atomic power. So, this was a genuine document from this time, written for the public (and authorized by the powers-that-be).  And - quite special, when you look at it with the eyes of a non-UK-resident of the 21st century - it was printed an published by "His Majesty Stationery Office" - I do not know it this office still exists.

It is a interesting read - and according to my research, a quite cheap buy. 

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Untitled, a photo by alittleblackegg on Flickr.

A very special cover by Frank Kelly Freas - from the year 1956

NYC - 1996 - Somewhere in Manhattan

NYC - 1996 - Somewhere in Manhattan, a photo by ortokur01 on Flickr.

I saw this scene - no idea what they did demonstrate for - and snapped this photo. When I made the album, this picture landed on the "not to use"-pile. Recently, I stumbled upon it and scanned it.

Startling Stories, May 1947

Startling Stories, May 1947, a photo by horzel on Flickr.

Now its time for another classic pulp-cover, found on Flickr.
The cover art is by Earle K. Bergey.