Roger Rabbit Movie Sequel?

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MTV is reporting that Robert Zemeckis is still working on a sequel to the Roger Rabbit movie.

We asked the director whether Price and Seaman were still typing away at that script, to which he replied: “That is correct, that is true. They’re slow,” he laughed.
So the screenplay isn’t finished yet… but has Zemeckis read any of it? “It’s great,” he said, nodding his head enthusiastically. “Oh, it’s going to be great. I think it’s going to be great.”

H/T IO9.com

What Alice Knew by Paula Marantz Cohen

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In yet another Jack the Ripper story,  the author of What Alice Knew, Paula Marantz Cohen has brought in an intriguing set of detectives, the James family. Author Henry James (The Portrait of a Lady), his philosopher brother William (Pragmatism and Other Writings) and the titular sister Alice (The Diary Of Alice James) are investigating the murders. By bringing in the family dynamics and their social scene (including Oscar Wilde), the story becomes about more than just Jack the Ripper. So, how is it?

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Sherlock from BBC

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Sherlock Holmes is back and on PBS in the US, after having been on BBC in England some time ago. Created by Steven Moffat (who is in charge of Dr. Who now) and Mark Gattis, this version updates Sherlock to modern day England. I’m running late on reviews, since Episode 1 was shown a week ago and Episode 2 was last night. Each episode is 90 minutes and there are only 3 episodes this season, although future seasons have been planned. So, how was Sherlock?

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Superman Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski

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Every couple decades, DC Comics decides to re-invent Superman. The trappings are the same (newspaper, Lois Lane, Metropolis), but the technology and society are updated to current day. From John Byrne to Mark Waid, the reboots keep coming without changing the essential character. In Superman: Earth One, J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) takes his swing at it with painted art by Shane Davis. This is the first in a series of original graphic novels of this new Superman. It’s been compared to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, but in a different format. So, how is the new Superman.

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Caprica is cancelled

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Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Caprica is cancelled:

“The remaining first run episodes of Caprica – airing Tuesdays at 10/9c – will be removed from the schedule as of next Tuesday, November 2,” said the network in a statement. “These final five episodes of the season will be re-scheduled to air at a to be announced time in the first quarter of 2011, and will conclude the run of the series.”

 When Syfy announced the new Battlestar Galactica prequel, many people suspected Caprica’s days were numbered. I just didn’t think the number would be this low.

Bloom County Complete Library Volume 3

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Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3 (Bloom County Library)In a recent interview with Slate, Gary Trudeau was asked why he kept going when Watterson, Breathed and Larson stopped. Trudeau mentioned why he though Watterson and Larson stopped and how much he admired their work. That pretty much sums up the relationship between the two premier social satirists of the 1980s. In Bloom County Complete Library Volume 3, Breathed is at the top of his game. Some of my favorite strips are in here and some of his most biting satire as well (including a swipe at Trudeau and his wife). What does this collection include?

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From Hell by Alan Moore

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From Hell is Alan Moore’s take on Jack the Ripper. Jack is one of the great literary challenges because everyone has their own take on it. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the murders and everyone has their own theory. As Moore details in the epilogue, he doesn’t care about who the murderer is, he just wants to use the murders as a backdrop for the story he wants to tell. So, he co-opted the theory from Stephen Knight about a royal conspiracy with a Freemason solution to the murders. So, what makes it so great?

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Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

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Dust City by Robert Paul Weston is a cross between Bill Willingham’s Fables and Jasper Fforde’s Jack Spratt series. Weston decided to set his mystery in the fairy tale universe and it adds an edge to the series. But it’s not nearly as good as it’s competition. Possibly I’m judging harshly since it’s a YA title, but it’s not as good as I hoped it would be. What’s it about?

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Empire by Steven Saylor

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Empire by Steven Saylor is a sequel to Roma and picks up with the same family at the end of the reign of Augustus. Saylor mentions in the author’s note that this is one of the more documented times in ancient history. There is a substantial number of authors and historians at this time, so we have great records of all the major figures of the time, often from numerous sources. But, I think all the detail might have caused problems for Saylor.

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A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

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A Spell for Chameleon is the first of the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony. Nowadays Xanth is a bit of a joke (actually 20 years ago Xanth was a joke), but the first 3 novels were very well done. Anthony was a very good writer until he started writing and publishing 2-3 books a year and overdoing his series (Xanth has 34 books with a couple more scheduled). But his early books were worth reading. So what makes the first Xanth book special?

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