Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham’s Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers starts off with a flash back to the Fables' last stand in their home world against the Adversary forces. Boy Blue makes it on board the last ship to smuggle Fables through the gateway into our world (the Mundane), but his newly found love, Little Red Riding Hood, does not and is presumed dead. That is why centuries later, the surviving Fables are elated when Little Red Riding Hood shows up on their doorstep after escaping through the gate between the lost Fable homelands and ours. All but her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who does not think her story, smells quite right. Meanwhile there are three other new visitors in town that appear to be relation to Pinocchio, but it doesn’t appear they want a friendly family reunion. Then just to add a little more tension and excitement (like any more was needed), the womanizing cad, Prince Charming, starts up a campaign to become the new mayor of Fabletown.

I am a slow reader but made it through the 240 pages in a couple of days because I needed to know what was going to happen next. As always, James Jean cover art through out the book is amazing. A couple of warnings. I know I always say this one, but feels it bears repeating, do NOT get overly attached to any of the Fables. Second this one ends in a total cliffhanger, so have Volume 5 at the ready.

Weekly Gretel

Edible Raven - The Curious Curse

I know it probably seems like lately all I have been doing is playing with our new kitten, Gretel. Well that would be pretty accurate, but before our new little fur ball arrived, I did complete a story which is going to be published in the debut issue of the Edible Raven magazine. The story, The Curious Curse, is heavily influenced by my love of Edward Gorey. It is a short little ditty about a curse, a town, and a Finn written in rhyme.

I noticed today that the illustrator and graphic artist, Pamela McCarville, has posted the cover of the magazine on her blog, Stealing Shadows...LOVE IT!!!!! If you like to take a look yourself, you can view it here, http://stealingshadows.blogspot.com/2009/05/edible-raven.html.

Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola

In Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm, Hellboy and his colleague Roger the Homunculus, who we were introduced to in Hellboy 3’s Almost Colossus, are sent to investigate the ruins of a castle in Austria where Nazis conducted scientific experiments under the direction of our favorite mad scientist, that crazy head in a glass jar, Herman Von Klempt. Their experiments included launching a space capsule that in the future will land back on earth with an evil spirit from the stars that will put an end to mankind as we know it. Well, as you may have already guessed, that future is now. Hellboy and Roger must battle undead Nazis and Von Klempt’s Frankenstein Ape (#10) to intercept the capsule and destroy its single passenger before it destroys them. Will they make it in time? Who is the lobster costumed-adventurer that comes to their aide? Why did B.P.R.D. plant a bomb in Roger? Is this Hellboy’s final mission? Did Mike Mignola manage to weave Poe’s poem Ligeia through out the story? Okay I will answer that last one. Yes, yes he did!

P.S. The gallery at the back of the book shows where Mike Mignola got some of his ideas for the illustrations including how he based the torture harness control box on a parking meter outside his apartment.

Gretel's 2nd Weekend

This weekend her Granddad and Grandma drove two hours down from the mountains to see their new grandkitty with a bounty of kitty toys. Spoiled? Why on earth would you think that?

I love playing with my new ball because it make jingling noises. It will be even more fun to play with at night while my Mommy and Daddy are trying to sleep.

But what I really like playing with is my CASTLE!!! Yes that is right, my Granddad and Grandma brought me a castle. Shouldn't all kitties have their own castle?

Here is the sack that my new toys came in.

Here is my Grandma scolding my Mommy for saying that I can be a naughty kitty, because of course I am not, I am a perfect little angel.

Thank you Granddad for the meal-time lap, I think that is a great idea!

I had so much fun with my Grandparents visit, I hope they will come visit me again sometime soon.

Catch Roadhouse Joe Blues Band This Weekend

Two full nights of live gritty hard blues with Roadhouse Joe. Catch them tonight at Denver's hottest new venue in NoDo, Casselman's Bar & Venue, 2620 Walnut St., Denver. Benjamin Wells will open the show at 8pm and Roadhouse Joe will take the stage at 10pm. The venue is promoting the show at the Rockies game only 5 blocks away, so when the game ends the music begins. Bring your Rockies ticket stub for a free beer!

Then tomorrow night head on over to Zephyr Lounge, 11940 E. Colfax Ave in Aurora as Roadhouse Joe rocks down the house at 9pm.

Both shows have no cover charge, must be 21+.

Gretel's Weekend

It was a busy first weekend for our new little bundle.

Her big sister, who is a glamorous actress doing stage in NY, was in town to finalize a few plans for her upcoming wedding in August and a bridal shower, stopped by Saturday morning to play, play, play, play, play with Gretel.



Then her Aunt Pamie and Uncle Paul came on Sunday bearing lots of kitty gifts including feather toys, fuzzy mice with bells, and a couple of packages of purple peep birdies that her naughty Mommy would not let her play with.



All that socializing just wears a poor little kitty out.

The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky

The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky was the book I got at the Tattered Cover’s Book Lover’s Day celebration on 4/23. It caught my eye on their National Poetry Month display. My favorite book by Jack Prelutsky is The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, but this one may be a close 2nd. The Swamps of Sleethe take you on a poetic journey through a galaxy far from our own and one that you will soon find that you need to stay far away from.

On sweltering Sleethe, in swamps aseethe,
Malignant beings thrive,
Abhorrent things that need not breathe,
and yet are quite alive .
Within a foul and festering broth,
These mucid horrors ooze.
As gluey fluids fume and froth,
They hold their rendezvous.

I also loved the vibrant alien illustrations of Jimmy Pickering. As an added bonus some of the planet names in the poems are anagrams for you to unscramble (and I thought a couple of them were a bit tricky).

Great inspiration for those poetic souls who like to rhyme.