Sci-Fi Bulletin Reviews the Back to the Future Lexicon

Sci-Fi Bulletin's Paul Simpson has favorably reviewed the Back to the Future Lexicon. Although I don't agree with Paul regarding Pat Carbajal's artwork—which I consider brilliant and damn near photo-realistic—and although I'm somewhat disheartened by the 7/10 rating, I absolutely respect his opinion and am grateful for the review (which you can read here).

What do you all think of Pat's art? Do you enjoy it as much as I do, or do you agree with the reviewer? Here are some samples...

How's it hangin', McFly?

Discipline!

Hey McFly, you bojo, those boards don't work on water!

Unless you've got power!

And there's also a downloadable excerpt of the book available, containing some more images. Feel free to chime in below!

Bond to the Future

by Rich Handley

Every year, artist Pat Carbajal sends Hasslein Books a customized Christmas card (see the 2010 and 2011 cards). This year, Pat has outdone himself (see below—click on the card to view a larger version). Merry Christmas, Pat. I hope Santa brought you a great gift this year, because you've definitely been on the nice list.

Happy Holidays to everyone from Hasslein Books, and a very Happy New Year. See you all in 2013!

Woah, 007... this is heavy!

GUEST BLOG: Cubing—Gargoyles

And now, we turn the conch over to writer Duy Tano, of The Comics Cube!, a popular blog covering the comic book industry. Duy has graciously shared with us an article about Gargoyles, a science fantasy cartoon series created by Greg Weisman that aired from 1994 to 1997.

I sometimes wonder, were I a writer or a creator, would I rather have a mass hit that's big when it's out and forgotten as the years pass and subsequent products take its place in the public consciousness, or would I rather have a cult hit that's moderately successful, kept afloat by a devout group of fans, and be kept alive long after it's done because of that adoration. Of course, ideally, you'd have one that's a mass hit and will live on forever, but if I had to pick one of those two, well, I dunno which one I'd choose for sure, frankly. But I'd like to think I'd choose the latter.

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The Best Music Video Ever

John Kenneth Muir Thinks I Have Hair

by Rich Handley

In 2010, author and literary critic John Kenneth Muir wrote a wonderfully witty foreword to my book From Aldo to Zira: Lexicon of the Planet of the Apes. As I read his essay, I could tell immediately that John gets me. We're kindred geeks, cut from the same nerdy cloth. We're the same age, and thus grew up in the same era, and we have the same likes and dislikes (as is patently obvious every time I read his blog).

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Bob Gale Thinks I'm Insane

by Rich Handley

For a writer, playing in someone else's sandbox can be a bit daunting. Will the creators of that sandbox approve of the castles being built? Will overprotective fans deem those castles unworthy of the sand from which they're made? Will this paragraph take the already shaky sandbox metaphor just a bit too far?

Having written articles and short fiction pieces for the official Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, I'm all too aware of how touchy those running such properties can be, and how easy it is to inadvertently upset the highly territorial fan base. So when I and Paul Giachetti launched Hasslein Books in 2008, it was with more than a little trepidation. How would fans view our efforts? More importantly, how would the creators of those universes feel about what we do?

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Cracked to the Future

Here's a hilarious discussion about Back to the Future, courtesy of Cracked.com:


Why 'Back to the Future' Is Secretly Horrifying -- powered by Cracked.com

NEW TRAILER: Star Trek Into Darkness

My, oh, my.... is that Elizabeth Dehner I see?

Win a Free Book from ForeverGeek.com and Hasslein Books!

Interested in winning a free copy of A Matter of Time: The Back to the Future Lexicon? Click here to find out how.

Hanging Out in Zaki's Corner

by Rich Handley

Zaki Hasan, of the fantastic blog Zaki's Corner, posted the latest episode of his FilmMovie Podcast, featuring... me. The subject? I'll give you one guess, but it involves a DeLorean and rhymes with "Whack Gouda Suture."

The entire podcast is worth listening to, as Zaki and his co-host are entertaining and savvy, but the portion in question begins at 45:05. Other topics covered in this two-hour installment include James Bond, Boy Meets World, Dark Knight Rises, Justice League, Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, the Dallas reboot and The X-Men. Give it a listen.

The best part? Zaki manages to make me NOT sound like an ass!

(Face)Book to the Future

by Rich Handley

Our thanks to Fatih Tüylüoğlu for promoting A Matter of Time: The Back to the Future Lexicon at his BTTF Facebook page, which has a MASSIVE following of 1.1 million people—almost 1.21 jigowatts' worth of exposure. There's something new posted there every day, so be sure to LIKE his page and keep visiting!

A Heavy Dose of Thanks to Those Who Put the Great in "Great Scott"

by Rich Handley

No writer works in a vacuum. (WITH a vacuum, sure—even writers have to clean house from time to time. But not IN a vacuum; that's my point.)

Wait, what was I saying again?

Oh, right. Now that A Matter of Time: The Back to the Future Lexicon is finally finished and available for sale (at Amazon.com, BTTF.com, CreateSpace.com and BarnesandNoble.com... buy your copy now... ahem), I thought it'd be a good time to recognize some individuals and Web sites that contributed or are contributing, in ways large and small, to the book's success.

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