I’m not sure that enjoy is the right word, but I always appreciate this section of the Academy Awards.
EDIT: Not sure of the source of the original video I linked (still included below for posterity) but it wasn’t from the actual Oscars. Here’s the correct one:
And the other one:
Some great talents here.
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My friend Andy Mathews died yesterday.
Sigh. Sad news that Robert Asprin has passed away. He was a bright talent and reading his books gave me a lot of pleasure. His later work suffered as a result of some problems he went through at one point, but the early Myth Adventures books, in particular, are gems.
The best single-dollar purchase I ever made was in high school. One of my favorite stores, The Great Escape, had one of those Science Fiction Book Club combined editions on sale for a buck--a jacketless edition of the first four Myth Adventures books. I'd read a bit about the series (in an old Dragon magazine, I think) and decided to give it a shot and was absolutely hooked. I've re-read that volume at least a dozen times. I really, really like the first six books in that series, and have enjoyed some of the later ones, too. This Amazon Listmania list
The first two Phule's Company books are great, too. And that's not even touching on the tremendous influence of the Thieves' World series.
Sigh again. Peace be with you, Robert.
Aw, heck. The Comic Book Resources site is reporting (as are others, I'm sure) that Dave Stevens, creator of the Rocketeer and a generally phenomenal comic book artist, has passed away. He was a phenomenal talent and our world is a little smaller and less interesting without him.
As usual with any death related to the comic book industry, Mark Evanier has taken an insightful look at Stevens's life and career.
Jeff Rients of the excellent Jeff's Gameblog (a daily read) has a nice, thoughtful post about honoring Gary Gygax's memory. Take a look.
I'd totally like to name my next dog Gygax or Mordenkainen.
I stepped away from my computer and came back to sad news. Gary Gygax passed away this morning. The co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gygax was a legend in gaming and had a tremendous influence on how games are played. My life--as well as the lives of many, many others--would be very different without him. I wouldn't be the person I am today without gaming, and I wonder if I'd have a book or a publisher without him.
I have a brief personal anecdote about Mr. Gygax. I attended my first GenCon at a relatively young age. I'm not sure of the exact year, but it was during the period that the convention was being held at the University of Wisconsin--Parkside. It was a smaller convention then, but overwhelming and exciting for me (I must have been about 13 or 14 at the time). Because I wasn't driving yet, my mom took me (yeah, she's cool). She cut me loose at some point to wander around the various booths. Eventually, I looked up to see her heading toward me, a middle-aged guy squiring her through the crowds and directing her to my current booth. He seemed pretty charmed by her. My first reaction was kind of "Who's that guy and why's he being so friendly with my mom?" My second was "Holy crap! That's Gary Gygax!" My head practically exploded with this brush with greatness. He was kind and gracious and patient with me. I believe I got an autograph or two out of the experience, as well as a fond memory.
I told a coworker the news a few minutes ago. His reaction? "I think my Constitution just dropped a couple of points." Mine, too, brother. Mine, too.
UPDATE: Wizards of the Coast has a nice tribute graphic up on its D&D page. I've copied it below (you can see it full-size with a click).
I was sad to hear of Evel Knievel's passing. In a lot of ways, when I was a kid, Evel Knievel was more like a living action figure or superhero than a real figure. I probably wouldn't have recognized him outside of his distinctive costume. Didn't make me like him any less.
Here was Evel just a short time ago:
But here's the Evel Knievel I venerated as a kid (I had several of these toys and played with them a lot--I have fond memories of zipping him down our driveway):
Ride far and jump far, Evel. You'll be missed.
I just read some sad news from Heidi MacDonald's blog, The Beat. Lloyd Alexander has passed away. The Chronicles of Prydain, with their adventures of Taran, Eilonwy, Gurgi, and the rest, were a huge and important part of my childhood. I am sorry to hear of his passing.
On a more positive note, I look forward to sharing these books with Alex and Zack when they get older.
This cover is from The Book of Three,
I just read the sad news that Marshall Rogers, an extraordinary comic book artist, has died. The story included few details, except the fact that he was quite young--age 57. He was always a favorite of mine when I was younger, and I always wondered why we didn't see more of his work in later years.
What a shame.
If you haven't read about developments in the Captain America series and want to read the issue coming out today before reading spoilers, stop now. Otherwise, scroll down.
CNN is reporting that Marvel has killed Captain America off in issue #25 of the current series, a follow-up to the god-awful Civil War storyline that I've refrained from commenting on.
Yuck.
The writer, Ed Brubaker, is very good, and you never know how the storyline is going to shake out, but my initial reaction is pretty negative. In a lot of ways, killing Captain America has more cultural impact than killing Superman
America's struggling with a lot of problems right now. Problems of leadership and corruption. Seems like it needs good symbols now as much as at any time I can think of. Not symbols to hide behind or support with jingoistic fervor, but symbols to rely on, to aspire to. Judging by a hint or two in previous comics, it looks like the Punisher
Say it ain't so.
So poor Pluto has been demoted (or, as Dina put it, "riffed").
I've heard a rumor (okay, I'm starting a rumor) about a new cottage industry of professionals who are going around to little kids' houses and elementary schools and yanking Pluto off of their toy solar systems. And another industry recycling those Plutos into balls for the Hungry Hungry Hippos
Anyone else think that this demotion is a Machiavellian move by the Solar System Toy Mafia to get people to buy all new eight-planet solar system sets? And then, a few years down the road, the SSTM will get the ruling turned over and promote Charon and Xena to planet status for a whole new slew of solar system sets? Poor Pluto is just caught in a temporary crossfire.
I'm saddened to read of the death of Bob Denver, Gilligan of Gilligan's Island.
I've been having trouble posting anything that didn't seem insignificant in the light of recent headlines. In the midst of everything else going on in the world, this blog and my musings seem pretty small on the scale. Even this post, in the wake of thousands of deaths, can be seen in that light.
But Bob Denver made me laugh, and that's no small thing. Here's wishing you well, Bob.
I'm saddened by the news of James Doohan's passing. As probably anyone reading this knows, Doohan played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on Star Trek, various Star Trek sequels, and even on a memorable episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I've seen a number of cringe-worthy "Scotty beams up" headlines that make me want to smack the writers--they seem to cheapen Doohan's death. He was a vastly talented man who was more or less stereotyped as this single character, but he nevertheless made that character seem very real to generations of viewers.
I had known for some time that he was in failing health and suffering from Alzheimer's disease, but I'm still very sorry to see one of my icons pass away.
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