Who Says Monsters Don't Exist?

I know we're all presumed innocent--in a perfect world--until proven guilty in this country, but the more I see Casey Anthony and the evidence presented at her trial where she stands accused of killing her little two-year-old daughter the more disgusted with this woman, and angry at her, I become. In fact, the whole family kind of creeps me out. One gets the sense of secrets there, and deep psychological schisms that are far more horrifying than I, as a horror author, could write. The lapses of time before anybody bothered even mentioning little Caylee was missing, the brother's teary theatrics about not being involved in his sister's pregnancy--I mean, really, something is seriously whacked with this guy--and the father's almost--to me, anyway--smug attitude when testifying, all scream dysfunction.

And Casey herself...seriously, what is wrong with this chick? She sits there with this deadpan bitch look plastered to her face, or shedding crocodile tears and constantly scribbling notes for--what? A book deal? She appears seriously disconnected. Her daughter is missing and she's out clubbing, shopping and entering hot body contests? If I had a missing daughter, I would tear up the streets of Hell looking for her. I'd be bawling my eyes out and screaming at the world. Not going on as if she'd never existed. Having fun. And don't give me any of that "coping" crap.

But the only thing that really matters in the end is a beautiful little girl is dead, and horribly so. At a time when she should be learning her ABCs, playing with dolls and having tea parties (do little girls even do that anymore?) and experiencing all the wonders that come with discovery and being a child...she was lying dead in the woods. It is horribly unfair. And that anyone like this mother could commit such a heinous act is...I don't know. There are no words for it. It is madness. It is Evil in its purest form.

It is a sad fact that children's lives sometimes end. But it is an inexcusable travesty when they are taken, by some psychotic or out of an act of disassociated selfishness.

With all the women out there who want kids but for whatever reason are incapable of having them, it is a horrible irony of life that a psycho minority of the ones who can throw away something so precious.

It makes me want to scream. It makes me want to bury myself in the fictional worlds I create because at least there I know how things will turn out and that my heroes won't commit such despicable acts. And that I can close the book when I am finished writing or reading it. If only life were the same way...

WARNING! The Surgeon General has determined demon hunting can be hazardous to your health. May cause possession, conflagration, even death. The Chloe Files by Howard Hopkins 1 & 2 in Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

Introducing--The Veil

As the penciled pages of my upcoming comic book, THREESOME, written with New York Times best-selling Wicked scribe Nancy Holder, have been coming in I have been nothing less than amazed at Argentinean artist Silvestre's work. Now that the new inked pages are nearly finished, I am even more amazed. The sample to your left introduces to the world for the very first time my all original creation Trina Fade: The Veil, as she and Nancy's lusty Domino Lady have a close encounter.

Trina has been a fun character to develop and she has some pretty special abilities I am hoping to reveal as she goes along. She's a 1930s/'40s heroine with a peculiar past and an even stranger future. THREESOME is upcoming from Moonstone Comics and also stars for the first time in 60 years the first reemergence of The Golden Amazon, reenvisioned by yours truly. The girls don't always get along, but they get the job done, sometimes in a pretty sexy way.

Nightmare Club Kindle Sale

My children's horror series, The Nightmare Club continues to perform well on both the US and UK Kindle charts. The first in the series, The Headless Paperboy, hit the low 20,000s in Kindle rankings earlier today and in honor of that the book is now on sale for a limited time only at $2.99 in Kindle, Nook and iPhone editions.

Kids, help October, Nerd, Moose, Sparks, Alliecat and Barnabas the pig solve New Salem's ghostly mysteries! Only YOU can prevent the children of this spooky little seaside town from loosing their heads this Halloween!

You can get the new Kindle edition here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ

Night Demons Chills on Kindle and Nook

Behind the walls of Darkness...the Night Demons wait...

Night Demons, my epic, century-spanning horror novel is now available on Kindle, Nook and for i apps such as iPhone, iPad and iPod for a low introductory price of $3.99.

Night Demons is pure horror in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and Stephen King and some scenes are not for the faint of heart. If you are not of fan or Archie Bunker wielding a butcher knife and eliminating nosey neighbors, this book probably isn't for you. For the rest with strong stomachs you can get it on Kind here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YD006

Nook here:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Night-Demons/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012898463

And i apps at the Apple Store here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781257224777

"...do not read it without all the lights on, the doors locked, and the phone close by. "
--Sue Hartigan, All About Murder Reviews

"Chilling and nerve-shattering...will drag you into a world of darkness and evil that'll leave your mouth dry and your pulse near the heart attack zone."
--Margaret Marr, Nights & Weekends Reviews

Fictionwise #1 Bestseller...Eppie Award nominated...

Deep within the blood-drenched walls of an ancient mansion Nathan Courtwright initiates a bizarre rite that will free every depraved soul since time immemorial to prey upon the living. Halted on the verge of success, he discovers the cost of failure is far greater: living interment in the family mausoleum, his demon soul consigned to a netherworld of suffering for all eternity. But when the mausoleum is torn down a century later, the evil that was Nathan Courtwright escapes...an evil capable of prying into its victims' deepest fears and blackest nightmares.

Haunted by frightening visions, Paul Stanford returns to the fate-shrouded town of Dark Harbor, Maine--a town filled with sorrow and dark memories. Within days he finds himself locked in a desperate and terrifying struggle that spans a century-old feud and demonic desires. Only he holds the key to the door of the damned-a key that will cost him the life of the woman he loves and his very soul. A key that will fill the world with Night Demons...

"...one of the best horror authors to come out of Maine since Stephen King—and Night Demons, with its deep characterization, its exceptional realm of horror, and page after page of super suspense proves that tenfold. Don’t pass up this extraordinary novel by an extraordinary author."
--Margaret Marr, Nights & Weekends Reviews

RIP Gene Colan

The early '70s was one of the landmark times in comics history for artists producing the books. When I started reading them in the summer of '72 some of the best in the business were churning out titles for both DC and Marvel. There was Neal Adams on Batman, George Tuska on Iron Man, Herb Trimpe on The Incredible Hulk, the brothers Buscema on Thor and Captain America along with a score of others.

And the marvelously talented Gene Colan. Gene was my introduction to Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (issue 90), though he had previously done fine work on Captain America, Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner, among others. He would soon become THE artist on Tomb of Dracula for Marvel, perhaps the best comic book ever produced for the Prince of Darkness. His rendition of Natasha, The Black Widow, in Daredevil was exquistie.

I can remember not appreciating Gene's work as a kid upon first look. I grew into it pretty quickly, however, and today it holds me in awe. His unique style and ability to tell a story with drawings were truly a gift and delighted generations of Daredevil and comic book readers. You could tell Gene's work the moment you saw it, something not as easy to do nowadays. He was one of the masters of the medium, and indeed, transcended the paneled page. He recently came out of retirement for Marvel's anniversary Daredevil issue, thrilling this fan and I'm sure a legion of others.

Gene passed away this past week at the too young age of 84, after struggling with poor health for a spell. One of the great comic book artists may be gone, but his work will live on forever. He gave us fans an indelible part of our childhood memory we shall never be able to repay.

Sliver of Darkness Comes to Kindle and Nook

The New Salem Ripper has a blade with Chloe's name on it and the ghost of a missing actor can't seem to stay out of her bedroom.

I'm pleased to announce The Chloe Files #2: Sliver of Darkness is now available on Kindle and Nook for an introductory price of $3.99. The electronic version sports a brand new cover design and includes the Chloe short story: The Trouble with Flappers.

Go here for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Chloe-Files-Sliver-Darkness-ebook/dp/B0057U3PH8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308970991&sr=1-2

And here for Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Chloe-Files-2/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012898548

"Engaging and fresh...an imaginative ghost story, filled with mystery and chilling scenes."
--Margaret Marr, Nights & Weekends Reviews

"The veil between the living and the dead has been pierced. The war between Darkness and Light has begun. All I can say is...bring it on!"
--Chloe Everson

Put some Demon in your day...

Who knows what crimes cripple the minds of the guilty? Brant Lamont's acting career was on a downhill slide, then one night after a performance he vanished. Was he dead? Alive? Forty years later still no one knows what became of the mercurial actor...or the rising starlet who'd become his mistress. It was as if they'd both walked off the face of the earth. Until Chloe Everson's world flashes to a bizarre black and white and the specter of one of Lamont's characters, the Sliver of Darkness, visits her in the dead of the night. But ghostly visitations aren't Chloe's only dilemma, because the New Salem Ripper is stalking the waterfront, butchering prostitutes and young strippers, moving ever closer to an encounter with the object of his obsession...

Chloe herself...

The Nightmare Club Continues to Scare up Young Kindle Readers

The publication of my first Nightmare Club book for readers in the 8-12+ range, The Headless Paperboy, has been performing far above what I expected on Kindle. For some reason I had the perception most Kindle and Nook users were adults, and while Nightmare Club certainly is fun for an adult audience too, I expected them to go more for Grimm or the first Chloe Files novel, also recently released on Kindle and Nook.

But The Nightmare Club has exceeded my expectations and shattered my perceptions of just who is reading on Kindle. In fact, I was concerned reading amongst the young audience was becoming a lost art with video games and iTunes competing for their attention. It's a nice surprise to find young readers both here and in the UK have been snapping up Nightmare Club copies, pushing the book into the low 30,000 range in both places on a number of occasions. While it is great for me as an author to see kids enjoying my work, it also points to a bigger picture, one of kids returning to the joys of story telling and reading. That's a good thing. No, in the vernacular, that's a ginormous thing! I recall the many hours of pleasure reading gave me as a child. I can only hope authors and publishers, regardless of the medium, can bring that back to the children of this generation and the next.

And speaking of iTunes....The Nightmare Club #1: The Headless Paperboy is now also available for i apps such as iPad, iPhone and iPod at the Apple store. You can get it for your kids here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781257325139

And on Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ

And on Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Nightmare-Club/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012574978

Western Wednesday: Trail Bits

It's another Western Wednesday--do you know where your hoss is? I thought not.

I'm pleased to announce my Ripper/Western, PISTOLERO, is now available for i applications (iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc.) at the Apple store. PISTOLERO is an unusual Western in that it combines scarier elements of a vicious killer stalking young bar girls in the dusty town of Mascarada, New Mexico with the more traditional Western fare of a man on the run from the law for a crime he did not commit, and a town zealot hanging anybody and everybody who he deems "guilty" of a crime. The hero is offered a pardon by a mysterious organization that doesn't exist, and once he accepts he runs smack into a passel of trouble. This is not a ride-into-the-sunset Western by any stretch; it's a tragic Western in many ways and not all of the main characters survive. You can fetch it at:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781257335756

In related news from the Tainted Archive, Gary Dobbs, author of The Tarnished Star, reports he will be holding a Western ebook day, Wild West eMonday. Gary has posted a number of fascinating articles dealing with Westerns in ebook format and this promises to be a wild and wooly event. Be sure to check it out, pards.

Saw the trailer for the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens movie and it looks like a lot of fun. As most of you who read my Westerns know, I love Westerns that combine with the supernatural or science fiction, so I am eagerly awaiting this film.

As mentioned previously the final cover for the "secret Western" has come in and it is a beauty. Artist Doug Klauba has rendered it exquisitely and I am hoping to show it very soon. The publisher and artist put a lot of brain power and talent into using a very specific style for the series that will utilize shades of gray or minimal coloring and a unique design.

Leaves in the Wind

I've always been plagued with days of melancholy. Even as a child I felt "older" in soul than I was in age and often that led to an uncomfortable union with sadness, or maybe more a kinship with some of the emotions painted in shades of blue but glittering with meaning we sometimes don't stop to notice in this fast food life. In a way it's probably a blessing for a writer, and a curse. It allows us to "feel" the characters we bring to life, yet concurrently and acutely suffer with them.

So I'm rummaging in the shed today for an old suitcase from the mid 1940s. The suitcase was sent to my father's family by the Air Force. It belonged to my namesake, who was stationed overseas, India, China, that area. My uncle Howard. His tour of duty was up, but he elected to stay on a while longer.

A few weeks later he perished when his plane crashed into a mountain in china. He left not only my father's family, but a fiance, who died of pneumonia not long after.

The suitcase contained everything that was left of his possessions in the Air Force, all folded and rolled and packed neatly into a three foot by two foot leather container. The entire remains of a man's life, it struck me as I opened the case. This is what his mother and father, and brothers got back. Along with a certificate signed by Harry Truman. A thank you for giving his life in service to his country.

It is a peculiar feeling looking through a dead man's things, especially when you are named after him, and have been told all your life just how much like him you are.

The case contained things of a personal nature and a collective nature. Gurkha knives he'd picked up in India and a small bullwhip, Indian and Chinese coins and bills, a single red chopstick, all over 70 years old. A diary of military codes, a Bible. Since he was drafted right out of high school, it also contained signed personal photos given to him by classmates, and yearbooks he had taken with him to make him feel closer to home. And a leather bound photograph of his fiance. There was an old toiletry kit, with a metal toothbrush container, now rusted, shoe brush, a bottle of cologne, now evaporated, and a tin with the original bar of soap still intact within. A handful of newspaper clippings from the local paper, a book of guitar chord inversions he was working on in down moments. A few certificates of merit. A couple of pipes int heir original boxes that I swear still smelled of some aromatic tobacco, despite the heavy reek of mold damage the suitcase had undergone during the years.

Mostly the things a lonely man far from home would cling to for strength and comfort.

As I looked through these things I felt that melancholic connection to a man I had never known, though was named after. And a horrible sense of unfairness at the death of a person at so young an age so far from home. I felt the ghosts of the grief and pain a family must have felt when they learned he would never return, that they would never see him again, and the terrible sadness they must have felt upon opening that case for the first time. That suitcase contained sadness. Loneliness. Feelings that saturated it and emanated from it even after all the decades between.

Though I had never personally known him...I KNEW him, in that moment, looking through that stuff. And it left me...I don't know...perhaps wondering about the uselessness of fighting and killing, and the utter waste of a life cut tragically short.

I try to tell myself there is a reason...that this sort of thing is what connects us to our humanity, and through it we learn what it really is to be alive. Without grief, sadness, despair, we can't truly know happiness, joy and elation. Can't experience what it is to love and strive for the greater things of which we as human beings are capable.

But if that is true, why must it be so hard? Why must there be so much pain and loss? Why must life be so complicated and filled with despair?

And melancholy wins. At least for a while.

Everything a man was goes back into the suitcase and gets stored away until the next time.

Except his memory.


Have you ever been naked in a street filled with plague-infested rats? Chloe has! The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes in Kindle, Nook & pb. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

In Brightest Day...

In darkest night, the Green Lantern movie will delight...

I've been a bit tentative on this movie--one, because as a long time Lantern fan I thought Hal Jordan a bit more serious than he would be played by Ryan Reynolds, who I am most familiar with through his comedic work. I was a bit worried they'd yuck it up and it would turn into a big pile of green poo, much like the disaster that was The Green Hornet. I am also not a fan of CGI in movies. I normally find it obvious and intrusive, even in some of the movies where it is done fairly well, and disastrous where it is not.

I am happy to say neither of those fears were grounded. Reynolds, while a bit more light than I read Jordan, did a fine job and for some reason the CGI did not bother me...much, and in some cases was quite spectacular.

The movie is wall to wall action, with some revision from the comics that might tweak a few fanboys, but overall a lot of fun. There are times where I got the feeling they were reaching for something they did not quite achieve in characterization, but that's a minor quibble. Some of the space vistas were awe-inspiring, and stay for a bit into the credits--there's a great extra scene.

My niece, 12, came with and she was somewhat lost with the movie, which made me wonder how big the appeal would be to the average movie goer not familiar with the Green Lantern. Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, X-Men are all fairly embedded into the mainstream, but Green Lantern is not. I wonder if that will limit the box-office gross, which would be too bad because it's a great ride and DC needs another big hero success beyond Batman (recently, anyway). The theater was not especially full, however, which worries me a bit.

Of course, I originally thought the same might be true for Iron Man, who wasn't exactly the house hold name some of Marvel Comics' other heroes were, but now is, so crossing my fingers we get a big franchise and sequels out of this. Comic fans and GL fans should certainly enjoy it, as well as sci fi fans. Another great entry in the Summer of Superheroes...and my favorite, Captain America is still coming up. Highly recommended. I saw it in 2D, so those who saw in 3D, let me know how it looked.

Oh, and I did wear my Green lantern ring...much to the befuddlement of my niece. But what's a good time if you can't embarrass the kiddies?

Where Evil falls...GRIMM by Howard Hopkins on Kindle, Nook & pb: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051BUXFU

The Golden Amazon Returns for a Threesome/Spider Sneak Peak

The penciled pages by artist Silvestre for THREESOME, a special 30 page comic book spectacular written by yours truly and NY Times best-selling Wicked author Nancy Holder, are finished and the inked pages are coming in. THREESOME, which will be published by Moonstone, teams up the lusty Domino Lady, marks the first appearance of The Golden Amazon (who predated Wonder Woman by a couple years in her pulp magazine incarnations) and the debut of my own new pulp heroine, The Veil.

Our gals infiltrate a burlesque club where two young women have mysteriously disappeared. But is it a routine kidnapping or something much more...alien?

This comic, as I said, marks the Golden Amazon's return after decades. Created in the late 30s by John Russell Fearn, The Golden Amazon had the distinction of having two origins and wasn't the type of gal to play nice with her enemies. I've been given the honor of revamping her for a modern audience and after her debut she is slated to return in Moonstone's all new pulp fiction magazine with three prose tales that spotlight her emerging origin story, as well as an upcoming novel that pits her against Jack the Ripper, but more on that when the time comes. For now, take a peek at the inks from THREESOME as the golden girl reveals a bit too much of herself to solve a mystery--but, hey, anything for a case, right?

Also in this week are the gorgeous paintings for my graphic novel adaptation of The Spider: Satan's Seven Swordsmen, slated to be a special commemorative issue published on the anniversary of 9/11. The noir painted artwork has been rendered in amazing detail by artist extraordinaire Gary Carbon, who painted the cover and interiors for my first Spider graphic widescreen novel, Judgement Knight. Gary's work is truly jaw-dropping and he brings one of The Master of Men's most startling adventures to life as he strives to repel a Japanese sneak attack on New York City.

Have you ever been naked in a street filled with plague-infested rats? Chloe has! The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes in Kindle, Nook & pb. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

Doc Savage Week

I think I might have to declare this Doc Savage Week, as the Man of Bronze returns for the summer in full force.

This week sees publication of Sanctum Books' 49th Doc Savage double novel, reprinting two of the Man of Bronze's pulp adventures, one of them a personal favorite called Red Snow. The volume comes in two editions, one with the original pulp cover and the other with a gorgeous James Bama variant. The volume includes plenty of extras, with historical articles by Doc Savage authority and present-day Kenneth Robeson, Will Murray, and can be ordered/purchased from your local comic book shop or from Radio Archives (http://www.radioarchives.com/) or numerous other online dealers.

Along with that is DC Comics publication of the latest issue in their Doc Savage comic book series.



And speaking of Mr. Murray, an all new audio book adaptation of one of his Doc Savage novels, Python Isle, on CD from Radio Archives debuts this week. This is the first in Radio Archives' new line of pulp hero audio books, and is produced by Roger Rittner, who did the excellent Doc Savage radio adventures show back in the mid-'80s. The book on CD spans eight hours, with top notch production and sound and runs about $26. Cover art is painted by Joe DeVito, who did the Doc Savage paperbacks for Murray's novels. Soon to follow will be White Eyes, The Frightened Fish and The Forgotten Realm, along with adaptations of another pulp icon, The Spider.

And it seems not long behind this...Murray may soon be announcing the publication of a brand new Doc Savage novel(s) called The Desert Demons, so if you are a fan of the Man of Bronze, this is going to be a great summer.

Nightmare Club Scaring Up Young Readers on Kindle

There must be a lot of kids/YAs with Kindles because over the weekend and early part of this week my first children's horror series novel, The Nightmare Club: The Headless Paperboy, showed surprisingly strong Kindle sales, including sales in the UK. At one point the book, which involves a misfit band of kids solving ghostly mysteries in the spooky town of New Salem, Maine, hit #67 in fiction horror with ghosts. Perhaps in a future adventure, the kids will visit Jolly Old England and help their British counterparts on a ghostly mystery...only time and things that go bump in the night will tell...

From the listing:

"...will leave you gasping with fear along with the characters..."--Margaret Marr, Nights & Weekends Reviews

Where Everyday is Halloween!

When October Williams moves to the small seaside town of New Salem, Maine, he hardly expects to be chased by the ghost of the Headless Paperboy. But New Salem is a town gripped by the supernatural where anything can happen... October soon learns a strange and terrifying tale. Every Halloween three children vanish as the ghost begins searching for his head. Riding a thirty-year-old bicycle and hurling flaming newspapers, the phantom needs three victims before disappearing for another year. Together with a band of misfit kids who call themselves the Nightmare Club, a strange girl named Alliecat who wants to shove her way into the group, and a pot-bellied pig named Barnabas, he must find the Paperboy's head and put it back with the body before it's too late and he loses his own!

Pick up your copy on Kindle (also available in Nook and paperback) at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ

And give your kids the same scares they give you!

Western Wednesday

Time to get your Yee Haw on with another Western Wednesday. Things are moseying more than galloping the past few weeks in the Western genre, but summer's upon us and a good Western is just what the sawbones ordered for those warm summer nights.

I am pleased to report my December 2010 Lance Howard hardcover release, The Killing Kind, has been contracted for trade paperback large print and should see print within a year's time. Which means you'll be able to either find it in or interloan it from libraries the world over.

The remake of True Grit hit DVD yesterday. I confess, I have not seen it yet, nor have I seen the original, but it is on my list and I am told it is a fine movie.

Dynamite's The Death of Zorro is nearing conclusion. The Lone Ranger searches for El Zorro's killer in this mini series, and struggles to protect the Chumash from slaughter. Dynamite's Lone Ranger comic book series was groundbreaking in many ways and a mostly good series, though their Zorro series (soon to be relaunched) fumbled around a bit, so I was hoping for great things from this mini series linking the two classic Western characters. It's not bad, but somewhat disjointed and slow, and the Ranger and Tonto, while more violent seem a bit lifeless. Still worth reading, however.

Getting ready to post the final pic from the secret Western and make it easy on Western readers to speculate...but not just yet. Maybe I should leave a clue lurking in this post...or perhaps not...I can report that the new and excellent artist is finishing painting a special cover today and that part of the title is...Vendetta...

X-Men: First Class, First Rate & Pirates Pleases...

Superhero Summer started with a clash of thunder with Marvel Comics' The Mighty Thor hitting the silver screen in May and continues to power on with this week's release of X-Men: First Class. X-Men: First Class concerns the origin of the Marvel Comics supergroup and takes place in the early '60s. Former Nazi and now mutant Sebastian Shaw plans to manipulate the Cuban Missile Crisis into an all out nuclear war to eliminate the weaker species--humans--and give rise to the mutant race as world rulers. A younger, pre-bald and wheelchair-bound Professor X and his new students want to stop him.

I was never a big X-Fan, so I have the feeling a number of fanboys will take offense with what surely is revisionist X-History in this film. But I am fine with some changes as long as the spirit of the characters is retained and I think this movie achieves that very well. I had some minor qualms (wasn't Angel a guy with big wings and not a stripper pixie?) but the film overall is a rocking good time and does justice to the comic book. Loved Emma Frost, whose cleavage on a twenty-foot screen surely outshines her other superpowers, and the new Mystique, who makes blue skin the new sexy. Kevin Bacon as Shaw plays the role to a tee. The other actors are all very good in their roles. There are a couple of interesting cameos, too. Unlike Thor, there is no extra scene after the credits. Highly recommend.

Also screened Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides last week, the fourth installment in the series. The third movie lost me somewhat with its confusing storyline and bombastic effects, but this one I think brings much of the fun back to the franchise. The story concerns a map leading to the Fountain of Youth and Blackbeard's quest to get it before the one-legged pirate foretold by Fate kills him.

Johnny Depp, though perfect as scalawag Jack Sparrow, does look a bit bored through it all and Penelope Cruz proves awesome cleavage can make most guys overlook her annoying lip curl and shrieky voice, but there's a lot of action and the French actress who plays the captured mermaid steals the show. Great action scenes, coherent story, humor, cleavage and mermaids make this a fun movie. However, there is a serious lack of monkey, but you can't have everything. Stay till after the credits on this one, for an extra scene.

RIP Marshal Dillon

It's impossible to be a Western fan and not acknowledge the contribution James Arness, Marshal Matt Dillon, and Gunsmoke made to the genre. Mr. Arness passed away today at the age of 88, after a long and brilliant career that not only encompassed the streets of Dodge City but a far off galaxy as well.

I first encountered Mr. Arness in the sci fi classic The Thing from Another World long before I became a Western fan and writer. He made one mean looking walking carrot, let me tell you that, and that was without speaking a single line.

But most will remember him for the fair and no-nonsense marshal in one of the longest running TV shows, Gunsmoke, in our history, a Western that broke the mold. At six foot seven he was a towering presence in film and television, and for his millions of fans. He's ridden off into the sunset now, but leaves behind a body of work that will endure forever.

The Avenger Returns to Moonstone!

Interiors/galleys are finished and Moonstone Books' second all-original volume of Avenger short stories, The Justice, Inc. Files, is on its way to press! Besides co-editing, writing a story for the book and penning the introduction, I have also written six vignettes for the special hardcover edition, which, for this volume, will include the first three, each featuring one of The Avenger's associates. First up: Nellie Gray, Fergus MacMurdie & Cole Wilson. Writing these insights into Benson's band was a lot of fun, and tougher than I thought it would be. Exploring six individuals, all different, and getting into their heads left me a bit schizophrenic at times, but it has been a life long ambition to take a look behind what motivated these folks to join and stay with Richard Henry Benson, placing themselves in constant danger to help others.

The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files includes 14 original short stories by a line up of excellent authors and top notch stories that includes:

East Wind, Rain by Paul Kupperberg
Invisible Empire by Matthew Baugh
Vengeance, Inc. by Howard Hopkins
Whiteout by Robin Wayne Bailey
Happy Death Men by Win Scott Eckert
Vengeance is Mine by Ron Fortier
The Devil's Workman by Barry Reese
Dead Man's Vengeance by Eric Fein
The Breath of Destruction by Frank Schildiner
Devil's Dark Harvest by Christopher Paul Carrey
Snow Blind by Mark Ellis
The Changeling by Will Murray
The Medicine Murders by B.C. Bell
The Blood Moon by David Michelinie

And for the first time anywhere, The Avenger, courtesy of Win Scott Eckert, will team-up with the lusty Domino Lady in one tale, and with The Master of Men, The Spider, in another--and against the Prince of the Undead, Dracula himself, from Iron Man scribe David Michelinie!

The softcover is painted by E.M. Gist, an extraordinarily talented artist (who is also doing the cover for the third Avenger volume, Tales from Bleek Street) with the hardcover special edition sporting a cover by Tom Gianni.

Tuffy Tooth Takes a Bite

Ah, how fun it was being a kid and looking forward to the treasure the daily mail delivery might bring. It wasn't like today, where you could join this or that club and have instant access to your loot. Back in '69 we had to wait six weeks--which seemed endless to an eight year old.

So it was with Tuffy Tooth, that irascible eradicator of decay and protector all things enameled. Colgate sponsored the mouthy musketteer. I can't recall how many box coupons it took or just what the price was, but at the time it was pretty exciting getting my Tuffy Tooth hand puppet (I know, keep your titters to yourself!), membership pin and a bunch of those little red tablets to chew that stained every minute crevice and dibit in your teeth crimson. I was flying high, a member of the Tuffy Tooth Club! I could take a bite out of decay without those scary, often painful visits to the dentist to face--the drill!

But alas, little boys grow and hand puppets...well, never mind what happens to hand puppets, and the days of Tuffy Tooth are now nothing more than a glimmer of nostalgia. Anybody else recall Tuffy and his endless battle against the forces of enamel erosion? Probably not. But I do.

I miss you, Tuffy Tooth. And those carefree days before my mouth was filled with $1500 crowns. Perhaps I need to talk to my dentist about reactivating you from your 40 years of retirement...assuming you haven't decayed and become little more than a cavity in the dreams of a young boy.

We need you, Tuffy...we need you...

GRIMM by Howard Hopkins on Kindle & Nook--Get your zombie on!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051BUXFU