Yesterday, my first print copies of “City of the Broken Gate” arrived on my front porch. It was lovely to see this novella in physical, hardcopy form. It made the book seem somehow more real to me. CotBG is an ongoing experiment for me as I learn the ropes of self-publishing, and I hope to bring the lessons learned to many future ventures. I’ve been through a variation of all this with my three graphic novels, but comic publication is a much different thing than traditional book publication. Take my word for it.
Today I had the good fortune to see “Suicide Squad” on the big screen. This movie opened big, but like “Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice” before it, it suffered a sharp drop off in revenue as the critics panned it. In fact, I had the whole theator to myself, as I was the only one there watching it. I’m glad to report that the critics were wrong, that this was a good adventure flick and I enjoyed it a lot. Was it as good as most Marvel movies? I don’t think so. Was it as good as “Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice”? I believe it was better.
I finished the Showtime series “Penny Dreadful” last night. This show lasted three seasons, and it has become one of my most favorite shows of all time, surpassing the great “Millenium.” I could write a great deal about the beautiful plotting of this show, the dense and wonderful writing, the beautiful sets and lighting, and the unforgettable characters. Maybe I will, because there is a lot I could learn studying this masterpiece of gothic horror and heroism. There are so many points when this show could have jumped the proverbial shark, and it never did. I’m sorry that it will not continue, but I will watch and re-watch its three seasons again and again. I suspect I will learn more with each new viewing.