RIP Legendary Dr. Strange Illustrator Dan Adkins

Just learned via Steve Niles twitter feed that
another of my favorite artists has passed on.

RIP Dan Adkins — Legendary Creepy, Eerie, & Dr. Strange Illustrator

Man, his Dr. Strange work was a big part of my formative years.

He will be sorely missed.

RIP Legendary Filipino Artist Jesse Santos

RIP Legendary Filipino Artist Jesse Santos.

I just learned that Jesse Santos passed away on April 27.
He was 83…

I was a HUGE fan of his work on
The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor.

He will be missed.

Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules for Writing a Short Story

Six years ago today, celebrated author and humanist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. fell down a flight of stairs and died. He was 84 at the time. Being a fellow Hoosier, it was my duty to read his complete works and I must admit that I did not always get what he was getting after, but I always appreciated the way he went about it. His writing was purposeful and intense, full of winks and nudges and rib pokes, but at the same time with a weight and depth that challenged even the most critical of noodlers.

So, in honor of the sixth anniversary of his passing, I present Vonnegut’s 8 Rules for Writing a Short Story:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The Greater Feast of the Beast

ALEISTER CROWLEY

October 12, 1875 — December 1, 1947

65 years ago today, the so-called
Great Beast expired at Netherwood.

”I can imagine myself on my death-bed,
spent utterly with lust to touch the next world,
like a boy asking for his first kiss from a woman.”

Rest In Peace, Uncle Al.

Godspeed Neil Armstrong

I had a lot of heroes as a kid, but right near the top of the list was Neil Armstrong. A poster of him standing on the lunar surface graced my bedroom wall until I left for college. Somewhere, in a trunk in the attic, that poster lies, rolled up and neatly tucked away, with thumbtack and staple holes, and left over bits of Scotch tape, I’m sure. One of my fondest memories was a trip my parents, brother, and I took back in the seventies to visit the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Ohio.

Godspeed, Neil Armstrong. A more true American hero there never was. You will be missed. Thank you for all you did to further man’s reach for the stars, for your unparallelled bravery, and for inspiring me and millions of others. You will never be forgotten.

Another Giant Has Fallen

JOE KUBERT
(September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012)

Joe Kubert was one of the greats. As a kid, a Kubert illustrated comic was a guaranteed hit with me, be it Sgt. Rock, Hawkman, or Tarzan. He had a distinctive style, fluid and kinetic. He will be truly missed. Another piece of my childhood is gone. Another giant fallen.

RIP Joe. And thanks.

RIP Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine

January 24 1917 – July 8 2012

A War Hero and Celebrated Actor,
Ernest Borgnine was in some of my all-time
favorite movies…

The Vikings, The Black Hole, and
Escape from New York, just to name a few.

Godspeed, Ragnar. You will be missed.

Vampires Never Die

My fascination with horror began with a vampire on a daytime soap. Jonathan Frid’s Barnabas Collins was frightening but compelling, fueling my imagination and captivating me completely. His poster graced my bedroom wall. I collected the comics and paperback books. I had the Barnabas Collins model kit and board game. I made a scrapbook of cut out pictures from TV Guide,  soap opera and horror mags.

Jonathan Frid passed away this past weekend. He was 87 years old. And so dies another slice of my childhood.

The thing is, despite Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s best efforts, Frid’s Barnabas Collins will live on forever, immortalized on DVD for future generations to thrill to.

This weekend I’ll honor his memory by dusting off my old copy of The House of Dark Shadows. If there’s a heaven for fallen vampires, Jonathan Frid’s place in it is secure.

Rest in Peace, Barnabas Collins… until you rise again.

RIP Al Rio

It is being reported that Al Rio, a monstrously talented comic book artist, took his own life yesterday. I knew his work mostly from Voodoo (pictured above) which he worked on with the majestically malefic Alan Moore. Rio had a classic pin-up style with art nouveau  sensibilities. A solid, consummate artist who will be greatly missed. Godspeed, Al.

RIP Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens
1949-2011

Graydon Carter said of Hitchens — “He was a man of insatiable appetites—for cigarettes, for scotch, for company, for great writing, and, above all, for conversation.”

I can’t think of a better way for him to be remembered.

Godspeed (no pun intended), Mr. Hitchens. Here’s to hoping that a big surprise was awaiting you on the other side.