Happy Holidays

I will most likely be away until the 28th, so until then…
may your Yuletide be blessed with joyous revelry and celebration.

See you next week.

A Football State of Mind

Yes, I realize this seems out of place on this site, but if you know me at all then you know that Football is a big part of my life. The game is a thrilling testament to the human spirit. It is compelling… dramatic… and inspires a fiery passion inside my primordial soul. On the field of battle two teams square off in a chessmatch of strategy and gamesmanship, in which more than just physical prowess is required. It takes heart and courage, patience and dedication to win the day… in this, Football becomes a great metaphor for life. This game is a microcosm of the greater human condition and I love it.

Are you ready for some Football?

Why yes I am.

The Decade’s Best, Part I

We near the end of another decade and I thought it was time for some reflection. It was a monumental one for me. I got married, had a child, and became an uncle. I said goodbye to friends, family, mentors, and heroes who passed from this world to the next. I stormed Scotland. I braved Disneyworld. And I chased ghosts… lots and lots of ghosts.

I published two novels, dozens of short stories, a handful of comics, and I saw my artwork grace the covers of a whole host of works by some of my favorite writers in the field.

And in a decade that saw me turn forty, I can honestly say it has been the best decade of my life.

I have a lot to be thankful for, but even more to look forward to. I can only hope that the next decade is as magical as this one has been.

Now, let’s close this blog entry out with a bang with the Decade’s Best in Television Entertainment (according to yours truly):

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THE BEST TELEVISION OF THE ‘OO’s

1. LOST

Not only the best show of the first decade into the 21st Century, but the best show ever. It’s mythic in scope — epic in vision — and all-out mindblowing in execution. It is an action packed adventure on an Island littered with rabbit holes that lead the viewer to ponder theoretical physics, comparative mythology, classical literature, and Jungian psychology. LOST is the proverbial enigma wrapped inside a riddle, but at its heart, LOST is about characters and therein lies the hook.

2. Supernatural

The 21st Century’s answer to the Hardy Boys, Sam and Dean Winchester are caught up in the ultimate battle between good and evil. Sure, they hunt and slay ghosts, monsters, and demons, but it’s more than that. Supernatural is about family ties… the bond of brotherhood… and it’s about the strength found in that bond that carries you through, even when faced with the deepest and darkest horrors imaginable.

3. Veronica Mars

If Supernatural is a modern take on the Hardy Boys, then Veronica Mars is this Century’s Nancy Drew. It lasted only three seasons, but television has rarely been better. Veronica Mars was smart, whitty, and everything you could ask for, with compelling mysteries and fantastic characters that week in and week out left you begging for more. It was a crime that it wasn’t renewed for a fourth season, but the three we were blessed with still resonate.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

It’s hard not to bow down at the altar of Joss Whedon. He turned the world on its ear with the creation of the Slayer, a teenage girl destined to battle the forces of evil while quipping wisecracks and maintaining an impeccable fashion sense. Add the stoic Angel into the mix — a vampire curshed with a soul — and you have not one, but two shows that reinvented the genre and made an indelable mark on pop culture.

5. Survivor

The ultimate reality show, Survivor took the world by storm by taking a group of normal, everyday people and sticking them in the middle of nowhere in a fierce competition for One Million Dollars. A psychological experiment played out for our entertainment, we watched as these survivors manuevered, plotted, and schemed against one another, hoping to outwit, outlast, and outplay their teammates to win the coveted monetary reward. Rarely has watching 16 people slowly starve to death been more fun.

***

There you go, kids. Chew on those for a bit and watch for my ruminations on the Best of the Decade in both Movies and Books in the days to come... and please accept my thanks for helping to make the start of the twenty-first century one for the ages.

Amanda Knox

Well, they did it, and by they I mean the Italian Judicial System. After deliberating for 13 hours, an Italian Jury has sentenced American Student Amanda Knox (22) to 26 years in prison for the stabbing death and sexual assault of her roommate, British Student Meredith Kercher.

The murder investigation and subsequent trial was (and is) a media circus, with lurid tales of satanic rituals, drug abuse, and sexual deviance.

And, in my opinion, the whole thing was a sham that conjured up memories of the Monster of Florence fiasco.

There is little doubt that the conviction of Amanda Knox is a miscarriage of justice… and I can’t help but think that somewhere out there, Meredith Kercher’s real killer is enjoying the hell this young girl has been — and will continue to be — put through.

Bob’s Blog of Lists IV

Bob’s Blog of Lists

Episode IV:
Essential John Byrne

Honorable Mention:
Blood of the Demon

5. Essential Iron Fist

4. Avengers: Nights of Wundagor

3. Fantastic Four: The Trial of Galactus

2. Captain America: War & Remembrance

1. X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga

Bob’s Blog of Lists III

Bob’s Blog of Lists

Episode III:
Of Those Who Have Inspired

Honorable Mention:
The fictional, but no less inspirational
Indiana Jones

5. Frank Frazetta
famed illustrator

4. James Patrick Page
guitarist, songwriter, producer

3. Aleister Crowley
magician, philosopher, author, & poet

2. Robert Anton Wilson
deep thinker, humorist & conspiracy theorist

1. Robert E. Howard
author and creator of
Conan – King Kull – Solomon Kane - and more

A Line in the Sand

Laurell K. Hamilton’s announcement today that she has ended her flirtation with an IFC produced Anita Blake television series has inspired some interesting soul searching on my part.

The fact of the matter is that artistic integrity is hard to maintain. There are so many factors involved, not the least of which being the economy and the entire industry struggling to reinvent itself.

But today I’m feeling the pangs of guilt.

I’m sorry to say that I have not always been the best steward of my creative endeavors.

Case in point? I have two book covers hitting the shelves soon. The authors of these books are friends of mine and their respective tales are terrific works of art. The rub? Both are being published by a company that I have exactly no respect for.

To give these friends of mine a hand I illustrated two book covers that I am very proud of. And I did them for a mere fraction of my normal going rate. I wanted my friends to end up with books they could be proud, not only for the content over which they labored, but I wanted them to be attractive and compelling visually…

But today, it’s eating me up.

I sold out.

Sure, you can argue the point that I did so to help my friends out, but in retrospect, what I should have done was decline to work on the titles because of the publisher involved. I should have encouraged my friends to take their work elsewhere.

I let them down. And I let myself down.

My father once told me that honor is the only gift a man can give himself that no one can ever take away. I have striven to carry myself honorably within this profession… today I feel like I have a lot of work to do and wrongs to right.

I’m drawing a line in the sand.

From now on I know which side of that line I’m staying on.

Never Surrender

I don’t talk sports on this blog often even though they are a big part of my life, especially football. Being a Hoosier through and through, I have been a fan of the Indianapolis Colts since the night they rolled into town back in 1984. Let there be no doubt: I bleed Blue.

Today, Sunday Night Football’s Indianapolis Colts — New England Patriots match-up is, understandably, setting the Internet on fire. Everyone is dissecting Bill Belichek’s decision to go for it on 4th and 2.

Let’s get this out-of-the-way. I think it was the right call.

Give Peyton Manning the ball with 2:00, no matter where he gets it on the field, and he is going to beat you. Belichek knew this. If the Patriots get those 2 yards, the game is over. No last-minute heroics from Manning and Company. Get those 2 yards and you’re inking a W into the win column.

The Colts Defense held.

Manning weaved his magic.

History was made and his Legend added to…

There was a lesson to be learned from that game that can be carried over to your everyday life. It’s a lesson that should be carved into your heart and soul. This lesson should be a mantra that you recite before the altar of your choosing.

The lesson is this: Never Surrender.

The Colts, against all odds, never do… and neither should you. Whatever you face in life there is but one way to confront it… never retreat… never surrender.

When adversity rears its ugly head, smile. This is your opportunity to stare defeat in the face and boldly proclaim, “Not today.”

Make history.

Add to the Legend.

Never surrender.

Bob’s Blog of Lists II

Bob’s Blog of Lists

Episode II:
The Gods (and Goddesses) of Thunder

Honorable Mention: Jim Morrison (The Doors)

5. Ronnie James Dio
(ELF, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell)

4. Lindsay Buckingham & Stevie Nicks
(Buckingham Nicks, Fleetwood Mac)

3. Johnette Napolitano
(Dream 6, Concrete Blonde, Vowel Movement, The Heads)

2. Ian Gillan
(Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Gillan)

1. Jimmy Page
(The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm, Page & Plant, Coverdale-Page)

It’s in the blood…

Col. Lafayette Franklin Freeman

from left to right
Lafayette, Greenberry, Walter, Gary, Bobby, and Connor