I’ve missed blogging. Though I had to stay away from it for a while for good reason, prior to the New Year starting I was itching to get back into it.
See, when I disconnected from writing/publishing almost a year ago, I pulled the plug on everything. I mean everything, which included deleting the content of this blog. I think it was over 900+ entries. I’ve salvaged some of them and re-posted. Other stuff was just fluff, which can be left deleted forever. But in hindsight, I wish I would have left things intact, handled the situation differently, etc. No matter. The past is the past.
Here we are, 2015. Time to blog again. I’ve already started on working to restore my movie reviews so you’ll see those going up regularly. I’m also planning on posting the book reviews I have access to as well.
Then there will be other blog posts, whether ones about what’s on my mind, maybe a writing exercise or two, articles/essays, things like that. In the end, I hope whatever I post is something you’ll find interesting.
Just wanted to keep you updated.
Please check this site daily to see what’s going on.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves Directed by Marc Webb Runtime 136 min. 4 out of 5
After getting bitten by a genetically-modified spider, teenager Peter Parker discovers he has spider-like abilities. However, after looking into his past, he meets Dr. Conors and becomes the scientist’s pupil. When Peter’s uncle is murdered in cold blood, he uses his new spider abilities to try and track down the killer and ends up creating an alternate identity in the process. Meanwhile, Dr. Conors’s own limb-regeneration experiments goes haywire and the good doctor is transformed into a giant lizard. Peter, now under the identity of Spider-Man, takes it upon himself to stop the Lizard at all costs before others get hurt.
When I first heard they were rebooting Spider-Man, I was like, “Come on, really? You just did that in the movies, the cartoons, in the comics . . .” It seems Spider-Man has only one story to tell: his origin. They keep doing it, after all.
But I got something more than that in The Amazing Spider-Man and I was won over. While I enjoyed the Raimi films on the whole, this one seemed more comic book Spider-Man to me as they dialed back the clock all the way to his childhood and got a bit more into Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield’s) parents’ history, introduced Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and went with a villain that fans have been itching to see ever since his civilian identity was mentioned back in the 2002 Spider-Man movie: Dr. Conors aka the Lizard (Rhys Ifans). While Spidey’s origin stayed true to its main components—getting bitten by a spider, Peter Parker as a student, the tragic death of Uncle Ben—they modernized it a bit and seemed to suggest that, kind of like in the 2003 Hulk movie, our hero’s destiny was mapped out for him many years before. This part I wasn’t too keen on, to be honest, nor was I big on how the Peter Parker side of things was done: pretty cool dude, likeable, good looking, hot girlfriend, etc. Pretty much the opposite of nerdy Parker becoming a superhero.
However, on the Spider-Man side of things, we got one wicked webcrawler on our hands. We’ve got three movies prior to this one to learn how to make him move, swing around, climb walls, spin webs—everything that was showcased in this flick was like a comic book come to life. What made it work, too, was that it was believable and didn’t look like a 3D cartoon unlike some sequences in 2002’s Spider-Man. What made it even more special was that this Spider-Man actually cracked a lot of jokes, something that was missing for the most part from the other outings. And the Spider-Man-point-of-view wall crawling and swinging around scenes? Yes, please! Totally made you feel like you were there and reminded me a lot of the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios in Florida. Bring back the mechanical webshooters instead of the organic variety (I didn’t mind those, actually, as it makes more sense), and Spider-Man is back in business, baby!
The stakes were high in this movie, too, with the Lizard being a serious bad guy to contend with. He was strong, powerful, showed no mercy, and that sewer scene was spooky.
This movie was a lay-the-groundwork movie, setting things up for what is currently rumored to be three sequels and, according to director Marc Webb, aiming for the Sinister Six storyline, which was being mapped out even while they were making this Spider-Man movie. I can’t wait. A giant Spider-Man story is going to be awesome and I’m glad they started from scratch to make it happen as they can then link everything together, starting from scene one.
So what can I say? I’ve been pulled to the other side and am glad they rebooted Spider-Man. A part of me can’t help but wonder what might’ve been had Spider-Man 4 happened, but this new journey we’re on with our favorite webhead is off to a good start.
All-Star Superman (2011) Written by Dwayne McDuffie Directed by Sam Liu Runtime 76 min. 5 out of 5
The Man of Steel is dying after receiving an extreme dose of solar radiation. Trying to live out his last days and wrap up all loose ends, he spends it with Lois and gives her a special serum that grants her superpowers for twenty-four hours. When unexpected twists and turns arise, the two must save Metropolis together. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has plans of his own and when he gets his hands on the serum that granted Lois superpowers, he becomes as powerful as Superman.
Can the Last Son of Krypton stop his arch nemesis while also saving the Earth from a damaged sun before he perishes?
When I think of classic Superman, I think of this story. The reason is because this story involves all of the classic elements of Superman lore, everything from the basics like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, all the way to the Fortress of Solitude, the bottle city of Kandor, a full array of superpowers—and in the case of this story, some new ones, which reminds me of the “bonus” powers portrayed in Superman IV (though they’re not silly in this one like they were in that flick)—the Phantom Zone, Superman using not only his super brawn but also his super brains, Lois having superpowers (which has happened quite a lot in Supes’s history—she’s got a cool costume in this, by the way), and a ton more.
Based on the graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, this flick asks the hard questions about Superman’s mortality, if such a thing is possible, and if it is possible, then how would that possibly play out? Unlike Superman’s death when the Man of Steel went up against Doomsday, this story isn’t about a giant slugfest, but about a slow death caused by the very thing that gives Superman his powers: the sun. It’s about him coming to terms with his own mortality and setting things in order before his final moment arrives.
One of the great things about these direct-to-DVD super flicks from DC is they’re all stand-alone features based on a graphic novel and by being so, they also carry with it the same art style from the book. In this case, it’s Frank Quitely’s art animated. I admit it took a while for his art to grow on me. Perhaps because it’s so simple and clean, yet by being that way, he’s able to create some pretty realistic-looking superheroes. Seeing it animated like we do in this flick brings Superman et al. to life and makes this comic book fan very happy.
Out of all the Superman adaptations done thus far, All-Star Superman is one of the greats and gets high props for being an awesome animated flick with a great cast, great art direction, a great story and, most importantly, having the greatest hero of them all, one who’s definitely an all-star: Superman.
This is the official website of Canadian author and cartoonist A.P. Fuchs.
I’m the author of over 30 books with more being created all the time. I write from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and am in the midst of a ton of deadlines, which is why this website will be quiet for a while. My main conduits to the outside world are Twitter and my newsletter, which is sent out weekly. To keep up-to-date with me, those two are your best options. I do pop in on Facebook once in a while, but will be scaling that back as I work off-line to finish a couple manuscripts and start some new ones.
Metahumans vs Werewolves: A Superhero vs Werewolf Anthology
The war between Good and Evil has raged since before Time began. Now it’s ultimate power versus ultimate savagery.
With ferocious fangs, flesh-ripping claws and a feral hunger to destroy anything in their path, werewolves are one of the most feared monsters on the planet.
Stepping in to stop their quest for blood are the metahumans, men and women with powerful abilities that set them apart from the rest of humanity. Some wear costumes as symbols of hope, others operate discreetly, using their special abilities for good. Put these two groups of people together and you have a clash between light and darkness that is sure to rock the foundation of the world and bring about an epic battle unlike anything seen before.
Featuring familiar heroes like Axiom-man, Midnight Angel, Nightcat, The Wraith, The Cowl and others, these eleven stories of super-powered heroism and terror are a thrilling ride through the worlds of wolf and superhero, and to a place where only one can remain standing.
Contains stories by Frank Dirscherl, Lorne Dixon, A.P. Fuchs, Anthony Giangregorio, Keith Gouveia, Jon Klement, J.L. MacDonald, Gina Ranalli, Jim Robb, Stephen Semones and Scott Story.
Metahumans vs the Undead: A Superhero vs Zombie Anthology
The war between Good and Evil has raged since before Time began.
Now the battle continues with the Ultimate Good versus the Ultimate Evil.
Metahumans vs the Undead
Metahuman: one of the human species endowed with one or more powers beyond that of mortal men; a person who uses those abilities to serve either themselves or society. Typically branded by a codename and colorful costume. AKA Superhero.
Undead: one of the human species endowed with life even after death; a walking corpse. Typically branded by their decayed form and appetite for human flesh. AKA Zombie.
In a world where superheroes and zombies collide, only one can prove the victor.
Featuring indie heroic favorites like Axiom-man, The Wraith and Shadowflame, while also introducing newcomers like Nightcat, Spectrolite, Midnight Angel and more, Metahumans vs the Undead is a terror-filled action adventure where Light and Darkness collide and only one can prevail.
Contains stories by: Rebecca Besser, Eric S. Brown, Frank Dirscherl, Lorne Dixon, A.P. Fuchs, Anthony Giangregorio, Keith Gouveia, J.L. MacDonald, Joe Martino, Rhiannon Paille, Gina Ranalli and J.B. Robb.
Mech Apocalypse: A Military Science Fiction Thriller
A Stolen Weapon.
A Rising Enemy.
A Change to History.
Riley Connor was one of the best skilled mech-pilots in the war between the Expherions and the Supremechs. Now, with the war over, he serves as a Peacemaker, part military, part law enforcement. When a secret weapon is stolen from the abandoned base Stake 47, he is suddenly thrust into a battle not just for the future security of the planet, but of the war he thought over with.
Teamed with Sophie Jones, another highly trained officer and someone he is close to, they seek to discover precisely what this weapon is and what it can do. Also paired with them is Nick Fox, a seasoned war vet, and Grayson Wilder, a rookie exo-suit warrior. Together, the four must not only locate the weapon, but bring the thieves to justice.
All goes haywire when the weapon is activated and an evil thought vanquished returns. Soon, Riley and Sophie find themselves in a place different from the world they left yet also familiar.
From high flying exo-suit battles to giant mech-bots exchanging missile fire, Mech Apocalypse is an action-packed military science fiction adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat!
Mech Apocalypse has hit Kindle and in a few days will be popping up on-line in paperback form. The book is almost out and then I can start marketing it. Now, with that project out of the way, I’m free to focus on other things so this week I came up with a graphic novel concept I’m eager to delve into. I wrote up a treatment for it–basically a story overview sans any specific details–and am about to hunker down and outline the thing scene-by-scene. Once that’s done, I’ll go back over it and expand the scenes by adding in dialogue, captions, camera angles and all the rest. It’s going to be a big book, over a hundred comic pages when done. The plan is to draw it once it’s written. I’ve wanted to get back into comics for a while and this seems like a good opportunity to do so. Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean I’m abandoning prose. Just taking a break from it. The sequel to Mech Apocalypse is half-written so it won’t take long to finish that up and bring it to you guys in the New Year. I’ll follow up with the third volume in the trilogy later on in 2015.
Thing is, I want to do an “in-between” project, something to keep me busy while I let the Mech Apocalypse world of mech-bots and exo-suits percolate in the back of my head. Comics seems a good place to do so. I also plan on doing an in-between project between Mech Apocalypse 2 and Mech Apocalypse 3. I have a book that’s already 3/4 written. The problem is it’s horror and since I don’t do horror anymore, it’d be an awful shame to let so much of an already-written book go to waste. So I’m going to retool it into a sci-fi, which, given the story, would be quite easy to do. More details on that project when the time comes.
In the meantime, I’m going to make some comics.
I plan on giving more details about this graphic novel project, along with its title, once I script the thing. At that point, with the script locked down, it becomes official and I can then start talking it up to get you interested.
Besides, I’ve been itching to draw comics again for a good while now.
I realize this site has been awfully quiet over the past couple months. One reason is simply that I’ve been busy. The other reason is, thanks to my weekly newsletter, I don’t have much to post here as I put all my updates and whatnot in that.
I’ve considered posting my newsletter here as well, but also think that if I do that, then no one would sign up for because they could simply get the info here on-site.
Will have to mull this over more.
Anyway, things are happening behind-the-scenes, but we’re still in work mode here so not much to report.
Will have to come up with a plan for this site. It’s been through different incarnations over the years in terms of what and how I post.
I preach updating your website at least once a week and yet here I am posting next to nil. That’s my task this week: thinking of a plan for this site. Again, because of the newsletter, that’s become my “info dump” as opposed to this webpage. I enjoy writing the newsletter and encourage you to sign up. Lots of goodies there.
