Author Archives: W. Blaine Dowler

As you may be able to tell, my formal training is not as a writer. My degrees are in physics and education. In my day job, I work in supplemental education, which is why my productivity is lowest when report card season hits.

Threshold Discussion – “Pulse”

The team has to check out a rave. In behind the
scenes news, CBS has picked up three more episodes
instead of a full season order. They want to wait for
the ratings before they decide if they go for the full
season. (I believe the original order was for 13
episodes, and this brings it up to 16, but I could be
wrong.)

The Quill Awards

chad writes, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has won “Book of the Year” in the first-ever Quill Awards. The nominees are selected by a large group of booksellers and librarians, but the winners are chosen by the readers. Genre winners include “The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror” by Christopher Moore (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror) and “Marvel 1602 Volume I” by
Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert, and Richard Isanove (Graphic Novel). The Quill Foundation has some pretty heavy supporters–so I think we’ll be hearing more about these awards in the upcoming years. Having read (and reviewed) 1602, I’m a little surprised by the win. The wins for including Jon Stewart and company’s America: The Book in the humour and audiobook categories don’t surprise me in the least, though. The book is funny.

Weekly Comics Discussion – Wednesday, October 12, 2005

This week’s shipping
list includes Essential Spider-Man Vol. 7
and Essential Werewolf by Night Vol. 1, which
are the only two items I’ll be taking home this week.
(I won’t be ordering further volumes of Essential
Amazing Spider-Man, Essential Fantastic
Four or Essential X-Men, either, thanks
to the DVD-ROM versions.) Other items of note include
Exiles #71, the first issue of Peter David’s
Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man (which
kicks off the 12 part “The Other” storyline, which
will run through all three Spider-Man titles until
January, and which has a single writer handling all
three titles for the first month), House of M
#7, Ghost Rider #2 (along with a
“Director’s Cut” edition of Ghost Rider #1),
Ultimate X-Men #64, the Green Lantern
Rebirth hardcover (which I do recommend but
haven’t reviewed yet), Infinite Crisis #1,
and the Astro City: Local Heroes TPB.