Category Archives: stephen king
Apocalypse November: The Stand
The Stand, Stephen King’s Apocalyptic Tale, shows what can happen when we mess with genetically altered viruses and prions and allows the readers to witness how civilization comes apart at the seams. The Stand with its well woven plot, takes the apocalypse head on. The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1979 and was adapted for both a television miniseries for ABC and as a limited series by Marvel Comics that was eventually collected in a trade paperback collection. Meet me after the jump.
31 Days of Horror: Creepshow
Halloween is my favourite holiday for a good reason – costumes, candy, mischief… but I think what really thrills me is the idea that all things evil could become awesome. As a kid, I adored this holiday because it flipped convention on its head – celebrating the things that would normally horrify people, Halloween definitely sparked a love for the horror genre. And Creepshow nurtured it in to a full blown obsession.
Creepshow was released in 1982, directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King. With credentials like that, I probably don’t need to add that it was inspired by the classic E.C. Comics of the 1950s. Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, Weird Science and even MAD magazine were the creations of this incredible publisher. No doubt these inspired horror icons like Romero and King, but I was born in the 80s and this movie was to be my first taste of their genius.
If you’ve seen this Michael Jackson video, or this Twisted Sister video, or the beginning of Tenacious D, you’ll recognize the beginning of Creepshow… A Dad who unknowingly rouses bad mojo by being mean to his kid. In this case, tossing the Creepshow comic book in the garbage, inspiring rebellious kids everywhere to lust for blood.
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5 things that’ll make 2012 great
We’re on the threshold of a new year.
There’s plenty of reason for excitement, but if you watch stuff like this or this, you might be thinking our civilization and way of life are doomed.
I say nuts to that. Personally, 2011 was an awful year. I’m glad to stick a fork in this one come Sunday, and I think you should too, especially knowing what good stuff is on the horizon.
To pick you up before 2011 go-goes, here are five reasons 2012 is going to be a great year:
Biff Bam Pop’s Holiday Gift Guide Day 2 – Stephen King’s 11/22/63 Giveaway!
Just how good is Stephen King’s new time travelling epic novel 11/22/63? Well, for the first time in his career a King novel has made the New York Times list of the 10 Best Books of 2011. It only took him fifty-one tries. Safe to say, there’s something special about this one.
The Obdurate Past – Stephen King’s 11/22/63 Reviewed
Ask anyone where they were on November 22, 1963, and I’m sure they can tell you. To date, I have you to meet anyone who was alive that day who didn’t know exactly where they were and what they were doing. The only similar experiences I can draw upon from my own lifetime were the death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997 and the horrible sequence of events that ended in the tragedy of September 11, 2011. I feel the second of these is far more akin to the assassination of President Kennedy: horrible tragedy, worldwide effects, and, sadly, a hotbed of conspiracy theories.
Biff Bam Pop Exclusive Interview: Andy Burns Talks Stephen King’s The Dark Tower with Robin Furth, Part Two
If you haven’t had a chance to read part 1 of my interview with Robin Furth, plotter for Marvel Comics’ The Dark Tower series (the first 30 issue arc of which was recently compiled in The Dark Tower Omnibus), you can find it here. On that note, on to part two!
Stephen King Week: JP Fallavollita’s Personal Misery
Walking home from school one hot summer day, I happened across a prone squirrel, lying on a grassy boulevard. It looked hurt; it’s body not moving. I don’t know. I suppose I’ve always had empathy for small creatures. I thought, perhaps unrealistically, that I could help the animal in some manner: give it a nudge towards a home burrow; ascertain injuries and contact animal control. I don’t know. Just…help.
Biff Bam Pop Exclusive Interview: Andy Burns Talks Stephen King’s The Dark Tower With Robin Furth, Part One
The scariest Stephen King story I’ve ever read – The Boogeyman from Night Shift. I was 10 years old, home with the chicken pox. The illness was bad, but the nightmares made it worse.
My favourite film based on a Stephen King story – The Shining, hands down. You can read why here. I recently sat at a table with the great author Chris Claremont and debated the films merits. We agreed to disagree.
However, when it comes to my favourite Stephen King story of them all, there really is no competition. It’s The Dark Tower, the epic seven book series that tells the tale of Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger in Mid-World as he endeavours to find the tower at the centre of all reality. I read all seven books back in the winter of 2010, every week day as I commuted to my then day job, 1.5 hours each way. Truthfully, it was the best way to immerse myself in the series. The hard part was when characters I grew attached to started dying towards the end of the series. Nobody likes getting their tears in their eyes in public.
As Stephen King’s assistant and author of the essential The Dark Tower: A Concordance, few know The Dark Tower better than Robin Furth. Her unparalleled familiarity with Mid-World made her the perfect choice to help guide The Dark Tower when Marvel Comics began publishing its King-approved series in 2007, the first 30 issues of which are now compiled in the massive Dark Tower Omnibus (which also includes a separate Companion book full of lots of Furth-penned pieces).
I was able to chat via email with Ms. Furth about all things related to her work on the brilliant comic book series, along with how she first entered Mid-World (and Stephen King’s world) a decade ago. For a huge fan of the Dark Tower series, I’m pretty sure you can imagine how excited for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.
