Of Bugs Bunny and Rubik's Cubes

These actually came together over the course of many months, but I have a few thoughts online now about Knights of the Old Republic #47, the first chapter of "Demon." Again, an eclectic stew of comic-book thoughts, touching on Rubik's Cubes, Bugs Bunny, and Fish-Bowl Guy. As noted, thoughts about the larger revelation this issue will appear in "Notes To The Old Republic" in next month's issue — as will, incidentally, a preview of Mass Effect: Redemption. Don't miss it!

A side note: I haven't modified the Shop much because I'm out of stock on a lot of things — which, as of today, includes several of the early issues of "Commencement." I'll make note if sets become available again, but this is not something I'm focusing much on, and some of the older issues are getting harder to locate in any event. Trade paperback time!

Knights of the Old Republic #47: The secret's out!

Which secret, you ask? Ummm... several? Numerous? It's just the start — and it's the start of "Demon," the final storyline in the Knights of the Old Republic comics saga. Issue #47 goes on sale in fine comics shops most everywhere Wednesday. Exercise caution in approaching message boards where the spoilers will be abounding!

I've also finally added the site page for the eighth trade paperback, "Destroyer" — now available for preorder at your local comic book emporium or at Amazon.

Read, absorb, enjoy — and check back here where I'll have some thoughts online about the issue soon. I'll go ahead and say that there are enough revelations yet to come that I probably won't be able to address a lot of questions; later chapters elaborate on a lot of what we see in this issue. But there should be plenty enough to chew on!

This series has been a lot of fun — and the fun is still going!

News about my February comics -- and that's it. Move along...

OK, folks, I hit the road for a few days and things get busy. Here we go, as best as I can post from the road...

The cover and solicitation to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #50, the final issue of the series, is now online at the Dark Horse site -- and a page has been established for it on my site here. Benjamin Carre has delivered a cool cover -- just the one I'd suggested. All kinds of surprises in the issue -- of course! (And if you think the solicitation gives anything away, think again -- or better, listen to Magneto: "Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?")

Next -- although actually shipping a week or so before -- is the second issue of Mass Effect: Redemption. The proper preview details are at the Dark Horse site, but I have also finally gotten around to getting a parent page for the series online here. This issue, at least as far as I understand the release schedule, should be the first one out after the release of the video game sequel -- but don't take my word for that. Definitely check with your local retailer!

Just saw the new Star Wars: Insider -- we have a nice interview there about the end of the Knights series. Be sure to pick it up.

And, finally, since you asked, yes, that is a very nice new interview with Dark Horse's Randy Stradley here at TheForce.net -- and yes, he's exactly right that "fellow editor Dave Marshall and writer John Jackson Miller don’t want me to spill the beans about the new series they’re working on." Ladies and gentlemen, start your speculating!

Hmmm. I'm visiting my mom today -- on a day when the word for the day is mum. Coincidence -- or part of a great master plan? Bwa-ha-ha!

(Sorry, in the car waaaay too long this weekend. But stay tuned!)

Bookending the Cold War at the Churchill Museum

"Where were you when the wall fell?" Well, twenty years ago I was heading with a bunch of folks from the student newspaper to the Investigative Reporters and Editors College Conference in Washington, D.C. -- so around the time the wall was falling, I was actually driving around lost in our nation's capital. (And for all the excitement around the world, it seemed dead as the proverbial doornail that night.)

Thus I missed most of the news that day -- as well as the premiere of the episode of Cheers where Eddie is run over by a Zamboni-brand Zamboni. Fortunately, I caught up on these important events later on. But traveling through Missouri this weekend -- almost twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall -- it seemed a good time to stop in Fulton, Missouri, to visit the Winston Churchill Memorial.

If you're wondering about the relevance of a Churchill Musuem here, wonder no more: It was here that Churchill delivered the famous "Iron Curtain" speech. On the campus of Westminster College, the musuem is housed in the lower section of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a 12th century church from the middle of London that, after being redesigned in 1677, was relocated to Fulton.

Six panels from the Berlin Wall are on the plaza outside; several world leaders have spoken at the site, including Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The museum serves multiple functions. There's a lot of material about Churchill the man -- including a look at a replica office and his painting materials -- but then there's also a lot on the history of his times, from the Great War to World War II to the Cold War. Then there's material on the history of the church above. It's a pretty wide sweep of topics for Midwest-bound Anglophiles.

I've read a lot of Churchill's writings over the years -- apart from the inside look at some of the events he personally was involved with, he has a very readable writing style. The six-volume history of World War II is definitely worth a look; they're fairly easy to find online. And if you're in the center of the country, the Memorial is worth a look, too

I don't regret too much being anywhere special twenty years ago; we did get to meet Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein at the conference. So there was a brush with history -- just frmo a completely different period...

The beginning of the end begins Nov. 18!

And Dark Horse has posted the preview from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #47, the first issue of "Demon," the final story arc. It's the only three pages they could've selected that don't give something major away — but you can see, the answers are about to begin flowing!

"What's that, Zayne? Serroco? Oh, er, ahem... is that the phone?"

An update or two

And some notes for Knights of the Old Republic #46 are now online — and I am given to understand that the latest trade paperback, Vol. 7: Dueling Ambitions, has also arrived in stores. I'll put some notes together on that eventually, but I don't recall that we made any changes on that edition. We generally catch just about everything!

Speaking of trades, I still need to get a page online for Volume 8, which was recently solicited. February release, I think...

"Destroyer" concludes!

And Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #46 releases today at your local comics shop — the second part of "Destroyer." It's a particularly emotional issue for our cast — with some wonderful art and one of the creepiest covers we've ever had.

Be sure to check it out... I'll have some thoughts posted on it in a few days.