Augustus watched the other man over their glasses. He was still smiling that damned Guy Fawkes grin. He’d never seen it falter, no matter how hard he negotiated. And he was just as good. A world champion poker player. And now the game was over. “So now that you’ve got my stake, what will you do with it?”
He set down his glass. “My backers think like you do. The City is an efficient way of concentrating capital. But I see it as so much more than that. There is so much potential here. I’m going to do wonderful things.”
The City: 006: The Buyer
October 6, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Augustus, Drabble, Fiction, The City, The Smiling Man, Writing Leave a comment
The City: 005: Laura
October 3, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Laura, The City, Writing Leave a comment
Laura was the owner at a very exclusive night club. She had a long, lucrative night, but it was morning now. The dance floor was empty, the chairs had been placed on the tables, and the the rest of the staff had gone home. She should be home, too. But you can get anything at any time in The City. Especially if you’re Augustus Sizemore. So she opened up and brought them a bottle of champagne. She poured herself for the CEO and his guest. She marveled at how prettily it sparkled in the new day’s sunlight. They clinked glasses.
The City: 004: Bob
October 2, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Bob, Drabble, Fiction, The City, Writting Leave a comment
Bob knew every turn and corner in The City. He could get from The Heights to The Bay inside of ten minutes, in any weather, at any time of day. He’d been a driver for Midas Corp. for five years, and he’d been Augustus Sizemore’s chauffeur for two. Before that, he’d been a Daytripping Gearhead. Once he was the king of the underground street racing circuit. But everybody has to grow up and get a real job sometime. The doors opened and two men got in. One was his boss, the other, he did not know. Bob started the engine.
The City: 003: Gina
October 1, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Gina, The City, Writing Leave a comment
Gina watched the jumper on the exterior cameras. Her chute was a cheap model, without any stabilizers. You could get one of those for the credits you’d find lying in the street. The kid was a Daytripper, not a Citizen like her. And she didn’t know how strong the crosswinds blew up here. They buzzed for her in the conference room. They must have finally finished. She wished the kid happy landings, and went in. The signed contract lay on the table. The mysterious gentleman looked happy, but her boss just looked tired. She took it, and left the room.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Hidden Harbor Mysteries
September 30, 2014
Hugh Likes Podcasts, Review Audio Drama, Bryan Lincoln, HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Jay Smith, podcasting, Pulp Leave a comment
Produced by Bryan Lincoln
Written by Jay Smith
hiddenharbormysteries.com
“Hidden Harbor Mysteries” is a lost 1930’s radio drama that never existed. Dreamed up by HG World creator Jay Smith, and brought to live by Fullcast podcast-producting powerhouse Bryan Lincoln, the podcast recreates the feel of a radio show with an astounding level of verisimilitude, and touch of weirdness.
Supposedly recorded in 1936, and set in a vision of post-World War II America locked in a hot war with the Soviet Union, Hidden Harbor Mysteries is a pulp serial in the tradition of “The Shadow.” The series stars Veronica Giguerre as “The Femme Phantom,” a crime-fighting socialite with as yet mysterious powers, and features an array of talented podcasters and voice actors including Dave Robbison, Rish Outfield, and Renee Chambliss. With three episodes released as of this review, it is classic pulpy fun, with a few clever nods to the genre.
I will admit that I haven’t listened to Smith’s other projects, but this one has me hooked. The writing is sharp and sly, mixing a modern sensibility with period style. The delivery is also top notch, with great performances by Veronica and Dave in particular. But the real hook here is the presentation. Smith’s writing, the cast’s performances, and Producer Bryan Lincoln’s masterful skills with audio editing software recreate the experience of tuning in to a 1936 broadcast with 2014 technology. It is challenging enough for a fullcast producer to create the illusion that the actors are in the same room. Bryan has managed to do one better, bringing a live on-air both from eighty years ago back to life. This illusion is further sold by the stylish intros and outros, complete with cigarette ads touting doctor recommendations.
Hidden Harbor Mysteries is a classic pulp adventure for the modern podcast listener. Check it out at their website, or subscribe in iTunes.
The City: 002: Augustus
September 30, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Augustus, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City, The Smiling Man 1 Comment
Augustus watched the sunrise from the floor-to-ceiling window of the 97th floor boardroom. They had worked through the night, but the contract was finished. Everyone but he and the client had gone home. He was the fifth-richest men in the world, and this sale would multiply his fortune. But could he really give up his control of Midas Corp? Could he leave The City behind? A rainbow parachute descended past him. A punky girl in black leather dangled from it. She met his eye and gave him the finger. He crossed back to the table and signed.
The City: 001: Dawn
September 29, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Dawn, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City, Writing 21 Comments
Dawn loomed over The City. She stood and watched the rising sun filter through block after block from her vantage on the roof of Midas Corp. Tower. She had climbed up without light, making the perilous trip by memory and relying on a FAQ when the going got tough. There wasn’t anything up here, but it was the best view short of buying your own plane. And who had the credits to waste on something like that? This was her city, and she was its vagabond master. It was a new day, and below her adventure was waiting. She Jumped.
A New Writing Project Coming Next Week!
September 23, 2014
Starting next week, I’m going to tray a bit of a literary experiment here on the Blog. Introducing, “The City, A Story in 140 Characters!”
I’ve always liked comic strips, and particularly webcomics as form of short serialized storytelling. I’ve wanted to do one, but I can’t draw worth sour apples. I was blown away by Jake Bible’s novel Dead Mech, and ever since I first listened to the podcast version, I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a longer story broken up into 100 word parts. This is my first attempt.
Here’s the twist: Each Drabble is going to focus on a different character, for a total of one-hundred and forty. Can I tell a coherent story broken up into so many viewpoints, in so short a wordcount? Even I don’t know yet, but I can’t wait to find out!
Come back every weekday for a new drabble, a new character, and a new look at the mysterious world of The City!
Hugh Likes Comics: The Infinity Gauntlet
September 20, 2014
Hugh Likes Comics, Review Crossovers, George Perez, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Infinity Guantlet, Jim Starlin, Marvel, Omnipotence, review, Thanos Leave a comment
Written by: Jim Starlin
Drawn by: George Perez
Published by Marvel Comics
As a rule, I really don’t like crossovers. They’re messy, over-crowded affairs where heroes act out of character to fit the story, and their endings tend to be unsatisfying piles of continuity. Event full of sound and fury where “everything changes” but at the end of the story, everything is pretty much back where they were. Oh, she might be in a different costume and he might have been replaced with his sidekick, who looks the same except for the cybernetic arm. The status quo remains king.
And then there’s “The Infinity Gauntlet.” This is the one that got it right. It’s a threat that is based off of years of continuity, but clear enough that one doesn’t need to invest a college savings in back issues to know who’s who. It’s a threat that is credible, active, and present, not only for the heroes, but for the entire fictional universe. A threat that is credible enough to not only bring the Marvel Universe together, but also put their backs against the wall.
It also manages to balance character study and knock-down, drag-out, cosmic-level fighting. In the first issue, Thanos, elevated to genuine omnipotence thanks to the eponymous gauntlet, snuffs out half the life in the universe. He does this because it turns out that he’d like to hook up with the Universe’s personification of Death. Death is, naturally, a hot lady, because Comics. Unfortunately, all of his god-like power fails to catch her eye. Having gained unmatched power, and being unable to effectively use it is the core of Thanos’s character, and it is an interesting contrast to the surviving heroes and villains, who are left with the task of fighting a hopeless battle against the Mad Titan.
The climax of the series is a fight where he faces of and wins against first every hero in the Marvel Universe, and then the super powerful Cosmic Forces. It gets a bit metaphysical, but the thread of the story never gets lost, and Perez’s expressionistic art captures it all perfectly.
The Infinity Gauntlet isn’t just a cheap cash in. It is the basis for twenty years of comics storytelling, and possibly the endgame Marvel’s cinematic universe is heading towards. Even if you have no interest in those things, it is the Platonic Ideal of a Marvel comic. A story of superhuman power filtered by the lens of the most human emotions.
The Infinity Gauntlet is available from Comixology, Amazon, or Your Local Comics Shop.
Hugh Likes Podcasts-The Drabblecast
September 14, 2014
Uncategorized HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Norm Sherman, podcasting, The Drabblecast Leave a comment
Staff: Norm Sherman (Editor in Chief) Nicky Drayden (Managing Editor) Nathan Lee (Submissions Editor) Matthey Bey (Editor at Large) Bo Kaier (Art Director) Tom Baker (Archivist)
The Drabblecast is one of the first fiction podcasts I listened to, and it is still my favorite. Hosted by musician and madman Norm Sherman, The Drabblecast is strange fiction, by strange authors, for strange listeners, such as yourself. They present ‘weird’ stories: horror, science-fiction, and fantasy that you wouldn’t hear anywhere else. While genre fiction is a staple of fiction podcasts, The Drabblecast is instantly recognizable and distinct. This is the place to go to hear stories about reformed zombies and Lovecraftian mythos tales related through passive-aggressive post-it notes. These stories are never what you expect, and they’re always executed with a high degree of artistry and technical skill.
The Drabblecast is named after the drabble, a kind of flash fiction that is exactly one hundred words long. Norm usually opens the show with one sent in by a listener. Drabbles are tricky because a hundred words is just about too long for a joke and too short for a short story. Writing a good one is a balancing act, and so is writing the sort of odd stories that are The Drabblecast’s style.
The show is also notable for its high production values. They produce a variety of narratives, from solo reads to full-cast productions, but Norm and his crew’s distinctive voice and excellent ear for music elevates the work. His skewed sense of humor is icing on the cake.
If you’re looking for a fiction podcast that is a step away from the ordinary, The Drabblecast has a huge archive of stories for your listening pleasure. They recently began a curated best-of feed as well. Check them out at drabblecast.org.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 