Author: Jeffrey Brown
Age Range: 8 and up
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: August 27, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I first heard about author/illustrator Jeffrey Brown when he released his bestselling book “Darth Vader and Son”. At the time, my wife was a few months away from having our daughter and I wondered where the female version of that book was. Well a few months later, “Vader’s Little Princess” was released. Read our interview with Jeffrey, here. When I spoke with him, he gave us a sneak peak at “Star Wars: Jedi Academy” and I know I just had to have it. Sure the age range is 8 and up but key word being up. I finished this book in literally one sitting and loved every minute of it. If you are a “Star Wars” fan young or old, this is a must have in your collection!.

The story is really cute and fun. It follows a young boy Roan and his journeys through middle school as he attempt to complete his dream of leaving home and becoming a Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. When he is denied entry into Pilot School, he fears that he will end up having to go to farming school instead.  But instead he receives an invitation out of the blue to attend Jedi Academy from Master Yoda and decides to give it a try. He find that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed and that his destiny leads him to a new path.

The illustrations in the book are extremely fun and each page is a new journey into this world. They are black and white and have a real fun comic book feel. There is tons of great humor all mixed within the common issues and stresses of attending middle school. Since we either you are going through it or have been through it, the story and its situations are very relatable no matter what age you are. It is told through various formats including Ronan’s comics, journal entries, letters, doodles, and newspaper clippings. So at first you will be reading his report card and then a letter from his brother.  It moves the story along so well and makes it very entertaining and fresh. I do not think that I have ever sat down just to check out a book and ended up reading the entire book within a few hours.

Author: Al Jourgensen
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen” is the first book from off the wall front man Al Jourgensen. Throughout the books 336 pages Al and company take you on a roller coaster ride of sex, drugs, drugs and even more drugs mixed with a sprinkling of rock and roll. Jourgensen the front man for the legendary industrial act Ministry delves into the most intimate crevices of his mind to recount everything from his life growing up in Chicago to the trials and tribulation of the music business.

Casual readers take warning as this is not your typical tell all memoir as Al Jourgensen gives you that and then some. From drugged out nights with band members past and present to near death experiences “Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen” was a book that I couldn’t put down. The book consisted of stories that were so far out there that they had to be true due to the fact that it would be hard for someone to make up some of these experiences and, be able tell them with the in-depth conviction Jourgensen does. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you want more.

As you read through the pages you never know who you’re going to run into as it seems as though Al has worked with or been associated with just about everyone. From Rick Neilson of Cheap Trick who collaborated with Al on his Buck Satan album to hanging out and steeling drugs with the late Kurt Cobain there all here. Though I wasn’t a big fan of some of the segues which included stories about Al from the stand point of others the book was still an interesting read packed with great photos and amusing antidotes that at several points made me take a step back and just say “WOW”.

Author: Discovery Channel
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
Number of Pages: 192 Pages
Release Date: June 11, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Sharks, why are we so fascinated with them? We just recently completed another amazing year of Shark Week, one of the best in my opinion! Great job, Discovery Channel. They are also behind this great new book, “Sharkopedia: The Complete Guide to Everything Shark”, teaming up with Time Home Entertainment, Inc. If you are a shark finatic like myself then you are going to love this book. This is a 192 page full-color book that includes over 400 vivid photos and tons of great information about nearly 500 species of sharks. I am very excited more importantly to show this book to my daughter as she gets older to have her learn about these amazing marvels. “Sharkopedia” is for all ages and really delivers an ultimate comprehensive book for shark fans.

Some of the chapters included “Shark Anatomy and Senses”, which explore shark parts, skin, muscles, fins, gills, hearing, taste and touch. “Feeding Habits” discuss different types of whats that sharks eat. “Record Breakers” show which shark can live over 200 years. “Shark Behavior” discuss if sharks sleep. “Shark Conservation” talks about what we can do to understand sharks better and how we can help them. There is tons of great information about Great White, Bull and Tiger sharks. I pride myself on being a big fan of sharks and there was still tons of great details that I have never known, thanks to this book. Highly recommend this and it is a great way to ease of having to wait another year before the next Shark Week.

Author: Mark Salisbury
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: August 6, 2013

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When I first saw “District 9”, I was blown away at how original and unique this film was. It was from a then unknown director named Neill Blomkamp.  “Elysium” is his latest film and really delivers another original sci-fi story with a great cast including Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. The film also look visually amazing, which is why I was very excited to break into this latest “Art of the Film” book. Then I realized who it was authored by, Mark Salisbury, and got even more excited. Last year Mark did two of my favorite books including “Prometheus: The Art of the Film” and “Dark Shadow: The Visual Companion”. He has quickly become one of my favorites and delivers yet another strike out with this book. I was excited to see “Elysium” but now I am mega-excited to see it.

In “Elysium: The Art of the Film”, we get a very encouraging foreword by Neill Blomkamp.  This guy is amazing and I can see him directing the hell out of a future “Star Wars” movie or something along those lines.  He really has a passion for film. Like I said earlier, when I see Mark Salisbury’s name you know you are going to get quality behind-the-scenes look. This book has a ton of amazing production art and photos.  There is also input from the legendary designer Syd Mead (“Blade Runner”, “TRON”). You can tell that this film is very elaborate and took a lot to create this futuristic world. Like always Titan Books comes through with another very impressive release. The book is larger than most “art of the film” books with dimensions 12.1 x 10.9 x 0.8 inches. The pages come with some fine stock paper and the images are super high quality.  There even is pull out pages in various sections. There was a lot of work that went into this movie and the book really captures all of it.

Age Range: 8 and up
Hardcover: 200 pages
Publisher: DK CHILDREN
Release Date: July 29, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

DK Books is literally the best when it comes to fun and in-depth book for “Star Wars” fans.  They endless keep coming up with new and exciting books for this franchise.  The latest is “Complete Vehicles”, which sets out to explore the inner workings of the spaceships and vehicles of all six “Star Wars” movies. From the moment I opened this book till my wife dragged it out of my hands, I was completely zoned out.  What “Star Wars” fan wouldn’t do a back flip for a book like this!? If you think that book look familiar that is because it is in fact an expanded edition of the fan favorite book, “Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections”.  This new amped up edition is jam-packed with new cross-section artworks and a ton of amazing new photos. A must for any true “Star Wars” fan.

Official Premise: “Star Wars: Complete Vehicles” is packed with visual explorations of more than fifty essential Star Wars spacecraft and landcraft, including the TIE bomber, Imperial shuttle, A-wing, B-wing, and more. Full-color cross-section artwork presents in-depth examinations of each craft’s weapon systems, engines, hyperdrives, cockpits, and construction secrets, providing a never-before-seen glimpse at the vehicles that drive the Star Wars universe. “Star Wars: Complete Vehicles” now features new and never-before-seen cross-sections!

DK really gets deep into detail with this book and even though this new edition is more kid-friendly than the original, I still found learning new things.  The images are extremely in-depth and very crisp.  There is a great foreword by John Knoll, the Visual Effects Supervisor at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic. He really knows these vehicles inside out and gives a nice insight. Now if you own “Complete Cross-Sections”, the question is do you really need to buy “Complete Vehicles”? Well, I should probably still say yes since it does have the four new cross-sections but again I am a die-hard “Star Wars” fan. Can’t wait to see what they have planned next for this never-ending franchise but whatever it is I will be first in line!

Author: Stephen King
Illustrated: Glenn Chadbourne
Hardcover: 88 pages
Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
Release Date: July 30, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“The Dark Man” is not a new release for Stephen King. He wrote this poem back when he was in college and it was published in Ubris in 1969. This release is King’s poem, “The Dark Man”, re-released over 40 years with a new life than to the amazing illustrations of Glenn Chadbourne. There are over 70 beautiful full-page illustrations from Chadbourne (“The Secretary of Dreams”). Let me tell you one thing, this book is creepy as hell and if you let yourself go into its world it will linger within you and haunt your dreams. It is not the first time that I have read this poem but with the new illustrations, I felt like it was an entirely new experience. Highly recommended!

Official Premise: Stephen King first wrote about the Dark Man in college after he envisioned a faceless man in cowboy boots and jeans and a denim jacket forever walking the roads. Later this dark man would come to be known around the world as one of King’s greatest villains, Randall Flagg, but at the time King only had simple questions on his mind: Where was this man going? What had he seen and done? What terrible things…?

Cemetery Dance Publications is the publisher behind this new hardcover release. They really scored for sure, as Stephen King’s fans should go crazy over this updated release to his poem. Glenn Chadbourne images really works well with King’s words and blend together. The actual black and white illustrations are very unique and the color factor adds a lot of extra terror. Within King’s story there are twists and turns and within the illustrations there are added hidden details every page. There are many layers to this book and even though it is just 88 pages, it is jam-packed and very entertaining.

Author: Tony Lee Moral
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Oldcastle Books
Release Date: September 1, 2013

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When you think of great suspense horror films, you can’t help but immediately think of Alfred Hitchcock. The guy has such an eye for making films.  He was meticulous about his shots and has inspired a countless number people since with this style. “The Birds” was Hitchcock’s next film after “Psycho” and I am sure that the anticipation surrounding it was very high.  I saw this film first when I was a child and it scared the living daylights out of me.  Watching it as an adult, it is still very effective as it was then.  This new behind-the-scenes book is planning perfectly to coincide with the film’s 50th anniversary this year and it is also the first book-length look into the making of this production.  I had the privilege of speaking with the film’s star Tippi Hedren earlier this year, read here, and she reflected on this film and it’s reign over popular culture. The recent HBO film, “This Girl”, read our review here, also focused on the topic of the making of “The Birds” as well. Highly recommend. This book is a must for any fast of Hitchcock’s work and a very in depth look into the making of this amazing and rather timeless film.

Official Premise: Featuring new interviews with stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, and Veronica Cartwright, as well as sketches and storyboards from Hitchcock’s A-list technical team, Robert Boyle, Albert Whitlock, and Harold Michelson, the book charts every aspect of the film’s production all set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and JFK’s presidency. Using unpublished material from the Alfred Hitchcock Collection, Evan Hunter’s files, Peggy Robertson’s papers, and Robert Boyle’s artwork, this is the ultimate guide to Hitchcock’s most ambitious film. This book analyzes the film’s modernist underpinnings, from art director Robert Boyle’s initial sketches influenced by Munch’s The Scream, to the groundbreaking electronic score by pioneering German composers Remi Gassmann and Oskar Sala. There is also a time line detailing the film’s production to its release at MOMA in New York, and the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.

The book is authored by Tony Lee Moral, who is a documentary filmmaker, a writer, and the author of “Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Making Masterclass” and “Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie”. So I think that he is the right person for this job.  He has a vast understanding of Hitchcock and a real passion in his words. You can tell when you are reading this book that there is a certain admiration behind the words.  The only thing that I would have wanted more from this book would have been more photos.  I am sure that there are tons of great behind-the-scenes photos from this production. Don’t get me wrong there is a nice middle section with some very crispy color and black and white shots. I am just a visual guy and a big fan of the art of books.  I would have like to have seen the photos spread out throughout book and posted in areas where they were relative to the book’s narrative. Overall though, I enjoy this quite a bit and look forward to passing it to a friend to enjoy as well. Now if you excuse me, I have to go watch “The Birds” again on Blu-ray. I have a sudden urge to enjoy this masterpiece of cinema for some strange reason.

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Author: Martin Olson
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Abrams
Release Date: July 22, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME! I have no idea what it is but I am completely obsessed with “Adventure Time”. If you are wondering what you can expect from “The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia”, it is right in the book’s subtitle “Inhabitants, Lore, Spells, and Ancient Crypt Warnings of the Land of Ooo Circa 19.56 B.G.E. – 501 A.G.E”. This is one of the most unique and bizarre shows that I have ever seen…and I love ever minute. The book is author by Martin Olson, who also happens to voice Hunson Abadeer (a.k.a. The Lord of Evil a.k.a Marceline’s dad). If you are an “Adventure Time” fan you are not going to want to miss this fantastic look into the world of the show.

Official Premise: “The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia” matches the playful, subversive tone of the series, detailing everything anyone will ever need to know about the postapocalyptic land of Ooo and its inhabitants—secret lore and spells, fun places you should visit and places where you will probably die, whom to marry and whom not to marry, how to make friends and how to destroy your enemies—plus hand-written marginalia by Finn, Jake, and Marceline. An indispensable companion to the show, this side-splittingly funny love letter to Adventure Time is sure to appeal to fans of all ages.

On the back cover of “The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia” it suggest that this could well be “the most dangerous book in history”, which to me only makes things more interesting. This reminded me of the Book of the Dead from “The Evil Dead” series a bit, but a little less Candarian demon filled. The Encyclopaedia is split into Book I through Book V”.  Book I is called “Worthless Inhabitants of the Land of Ooo” and it covers everyone from Finn and Jake to Lumpy Space Princess (my fav, OH MY LUMP!). Book II is called “Utterly Insigificant Inhabitants of the Land of Ooo” including a BMO introductional pamphlet and user guide and more. Book III” is called “The Land of Ooo and You” including Princess Bubblegum’s official travel guide  to the Candy Kingdom and beyond! and a travel blog from Marceline. Book IV is called “The Lost Texts of Ooo”, it contains some fun wizard spells – “in which the unspeakable is spoken”. Lastly Book V is titled “Forbidden Chapters in the Encyclopaedia of Ooo” and if you thought the book was crazy till this point it gets even more weird in this one including chapters like “If You Read This Chapter You Will Die”, naturally I skipped that one.

Abrams delivered a fantastic book here for the fans of the show.  I hope that this is only the first in a series though since this show has a ton material that they could cover. Martin Olson really has a great knowledge of the show from working on it and really delivers a fun and rather informational compendium. The book itself immediately draws you in with its colorful setup and jam packed pages. Overall, I have been through this book twice and I know that I still missed stuff.  So this is one of those books that you will be able to revisit often and still catch something new. Highly recommended.

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When first time author Crispin Nathaniel Haskins took pen to paper he combined two of his greatest passions: mysteries and the film “Jaws.” The finished product is the recently released “The JAWSFest Murders.” Haskins took time out while promoting his novel to sit down with Media Mikes.

Mike Smith: When did you come up with the idea for the book?
Crispin Haskins: I have always wanted to be a writer. As far back as I can remember I thought it would be cool. Last August, just before I went to Martha’s Vineyard for JAWSfest, I had a job interview for a sales position at work. I didn’t really want the job but I thought that I needed a change. I decided that if I didn’t get the job, I would use the time that I would have spent in the sales job finally writing my book. I thought of Paul McPhee (Artist), Jim Beller (Author) and Erik Hollander (Filmmaker), friends of mine using “Jaws” as a vehicle for their creative output. It’s the best thing to do. When people are frustrated about their life I have always said, “Follow your heart and the money will follow.” So, I did. Two of my favorite things are “Jaws” and mysteries. That’s how “The JAWSfest Murders” came to be.

MS: The book is very in-depth as to where things are on the Vineyard. Did you have to appeal to any of the islanders to use their places of business in the book?
CH: I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even tell anyone that I was writing a book until I was about sixty pages into it. It was a very personal thing for me. It still is. As for the in-depth Vineyard descriptions, I am really happy with people saying that they really felt like they were on the island. I am really touched by that. People also say that they can tell that I really love Martha’s Vineyard and that’s true. I guess the two are part and parcel. I had just returned from JAWSfest so it was still fresh in my mind. Any gaps I had, I called friends on the island or used Google Maps. That street view feature was awesome for answering questions in my head like, “What the heck was across the street from the Edgartown bus stop??” I love the Internet. I used the Internet for a lot of my research into the history of the island too.

MS: The book has a lot of inside references to the “Jaws” film series that fans will spot. Was that an intentional tip of the hat to the readers?
CH: Absolutely!! Do you think you got them all Mike? (NOTE: I thought I did but the challenging way he asked me tells me I’m do for a second reading) Some were more obvious than others. When I was writing I thought that I may as well have some fun with it. My immediate audience would be “Jaws” fans so “Jaws” references would be a must. My main character is a fan of the film so he would obviously be thinking about “Jaws” locations as he walked or drove past them but I thought why not take it one step further? Why not put a few in there that ONLY hard core “Jaws” fans would get. Like a secret language… That was fun.

MS: As a fellow member of the “Jaws” fan community, I found that several of the characters seemed very familiar. Were any of them based possibly on someone you might know with an entertainment web site?
CH: (laughing loudly) Did you see yourself in a character or two? Well, I haven’t divulged all of the character’s identities exactly. Some are a little more obvious than others and some are amalgamations. Some are completely fictitious of course. It is a novel after all! The villainous characters are completely fictitious and one character is named after a friend who asked me to name a character after them.

MS: How has the book been received by readers?
CH: I can’t get over the positive response and reviews on Amazon! The book is selling well and the reviews have been overwhelmingly great. It really means a lot. It’s one thing to write a book but then to put it out there to be pecked by birds is quite another. It was nerve wracking. My worry seems to be for naught though. I’m very thankful for that.

MS: Is there a new book in the works?
CH: There is. Or rather, there are! I am working on two books right now. One is a follow up to “The JAWSfest Murders.” Charles is back on Martha’s Vineyard to visit Chief Laurie Knickles and it’s not long before there is blood in the water again! I’m really enjoying writing this series. The second book is a collection of horror short stories. I love reading short stories so I’m slowly working on putting a collection together. I have no idea how many stories there will be. I’m playing that one by ear. You’ll get the first copy Mike!

Check out our review of “The JAWSFest Murders”, here

To order your copy of “The JAWSFEST Murders” please visit www.marthasvineyardmysteries.com

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Author: Crispin Nathaniel Haskins
Paperback: 281 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Release date: April 7, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Summer on Martha’s Vineyard is always hectic. It’s been that way for almost four decades thanks to the island being the home location of the popular film, “Jaws.” This summer is especially busy because the fictional Amity Island is hosting the 2nd JawsFest and thousands of fans of the film are expected. Chief of Police Laurie Knickles is already planning on her staff being stretched. But when an apparent shark attack victim shows up off shore she must rely on an old friend for help.

Smartly written, “The JAWSFest Murders” is a tidy murder mystery that is thoroughly entertaining, even if you’ve never heard of the movie “Jaws.” Our hero, Charles Williams, is a fan of the film who plans to meet up with his fellow “Finatics” to celebrate the film they love. Charles is surprised to find that an old friend is now the top cop on the island. An amateur sleuth himself, Charles is intrigued when the Chief tells him about a body that appears to have been attacked by a shark. The irony that it happened during “JawsFest” is not lost on either of them. Only later do they discover that the victim had been shot prior to being dumped in the drink. The Chief captures Charles’ total attention when the name of the victim is announced: Karl Bass, one of Charles’ on-line “Jaws” pals. The plot intensifies as more fans, and friends, mysteriously die.

Part of the joy of “The JawsFest Murders” is exploring the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Author Haskins is so descriptive of the layout of towns like Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown that the book almost reads like a Fodor’s Guide. Like I mentioned, you don’t have to know anything about “Jaws” to enjoy the book. However if, like me, you’re a fan of the film, you can look forward to several inside bits, some that sneak up on you. I was 50 pages in before I realized that the majority of the characters were named after the kids featured in “Jaws” and “Jaws 2.” Haskins doesn’t hit you over the head with “Jaws” but gives readers enough information to make them understand the passion of the fans.

“The JAWSFest Murders” is something the actual 2012 JAWSFest wasn’t – Entertaining!

Check out our interview with Crispin Nathaniel Haskins, here

To order your copy of “The JAWSFEST Murders” please visit www.marthasvineyardmysteries.com

Ian Doescher has loved Shakespeare since eighth grade and was born 45 days after “Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope” was released. “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” is Ian’s first book and it is such a blast blend the two very different worlds together. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ian about the book and his love for “Star Wars”.

Mike Gencarelli: So why did you choose “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” as your first book?
Ian Doescher: That’s funny, I feel like I didn’t really choose it — it chose me! The idea came to me after three things converged: I watched the Star Wars trilogy with some good friends from high school, I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and I attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival with my family. That was all within about two months. So I had Star Wars, Shakespeare and mash-ups on my mind, and the idea was formed out of that combination. Happily, this book mixes two of my passions, so it was really a joy to write.

MG: What was the biggest challenge to blend the Shakespearean aspect into the world of “Star Wars”?
ID:  The biggest challenge is how to make it somewhat believable that the action and futuristic technology of Star Wars could somehow exist on an Elizabethan stage. I handled the action by using a Chorus to explain what’s going on, as Shakespeare does in Henry V, but we still have this Shakespearean language mixed with things like blasters, lightsabers and the Death Star. You probably have to set aside any realistic expectations of a Shakespearean play when you read the book.

MG: How did the whole process take you from inception to release?
ID:  I was extremely lucky in this process, and I don’t take that for granted. After I had the idea, I looked up Quirk Books online (knowing they had published Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and other mash-ups) and found the email address for my editor. I emailed him out of the blue with my idea, and he said he would take a look at the manuscript if I actually wrote something. That was enough to prompt me to write the first act, which I sent to him, he enjoyed, and off we went. Quirk handled the contract with Lucasfilm, and the book was published just under a year after I had the initial idea. This is not the way publishing is supposed to happen — normally it takes much longer for a book to go from inception to release, formal proposals and agents are involved, and so on. Again, I recognize how lucky I am!

MG:  What is your favorite piece from the “Star Wars” universe that you were able to put into the book?
ID:  Han Solo has always been my favorite character, so probably putting his dialogue into iambic pentameter and writing some soliloquies for him was the most fun part of the book. He’s just such a stud — hopefully I made him a Shakespearean stud.

MG: Why is Han Solo your favorite “Star Wars” character?
ID: He was so full of swagger, and for a kind of dorky kid like me it was inspiring to watch someone that cool on the screen. It’s no wonder that Han Solo was the role that made Harrison Ford’s career.

MG:  Do you know if this has yet to make it into the hands of George Lucas?
ID: No, I haven’t heard. I’d like to believe he has read it!

MG:  Since the book is called “Verily, A New Hope”, can we expect a few sequels in cards?
ID:  It would be really fun to see the sequels happen, but at this point nothing is certain. There’s still so much richness to be explored in the trilogy — I have fun imagining what it would be like when Luke finds out Darth Vader is his father, or what Lando might soliloquize about. Maybe the biggest question: how would Yoda speak in a Shakespearean context? It would be fun to play around with (and ultimately answer) those questions.

MG:  What else do you have planned next?
ID:  I’m developing a children’s book with a friend of mine who is an illustrator, and I think there’s another Shakespearean adaptation in me (whether it’s the Star Wars sequels or something else).

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Author: Corey Taylor
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven” is the second book release from Slipknot/Stone Sour front man Corey Taylor. After the success of Taylor’s New York Times best selling tell all titled “Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument between Born Bad and Damaged Good” Taylor and Da Capo Press are back with “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven”. The book recounts Taylor’s personal experiences with the paranormal and his relentless approach to better understand the unexplained.

If the interesting title doesn’t grab you the stories contained within Corey Taylor’s new book “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven” will certainly hold your attention. At several points throughout the reading of this book the hair on my arms was standing completely straight up. From the story of “Cold House” to the paranormal events that plagued Slipknot recording sessions there were definitely points where I should have put the book down but couldn’t. Though the more technical chapters contained in the book were at times lengthy and somewhat dry forging through that material proved fruitful as Mr. Taylor made sure to deliver with the following chapters.

Fans of Taylor’s previous works may be a little disappointed that “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven” is not the second installment to “Seven Deadly Sins” as this new book at times skirts around some of the debauchery Taylor and his fellow band mates are known. However those looking for that type of material are for warned in the opening paragraphs that the book is not designed to be a tell all. Taylor clearly delved in to the depths of his haunted mind to bring some of this material to light and that alone will surely entice readers to pick up this book.

Author: Michael Singer
Hardcover: 168 pages
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: July 3, 2013

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

If you look at a film like “The Lone Ranger” you can tell that it was one hell of a production and cost around $250 million dollars to make.  So when it comes to the behind-the-scenes making of book, I was hoping for a huge elaborate look in the making-of the film.  I have to admit, I was a little bit let down. I feel that this book would have benefited more from a “Art of” book then a behind-the-scenes look.  “The Lone Ranger: Behind the Mask” tells a story of the long and hard road that it took in order to get this movie made. I would maybe recommend this to die-hard Depp fans. But be warned though of spoilers included towards the end of the book.

Since this was such an enormous production, we get an inside look at the huge sets in Albuquerque, the epic vistas of Monument Valley, and the sound stages of Los Angeles.  Accompanying that with some great shots of the cast and crew as well as some candid behind-the-scenes look.  There is some concept art and planning work for the characters and sets. Like I said, I would have loved to seen more focus on the art behind the film but at least we get a little taste of that in this book. The photos included though are high quality and do show a great deal of scale from the production.

One thing I should point out after this book is that is filled with celebrity cameos.  There are afterwords from Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.  There is an introduction by director Gore Verbinski.  There is a special photo foreword from Jerry Bruckheimer. At first when I show the cover of this book, I thought to myself if there was actually anything in between all these various afterwords and forewords.  The author of the book, Michael Singer, definitely brings a great knowledge of books based on behind-the-scenes of films.  He worked on “Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean”, again also with Bruckheimer, Depp and Verbinski.  So I guess you can call this project a family reunion. 

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Jason Brubaker is a visual development artist at Dreamworks Animation. He spends his free time though making graphic. In fact, he, at the time, had the highest funded graphic novel at more than $95,000 called “reMIND” and “reMIND, Vol.2”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jason about his graphic novels and his work on the upcoming “Kung Fu Panda 3“.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the origin of “reMIND”?
Jason Brubaker: That’s a long story. It started out as a song that my friend and I wrote about a cat that would always come and hang out at our apartment all day. The song spawned ideas of a music video which I storyboarded. At the time my job was a storyboard artist so that was just how I thought. I storyboarded a rough concept of a cat building a robot suit and teleporting to an underwater Lizard world to fight a Lizard King with a toaster. Yeah, it’s weird but I really wanted to learn to animate so I thought this would be a good place to start. Years later after spending all my free time animating clips for this music video about a cat, I started getting animation jobs. The project was never going to get finished because every time I saw dramatic improvement in my animation ability I would reanimate entire scenes and it became a mess. At the end of 8 years I only had about 3 minutes of animation that I liked and a story that had no ending. Eventually I scrapped the idea to make a graphic novel. I pretty much just started from scratch and threw out years of stuff that just didn’t work but the design of Victuals, the robot suit and the lighthouse were pretty much untouched. I figured out a complete story to tell and the characters finally clicked into place.

MG: Tell us about some of your major influences for these graphic novels?
JB: Victuals was loosely based on the cat that would wonder into our apartment long ago and Sonja was loosely based on my wife. I’m not sure either look or act like my characters though. So I guess you could say they are VERY loosely based on them. I’ve always loved stories with really strong female characters much like Miyazaki’s work and I was hoping to get that same sort of feeling that Miyazaki’s movies always give me. Chris Bachalo (more of his old stuff), Joshua Middleton and Christian Schellewald are the big influences right now.

MG: Are you surprised by success of Kickstarter?
JB: Yes, very much. In fact I still don’t understand how it made as much money as it did.

MG: What was your biggest challenge with “reMind Vol.2” compared to the 1st volume?
JB: The biggest challenge with Volume 2 was just sitting down to put in the work. I was so busy fulfilling orders and keeping up the online hype for the first book that I didn’t have time to make any progress on the second one. Eventually I had to just lock myself into a room and turn off all communication in order to get it finished in a reasonable amount of time.

MG: Take us through your day to day work with Dreamworks Animation; what are you currently working on with them?
JB: At Dreamworks, I’m working on “Kung Fu Panda 3” as a Visual Development Artist. I pretty much just paint pictures all day on the computer in Photoshop. Sometimes I need to make a 3D model so everyone can look at a set from any angle they want to decide what will work best. Sometimes I have to paint “color keys” and sometimes I just create simple props. It’s a pretty fun job because I get to work on many visual aspects of a large production.

MG: Tell us what you have planned next after “reMind”?
JB: Honestly, up until a few months ago I would have told you about my big comic plans for the future but at this time in my life I don’t really know what is going to be next. I might take a break from starting a new comic because I have a few other ideas that I feel are important to me now. But for the time I’ll just have to keep it vague.

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Author: Jason Fry
Reading Level: 8 up
Book Length: 232 pages
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Publisher: DK CHILDREN

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

While I am excited to see this book it also reminds me that this series is over and that makes me sad. This book is really the ultimate episode guide since it covers everything important from the show from episode one to the very last episode. DK Children has released another fantastic high quality release here. The images looks great and there is tons of fantastic information about each major event from the show. Even though it is aimed at kids, this should easily satisfy fans of all ages. If you are a fan of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, this is the book that you’ve been looking for.

Official Premise: A comprehensive guide, Star Wars®: The Clone Wars™ Episode Guide details every episode from the highly popular animated series, The Clone Wars, featuring plot points, key characters, and the spaceships, weapons, and gadgets. Each of the 108 episodes is showcased with a stunning visual spread. For the first time, all of the episodes will be presented in story order, making this the definitive chronology of the beloved television show, The Clone Wars!

Jason Fry is the author of this book and he has done tons of great “Star Wars” books including “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary”, “Star Wars: The Secret Life of Droids”. He has also worked with “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” with the books “Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Visual Guide” and “Star Wars: Clone Wars – Character Encyclopedia”. So I think it is safe to say that this book is coming from one of the best sources available for the franchise. I look forward to future releases from DK and definitely from Jason as well. Just because the “Clone Wars” series is done doesn’t mean it needs to disappear all together!  Keep ’em coming guys!