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January 29, 2008
Heroes go Live
Today, after months and months and months of development, blood, sweat and tears, Heroes Happen Here launched. The teaser strip has been up for a month but today, the first of six months’ worth of daily comic strips, have gone live. Out first two weeks were written by Chuck Dixon, illustrated by Rick Burchett and digitally inked and colored by UDON Studios and they made a fabulous team.
Of course, by going live, this also means we can’t miss a day—no reprints, nothing—and that can be a somewhat terrifying notion as our creative process continues to be refined.
Whether you’re a tech head or not, it’s worth a look.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 08:20 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 27, 2008
Today is a Good Day
It’s amazing how quickly Robbie fell apart last weekend and its equally amazing to see how things can improve.
Yesterday, he was tired but clearly on the mend. Today, he’s the best we’ve seen him in weeks. In the last 24 hours he has been fever-free and they took him off the oxygen mask. In fact, they transferred him from the ICU back to the regular pediatric ward so we spent part of the afternoon moving him and decorating what should be his final room until discharge. The doctors are pleased with his progress as we begin day six of his induction treatment. Robbie’s numbers are where they should be and he’s finally demonstrating an appetite. Yesterday it was a few mandarin oranges, a bite of lasagna and half a slice of pizza. Today it was mixed fruit and pork lo main.
We’re taking each victory where we can and today is a good one. The oncologists explained that after the ten days, he will begin to rebuild his counts and with it will come fevers and side effects so he’ll need monitoring and antibiotics, hence the usual period lasting a full month.
Qapla!
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 06:28 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 26, 2008
Week Two Begins
Things are stable at the moment and we’ve all fallen into a routine as we begin week two in our new reality.
Robbie is on day five of his ten day aggressive chemo therapy and is responding well enough. After a stay in the ICU, it looks promising that he will be transferred out in the next day or two. The various medications seem to be doing their part and for the last two days, he’s done little more than sleep and visit with guests, including his best friend since kindergarten, Brooke, who came back from Vermont just to see him. Still, all the signs are pointing to the positive but not without some areas of concern. He’s breathing better and has been cleared to eat solids again. But has not real appetite. His pain has decreased markedly but still needs to be managed.
For the still-in-shock parents, we’ve got our own routine. One of us goes home around 8-9 at night to tend to the house, mail and pets. The other spends the night in the room with him and depending upon the night that can mean anywhere from 3-6 hours of sleep but never consecutively. He continues to need vital signs checked, IV bags replaced, medicine delivered, etc. As a result, IV pumps beep for attention or Robbie wakes up asking to use the bathroom, which is quite the process given the tubes and wires currently attached to him – which is down from two days ago.
During the day, if he’s awake we chat or try and watch something on DVD together. As visitors come, we let them have some private time with Robbie so we retreat to a family lounge down the hall, monitoring the time to make certain he’s not being overtaxed. So far, he’s seen some family but mostly his friends and they have been wonderful with regards to following the hospital and parental protocols.
When he’s not awake, we use the wi-fi to check in with the world. I’ve been doing a ton of e-mail, trying to respond to all the well wishers and trying to keep tabs on most of my freelance responsibilities. Proofreading both The Essential Batman Encyclopedia, and Christina Aguilera have progressed since they’re easy to pick up and put down on a moment’s notice.
The Microsoft project, launching Monday, has moved ahead and I have come to realize I can do mechanical stuff but critical thinking is just not something I have the spare energy for. So, I do what I can there and will fit in my other work as I can. Thankfully, my various editors have all been wonderful.
As has Skyler Technologies, Deb’s company. She keeps in touch and actually managed to listen to a conference call but they are letting her dictate how and when she can get work done. You cannot ask for better employers.
So, we’re tired and holding up. Friends and family have helped keep us fed as we deplete the refrigerator at home. We steal time to chat with one another but basically, we keep watch. We learn what we can absorb from the different doctors and nurses, all of whom have been terrific. Doctors and nurses not even on duty have stopped by to check on him which is marvelous.
His spirit remains strong and he continues to crack the occasional joke so we take it encouraging signs.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 02:47 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 23, 2008
Thank You
We are stunned. The outpouring of messages here and privately, have been amazing – and very much appreciated. The comments have moved us to happy tears.
I will not be turning this space into a daily diary about his condition but I did want to thank everyone for their prayers and best wishes. It was surprising to hear from old friends and colleagues dating back to my Comics Scene days.
Robbie was touched to hear he’s a blogosphere star with mentions on multiple sites, which has just widened the circle of good thoughts coming his way.
He began the chemotherapy yesterday and is adjusting. He’s an intermittently happy and miserable camper, but the nursing staff has been friendly and attentive, so he trusts them and does what they ask, likeable task or not. He’s fully engaged in what’s being given to him and what each is for and how it will affect him. His attitude on the phone with friends and family remains upbeat and strong.
Again, my deepest heartfelt thanks to one and all.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 05:39 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 21, 2008
Life Changes
Much drama has centered on how lives change in an instant. Most of us live our lives and have some sense when things are about to change. We sense falling in love or when things are going sour at work.
Then there are those sudden events when things change in a blink. A fall breaks a bone or a car bangs into you.
And then there are those life-changing moments when nothing will be the same.
On Saturday, Robbie’s life, and our family’s life, irrevocably changed. After waking with back pain and leg pain, we took him to the doctor, who sent us to Bridgeport Hospital for testing. Based on what they saw in the blood work, it was decided to send him to hematology specialists at Yale-New Haven hospital.
Sunday afternoon, we met with Drs. Beardsley and Massaro and they finally had the news: Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.
Parents pray for the best and expect the worst and we’d both had leukemia on our mind since we heard the blood work didn’t look right with high white blood cell counts.
Being wired the way we are, both Robbie and I immediately began thinking about the alterations that needed to be made: withdraw from college this semester, stop his job, miss the Farpoint convention, etc. It was how we processed the freaking out and trust me; much of Sunday was given to freaking out and supporting one another.
Most immediately, this means he’ll be Yale-New Haven Hospital for the next month receiving treatment. The entire course of treatment should be about six months but since we don’t know how he’ll respond to the chemo, all we know for now is that he is getting top-notch care. We cannot be happier with the doctors and the nursing staff. (One example: Dr. Massaro called Kate to talk her through the situation after Robbie called to break the news.) His room is comfortable and the facility has wi-fi so Deb and I can try and get some work done while he’s here.
Long-term, this affects Robbie for the rest of his life. He needs to give up alcohol and take better care of his overall health. He needs to decide what he wants to do with the rest of his life as the results may limit some options.
I share this with you not for sympathy but because this will have dramatic effects on my professional life for the next year (I figure). I’ll still posting here and writing most of my projects but it may curtail some convention appearances.
Robbie’s outlook is very strong and positive. He wants to beat this and regain control of his destiny. You should see him with the staff and how concerned he is with how the rest of us are going to live our lives while he’s undergoing treatment.
He breaks our heart and makes us very proud.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:40 PM | Comments (71) | TrackBack
January 18, 2008
Cloverfield - A Review
America originally imported its monsters, bringing over vampires and werewolves as European moved here from the “Old World”. We didn’t really have any monsters of our own until H.P. Lovecraft gave us the product of a fevered imagination. Since then, we’ve gotten pretty good at generating creepies and crawlies but monsters of any magnitude seemed to elude us.
J.J. Abrams recognized that while in Japan, seeing the enduring appeal of Godzilla, and came home determined to give America a monster it could call its own. Today, Cloverfield is being unleashed to a highly anxious world. The marketing, starting with the untitled teaser trailer last summer, has been superb and cutting edge, heralding that this was going to be unlike the monster movies that preceded it.
The movie delivers on all its promises and makes the waiting worthwhile.
As we know from the trailer, six twentysomethings are part of a going away party when Something Happens. We also know from the trailer that whatever it was was big and strong enough to knock the head off the statue of Liberty and send it to SoHo. Right there we know we’re dealing with something that dwarfs Godzilla and any monster film from the 1950s.
Shot entirely from a camcorder’s POV, former Buffy writer Drew Goddard and director Matt Reeves manage to match an intimate love story with a world-shaking crisis. Our six friends are exactly the target demo for this film and audiences will buy into their relationships and genuinely care for the characters as the story unfolds. Goddard cleverly devotes the first twenty minutes or so to establishing our characters, their intertwined friendships and their personalities so when Something Happens, we’re invested in them for the remainder of the story.
Unlike the tried and true horror films from the 1940s forward, this one sticks with the rank and file as opposed to the military or the scientists who generally hog the spotlight in these affairs with just a token civilian or two. As a result, they’re left in the dark as to what It is and how It came to trash Manhattan and the audience is left to piece things together since we’re not running for our lives, left with little time to process the events glimpsed while rushing from falling buildings.
Why they remain in New York when evacuation is possible goes back to the love story and reasons why this will endure to repeated viewings. The video is actually being recorded over a previous tape that shows the idyllic day Rob and Beth enjoyed the day after they finally Did It. As a result, we understand their strong bond as glitches in the taping reveals moments still preserved from the day. So, when they’re separated during the initial attack, and Rob subsequently learns she’s hurt and can’t move, he risks everything to rescue her. Since he’s surrounded with friends, they accompany him, thinking there’s safety in numbers.
Also, unlike the traditional monster movies, bad things happen to good people. As a result, the sextet is winnowed down throughout the film’s second half, but in totally plausible ways. They act like real people, imperfect, and rising above that to help one another.
The cast of six are accomplished performers all in the early part of their careers but they are attractive and play well together. Fellow critics give a lot of credit to T.J. Miller’s Hud, our cameraman whose heard more than seen, and he deserves it but Michael Stahl-David’s Rob and Lizzy Caplan’s Marlena are the two standout performances for me.
So, about the monster. It’s big. It’s creepy. It’s unlike Godzilla and most other movie monsters and kudos go to the SFX team for creating something so unsettling, especially as we see only bits and pieces for most the time. Our few full figure shots are so fleeting that we don’t have time to process its exact anatomy so there are some things left to our imagination. And it didn’t come alone. It came with parasitic beasties that come loose and scuttle across Manhattan and when we encounter them along the way, we’re genuinely spooked.
The movie, complete with lengthy end credits, is a crisp 84 minutes. Any longer and the conceit would have stopped working. When the camcorder cuts out at the end, we’re satisfied. We’re also somewhat emotionally spent given the rush and since most of the film is in real time, it feels right. There shouldn’t be a sequel that would dilute the original’s impact, but since the creature’s origins remain murky, continuing elements can be done. I hope not, though, because this has the chance to endure as an American Original.
Stick around for the end credits if you want to hear an Overture that pays homage to the monster movies of yore.
By all means, bring a big bag of popcorn.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 12:49 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 16, 2008
The Daily Whirlwind
There are some days when I can set the pace, tackle that which needs tackling immediately and that which can tended to as time permitted.
Then there are the other kinds of days.
Yesterday was one of those days where it left me breathless as a full day got fuller and things I intended to do, had to be set aside. Given that our Microsoft project goes live on January 28, it was to be expected that we’d have some crunch days and yesterday proved to be one of those days.
As with any custom job where you have to get rounds of approvals from the client, there are many different voices to listen to. In our case, we have to get input from not only Microsoft but Seagate, their partner. Everyone at both companies has been nothing but supportive and enthusiastic but it’s all new to them and as a result, a lot of our lead time vanished.
Yesterday, prior to our weekly conference call, Microsoft said they had to have the first fourteen strips by the 23rd for their marketing needs. Well, that was news to us and it meant putting the peddle to the metal to regain lost time. Meantime, I was talking with UDON Studios, which is producing the digital inks and colors for the first two weeks before producing weeks three and four on their own.
It became apparent we needed a buffer week of material so we brainstormed out a storyline in the morning and then I needed to track down an artist. Later in the day, he decided we needed some strips also to be held in reserve and wanted them ready ASAP so I turned to Insight Studios, no stranger to web comic strips and they agreed to pitch in.
During all of this, the galleys arrived to my Star Trek: The Next Generation eBook and was dutifully informed they had to be read and commented on before lunch today.
Just to add to the afternoon’s fun, the first draft agenda arrived for the January RTM meeting and needed to be reviewed and commented on.
By 4 pm., it seemed that everything had been reviewed, addressed, considered and so on allowing me to dash out to head into NYC for a press screening of Cloverfield (which I will be reviewing here on Friday). When I returned last night, more e-mails awaited me including the first pass lettering to week one, more thoughts on the fill-in strips and a note from my editor at Rosen, telling me the galleys to Christina Aguilera were coming and could I jump on them?
Yep, nothing like the freelancer’s life.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2008
When the Magic goes Missing
The Golden Compass was a trilogy I had wanted to read, especially prior to seeing the movie but time and a growing To Be Read stack prevented it. As a result, when we finally took in the film yesterday, I was going in with no preconceived notions. Deb had read it so I had someone on hand to help, if necessary.
The magic was missing. Yes, there were witches and talking bears and the like but the sense of awe, the sense of discovery was entirely absent from the film. The opening narration did a nice job of setting up the notion of parallel universes and the unique concept of “dust” and then we went right into the story.
Sitting through the Chris Weitz-directed film I was constantly left feeling like we were rushing. A quick scene, some exposition, cut to the next scene, some exposition, cut to the next scene and so on. By the end of the trim 113 minute running time, clearly this film screamed to be opened up and let the characters breath. Given the rushed feeling, we had no chance to really get to know, or care, about anyone with the exception of Lyra. Even so, there’s so much about her we still don’t know.
According to Deb, most events in the movie actually took days, weeks or a month to occur, which makes a lot more dramatic sense. For example, Lyra shows up in the court of Ragnar Sturlusson, King of the Bears. In no time at all, she has offered him that which has most desired, a daemon (or soul); all he had to do was defeat Iorek Byrnison, who was said to be who she was linked with. He accepts it with barely a challenge and risks his throne and control of the bears on her say so. In the book, it took her days to accomplish the goal.
Children are kidnapped for experiments but we’re given the barest explanation of how the end result has anything to do with the “dust” which seems to scare the Magisterium, the power in that universe. Then there’s the Magisterium itself, which rules with an iron fist wrapped in velvet. What do they really want and why on Earth is Christopher Lee there for one scene? It begs explanation as does the leeway they seem to give their agent, Mrs. Coulter, coolly played by Nicole Kidman.
By the time the lame end credits song played, I was left dissatisfied, wanting to know more, wanting more of the lyricism offered up by the better fantasy films. Now, this is not to say I disliked everything about it. Even though Sam Elliott played the same laconic cowboy that has become his trademark, he’s fun to watch in anything (even Ghost Rider). Eva Green was nice to see on screen again (although the role of the witches could have been expanded in that world’s grand scheme of things).
Prior to the film were the trailers and we were offered glimpses of The Spiderwick Chronicles, which looks to do a nice job of bringing the illustrations from the book to life; and, Inkheart, based on a lesser known book and one New Line just yanked from the release schedule. By the time the lights went up, I was left feeling wanting. None of them had the same sense of magic and wonderment, the feeling of discovery and excitement that we felt when the first starfighter streaked across the screen in 1977 or when we first entered Peter Jackson’s vision of Middle Earth.
Given how much genre material is available these days, filmmakers have to take our breath away, make these worlds feel real and make us care to linger a while with their story and characters. It seems now, providing us with brilliant SFX and CGI is considered enough and it’s not. Never has been and if we get to the second installment in Phillip Pullman’s trilogy, I hope we get to understand the world a bit better.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:11 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 09, 2008
This and That
It’s been a quiet week so far. The best news is that I am two-thirds of the way through the desert book. Of all the non-fiction projects I’ve taken one, this may be the most boring subject. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Earth’s deserts or their inhabitants, but they just don’t engage me the same way, say the birth of Physics or life of Ponce de Leon have appealed to me. This is one of those bill-paying assignments freelancers take on and do as professional a job as possible.
No word yet from my editor or Universal on the Hellboy II manuscript so I can focus on other matters for the moment.
Meantime, my various new pitches remain out there, unread and unacted upon.
The Microsoft project is gaining momentum as we hurtle towards going live at month’s end. We’ve lined up some fun talent for the first five weeks and the scouting for the weeks to follow is well underway. One nice by-product to this is that I am getting back in touch with people I haven’t had occasion to speak with in ages. I’m also gaining an insight into how other businesses work which is an education unto itself.
Looking ahead to the forthcoming baseball season, I’ve made my first fantasy baseball trade, trying to shake things up on my roster so maybe I have a fighting chance this coming season. I miss baseball.
In Fairfield, we’re doing the state-mandated paperwork to reapply for our places on the Democratic Town Committee and based on the voter registration from November, District 8 gained a seat which is nice so we’re up to 19 representatives. Come March, when our new term begins, we’ll pick officers and I’ll not be running for district leader again, feeling I have enough to do as RTM Moderator.
Closer to home, Kate’s in her final few days here and it’s zipped by far too quickly. Given Robbie’s work schedule, last night was already our final night together as a foursome until March.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 05:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 06, 2008
Now That's Interesting
Numerous friends have talked about taking this quiz and being surprised with the results. So, I took it and guess what, was surprised with the results. Too bad I didn't pay more attention to Chris Dodd's campaign since he's clearly my guy. Of course, it's too late for him but one can hope he'll wind up in a cabinet position during the next administration.
I've told people I'm for Edwards and in reviewing the results, am surprised he's not placing higher. Of course, quizzes like this don't go deep enough or broad enough.
My brother brought up the campaign the other day and I said I want a guy who's strong on education and NASA -- neither getting much discussion right now. I also want a candidate who I know will step into the Oval Office and know how to manage a staff. The next president has to pick the best and the brightest, the ones who can make things happen without missteps. The candidates' ability to manage people and accept critical reports, the ones who will seek out information and demand enough of it so the decision made is an informed one -- these are qualities I'd like to know more about.
85% Chris Dodd
84% Joe Biden
81% Dennis Kucinich
80% Hillary Clinton
80% Barack Obama
79% John Edwards
78% Bill Richardson
77% Mike Gravel
39% Rudy Giuliani
32% John McCain
24% Mike Huckabee
24% Mitt Romney
22% Ron Paul
18% Tom Tancredo
16% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:31 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 05, 2008
And Now the Cover
Glenn the wonder webmaster helped me fix a technical glitch which now allows me to proudly show off the cover to Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 03, 2008
Project Updates
What do I do all day?
A lot of it is currently spent on project management for stuff you’d be blissfully unaware of were I not involved. One has gone live and I refer you to the kick off site. I’m helping traffic the scripts and artwork for this daily webcomic strip, which will debut at month’s end. It will run six months and feature artists from around the world, some familiar to comic book fans, others new to us all. One of the challenges will be to find said artists, especially given the cultural and language barriers.
While I spend a fair amount of my time project management, I am also busy with other writing projects. On Wednesday, I turned in the manuscript to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I was about a day off my pace which wasn’t bad considering the holidays and the trip to Florida.
Meantime, I’ve no illusions about my skills as a writer so was more than thrilled when I had the chance to collaborate with my good friend Michael Burstein. The result, “Things that Aren’t”, appeared last February in Analog and Stan Schmidt, the editor, was most complimentary and even asked for a sequel which is currently in the works.
This week we achieved a spot on the Preliminary Nebula Award ballot for Best Novelette. We’re one of fifteen candidates making it a one in three chance of making it to the final ballot.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 03:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The Demo Delay in Action
Long-time readers here know that for some fourteen months I was chairing a Special Committee that was looking at ways to help preserve our town’s historic character. In the end, we passed a Demolition Delay ordinance – not the strongest in the nation, but one that got the town started in the right direction.
The law went into effect on Tuesday and already it has come into play. An 1840 cottage, located behind a nursing home, could have been knocked down to allow the facility to expand. However, since the demo permit application was delay from December, it means the sixty day cooling off period kicked in.
That gives interested parties the chance to raise funds in an attempt to preserve and relocate the cottage to another part of town and still let the nursing home have the space they need.
Gotta say, it feels good that something worthy is the first structure so protected, even briefly.
Meantime, my role as Moderator of the RTM has brought me unexpected media attention. All three local papers ran stories on the subject when I was first elected in November. Much of it seems to be based on my not being a lawyer but it turns out we’ve had many fine moderators stretching back over 20 years before my three immediate predecessors. This week, the Connecticut Post featured me in their weekly series spotlighting local folk.
To my surprise and amusement, Heidi MacDonald picked up on this and included the link over at her Publishers Weekly blog, The Beat.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 02, 2008
So Far So Good
2007 wound down nicely, thank you. On Sunday, we actually got ourselves back to the gym after two weeks off which felt good. That night we attended a friend’s surprise birthday party and it was one of the best reactions I’ve seen. The guest of honor is the epitome of the absent-minded professor so missed the few clues there might have been and suspected nothing until he came trudging up the stairs, suggesting maybe they shouldn’t go out that night. He got his wish and then some.
Monday was mostly a working day although there was time spent cleaning and prepping for the following day. While the kids went out, we actually enjoyed the peace and quiet of being at home. We watched The History Boys, which was quite good, and ate pie, totally relaxed.
The New Year dawned bright and sunny, and we greeted it with smiles. The morning meant a little work and then prepping for the annual Open House. This year we had some new visitors and many returning friends which kept things lively. The ebb and flow was different this year as more came later and at 4 it seemed we changed around the cast as if on cue. The conversations were lively and I wish I had more time many guests but threw was too much food to put out and an ice bucket that seemed in constant need of attention. The final guests left around 6:30 and an hour later everything was cleaned up and packed away. Even though we trimmed back on snacks purchased or made, we still wound up with too much (except for Cheetos – our first guests included four kids who devoured the one bag, a particular favorite of Deb’s so Rob had to run out for more).
We collapsed on the couch and watched some television and unwound nicely.
And now it’s back to the routine. In a little while, I return my attention to Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which should be finished and delivered to my editor. I’ve also booked my plane tickets to San Diego for the summer convention and it’s a good thing I did since the frequent flyer mileage couldn’t get me a non-stop and the options were dwindling.
I’m looking at 2008 as a year of milestones for friends and family, a better year than 2007 and one filled at the outset with possibilities. With luck, it’ll be a good year for one and all.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 11:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack