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tmcastandcrew · 6 years

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Hollywood star Simon Baker said he had no acting ambitions at first

April 28, 2018

Thank you @YohkoTheHunter

Huge Interview ahead >>

He was working as a pool attendant at the newly opened Sanctuary Cove resort. Any spare time, any spare thought, was spent chasing waves on the Gold Coast, and crashing with his surfie mates at their fibro shack which backed on to the beach at Surfers Paradise. It was the twilight of the 1980s and Simon Baker, a carefree school graduate, had no idea, and no real cares, about what lay ahead.

“No, no, no, I didn’t have any acting dreams,” the now 48-year-old father-of-three insists when U on Sunday sits down with him at the plush QT Hotel in Surfers Paradise for a chat about his latest film, Breath, based on Tim Winton’s novel.

It’s about 30 years since Baker lived here. In the interim, his ruggedly handsome face, sharp blue eyes and self-deprecating smile have taken him all the way to Hollywood Boulevard, where he has his own star on the sidewalk; and seen him receive critical acclaim, and an adoring fan base for his movie roles (Red Planet,The Devil Wears Prada and Margin Call) and television gigs (The Guardian, and his most famous role as maverick police consultant Patrick Jane on The Mentalist).

Not surprisingly, this same natural charm led to Baker’s first acting opportunity which came by accident rather than by design. And it happened in Brisbane.

“We were going camping,” he says, setting up the story of how he and a mate were driving up from the Coast when his friend said they had to make a slight detour into Brisbane because he had an audition for a TV ad.

“My friend told me I could wait in the car or come in and hang out; so I came into the waiting room and the casting woman came in with a clipboard and said to me ‘Have you signed in’ and I said: ‘Oh no, I’m just here with a friend’, and she said, ‘why don’t you sign in and go in’.

“I had never done drama or improvisation before. I was used to knocking around with my mates – a bit of jive talk on the beach, on the streets, that’s all,’’ he laughs.

Needless to say he got the gig. Two years later he landed a job on the Australian TV soapie E Street (“I wasn’t trying for it,’’ he again insists) playing fresh-faced Constable Sam Farrell. It was on that series that he met his future wife, Gold Coast-raised actor Rebecca Rigg.

Baker apologises in advance for eating during our chat. His mop of boyish golden-curled hair and grey flecked-stubble is lit with a wide grin, and deep laugh before he proceeds to wolf down a salad wrap and some fruit pieces. He is refuelling after making the most of a rare break from promotional duties at last week’s Queensland premiere of Breath at the Gold Coast Film Festival, to catch up for “a quick paddle with the boys’’.

The boys are Samson Coulter and Ben Spence who play the lead roles of Pikelet, 13, and Loonie, 14, in the film. Baker co-wrote, co-produced and co-stars in Breath which is also his directorial debut.

As a father of two teenage boys himself, Baker has developed a strong bond with his young proteges with Coulter from Sydney and Spence from Western Australia.

Baker’s own family are never far from his mind, and, at an exclusive U on Sundayphoto shoot earlier at Burleigh Heads, he was keen to capture a shot of the stunning beach scene to show his tribe at home. He celebrates 20 years of marriage this year to Rigg and the couple has three children, Stella Breeze, 24, Claude Blue, 19, and Harry Friday, 16.

He says all of his children go for a “paddle now and then’’ but it is his youngest Harry, who has inherited his father’s passion for surfing.

“It’s a great joy in seeing him (Harry) surf and catch waves,’’ he explains. “I like seeing him gain trust and physical confidence in himself; to trust his wits in certain situations, because that is what a lot of what surfing teaches you.’’

Baker explains he tries to find the right balance between encouraging Harry and ensuring he doesn’t pressure his son to tackle challenging waves he is not yet ready for, because “you can’t push them into those things’’. He says it is important that Harry develops his surfing skills at his own pace.

This caring fatherly approach is the opposite pathway taken by his character “Sando’’ in the coming of age film Breath. The adrenaline-junkie Sando is former world professional surfing star Bill Sanderson who becomes like a “guru’’ to his “wide-eyed disciples’’ Bruce “Pikelet” Pike and best friend Ivan “Loonie” Loon.

Pikelet and Loonie, under the tutelage of Sando, learn to surf increasingly bigger and more dangerous monster waves as Sando conditions their minds and bodies to pursue the extraordinary. Pikelet’s parents, played by Richard Roxburgh and Rachael Blake, remain oblivious to their son’s adventures, as Sando lures, even bullies, them on his increasingly perilous missions.

Roxburgh says Baker is a natural director, and an excellent mentor to the young novice actors.

“I was attracted to working with Simon because I’ve always thought he was a lovely bloke, a terrific actor, and I thought he would work really well with the young actors,’’ he says.

Roxburgh says his role as the staid and reserved father becomes a counterpoint to Baker’s risk-taking and larger-than-life Sando.

“My character is part of the domestic backdrop, I’m often at the garden shed, being very kindly and terribly worried about my son’s wellbeing. I know something is wrong, but I cannot identify it,’’ Roxburgh says.

When Sando and Loonie go overseas on a big-wave excursion, an unsettled Pikelet starts spending unhealthy periods of time alone with Sando’s headstrong wife Eva (Elizabeth Debecki), who carries a permanent knee injury from competitive aerial skiing.

“The film is about the anguish of parenting, of being a parent and watching your son moving and shifting away, being pulled away from you in this strong current and the terrible fear that goes with that,’’ Roxburgh says.

It took Sydney-based Baker a year to cast the two leading actors after a social media call-out to competent surfers netted thousands of entries from around the country including many from Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

Baker, who did much of his own surfing, is surprised that Winton envisaged him as Sando for the film version of his 2009 Miles Franklin Award winner and much-loved bestseller.

“I suppose I don’t know too many actors who surf, there’s a few that have a paddle,’’ Baker says. “I’m at that point, where it is sort of getting sad, because my body is not keeping up with what my heart and mind want to do, sometimes it’s humiliating and sometimes it’s exhilarating.’’

When producing partner Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad) gave Baker the novel to read in 2015 he was immediately smitten and secretly harboured dreams to direct a film adaptation. Baker has directed several episodes of his television shows, including The Mentalist, over the years.

“We started meeting with a few different directors and started developing the script and at one point Mark turned around and literally said ‘has it occurred to you, that you should direct this film’ and I said ‘Yes’,’’ Baker says.

He did have doubts and he worried about time constraints, but then his seven-year contract on The Mentalist ended.

He has devoted several years to bringing the film to the screen including extensive scouting of the Western Australia coast, where the novel is set, and finding the perfect locations on the southern coastline at Denmark and Ocean Beach.

Baker enlisted “colourful’’ Brisbane-based screenwriter Gerard Lee (Top of the Lake) to help with the film script.

“I knew I had to reduce it down to certain key thematic moments and hone in on those and the story, I had to let go of the book in a lot of ways,’’ he says.

Tasmanian-born Baker sees some similarities with his own childhood, growing up in Lennox Heads, on the northern NSW coast, and spending plenty of time at the beach with his surfing buddies. The former Ballina High School student admits he was more like the reserved and restrained Pikelet than the confident and thrillseeking Loonie or Sando.

“I grew up riding around with a pushbike with my mates, discovering the ocean and surfing,’’ Baker says. “There are a lot of parallels there with the book but there are obvious parallels with a lot of people who grew up in Australia.’’

Roxburgh agrees: “Tim Winton can really write about water, especially about the nature of water: what it is; what it does for us; and what it is to be with it; and to live with such a passion for it.’’

It was while growing up that Baker first developed a love for going to the movies.

“As a kid I would go to see a movie and I would be instantly transported by the story and characters. You go, ‘oh wow, I would like to do that one day’,’’ he says.

The 1957 American classic Old Yeller, about a young boy and his ill-fated dog, profoundly affected him as a Year 3 student.

“It’s funny because I watched Old Yeller with my kids 10 years ago and they were saying ‘why are you making us watch this?’,’’ he says. “It’s so heartbreaking and powerful. I can track back the emotional impact that cinema has had on me over the years to that point.

“I still get so excited about going to the movies, getting a choc-top, sitting in that dark room and letting a film take me away.’’

Baker grew up as Simon Denny – the name of his stepfather – but changed it to Simon Denny Baker after reuniting with his birth father as an adult. He later dropped the Denny part.

In 1993 he won the Logie for most popular new talent and then appeared in Home and Away (as James Hudson: 1993-1994) and Heartbreak High (as Tom Summers: 1996).

Baker and Rigg – who married in 1998 after five years of living together – decided to try their luck in the US, which became their base for 18 years.

Soon after arriving, he landed a role as troubled gay actor Matt Reynolds in the Oscar-winning LA Confidential (1998) and a couple of years later snared the key role of lawyer Nick Fallin in the television series The Guardian (2001-2004).

But it was his role as the cheeky and sharp-minded former conman Patrick Jane on The Mentalist (2008-15) which saw an astronomic popularity rise, especially among women. It was rumoured he signed a contract that delivered a payment of $US30 million for his role as Jane. Some 17 million watched the final episode of The Mentalist in the US alone.

His rising profile also led to contracts promoting prestigious French perfume house Givenchy as well as Longines watches.

“I take my hat off to Simon, and others, who have moved to America and have achieved over there,’’ Roxburgh says.

For Baker, his focus is not on the past but on the future, and that continues to look bright with the actor recently optioning Winton’s latest novel The Shepherd’s Hut.

“You should read it,’’ suggests Baker, flashing that trademark winning smile once more.

#simon baker #simonshoots #simon 2018

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rplam · 5 years

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Goodbye, 2018!

You were kind of… intense, to say the least.

January: Started the year off kind of… rocky. I wasn’t talking to Matchy at the time and I had just gotten into a relationship with egg boy– I moved back into the dorms and started my spring semester with 17 or 18 units!!! :D. I was really in love, to say the least. I thought I’d found someone to spend the rest of my life with, tbh.

February: I broke down crying because I couldn’t finish my first CS61B project despite having stayed up all night working on it– I was so disappointed and I was so stressed out that I wouldn’t be able to do pass the class if it continued at that rate. I remember crying and crying and some girl approached me and asked if I was okay, gave me a hug. Thank you Olivia from the fourth floor! I’m doing okay now! This month was also Valentine + egg boy’s birthday! Woah dude the excitement that came with running home to gifts and having egg boy visit Berkeley. It was really surreal, living out what I saw as my dream date at the time and being able to spend time with him and be cuddly. It was really bittersweet when he left, and unfortunately I was too nauseous when he started crying on me before he left to actually do much LOL. Also the first time I got tipsy! Lots of fun!

March: Things got a little bit rough and intense. Egg boy and I argued over space and such, and we broke up. I really tried super hard to work things out because it was sort of left on ambiguous terms, and I wanted to help him figure out what was going on in his life. Classes went okay! I probably had a breakdown over midterms but I can’t really remember at this point. I reconnected with Matchy! It was very fulfilling and things were a bit difficult but I definitely am glad I did so.

April: Spring break! I came out to my mom which did not go well, but it was nice to feel the support of my siblings. Things kind of just blew over at this point, and egg boy and I hung out again and sort of made up. We watched Love, Simon and I cried on him like the 12 year old I am. We went shopping and had korean bbq, it was really good; and then we kind of talked about what the future might be like for us. And then a few days later we broke up for real– blocked me and everything. I think my baby girl passed this month as well. It was really rough for me and I kind of couldn’t really hold it together. I think I tried going on a date with waffle boy but that was… not great. I think I just took myself off dating at that point.

May: At this point, I had been pretty active on my finsta. I’d been slowly trying to understand things. I made it through finals and did well enough! Egg boy wanted to come back into my life and me, not being over him entirely, allowed this and explored the idea of getting back with him. He hit me with the “I don’t want to lose you but I’m not ready for a relationship” over and over and over and over and started calling me baby and stuff. It was– a tad frustrating. I played lots of smite!

June: We hung out again– within minutes he was being cuddly and affectionate and constantly mumbling “I don’t want to lose you but I am not ready for a relationship” and I was so so so so hurt. I wanted so badly to understand what he was going through– figure out why things were so hard for him. What I didn’t realize was how much of myself I was losing in the process. I went to Gina’s 18th birthday and looked really fancy (took hella selfies LOL)

July: I finally cut connections with egg boy. It was really hard of course, but ultimately I think it was the best decision for me. I finally had space to breathe and start focusing on the things around me. I spent a lot of time playing siege with Mikey and Matchy and enjoying my summer.

August: KCON! I had such a wonderful amazing time with Makenna & Erica at KCON and I got standing tickets and I just– I want to have the confidence to let loose a little bit more. We went to LA and drove around a bunch; I started packing to move back to Berkeley and things went swell. I got back to Berkeley! And I met… someone particularly interesting.

September: I got super close to his dogs! It was really cool and I am so glad I got along well with Sydney! I left my stinky bracelet and kind of pushed my way into his life oops. Classes at this point were going alright– a bit hard but normal. I started my tumblr, and began posting Instagram stories!

October: Things got a bit problematic when I realized that I liked him a bit more than I should. I discovered maple cookies and wanted to share this wonderful little thing with him so I ran across campus to get boba and bring maple cookies. That was the most interesting uber ride oh my god.

November: I told him I liked him, like a big smelly dummy. I got a sort of weird reply, so I think at this point I took it as ambiguity for a while– and then I sort of began to take it as rejection and tried to move on. I met tea egg kiddo and thought he was cool! He played siege and league and seemed to get along well enough with my friends. Chiyu passed away this month, and I put the butterfly emoji in my bio in honor of that. I really– I really miss her and wish I had been more present in her life. Tea egg kiddo became dangerously attached and I realized painstakingly that my crush was not going away. I had a straight up anxiety attack and stayed up all night to make sure he was okay, and to this day I can’t help but blame myself. I spent a few weeks with my babies and they made me feel a lot better, and I snuggled with them and woke up to them and oof what a wonderful week. I asked about my crush and it turns out it wasn’t entirely rejection, so I decided I would just stay by his side and help him figure things out before I worry about how I feel. I came out to my dad and began arguing with my parents. He and I spent Thanksgiving together! I kind of wanted to the whole time but didn’t say anything until the day of because I was being stupid and playing the whole “if he doesn’t invite me he don’t WANT me” game which is… in retrospect so childish…. Regardless, it was nice even though the beef was rather shitty, hopefully I can make it better from now on!

December: My birth month! Finals went kind of roughly despite me having studied pretty hard. I really fell behind this semester because of what has been going on– and a slight bit of lack of motivation. I was really upset that I wasn’t getting enough time with crush and the dogs because of my busy final schedule, and I felt like the distance was making things rough. I argued with family more and it was still super hard, but I made it home for New Years! I had an amazing birthday and got to go shopping in SF. In retrospect, I checked off everything on my list except the cafe– even belting karaoke in a onesie, albeit alone in my apartment. I had been super worried about how my crush felt about me that whole time– I was worried about bothering him with my feelings or something and tried to make him comfortable by putting up barriers, but then realized that it was something that was hindering our friendship. I worked really really really hard trying to figure out a gift. At first, I wanted to make him a blanket like I do with all my friends– but then I realized that he might not really care for it. I saw a guitar ad and it kind of dawned on me– so I went out and found a guitar. I hit up guitar center and lugged it around in the rain, trying to keep it dry and had it restrung and bought a strap! And then, with only a few days left I went and bought a ton of art supplies and went to town on that strap. Honestly, I was nervous giving it to him because I didn’t know– how he would feel or if he wouldn’t like it or whatnot. I was absolutely TERRIFIED. We had Christmas lunch together and decided to spend less time together and to be a bit more firm in our boundaries. Egg boy gave me a really hard time and kind of pulled the “I never loved you” act on me, and peach boy kind of also friendzoned me.

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gokinjeespot · 5 years

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off the rack #1256

Monday April 1, 2019

Call me an April fool. I thought that the pure joy of comic book collecting was going the way of the Dodo bird but judging from the attendance of yesterday's Capital Comic Book Convention I'm glad to say I am mistaken. No celebrities. No cosplay. No special events. Just a room full of vendors who also love the hobby and collectors looking for unique and fun comics. I want to thank my partner Chris for all his hard work. He made Jee-Riz's booth a standout in the room. "You don't see this sort of stuff very often" was heard more than once.

Archie #703 - Nick Spencer (writer) Sandy Jarrell (artist) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). So much going on. We find out who attacks Jughead in the woods and why. I want to be a roadie for Josey and the Pussycats. Betty and Veronica enlists the aid of Cheryl Blossom to ferret out if Archie has a new girlfriend. As long as it's not Betty I'm not jealous of the ginger bonehead.

Avengers #17/LGY #707 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue has some of the cheesiest dialogue I have ever read. I really hope that the Vampire War is over. This Avengers team is a bit too goody two shoes for me.

Batman #67 - Tom King (writer) Lee Weeks & Jorge Fornes (art) Lovern Kindzierski (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 5. Batman's in his Batman: Year One costume chasing a masked killer. You'll feel like you're watching a Roadrunner cartoon. The guy in the mask is William Ernest Coyote. You're in for a shock when Batman unmasks him.

Savage Sword of Conan #3 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Conan is captured by the evil wizard Koga Thun but manages to escape to continue his search for treasure. It looks like he's got to fight zombies to get to the treasure. I got all excited when I saw the cover showing Conan fighting alongside Belit but nothing like that happens at all inside. I'm not reading any more of these. I don't like being played for a sucker.

Immortal Hulk #15 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love this couch session with Doc Samson and the Hulk, sans couch. The two talk it out after a sniper shoots Betty and the Hulk. Some of the stuff they talk about is quite insightful. You think they're trying to find Betty but they're not. Their final destination is a surprise.

Thor #11 - Jason Aaron (writer) Lee Garbett (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Thor goes looking for his best friend thinking he's going to need all the help he can get in the coming War of the Realms. The Lady Freyja has to make her son stop his foolish search. I like the little snippets showing characters we haven't seen in a while and I can't wait to see what their roles are in the war. Get ready true believers, Malekith is about to invade Midgard.

Avengers LGY #714: No Road Home #7 - Jim Zub, Mark Waid & Al Ewing (writers) Paco Medina (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue features Monica Rambeau/Spectrum. Who better to fight the Queen of Darkness than a being of light. The last page made up for the disappointment I felt reading Savage Sword of Conan #3.

Heroes in Crisis #7 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art pages 1-6, 11, 17,-19, 23-24) Travis Moore (art pages 8-10, 13, 14-16, 20-21) Jorge Fornes (art pages 7, 12, 22) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). You could read this one issue and it wouldn't make a lick of sense unless you've read the previous 6. I even had a hard time understanding what's going on and I've read every issue. I think the only reason I'm going to read the last two issues is to find out if anything makes sense in the end.

Hulkverines #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Guiu Vilanova (art) Morry Hollowell with Chris Sotomayor (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We go from Hulkverine, the Hulk and Wolverine fighting each other to the three of them teaming up. Meanwhile the Leader and Doctor Alba, who created Hulkverine, do the super villain equivalent of what the three super heroes did. The result is going to be very interesting. This is the first I've seen of Guiu Vilanova's art and I think it's great.

Ironheart #4 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's a rematch with Midnight's Fire. This new super villain reminds me of Miles's uncle Aaron AKA the Prowler. I hope there isn't too much overlap between these two young super heroes, otherwise I will get bored with one of them.

The Avant-Guards #3 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The team has their first practice and play their first game. Major points to Noah for showing the players following through on their shots. I used to love playing basketball but never made my high school team. So I ended up managing both junior and senior teams and got to practice with them. I would love to find someone my own age to shoot some hoops with right now.

Black Widow #3 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha's mission to shut down an online pay-per-view torture site goes horribly wrong. I can't wait to see how she gets out of this predicament.

Sabrina the teenage witch #1 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Veronica Fish & Andy Fish (art) Jack Morelli (letters). This new comic book is more like the TV show than the gritty ghoulish title that was on the racks a while ago. I liked the old show but haven't seen the new one. I had a crush on Melissa Joan Hart. I really like the writing and art in this so it's going on my "must read" list.

Dial H for Hero #1 - Sam Humphries (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Dave Sharpe (letters). I mainly bought Marvel comics when I got more spending money and could afford new comic books but I did buy this DC title because I liked the concept. Robby Reed was this nerdy kid who finds a rotary telephone dial that changed him into a different super hero whenever he dialled H-E-R-O. he always had different powers and a different costume. This updated version has a kid named Miguel who is an adrenaline junky. An old timey telephone, the whole thing with handset this time, appears before him as he's plummeting towards certain death and he changes into Monster Truck. The Monster Truck pages are quite Kirbyesque. Throw in a page with Damian/ Robin, Lobo, Snapper Carr, Angel and the Ape, Harley Quinn and Alfred and I am hooked. I liked the town troublemaker Summer too. I am looking forward to seeing their further adventures.

Doctor Strange #12 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 1. Stephen Strange is bored but he won't be for long. An alien from a warrior race of mystics comes to Earth to ask Doctor Strange how he defeated Galactus. I guess there's no Marvel comics where this guy is from. Seems the world eater is fixing to eat his planet. The super aggressive Zoloz manages to steal all of Doc Strange's mystical power and banishes Galactus in the Mystic Realms. Read this issue to find out why that's a bad idea. Now it's up to Stephen to keep the big purple planet eater from feeding and destroying our universe too.

Action Comics #1009 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Steve Epting (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Leviathan Rising part 3. Lois is pissed at Amanda Waller but she reigns in her anger to come up with a plan to find out what Leviathan is. We get to see what Gold Kryptonite does, which is kind of cool. It's fun when something new gets added to a story. Superman's transformation surprised me.

Sharkey the bounty hunter #2 - Mark Millar (writer) Simone Bianchi (art & colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This one's a fun space romp. The hunter finds his prey but she's not going to come along quietly.

The Superior Spider-Man #4 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I hope this change is permanent but it's going to take some getting used to calling Otto but his new identity Elliot. I like how Anna Maria is the woman behind the man. She teaches him a lesson in humility in this issue. Now I have a craving for Polish sausage.

Shazam #4 - Geoff Johns (writer) Dale Eaglesham & Marco Santucci (art) Mike Atiyeh (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Yay, my wish came true. We meet Tawky Tawny the tiger in the first 6 pages. This version is quite dapper. The kids get separated with two in the Wildlands, two in the Gamelands and Mary and Billy in the Funlands, contrary to what the cover shows. Who's going to rescue the Marvel Family? The last page will enlighten you. I'm not excited about the movie hitting theatres on April 5 but if it's as good as this comic book, I might go see it.

Fantastic Four #8 - Dan Slott (writer) Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli, David Marquez & Reilly Brown (art) Matt Yackey (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Did someone forget to tell cover artist Esad Ribic that Victorious was female? Doctor Doom has captured both Galactus and the Fantastic Four. He's siphoning off the former's cosmic power and is going to execute the latter. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny are sure in a pickle. I can't wait to see how they get out of it.

The Amazing Spider-Man #18 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 2. There's a spectre of danger hovering over Mary Jane in the side story. That's always a good plot twist to keep a Spider-Man fan hooked.

Daredevil #3 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Know Fear part 3. Daredevil's been shot and is about to be arrested for murder. Detective Cole North aims to bring the suspect in no matter what it takes. I wonder if Canadian Chip Zdarsky picked that name as an inside joke? Just when the "tough-as-nails" ex-Chicago cop is about to succeed, Daredevil is rescued. I chuckled when I saw who it was, and it's not Man-Thing.

Detective Comics #1000 - Is this worth $9.99 US? You bet your sweet bippy it is. I might even buy one for myself, but which cover to pick? Here are the choices.

Main cover by Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1930s by Steve Rude (art)

1940s by Bruce Timm (art)

1950s by Michael Cho (art)

1960s by Jim Steranko (art)

1970s by Bernie Wrightson (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1980s by Frank Miller (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1990s by Tim Sale (art) & Brennan Wagner (colours)

2000s by Jock (art)

2010s by Greg Capullo (art) & FCO Plascencia (colours)

We get 3 pin-ups by:

Mikel Janin (art)

Jason Fabok (art) & Brad Anderson (colours)

Amanda Conner (art) & Paul Mounts (colours)

Then there's all the terrific stories inside that not only shows Batman as a crime fighter but more importantly for this title as a consummate crime solver. You will find all of Batman's family and rogues gallery in here. I loved how this issue was a feast for the eyes too. I'm just going to list the titles of the stories and their creative teams. If you don't buy a copy for your comic book collection then you're missing out on what will be a classic. With a line up like this you can't lose.

Longest Case by Scott Snyder (writer) Greg Capullo (pencils) Jonathan Glapion (inks) FCO Plascencia (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters).

Manufacture for Use by Kevin Smith (writer) Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours) & Todd Klein (letters).

The Legend of Knute Brody by Paul Dini (writer) Dustin Nguyen (pencils) Derek Fridolfs (inks) John Kalisz (colours) & Steve Wands (letters).

The Batman's Design by Warren Ellis (writer) Becky Cloonan (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Simon Bowland (letters).

Return to Crime Alley by Denny O'Neil (writer) Steve Epting (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters).

Heretic by Christopher Priest (writer) Neal Adams (art) Dave Stewart (colours) & Willie Schubert (letters).

I Know by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art & colours) & Josh Reed (letters).

The Last Crime in Gotham by Geoff Johns (writer) Kelley Jones (art) Michelle Madsen (colours) Rob Leigh (letters).

The Precedent by James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez-Bueno (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) & Sal Cipriano (letters).

Batman's Greatest Case by Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel & Joelle Jones (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters).

And finally Medieval by Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke (inks) David Baron (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters).

That last story introduces a new (at least to me) Gotham City crime fighter named the Arkham Knight. His story continues in Detective Comics #1001 and I'm going to snag that issue off the racks to find out who he is.

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yeetyeet2121yeet · 6 years

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All of emmmmmmmmmmm!

Oh god Anon

1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?My closet doesnt have doors. I am not afraid of things lurking there, as my room is made to be a positive place. The window however is kept locked and curtained at night though

(2) Do You Have Freckles?yep

(3) Can You Whistle?sort of

(4) Last Song You Listened To.Where’s My Love? - SYML

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?Purple/Gold/Black/Silver

(6) Relationship Status.Single as fuck, but with a few crushes

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?Outside its 14* C

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?Nope, I woke up to one of Dan Howell’s livestreams that he posted on youtube

(9) How Many Followers?81

(10) Zodiac Sign.I am a Libra

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?kinda grey/blue

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?nope

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?No, but I have my phone on the toilet and listen to music

(14) What Books Are You Reading?Many. Many. Stephen King novels

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.‘God bless Bobbi, who had somehow managed to keep her shit together while everyone else was losing theirs, Bobbi was up there in Haven, thinking the way people were supposed to think- no she’s not’The Tommyknockers • Stephen King

(16) Favourite Anime?Black Butler

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of?Roan

(18) Do You Collect Anything?Yep, I collect CDs

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?Nothing. I woke up at 1:08

(20) Do You Dance In The Car?No.

(21) Favourite Animal?Cats or tropical fish

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?Yes, some sports

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?Anywhere from 7pm to 5am

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?Nope

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?Neither. Creeks/lakes/ponds/dugouts

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?My own, because it represents who I really am. No filters, nothing. You will find nothing on here that isnt 100% me.

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?Bottled, as ours is rusty as fuck, and has actually fucked with the color of my hair

(28) What Makes You Happy?My friends

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.Can’t because fuck you Tumblr mobile

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?Study?? who is she?

(31) Dogs Or Cats?Cattos

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be?Gay

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox.Xbox all the way

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?LAKE

(35) Do You Believe In Magic?Yes

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?Bright freaking red with black decorations

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue?yeppo

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It?It depends on what I’m saving for

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?yeah, my water bottle

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?Finding out who I am

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?Yeah of course

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?No, I don’t think so. People have shaped me into who I am, but when I make up my mind on something, it is very difficult for me to change my opinion

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams?YES.

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes?I have never flown

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry.Love, Simon

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?Cashews

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?Any of my favourite bands

(48) Are You A Picky Eater?No

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper?Yes

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning?No, I like it

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?Yes I do like both

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud?Ya

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?Carve pumpkins!!

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?To The End - My Chemical Romance

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)Its summer right now, and its hot

(56) What Are You Craving Right Now?Acceptance and Happiness

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.Can’t bc tumblr mobile

(58) What Is Your Gender?UhM? Idk?? I think I’m either nonbinary or genderfluid

(59) Coffee Or Tea?Fuck both, I want my goddamn juice

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?No, its July

(61) What Is Your Sexuality?Pansexual, but I get attracted to girls/etc over boys

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?I flip the covers back into place, but other than that no

(63) Favourite Pokemon?Eevee and it’s evolutions

(64) Favourite Social Media?Tumblr/Instagram

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?I like em, but I don’t use them much because I have followers from home, soooo

(66) Do You Get Homesick?I do not consider where I live 'home’. I feel that my summer theatre camp is my home, and fuck yes, I miss it

(67) Are You A Virgin?Yea

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?Well, I have herbal essences ladies conditioner but I stole my guy friend’s dove shampoo at camp

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?Depends where I am, what the room is like, how much money I have

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?Sadly, yes

(71) Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?I don’t know

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?No, fuck that

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?• If they stand behind you, give them protection If they stand beside you, give them respect If they stand in front of you, watch their back If they stand against you, show them no mercy

(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest?I dont really notice those things, I find whoever I like sexy

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?FUCK YEAH I’m 14 now and I still love it. And yeah ofc I do

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate?Corndogs

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?None lol

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?No. I dont know how, and I don’t want to fuck something up and fuck them up worse

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?Yeah

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network?No

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People?Yes

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.Yeah I do, but TUMBLR MOBILE

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?CLOSED. I get anxious about it open, because I’m alone in the basement, and the black hell hole while I’m most vulnerable scares me. If I had someone with me I think I would be okay though

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today?Woke up, cut my hair, took a shower

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed?Either nothing, or a tshirt and underwear

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.2 things of eyeliner1 thing of mascara1 eyeshadow palette

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?Night

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.Nothing on my phone, and I only play 2 games on the wii. Minecraft with my little sister and The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.I dont even remember anything of any dream

(90) Favourite Soda Drink?Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Sprite, A&W Root Beer, Cherry Coke

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?My music, my friends’ voices, when youre sitting with someone youre close with, and you’re together, and you can hear their breaths, my cat’s meows, the sound of water

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?Jeans

(93) How Do You Look Right Now?comfortable

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.Roan’s voice, or Dan Howell’s voice

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want?I want a few little hearts all over me. One on the back of my left hip, one above my right elbow pit, one on my right shoulder blade, one below my lefr collar bone, and one on my right ankle

(96) Favourite YouTubers?Daniel Howell, Shane, CapnDesDes, AmazingPhil, Garrett Watts, Hailey Reese and Brandon Rogers

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jenmedsbookreviews · 6 years

Text

So. You will all be delighted to learn that I survived my two day meeting. So did my management team so that’s nice. For them. For now … Other momentous achievements in the week, as there have been few I have to be brutally honest, I achieved the ‘Approved’ badge on Netgalley where in one day I doubled my auto approval status from two to four publishers. Go me. exciting times ahead.

Or something.

In more exciting news, for the first time since around Christmas, I received book post. Not one book. Not even two books. Four books! Yes folks, four lovely jubbly books. I am beside myself with excitement. Well I am beside the cat who is lying across my feet as I work on my laptop, but if I rename her ‘Myself with Excitement’ then I am strictly not lying. It is harder to remember than Luna and in all honesty she doesn’t look exactly impressed, but I’m sure with time we’ll both get used to it. It’s more polite than the names I usually call her when she bounces off my head at three in the morning.

But you probably aren’t interested in my domestic arrangements so I’ll tell you about the books instead. First up was a double header from Orenda, two books I am very excited about reading. One was We Were The Salt Of The Sea by Roxanne Bouchard, the second, and this induced a small amount of bounciness to be fair, was Keeper by Johana Gustawsson. I know right? Super happy book blogger over here then. I also received two more books, no less exciting than the first two, in the shape of Evidence of Death by Peter Ritchie and Kate Riordan’s The Stranger, although technically that one is for Mandie who is taking part in the blog tour on behalf of Jen Med’s.

Aren’t they pretty? I’ve concluded that book post is like buses. You wait for weeks then loads come along at once. I am going to assume the bus/bookpost union is going to declare a strike agin now for a few weeks but it was fun while it lasted. Not to be deterred, and because it would be a shame not to use my new found auto-approved statuses, I may have downloaded a few books from the old Netgalley. Purely for blog tours – lets not go mad now.

I found it absolutely necessary to pick up the following treats: Found Drowned by BK Duncan; The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton; The Pact by SE Lynes and The Little Cottage On The Hill by Emma Davies. Blog tours books. Each and every one, I swear.

Depending on your point of view (i.e. whather or not you own Amazon) I’ve been pretty good purchase wise this week. Sort of. Just a few new preorders and books I realised I hadn’t preordered that i should have. You know? The essentials. First up was Blue Night by Simone Buchholz; a Quick Reads title – Clean Break by Tammy Cohen; Killer On The Run and Hidden Agenda by MA Comley; Finders Keepers by KT Finch and White Lies by Lucy Dawson.

A couple of audible purchase may have fell into my shopping basket too. This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan; The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin; The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher.

Lots of road trips coming up. I need the company. As I was quite bogged down with meetings this week, I’ve been struggling with the reading. Still managed to clear a few, and fluffing good reads they were too. One confused the fluff out of me mind as the central family’s name was Lucas, the character had and Aunt Jenny (Lucas) and her father was Patrick (Pat). Pat happens to have been my mother’s name. Talk about yer deja vu moments …

Books I Have Read

Perfect Death – Helen Fields

There’s no easy way to die…

Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.

But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task…

The third book in the Luc Callanach series, I’ll be reviewing this as part of the blog tour this time next week. perhaps slightly slower in pace than the others, or maybe that was just me, it was no less tense nad the risks for Luc and Eva as high as ever. You can order your own copy right here.

…

The Reunion – Samantha Hayes

They were all there the day your sister went missing. Who is lying? Who is next?

THEN – In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom.

Eleanor never came back.

NOW – The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.

When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

This is it. The book that confused me. Doesn’t take much. Tense and littered with secrets, this book gripped me from the off, taking only a few hours to devour. My review will be published soon but you can preorder your own copy here.

…

The Collector – Fiona Cummins

Jakey escaped with his life and moved to a new town. His rescue was a miracle but his parents know that the Collector is still out there, watching, waiting . . .

Clara, the girl he left behind, dreams of being found. Her mother is falling apart but she will not give up hope.

The Collector has found an apprentice to take over his family’s legacy. But he can’t forget the one who got away and the detective who destroyed his dreams.

DS Etta Fitzroy must hunt him down before his obsession destroys them all.

I have been sitting on this book (not literally) since the summer, promising myself I would read it, but thinking I should wait a little closer to publication. I loved Rattle. Could The Collector leave me with the same feeling? Well, you’ll find out very soon when I publish my review but you can order your own copy for Kindle right now. Hardback is out in a couple of weeks and can be ordered here.

…

Quick Reads: Inspector Chopra and the Million Dollar Motor Car – Vaseem Khan

An enchanting Baby Ganesh Agency short story: a million-dollar car is missing. Chopra has two days to find it, or the gangster who bought it will not be happy.

The Premier No.1 Garage is the place to go in Mumbai if you want a luxury car. Even Mumbai’s biggest gangster shops there – he’s just ordered a classic race car worth millions.

But now the car is gone. Stolen from a locked room, in the middle of the night.

Who stole it? The mechanic who is addicted to gambling? The angry ex-worker? The car thief pulling off one last job?

And how on earth did they make it vanish from the locked garage?

Inspector Chopra has just days to find the culprit – and the missing car – before its gangster owner finds out … and takes violent revenge.

Does exactly what it says on the tin. About an hours worth of a very fun Chopra and Ganesha adventure here which had me chuckling and smiling. If you love the series as I do, you won’t want to miss out so you can orders your own copy here. If you haven’t read any Chopra books, it’s a really goo taster of what you are missing.

…

Quick Reads: Cut Off – Mark Billingham

Step into a thrilling Quick Read from number one bestselling crime fiction author Mark Billingham. It’s the moment we all fear: losing our phone, leaving us cut off from family and friends. But, for Louise, losing hers in a local café takes her somewhere much darker.

After many hours of panic, Louise is relieved when someone gets in touch offering to return the phone. From then on she is impatient to get back to normal life.

But when they meet on the beach, Louise realises you should be careful what you wish for…

Another quick read title but one which will certainly make you stop and think about how over connected we are to our phones and technology and what happens when you lose it. Do you also lose sight of the danger right in front of your eyes if only viewing the world through the sight on your camera phone? You can order your own copy here.

…

That was it. Not too much, not too shabby. Probably just right all things considered. I had a pretty full on week on the blog as well, sticking to my resolution of cutting back and posting every day …

Bloody Scotland: Stars of Scottish crime writing to get bloody in Kolkata

Guest Review: Dancing Over The Hill by Cathy Hopkinsths

Review: The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

#BlogTour: Little Liar by Clare Boyd

#BlogTour: We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt

#BlogTour: Black Heart by Anna-Lou Weatherley

#BlogTour: Dark Angel by Helen Durrant

Cover Reveal: Rachel Amphlett – Kay Hunter is back … soon

No so busy week coming up but still managed to shoe-horn in a couple of blog tours with Killed by Thomas Enger on Wednesday, Blue Night by Simone Buchholz on Friday and The Lying Kind by Alison James on Saturday.

This week is a bit mixed. Health and Safety meeting tomorrow morning (boo hiss) followed by the afternoon off and a trip down to London for First Monday Crime (yay!!!!!!). Back to Londinium on Wednesday as I am visiting a unit but otherwise I will be desk bound, no doubt messing with something in excel. I usually am and as month end has been and gone while I was in other meetings, I have quite a bit to catch up on. My life is so glam. Not. Did manage to book tickets for the Orenda Roadshow in Warwick in a couple of weeks though, so not all bad.

Have a fabulous week all. See you on the other side.

Jen

Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 04/02/18 So. You will all be delighted to learn that I survived my two day meeting. So did my management team so that's nice.

#Rewind Recap #Weekly Round UP

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