Showing results by narrator "Colby Elliott" in All Categories

First there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer; then its spin-off, Angel; then the cult hit Firefly and its follow-up film, Serenity. They all had two things in common: their creator, Joss Whedon...and their surprising psychological depth. Revisit the worlds of Joss Whedon...with trained psychologists at your side. What are the psychological effects of constantly fighting for your life? Why is neuroscience the Whedonverse's most terrifying villain? How can watching Joss' shows help you take on your own psychological issues?

Comic book superheroines bend steel, travel across time and space, and wield awesome forces. These mighty females do everything that male superheroes do. But they have to work their wonders in skirts and high heels. The Supergirls asks whether their world of fantasy is that different from our own. Are the stories of Wonder Woman’s search for an identity, Batwoman and Power Girl’s battle for equality, and Manhunter’s juggling of a crime fighting career and motherhood also an alternative saga of modern American women?

This close look at Wonder Woman's history portrays a complicated heroine who is more than just a female Superman with a golden lasso and bullet-deflecting bracelets. The original Wonder Woman was ahead of her time, advocating female superiority and the benefits of matriarchy in the 1940s. At the same time, her creator filled the comics with titillating bondage imagery, and Wonder Woman was tied up as often as she saved the world.

Firefly's early demise left fans with a deep sense of loss and plenty of unanswered questions. From what was wrong with the pilot to what was right with the Reavers, from the use of Chinese to how correspondence between Joss and network executives might have gone, from a philosopher's perspective on "Objects in Space" to a sex therapist's analysis of Inara, Finding Serenity is filled with writing as exciting, funny, and enthralling as the show itself.

Mr. Jonathan Chambers senses that something is very wrong. The walk he takes every night is suddenly, slightly shorter. All around him things are vanishing. Is it because of the recent war or famine in the world? Does the scandalous theory that cost him his job hold the key? Or is it just the slowly unhinging mind of a recluse?

Depending on your point of view, Fender Benders is either a skewed look at the country music industry or a clear-eyed view of a damn screwy business. It's a Grand Old Opera complete with murder, treachery, greed, drugs, twangy music, a love triangle, and the best fried swimps you'll ever put in your mouth.

In this follow-up to his first collection of essays - Shoot This One - television writer and producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach continues to overshare about his misadventures in the small screen to a degree that will make you fear for his future employment. The essays in Shoot That One offer both a tantalizing glimpse into the inner circles of the entertainment industry, as well a management lesson disguised as a juicy tell-all.

Letters to a Young GM is the latest book of GM advice from award-winning author John Wick (Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, Houses of the Blooded, Cat, Banners). In it, John provides his unconventional game mastering advice to both young game masters and those who are still young-at-heart. Looking beyond the usual topics, he offers not only tricks and tactics, but also inspiration to those who want to sit behind the GM screen, but are uncertain about their skills.

Every writer learns the basics elements of storytelling. Whether it’s The Heroes Journey, the Three Act film structure, or even the performing of a magic trick it’s all there. Even when telling a simple joke. Using these three basic elements, screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) breaks down the anatomy used for so many of the stories we love, from Raiders of the Lost Ark, to Gone With the Wind.

Using examples from Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, George Orwell’s 1984, and the writings of Neil Postman, screenwriter Javier Grillo Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) examines the utopia/dystopia binary and what it means live in the modern social media landscape.

Sometimes we love a work of art, not in spite of it flaws, but because of them. And a wish that that work of art could be better. Screenwriter Javier Grillo Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) peers through the lens of the ill-fated Disney science fiction epic The Black Hole to show us what we can learn from a flawed gem as it waxes into nostalgia and why it has such a subtle hold on our hearts.

When does the band you love cease to be the band you love? Taking such disparate elements as the writings of Plutarch and the power ballads of 80’s rockers Foreigner, screenwriter Javier Grillo- Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) examines what it means to be a creator of art during the Big Feelings of youth and how those feelings mature into collaborating and getting the work done in middle age.

It’s no secret that amazing television starts with a great script. But what makes a television screenplay compelling? An effective screenplay is a blueprint, a loan application, and work order. But first and foremost, it must be a work of art and a captivating read all on its own. Using his script for the proposed reboot of Xena, Javier Grillo-Marxauch (Lost, The Witcher, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) shares what he does to make a fascinating television screenplay, from the first slug line to the final fade to black.

After Comic Con International and New York Comic Con, where does a wandering nerd go next for adventure and fun? Why the wilds of Gen Con, of course! Third in the “Nerdly Travels” series takes Colby to the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, Gen Con, to fulfill his 10-year-old self's destiny of roleplaying at the convention started by Gary Gygax. He'll meet industry luminaries, some of his childhood heroes and maybe even get surprised at the ENnie Awards!

Even after getting bad news at the doctor’s office, Cole Ellis knows the kids still need to be picked up and the realm of dreams needs to be protected. Strange, that the foreclosure two blocks over is bustling with crows in The Overlay, and stranger still, why is the dream neighborhood filled with the delectable smell of cookies for blocks in every direction? It may be time for Cole to call on the most powerful member of his team yet. And time for another to make the sacrifice of a lifetime.

When Cole set something free in the dreamworld of The Overlay, he had no idea it could cause harm in the real world. But now someone is dead and the shaman must use all of his newfound powers to prevent another tragedy and rein in a new menace known only as Dark Beard.

Newly minted dream-walker, Cole, finds everything didn’t get fixed after setting a mysterious spirit free and healing the bruised house next door. Trouble has moved down the road to the nearby Prairie Plains Park where something is attacking people in their dreams. Something hungry. But the Stay-at-home Shaman is going to need some help and a few tricks up his sleeve to tackle these new threats to The Overlay. It turns out naptime is no time to snooze.

When Cole Ellis hits a coyote late one night on I-80, he has no idea how his life will change. Now he travels to a dream realm every time he falls asleep…but all is not well in the drowsing world. There’s mystical talking animals, mysteriously bruised houses, and massive hulking monsters to deal with. How can a stay-at-home dad hope to save the neighborhood by naptime’s end?

Collecting the two first stories in the Dark Prairie Universe, Dark Prairie and Use Yer Brains tells the tales of two western Nebraska lawmen, from two different ages, and how they go about keeping the peace in Platte City. Some bad things crawl outta the ground, while others are brewed up in the local saloon and descend like a bolt of lightning. Whether it's the 1800s or the late 1900s, keep yer wits about ye, and yer six-shooter handy.

A book arrives by Owl, left under an old fir tree in the snow. With it, a mysterious message: Another world’s scientists have discovered the laws of the universe are found in - fairy tales. Is it true? Snotty - the unlikely hero of this tale - is a streetwise adolescent mastermind transported to a mystical realm where the fate of the world rests on discovering who he really is. As Snotty’s perceptions of might and right are upended, the scholarly footnotes point toward a deeper truth.