David Maybury | Blog

I’m catching up after last week and the madness at the Inkwell Junior Writers Week (8 year olds, books and writing… I may never recover)

The Lethbridge Herald says it all: Comic books, graphic novels can help get boys to read - while the Convention of the American Psychological Association are questioning the current generation of superheroes.

The Irish Times caught up with Alan Moore - the comic book guru:

Away from comics is certainly an accurate depiction of where I’m headed, but what it’s towards is perhaps a bit more difficult to define, because it seems to be heading towards several different areas at once. I mean, I will always love and continue to work in the comics medium. On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago I did tell an emissary of DC Comics that I didn’t want the rights to Watchmen back, so that’s pretty final.

In the Irish Independent Eamon Delaney celebrates the Dublin Unesco City of Literature announcement -

For this is what the city’s Unesco honour is all about. It is not just about putting James Joyce on a tea towel or Oscar Wilde on an ashtray. It is about nurturing and supporting new talent so that we live up to our literary heritage.

Dave Hannigan writes about writing a children’s GAA story - Kicking On:

I can’t recall too much about my life as a 10-year-old but I can still picture the moment I blatantly pushed a full-back named Pat Cuthbert in the back before scoring a goal in a street league final in Bishopstown.

The New York Times has a nice, if easy, piece on summer reading for younger readers:

If your child is turned off by reading, getting them to read anything is better than nothing

The UK Independent covers the start of the Edinburgh Book Festival.

You really should vote Sue Townsend as ruler of the known world:

We said we can have it all and do it all: I can have four children, write three plays a year and a book, go from Leicester to London and come back at midnight. But you can’t do it all.

Ben Child gives his thumbs up for the Scott Pilgrim film adaptation:

The dialogue seems a little snappier than in the graphic novel, suggesting the forthcoming film may mimic the excellent Kick-Ass (which in my view surpassed its comic-book origins), yet the heart and soul of O’Malley’s vision seems to be intact.

Jim Henson is coming under the spotlight - with not one but two books about him.

Publishers Weekly covers Artists on the Rampage - a new Dave Eggers experiment.

Marcus Sedgwick reviews Bernard Ashley’s Ronnie’s War.

Ricky Gervais is being sued for allegedly stealing the idea of his Flanimals children’s book from the 1998 book Captain Pottie’s Wildlife Encyclopedia.

Worlds collide as Tolkien and Dickens descendants work on project together.

Wes Craven - horror film stallworth - is writing a graphic novel (with a little help from some friends)

Kirkus have a billion kids book reviews to sieve through.

Derek O’Connor celebrates the rise and rise of graphic literature.

The Herald Sun has a chat with Alexandra Adornetto - this sounds like fun!

Graphic novelist Gerry Hunt is back with a new creation!

Mandatory pic of Stan Lee from the UK Independent.

Neil Gaiman appeared on the ABC Radio National Book Show in Sydney last week.

Babar is coming to the silver screen - but no one is blowing any trumpets… *badum tsch*

Linda Newbury talks about writing - and following the Walking Man.

In other film-type news: Jason Reitman is directing Diablo Cody’s new screenplay - Young Adult | Rambo may be getting a revisit | Paul Murray’s Booker Prize long-listed Skippy Dies is being adapted/directed by Neil Jordan

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