Books – Retrenders

SoHo Sins by Richard Vine

August 2, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

Messed-up marriages, adultery, temptation, jealously and power all come to play in this pulp novel SoHo Sins. With a long career in the modern art scene, author Richard Vine pens his first novel using New York City art world as the backdrop.

In SoHo Sins the art scene golden couple is Philip and Amanda Oliver. Philip a techy millionaire is in a broken marriage with his current wife Amanda Wingate, the art collector heiress. The art world is rocked when Amanda is found murdered in her home. Art dealer and friend of the couple Jackson Wyeth and his P.I. buddy Hogan are on the job to investigate Amanda’s grisly death.

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Filed Under: Books, Featured, Reviews, Series Tagged With: art basel, art dealer, art world, detective, murder, mystery, New York City, noir, NYC, P.I., Pulp Fiction, Richard Vine, Soho

The Art & Making of Independence Day: Resurgence

July 14, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

I remember sitting at the Cornet Theater, an iconic large single-screen theater in San Francisco, before all the crazy IMAX 3D stuff and mega-mall multiplexes watching the summer blockbuster Independence Day. Twenty years have past with a new sequel ID4 Resurgence. The nasty aliens are back to drain Earth’s natural resources. Okay, I admit Resurgence may not measure up to the classic summer hit ID4, but if you want some popcorn action with no thinking – then you might want to see ID4 Resurgence. Along with the movie, Titan Books has released The Art & Making of Independence Day Resurgence.

The Age of Treachery by Gavin Scott

June 21, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

I recently watched Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)” on rental. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. And by coincidence my next book review takes place around this post-WWII/Cold War era, it’s “The Age of Treachery” by author Gavin Scott.

World War II has just ended and like many soldiers returning home to England, Duncan Forrester is trying to adjust into normal civilian life. The ex-Special Operations Executive agent, Duncan is back at Oxford College as a archaeology researcher. A fellow colleague David Lyall is murdered on campus and everything points to Duncan’s best friend Gordon Clark. Duncan Forrester begins his own investigation.

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Filed Under: Books, Featured, Reviews, Series Tagged With: Berlin, Duncan Forrester, espionage, Gavin Scott, London, murder, mystery, Norway, Oxford, Special Operations, UK

Dark Horse Comics Coloring Books

June 16, 2016 by Stephen Jang 2 Comments

I’m hooked on coloring. Recently when I was at Michaels arts and craft store, I bought some TMNT coloring books and crayons. Dark Horse Comics just announced two adult coloring book releases: Avatar – The Last Airbender and Serenity. The coloring books will feature 45-pages of original artwork on thick paperstock. The 10″x10″ coloring books will cost $14.99USD each.

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Filed Under: Art, Books, Comics, Geeky, Previews Tagged With: avatar, coloring, coloring books, comic books, crayons, Dark Horse, serenity, the last airbender

Warcraft: Durotan

June 10, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

Before we start this review, let us take a moment to explain that I’m not a Warcraft fanatic or even a Starcraft hardcore gamer. In college, I was more of a Command & Conquer fan and played a lot of it, especially during final weeks from what I remember. With the release of the live-action Warcraft film this weekend, this paperback novel Warcraft: Durotan is the prequel storyline for the Warcraft movie.

This tale begins with the young Durotan learning how to be a leader of the Frostwolves orc clan from his dad Garad and mother Geyah. For generations, the Frostwolves have been living in Frostfire Ridge near the Greatfather Mountain, which provide food and shelter. A mysterious warlock Gul’dan appears and tells of a new evil coming to destroy their lands. Gul’dan asks Garad to join their united orc clans – the Horde. He promises a land to the South where there is much food, fresh water and better lands. Chieftain Garad dismisses Gul’dan as evil, but over the years the area of Frostfire Ridge becomes increasingly harder to hunt for food with harsher summers and winters.

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Filed Under: Books, Featured, Movies, Reviews, Series Tagged With: clans, Durotan, Frostwolves, magic, MMORPG, orcs, rts, video game, Warcraft, warlock, WoW

New Pompeii by Daniel Godfrey

June 7, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

One of our favorite sci-fi genre’s is about time traveling. In pop culture entertainment, we have a fetish for the “past”, like what if we could travel to the 1950s era or Roman times and so on, and then have the ability to change the future? I remember having a dandy of a time reading Timeline (1999) by Michael Crichton. A footnote, please do not watch the lame movie adaptation of Timeline (2003), but do read the book instead. In the vein of Timeline and Jurassic Park, Daniel Godfrey’s New Pompeii is this and more.

The protagonist Dr. Nick Houghton has been stuck in limbo as a part-time college intern and researcher, due to his dad’s outspoken negative comments against one the world’s biggest energy company Novus Particles. NovusPart has created technology to grab matter from the past and bring it into the future. For instance, the company saved the ancient Roman town of Pompeii which was destroyed by volcanic eruption. NovusPart was able to build a replica town called New Pompeii and saved many of the townspeople. With this incredible technology, history buff and researcher Dr. Nick Houghton is offered a job to see New Pompeii. He’s excited to see what real Roman’s are like and to learn how they interact at pubs, bath houses and in the homes. But as he steps into New Pompeii, he notices some discrepancies in the town and among the people. He wonders what happened to his predecessor Dr. Samson? And why are many buildings empty, when many of the poor townspeople have nothing? Nick begins to wonder if there is deeper conspiracy by NovusPart. It’s up to Nick, Roman leader Barbatus and his daughter Calpurnia to stop NovusPart from changing history and the timeline.

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Filed Under: Books, Featured, Reviews, Series Tagged With: Daniel Godfrey, future, renewable energy, Roman, sci-fi, time travel, Titan Books, transport

Firefly: The Gorramn Shiniest Dictionary and Phrasebook in the ‘Verse

April 19, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

When you see a book with the words ‘Dicitionary Book.’ You might think to yourself, this is going to be a boring reference book or just a plain Merriam-Webster Dictionary. But this ain’t know ordinary dictionary, friends! It’s the Firefly: The Gorramn Shiniest Dictionary and Phrasebook in the ‘Verse.

Firefly: The Official Companion, Volume One

April 19, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

During the 2002 Fall TV Season, FOX aired Joss Whedon’s sci-fi western ‘Firefly’ and then it was cancelled before it could gather a TV following. Over the years, “Firefly” has been a cult hit with fans with the help of DVD sales and Firefly panels at various comic-cons. If you’re re-watching the ‘Firefly’ series on DVD at home, this Titan Books’ Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One is a great guide to “Browncoat” fans.

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Filed Under: Books, Entertainment, Geeky, Reviews, Series, TV Tagged With: browncoats, Firefly, FOX, Joss Whedon, Malcolm Reynolds, sci-fi, serenity, TV show

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – The Art of the Film

April 4, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

Have you been hiding under a rock or hibernating underground? Go and watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Critics and haters be damned! It’s a solid movie by director Zach Synder, though I did have some issues as a comic book fanboy, but I digress. What I’m here to talk about is Titan Books latest behind-the-scenes movie book, this is the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – The Art of the Film book series by author Peter E. Aperlo.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Tech Manual

April 4, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

Whenever there is a new Batman flick, like James Bond, Batman always has cool new toys to use on the bad guys. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman has a new Batsuit, Batmobile and Batplane to get all the fanboys excited. Well, almost everything you need to know about all the Bat-vehicles and Bat-gadgets, and even Superman’s suit and Wonder Woman’s uniform and weapons are in this book by Titan Books, it’s the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Tech Manual.

If you’ve seen the movie, Batman is a mix of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight and as director Zach Snyder explains: “My Batman is the late 40s, and war weary” (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Tech Manual, page 19). Zach and the design team not only focused on Batman’s overall Batsuit, but went into detail about the body armor, the tech inside the cowl/mask, the cape and the utility belt.

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Filed Under: Books, Comics, Entertainment, Featured, Geeky, Movies, Reviews, Series, Tech Tagged With: Batman, Batmobile, Batplane, DC, DC Comics, guide, Superman, Warner Bros, WB, Wonder Woman

Food: Cutie Eatable Food

March 31, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

How do you make lunch fun for kids of all ages? Author, mom and founder of Bento Monsters – Li Ming Lee turns food into cute pop culture characters. Check out her book Yummy Kawaii Bento: Preparing Adorable Meals for Adorable Kids.

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Filed Under: Books, Food Tagged With: bento, bento box, Bento Monsters, cute food, eating, Japan, kawaii, kids, Li Ming Lee, lunch

The Blacklist: Elizabeth Keen’s Dossier

March 29, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

If you’re done binge watching Daredevil Sesaon 2 on Netflix, then it’s time to pick another cool action-thriller, that is NBC’s critically acclaimed The Blacklist starring James Spader (Raymond “Red” Reddington) and Megan Boone (Elizabeth Keen), which is currently on it’s 3rd TV season. The first two seasons of The Blacklist are on Netflix and I have to say I’m hooked on the characters and the story. Hardcore fans of The Blacklist may want to take a look at this new Titan Books release, Elizabeth Keen’s Dossier by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry.

Arrow: Vengeance

March 24, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

I admit, I’m a huge Arrow fan, since it’s CW TV network debut 4 seasons ago. I’ve watched every episode so far with pure enjoyment and also gone back to buy classic Green Arrow comics and toys, so yeah, I’m a Green Arrow fanboy. Fans of the show will know when watching Arrow on TV, there are lots of characters and world building and sometimes certain characters don’t get enough back story, so Titan Books recently released a brand-new paperback novel “Arrow: Vengeance” which focuses on the villains point of view.

The Little Prince: The Art of the Movie

March 18, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

The Little Prince animated film is based on a 1943 story by author Antoine de Saint-Exupery about a pilot meeting a boy from another planet. Author Ramin Zahed takes us on a journey with writer/director Mark Osborne known for his Kung-fu Panda animated hit on the challenge of making a classic story with new twist and animating it. This is Titan Books’ The Little Prince – The Art of the Movie.

Food: The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook Tour

March 16, 2016 by kellyannbrooke Leave a Comment

The wacky star chef Danny Bowien did a cookbook tour this past year for his “Mission Chinese Cookbook” by Harper Collins. Munchies goes behind-the-scenes with Danny on the book tour and a look at the yummy food.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tcLVPp6gxMgoogl

The Final Programme (The Cornelius Quartet 1) by Michael Moorcock

January 19, 2016 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

If director Guy Ritchie’s 1960’s themed “The Man from UNCLE” film didn’t float your boat, why not tried this underground British sci-fi novel first published in the 1960s – The Final Programme by author Michael Moorcock. Titan Books is reprinting the adventures of rock star scientist Jerry Cornelius.

First, if you’re a little unfamiliar with Michael Moorcock’s writing style, the meanings and so on, writer John Clute intros the character Jerry Cornelius and his thoughts on British sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock’s 4 book collection. Jerry Cornelius’s brother Frank and the sexy evil Miss Brunner have concocted a plan to build the world’s ultimate super computer. Jerry Cornelius is the key to all this and his unique family background keeps things interesting.

Vampire Fantasy – “Rise of the Golden Aura”

December 16, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

I’ve been able to meet many authors and artists over the years working here at Retrenders and one writer is Chanrithy Him, who wrote the award winning memoir “When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge,” and now, she is working on another writing project that needs a kick-start. The “Rise of the Golden Aura” is a vampire fantasy novel about a young Cambodian-American girl JD Bohatip living in the city of Portland. Unbeknownst to her, JD is destined to be the “Vampire Queen,” while another group of vampires vies for power and hoping to stop JD from becoming the Queen.

Sleepy Hollow: Creating Heroes, Demons & Monsters

November 12, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

With an explosive and fun second season, the FOX tv series Sleepy Hollow has just launched its 3rd season this past October 2015. If you don’t know, Sleepy Hollow is a supernatural mystery TV drama takes a “DC Elseworld’s version” of Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with new twists and turns. Ichabod Crane died defeating the Horseman in 1781, but then finds himself resurrected and trying to adjust to 21st century. He collaborates with police office Abbie Mills and dig deeper into the supernatural and demonic forces attacking the town. Now go behind-the-scenes with Sleepy Hollow: Creating Heroes, Demons & Monsters by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry.

The Art of Stephen Hickman: Empyrean

November 12, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

If you ever read a Harlan Ellison, Anne McCaffrey or Larry Niven sci-fi book, usually the sci-fi art cover that catches your eye is drawn by artist Stephen Hickman. This full-color hardcover art book – “The Art of Stephen Hickman: Empyrean” is collection of Hickman’s amazing 40 years in fantasy sci-fi art.

“For me, fantasy imagery is simply my favorite place to work and live, and nature … Personal imagery, much of it inspired or informed by nature, is becoming more important to me the more painting I do, and fantasy is my direction of choice.” Stephen Hickman.

“Storytime 2” Children’s Book Covers by Joey Spiotto

November 10, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

If you’re a kid born in the Internet-Age, you probably download and read books on your tablet or Kindle, but if you’re old like me … you might remember these Little Golden Books for kids. My cousins and me used to have many of these books that got us reading. Artist Joey Spiotto took the Little Golden Book covers and replaced it with cute cartoon-style pop-culture characters. How cool is that?

The Art and Making of The Peanuts Movie

November 2, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

Two major comic strips that I grew up in my childhood was Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes and George M. Schulz’s iconic cartoon character Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. I remember having so much fun reading the strips as a kid with my siblings and then watching the Charlie Brown cartoon Holiday specials on TV with my grandparents. Just pure nostalgia. After years of waiting, we now finally get an “official Charlie Brown cartoon” from animation house Blue Sky Studios. Author Jerry Schmitz takes us Charlie Brown fans on an incredible journey inside Blue Sky Studios in The Art and Making of The Peanuts Movie.

LEGO Star Wars: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy

October 28, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

If you’re a LEGO Star Wars fan and like building cool dioramas and sets and then taking cool imaginative photos, then this is the book for you, the LEGO Star Wars: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy by DK Publishing.

Virtues of War by Bennett R. Coles

October 27, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

I read many novels, and you know it’s going to be some heavy reading when the first couple of pages start with a character listings, glossary and military definitions. Our story doesn’t kick-off until page 13! Virtues of War is the first in a trilogy of books by author Bennett R. Coles with the second novel Ghost of War available sometime in 2016 and the third novel March of War available sometime in 2017. Virtues of War follows Lieutenant Katja Emmes and her 10-trooper striker team on Rapier spacecraft.

The Original QUARRY Novel by Max Allan Collins

October 26, 2015 by Stephen Jang Leave a Comment

With a Cinemax television series this season, Max Allan Collins iconic hitman Quarry returns to the pop-culture forefront. Journey back to the origins and first pulp adventure as Titan Books re-publishes the first Quarry novel from 1975.

Alt Control Delete Success!

October 20, 2015 by Edward Ballar Leave a Comment

In early October, Ramon Govea and crew launched the Kickstarter to their comic Alt Control Delete and just within a few days of launch, they were 101% funded and over the last few days that’s actually reached 115% for a grand total of almost $4,000 raised on Kickstarter! They are now currently well over $4000 with 80 backers and still have 14 days to go but, although they are already funded, it doesn’t mean there aren’t fun stretch goals you can help them reach. Check out their Kickstarter here!

Pic from Comixology

Alt Control Delete follows Tess, a jaded professional gamer in search of her missing friend. It’s a world where competitive virtual reality gaming has replaced war, and humanity is on the verge of creating a symbiotic relationship between technology and nature. But in her search, Tess is forced to choose between the safety of her corporate compound and loyalty to her friend.

If you can’t wait, to read it, you can get Chapter 1 of Alt Cntrl Delete digitally on Comixology.