The Green Hornet Chronicles, originally announced as being released in June, apparently went to the printer this week. I was never sent galleys to proofread so can only hope someone else read through the pages.

The collection was co-edited by Joe Gentile and Win Scott Eckert with covers by Glen Orbik and Rubén Procopio with interior illustrations by the very talented Mr. Procopio.

Here’s a rundown of the contents and as you can see, I am in some very good company.

* “Reflections on The Green Hornet”: Introduction by Van Williams
* “The Night Car” by Will Murray
* “I Had The Green Hornet’s Love Child!” by Greg Cox
* “Weakness” by C.J. Henderson
* “Topsy-Turvy” by James Chambers
* “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Richard Dean Starr
* “Just a Man” by Thom Brannan
* “The Cold Cash Kill” by James Reasoner
* “Flight of the Yellow Jacket” by Howard Hopkins
* “By Scarab and Scorpion” by Mark Ellis
* “You Can’t Pick the Number” by Rich Harvey
* “Eyes of the Madonna” by Ron Fortier
* “Stormy Weather” by Patricia Weakley
* “The Auction” by Terry Alexander
* “Go Go Gone” by Robert Greenberger
* “Mutual Assured Destruction” by Bill Spangler
* “The Crimson Dragon” by Mark Justice
* “Fang and Sting” by Win Scott Eckert
* “The Inside Man” by Matthew Baugh
* “The Soul of Solomon” by Harlan Ellison
* “Life at 90 MPH”: Afterword by Dean Jeffries
* “The Green Hornet’s Hunch” by Dennis O’Neil (bonus story in Limited Editions only)

Returning to a classroom setting proved easier than expected. Maybe it was all the time spent participating in panels at Stony Brook’s campus during countless I-Cons or I was over-thinking the whole thing.

With two days of classes under my belt, I will state that I think I can do this. I am certainly disciplined enough to manage my time and fit it all in. The trick, though, seems to be timing things so I can actually find a parking space in the multi-level parking garage and still make the 9:30 class. The line to enter the structure then the slow snake through the levels requires more time that it does to arrive there from home.

The Statistics class has about 26 students and there’s another 52 year old present along with some in their 30s and 40s even though the average age is about 20. In fact, we used the class ages as raw data so the teacher could show us how many different ways it can be charted, quantified and analyzed.

The catch has been MathXL, the online program where we will do our homework and communicate with the teacher. In addition to the overpriced textbook, you need an access code which is either bundled into the cost of the book or purchased separately. The used copy I bought online had an intact access code and I figured I was set. Apparently not because Pearson cleverly offers three different sites tied to the same book and I had the wrong one, which was learned when unsuccessfully logging in to all three sites. Pearson’s crack customer support (e-mail only) promised 24 hour turnaround to questions and I am at hour 60 and counting. I wrote the teacher who looped in her Pearson rep who explained the difference and said I had to buy a MathXL access code. I complained that the teacher should have specified which code was required with the text book.

Yesterday, I grumbled, paid the price, and did the two homework assignments awaiting me. So far, I seem to be getting the basics of statistics although the logic in problem solving will daunt me now and then (I just don’t think that way).

On the other hand, History of Theater looks to be tremendous fun. We’re a far smaller class and most of the students know one another and there’s an energy to the room. Our conversations have been lively and our teacher encourages dialogue and questioning. We’ll be reading play excerpts in class and reading about the international history of theater which will prove fascinating.

I have about 90 minutes between classes so I sit with coffee and a bagel, reviewing class notes or reading a magazine. I admit to people watching as well, seeing the interactions, fashion, technology and the like. This aspect could be as educational as the coursework.

Since mid-March, I have watched as the freelance world has altered. It didn’t start then, but it’s when I paid attention to how many of my peers were struggling to find assignments. Media tie-in fiction seemed to be cut way back while publishers also cut down on mid-list authors. Fellow members of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers began reporting they were taking day jobs once more, seeking refuge and some security.

I have happily and even somewhat eagerly spent the first few months of my forced layoff to produce new pitches and do spec writing for the first time in ages. In some ways it was freeing and in some ways terrifying.

A few pitches were read and rejected and have since gone on to other points. Others continue to develop as I mentioned in the previous post.

Regardless, I need to earn a living, contributing something beyond my columns’ pay towards the household. This has led to make the career-altering switch to seeking my certification in Secondary Education. The end goal, around the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year would for me to be an English teacher.

I almost went this way once before. In spring 2002, after Bill Jemas foolishly fired me at Marvel, I had applied to Connecticut’s Alternate Route to Certification program and was actually accepted. I also spent some of that time as a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools here in Fairfield, including two days as Robbie’s social studies teacher, followed soon after by accompanying them on the eighth grade class trip.

In early May that year, I missed a call from the school on a Monday. Tuesday, before I could call them back, Georg Brewer called to hire me back at DC. After accepting Georg’s offer, I called the school to learn that the social studies teacher had to suddenly relocate to Florida with her husband and would I consider being the permanent sub for the remainder of the school year. This is one of this pivotal moments parallel worlds are based on. Had I spoken to the school first, I would have had a chance to teach for over a month and then enter the ARC program that summer. Instead, I went back into comics and publishing until I am at this point.

Apparently, for state certification, I need to present a well-rounded undergraduate transcript and I have been deemed deficient in math, science, and fine arts. Beginning today, to remedy this, I begin classes at nearby Housatonic Community College, taking Principles of Statistics and History of Theater. I am also applying to graduate schools to begin my studies for a Master’s Degree in the spring.

I will still have time to write and should any of the circulating proposals or stalled work actually receive a green light, I will still have the flexibility to write.

Last week, I attended orientation at HCC and several of the staff and faculty asked about my career change because they’re seeing it more and more people of my generation return.  And sure enough, I was not the only over-50 person at the session.

I haven’t been a serious student in over thirty years and math scares the beejeezus out of me. Still, statistics might make me a better fantasy baseball owner next year. I also recognize that with the country’s economy as precarious as it is, finding work as a teacher won’t be as easier as people anticipated only a few years back. I am still determined to go through with this and create more options for myself.

While I think I’d have plenty of fun with high school students, especially if I ever get to teach AP English (recreating my favorite high school course), Deb and Kate think I’d actually connect better with middle schoolers. I guess we’ll find out in the months and years ahead.

OK, so while I am thrilled to have Batman: The Brave & The Bold #20 now out, and receiving some nice comments, there’s the future to consider. Here’s what has been happening…

…not all that much to be honest. Such can be the life of the freelance writer. You hope for a steady supply of work and are prepared to handle the feast while dreading the famine.

The proposals that have been circulating continue to circulate. One is showing some signs of life but nothing concrete today.

All three graphic novels that are in development got stalled because everyone in Europe takes August off, including it seems, artists. They still need to complete their samples before publishers will consider the packages.

The new comic book story I mentioned some weeks back was written and submitted. My editor got back to me with some very constructive comments, so I did a revision and await his final thumbs up.  The second pitch for the same media property has also been revised and awaits the licensee’s approval.

Yesterday, while pitching a project to one editor, he expressed some interest and countered by suggesting a project to me. I am now putting together notes to see if this makes sense and whether or not we have a book to produce. Stay tuned for details.

A long-simmering project sat on an editor’s desk since April with nary an acknowledgment or response to e-mails and calls. I have since begin sending it elsewhere, but one person found the outline intriguing enough to ask to see sample pages. This week I have begun researching and yesterday managed the first chapter. I need to produce 50-75 pages for review and will no doubt write a lot more before honing it.

Last week, I had a fascinating session with a group of peers, talking about something that may or may not turn into something. If it happens, it won’t be until 2011, but I do like the possibilities it represents.

As a result, my current confirmed workload looks like this: I write my twice-weekly op-ed column for the Fairfield Patch and my twice-monthly column for Westfield Comics. At leats one if not two comic book stories for a media property. Everything else is speculative in nature. I await word from DC Comics as to when we all get back to work on Who’s Who which is still happening — honest.

I can’t tell you how excited I am that tomorrow my one issue of Batman: The Brave & The Bold will be going on sale. It has been nearly two decades since I last wrote a comic book and it was a great experience.

When I completed the script, my editor Michael Siglain told me he was assigning it to Robert Pope who is a big fan of Jack Kirby’s characters. I certainly knew the talented Mr. Pope’s name from the various Johnny DC tittles he had illustrated.

I was thrilled by what he had done, including his imaginative cover design. How that came to be is the subject of a blog post over at John Rozum for Kids. John, a long-time writer for Milestone and DC, explained to me, “It’s meant to cover every aspect of what goes into making a comic from start to finish, covering art, writing, editing, inspiration, lettering, and hopefully at some point the actual process at the printer.”

He’s invited me to contribute a piece on how I came to write the story and the process which I will be doing later today.

After everyone goes out and buys the issue, let me know what you think.

Since I’ve gotten involved in local politics, I have found myself attending numerous events where several of the state leaders turn up. They breeze in and are usually mobbed by those they know and they seem to know a lot of the party faithful.

When you work on enough campaigns and attend the same events, your orbits wind up synchronizing with one another.

Having never worked on the state campaigns, I have been somewhere out in the distant realms, so time after time, I find myself being reintroduced to these people, which is fine. After all, I haven’t given them money or walked the streets on their behalf or done similar services. Still, I appreciate that when we hold our annual Century Club brunch, they turn out in number, genuinely happy to (briefly) be there.

When I was serving as Moderator of the Representative Town Meeting, my status was raised enough that when I was next introduced to some, such as Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, they paused to absorb the information. Blumenthal even went so far as to say that if he or his office could be of any service I shouldn’t hesitate to reach out. At the time, I had no clue how I might need his services, but it was nice to know the offer was out there.

And as it turned out, as moderator, I never needed an opinion from any attorney other than our town attorneys.

(Let me pause and express my admiration for the job he has done as the state’s AG these last 20 years. Both only has he turned the office into a proactive one for the consumer, he has tirelessly attended hundreds of rubber chicken events a year for two decades. He extends himself town by town and has a staff attending to needs both great and small. The kerfuffle over the handful of misstatements about his service as a reserve means he’s not perfect.  Even with this mortal flaw, he is still light years ahead of his opponent in terms of qualified to be a senator.)

Now that I am no longer an elected official, but serve as Vice-Chair of the local Democratic Town Committee, I have had increased face time with the officials and candidates who desire to be officials. During the run up to the state convention, it was cool getting personal calls from Dan Malloy, Mary Glassman, and others.

It never seemed that ones I had met repeatedly in the past ever recalled. Well, that finally changed last night.

I have no clue how, but I was one of the very few Fairfielders invited to what turned out to be a major Bridgeport fundraiser for Blumenthal’s senatorial campaign. There were about a hundred of us in a restaurant, with most knowing one another, backslapping and having a grand old time. Thankfully, I ran into Anne Phillips, one of Bridgeport’s reps to the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency, where I currently represent Fairfield.

As we chatted, she in turn introduced me to Mayor Bill Finch since we were discussing a GBRPA issue that he was interested in. But, as happens at these events, we spent about 90 seconds in conversation on the matter, when the mayor was interrupted to talk to someone else and things ground to a halt.

Later, on my way out, I was thanking one of the night’s sponsors when Blumenthal made his way to us and did a round of hellos. The host was distracted by someone so the attorney general turned to me and said, “You’ve been going to a lot of events…” or something like that, indicating he really knew me as an individual. We began talking about the task of campaigning but as he began waxing nostalgic, he was interrupted and yet another conversation went unfinished.

At least I know that the next time we’re together, I can continue the conversation and he will put it into context.

The official page for Gotham City 14 Miles is now up at the Sequart website and will be in the next Diamond Previews catalog. The book is not yet available elsewhere, so I call your attention to this fun volume.

Editor Jim Beard invited me to write for this in the spring of 2009 and I delivered the essay in July of that year. The publishing process is a mercurial thing, and there were some delays from its initial spring 2010 release date.

The book will be available by the New York Comic-Con and there will be a panel featuring several of the contributors, including yours truly.
The contents will include a handy episode guide plus the following essays:

“Bats in Their Belfries – The Proliferation of ‘Batmania’” – by Robert Greenberger. Covering the genesis of the show and the explosion – and quirky substance – of Batmania. From the show’s popularity to the spinoff products and beyond, he characterizes this particular form of insanity that gripped the country — the world — from 1966 to 1968.

“Batman – From Comics Page to TV Screen” by Peter Sanderson.

“Such a Character – A Dissection and Examination of Two Sub-Species of Chiroptera homo sapiens” by Jim Beard.

“Notes on Bat-Camp” by Tim Callahan.

“Aunt Harriet’s Film Decency League” by Becky Beard.

“POW! – Batman’s Visual Punch” – by Bill Walko.

“Known Super-Criminals Still at Large” by Chuck Dixon.

“May I Have This Batdance?” by Michael Miller.

“The Best Dressed Women in Gotham City” by Jennifer K. Stuller.

“Holy Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor!”  by Michael D Hamersky.

“Gotham City R&D” by Michael Johnson.

“Theatre of the Absurd – Batman: The Movie, 1966″ by Rob Weiner.

“Jumping the Bat-Shark” by William Patrick Murray.

“Some Days You Just Can’t Get Rid of a Bomb” by Paul Kupperberg.

One of the great pleasures of the digital revolution is having the chance to relive our childhood.

Slowly, but surely, I am revisiting many of the touchstones heroes or programs that I adored as a kid. In some cases, such as the 1960s cartoon collections from Warner Home Video, I see the flaws but can’t help but feeling warm and tingly as I see my Saturday morning companions once again.

I’ve been working my way through the complete M*A*S*H and am halfway through the Banacek series.

This morning, I completed the final two chapters of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, finishing the three Universal serials. As a kid, I first encountered Alex Raymond’s comic strip hero when Chuck McCann hosted a Sunday morning show on WPIX. With his sense of humor and frequent use of the Sunday Daily News comics sections, I found myself preferring this show to WNEW’s Sonny Fox-hosted Wonderama show (setting up some fights with my brother over the family room television).

McCann would be on from 9-11 and would show at least one chapter of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, The Phantom Empire, the Masked Marvel, and The Purple Monster Strikes.  New York’s local television stations seemed to take turns licensing and rebroadcasting many of these so I was riveted by these all through the 1960s.

Since these informed my image of Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and Ming I was delighted by the set design but appalled by the 1980 feature film version and even more disgusted by the unrecognizable SyFy travesty.

A few years back, McFarland Books published a history of the serials which I read with great interest and it’s a wonderfully informative tome. Them, about a year back, I finally splurged and bought a box set of the three serials. Bit by bit, I’ve worked my way through them, recalling scenes and moments, along with the music.

I can certainly see today the flaws, beginning with weak stories and characters. Most of the recastings throughout the series were to the detriment of the saga, and they certainly could have been better – even then. But, what a thrill to see Buster Crabbe once more in his imaginative costumes, running, leaping, fighting, and grimacing. Charles Middleton had the perfect voice and demeanor to be his merciless opponent but he never had a chance to really be evil.

Still, it’s been great tripping down memory lane. Next up will be the semi-obscure one season wonder, Search.

I have trouble comprehending that it was two years ago that we lost Robbie.

The first year was certainly difficult and this past week, Deb and I were preoccupied with thoughts about him and this day. On the one hand, we still can’t believe he is no longer a part of our life, and on the other, it also feels so long ago.

Time heals and it hurts less now but he remains a constant presence. I haven’t changed his picture from my wallpaper and reminders abound throughout the house. We talk about him but still find it difficult to tell new acquaintances that he lived and died. Our friends and family do look after us. Messages of remembrance began arriving yesterday and family has already called to check in.

We want to remember him today but not wallow in a deep depression. Today will be quiet, punctuated with some contact. We already walked this morning with our neighbor Tom and Deb has gone to her weekly knitting. Later, Jim and Jennifer will come for dinner and join us for a local jazz trio performance in town. In between, we will go visit his resting place and sitting quietly and contemplating what was and what might have been.

He remains much missed, not just by us, but by all he touched. That’s a pretty good legacy to have.

In the past, all of my political efforts were directed at Fairfield. This time around, not being in office, I found myself drifting into working on behalf of Ned Lamont and was therefore invited to attend the Election Night party. Throughout the day all I heard was that turnaround in town and across the state was depressingly low.

I spent a few hours making Get Out the Vote calls only to discover that some homes had already been called two or three times. No wonder people had the election season. They’re inundated with mailers and calls. It got so that while in the car last night, a cell phone rang Lindsay Lamont cracked that it was probably another Lamont robocall. Sardonic humor as it turned out because despite the polling to suggest a tight race, Dan Malloy bested Lamont by a sizeable margin.

The mood was cautious as I arrived at Testo’s restaurant with a giant screen projecting one local channel’s coverage while another screen had constantly refreshed election results via the Internet. When I arrived there were 17% of the votes counted and Malloy was leading 57%-43%. People milled about, bought drinks at the cash bar, and nibbled on the hot appetizers, eyes fixed on the screens. By 9, with over 30% counted, Malloy was up to 59% and it seemed Lamont was never going to mount a challenge. Deb had joined me by then, and we watched with fellow Fairfielders.

Around 9:40, things hadn’t changed but the room was filling with people filing in from the VIP room. To me it was clear they were coming in to watch Ned concede to Dan. Sure enough, the screens went dark and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch took the podium, accompanied by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. They spoke rousingly, making it clear Dan had won and it was time to come together as a party. Finally, the Lamont and Glassman ticket arrived with their families in tow. Mary Glassman spoke first, continuing Finch’s theme, then thanking her family for their support. Lamont took the mike, recounted Lindsay’s joke, and said we all needed to keep some humor about us. His speech was note perfect, congratulating Dan, thanking the party and his family, and speaking of the need to have a Democrat look after our interests.

Everyone filed off the stage and went into the hallway between the rooms and greeted people in an odd sort of receiving line. We continued to chat among ourselves, taking time to comfort the visibly distraught Francesca Capodilupo, our campaign contact and tireless worker. At some point, I went to speak with Emily Lamont, eldest child of the candidate, and we talked first about her being able to sleep in this morning and what her next steps were since she graduated in May and the campaign had ended.

Similarly, I found myself in conversation with two seniors who turned out to be Mary Glassman’s parents. It was a lively conversation between two pair of parents, talking about our accomplished children and discovering numerous communalities. This led to our then talking with Mary’s daughter Amanda, who just graduated college, and her son Nathan. It was a very personal, very nice way to end a somber evening.

So, what went wrong? Low turnout was certainly a culprit with Fairfield somewhat matching the state with 24% of the Democrats and 26% of the Republicans coming to the polls. Money was another factor with Lamont spending $9 million of his own to get the message out early and often. Malloy couldn’t compete until he received his state funding of $2.5 million. And then he came out swinging with the campaign’s first negative commercial on July 23. He went negative early and then stayed negative, attacking Lamont rather than telling us what he would do if he were governor. He saved that for the debates, with paltry television ratings, blunting the more positive message.

“Probably one of the most effective lines of attack that Malloy had was the job cuts at Ned’s company,” Matthew J. Hennessy, a consultant for Lamont, told The Hartford Courant. “Even though that had been debunked in the 2006 election, it still resonated with Democratic primary voters. It was far more effective than the [Lamont] campaign initially understood.”

As I said yesterday, Malloy wasn’t the only one to go negative. Just about everyone on both sides of the aisle found themselves wallowing in the mud, slinging with abandon. While one could take away from this that going negative works, its hard to accept that since Lamont finally countered and also went negative but still lost. Is the lesson whoever goes negative first, wins? I don’t know. I can only hope that Malloy finds the resources he needs to combat Republican Tom Foley, who has his own personal fortune to tap, ensuring this will be a loud, noisy, expensive, and negative campaign.

Sadly, defining their messages for Connecticut’s future is likely to be buried, robbing the voters of really knowing what these two men offer the state.