another conversation with Ron Marz

Ever get that bit of advice or just a little nudge to help your brain? I got it right before I had the best shower I've taken all year. Yeah so it's only almost a month into the year...it was awesome.

So, as some of you know, I write for a comic news site called Newsarama. Now of course working there you get to talk to creators and artists and etc. Some are awesome, some are good...some are...reclusive. Since I've been working there (almost a year now), I've made several rapports with people who I've admired since I could buy my own comics. One of them in particular is Ron Marz.

I'm reviewing one of his projects, Dragon Prince and as our convos usually do, they trail off and he ends up being the Obi-Wan to my Luke.

ME: So I'm caught up and working on the review right now. That Hunter must have been tough to have survived with a whole fucking building crashing on him. Is this the end to these characters or do you plan on bringing them back whenever? Also, in your Top Cow exclusive contract, this was one of the creator-owned projects you were guaranteed...is there another one?

RON: We have plenty more stories to tell, but it's a matter of whether there's an audience. Or at least whether there's an audience in this market climate. So, we'll see. I'm hoping to do a new short story for the TPB collection which will likely be printed at the size of the Bone color volumes.

There are more creator-owned projects in the pipeline, but again, we're planning to take a step back and see what the market is like before we nail down release dates. At the moment, ANY kind of new material on the market is just tanking, no matter which publisher.

ME: That's not very encouraging news for a guy who wants to take a chance and put balls to the wall and try to get published, but I have to know: at the end of the day, is it worth it? Like I've said you're one of the guys who do what I want to do with my life. I try and do reviews on lesser-known books just to get their name out. It just seems like the right thing to do.

RON: It's a bad market right now, and publishers are starting to feel it. The news of layoffs at Top Cow, and DC and Mad today, are just more evidence of it. So I think publishers will circle the wagons and try to ride out the downturn. Less experimentation, less "new," just more of the same comfort food that sells to the every Wednesday crowd. It's happened before in comics, it will happen again.

That said ... is what I do worth it? Absolutely. I make a very good living doing something I'd do for free. However, you have to be realistic about the odds faced by everyone who wants to do this. It's a bit like being a pro baseball or football player. Everyone wants to do that job, but just a small percentage actually get to do it. That doesn't mean it's not worth trying ... far from it ... but these days it's a long, hard hill to climb, with a lot of people trying to do the same. You have to outlast them and be better than them.

Go in with your eyes open, but be determined.

(I had a bit of a cry after I read that. I guess from being sick and all the thoughts in my head now...it's just something I needed to hear.)

Last week's reviews.

Black Lightning: Year One #2
Written by Jen Van Meter
Art by Cully Hamner
Colors by Laura Martin
Published DC Comics

Continuing on this dynamite bi-weekly series, the collaboration of Van Meter and Hamner is stellar. In this issue, we see the goodness of Jefferson Pierce through the eyes of another: Clark Kent. Kent is visiting Garfield High to do a report about it, while also trying to figure out if Pierce is the lightning vigilante. Kent doesn't think he is, but admires Pierce for what he does for the students and community, as well as what he stands for. There's a quote from Kent about how Pierce battles his students' demons as if they were his own.

Pierce has made an impact as a vigilante. The local gang, The 100, is coming after him, but are constantly thwarted by Pierce's powers and integrity. There is, however, an incident where he doesn't come back unscathed; he's shot in the arm. During Thanksgiving dinner, Pierce wants to confess to his family about his nightly escapades, but the thing is. . . they've already figured it out. They even have a new costume for him, a mix of Kevlar and neoprene, provided by the family's friend Peter.

I like how Van Meter really makes this a true Black Lightning story and I mean that by not having Superman "save the day". Van Meter has Kent mention his powers are somewhat lessened in the Slums, therefore explaining why Superman can't really assist with the crime in that location. Pretty simple, yet clever and effective. The artwork from Cully Hamner, whose expressive nature brings vibrant life to this story. If you have ever been interested in the Black Lightning character, be sure to pick this up. You won't regret it.



Dragon Prince #4 - Finale!
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Lee Moder
Colors by Blond
Edited by Rob Levin
Published by Top Cow

A few months back, I did a review for the first issue of Top Cow's Dragon Prince, and I'm back again for the conclusion in issue number four. Let's bring you up to speed. Aaron Chiang and his mother, April, are on the lam from a Dragon Hunter and are finally caught. They are brought to a secret mountain in the Himalayas, and are held prisoner.

In this issue, Aaron learns his grandfather is a sort of archmagi who is the leader of the society that is to kill the dragons. His grandfather is angry at April for what he thinks is betraying humankind and they have a bit of a skirmish. Aaron escapes and finds his father at the bottom of the dungeon. There's an confrontation between Aaron's father and grandfather and an ending with a slight twist.

There are some really great moments in this series and I've really enjoyed it. Lee Moder's style really fits Ron Marz's script very well. It's not gritty or edgy. There's no tits and ass. It's just an enjoyable story that readers of almost any age can pick up. I know it's just the beginning of the year, but I'm sure this will make my top picks. It'll be released in trade sometime this year, so if you missed it the first time, be sure to scoop it up.




The Wind Raider #1
Written by Richard Finney and Dean Loftis
Art by Gabriel Hardman
Colors by Micah Farritor
Lettering by David Hedgecock
Published by Ape Entertainment

Wow. Simply put, I really liked this book. It's sort of Star Wars in a "desertpunk" (an off branch of "steampunk") environment. There are car-like machines with sails and almost everyone is wearing goggles and scarfs and just, man...I really liked the imagery in this book. The story is about a young teen named Joshua who spends a lot of his time scouring the wastelands for "skyrock" (meteorites that have valuable mineral deposits). As fate would have it, one day he finds a rather large one and takes it to the market to have it analyzed. It turns out that his sample is worth a ton and the shop keeper buys it as is and Joshua runs as fast as he can to his father and his sister.

Unbeknownst to Joshua, him and his family were followed by a man named Barfog and his team of marauders (think the cliche pirate look). They are after Joshua since he knows where more deposits of the skyrock are, though the Marauders end killing Joshua's father, Gannes, and kidnapping his sister, Lore and killing Joshua as well. Out of nowhere comes Tristain, a Ki Warrior. A Wind Raider.

Tristan fights and kills off the remaining Marauders. He uses a special Ki ability and revitalizes Joshua back from the dead. The story isn't original by any means. Like I said, it's Star Wars: typical farmboy learns the way of an ancient powerful society, etc...but the thing is, it left me entertained. It actually left me wondering what will happen next.The art by Gabriel Hardman (who has done storyboarding for the X-Men and Spider-Man movie franchises) is nothing short of stunning and at times I thought I was looking at a Joe Kubert book. The panel layout is beyond superb and the coloring scheme really adds a certain feel to the story.

This is the first issue of a three-part series. Quite honestly, 52 pages for $3.50 is a damn good deal. If you want to take a chance on an unknown book, I suggest pick this up. The best part about this issue is that sometimes you have fantasy novels that don't include a glossary or anything like that and as fans, we have to piece together certain bits of information. Well fear not, the issues comes with character bios and facts and the creed of the Ki Warriors. So nothing will be lost in translation.



Green Lantern #37: Serving as the prelude to the upcoming "Blackest Night" saga, this issue proves why this book is the best super-hero book on the market today. The art is stunning and Geoff Johns continues his streak of genius. I haven't seen Hal act this angry in ages and it's downright scary what the man is capable of. It has a sort of interesting ending, and I have my theories of how Blackest Night will end, but I'll save those for later. There are battles, some deaths (including a somewhat major player), and just awesome all-around.



The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #2: With the way things are coming along, this could easily wind up on my "Best of..." list next year. Eric Shanower and Skottie Young make a dynamite team that can't be beat. The book is kid-friendly and easy to read. In this issue, we meet the rest of Dorothy's entourage: the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. There are some cute jokes and like I mentioned earlier in my review last month for the first issue, this is a proper adaptation to the BOOKS, and not the movie. Which I think is long over due for a remake. So, if you have a young reader in your family or friends, pick this series up.

I was up early this morning...

...just to be sure I didn't over sleep to see the Oscar noms, and I have to say I am fairly disappointed with the Academy right now. Let's be honest. People are going to remember 'The Dark Knight' twenty years down the road, while those other movies up for the Best Picture will be lucky to be late night re-runs on TBS.

Oh, well. Oscar will take the digger for this in the form of ratings. whatever.

So here's the breakdown, to keep it official:

Best Supporting Actor (Heath Ledger)
Art Direction
Cinematography
Film Editing
Makeup
Sound Editing
Sound Mixing
Visual Effects

"Nominated for 8 Academy Awards" still has a nice ring to it, but...

Wall-E got a best Screenplay nom? REALLY?!? I fell asleep through that movie. Twice.

I mean Nolan and TDK gets nominated by the DGA and PGA and STILL gets shut out? They're practically the same voters. Congrats to Downey, jr. though. First nomination is almost two decades.

The supporting actress category was damn predictable. I could have called that in my sleep, but I didn't have to since I was right on all of them. The surprise is that The Reader - which got some awful reviews, even for Winslet's acting - was the fifth nominee. But these are all, with the exception of Slumdog Millionaire, standard Oscar films: two biopics, a Holocaust-related films and the sort of star-studded socially aware film Hollywood loves to thank itself for making (if also a fantasy).

I hope Slumdog wins, just because it's from outside the system. But I haven't seen any of these, and odds are I won't for a long time, if ever. It makes me wish there was some good TV shows out there.

First reviews of the year: Broken Trinity - Angelus and Black Lightining Year One #1

Broken Trinity: Angelus
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Brian Stelfreeze
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
Published by Top Cow

In FIRST BORN, The Angelus power chooses the troubled young woman Celestine as its host. Now in this issue Celestine's split personality struggles with The Angelus force for ultimate control, even as a rogue contingent of Angelus warriors plot their leader's overthrow. This is one of three, stand-alone tie-in issues to BROKEN TRINITY, featuring the heavenly art of Brian Stelfreeze (Batman: Shadow of the Bat, X-Men: Unlimited, Gun Candy) and written by modern master, Ron Marz.

As an Atlanta native, I'm always happy to see other Atlanta artists and writers take on projects like this. Brian Stelfreeze's (one of my Atlanta guys) art is just some of the best in the business and even if he is a seasoned pro, he still catches me by surprise with some pretty stellar stuff. His attention to detail is uncanny, but never over the top where it hinders the characters' construction. The panel layout is solid and not over-burdening. The colors by McCaig are pretty good, too. Marz's writing takes good care of these characters and really fleshes them out.

I have to admit, it's been several years since I gave a damn about Top Cow characters. Witchblade, while pretty to look at, never really held much substance for me. Marz has brought it back to more of a detective story and less t and a. I've had to change my opinion on the company and their some of their titles. They've done so much in the recent past, it's hard not to take notice. It's also going to take me a while to catch up properly. I'm a huge fan of the supernatural genre, and I think if you're into that as well, you should check out what's going on in the Broken Trinity saga.


Also!



Black Lightning Year One #1
Written by Jen Van Meter
Art by Cully Hamner
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Travis Lanham
Published by DC

I am personally a fan of these sort of ideas. Take a b/c-lister and give them a great writer and an uber-talented artist and sometimes you get something as awesome as this. At first I was sort of surprised of why one would pick Black Lightning to star in his own mini-series, then at DragonCon this past year Cully Hamner had some pages at his booth and I browsed through them, but you never can tell with just the inked pages.

Well, it finally came out this past week. Color me impressed. I can see where Van Meter took a splash of Walking Tall with the story. It was interesting to see his wife's point of view and voice on Jefferson's situation. She feels neglected and torn, but trust Jefferson with the move back to Southside, aka Suicide Slums. This issue explores different definitions of "hero".

The story is backed by dynamic visuals. Laura Martin (Secret Invasion, Thor) on colors aids Hamner's style beautifully. Oddly enough, the outfit Black Lightning is wearing in the first few pages resembles the outfit they gave him on the most recent episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold. Which marked the FIRST appearance of the character on any animated show.

Fans of comic books as a medium should consider picking this up. Not just superhero comic fans, not just Black Lightning fans, but anyone and everyone who likes to read comics.

My Picks for Best of 2008

BRONZE: Marvel: 1985
In third place, I suggest 1985. Written by Mark Millar and art by Tommy Lee Edwards, 1985 tells the tale of a young boy named Toby, who one day starts seeing Marvel Comic characters, from the "Secret Wars" era. He uncovers a plot devised by Dr. Doom and Red Skull to take over his world, the real world, our universe. It's a thrilling story with a fairy tale-like ending. I thought the story was pretty cool and kid-friendly, the art though may not be for everybody.




SILVER: “Heart of Hush” arc of Detective Comics
In second place, the "Heart of Hush" arc in Detective Comics. Wow. Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen make a dynamite team on one of DC's flagship titles. Batman has never been more dynamic and a woman's revenge has never tasted sweeter. The sad thing is that this title was overshadowed by Batman's main "RIP" arc. Hush has always been a sort of bland villain, but Dini showed us what he is truly capable of and an origin story that seems it would have come out of Hitchcock.




Gold: Green Lantern
The best book of 2008, hands down, is Green Lantern. True, the title mainly consisted of telling Hal's New Earth origin in the "Secret Origin" arc, but it was needed to support the Blackest Night story coming out next year. As well, it was needed since Hal has not received one since Infinite Crisis. Geoff Johns talent is beyond superb. Not only did he show us how heroic Hal is, but how imperfect he is as well. He showed how Sinestro, one of comics' classic villains, was once the greatest of the Green Lanterns. Johns' words were aided amazingly by Ivan Reis, Oclar Albert and some of the best coloring in the business by the Major Brothers. Green Lantern is THE best super-hero book DC puts out right now and, in my opinion, the best ongoing series on the market. It's never late and always there for you to pick up and enjoy.

Great pride.

It always makes my night when an artist or author thanks me for such a great review. Ted enjoyed the Courtney review so much, I'm apparently in his debt. Though, I think I know how to make us even...

3 times the fun: Incognito, Impaler, and Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere

Incognito #1

Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips
Colors by Val Staples
Published by Marvel Comics

From the creative team that brought us Criminal and Sleeper, this is Incognito. An ultra-violent and raw mesh of mad science, superheroes, and classic noir given to us the only way Brubaker knows how. As I read the issue, it was difficult not to hear Ed Norton's voice from Fight Club. Full of malevolence and turmoil, there's a slight twist to this tale. Incognito is a story of a bad guy who begins doing good things and seeing how that would affect his life and his view of himself.

The art direction fits perfectly with the gritty script. There is blood, sex and violence, all looking very visceral, and the coloring scheme reminds me of Watchmen. The use of non-primary colors really stands out and compliments Phillips' style very well. It's not a common black and white story. The main character, Zack, is layered and complex -- a bad guy who knows something is wrong, but enjoys his line of "work" anyways.

This is something for fans that want that little extra dash of malice with their violence. There are no flashy costumes or Batman/Bond gadgets here, just a domino mask and a turtle neck. I really enjoyed the raw feel to the book. Zack is probably one of the roughest guys in comicdom, and probably one of the best things about Brubaker is that he sure knows how to write an all-American bad ass.

Incognito comes out next week, and if you like Sin City, Marvel Zombies or Powers, this books should be right up your alley.




Impaler #1
Written by William Harms
Art by Matt Timson
Published by Top Cow


Fans of the terrifying story that began in the IMPALER VOL. 1 trade paperback will have something bite into as it continues as a new ongoing series.

Millions of vampires have descended upon America. In a desperate bid to defeat them, the U.S. military nuked New York City but, unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The vampire horde had already advanced westward, but how far? A team of soldiers sent to rescue the Secretary of State's plane that crash-landed in New Jersey find out the hard way. Humanity's only chance may rest in the hands of vampire hunter Vlad the Impaler and his new companion, Homicide Detective Victor Dailey, who wishes he was dead.

The concept from start to finish is just plain old-fashioned cool. If it's one company that "gets" the super-natural market, it is Top Cow. From Witchblade, to Darkness, to even Dragon Prince, Top Cow scratches that itch when I'm bored with spandex and crises. The paneling structure that Timson puts down plays out like a movie. His figure construction is solid the art is gritty and bloody, just how a vampire book should be. The way Timson draws the creatures is purely horrific, almost as if they're straight out of a nightmare.

It is interesting to see such an historic icon like Vlad the Impaler be showcased as a true soldier and not just the blood-thirsty tyrant he actually was. To seem him take care of Dailey, like a comrade would to a fellow injured soldier is most unusual. Then again, Vlad is a vampire hunter in this series, given divine powers by angels of the Lord. A nice twist on the old tale, that's for sure.

If you're burned out by cross-overs and looking for something a little different, I recommend you pick up this first issue. Also, if you didn't discover Impaler the first time around, you might want to pick that up too. It's not needed for the story, but it would help with the overall experience of this first issue.




Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere
Story and art by Ted Naifeh
Published by Oni Press


Wow. Just when I thought the world of Ms. Crumrin could not get any better, Ted Naifeh blew me away with this story. By the way, I guess I should mention, if you have no idea who or what Courtney Crumrin is, you are sadly missing out. To sum it up, take Harry Potter...now instead of an awkward, untidy-haired British boy, Courtney is an angsty young girl who is an outcast at school and ignored by her parents. She moves in with her Uncle, who is a great warlock himself, and she discovers she can do magic. It is simply beyond cool. While the premise seems simple and played out, there are many twists and turns along the way that is just great and intriguing tale.

I digress.

Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere replaced "Twilight Kingdom" as my favorite in the series. Naifeh has kicked the art and story up every notch possible. On a visit to a castle of her heritage, Courtney meets a young boy named Wolfgang, though something is quite unnatural about him. Courtney doesn't care though, she's been lonely recently and a friend outside of her uncle and cats is what she feels like she needs. She continues seeing Wolfgang, and actually takes the initiative to give him a peck on the cheek. While, Courtney has had "love" interests before, she's never taken the initiative to kiss them. Of course we learn that Wolfgang is in fact "unnatural", and being around him threatens Courtney's life, yet she still yearns to see him.

Just like in any "Courtney" story, things are not what they appear to be. Naifeh is an excellent story-teller and having met the man a hand full of times, you can see the immense pride he has in his work. While my girlfriend has the first three volumes for her kids to check out in her library, the buck kind of stops here for the eleven and younger crowd. There is a discussion between Courtney and a nurse about Christian magic and old magic, before the word of the Lord came to Europe. In this conversation, Courtney out right says she doesn't believe in Christ, which could ruffle some feathers. Though if you have read the series, that really shouldn't come as a surprise.

There are gorgeous castlescapes, wonderful panel constructs and Naifeh has a way of showing great expressions, even for his style, which is so simple and lovely. If you're a Courtney fan, you should not be without this book, and for those who haven't discovered her world yet, I suggest it's time you begun.

Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 review

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

WRITER: ERIC SHANOWER
BASED OFF OF CHARACTERS BY L. FRANK BAUM
ART: SKOTT YOUNG
LETTERED BY: JEFF ECKLEBERRY
PUBLISHED BY: Marvel


By now you should be familiar with the story of Dorothy Gale, the young girl from Kansas that is whisked away to the magical land of Oz where she encounters Munchkins, Good Witches, Wicked Witches, a tin man, a scarecrow, lions and tigers and bears... Sorry. I got a little carried away there, but you get the gist. Unlike MGM's legendary film, this mini-series is a more faithful adaption of the actual "Oz" lore, created by L. Frank Baum.

The issue is written by "Oz" enthusiast Eric Showaner and calling him a fan of the world of Oz is an understatement. His first major published works were the OZ graphic novels, which were released by First Comics and Dark Horse between 1986-1992. He has also written [i]and[/i] illustrated a full-length "Oz" novel, "The Giant Garden of Oz," and a collection of short Oz stories, "The Salt Sorcerer of Oz". Like I mentioned, the man knows his stuff.

The art is done by Skott Young, and it's exactly what this book needs. It is kid-friendly, cute, cartoony and I am an adamant supporter for comics aimed for a younger audience. The time line of this first issue (the book is a nine issue mini-series) spans from right before the twister that takes Dorothy to Oz up to right after she meets the Scarecrow.

Those of you who are only familiar with the Judy Garland version, should really try to pick this up. If not for yourself, then perhaps for a young reader in the household. He or she won't be disappointed, but possibly a little confused since the movie has a lot of differences. It's nice to see the original novel getting the comic treatment.

Ron Marz, a tad bit of a convo

*note: The subject of an email I sent awhile back was wondering if he had a copy of Big Top Halloween by the Afghan Whigs, then it sort of snowballed from there.



Me: I have an extra copy. If you don't have it, I'd easily give it to you.


Ron Marz:
Hey, Lan, This must've slipped into my inbox without me noticing. Sorry it took so long. If you still have a copy of Big Top Halloween, I'd take you up on the offer. That's the only one I don't have.

Hope all is well with you.

Thanks,

Ron


Me:
Ron,
Not a problem, I'll make sure to put it in my bag for New York and give it to you when I see you there. Loved the new Witchblade ish, btw.

Things are well, just nervous about NYCC. I've never been to a colossal con like that.

Lan


Ron Marz:
Most excellent. Thanks.

And thanks for the comment about the new WB. I enjoyed your Batman review the other week. Sometimes the emperor has no clothes, so it's good to see somebody willing to say that, rather than just excuse poor storytelling because of reputation.

No need to be nervous about NYC con. It's big and hectic and all that, but it's still a comic con. In the long run, they're all the same, just in a different building. Leave yourself extra time to get where you're going, and make sure you've got money with ya. NYC ain't cheap. And I don't know if you've been to NYC before, but the Javits Center is all the way on the west side, so it's not very near the restaurants or hotels. Depending on where you're staying, it'll be a good, cold walk -- moreso if you're carrying stuff -- or a short cab ride. And bring a warm jacket and hat. NYC, especially near the water, is colder than a witch's tit in February.


Thanks,

Ron

Me:
Haha. Will do. I figured a day in February in New York isn't exactly like a spring day in Texas. Or even Atlanta for that matter. I put a lot of winter wear on my Christmas list. I'm just hoping I have enough time for everything. Artists alley is starting to look hella impressive.

Be sure to tell me your booth number when you know. I seriously have to meet you.

Also, thanks for the comment about Batman #681. Yeah...I was disappointed. To say the least. Morrison is one of those hit or miss guys. When he's good, he is a grandslam (Animal Man, JLA) though when he's shit, damn, does it smell bad. His run on X-Men made me drop it years ago and I can't touch an issue of All Star Superman. I get a lot of smack about insulting that book, but A) it's too wordy for my taste and B) everybody looks like they're made of pudding. Poorly-made pudding.

At 'Rama we can talk about little things like that, though I've been edited once or twice talking shit about Didio. I'm not saying Quesada is better, and while I loved Marvels: Eye of the Camera, I have to wonder if he had any assist with it since Sheldon now has lung cancer. Though it just maybe a coincidence and I MAY be too much of a conspiracy theorist.

I have 2 questions for you, if you don't mind answering.

1. What's in your pull box?
2. Is Kyle Rayner named after anybody?


Ron Marz:
I'll be at the Top Cow booth. If I hear the number, I'll let you know.

"Kyle" came from Kyle Reese in "The Terminator," and because I thought it sounded cool. I picked "Rayner" out of a list of Irish sir names.

And I don't have a pull box. I only get into the local store infrequently, so most of what I read, I read in trades. I get the DC bundle every month, which has all the DC/Vertigo/Wildstorm output, but I truthfully read very little of it. At the moment, I read Jonah Hex, Action, Northlanders, both All-Star books when the come out, and assorted odds and ends. In trades, I read Captain America, Daredevil, Thor, all the Hellboy/BPRD stuff, Walking Dead, Invincible, Perhapanauts. I don't follow characters, just good stories, which I find are in short supply in monthly superhero books.

Ender in Exile review

At the close of Ender's Game, Andrew Wiggin, also called Ender, is told that he can no longer live on Earth. The 12 year-old chooses to leave his home world and begins the long relativistic journey out to the colonies. Ender in Exile is an "interquel" and occurs in between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Though Ender is just 17 by the end of "Exile", so there is a question whether or not there could be more books to follow this one.

The story of "Exile" takes place one year after the Formics were defeated and the Battle School children, except Ender, started to return to Earth. It was agreed that Ender could not go back to Earth because there could be world dilemmas and more than likely wars over who got to keep him to use for their own uses. Since Ender had no way to go back to Earth, he was offered the job of becoming the Governor of the first colony of the Formics' former worlds. A world soon to be called "Shakespeare". His sister Val decided to accompany Ender on his journey because she was sick of being controlled by her older brother Peter. Also due to the fact she wanted to rekindle the relationship she had lost with her little brother.

Ender resides as Governor for a few years in Shakespeare. Near the end of his time as Governor, Ender, and Abra (a young boy from the colony) go to find a site for a new shipment of colonists. Ender wants it to be far enough away from the other settlements so that there will not be any sort of competition between them right away and so they can develop by themselves. In the process of finding a new settlement, Ender stumbles upon what appears to be a note from the Formics. It is a structure made to look like a game he used to play in battle school. When Ender goes to investigate the structure, he finds the pupa of a living Formic Hive Queen that is fertilized and prepared to make hundreds of thousands of babies upon its own maturation. Which in turn, leads Ender to write his first book as Speaker of the Dead, appropriately titled The Hive Queen.

Later, Ender's brother, Peter, near death at this point, asks him to write one for him for when he dies. This book becomes known as The Hegemon. Afterward, Ender resigns as Governor of Shakespeare and leaves the colony for another called "Ganges". The leader of Ganges is Virlomi, who happened to be in battle school with Ender. Here he encounters Randall Firth who believes he is the son of Achilles de Flandres, and even refers to himself by the name Achilles. Randal starts the propaganda of Ender and the Xenocide in an attempt to discredit Virlomi and get revenge against Peter because he believes he was responsible for his father's defeat. Randall tries twice to meet with Ender and discredit him somehow. On the second visit his plan is to cleverly provoke Ender into killing him so that people will see how violent and dangerous he is, but Ender does not attack. Instead Ender tries to convince Randall that he is not Achilles' son, but that he is in fact the son of Bean and Petra; hence where he gets his giantism from. In the end, Randall believes him, though Ender took a beating before it concluded. Randall ends up changing his name to Arkanian Delphiki. After Ender heals a bit, he, Val, and the pupa get on a star ship to go to travel more to far and distant systems.

Orson Scott Card is a solid story teller. I compare his characterizations, not necessarily the way he tells a story, but how he constructs these characters to the late Robert Jordan, author of the famed "Wheel of Time" series. The novel also serves to transition Ender from the end of “Game” to the character we see in “Speaker.” Card is able to do this superbly and the chapters that look at Ender’s character are compelling and solid. I have to nitpick here though. This was billed as a direct sequel, though as I previously mentioned it's more of an interquel, but more than that, More than half the novel is taken from several short stories previously published in Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Ender in Exile ties up a number of loose ends that were left dangling in "Speaker" and "Xenocide". If you enjoyed Ender's Game. but felt lost as the series progressed, then "Exile" is a satisfying missing-link to the overall story that will ease your troubles. I couldn't recommend it unless you are familiar with that initial story and its science, characters, etc.

I enjoyed this book with it's snappy dialogue and suspenseful moments as well as the tear-jerking ones. It's a plain good read what a wonderful author. If you haven't by now taken a look at the Ender universe, I think it's about time you check it out.