Culture Corner

This month, we are celebrating fine literature.

I have always maintained that the ability of an author is measured in how he writes, not what he writes about. Still, I am glad to see an author who has been successful in genre novels make the switch to a real literary venture. Orson Scott Card has met with certain fame over Enders Game and the books that followed it in that exciting sci-fi series. He has penned plenty of other masterful works, including Enchantment, a fine fantasy novel. He has even shared his poetry with us in An Open Book. However, he is now raising the bar for himself, now challenging himself to reach new heights in his authorial achievement.

Yes, Orson Scott Card is to write Comic Books. We at the Nerd Culture Hub are open to various forms of writing, but as educated thinkers we must always hold a special reverence for the higher literary forms, the highest incontrovertibly being the classic Comic Book. Some would critisize the Ultimate Universe as being askew of the accepted Marvel world. I, for one, appreciate the flexibility it affords an author to create a good story without being locked into the constraits of following every previous authors personal choices. And when it comes to Orson Scott Card, the previous authors should bow and step aside anyway. No offense to them, just let Orson work his magic.

For some inexplicable reason, the publishers of Ultimate Iron Man neglected to send us a special pre-release copy for our review. Since I’m sure the heads of Marvel are probably loyal subscribers to our little magazine, let me insert a note to them {No, no… don’t apologize. We understand completely. This will not adversely affect our review}. Still, we will be sure to let you know how Orson has fared in his climb to truly respectable literary works as soon as the local comic shop gets their second shipment in Wednesday. They have promised to save a copy for me, and I am counting the minutes.

In the meantime, here is the review: (come on, it’s Orson Scott Card, you think I have to read it to know it’s good?)All thumbs up from the human panel, three tentacles and a tail all up on the alien panel. That’s unanimous approval for Ultimate Iron Man. Exciting, intriguing, and bubbling with verisimilitude and creative flare! Kudos to Orson. We here on the committee inside my twisted cranium all salute you and your life-long gifts to the world of print.