I was fortunate enough to have Publisher’s Weekly review my book, Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files – Part 1! You can read the review HERE.
5 Reasons to be Excited About the Justice League Movie
•July 23, 2016 • 1 CommentThat sound you just heard was the collective sigh of relief from Justice League fans all over the world after seeing the new preview (apparently, it’s technically not a trailer) from San Diego Comic Con. Yes, it’s true: People are liking this footage. Most fans were understandably nervous after seeing Batman vs Superman, but the general consensus seems to be that this new reveal has set their minds at ease.
Granted, a good trailer is not always the best indicator of whether or not the film itself is any good, but there are definitely reasons to be hopeful. In fact, here are five of them:
1. It’s not as dark.
I love dark movies myself, but it has to be balanced, and there wasn’t a whole lot of balance in Man of Steel or Batman vs Superman. In fact, the whole Snyderverse thing is just…well, you know. This film obviously has some humor, and I even laughed a couple of times while watching the trailer. It will also play to a wider audience if it isn’t so…well, you know. Are they taking a cue from Marvel’s Avengersfilms? Hell, yes. But who doesn’t love the Avengers movies?
2. Aquaman’s a badass.
Sure, he’s been toughened up in the comics over the years, but the general public still has a perception of Aquaman as the lame superhero who talks to fish. My favorite version of the character is the Peter David run with the long hair, beard, and a hook for a hand. Jason Momoa’s version goes even further, and is obviously more Khal Drogo than Super Friends. Purists will complain that he doesn’t have the look from the comics, but that shouldn’t be a bad thing (at least in this case). What do people want, to go back to the “accurate” spandex days of the ’60s through the ’80s? No, I didn’t think so.
3. Wonder Woman is in it.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was one of the highlights of the BvS movie, and the trailer for her new movie is phenomenal. So just the fact that she is in this film as well should be enough to make fans hopeful. Seriously, have you seen the trailer forWonder Woman? If not, WATCH IT NOW. This article will still be here when you get back.
4. The Flash seems awesome and hilarious.
I have to admit, when I saw that the Flash was going to be played by the intern dude from Trainwreck, I was less than excited. But then, I didn’t think Grant Gustin was going to be a good TV Flash either, so what do I know? Rumor has it he’s the best thing about the movie. And, no, Barry Allen is not blond like in the comics. But, last time I checked, most other live-action versions of Barry Allen haven’t been blond, either. Just like with Aquaman, what’s good in the comics isn’t necessarily what’s best for live action. Plus, if we can get over James Bond changing hair color, anything goes, right?
5. Affleck continues to rock the Batman role.
Another thing I did like about Batman vs Superman was Ben Affleck’s take on the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. In fact, combined with the Netflix Daredevil series, it almost made me forget about his horrible version of Daredevil. (I said almost. My memory’s not that bad.) He seems to genuinely have a handle on my favorite character of all time, and that’s saying a lot. I’m looking forward to more.
BONUS: Superman isn’t in it!
I made this a bonus reason rather than one of the main five because I know many people will disagree that this is a good thing, and we also know that Superman will, in all likelihood, appear in the movie at some point even though he’s dead. But I’m not a big Superman myself, and I especially didn’t enjoy the version in Man of Steeland Batman vs Superman, so it’s more of a personal reason why I’m excited about the Justice League film than one I expect others to be happy about.
Sidekick Audiobook Now Available!
•May 8, 2016 • Leave a Comment
That’s right…I know you’ve been waiting patiently, and now it’s here! Yes, the audiobook of Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files – Part 1 is available at Audible.com, Amazon.com, and the iTunes store. Michael T. Hafen did a fantastic job of narrating it. You can check it out HERE.
Birds of Prey
•April 20, 2016 • Leave a CommentSidekick review at Superhero Novels!
Black Harrier, Red Kite, Red Raptor, Redhawk, Osprey, Eaglestar — Christopher J. Valin’s recently released superhero novel is stuffed with a kettle of predatory birds.
Sure, there are other superheroes in the book (like Cupid, the flying bowman, and Omar the Defenestrator), but the author is clearly obsessed with birds of prey. There’s no room for lesser birds like Black Canary, Mockingbird, and Robin.
The novel starts out with Red Kite (Sawyer Vincent) grousing about his current situation. He’s been Black Harrier’s sidekick for the past three years and he’s not happy about it. He’s embarrassed by his mentor’s corny Batman-like affectations, and he’s tired of being treated like a kid.
He even hates his superhero name. “Being called Red Kite makes me feel like I’ll never be taken seriously,” he says. “I mean, nobody even knows it’s a bird.”
Clearly, it was time for a makeover. Sawyer spends hours…
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Ten Things I Actually Liked about Batman v Superman
•April 6, 2016 • 1 Comment
BEWARE OF SPOILERS! This article contains them, and now you’ve been warned. No complaining if you haven’t seen the film and read something you didn’t want to know.
So I finally saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, after someone whose opinion I trust and often share suggested everyone see it with an open mind and give it a chance. And the truth is, I kind of liked it. Yes, it has some major issues. No, it isn’t a great film. But it is what it is, and I enjoyed myself while watching it. I know what you’re thinking…”How can that be, Christopher J. Valin? The critics have told us we have to hate it!”
I’m fully aware that the darkness of this film is one of the major complaints of a lot of critics and fans. I’m not one of them. I love dark movies (my favorite film of all time is Blade Runner, and my favorite Star Wars film is the darkest one, The Empire Strikes Back). If I were a Superman fan, I’d probably be upset because it doesn’t feel like a Superman film. But I’m perfectly fine with it, because I’m not a Superman fan. I haven’t liked a Superman film since Superman II over thirty years ago. So I watched it as if it were a Batman movie, and as such, it was fine. Also, I think characters have to change with the times, including Superman. I liked what Perry White said about, “Maybe if it was 1938…”, and what Superman himself said about Superman being the dream of a Kansas farmer. I think they’re right.
Also, let me get this out of the way: I agree with many of the criticisms, but I’m not going to repeat what’s already been said ad nauseum, except for one other thing. I hated Lex Luthor. And not for the reasons I’m supposed to hate him. I think Jesse Eisenberg was the wrong choice for the part (by a long shot), but I don’t blame him for my hating the character. I think they wrote Lex a certain way, and Eisenberg probably played the character just like he was supposed to (unless he pulled a Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean, and as far as I know, he didn’t).
Luthor isn’t an evil psychopath. He’s an egomaniacal genius who thinks he’s a hero for protecting the world from a powerful alien who could become a tyrant or destroy the world. How they could possibly have another Lex Luthor along the lines of the Kevin Spacey version after seeing what a complete failure that was just boggles my mind. There are a lot of stories about how they almost chose Bryan Cranston for Lex. Can you imagine?
Anyway…
Here are ten reasons I enjoyed the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
(1) Batman kicked Superman’s ass. He really did. In fact, he was literally about to kill him, and very well could have. I’m glad he didn’t, and I don’t think he should have. But he could have. As a huge Batman fan, I’m constantly asked how I could think Batman could possibly beat Superman in a fight. From now on, I’m going to just tell people to watch this movie.
(2) Wonder Woman was awesome. I wasn’t familiar with Gal Godot, but she did a great job, and I think they made her a cool character. I just wish she was in it more.
(3) Jeremy Irons rocked the part of Alfred. Alfred is an important character in any Batman story. And Jeremy Irons was excellent. This was an Alfred I recognized from the comics, and more along the lines of Alfred from the Gotham TV series. Michael Caine is a great actor, but when I saw him, I just thought, “That’s Michael Caine.” Not so with Irons.
(4) Ben Affleck was a suprisingly good Bruce Wayne/Batman. Yeah, I’ll admit it. I was one of those whiners who complained when they chose Affleck to play Batman. I mean, it took over ten years and a damn good Netflix series for Daredevil to recover his good name after the fiasco that was the 2003 film. Bale and Keaton were fine, but I felt like this really was the character from the comic books I grew up with. Speaking of which…
(5) It had some cool stuff from The Dark Knight Returns. TDKR is my favorite comic/graphic novel of all time. And, even though it didn’t completely follow Frank Miller’s story line, they did pick out some good moments, as well as the armor. It kind of makes me wish they had just made that story.
(6) It had some cool stuff from Injustice: Gods Among Us. Injustice is one of my favorite video games (yeah, I know it was a comic also), and has a great story that goes with it. There are questions about whether or not Bruce Wayne was dreaming (it’s known as the “Knightmare” sequence), or whether the Flash traveled back in time, and what Bruce saw was the future. Personally, I think it would make for a great movie later on.
(7) The Batmobile. The Nolan Batmobile was pretty cool, and very realistic (I’ve even seen one up close), but it definitely wasn’t the car from the comics. I liked this version a lot because it still looked like it was powerful and built like a tank, but it had that Batman style to it as well.
(8) They weren’t afraid to kill off characters. And I’m not talking about Superman, because we all know he’s going to be back. It’s usually a sign of a good story when characters aren’t safe. And at least two pretty major characters were killed in this film. Mercy, Lex Luthor’s bodyguard/secretary, and–I’m not sure how many people actually realize this–Jimmy Olsen. When I first saw the photographer that was with Lois, I assumed it was Jimmy, but then when he was shot in the head for being a CIA agent, I figured it wasn’t (they never actually said his name). But, sure enough, it turns out Zack Snyder had decided the DC Universe was too crowded already, and that killing off a beloved sidekick would make a strong statement.
(9) Batman’s Gotham By Gaslight costume. Gotham By Gaslight is one of the best Elseworlds comics, and the suit from the Knightmare sequence is pretty damn close to the Steampunk costume Bruce wore in that story. I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t love goggles?
(10) The scene where Batman saves Martha Kent at the warehouse. This was my favorite scene from the movie, and again showed the Batman I grew up loving in the comics.
And that’s not even a complete list. If you haven’t seen the film, I suggest you go in with an open mind. Not high expectations, mind you, but an open mind. Maybe you’ll enjoy it, too.
Sidekick Review at the Leighgendarium!
•March 16, 2016 • Leave a CommentPreston Leigh wrote a very nice review of Sidekick over at his indie book website, The Leighgendarium. Check it out!
What’s in a Name?
•February 25, 2016 • 2 CommentsThank goodness titles can’t be copyrighted.
When I finished writing the first draft of my latest book back in early 2014, I decided I wanted to call it Sidekick. Not only did I search Amazon for books with that name, I did a Google search as well. There was nothing close to what my book was about that had Sidekick in the name, so I felt safe in giving it that name, and registered it with the WGA.
Imagine my surprise when I actually went to publish it, and there were two books called Sidekick, another called Sidekicks, a trade paperback collection of a comic series called Sidekick, and a middle grade novel called Sidekicked…all about superhero sidekicks.
And all published in the interim. Weird? Yeah, I’d say so.
Sidekick Big Sale!
•February 21, 2016 • Leave a Comment
If you’re familiar with the great site/emailer called Free Kindle Books and Tips, you may have seen that my latest book, Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files – Part 1 is on sale for only 99 cents this week.
WHAT? You can get the eBook of Sidekick for only 99 cents? And just look what people are saying when asked what they think of this fabulous book:
“Well…the cover’s pretty cool.”- Sawyer Valin, age 10
“Did you take out the trash like I asked you?” – Cecille Valin
“Get out of my room, I’m talking to my friends!” – Saylor Valin, age 14.
Okay, maybe those aren’t the best examples. How about this review?
“Valin has taken the familiar and re-imagined it in an exciting and fresh way for the next generation of superhero fans.” – Bret Bernal, Tao Boy and Engine
What difference does it make? It’s less than a dollar!
10 Questions with… Me!
•February 1, 2016 • 1 CommentMeanwhile, I forgot to post a link to my interview over at The Leighgendarium, a blog about indie authors. Check it out HERE and tell Preston I sent you.
Red Raptor: Evolution of a Character
•January 31, 2016 • Leave a CommentI assume that when most authors write a book, they have a picture of what their characters look like in their heads. It’s possible that the character may appear on the cover, and if that’s the case, I’m sure they work with the cover artist/designer (at least to some extent) so that the character matches what they think he or she should look like.
Being a former comic book artist (inker) myself, it was very important for me to not only visualize Red Raptor, the protagonist of my new YA novel, but to actually have a physical image of him. This image has changed over time and, I feel, has been improved each time.
I started with my own pencil sketch of the character. This was just a simple sketch of his costume to give me something to start with. But I’m an inker, not a penciller, so I went to…
…the City of Heroes character generator to create a model of the character. The game hasn’t been around for a few years and the servers no longer exist, but there is both a plugin that you can use (if you still have the game on your PC) and a website where you can download just the character creator (which is the best of any game I’ve ever played). I still wanted to see what an artist’s take on the character would look like, however, so I went to…
…Deviant Art and found an artist whose style I liked and had him draw the character based on my computer model. I was a big fan of the Young Justice animated show, and Serg, who drew this version, had a style very close to that. I really liked what he did with the character, and he stuck close to what I had designed but still improved on it.
Around this time, I started to seriously consider self-publishing Sidekick instead of going through an agent and/or publisher (for many reasons which I won’t get into right now). I knew that if I decided to do it, I’d need an amazing cover, and I decided to ask an old buddy of mine with whom I worked at a small comic book company many years ago, Jonboy Meyers, to draw the cover. When I worked with him, Jonboy was just starting out, but by the time I asked him to work on this, he was finishing up a run drawing Spawn, one of the most popular independent (as in non-Marvel or DC) comics of all time. To my great joy, he agreed to do the cover.
Jonboy is not only an incredible artist, but he’s a great designer as well. So I told him he could follow my design as much as he wanted, or do his own thing with it. Was I ever glad he did his own thing! His first design knocked me out, and then he only improved it from there.
The final version of the cover was colored by a great comic book colorist named John Rauch, and I’ve gotten tons of compliments on it.
Author Christopher J. Valin 