meltblog

Today in Sri Lanka, Arthur C. Clarke slipped from life to memory most of the way between his seminal works 2001 and 2010.

(Image by Donato Giancola for “2001 Revisited” in Playboy January 2001)

I know this is a second posting on the topic, but he deserves two posts.

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote the epic film “2001: A Space Odyssey” and raised the idea of communications satellites in the 1940s, has died at age 90, an associate said.
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Illustrator Dave Stevens, best known for his “good girl” art and The Rocketeer, died yesterday following a long, wrenching battle with Leukemia. Dave was born July 29, 1955 in Lynwood, California. He was raised in Portland, Oregon, then his family relocated to San Diego, where he attended San Diego City College and became involved in the early days of the San Diego Comic Book Convention, now known as the Comic-Con International. His skills as an artist were instantly evident to all, and he was encouraged by darn near every professional artist who attended the early cons, but especially by Jack Kirby and Russ Manning. In 1975, when Manning began editing a line of Tarzan comic books to be published in Europe, Dave got his first professional assignment, working on those comics and also assisting Russ with the Tarzan newspaper strip. Soon after, he worked on a few projects for Marvel (including the Star Wars comic book) and a number of underground comics. Later, he also worked with Russ on the Star Wars newspaper strip.
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By EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game’s legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family’s home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

“It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them,” Gygax said. “He really enjoyed that.”

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that’s still growing in popularity.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

Details:
He was found dead in his bed in one of his residences in Soho by his housekeeper at 3:35 PM ET today. Law enforcement believe it was not a crime, adding that prescription pills were found near his body.According to NYPD a masseuse arrived at Ledger’s apartment and was let in by a housekeeper. When Ledger didn’t answer his bedroom door, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened it and found him unconscious. They attempted to wake him; when they couldn’t, they called 911.

Latest: VIA CR: Heath Ledger was found dead today in a Manhattan apartment “inhabited by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen,” the New York Times reports, citing the NYPD.
Signs pointed to a suicide, police sources told the paper.

Latest VIA CR: A highly credible source connected to Heath Ledger tells TMZ the apartment where the actor was found was not owned by Mary-Kate Olsen or related to her in any way.

Latest VIA TMZ: Alan Horn, President and COO of Warner Bros. and Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group have issued the following statement to TMZ. The studio is producing the next Batman film, “The Dark Knight.”
“The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.”

That’s 2 dead from the Batman LDK

Last Photograph of Heath……….

RIP

Via Variety’s Bags and Boards:

Captain America is what??

If you haven’t heard the news yet, big things happen in Captain America #25, which just hit the stands today. I didn’t make it to the comics shop until late afternoon, and managed to grab a copy (I don’t normally read Captain America) and quickly read through to separate the fact from the hype. In case you haven’t heard (and it’s been all over the news today), I’ll put the SPOILER-filled details in the jump to avoid offending virgin ears.

Yes, it’s apparently true that Captain America, who has been fighting on behalf of the U.S.A. since 1941, has died.

BUT …

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