Tuesday News: RIP Jo Beverley, copyright irony, Sherman Alexie, and comic book movies for grown-ups
Publishing Newschildren's fiction / Comic books / copyright / Jo-Beverley / movie adaptations / obituary / Sherman Alexie13 Comments
In Memoriam: Jo Beverley: Jo Beverley, one of the most beloved and respected authors of Historical Romance, died yesterday, felled by cancer she had previously defeated. Her co-authors at Word Wenches wrote some wonderful tributes, noting Beverley’s humor, intelligence, numerous RITA Awards, and many fans (authors and readers alike). Like Roberta Gellis, Beverley had a strong influence on Historical Romance, particularly Regency novels, and she wrote a number of now-classic books. Feel free to discuss your favorites.
Jo had quietly been through a very dangerous bout with cancer about five years ago, and had come through with flying colors. The cancer was discovered to have returned some weeks ago, and it moved very quickly. We all hoped for another miracle, but it was not to be. Jo died very peacefully in a lovely care home in Yorkshire that used to be a convent, with her husband and her pal Charlie, the Cabbage Patch Kid, by her side. – Word Wenches
Fox In The Henhouse: Uses Someone Else’s YouTube Clip In Family Guy, Then Takes Down The Original – So imagine this: a television exec argues for stronger copyright authority for corporations with the power to censor content and advocating for robotic filtering mechanisms that assume things like duplicate titles signal copyright infringement. In the meantime, her company uses someone else’s content for their own television show and then censors the original version of the content. Because when it comes to copyright, might makes right. Just ask Disney.
Yes, of course, after TorrentFreak posted about this late last week and the news started to spread, the takedown was lifted — either by Fox or by YouTube itself — but it again highlights the problems with these demands for automated filtering or notice-and-staydown systems. They don’t work very well in many, many situations. And they create complications like this one — and not everyone will get a site with a large following to write a story about it, getting enough attention to get the situation fixed. So many people on the copyright legacy side of things keep insisting that it’s “easy” to just take down actually infringing stuff. Yet, time and time again, that’s been shown to be wrong. There are lots of mistakes, and when you’re talking about expression, we shouldn’t tolerate systems that allow someone to automatically censor speech. – Techdirt
Sherman Alexie On His New Kids’ Book And The Angst Of Being A ‘Jr.’ – A lovely interview with Sherman Alexie and his musings on family, including the “alternative father” he created for his new book.
Alexie tells NPR’s David Greene that he found inspiration for the book in a surprising place: his own father’s funeral. “As they lowered the coffin into the grave, his tombstone came into view and on the tombstone is Sherman Alexie — his name, my name,” Alexie says. “And I’d always struggled with being named after him, but the existential weight of being named after your father really, really becomes clear when you’re looking at a tombstone with your name on it.” . . .
“I was really interested in creating a picture book with a healthy Native American family where they respond to big questions in healthy ways,” he says. “And what’s the bigger question than, you know, ‘Who am I?’ ” – NPR
No ‘Joke’: Comic book movies aren’t for kids anymore, and studios embrace it – The success of “Deadpool” has definitely helped fuel plans for more “adult” comic book movie adaptations, although there is some concern that darker films will spoil or be a bad influence on kids whose introduction to superheroes is decidedly lighter. Still, there’s clearly money in the R-rated market, and an aging audience who were similarly introduced to superheroes as kids, and who are now making films like “The Killing Joke:”
. . . Based on an iconic graphic novel published by Warner Brothers’ DC Comics in 1988, “The Killing Joke’s” dark tone and decidedly adult content earned it a place in the pantheon of avant garde storylines. To date, many fans and experts consider it one of the best Dark Knight stories ever written. . .
The last decade has turned comic book movies into creative goldmines, as fanboys who came of age reading the source material flock to relive childhood memories on the big screen. Yet the somber tone and violence has more people questioning whether the entertainment should be more kid-friendly, because many fans were first exposed to characters like Batman, Superman and the X-Men as children. – CNBC
I’m so sad about Jo Beverley. While we won’t have new books in the future from her, thankfully her talent lives on through her book legacy. My condolences for those who knew her personally, both family and friends. It’s a sad day in Romanceland.
Thank you for the books Jo. Rest in peace.
Now I need to read Devilish again…
Oh no! I’m so sad to hear of Jo Beverley’s death! She was one of my favorite authors, and many of her novels are on my keeper shelf. What a loss to the romance and reading community.
@Kaetrin: @Darlene Marshall: ::sniff:: quietly sobs ….
So many beloved authors are passing on. I know time marches on but it’s still sad. It is definitely time to reread one of her books. I don’t remember ever reading a bad book by Jo Beverly.
Jo Beverley was the second romance author whose name I learned to look for, right after Georgette Heyer. EMILY AND THE DARK ANGEL was the first of her books that I read, and it remains a favorite re-read; the Malloren series are also DIK.
But pish-tosh to the people who are whining “You got grown-up themes in my comic book movies!” THE KILLING JOKE came out almost *thirty years* ago; comic books have been dealing with adult issues forever. I guess that mass slaughter, nuclear devastation, and the impending end of the universe (not to mention pneumatic-busted babes in spandex and heels) are just fine for the kiddos, but morality that’s not black-and-white and tragedies that can’t be solved by fisticuffs are just too threatening.
(Not that I plan to see the KILLING JOKE movie — the trailer looked awful)
I’m so sorry to hear about Jo Beverly’s passing. She, along with Johanna Lindsey, were my very first intro to romance. I had a special fondness for her medievals which were my teenage catnip. Condolences to her family and loved ones. Definitely time to reread.
Jo Beverly will be sorely missed. I loved her books, probably own most of them, and find picking a favorite impossible, although I do particularly love the Company of Rogue books, the first 5 or so books especially. Comparing her historicals to those by other authors, hers were usually far superior. Time to go do a re-read of some.
So sad to hear about Jo Beverly. Loved her books and was fortunate enough to hear her speak at a writers conference. She was so inspiring.
Deepest condolences to Jo Beverley’s friends and loved ones.
Oh, no! So sad about Jo Beverley. She was one of my early favorites when I first returned to reading romance, and I still enjoy the Mallorens and Rogues, including the extended story lines. It’s hard to pick favorites, but My Lady Notorious (Mallorens) and Lady Beware (Rogues) would definitely be at the top of the list. There are many books that I enjoy reading at the time, but even just a few months later can remember few details from. Not so with Jo Beverley’s book–there are characters and stories that remain vivid in my memory even if my last (re)reading was years ago. She has my thanks for creating such rich worlds for me to lose myself in. Maybe it’s time comprehensive, commemorative reread.
As a side note, Jo Goodman was another early favorite, and I always mentally boxed them together as the two Jo’s.
I’m so sad to hear about Jo Beverley. She was my favorite historical romance writer. She wrote some fantasy novellas as well, and I always secretly wished she’d switch to writing fantasy or SFR. I would’ve read any genre she wrote.
I’m sad to hear about the passing of Jo Beverley. I need to catch up with her newer books, but I enjoyed the many books I have read at this point.
Thank you for sharing the news of Jo Beverley’s passing. I am stunned, and very sad. I encountered her books very soon after I started reading romances and have been a steadfast fan every since. The thoughts and comments about her on the Word Wenches post are lovely and it is clear she will be greatly missed.