Category Archives: Tales of the Dim Knight

Powerhouse’s Summer Superhero Movie Review

Hello Citizens, Powerhouse here. This Summer has had not one, not two, but three Superhero films that have brought characters out of the comic books and on to the screen. Who better to rate this Superhero films than a superhero?

So taking my vast knowledge, I’ve seen all three of them and here’s my brief review:

The Avengers: A stunning movie that Marvel’s been putting together for five years since the release of Iron Man and continued through four other movies. There was so much hype for the movie it was almost impossible to be what everyone expected. But somehow it was. It cleared the bar and raised it.

Every superhero got his time to shine in the course of this epic story. Iron Man may have a had little more to work with than others, but in awesome film, let Tony Stark have the glory.  There’s a lot to go around and besides, if you don’t, he’ll take it any way.

There’s already plans for an Avenger sequel. Really, I don’t know how you can hope to do it. Hopefully, not some done to death sequel formula where “everything gets darker/you must unlearn what you learned” Empire Strikes Back thing.

However, there are many stories in the comics that could work and so far they haven’t missed yet. The movies have been very respectful of the original stories. One great thing about the Avengers is even using Loki was a tip of the hat to the first ever Avenger Story which also had Loki as the villain.

It’s a shame that we’ll never have a Justice League film this good. (Adam will address why in a future post.) Woe are those of us who are fans of the Justice League. All we have are fifty-five years of Comic Books, several animated series, and direct-to-video animated spin-offs.

Rating: 10.0 out of 10.0

The Amazing Spider-man: I wasn’t one of those people who whined about them rebooting the Spider-man franchise after three years.  That happens. Superhero franchises are always rebooted. It gives different geniuses a shot at telling the superhero story.  And they’re a lot of ways to do it.

Since the great Spider-man: The Animated Series ended in 1998, it only took one year until there was a a new Spider-man and there have been three more since then.Each has had to be a little different. They’ve shown the challenges the web-slinging hero faces: grief, loss, conflict with Aunt May, fear, loneliness, and in the case of the 2003 Series, plumber’s crack.

And so it is with the movie.  Spider-man is a character that has been done so much that there’s room to do things a little different. A good example of this is the Gwen Stacy character which is Peter Parker’s love interest in this film while Mary Jane Watson filled the bill in the Sam Raimi Spider-man trilogy.

The film does a great job portraying Spidey’s sense of humor and sarcasm. The action shots and special effects were awesome. It dials back his geekyness when compared to the Toby McGuire Spider-man films. However, it’s still making less money compared to those three. Even Spider-man  3 did better.

There were two big problems with The Amazing Spider-man that could explain why it didn’t make as much money. First of all, while hardcore comic book fans may enjoy Spider-man as a sarcastic teenager, the general audience, particularly parents, may be less happy. I mean Spider-man’s a role model. Anyone out there want their teenagers to be more sarcastic?

The other thing is that the Lizard makes a pretty poor villain when he’s the only villain around. He’s a tragic guy who meant well and instead turned into a hideous monster through no fault of his own. That would make him a good supporting villain for a movie, but he wouldn’t be able to carry the whole villainous mantle like the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus in the original Spider-man films, the Joker in the 1989 Batman movie, or Lex Luthor in Superman.

Still, I give it:

Rating 7.5 out of 10.0

The Dark Knight Rises: The Dark Knight took a very dark turn. The first part of the movie was full of hope as Batman was taking his battle against crime right to the mobsters. With the Joker, Batman was challenged. At the end, hope had turned into cynical despair with Batman forced into exile to cover up for the crimes of Harvey Dent, so that the city could make Dent a hero. I haven’t cried so much since they killed Bambi’s mother.

In the Dark Knight Rises, we begin a different trajectory where things are dark and depressing with Bruce Wayne. Things get even darker as Batman has lost his girl, he loses his money, his house, and his butler,  and is then cast into a hole in the ground prison to suffer. I kept waiting for a country music song to start playing to fit the mood, but sadly they missed that chance.

Meanwhile Bane takes over the city. I was dubious about making Bane the villain, but Nolan proved me wrong. Bane was the ultimate super villain. The normal insane villain who wanted to blow up Gotham,  once he had Batman crippled up in prison and control of an Atom Bomb, would kill Batman and blow up the city. Bane however, sets up a government based on the French Revolution only with machine guns and gives Batman several months to recover, escape prison, and have a final battle sequence. Bane even does the ultimate supervillain trick by being surprised that Batman didn’t stay in his cell.

Dark Knight Rises has some great action scenes and had some great characters. The character of Officer John Black was a great addition as he rides Bruce Wayne to get back into action. Anne Hathaway is great as Catwoman, who has a great journey as a character. The one character I really wish there’d been more of was Alfred, who disappeared from the film early and didn’t come back until the end.  Michael Caine’s Alfred was the best version ever and the movie wasn’t as good without him.

The end wasn’t everything I’d hoped for. Any time you tie up a lot of lose ends from three movies and especially with a character like Batman, things will get a little messy and require some suspension of disbelief. But the point is that it ended! Thing about the Christoper Reeves Superman Series and the 1989-90s Batman movies. There was no idea of what to do with these characters other than to keep making movies until they started getting stupid. The Spider-man Trilogy left a lot of loose ends, and I can’t believe the ending from Spider-man 3 was what anyone had in mind when they started out.

With Batman, it’s different, everything is brought a conclusion. They took our Dark Knight on a journey and gave him a great story. After watching this movie, I know how the story of Batman ends.

At least I do, until the next reboot.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

If I have one problem after watching these three films, it’s this:  The films fail to accurately show the life of a superhero.

My friend, Chief Stone Bachman of the Seattle Police Department told me that because of TV and Movie portrayal, people have an unrealistic view of police. They expect tests to be completed immediately that actually take weeks. They also don’t know the boring parts of police work.

These movies don’t accurately portray that there are a lot of boring hours on patrol. More important than that, it makes every superhero battle seem like it has to have gigantic stakes. Batman battles Bane who was threatening to blow Gotham  up with a nuclear bomb, the Avengers have to fight off an interdimensional invasion that’s beginning in Manhattan, and Spider-man has to save New York City from being transformed into Giant lizards.

I know the movies have to be big, but it puts a lot of pressure on real superheroes, and can hurt our self-esteem. I was landing today and someone came up and asked me  if I saved Seattle from mortal peril or stopped an alien invasion. I didn’t tell him anything. All I’d done that day was stopped an armed robber who’d taken $20 from a 7-11.

Powerhouse is a superhero who lives in Seattle. His first book of adventures, Tales of the Dim Knight is available for Paperback and also on the Kindle (available as a free borrow to those who have Amazon Prime) and his novella-length sequel, Powerhouse Flies Again is available for the Kindle..

Powerhouse Flies Again Released + Tales of the Dim Knight Kindle Book Giveaway

The first of eight novella sequels to Tales of the Dim Knight have been released for the Kindle with Powerhouse Flies Again. 

Powerhouse Flies Again finds our hero Dave Johnson without his powers, taking care of his family, and living off of comic book royalties. However, he longs to make a difference and one of his attempts to do so nearly cost him his life.

When Powerhouse’s work and life is attacked by the cynical CEO of a shady corporation who alleges that Powerhouse didn’t make a difference, Dave gets another chance at being a superhero. This time he’s determined to make the most of it.  Find out what the plan is as Powerhouse makes his comeback in Powerhouse Flies Again! 

In addition, you can enjoy Tales of the Dim Knight, the original novel for free for the Kindle this Labor Day weekend.

Tales of the Dim Knight Ebook Sale: 99 Cents through January 1st

I’m please to announce that Tales of the Dim Knight will be on sale through January 1st for only 99 cents. Coipies are available on Amazon for Kindle and Smashwords. Below is a description of the book:

 What would you do if you had superpowers?

Dave Johnson is the world’s biggest superhero fan. His comics allow him to escape the pain of the real world where he’s stuck in a dead end job and his wife and eldest son have lost respect for him.

Then Dave meets Zolgron, a symbiotic alien banished from his home world and forced to give great powers to whoever he attaches to. With Zolgron’s help, Dave becomes Powerhouse, a super strong, superfast crime fighter whose super imagination can mold reality to his vision. Dave sets off to save the day just like a comic book superhero and hilarity ensues.

Evil is scarce in Dave’s small town, so he sets about bringing justice to jay walkers and violators of a smoking ordinance. At the local police’s suggestion, he commutes to Seattle, where he faces down a ring of car thieves and comes face to face with the organized crime syndicate that has bought off Seattle policemen, prosecutors, and newspapermen.

To protect his family, Dave guards his secret identity from everyone, including his wife, Naomi. She begins to suspect Dave’s rapidly improving body and unexplained absences are signs of an affair. With Dave’s head in the clouds, can the Johnson marriage survive?

With all the fun and excitement of your favorite childhood Saturday Morning heroes, Tales of the Dim Knight is an action packed family comedy that will keep you laughing until the very end.

“A truly original premise, Tales of the Dim Knight is a light-hearted escape into the world of superheroes and villains with a thoughtful twist as to what matters most in life.”
–Christy Award Winner Jill Williamson, author of By Darkness Hid
A fun, fun read!
~ Frank Creed, award-winning author of Flashpoint

 

Tales of the Dim Knight Ebook now on Sale for 99 Cents

At the request of our paperback publisher, the price of, “Tales of the Dim Knight” has been reduced to 99 cents for the Kindle version. Tales of the Dim Knight is on sale for 99 cents along with 10 other novels for Splashdown. Check out Splashdown Books’ 99 cent sale.

If you do not have a Kindle, you can still get Tales of the Dim Knight as an ebook at a great price. For all other ebook forms, go to Smashwords and purchase a copy. Use coupon code UN98W to claim a 65% discount, which will give you the book for $1.02.

If you have an extra 99 cents, also check out, “Your Average Ordinary Alien

The End of the Trail for Our Blog Tour

Our last two whistle stops on the blog tour have come:

Becky at By the Book thought that Tales of the Dim Knight was perfect for the twenty somethings she knew. Amy at 160 Acre Woods calls it “Super Grover” for grown ups.

And with that our blog tour comes to an end. Thank you to everyone who participated. It’s been fun. Below is a final list of the blog who came through and participated:

3/27 David James
4/3 Phyllis Wheeler
4/4 Noah Arsenault
4/4 Sarah Sawyer
4/5 Tammy Shelnut
4/6 Timothy Hicks
4/7 Joan Nienhuis
4/8 Carol E. Keen
4/9 April Erwin
4/11 Morgan L. Busse
4/15 Chawna Schroeder
4/22 Frank Creed
4/28 Beckie Burnham
5/3 Amy Deanne

Tales of the Dim Knight Update

Tales of the Dim Knight has continued its blog tour. However,  we had a car accident on April 2nd and all of the related medical and legal aspects of that have stopped both my wife and I from being able to keep up with it. However, in this post, we’ll get all caught up:

Christian Fantasy Review 

Noah Arsenault (Review) and (Interview)

Sarah Sawyer (Interview)

Tammy Shelnut (Review)

Timothy Hicks (Review)

Joan Nienhuis (Review)

Carol Keen (Review)

Morgan Busse (Review)

Chawna Schroeder (Review)

Also, I had a very fun interview here. Words are based on a true story sort of.

It’s No Joke: April Fools Sale: Tales of the Dim Knight Ebook 99 Cents Through April 1st

April Fools Day is coming up and they’ll be some clever pranks that will fool even some savvy people in the media. Some of us will also experience the “Joys” of attempts at humor by people who think the Whoopie Cushion was the greatest invention in the history of mankind.

In honor of April Fools Day, we’re offering a great deal on our book, “Tales of the Dim Knight” that’s no joke. Today, Tomorrow, and Friday, Tales of the Dim Knight is available for only 99 cents for your ebook reader.

Tales of the Dim Knight is the humorous story of Dave Johnson, a superhero fan who gets superpowers and follows his adventures fighting crime and trying to hold his family together.  More information and a free sample chapter is available here.

Purchase your copy today and enjoy some laughs this April Fools today. :


If you have another ebook reader, you can purchase your copy at Smashwords.com, just use coupon code, “XG43J.” And let your fans and social networks know about this great sale.

You can also enter the contest to win an autographed copy at “New Authors Fellowship” which also features an interview with the hero of our book. And I was recently the special guest of B. J. K. Write on his blog.

Things that Make an Author Smile

I came into work today and on my desk someone had slipped this note in my book, Tales of the Dim Knight:

“Adam, very good book. Thanks for a good read.”-A fan at your workplace.

Later in the day, the writer of the note came to my desk and identified himself. It was someone I’d never met before. He said he’d bought the book off of Amazon and, when he was walking by, saw my name plate and was sure that, of course, it wasn’t the same guy. He told me he’d really enjoyed the book and that it was a very fun read. My boss teased me about becoming famous and forgetting my fellow employees. 🙂

Moments like that make me smile as a first time author. I’ve always dreamed of making my fiction writing into my primary source of income and having my book read by tens of thousands. At this point, though, I’m probably approaching hundreds. But there are these little joys along the way, these little  moments that make me smile.

A positive review from someone I respect means a lot.

A positive review from someone I don’t even know shows that the book isn’t merely being read by friends and family.

I love to see that my book has been sold to someone overseas. I know I’ve sold at least six copies in the U.K.  (including Kindle copies.) To think someone is reading my book while sitting in Glasgow or London is a thrill.

Marketing is often a frustrating and uphill journey. It often feels like you’re behind and that your overall sales aren’t where they’re supposed to be and that you need to find that magic key to selling more. But somedays, you get those little moments that make you smile by realizing someone somewhere is enjoying your book, be it in the same building you work or across the world.

Thank God for the moments and for the people who bring them.