I've Finally Seen: MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS

The stars aligned for me to see the movie yesterday, almost seven weeks after it premiered, with one friend who had taken the day off for his daughter's pre-k graduation and another who had made time on a two-week swing into New York from Wisconsin.

In short, I thought the movie handled the tough task of showing how great individual characters would bounce off each other and eventually gel together. I'd seen Joss Whedon pull off nuanced team-building on BUFFY, ANGEL, and FIREFLY, yet I wondered how it would happen for Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. Great characters are great because they seem like no other.

Don Bellisario Sues CBS

While following up on the rumor that Linda Hunt was leaving NCIS: Los Angeles, I came across the April 28 news that NCIS creator Don Bellisario was suing CBS over NCIS: Los Angeles.

From a personal standpoint, I'm glad to get any insight into what Bellisario thinks of the spinoff. I hadn't heard anything from him since he stepped down as NCIS showrunner in 2007. While I've remained a fan of NCIS, I can't help wondering where Bellisario would have taken it. (It's quite possible the show would have run aground had tensions between Bellisario and Mark Harmon persisted.)

Both Bellisario and CBS claim to be supported by contract language. However the case turns out, it does seem one worth hearing.

UPDATES: On June 21, 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon ruled in favor of CBS under a 2006 agreement between the studio and Bellisario. However, Bellisario may re-focus his suit based on a 1992 agreement.

On January 18, 2013, a week before the scheduled start of a trial, Bellisario and CBS settled.

#verseday Summer

#verseday is a Twitter hashtag I came up with to promote poetry writing. I invite Twitter people to suggest poetry topics by noon Eastern each Thursday. Participants must then draft poems by noon Eastern Friday. The resulting poems can be submitted anywhere.

Even if you've never written a poem before, you're invited. Taking the time to think poetically can help your creativity on other projects. If you'd like to participate, tweet your topics, tagged #verseday, by noon Thursday, June 21. My topic this week is summer.

Write a poem about summer by noon Friday, June 22.

At The 5-2: Robert Cooperman's "Lily Bartell, About To Be Murdered..."

Cooperman returns with a Western poem. Thanks again to longtime friend of The 5-2 Nancy Scott, who stepped up to record the poem as my computer time was limited last week.

I'm currently seeking a poem inspired by Raymond Chandler or Philip Marlowe for the week of Chandler's birthday, July 23-29. Submission deadline is July 1.

California Casualty Insurance has selected The 5-2 as a top Law Enforcement blog. If we win the June vote, California Casualty will make a $200 donation to the American Red Cross on our behalf.

If you're on Twitter, feel free to spread the word about The 5-2 and tweet your comments on 5-2 poetry to @PJPress

Finally, I'd like your opinions and suggestions on some 5-2 t-shirt designs. Feel free to e-mail me or use the Comment form below.

Father's Day

My father was a pediatric surgeon who was often called into work in the wee hours of the morning, on weekends, and holidays. He was also an avid gardener and fisherman, and though I never warmed to these hobbies, he was very present in my life.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1995 (at age 61) and underwent surgery that gave him five more years. I wish we'd had more time together, but he remains present in my humor, my discipline, and probably countless other qualities.

Happy Father's Day, everyone.

My New Supporting Role

I've just been elected vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society for 2012–14, and will take office July 1. Having served as president from 2008 to 2010, I now look forward to supporting President-Elect Tom Sweeney and Awards Coordinator-Elect Tony Rudzki, representing a genre I love.

THE LOST ONES by Ace Atkins

Atkins' Edgar®-nominated THE RANGER ended with Deputy Lillie Virgil prodding Quinn Colson to run for sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. Having recently won election in THE LOST ONES, Quinn is confronted with two complex cases, one involving fugitive foster parents with eleven young children in tow, the other involving Donnie Varner, a disgruntled Afghanistan veteran looking to sell stolen weapons to Mexican drug dealers. On the homefront, Quinn has to deal with the reappearance of his sister, Caddy, who claims to have found religion, and wants Quinn to revisit a painful episode of their childhood.

THE LOST ONES shines in its moral complexity. Donnie is a reflection of what Quinn might have become had his uncle and the Army not straightened him out, but he isn't all black-hat villain, nor is the alluring drug dealer he falls for, nor the fugitive foster mother. Because none of the characters can be reduced to type, at no point can you assume how things play out. You have to keep reading, keep watching which way the characters turn. There is no better suspense.