Sabre issue 1

'Sabre' issue 1

Eclipse Comics, August 1982

'Sabre' was first published in 1978 as a 38-page black-and-white graphic novel by Eclipse, an independent comic book publisher. The book is considered by some to be the first 'graphic novel' ever to be released, although I would argue that Gil Kane's 'Blackmark', from 1971, was actually the first work to merit the title of a graphic novel.

Sabre represented an effort by writer Don McGregor to produce material not stifled by the restrictions of the Comics Code, or the heavy hands of the senior editorial staff at the major publishers. 

In 1982, Eclipse comics released the graphic novel in issues one and two of Sabre, a newly launched, full-color comic book. 

Another 12 issues of original material followed, before the series ceased in 1985 with issue 14.

Unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned, McGregor wasted too much time presenting himself as a talented wordsmith battling the ignorance of the System, and too little time actually being a good writer. 

Much as he did with the Killraven series for Marvel, McGregor buried Paul Gulacy's exceptional artwork under turgid, overwrought prose.  Even by the standards of comic book writing of the 70s and 80s - in which prolixity was commonplace - McGregor showed a signal lack of restraint.

Still, it's worth taking a look at the 1980s run of 'Sabre', for every now and then, when McGregor allowed Gulacy's illustrations to take center stage, the book rose above and beyond the usual.

The first few pages of Sabre No. 1 introduce us to the dystopian state of the US in 2020 AD:

Here's a nice example of what Paul Gulacy could do when given a text-free page with which to work:

Unfortunately, too often Gulacy's artwork had to maneuver around large chunks of text:

My synopsis of issue two / part two of the original 'Sabre' will be posted next month.

'The Bus' by Paul Kirchner

Book Review: The Earth Strikes Back

Book Review: 'The Earth Strikes Back' edited by Richard T. Chizmar

4 / 5 Stars

This year sees the fortieth anniversary of the highly influential book The Limits to Growth, published by The Club of Rome. 

Along with Paul Ehrlich's The Population Bomb, Limits defined the eco-catastrophe mood that dominated intellectual circles and pop culture during the late 60s - early 70s.

(For an interesting take on The Limits to Growth after 40 years, see this article by the economist and skeptic Bjorn Lomberg).

A number of eco-catastrophe - themed sf anthologies were issued in those golden days, but starting in the mid-70s, the genre began to lose its appeal, and fared rather poorly throughout the 80s.

With the 90s, eco-catatrophe experienced something of a mini-renaissance in sf circles, and one of its best manifestations is this 1994 anthology from horror / fantasy publisher White Wolf.

‘The Earth Strikes Back: An Anthology of Ecological Horror’ (462 pp) is, as its title suggests, devoted to eco-catastrophe in that good old 70s style. 

All of the 20 entries were produced exclusively for this anthology. The authors are the ‘usual suspects’ of horror / sf writers for a mid-90s anthology: Charles de Lint, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Poppy Z. Brite, Ed Gorman, etc.

The first entry in the collection, Dan Simmons'  ‘My Copsa Micas’, is not really a fiction piece, but rather, a disorganized, rambling essay touching on ecological / environmental themes. Apparently the submission deadline caught Simmons without a finished short story, and this is what he hastily came up with.

‘Harvest’ by Norman Partridge, ‘Ground Water’ by James Kisner, and ‘Cancer Alley’ by Nancy Collins, focus on ‘environmental injustice’, in which hapless minorities, and low-income folks, live in neighborhoods since converted into toxic wastelands.

A number of contributions acknowledge Joe R. Lansdale, and appropriately enough, go for frank horror (exemplified by toxic goo dissolving people). These are: ‘Double –Edged Sword’ by Barry Hoffman; ‘Tyrophex-14’ by Ronald Kelly; and ‘Toxic Wastrels’, by Brite. Gary A. Braunbeck’s ‘The Dreaded Hobblobs’ features gross-out humor in the inimitable Lansdale style.

Themes of corporate corruption and (sometimes) comeuppance are dealt with in ‘Where It’s Safe’ by John Shirley; ‘Binary’ by Roman A. Ranieri; ‘Please Stand By’ by Thomas Monteleone; and Yarbro’s ‘Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200’.

End-of-Civilization / Nature’s Vengeance topics are explored in Thomas Tessier’s ‘I Remember Me’, William Relling Jr’s ‘Expiration Date’, Mark Rainey’s ‘Torrent’, Rick Hautala’s ‘Toxic Shock’, and Hugh B. Cave’s ‘Genesis II’.

Ed Gorman’s contributions to 80s and 90s anthologies could be hit-or-miss, but his ‘Cages’ turns out to be one of the best entries in ‘The Earth Strikes Back’. With a prose style that mimics a good Harlan Ellison tale, an imaginatively warped near-future setting, and plenty of black humor, ‘Cages’ stands out.

Richard Laymon’s ‘The Fur Coat’ incorporates some dark, politically incorrect humor in its portrayal of vengeful environmentalists.

‘The Forest is Crying’, by de Lint, is the worst story in the anthology. It’s a mawkish tale of a cynical detective who comes to recognize the Sanctity of Mother Earth, via (naturally enough) the intervention of Native Americans (because, as we all know, only Native Americans truly understand the abomination of the White Man and his despoilment of the Earth).

Taken altogether, ‘Earth Strikes Back’ is a decent anthology, and, if it had been issued in 1971, would have been received as a stellar story collection, well in keeping with the eco-disaster themes then predominant in sf.

If you’re into that sub-genre of sf, then you’ll want to pick up ‘Earth Strikes Back’.

Hunter episode 3 from Eerie No. 54

'Hunter' from Eerie magazine (Warren)
episode 3
from Eerie No. 54, February 1974

Book Review: 'Stolen Faces' by Michael Bishop

5 / 5 Stars

‘Stolen Faces’ was first published in 1977; this Dell paperback (207 pp) features a cover illustration by Steve Hickman, and was released in July 1978.

As the novel opens, Lucian Yeardance, a middle-aged starship navigator, has been demoted for insubordination. His new assignment is that of chief administrator at Sancorage, the headquarters for the leprosarium on the planet Tezcatl.

The leprosarium harbors fewer than a hundred people, all infected with ‘muphormosy’, a disease caused by a bacterium native to Tezcatl. This bacterium causes symptoms - loss of viable tissues and nerves in the extremities, and attendant mutilation and disfigurement – reminiscent of the Terran form of the disease.

Yeardance soon discovers that his charges are by no means the saintly sufferers Father Damian encountered at Molokai. The ‘muphormers’ of Sancorage are a squalid congregation of violent, unwashed, self-loathing individuals, who think nothing of elbowing aside their more feeble brethren during the scrabble for weekly food distributions.

Yeardance also learns that the bureaucracy in charge of the leprosarium would prefer that the muphormers as soon die in obscurity, as garner increased assistance. As far as his superiors are concerned, the less of a commotion Yeardance makes, the better.

Yeardance, moved by the plight of his wretched charges, seeks to improve their lot. But his efforts bring to light some disturbing truths about the muphormers, the nature of their disease, and the influence of Tezcatl society and its Aztec-inspired cultural mores.

‘Stolen Faces’, like many New Wave –era sf novels, is centered on the themes of anthropology and sociology, rather than the ‘hard’ sciences.

The book’s opening chapters require some patience on the part of the reader, as Bishop introduces many neologisms, as well as belaboring a juxtaposition of the linguistic stylings employed by the Aztec-inspired culture of Tezcatl, and the Slavic / Soviet culture of the Galaktik Komm federation.

Despite these obstacles the narrative starts off on a promising note, with shadings of a medical mystery.

However, the middle chapters tend to lose momentum, as author Bishop devotes much of his attention to the burgeoning psychological turmoil experienced by Lucian Yeardance, as this formerly self-centered starship navigator becomes a Reluctant Humanist.

The novel’s final pages do regain momentum, as the deep secret of the muphormers is dramatically brought to light, and the note of creepiness underlying the narrative comes to fruition.

‘Stolen Faces’ is one of the better examples of New Wave sf: an offbeat, imaginative novel that, while initially something of a chore to read, rewards the reader who perseveres. Accordingly, it deserves a Five-Star rating.

'Tracks' by Roger McKenzie and Moreno Casares

from Eerie 102 (July 1979)

As June 2012 ends, and an immense heat wave (exacerbated by storms that have left millions without power in 100-degree temps) grips most of the Central and Eastern USA, it's the right time for a tale of deep woods, deep snow, deep cold, deep hunger, and a graphic image of a mutilated corpse....

Rockblitz by Macedo

'Rockblitz' by Macedo

from the June 1977 issue of Heavy Metal

As always, stunning artwork by Macedo in this tale featuring juvenile delinquents, swingin' biker chicks, robots, Cosmic Karma, and, of course, plenty of rock n' roll in that 70s nostalgia / retro style....

.....'dig it' !

Book Review: City of Darkness

Book Review: 'City of Darkness' by Ben Bova

4 / 5 Stars

‘City of Darkness’ was first published in hardbound in 1976. This Berkley paperback (165 pp) was issued in November 1982, with a cover illustration by James Warhola.

It’s the near future, and the more affluent members of the US population live in clean, modern, sterile suburbs called ‘Tracts’. For teenager Ron Morgan and his friends, life in the Tracts is Boring. Having taken, and scored well, on his National Exams, Ron’s father is adamant that Ron attend Getty College and major in business, just like the Old Man. But Ron would rather pursue a career in science and technology, which angers his father. Tensions rise in the Morgan household.

In a fit of teenage rebellion, Ron decides to leave home and make for New York City, which he had visited previously with his father. Bova's incarnation of New York City is not the metropolis we know and love. Past outbreaks of plague and social disorder have led the federal government to expel the inhabitants, and close down, most major cities. Among the few exceptions is New York, where Manhattan is enclosed under an enormous transparent dome. From July 4th to Labor Day the city, and all its seedy, crime-infested, rubbernecking, dirty glory is open to tourists. But after Labor Day, the city is sealed off.

Those still within its confines the day after Labor Day are condemned to spend the next 10 months scrounging for a living as best they can. There are no police, no medical care, and no laws and restrictions….except those imposed by the violent street gangs that rule New York.

For suburbanites, and men in particular, New York City is like one giant Times Square, circa 1974. A world of sleaze and titillation awaits those who travel to its neighborhoods. For Ron Morgan, it’s an irresistible destination.

In due course, Ron takes the air train from New England to New York and steps out from the confines of Grand Central Station onto to the crowded, hot, smelly, raw streets of the Big Apple. He exchanges his straight-laced suburban clothes for the leather- and chrome - look of the streets, and takes in a forbidden pleasure: the sleaze movie theatres of 42nd street !

[ Bill Landis, of Sleazoid Express fame, would be proud….. ! ]

But, for all his efforts to blend in with the locals, Ron soon becomes the victim of a classic Big Apple scam aimed at naïve newcomers. With no money, and no Identity Card, Ron discovers he cannot leave the City. Any attempt at jumping the turnstiles will get him sent to the city’s notorious prison, The Tombs.

Labor Day comes and goes….and Ron Morgan is trapped in the City of Darkness…….. 

While clearly aimed at a Young Adult readership, ‘City of Darkness’ is an engaging, fast-moving novel that adult readers also will enjoy. Bova doesn’t hold back from placing as much violence, desperation, and social satire into his novel as the Young Adult designation will allow.

Many readers will be pleased to find that classic films such as The Warriors, and Escape From New York, are prefigured in many ways by ‘City of Darkness’.

This one is worth picking up.

'Only the Plitch' by Enki Bilal

from the May 1980 issue of Heavy Metal

The absurdist humor may draw blank looks from contemporary readers, but Bilal's artwork is very good, and stands up well more than 30 years later

Book Review: Barking Dogs

Book Review: 'Barking Dogs' by Terence  M. Green

2 / 5 Stars

‘Barking Dogs’ was first published in hardcover by St Martin’s Press in 1988; this paperback version (214 pp) was released in January 1989, and features a cover illustration by Brian Kotzky.

‘Barking’ is set in Toronto, 1999. Policeman Mitch Helwig is becoming more and more frustrated, and more and more despondent, by the fact that law and order is losing the war on crime. Violent crime is spiraling out of control, and the underpaid, ill-equipped, and undermanned police force is unable to staunch the bleeding.

Mitch decides to use extralegal means to bolster his own patrols of the mean streets: investing in a 'Barking Dog', a high-tech, portable lie detector with 99% accuracy. While the police force is officially prohibited from using the Barking Dog, Mitch soon finds that his clandestine use makes a difference. 

As does his coming into possession of a protective vest and a late-model laser pistol....

Armed with the latest weaponry, Mitch sets out to clean the scum off the streets of Toronto. But when Helwig’s investigations lead him to the operation of the ‘Archangel’, a Mafiosi boss who owns people on the police force, and the mayor’s office, the war on crime takes a dangerous turn. For the Archangel doesn’t take kindly to the idea of a beat cop leaning on his action…..

The cover blurbs for ‘Barking’ reference ‘Dirty Harry’ and ‘Robocop’, and the book does indeed borrow plots and themes from both movies. However, author Green chooses to write his novel with a stereotypical, pulp-police procedural style, chock-full of clumsy metaphors and similes. At times Green’s writing is so steadfastly tough-guy that it verges on self-parody.

It doesn’t help matters when the middle section of the novel turns its attention to a burgeoning melodrama between Mitch Helwig and his wife; the action is placed on hold while the reader is subjected to passages centering on marital angst. 

Toss in too-frequent flashbacks, in which we learn about the special bond that Mitch and his former partner, Mario, shared – that special bond that comes only to the men in blue who risk life and limb for each other, every day they are out patrolling the city – and ‘Barking Dogs’ gradually collapses under its own awkward weight. By the time I reached the novel's climatic last pages, I was motivated by a sense of duty towards completing my review, rather than out of any engagement with the characters.

Unless you’re a reader who is adamant about taking in everything and anything with a ‘Robocop’ flavor, this novel can be safely ignored.