R.I.P. Ron Goulart, 1933- 2022

R.I.P. Ron Goulart

January 13, 1933 - January 14, 2022

Ron Goulart passed away at age 89 on January 14th.

He was one of those writers who 'wrote for a living', and thus was a regular presence on the sci-fi shelves of bookstores from the 1960s through the 1990s (and even, on a less frequent basis, the 2000s). Not only was he a prolific writer of original fiction, but he also was a major contributor to franchises like 'The Avenger', 'Battlestar Galactica', 'Vampirella', 'The Phantom', and 'Tekwar', among others. Goulart also represented via his novelizations of sci-fi films ('The Isle of Dr. Moreau', 'Capricorn One').

I never found those few Goulart original novels that I tried to read to be that rewarding. They were humor pieces, reliant on a kind of Borscht Belt, New York City, Jewish sensibility that came across as too corny to be effective.

To me, where Goulart was most successful was in his nonfiction works, as these were infused with an affection and respect for the material that was somewhat rare for analysis of pop culture during the early 70s. 

'Cheap Thrills', his 1972 history of the pulp magazines, remains one of the better books on the subject.

Goulart's 1986 book 'The Great Comic Book Artists' broke new ground in terms of showcasing comic books and their artists. This was a time when so doing was something of a rarity; the advent of 'Geek Culture', where thousands of people attend presentations by comic book artists at conventions, was only just starting to gather momentum.

In my opinion, one of Goulart's greatest contributions to the sci-fi scene of the era covered by this blog (i.e., 1968 - 1988) was to pave the way for the overwhelming success of the comic sci-fi works of authors like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. If you like the works of those authors, then you may want to search out Goulart's titles......... 

Book Review: The Swords of Corum

Book Review: 'The Swords of Corum' by Michael Moorcock

4 / 5 Stars

This 1987 omnibus edition published by Grafton (509 pp.) contains the three novels / novelettes The Knight of the Swords (1971), The Queen of the Swords (1971), and The King of the Swords (1972). The striking cover illustration is by Mark Salwowski. 

[ These three volumes in the ‘Corum’ franchise are followed by the trilogy of The Bull and the Spear (1973), The Oak and the Ram (1973), and The Sword and the Stallion (1974). All six Corum novels fall within the larger framework of Moorcock’s ‘Eternal Champion’ saga. ]

In The Knight of the Swords we are introduced to Corum, an Elric-like figure who is a member of the dwindling race of lotus-eaters, equivalent to the Elves of mythology, known as the Vadhagh. Having sequestered themselves from the world for centuries in order to navel-gaze, the Vadhagh are ill-prepared to respond when targeted for extinction by a race of barbarians known as the Mabden.

Corum alone survives the confrontation with the Mabden, and vows to avenge himself upon them, and their leader, the brutish psychopath Glandyth-a-Krae. However, Corum’s path to revenge must first evade the machinations of Arioch, the eponymous Knight of Swords……

Arioch, Lord of Chaos, sworn opponent of the Lords of Law, and the master of the Mabden.

In The Queen of the Swords Corum finds himself destined to confront Xiombarg, an entity even more powerful than Arioch. However, aid comes to Corum in the form of the inestimable Jerry Cornelius, disguised here as ‘Jhary-a-Conel’. Corum and Jhary must brave all manner of dangers as they seek aid against the onslaught of the armies of the Mabden…….and their sorcerous allies.

In The King of the Swords the action moves to the realm of Chaos and the mightiest of its potentates, the ‘King’ of the title: Mabelode. But all is not lost for Corum, for two manifestations of the Eternal Champion shall fight alongside him: Elric of Melnibone, and Erekose. Can the three warriors turn the tide against the forces of Chaos and restore hope to the multiverse ?

Although it’s over 500 pages long, the Swords trilogy is a quick and engaging read, and a reminder that Moorcock in his prime certainly had the talent necessary to write a large number of novels and short stories every year, while at the same time conducting editorial duties for periodicals (such as New Worlds).

With Swords, Moorcock demonstrates the ability to world-build without the need for pages and pages of exposition, and to populate his novels with interesting characters without having to indulge in protracted explorations of their psychological and emotional states. 

Dialogue is kept succinct, and the narrative constantly propelled by one plot development after another; sometimes these are accompanied by episodes of violence that approach splatterpunk. To incorporate such grue was something of a provocation in fantasy tales written during the early 70s. 

The only reason I couldn’t give Swords a five-star rating was that the third novel in the trilogy shows signs of fatigue in terms of plotting, although it does redeem itself to a large degree with the piling-on of ‘cosmic’ revelations in its closing chapters. 

Summing up, Swords shows it’s possible to write a memorable fantasy / sword-and-sorcery trilogy without exceeding 200 pages per novel. Well worth having in your collection ! 

Bud Plant's Incredible Catalog

Bud Plant's Incredible Catalog

The catalog from Bud Plant arrived recently, and I thought I am overdue to promote it here at the PorPor Books Blog. 

Bud Plant began his career in 1968 when he partnered with five friends to establish a San Jose, California comic book store called 'Seven Sons Comic Shop'. In the 1980s Plant became the major distributor of comics along the west coast, and began selling comics and books and related materials through his own mail-order company. 

In the days before the internet, if you were a fan of comics and associated media, Bud Plant was one of the few places where you could find such stuff, and receiving the Bud Plant's Incredible Catalog always was cause for due consideration. I began patronizing the Incredible Catalog back in the late 1980s / early 1990s, and I've stayed with it since.

The prices in the Incredible Catalog are competitive with those of amazon, particularly nowadays when more and more bookjackers, dropshippers, and speculators are allowed to sell at amazon despite having approval ratings below the recommended minimum of 93%. 

And, depending on your interests, there are some good bargains to be had in the Incredible Catalog. Plus, the items you purchase from Bud Plant are well-packaged, and much less likely to arrive with bent, folded, or mutilated covers and pages, which can be a major problem with amazon (if an item is 'hurt', the Incredible Catalog explicitly says so).

The Bud Plant website is at https://www.budsartbooks.com . 

Michael Fishel: Creations

Michael Fishel
Creations

Big Vision Publishing, 2015

Any discussion of the practitioners of what is termed 'visionary', 'hippie', or 'new age' art during the 70s and 80s (and unto today) necessarily must include Michael Fishel.

Fishel (b. 1950) grew up in Indiana, Florida, and Texas. Upon his discharge from the military in 1971, he briefly attended art college in Indianapolis but became disillusioned by the curriculum and decided to set up his own studio, where he spent 10 – 12 hours a day honing his skills. 

In 1975, Fishel entered the realm of commercial art when his work came to the attention of UK publisher Peter Ledeboer, of Big O poster fame. Fishel joined the ranks of the company’s artists, who included such well-known personalities as Roger Dean, Mati Klarwein, Virgil Finlay, and Jim Burns. 

A commission for illustrations for publisher TSR (‘Dungeons and Dragons’) followed in 1982. During the 80s and thereafter, Fishel’s works were used as covers for books, well as for the jigsaw puzzle and poster markets. 

At present, posters and puzzles of Fishel's paintings (including works not featured in 'Creations') be obtained through his website. 

'Michael Fishel: Creations’ (72 pp) was published in 2015 by Big Vision Publishing, a firm Fishel created to showcase visionary artwork. 

'Creations' provides a chronological overview of Fishel’s art, accompanied by essays describing his approach to the themes expressed in his works. He also offers anecdotes about entering, and thriving, in the commercial art world. 

A glance at any of Fishel's works will immediately impart to the viewer the meticulous attention to detail that this artist brings to his compositions. To say that exceptional craftsmanship is on display is superfluous.

Indeed, the nature of Fishel's artwork is such that with dimensions of 11 1/2 x 9 inches, 'Creations' has inherent limitations in its ability to display the art at the level of resolution that its detailed nature demands. In fact, trying to discern everything that is depicted in the double-page reproduction of 'Creator' (the 1977 painting that serves as the cover to 'Creations') can be difficult unless magnifying spectacles are employed.......

I finished 'Creations' thinking that, short of obtaining puzzles (which are 30 x 24 inches) and posters of the depicted artwork, there really is no current form of image reproduction that will allow the viewer to fully take in the totality of Fishel's works. That said, if a publisher like Titan Books, or Taschen, or Fantagraphics, should elect to issue a large-size book of Fishel's paintings, that would be wonderful. 

At present, Fishel's website sells screensavers for a number of his paintings (including his more recent hot rod art) for just $1 each. 

You also can purchase poster-size prints of Fishel's art. Here's a photograph of Autumn Rendevous, a laminated poster sized 36.5 x 24.5 inches, hanging on my wall. I got it from The Blacklight Zone, through Walmart, for $20. 

Summing up, devotees of Visionary Art, Hippie Art, New Age art, or any combination of the above, likely will find 'Creations' worth reading. And anyone contemplating art as a career will want to see what could be done in the era before digital art tools were in use. 

Burton and Cyb: The Conquest of the West

Burton and Cyb

'The Conquest of the West'

by Segura and Ortiz

from Heavy Metal magazine, January 1996 

Another little gem of comedy featuring the galaxy's two most gifted con men. This time, our boys have been hired on as guides to a wagon train crossing hostile territory.............

Why has no English-language compilation of Burton and Cyb stories yet been assembled ? I'd buy it in a minute.....!

Book Review: 'Tracer' by Stuart Jackson

Book Review: 'Tracer' by Stuart Jackson

3 / 5 Stars

‘Tracer’ (301 pp.) was published by Sphere (UK) in 1990, with cover art by Mark Salwowski. Information on Stuart Jackson is scant; according to the Science Fiction Encyclopedia, he was a UK teacher who died in 2006. ‘Tracer’ was his only published novel.

‘Tracer’ is set in February 1990 in a dystopian UK ruled by the fascist British National Democratic Party (BNDP). The BNDP has come into power due to public fear over the spread of AIDS / HIV, and has exploited that fear to suspend civil liberties. The population is subject to a mandatory curfew, checkpoints on major roadways, restrictions on movement into or out of designated geographical zones, and mandatory blood testing for HIV status. Those who test positive are remanded to ‘Special Care Centres’ where they are held in indefinite quarantine.

Those who fail to report to a Centre following a positive blood test are targeted by the ‘tracers’ of the Special Health Authority (SHA), a government agency devoted to finding and detaining infected individuals.

In the opening pages of ‘Tracer’ we are introduced to the protagonist, Nick Gorman, a man in his late thirties who sees his job with the SHA as a distraction from the various personal tragedies that have upended his life. While Nick is eager to earn the bounties that come with tracing and detaining runners, he is at heart a liberal and humanist who is deeply uneasy with the ideology of the BNDP and its persecution of gays, bisexuals, Pakis, black people, and other minorities.

The main plot of ‘Tracer’ gets underway about 16 pages in: Nick is given a hush-hush tasking by Smithson, his supervisor, to locate a homosexual named Jonothan Harris. Gorman conscientiously applies his skills as a Tracer, and soon finds Harris. However, as he tails his quarry, a series of events bring an unwilling Gorman into a swirl of political intrigues……..the kind of intrigues that involve the use of silenced handguns, and corpses floating in the Thames……..

I finished ‘Tracer’ thinking that it would have benefitted from being a good 50 pages shorter in length. The novel’s opening third does a good job of presenting a near-future UK in the grip of fear and loathing over a deadly communicable disease, and Jackson wisely keeps the plot from becoming overly complicated. 

However, too much of the narrative is devoted to lengthy interior monologues in which Nick Gorman muses over the misfortunes of his life, or exhaustively ruminates on the various wrinkles of the conspiracy he has been thrust into. The latter third of the novel is overly reliant on hairs-breadth escapes and well-timed coincidences, culminating in a denouement that wraps things up a bit too neatly for my tastes.

The novel also suffers from a preachy tenor that becomes grating after a while; yes, state-sponsored persecution of those unfortunate to be infected with HIV is immoral, but there is no need to remind the reader of this, accompanied by various bromides and pieties, on a continuous basis………

That said, ‘Tracer’ retains interest by juxtaposing its treatment of a UK determined to use any and all measures to control an infectious disease, with the current situation involving the covid-19 epidemic in the UK and the tactics of the Johnson government. Are the strictures detailed in ‘Tracer’ all that far-fetched or unlikely as we pass into the third year of the epidemic, and the rise of the Omicron Strain ? Here is where ‘Tracer’ offers food for thought, and in this wise, I recommend it as a solid three-star novel.

Starting the New Year off right

Starting the New Year off right
..........with 2000 AD titles old and new ! 

Alien Legion: Slaughterworld

Alien Legion: Slaughterworld

Epic Comics / Marvel, 1991

'Alien Legion: Slaughterworld' was published by Marvel's Epic Comics imprint in 1991.

This trade paperback compiles issues 1 (April 1984) and 7 to 11 (April 1985 - December 1985) of the comic book series issued by Epic.

The writing cores were handled by Marvel's veteran writer Alan Zelentz, with Chris Warner providing pencils, Phil Felix lettering, and Bob Sharen the coloring.

The major story arc, encompassed by issues 7 to 11, has our heroes crash-landing on an uncharted planet following a fight with an armada of Harkilon spaceships. As fate would have it, a group of Harkilons also have landed on the planet, and it's only a matter of time before the two groups cross paths.......and the shooting starts.

But what neither adversary realizes is that the planet's indigenous, humanoid life forms are dangerous in their own right......and operate in concert with a species of carnivorous plant life that uses its scent to lure unsuspecting prey into its clutches.

With his ship out of action, wounded Legionnaires, aggressive Harkilons, and dangerous local flora and fauna, it's all that Captain Sarigar can do to keep his force alive, much less in a position to be rescued.......  

'Alien Legion: Slaughterworld' offers 1980s sci-fi with a straightforward plot and plenty of action, which was the goal of its creator, Carl Potts, who saw the series as a grittier, more violent presentation of space opera than was the norm.

To provide a respite from relying on too many ray-gun battles to drive the narrative, writer Zelentz provides some side dramas, one centered on the series' maverick mainstay, Jugger Grimrod. Along with the usual squabbling among the Legionnaires, there's also sub-plots involving shapeshifting Harkilons, Legion deserters who leave their fellows open to danger, and a clandestine romance between golden boy Torie Montroc and an attractive female diplomat. 

Chris Warner's art is well done, especially considering that it has to generate quite a few panels-per-page to accommodate Zelentz's script and its abundant speech balloons, thought balloons, and text boxes.

Copies of 'Slaughterworld' can be purchased for under $10 from online vendors. The contents also are bundled into the 2009 Dark Horse Alien Legion Omnibus volume 1. 

If you are a fan of the Alien Legion franchise, or 80s sci-fi comics - particularly those inspired by Star Wars - then you may want to obtain a copy. It offers Old School fun, free of the pretentiousness that afflicts so many contemporary sci-fi comic books, and that's not a bad thing.

Christmas 2021 antique store finds

Christmas 2021 antique store finds

Every year or so, I travel to upstate New York and make a visit to an antique store that sometimes will have a nice selection of vintage paperbacks. So it was, that on the day after Christmas 2021, a cheerless day of low-lying clouds, brisk winds, and temperatures in the low 40s (picture above), I made my pilgrimage.

I was in luck.......and picked up 11 vintage sci-fi titles for $2 to $4 each. Not all of these are gems, but they're short....... and that makes for quick reads, if nothing else.........

Book Review: Deadhead

Book Review: 'Deadhead' by Shaun Hutson

3 / 5 Stars

According to Grady Hendrix's 2017 book Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction, the runaway success of Thomas Harris's 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs turned paperback publishers away from printing horror titles and towards printing serial killer novels. The horror paperback boom of the 1980s dwindled, with Dell's 'Abyss' line of weird horror / psychological horror novels bravely waving the banner before closing up shop in 1995.

So perhaps that's why the UK's most prominent splatterpunk horror writer, Shaun Hutson, decided to venture into the serial killer genre with his 1993 novel 'Deadhead' (326 pp.).

'Deadhead' is set in London in the early 1990s. Hutson takes pains to depict this summertime London as a singularly unpleasant place, filled with bags of rotting garbage, choking under clouds of automotive exhaust, confounded by massive traffic jams, and peopled by surly, sweat-soaked urbanites. 

Rounding out this catalog of unpleasantries are various deviants, perverts, and psychopaths who prey on the teenage runaways and drug addicts scrabbling for survival on the mean streets of the city. One group of these predators have a particularly nasty business plan: coercing runaways from the Ossulston Street hostel into performing in pornographic films.

But the true horror afflicting London in this hot and humid summer is the serial killer who specializes in murdering young people. Five mutilated corpses have been recovered, and the police have had little success in identifying, and stopping, the killer.  

The protagonist of 'Deadhand' is a former policeman-turned-private-eye named Nick Ryan. Perhaps because he is a brutish and intimidating personage, Ryan's business is thriving, and as the novel opens he has more clients than he can handle. The only downside to his success as a businessman is the way it deprives him from spending time with his daughter Kelly, who lives with her mother - Ryan's ex-wife Kim - and Kim's husband, a wealthy businessman named Joseph Finlay.

As the events in 'Deadhand' unfold, the worlds of the serial killer, Nick Ryan, his daughter, and the pornographers gradually will coalesce.......in a most sinister way. For the pornographers are very well-connected with major figures in the London underworld: people who like to make lots of money off so-called 'snuff' films. People who have no qualms about eliminating anyone who crosses their path..........

'Deadhead' certainly comes across as a splatterpunk's approach to the serial killer genre: in the opening pages, Hutson gives us a charming vignette involving putrefaction, and vomit. But I finished the novel thinking that plot-wise it adheres more to the police procedural genre than the serial killer genre. In this regard Hutson crafts a capable read, although the regular insertion of melodramatic passages dealing with Nick Ryan's emotional travails with his daughter, ex-wife, and her new husband, tend to become distracting. 

Hutson takes a deliberate, some might say protracted, approach to setting up his plot, but the closing pages of the book supply plenty of violent action, with descriptions of  bullet-induced carnage sure to satisfy 'splat' fans.

Summing up, Hutson's followers will find 'Deadhead' worth their attention. I also imagine that readers who are partial to hardboiled police procedurals also will find the novel rewarding.