'Heavy Metal' magazine December 1979: 'A Tale of Christmas' by Moebius

 From the December 1979 issue, a three-page comic from Moebius with the quirky title  'A Tale of Christmas' ..... so ironic and existential, those Frenchies.....

 

 

Book Review: The Saga of Solomon Kane

Book Review: 'The Saga of Solomon Kane'

 

 5 / 5 Stars

While Marvel has been reprinting its comic book back-catalogue  in black and white format as part of the 'Marvel Essentials' series, the licensing rights to reprint the content of the Marvel / Curtis imprint magazines- such as 'Savage Sword of Conan', 'Kull and the Barbarians', 'Dracula Lives !', and 'Monsters Unleashed' - has been purchased by Dark Horse.

'The Saga of Solomon Kane' (Dark Horse Books, 2009) reprints 27 comics that originally appeared in black and white in Marvel magazines- mainly 'Savage Sword' -  from 1973 to 1994. At over 400 pp. in length, it's a real bargain (cover price is $19.95).

Among the artists represented are Neal Adams, David Wenzel, Sonny Trinidad, Howard Chaykin, and Steve Carr and Al Williamson. The pen-and-ink draftsmanship  in the assembled comics is outstanding, particularly the work from the early 70s when many artists were excited at the ability to present their work on the larger page size of the magazine format, without adhering to the content restrictions of the Comics Code. 

[And, very importantly,  they got better, and more timely, pay than they did with their submissions to the Warren b & w magazines.]

The book's only real drawback is that at 8 1/2 x 11 inches, it does not mimic the larger dimensions of the Curtis magazines; thus,  the pages have a rather cramped aspect due to the reduction in page size. The other peculiarity  - if one could call it that - in the collection has to do with the historical accuracy of the clothing and appearance of Solomon Kane. According to this blog, men of Kane's era did not usually wear the drab clothing sported by our Puritan hero.

I've posted some panels from the stories in the anthology in order to give some idea of the variety of illustrative styles used in the Kane adventures.

Among the best of the assembled comics are the opening adventure, 'Skulls in the Stars', with distinctive artwork from Ralph Reese:

 

'Castle of the Undead', with great artwork by Neal Adams and a plot featuring Count Dracula:

 

'The Hills of the Dead' features some intricate draftsmanship from Alan Weiss and Neal Adams:

One of the best entries in 'Saga' is the adaptation of Howard's tale 'Wings of the Night', in which Solomon comes upon an African village beset by the Harpies of mythology. This is one of Howard's more grisly and unrelenting Kane tales, and it gets great treatment by artist David Wenzel:

'The One Black Stain', a poem dealing with historical events, is also illustrated by David Wenzel; with this comic, however, Wenzel makes a conscious effort to evoke the intricate penmanship of late 19th century illustration, as might be done by an affiliate of Howard Pyle's Brandywine School of art: 

Steve Gan, in his illustration of ‘The Right Hand of Doom’, another classic tale, aptly captures the brooding countenance of Kane at his most dour and puritanical:

Along with the comics, the book features several brief text entries providing the details of the Kane saga. This one features an illustration by Fred Blosser:

In summary, anyone who appreciates great graphic art, and stories about an offbeat hero placed in memorable settings against a variety of earthly and unearthly adversaries, should put 'The Saga of Solomon Kane' on their Christmas list.

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 23 (March 1974)

‘Amazing Adventures’ No. 23 (March 1974) was written by Don McGregor and  illustrated by Herb Trimpe. In this issue, the ‘War of the Worlds’ storyline continues, and the title of this chapter is ‘The Legend Assassins’.

I previously posted an excerpt of this issue taken from the b & w ‘Marvel Essentials: Killraven’ trade paperback, but the excerpt looks much better in full color, as presented here from the original comic. The green-skinned, white-haired chick on the cover is ‘Mint Julep’, a soldier-ess of fortune who threw in with Killraven and his crew on a sporadic basis.

In ‘The Legend Assassins’, Killraven finds himself captured by ‘Rattack’, a mutant human-rat creature who was (prior to the war with the Martians) a secret service agent (!?). In homage to the early 70s thrillers ‘Willard’ (1971) and ‘Ben’ (1972), there is a sequence in which a bound and helpless Killraven serves as a living meal for the little beady-eyed minions of Rattack, which I have posted here.  While nowadays such a setup would draw little oversight, this was rather intense stuff for a Code-approved comic published at the end of 1973.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Book Review: 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome' by Joan D. Vinge

5 / 5 Stars

This novelization of the screenplay of ‘Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome’ (Warner Books, 1985, 219 pp.) was written by Joan D. Vinge; she is of course a well-known SF writer (‘The Snow Queen’, ‘Psion’).

There’s nothing in the novelization that does not appear in the film, but it does provide some little bits of detail, nuances, and backstory that will be appreciated by fans of ‘Thunderdome’. For example, the reason why Master uses pidgin English in the first half of the film (“No energy, no town. Me King Arab !”) is so that Blaster can follow the conversation. It’s later in the film that Master reverts to correct English (“My name is Elvis Ford…I’m thirty-five inches tall…Sixty-six years old…And my life is over…”).

We also learn that the little shaven-headed man, sporting the mask and plume of hair atop an aerial fixed to his back, is named ‘Ironbar Bassey’, and the convict who befriends Max in the pigpens of the Underworld is named ‘Pig Killer’ (an unforgiveable offense in Bartortown). The Master of Ceremonies at Thunderdome, the man with the slicked-back hair, is named Dr Dealgood, and the tattooed, blind saxophonist in Aunt Entity’s palace is named…appropriately….. Tonton Tattoo. These are the little bits of Australian humor that give the story its quirky, offbeat character.

The novel makes clearer the reasons for the increasing enmity between Aunt Entity and Master, and thus Max's mission to the Thunderdome. As well, the segment of the film that takes place in the camp of the lost children, which I found confusing (due in some part to the Australian accents of the actors and their heavily stylized dialogue: "we're be doing The Tell so that them's who come after, be in the knowing of the why and the how") is easier to understand as described in the novelization.

Even if you are familiar with the movie the novelization is a worthy read; Vinge is skilled at relating events via a smooth and well-paced narrative that can be very engaging at times. Indeed, ‘Thunderdome’ is one of the better script novelizations I’ve encountered. Recommended to Mad Max fans, and those who enjoy a good post-apocalyptic adventure story.

As of October 2009, there are reports that director George Miller will start filming the fourth installment of the series, tentatively titled 'Mad Max: Fury Road', in Australia in 2010. Rumored casting choices include Sam Worthington (from 'Terminator: Salvation'), Tim Worthy, and Charlize Theron (Mel Gibson is apparently adamant that he will not reprise his role as Mad Max).

'Heavy Metal' magazine, December 1979

 

It’s December 1979 and the decade of the 70s is drawing to a disillusioned, exhausted close. The economy is still recovering from the effects the past Summer’s crude oil / gasoline shortage, and now some fanatical Iranians have imprisoned US embassy staffers. It seems as if the US is in the grip of a downward spiral politically and economically.

On the radio, Dionne Warwick is getting heavy airplay for her single ‘Déjà vu’, as is a timely new holiday song, ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ by Paul McCartney and Wings.

The December 1979 issue of Heavy Metal features a suitably sci-fi themed cover illustration, ‘He’s Comin’ to Town’, by Richard Cohen and John Townley; the back cover art is ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Thomas Warkentin.

Inside, we find part two of Corben’s ‘Rowlf’, and excerpts from two gift books released in time for the holidays: ‘Giants’, and ‘Gnomes’. Harland Ellison provides a reprint, with an updated Introduction, of his 1969 short story ‘Santa Claus Vs Spider’.

Among the other comics in this issue are ‘Suburban Scenes’ by Caza; ‘Formalhaut’ by Algora; ‘A Tale of Christmas’ from Moebius; and ‘Slim Kentucky’ by Cornillon.

But the best piece in the issue is yet another demented gem of a story from Arthur Suydam: ‘Christmas Carol’, which I post here. Brilliant pen-and-ink artwork, a creepily memorable plot, and some twisted scenes unlike anything you'll see in a conventional horror comic….enjoy !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Holdstock, author of 'Mythago Wood', passes away at age 61

I haven't read much of Robert Holdstock's fiction over the years, but I do remember reading 'Mythago Wood' back in 1986. It was a worthy read, all the more so for depicting the forest-bound, bronze-age Mythagos in all their rather dirty, briar-scratched, and unbathed glory. 'Mythago' was definitely one of the best fantasy novels published in the 80s.


According to this article in the Guardian, Robert Holdstock has passed away at age 61 of an infection with E. coli. He had evidently been ill since November 18, and died on November 29, 2009, after being placed in intensive care with multiple organ failure. Holdstock appears to have been in good health prior to being exposed to the E. coli, which makes his death all the more unexpected and unfortunate.


While it is unclear what strain of E. coli was responsible, it is quite probable that E. coli O157:H7, an 'enterohemorrhagic' strain historically associated with the consumption of rare hamburger meat,  spinach, sprouts, and other foods, may have been the culprit.


E. coli o157:H7 is a serious public health problem in Great Britain. Over the past few years outbreaks have taken place among fish n' chips shop patrons, consumers of lunch meat and  children visiting a petting zoo. Some of the more well-known patients include Elton John and Johnny Depp's daughter. 


What makes the infection difficult to combat is the fact that by the time many individuals are diagnosed, intervention with antibiotics may not be sufficient to prevent fatal damage to the kidneys and other organs. 

Heavy Metal December 1977: Making My Own Christmas Card

For Christmas 2009 I decided to do something different in terms of my Christmas cards; rather than picking up some styles from the Hallmark store, or the rack at 'The Crystal Fox' (a New Age boutique on Main Street in Laurel, Maryland), I would make my own.

I investigated a number of custom ‘photo card’ websites, and eventually settled on Vistaprint, mainly because their pre-formatted styles allowed for a design with the photo occupying the entire front of the card, as opposed to being shrunk and nested within an ornate border or frame. Vistaprint also provided a template ‘blank’ 5” x 7” folded card with a vertical (portrait) orientation.

For the card, I used a 200 dpi scan (2.5 MB jpeg) of the cover of Heavy Metal magazine’s December 1977 issue: a priceless Jean Solè portrait of Santa Claus as a menacing biker (!), with a ‘Joyeux Noel’ message displayed on a banner across the bike’s handlebars.

So how did the whole experience go ?

The pluses:

-the image on the cards reproduced with good quality

-at $20 total (including shipping and handling) for 10 cards, the per-card price of $2 was reasonable.

-the price includes 10 white envelopes sized to hold a 5” x 7” card

-the interval from when I placed my order online until I received the cards in the snail mail was 9 days.

The minuses:

-the Vistaprint card design webpage is a pain to use. Basically, you click thru successive screens to upload your image, and then you go thru various menus to select the options and features you want, such as text on the front of the card. This sounds good in theory, but there are annoyances; for example, I was forced to include text and an image on the inside the card, when I didn’t want this option.

-I also tried selecting different colors for the interior text (as opposed to just b &w), but the user interface was so poorly designed I had no way of telling if my selection had registered in the final card design (it hadn’t).

-after finalizing your card design, getting to the payment and order screens involves a numbing click-through of 7 – 8 further screens, offering all sorts of cheesy tchotchkes and come-ons (placing your card image onto a poster, or putting it on a coffee mug; orders for personalized address labels, pencils with your name embossed on them in gold script, etc).

These screens are deliberately set up to make it very easy for you to mistakenly click the wrong button and inadvertantly add 5 – 10 dollars’ worth of stuff, or unnecessary card features, you don’t really want.

And of course, there are all sorts of cunningly hidden ‘opt-out’ buttons that you must find and select in order to avoid being deluged with regular email sales pitches from Vistaprint and its business partners.

All in all, making my own card was a worthwhile endeavor. Just be careful as you go about the process with the online ordering. And, as Christmas time draws closer, I’m sure the custom card manufacturing services will get ever-heavier traffic, so you may want to allow for sufficient time between ordering and receipt of the finished product in order to get your cards mailed before the holiday arrives.