'Zora and the Hibernauts' by Fernando Fernandez
Catalan Communications, 1984

Fernando Fernandez (1940 – 2010) was a Spanish artist who, starting at age 16, provided artwork for British comic book publishers in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 70s he was among the talented Spanish artists recruited by Warren to illustrate Vampirella.

From 1980 to 1982, he and writer Nicola Cuti produced the comic ‘Zora y los Hibernautas’ (’Zora and the Hibernauts’) for the Spanish magazine 1984.

Throughout 1982 and 1983, an English-language translation of ‘Zora’ was serialized in Heavy Metal magazine in the US.

‘Zora’, featuring copious female nudity (Zora and her fellow female astronauts all prefer to wear g-strings, and not much else), softcore porn, great artwork, and sf themes, was a ‘natural’ for the HM readership.

In 1984 an English-language graphic novel of  ‘Zora’ was published by Catalan Communications. Nowadays, those rare used copies of the ‘Zora’ graphic novel that come up for sale at eBay go for high prices.

Fortunately, the entire contents (as zipped .rar files) of the English language version of ‘Zora and the Hibernauts’ can be found at several file-sharing sites online, but beware of viruses and trojans - have Malwarebytes and Avira at hand.

After obtaining the zipped file, I recommend using the freeware app ComicRack to view the contents: download and install ComicRack, then right-click on the zipped file icon and select Open With → ComicRack; after a minute, ComicRack should open, with the cover page displayed.

The Bus

'The Bus' by Paul Kirchner

Book Review: 'Witchfinder General' by Ronald Bassett

4 / 5 Stars
 
This paperback edition of ‘Witchfinder General’ was published by Pan Books (UK) in 1968, two years after the hardbound version was issued.

Ronald Bassett (b. 1924) served in the British Navy in WW2 and in the Korean War, after which he took positions with several pharmaceutical corporations as a publicist.

In the 1960s and 1970s he wrote a number of historical novels, some of these built upon his wartime experiences. His ‘Dando’ series, about English army officers in the India of the Raj, was written under the pseudonym of William Clive.

‘Witchfinder General’ is of course best known as the inspiration for the 1968 film from British producer Tigon, starring Vincent Price. In the US, AIP released an uncut, uncensored version under the title ‘The Conqueror Worm’.

By the standards of the time the film was explicit in its depiction of nudity and violence, particularly the torture scenes, and this, combined with its downbeat tenor, turned it into a ‘cult classic’.

Despite its very low budget (at least once, Price covered the cost of providing meals for the cast and crew) the film, directed by 24 year-old Michael Reeves, had a genuine visual sense of the 17th century period used as its setting.

In general, the film adheres to the novel, save for some differences that I won’t elaborate on for fear of disclosing spoilers.

Bassett starts his story in 1643, with William Hopkins and John Stearne meeting while serving as conscripts in the Parliamentary army. In due course they join with female accomplice Goody Phillips, and embark on a sustained campaign of witch-finding across the landscape of the English Civil War.

Bassett’s description of the torture and execution of elderly women, the insane, and the mentally disabled as ‘witches’ remains unsettling, even by the more graphic standards of this modern age.

When compared to contemporary historical fiction, and the advent of 500-page tomes crammed with highly descriptive prose, Bassett is economical and to the point, yet still he manages to give his readers a believable sense of time and place:

A spiral of dirty, broken stairs climbed to his landing, the playground of hordes of ragged children who screeched and shuffled, raced streetwards to float paper boats in the puddles, or gathered to listen as a disabled and drunken veteran beat his wife with his crutch each noon-time. The small room boasted a tiny, filthy window, walls patched with damp and mildew, and the barest items of rickety furniture. He was in poorer straits now than he had ever been.

It is depressing to realize that not too long ago, Europe spent sizeable portions of several consecutive centuries in the grip of hysteria, subjecting innocent people to horrible deaths based on ignorance and superstition, deeds more often than not fueled by religious zealotry. This realization explains to some degree how modern groups like the Taliban continue to be embraced and supported by their fellow Muslims, and even illuminates the egregious ‘daycare molestation' trials that the swept the US in the 1980s.

'Witchfinder' has long been out of print, and while even marginal paperback copies are offered for  high prices, if you can find a copy for $10 (or even more), it's still worth picking up.

'Master' by Jean-Michel Nicollet

'Master' by Jean-Michel Nicollet
from the November, 1977 issue of Heavy Metal

November, 1977, and on the radio, 'Love Is (Thicker Than Water)' by Andy Gibb, is in heavy rotation. It's lightweight, but well-crafted, pop, particularly superior to the then-number one hit by Debby Boone, 'You Light Up My Life'.  And  'Love Is' features a maddeningly catchy 'lah - lah - lah ' segment at its finish. And, believe it or not, apparently two of the members in the video of the live performance at the link, later went on to form 80s band 'Mr. Mister'....?!

Joining 'Love Is' in heavy rotation is 'Here You Come Again', the number one single on the country charts, from emerging star Dolly Parton. Dolly makes for a much more appealing picture than Debby Boone.....

The November issue of Heavy Metal is on the stands, featuring a fine cover illustration by George Proctor, and  a back cover by Tom Barber.

Within the pages of the November issue is another gem from the French artist Jean-Michel Nicollet: 'Master'. 

'Master' has a devastated, post-apocalyptic landscape; flying demons; deadly robot angels; a decadent aristocrat; and a great surprise ending......I've never seen anything quite like it since. 

Perhaps the most rewarding thing about 'Master' is the intensity and crispness of the colors, imparting a unique, surrealistic quality to the story. Print quality of this level, on 'slick' paper stock, simply didn't exist anywhere else in comics, one of the aspects of Heavy Metal's approach to publishing, that made the magazine so innovative.

Hunter episode 5 from Eerie No. 56

'Hunter' from Eerie magazine (Warren)
episode 5
from Eerie No. 56, April 1974

This episode, 'Blood Princess', begins the two-part, two-issue conclusion of the first appearance of the 'Hunter' character in Eerie.

This episode features a guest-star appearance by an elderly Schreck, another recurring Eerie character, whose adventures were set in an alternate, post-apocalyptic US.

As always, outstanding artwork by artist Paul Neary. 

 

Book Review: Haggopian and Other stories

Book Review: 'Haggopian and Other Stories' by Brian Lumley

2 / 5 Stars

At 606 pp., ‘Haggopian and Other Stories’ is a thick doorstop of a mass-market paperback, released in November of 2009 from UK publisher Solaris. The cover artist is Bob Eggleton.

Of the 24 stories in this short story compilation, all but two were first published during the interval from 1969 – 1989, mostly in editions from Arkham House or other specialty publishers.

Some of the stories (‘Cement Surroundings’) eventually were worked into the form of chapters in Lumley’s ‘Titus Crow’ novels, such as ‘The Burrowers Beneath’.

In his Introduction, and in the prefaces that accompany each story, author Lumley credits August Derleth with supporting his efforts at becoming a published writer. As well, Lumley defends Derleth from what the former feels are unjustifiable criticisms of Derleth’s handling of some elements of the Mythos, such as the imposition of a good/evil duality on the actions of the various Deities.

Rather than provide mini-reviews of each tale, which would be laborious, I will categorize the contents, and this, hopefully, should provide sufficient detail to allow readers to render a judgment on whether ‘Haggopian’ is the type of book they’re looking for.

The majority of the stories are ‘traditional’ Arkham House-style Mythos entries: in other words, they follow the paradigm in which Seekers of Eldritch Knowledge meddle with Forbidden Things, and wind up in direst difficulties. Such stories rely on atmosphere and setting, rather than employing graphic descriptions of horror, to unsettle the reader.

‘Cement Surroundings’, ‘The Night Sea-Maid Went Down’, ‘Recognition’, ‘Aunt Hester’, ‘The Kiss of Bugg-Shash’, ‘The Sister City’, ‘The Statement of Henry Worthy’, ‘Dagon’s Bell’, ‘The Mirror of Nitocris’, ‘The Second Wisk’, and ‘The Hymn’ all are competently-written stories, if not particularly original or imaginative in scope.

Titus Crow himself makes appearances in ‘The Caller of the Black’, ‘Name and Number’, ‘De Marigney’s Clock’, and ‘The Black Recalled’, often to provide succor to fumbling amateurs caught up in dangerous occult phenomena.

Other tales are set in the ancient days of Lumley’s ‘Primal Lands’ series, and / or the Dreamlands of Lovecraft’s ‘Randolph Carter’ character: ‘Mylakhrion the Immortal’, ‘Dylath-Leen’, and ‘The Sorcerer’s Dream’.  

The ‘Curse of the Golden Guardians’ feature’s Lumley’s Conan- modeled barbarian hero, Tara Khash. It’s one of the better entries in the anthology.

The best entries are those in which Lumley infuses his traditionalist tack with a greater helping of gruesomeness and gore. ‘Haggopian’, about a deep-sea explorer with an abnormal fondness for parasitic aquatic life, is genuinely creepy. ‘What Dark God’ features a nasty act of vampirism, and ‘The Thing from Blasted Heath’ introduces the carnivorous plant trope with greater effectiveness than the entirety of Scott Smith’s novel, ‘The Ruins’. ‘The House of Cthulhu’ echoes Lovecraft’s ‘Dagon’, and features the infliction of a loathsome fate upon those foolish enough to trespass on blasphemed ground.

‘Synchronicity or Something’ is a half-humorous look at the fanboy world associated with the Chaosium role-playing games.

The verdict ? Dedicated fans of Lumley and / or the Mythos will probably want to have this anthology on their shelves. However, I suspect that readers looking for entertaining horror fiction per se will find the packaging of 600+ pages with 24 stories, all with similar themes, too unvaried a diet to be truly engaging.

'If I Only Had A Heart'
(si al menos tuviera corazon)
by Eberoni and Frada
from the 'Robot Special' issue of Metal Hurlant Spanish-language edition, 1982

Warped (some might say sick) humor and brilliant artwork suffuse this little look at 'The Wizard of Oz'......with some of the most gruesomely realistic imagery I've ever seen in any incarnation of Heavy Metal / Metal Hurlant.

Just right for Halloween 2012  !

'Father Shandor, Demon Stalker'
'Spawn from Hell's Pit'
from Warrior No. 1 (UK) March, 1982

'Warrior' was a black-and-white comic book launched in the UK in March, 1982 by publisher Quality Comics. It ran for 26 issues before ceasing publication in January, 1985. 

Among its best-known contributors was Alan Moore, who, with artist David Lloyd, provided 'V for Vendetta', starting in issue 1.

'Warrior' was an anthology comic book, featuring 6 or more stories running in installments with each issue. The contents included superhero, sf, and fantasy tales.

All of the entries in 'Warrior' made up for its lack of color printing via finely detailed pen-and-ink work. As well, the reproduction and printing processes for 'Warrior' were considerably superior to those used by their full-color, American counterparts. 

Among the best strips to run in the early issues of the magazine was 'Father Shandor, Demon Stalker', written by Steve Moore, with outstanding artwork by John Bolton.

Here is the very first 'Father Shandor' tale, 'Spawn from Hell's Pit', from issue No. 1 of 'Warrior'.

'Homo Detritus' by Caza
from the August, 1981 issue of Heavy Metal

Brilliant artwork, and a good meshing of horror and humor...including booger-flinging !

Caza excels in this strip from 1981.