The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane

The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane
by Philippe Druillet

'The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane' (72 pp) was published by Titan Books (UK) in September, 2015.

[I was alerted to the release of this book by a Comment from PorPor Books Blog reader Eodred Van Cataclysm.]

Philippe Druillet created the Lone Sloane character in 1966 in a comic book titled Le Mystère des abîmes (The Mystery of the Abyss). From 1970 - 1974, Druillet published ongoing episodes of the character in the French comic magazine Pilote; these episodes, which were assembled into 'The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane', have since been compiled in a number of French- and English-language graphic novels, all of which are out of print and selling for rather steep prices.

Fortunately, U. K. publisher Titan Books has acquired the rights to reprint Druillet's works, starting with this graphic novel, which compiles the Pilote material in a large (9 3/4 inch by 12 3/4 inch) hardbound book with quality paper stock and very good image reproduction.

'The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane' is a fun read, one that epitomizes Druillet's unique and imaginative approach to graphic art, an approach influenced by the psychedelic art of the late 60s. There also are echoes in the pages of 'Lone Sloane' of the 'cosmic' artwork of Jack Kirby during his time at Marvel comics, and the meticulous and intricate technique of the French artist Gustave Dore.

Druillet's distinctive handling of the comic book format is also on display in the pages of 'The 6 Voyages'........those readers accustomed to having their comic book pages neatly divided into panels are going to need to re-adjust after seeing Druillet's 'no-boundaries' layouts.

Although Druillet's artwork deservedly takes center stage, his writing is also noteworthy for adopting an offbeat attitude towards space opera, one that mingles sci-fi, psychedelia, and horror influences into something that remains unique among this genre of comics and graphic art.

The lasting influence of Druillet's art and storytelling are readily apparent in contemporary 'psychedelic' science fiction comics, such as Alexis Ziritt's Space Riders from Black Mask comics, and Christian Ward's ODY-C from Image.

Summing up, if you are a fan of sf comics, European comics, or just a fan of great graphic art, then you need to get a copy of 'The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane', which can be had from your usual online retailers.

And be sure to bank away some additional funds, for in the coming year, Titan will be releasing Philippe Druillet's other epic Lone Sloane saga, Delirius, as a two-volume set ! 

Book Review: Future Net

Book Review: 'Future Net' edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Larry Segriff

2 / 5 Stars

‘Future Net’ (315 pp) is DAW Book No. 1037. It was published in October, 1996, and features cover artwork by Peter Gudynas.

At the time it was published, the Net – i.e., the online world – was starting to become a pop culture phenomenon and an essential part of American life. I remember back then that several times a month I would receive a garishly colored envelope containing a CD from America Online. If you didn’t like AOL, you could look to companies like Mindspring and Earthlink. And if you really wanted to go big, you’d upgrade from a 56K phone modem to something called 'broadband'...........

‘Future Net’, like all other Martin Greenberg-edited anthologies, was comprised of newly commissioned short stories all tailored to deliver on the title theme. And, needless to say, like just about every other Greenberg anthology DAW issued, the contributors sent in stuff that was never their most innovative or imaginative work, but rather, pedestrian efforts that were aimed at paying the bills.

The stories in ‘Future Net’ all feature the Net as a post-Cyberpunk entity; in other words, it’s no longer an immense black space filled with rotating, colored, 3-D geometric objects like in Neuromancer, but a ‘virtual reality’ as depicted in the film The Matrix. Many of the protagonists in these stories are crippled physically or mentally, and see VR as a route to salvation, self-fulfillment, or a kind of quasi-supernatural permanence…..

My brief summaries of the contents:

Zoomers, by Gregory Benford: overwritten tale of stockbrokers who search Cyberspace for the Next Big Thing.

Someone Who Understands Me, by Matthew Costello: dark doings on the part of a feuding couple. The plot is not original, but it is well-handled.

The Coyote Virus, by Josepha Sherman: a young female faculty member finds an unusual ally in her struggle against..........sexual harassment.

Prometheus Bringing Fire, by Robin Wayne Bailey: an alien who clandestinely monitors the Net develops a conscience; unconvincing.

Freedom, by Mickey Zucker Reichert: an elderly woman, confined to a wheelchair, investigates the Net. It's exactly as boring as the premise would indicate.

Redemption Inc., by Gary A. Braunbeck: a Girl Dying Young arranges to be reincarnated in cyberspace. Mawkish and overwought; one of the less impressive entries in the anthology.

O ! The Tangled Web, by John DeChancie: a web surfer finds an Internet Service Provider like none he’s ever seen before.

Jarvik Hearts, by Wil McCarthy: a spinster and a rumpled detective team up to find an AI that targets other AIs on the Net.

Lover Boy, by Daniel Ransom (Ed Gorman): Gorman recycles a common crime novel / detective novel trope in this tale of cyber-porn gone awry.

Cyberspace Cadet, by Paul Dellinger: this tale borrows from the 1990 movie Total Recall by featuring yet another VR Trip to Mars.

Shining On, by Billie Sue Mosiman: more a horror story than sf, so much so it seems really out of place in this anthology. A severely handicapped mutant makes the wrong kind of online friend....creepy enough to be among the better entries.

Souvenirs and Photographs, by Jdy Lynn Nye: in the far future, some too-clever kids find a way to hack teleporters.

Ghost in the Machine: a quadriplegic man volunteers to walk again….as his avatar in VR; he meets his deceased wife. Another maudlin, overly sentimental entry.

Memories of Marie’s Shoes, by Brooks Peck: in a futuristic prison, a trustee uses the Net to solve a homicide. Offbeat, and one of the better entries in the anthology.

Web-Surfing Past Lives, by Jane Linskold: mild tale of an AI who investigates odd happenings in the Net.

Fatal Error 1000, by Barbara Paul: less sf, than a Whodunit transposed to cyberspace. Competent, if not particularly inventive.

The verdict ? ‘Future Net’ displays the blandness and homogeneity that characterized the Greenberg anthologies. The stories that show some imagination are too few to allow me to nominate this as a 'must-have' volume, even for the most dedicated cyberpunk fans.

Gotterdammerung from Eerie No. 100

Gotterdammerung
Script by Budd Lewis, art by Isidro Mones
from Eerie No. 100, April 1979

The 70s Goodness doesn't get any gooder with this downbeat, post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale from 1979.....the lead hero is clearly modeled on the actor (Starksy and Hutch, 'Salem's Lot) and singer David Soul.......!?

part two of 'Gotterdammerung' is posted here.

Heavy Metal magazine September 1985

'Heavy Metal' magazine September 1985

September, 1985, and in heavy rotation on the radio and on MTV is the Norwegian band A-Ha, and their hit single 'Take on Me'.........

The latest issue of Heavy Metal magazine is out, with a striking cover illustration by Greg Hildebrandt.

Inside, the 'Dossier' section is its usual eclectic self.....and in many ways, tries too hard to be all things to all (80s) Hipsters.

The lead article is about an Austrian artist named Stefan Eins, who runs 'Fashion Moda', a South Bronx art gallery dedicated to showcasing 'street' art. Some of this art is generated by urban hipsters, while some of it - including graffiti and break dancing - is generated by local Ghetto Youth. 

Author Catherine Hazard breathlessly informs us that some of these Youth "....are familiar with guns and knives, and more than one teenager has been permanently damaged by angel dust...." 

Ah, when white Art-Farts meet black street culture......back in '85, the term 'culture vulture' didn't really exist yet, but it certainly needed to be invented.....

In other sections of the Dossier, Ed Naha reviews the horror movie Fright Night, which I never saw. I have no idea if it was good or bad. 

The Pop Culture page focuses on Garbage Pail Kids trading cards; I don't really remember collecting those.

Rok Critic Lou Stathis turns.......inevitably......to Jazz, in a two-page column titled 'Raving and Drooling Bebop Apocalypse'. 

I say inevitably, because sooner or later, the most pretentious of Rock Critics turn to Jazz and begin fawning and swooning over the genre. Sometimes this happens because there are too few obscure rock bands available for reviewing purposes; sometimes, it seems to happen as the result of some sort of intrinsic genetic trait. But here, Stathis is particularly ecstatic over the offerings of the Blue Note label, and thus cloaks himself in the status accorded those most Hip among the Hipsters...........

The remaining pages of the Dossier cover yet another hipster icon, Leonard Cohen. There is an Obituary on Theodore Sturgeon, and the Video Voyeur column looks at six low-low-budget films that I have never seen....... Feel free to Comment if you have seen Splatter University, Empty Suitcases, and Warrior of the Lost World, among others......?!

As far as the comic content and graphic works of the September issue go, among the best is a lengthy tale by Juan Giminez, titled Top Secret. Although much of his work for Heavy Metal magazine was printed in color, with this comic, Jimenez showcases his draftsmanship skills in black and white...........I have posted it below.