Book Review: The Pastel City

Book Review: 'The Pastel City' by M. John Harrison

5 / 5 Stars

I remember picking up the Avon Books 1976 paperback edition of The Pastel City back when it first was published. It stood out from the other paperbacks on the shelves of Gordon's Cigar Store due to its unusual green color scheme (historically US paperback publishers shied from using green as they considered it a 'slow selling' color) and the outstanding cover illustration by the well-known artist Grey Morrow.

At 157 pp, The Pastel City was a quick, but very rewarding, read. At the time I thought it was one of the best sf novel's I'd ever read.

In 1976 there was no such thing as the internet, nor Google, so I had no real idea of who Michael John Harrison was, or that The Pastel City was his first novel, released in the UK in 1971 by the New English Library with yet another fine cover illustration, this one by Bruce Pennington. 

Over the years I've read additional works by Harrison, including the other volumes in the 'Viriconium' series, as well as his short stories (of which Running Down and The New Rays are among the best).

But upon re-reading The Pastel City several times over the intervening years, and most recently just a few days ago, I remain firm in my belief that this novel is one of the best sf novels ever, and a good candidate for the best sf novel of the 1970s.

The plot and setting of the novel also have well stood the test of time. Harrison used a straightforward plot for The Pastel City: when an army of barbarians descend into the Southlands on a mission of conquest, a group of aristocrats, known as the Methven, and led by swordsman and poet Lord tegeus-Cromis, band together and fight for the existence of their Queen and the fate of the Pastel City, Viriconium.

Their efforts are complicated by a sinister development: the barbarians have resurrected a long-buried technology and pressed it into their service. But such weapons have the unpleasant habit of eventually turning on their owners...........

There are any number of things that make The Pastel City stand out. One is its inventive use of metaphors, similes, and poetic phrases. At the time the book first was published such things were becoming part and parcel of the New Wave movement, and their appearance in sf novels was by no means unusual.

However, unlike so many instances when metaphor and simile and 'purple' prose came across as obtuse and self-indulgent for too many authors, Harrison employs them with care and deliberation, and the result is that the prose in The Pastel City stands as a fine example of how the stylistic ideologies of the New Wave era could be used in rewarding manner.

The concept of Entropy in its broadest sense was very much in fashion during the early years of the New Wave movement and unsurprisingly Harrison incorporates it into The Pastel City. 

But again, where many sf authors, like Brian Aldiss, sought to mimic J. G. Ballard in their treatment of entropy, often with underwhelming results, Harrison is much more thoughtful in evoking the theme within the pages of his novel, using descriptive passages to imbue The Pastel City with sensibility that recalls, but does not copy, Ballard.

Summing up, The Pastel City showcases the best aspects of the New Wave movement and stands the test of time as a great sf novel. This is a book that belongs on everyone's shelf.

Rick Griffin

Rick Griffin
by Gordon McClellan
Last Gasp, 2002

'Rick Griffin' (100 pp), an overview of the renowned graphic artists' work, was published by Last Gasp in 2002. It's an authorized reprint of the volume first released by Paper Tiger in 1980.

Copies of the book (which is out of print) have been targeted by speculators, who have asking prices that start at $99 and go on up. I was fortunate to find my copy for only $5.

Rick Griffin (1953 - 1991) was the most gifted of all the artists participating in the underground comix and 'psychedelic' art movements of the late 60s and early 70s. Griffin grew up in Southern California and embraced its surfer culture, learning to surf at age 14 and contributing the comic strip 'Murphy' to Surfer magazine while still in high school. After graduating, Griffin was a staffer for the magazine before embarking on a peripatetic lifestyle that saw him traveling and surfing to one memorable destination after another.

By the mid-60s Griffin had moved to San Francisco and established himself as the most sought-after artist for the burgeoning rock concert poster scene. A number of his more famous posters are reproduced here in this volume.

Also represented in 'Rick Griffin' are some of the stories Griffin did for underground comix, as well as examples of his typography, including his famous logo for the magazine Rolling Stone. 

What makes Griffin's work all the more impressive is the fact that in 1964, a car he had hitch-hiked a ride in wound up crashing due to the erratic state of the driver. Griffin was thrown from the vehicle, and his face struck the ground, leaving him with a detached eyeball and facial injuries that took two years of plastic surgery to repair. So all of his meticulous artwork was done with only one eye (!).

During the late 70s and 80s, Griffin's reputation earned him commissions for record album covers, movie posters, and other advertisements, some of which are reproduced in the pages of 'Rick Griffin'.

As a result of his conversion to Christianity in 1970, Griffin also created impressive graphic art, based on the Bible, for a book / tract titled The Gospel of St John.

Griffin's tragic death in August, 1991 in a motorcycle accident in Petaluma cut short his career just as he was making significant inroads into the world of gallery-based fine art.

Summing up, if you come across a copy of 'Rick Griffin' for an affordable price, by all means grab it. It's something that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone devoted to the art of the psychedelic era, underground comix, and the pop culture of the 60s.

Metal Hurlant: The French comic that changed the world

Metal Hurlant: The French comic that changed the world
by Tom Lennon

A well-written and well-illustrated article about the founding of Metal Hurlant magazine and its influence on pop culture, by British freelancer Tom Lennon.

Hawkworld by Tim Truman

Hawkworld
Tim Truman (artist and writer)
Alcatena (inks)
Sam Parsons (colors)
DC Comics, 1991 

This trade paperback compiles the three issues of Hawkworld published by DC from August - October 1989, and features an Introduction by DC editor Mike Gold.

Hawkworld is basically Truman's take on a postmodern origin story for the Hawkman character first introduced into comics in 1940. It was well enough received to motivate DC to issue an ongoing series a year later, also titled Hawkworld, that ran for 32 issues until falling victim in Spring 1993 to the Great Comic Book Crash then unfolding.

The story is set on the planet Thanagar, where the elite live in luxury and splendor among the high towers of the city; aided by artificial wings and anti-gravity belts, they can fly like the eponymous birds of prey.

The Thangarans have enslaved a bewildering variety of alien races, representatives of which are obliged to work as slaves and servants in the high towers, while many more are condemned to live in strife and squalor in the slums occupying ground level.

The lead character, Katar Hol, is the son of a Thanagar aristocrat and a new recruit to the police force, where his skills and courage make him a man with a bright future. However, Katar Hol's exposure to the brutal tactics used by the police against the aliens of the ground warrens causes him a crisis of conscience.

As Hawkworld unfolds, Katar Hol finds himself forced to make a decision: remain indifferent to the plight of the Underclass, or become a Social Justice Warrior. Of course, Hol chooses the latter option, and finds himself drawn into a violent conflict with the corrupt and amoral leaders of the police force and the planet Thanagar itself..........

I found Hawkworld to be one of the better reboots of a DC comics superhero to be initiated in the late 80s and early 90s. Truman's plot is somewhat predictable - after all, this is DC comics, not 2000 AD comics - but it avoids becoming overly complicated, and doesn't belabor the Social Justice theme.

As is always the case with Tim Truman comics, it's the artwork that makes Hawkworld stand out. Ably assisted by inker Alcatena, and his longtime collaborator colorist Sam Parsons, Truman serves up some impressive draftsmanship that lifts the series above the usual superhero fare. 

Truman has a knack for drawing monsters and the presence of a potpourri of aliens within the pages of Hawkworld gives him an excuse to outdo himself with variations on reptiles, primates, and birds, and even has a tentacled monstrosity thrown into the mix in the book's closing pages. 

Summing up, Hawkworld stands the test of time as one of the better DC titles of its era. Hawkman fans, Tim Truman fans, and those who appreciate good graphic art will want to pick up a copy.

Book Review: The Goblin Reservation

Book Review: 'The Goblin Reservation' by Clifford D. Simak

2 / 5 Stars

‘The Goblin Reservation’ first was published in 1968; this DAW Books version (160 pp) was published in May 1982 and is DAW Book No. 482. The cover artwork is by Kelly Freas.

The novel is set in the future, when interstellar travel is routine due to the introduction of teleportation. Aliens from all over the galaxy come to Earth to attend university at the College of Supernatural Phenomena in Wisconsin. There they mingle with the Terran creatures of folklore and myth (like the eponymous goblins, trolls, banshees, etc.), who - by some process Simak never really explains – have been made ‘real’ and interactive with the world around them.

As ‘The Goblin Reservation’ opens the lead character, a faculty member of the College named Peter Maxwell, returns from a teleportation trip gone badly wrong. Instead of arriving at the Coonskin planet, his intended destination, Maxwell instead found himself on a Crystal planet peopled by strange beings who apparently hold knowledge of the history of the existence of the universe. Even as he struggles with his half-remembered experiences on the Crystal planet, Maxwell's is further bewildered to learn that ‘another’ Peter Maxwell had returned a month earlier to the College – and been killed under suspicious circumstances.

As Maxwell tries to determine where his doppelganger came from, he stumbles upon drama and intrigue surrounding a mysterious alien artifact, its sale to the highest bidder, and access to the greatest body of knowledge the Universe yet holds. Resolving these mysteries will require the counsel of the elder creatures of the Goblin Reservation………..if they are willing to assist him, that is………

‘The Goblin Reservation’ is the first Simak novel I’ve ever read. For one reason or another, he is one of those sf authors from the 60s and 70s that I’ve never really felt much urgency in seeking out. After finishing ‘The Goblin Reservation’ I have to say I don’t see an overwhelming need to try other Simak novels.

The trouble with ‘Reservation’ is not that it’s poorly written – in fact, by the standards of mainstream sf of the late 60s, it’s actually reasonably well written. But it stands as a spiritual forerunner to the ‘humorous sf’ of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, and that’s a genre I never really have warmed to.

Much of the narrative of ‘Reservation’ is structured around lengthy conversations in which Peter Maxwell engages in witty banter with Alley Oop, the 1930s comic strip ‘Caveman’ character; a ghost; a swell dame named Carol; and Carol’s pet sabre-tooth cat, Sylvester. This is fully as cheesy as it sounds.

Interspersed with these humorous motifs are segments in which Simak introduces wide-eyed sci fi tropes such as time travel (giving Simak the chance to write a passage in which William Shakespeare joins Maxwell’s party at a tavern for some ale-drinking and lively conversation), the Big Bang, evolving Universes, and duplicitous aliens. These traditional sf tropes meld awkwardly – if at all - with the narrative’s more cutesy episodes, giving the book a contrived character that seems dated and unrewarding.

Summing up, if you’re a fan of the comical sf of Ron Goulart, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett, then ‘The Goblin Reservation’ likely will be a rewarding read. But all others can pass.

Normal's Books and Records

Normal's Books and Records
Baltimore, MD

I began regularly patronizing Normal's Books and Records soon after it opened in 1990 on 31st Street in Baltimore's Waverly neighborhood, and stopped only when I moved to Iowa in 2010. 

So it was after an 8 year absence when, a couple of Saturdays ago, I walked into Normals. Aside from a new coat of paint, not much had changed since the early 90s. 

It was swelteringly hot out (temps peaked in the low 90s that day) and just as hot in the store........... just like the old days ! Sweat dripped from my face as I toured the cramped aisles and crouched to examine the books lined up on the lower shelves.

I came away with some worthy finds (pictured below). Normal's is not a very large store, so you need to step inside with the idea not of trying to get some sought-after item, but rather, taking advantage of whatever quirky selections are on the shelves at the moment.

The sci-fi and horror sections are rather small, but there usually are some rare items in stock that you likely would have a hard time finding at Wonder Book and Video or McKay's Used Books. Most paperbacks are between $3 and $5 (although some titles might be higher) and the hardbound books are priced at around $5.

Sections devoted to art, music, movies, theatre, science, history, African American studies, Womyn's Studies, religion, and other topics are a little more extensive, but also adhere to the philosophy of showcasing rarer titles over those titles (e.g., Our Bodies, Ourselves) you can find in just about any used bookstore.

The section devoted to vinyl records is extensive (lots of cassettes and CDs available, too) and quite eclectic. 

Near the front counter is a shelf devoted to new acquisitions; here you can find newly published hardbound books for 50 - 60 % (or more) off the cover price.

Summing up, while I can't necessarily recommend making a trip to Baltimore just to go to Normal's, if you are in town and have a few hours free, it certainly is worth your while to check it out. 

[Note that the surrounding neighborhood is reasonably safe during the day, but is sketchy after dark. I recommend making sure your car doors are locked, that you have no valuables displayed on the car seat, not waving your iPhone around while walking down the street, and being aware of who is around you and what they are - or aren't - doing]

Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow
promotional photo, 1974

Book Review: Caddyshack

Book Review: 'Caddyshack', by Chris Nashawaty

5 / 5 Stars

‘Caddyshack (The Making of a Hollywood Success Story)' was published in April, 2018 by Flatiron Books. It’s a small, 294 pp volume featuring an insert section of photographs of the film’s producers and cast.

When Caddyshack came out in late July 1980, I didn’t rush out to see it. The title song, 'I’m Alright’, had been released earlier in the month, and was getting steady airplay on FM radio, so I had some idea it was forthcoming. 

But there were a lot of movies being released that Summer: The Empire Strikes Back was still pulling in audiences, and a low-budget film titled Airplane, released at the beginning of July, was turning out to be the comedy film of the season. If any newly released film had a buzz, it was not Caddyshack, but rather Brian DePalma’s ‘explicit’ thriller Dressed to Kill, about a housewife who pays the price for indulging in a one-night-stand. 

Special effects team filming the animatronic gopher used in Caddyshack

In July of 1980, Caddyshack struck me as yet another low-impact Bill Murray comedy (like Meatballs the previous year), or worse yet, another bloated movie designed to showcase over-rated Saturday Night Live cast members, like The Blues Brothers, which had come out just the previous month.

Needless to say, I had no idea that Caddyshack would, within a few short years, come to be regarded as one the most iconic and influential comedies in the history of American film.

Author Chris Nashawaty is the ultimate Caddyshack fanboy and his book is a celebration of how the film came to be, how it was shot (often chaotically) at a Florida golf club in the Fall of 1979, and how it got a disappointing reception upon its release.

Nashawaty starts his story in 1966, and ends it in September 1980, with the untimely passing of a major figure in the making of the movie. The book is thus not just a recounting of the making of the movie, but an examination of the rise of the new generation of comedies and comedians in American pop culture during the 1970s. It’s the story of The National Lampoon, Animal House, and Saturday Night Live, all of which made possible the making of Caddyshack. 

L to R: Doug Kenney, James Rivaldo, and Henry Beard of the Harvard Lampoon, 1968. Kenney would go on to produce Caddyshack

Nashawaty takes care to cram his narrative with all manner of insider tales and anecdotes, and by so doing, stays consistently entertaining (as Nashwaty makes clear, it’s a minor miracle that Caddyshack turned out to be a watchable movie, given the improvisational, haphazard nature of the script, and the heavy drug use by both cast and crew). I won’t disclose any spoilers, but I will say that there are plenty of tales that will give the film some added shine when next you view it.

‘Caddyshack (The Making of a Hollywood Success Story)' is very much aimed at a Baby Boomer readership. If you are over the age of 50 then this book will certainly trigger nostalgia; it’s little less clear whether those under 40 will find it as engaging.

I am not a super fan of the movie, but I do treasure the stoner culture of the 70s and early 80s, and for me, this book was well worth picking up. Recommended !

Meltdown Man progs 178 - 181

Meltdown Man
by Alan Hebden (story) 
and Massimo Belardinelli (art)
from 2000 AD, Progs 178 - 181
September 1980 - October 1980

'Meltdown Man' debuted in issue 178 (September 20, 1980) of 2000 AD. Created by the writer of Harry 20 on the High Rock, writer Alan Hebden, and illustrated by Massimo Belardinelli, the series ran for 50 issues, ending in August, 1981 (issue 227).

The series' premise borrowed somewhat from The Planet of the Apes: Nick Stone, a soldier in Britain's elite SAS unit, is on duty in a 'small kingdom' in the Persian Gulf. Stone has the misfortune to be caught in a nuclear blast and somehow teleported to another dimension, landing on a planet populated by Manimals called 'Yujees'. 

The Yujees are ruled by their human overlord, an amoral aristocrat named Leeshar. Stone's willingness to accept the Manimals as 'people' sets him against Leeshar and guarantees a steady stream of frenetic adventures throughout the run of 'Meltdown Man'.

Like other 2000 AD comics during the early 80s, Hebden's writing for 'Meltdown Man' centered on action and satiric humor, and avoided the constipated, self-indulgent scripting that dominated American comics of the same era. 

Massimo Belardinelli, who did an outstanding job providing the artwork for 2000 AD's 'Dan Dare' strips of the late 70s, was perfectly suited for illustrating 'Meltdown'.

The entire 1980 - 1981 run of the series has recently been reprinted in a trade paperback (below) from 2000 AD. It's available at your usual online retailers.

Posted below are the first four episodes of 'Meltdown Man'.