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Review: The Conquering Sword of Conan
Sep 6th
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After several years of reading them on and off I’ve finally finished reading all 21 of Robert E. Howard’s original Conan stories. I can’t say I’ve loved every single one but as a concept, as a whole, I can’t think of any other character that has had as much impact on me as Conan the Cimmerian. This final volume, Book 3 in the Del Rey series, is not my favorite of the books, but I have immense respect for the stories contained within.
The Del Rey editions of REH’s Conan stories present the tales in the order in which they were written, as opposed to the supposed order in which they take place. This was a great idea, as it allows the reader to see the author’s growth as a storyteller. As I think back on the first Conan stories and then compare them to the final five contained in this volume, I’m pretty amazed at how Howard’s skill as a writer evolved. What started out as fairly short, simplistic stories of swordplay and magic evolved into grand tales of adventure and then into warnings of societal decay and civilization versus barbarism.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the early stories. In fact, out of the complete 21, it’s difficult for me to think of a single one that I didn’t like. But what sets this final volume apart from the early works is the supreme skill with which they were written.
“Beyond the Black River” is a wonderfully tense and action-packed tale about barbarians fighting back against encroaching civilization. “The Black Stranger” is a complex story with no less than four factions making and breaking alliances and fighting with one another for treasure and dominance of a piece of coastline. It is my favorite story in this volume. “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula,” while more of a throw-back to older Conan tales, is still pretty fun and features a lot of naked female flesh, which is alright with me.
The last Conan tale, “Red Nails,” is often cited as one of REH’s best ever. Honestly though, I found the early chapters to be somewhat boring. But eventually the story picked up and I came to really enjoy it. Its psuedo-Aztec setting is much different than any society described in other Conan tales and it makes for an interesting change of scenery. And the lesbian undertones are not something I can recall seeing in any other story by REH.
It’s difficult for me to describe exactly what makes Robert Howard’s Conan stories so great. They’re full of action, adventure, sexuality and detailed alternate history. Yet what really makes them stand out is the character of Conan himself. He’s such an iconic figure. When you read the Conan tales you’re reading about a character meant to be the world’s greatest warrior. He’s full of cunning, skill and humor. His emotions are always larger-than-life. He’s a supremely confident figure, yet he can also be humble and he knows the limits of his abilities. Often Conan escapes a dire situation through luck rather than skill. He’s a survivor with no great plan for himself other than to live his life to its fullest. He doesn’t care whether circumstances require him to be a thief, a pirate, a mercenary, a general or even a king; he simply takes life as it comes.
I’m a little sad now that I’ve read all of Conan’s adventures. Sure, he lives on through adaptations and original works by other writers, but Conan will never be written as well as Robert E. Howard did. It’s obvious REH’s ideas for the future of Conan were changing. We’ll just have to accept that we’ll never know where those ideas would have taken us.
Review: Fogtown
Sep 5th
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fogtown was an unusual read. While at a base level the book is a traditional noir-style detective story, the particulars of the book made it anything but “traditional.” I can’t say I’ve ever read a graphic novel quite like it.
The book is about a private detective in early 1950′s San Francisco. What starts out as a story about a missing girl ends up being about much more. Money, drugs, human trafficking, homosexuality, religion, abandonment and more get thrown into this strange tale. It’s an odd mix of ideas.
My biggest complaint is that Fogtown starts out pretty slowly. For me, Andersen Gabrych’s writing was difficult to enjoy. For the first 100 pages I barely had any idea what was going on. I couldn’t figure out how most of the characters were connected or why I should even care. But right around that point it all started to come together in surprising ways and I found the last 70+ pages to really enjoyable. There were a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming, especially since these were things I’d never seen done before in a comic book.
While it did take a while for me to like the story, I never had any complaints about the visuals. The art, by my friend Brad Rader, is fantastic. His work really fits the whole “50′s noir” genre. His characters are cartoony yet still expressive in very human ways. There’s a lot of atmosphere in Brad’s drawings. The art is sort of like that Frank Miller’s “Sin City” books but without being up it’s own ass in love with itself. It’s less “hey, look at me!” and more “hey, I’m really good.” Brad’s art has a very classic style to it yet still feels modern and accessible. It’s what kept me reading when I was ready to give up on the story.
Because the writing is so unusual I would find it hard to suggest Fogtown as an entertaining read. But as a piece of graphic art the book is wonderful. Naturally I’m conflicted about the book as a whole. To break it down, I sort of liked the story, didn’t like the dialogue and loved the art. For all it’s problems I did think the ending was pretty great. By the time I closed the back cover I was glad I’d stuck with Fogtown. Now I’m just looking forward to whatever Brad illustrates next.
Let’s Move Things Around
Sep 2nd
I mentioned a while back that my creative focus has changed from comics and art and moved back to straight-up writing. Well, I figured I better get my web presence in working order, too.
Buy now!
So right now my current project is to get all my Internetiness-ness consolidated into one place. Naturally that one place would be right here at SamSaturday.com. What this means for the rest of the world is that all the major content from LoadWorldComics.com and PetsBySaturday.com is now hosted at www.SamSaturday.com/loadworldcomics.
One of the biggest changes I made when moving all that stuff is I that decided not to move the complete “Load” and “Satan Funnies” comic strip archives. This site now hosts what I think are some of the best examples of those comics. I felt it was pointless to move everything because, honestly, who’s going to want to go back and read 400-500 old comics strips? I see the LWC section of this site as more of a historical overview of my visual creations, not a complete library.
Pope & Pig #1 - Not available!
There’s still some work to be done before I stop updating the archives. For instance, I still need to transfer so of the old “adult art” to this site. But I’ll probably get to that in the next day or so. It might even be up by the time you read this!
As far as my books go, the site contains links to all of the books available through Amazon or Lulu. But at this point I haven’t included a way to buy the old “Pope & Pig” comic books, the “Load Tiny Book” or the “Satan Funnies MiniBook.” And right now I don’t even see a point in doing so. If you’ve got copies of those books feel free to consider yourself “lucky” because, for the foreseeable future, those books will be unavailable. But if I ever get famous you can bet your ass I’ll try selling them for exorbitant amounts of money.
Don’t think this necessarily means the end of the Load World Comics “brand.” I still hope to bring it back one day and publish or co-publish more comics. It’s just right now my energy is focused elsewhere. There are a number of projects I planned over the years that never got off the ground and I really hope I can make them happen in the future. I guess I better get to work!
Mini-Review: The Chronicles Of Solomon Kane
Aug 22nd
The Chronicles Of Solomon Kane by Roy Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book contains some pretty good adaptations of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane tales. This volume, published by Dark Horse, supposedly collects all of the Marvel-published Kane stories. One story, “Red Shadows,” is actually adapted twice, once in the mid-1970′s and then again in the mid-1980′s. While the retellings are slightly different it’s still kind of odd reading the same story twice in a row.
There are two original stories in the book, both written by Ralph Macchio, who penned the six-issue “Sword of Solomon Kane” mini-series. I found only one of the original stories, “The Prophet!” to be entertaining. It’s an interesting take on the antagonistic relationship between Islam and Christianity, as well as the similarities between the two. Oh the whole, though, it seems weak when compared to Howard’s originals.
I found the last two Howard adaptations, “Hills of the Dead” and “Wings in the Night,” to be the best parts of the book. These African adventures are two of my favorite Kane stories, so it was nice to see them treated with respect.
The artwork, drawn by a variety of illustrators, is all pretty good. It’s all in line with what what you’d expect for Marvel comics drawn in the 70′s and 80′s. However, all the pages were re-colored for this volume and the computer coloring makes the art seem a little more fresh and vibrant.
Overall this is a good collection of some of Solomon Kane’s classic adventures.
Happy H.P. Lovecraft’s Birthday Day!
Aug 20th
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, one of my favorite authors, was born 120 years ago today. He died in March of 1937. For a xenophobic, kinda racist, sorta-asexual whitey from New England who died over 73 years ago, Lovecraft’s writing’s have been incredibly influential to countless writers, readers, artists and filmmakers. In celebration of this anniversary I’d like to take a moment to detail what his work means to me.
"It's me! H.P.!"
Lovecraft was a practitioner of what was then referred to as “weird fiction.” This was pretty much any type of writing that focused on horror, fantasy and science fiction, but was before those genre conventions had been established. Lovecraft’s work differed from that of other horror authors in that much of his work did not use elements of religion or the supernatural. The “horror” of his writings came from science, or ideas based in science. Instead of ghosts or demons the monsters in his stories were often aliens or other cosmic entities that existed just outside the realm of human understanding. The general premise of his work was that the Universe is a strange and terrifying place, and that the human mind will go mad from glimpsing only mere pieces of the truth. To me, that’s pretty bad-ass.
I love the idea that human life is inconsequential to the Universe at large. I like that we might be insignificant in the grand scheme of life. To me, thinking that anything you or I might do will be of no consequence to the cosmos is somewhat comforting. With this perspective, any problem that might arise is immediately made smaller. Sure, something might be a big deal from our human-to-human viewpoint, but if you take a step back and decide that nothing really matters, any issue becomes surmountable.
Hey, it's Cthulhu!
Another thing I like about Lovecraft’s work is the bizarreness of the creatures he created. Many of his monsters defy description (he often said so, which I’m sure made writing about them that much easier). Even the ones that are specifically described are so strange that artistic interpretation becomes a necessity. I love seeing different renderings of Cthulhu or Deep Ones. Some interpretations appeal to me and some don’t. I like that anyone can imagine what these creatures might look like and each person can still feel connected to the material. Your Yog-Sothoth might look one way and mine might look another, but together we have a shared understanding of what it is and what it means.
Something about Lovecraft’s writings bring people together in a way I haven’t experienced with any other author. It’s almost like there’s an unseen connection binding his admirers and when we meet we unconsciously give one another the secret wink and handshake. I don’t think many other pieces of genre fiction unite their fans in this way. In nerd terms, Star Trek fans can fight over Kirk vs. Picard and Star Wars fans can argue over the prequels, but Lovecraft’s work is Lovecraft’s work; his stories are finite and complete.
A Deep One
That’s not to say Lovecraft’s ideas are finished. To the contrary, even during his lifetime other writers were using his concepts and creations in their own works, with his encouragement. Lovecraft wanted others to expand on his ideas and to this day artists all over the world follow his wishes. As time goes on Lovecraft’s legacy continues to expand, and since his work is in the public domain (more or less), there’s no such thing as “unauthorized” derivatives. People can create what they want out of his ideas and fans can either accept or reject it. Lovecraft’s stories are a living thing, growing with every addition. His work is owned by everyone and we can all be a part of it. Lovecraft may not have seen meaning in life, but together you and I can make our own.
So here’s to the futility of life and the madness that comes with true knowledge. I say if we can’t possibly comprehend the truth at least we can be happy with what we have in our own shallow existence. Let’s celebrate the Old Gentleman from New England’s work, and pass it on to others, so that even more people can appreciate his writings for the next 120 years.
Micro-Review: Reflections
Aug 16th
I’m continuing my read-through of Heavy Metal-published books written & drawn by Alfonso Azpiri. Maybe this is pointless but I’m doing it anyway, ahahahaha! So here’s the second! Only about seven more to go!
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
“Reflections” is a collection of several short stories surrounding mystical mirrors. Each story takes place in a different time period, often including historical figures. The stories are fine but it’s the lovely artwork that really shines. This being a Heavy Metal book, you’re probably reading it for the naked women, and for that this book delivers.
Mini-Review: Lorna Mouse Club
Aug 15th
Lorna Mouse Club by Alfonso Azpiri
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A collection of very short stories starring Lorna. Most of the stories make absolutely no sense and the dialogue is a mess. But artwork is beautiful and Azpiri knows how to draw curvy naked women. So it’s not all bad.
Here Are Things I Do Not Like
Aug 12th
What a dick.
While recently wasting time on Facebook I started messing around with the site’s “Recommended Pages” feature. I was amazed by the number of suggestions that were completely wrong for me. “Wouldn’t it be nice,” I thought, “if this goddamn website would stop pestering me with things that make my blood boil?” My Internet-browsing experience would be so much better if I wasn’t continually offended by ads for terrible TV shows and political statements.
I’m sick of the Internet wanting to know what I like. It would be more useful if one day websites were more interested in what we, as individuals, do not like. My hope is that there will be a future world where Facebook and Twitter (if they still exist) place their priorities in not pissing us off. And so, to facilitate this process, I offer the following “Things I Do Not Like List” to the Gods of the Internet, so that they may reference it when trying to sell me something. Use wisely, oh ethereal ones!
Things I don’t like, in no particular order:
- “Scrubs”
- Train (band)
- Teenage mustaches
- Sarah Palin
- Cable news
- Anything sports-related (with the exception of sex scandals)
- Perry Farrell
- Ryan Seacrest
- “Real Housewives” of Anything
- Billy Corgan (I met him; what a dick)
- Fruit topping on a dessert
- Being called “buddy”
- Olives
- Dumb people who think they are smart (see: Sarah Palin)
- Roger Ebert
- “Entourage”
- Beer
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (band)
- Auto-tune
- Porn without anal play
- Being lied to by politicians
- Final Fantasy games
- Getting the “Kiss of Death”
- Cameron Diaz
- NASCAR
- George Lopez (I met him; what a dick)
- iPhone vs Android debates (who cares?)
- Getting punched
- Offers to buy my gold
- The term “baby bump”
Me Read Books!
Aug 5th
When I was a kid I read a lot. I mostly read Star Wars novels and other sci-fi like the Aliens vs. Predator books. For a while I was into Michael Crichton books, too, but those got old kind of fast. At the same time my parents read me classics, like the works of Mark Twain. But once I got a little bit older, my ADD hit I became a pretty slow reader, so I started being picky about books and read less. Although I did keep reading graphic novels, since those are typically fast reads. For years I read lots of comics while slowly working my way through a Kurt Vonnegut book over a period of months.
The Seeking Kiss
Recently, though, I’ve been devouring books. This can be attributed to me finally discovering the convenience of reading ebooks on my iPhone. Over the last two months I’ve gone through about a dozen erotic romances written by the Smutketeers. I’ve also been continuing my love affair with the stories of Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as picking up books like A Confederacy of Dunces and collections of works by Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain.
Reading the erotic romances has been interesting. It’s never been a genre in which I’ve had much interest, but obviously living with an erotica author has changed that. Sure, I have a thing for erotic comics, but those are mostly written for men whereas erotic romances are mostly written for women. But after reading a bunch of them I’ve developed a respect for erotic romances I hadn’t even considered before. While I’m mostly reading them because the sex scenes are, like, totally hot, with some of the books I find myself being more interested in the stories and characters. This is a development I didn’t expect and I’m really enjoying it.
Borgia: Blood for the Pope
I haven’t given up on reading comics, either. As I mentioned in my Comic-Con wrap-up, right now I’m going through the Borgia series by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Milo Manara. And a while back I finished reading the complete Crying Freeman manga series. I’ve downloaded some comic book reader apps for my phone, but so far the appeal of reading comics in such a tiny format is lost on me. And apart from the annoyance of the tiny size, most comics I like aren’t available digitally anyway. If you’re into current superhero comics then I could see this as being a pretty viable alternative to heading to the comic shop every week and filling boxes with single issues you’ll never read again. But for someone like me, who’s into horror manga, erotic comics, and books published by Heavy Metal, digital comic readers won’t satisfy my tastes. So for now I’ll stick with printed graphic novels, than you very much.
But let’s go back to the topic of ebooks: I realize I’m a little late in the game when it comes to reading digital books, but dude, I really like it. I like how convenient it is to both buy and read them. And I especially like how anywhere I am I can just pull out my phone and start reading. This has made waiting around for anything much less tedious and even somewhat enjoyable. Being a pack rat, I do kind of miss having a physical book I can place on a shelf, but considering I’m completely out of shelf space at home, this may not be a bad thing.
Nice, nice, very nice.
I’m always hearing reports about how if healthy food is convenient and cheap people will eat it. Judging by the recent ebook sales figures, I guess the same is true with reading. As long as this trends continues I suppose we’ll see more and more older books available in digital format. I’m really looking forward to the day I can find any book I want and download it instantly. Well, I guess I could probably do that now, but I’m talking about doing it legally, chum.
Even while I’m reading a bunch of stuff for the first time I’m still planning to go back to some of my old favorites. Once I get through what I’m on now I’m going to re-read many of the Vonnegut novels I love. It seems like every time I return to his books I learn something new. And for comics I plan on re-reading all six huge volumes of Akira, which I still maintain is one of the most impressive things after written by anybody.
To help with all this booky nonsense I’ve got a little widget on the sidebar of this site that’ll show what I’m currently reading. Hey, I think it’s neat.
Did I Mention I’ve Written A Screenplay?
Jul 29th
I hope to one day be talented enough to write in a bath tub.
In case you weren’t aware, in high school I wanted to be a playwright. Well, alright, I was one, but I was a high school playwright, which is slightly different than being a professional one. Still, I wrote plays, had them performed, and the scripts won awards at various thespian festivals. Which was pretty neat!
Then, like a lot of depressed kids, instead of following my dreams, once I got to college I studied junk that I thought would lead to an actual job. Telecommunications, ho! I hated this stuff, but at least I got to play around with TV equipment, learned to write screenplays and make stupid short films. After a horrid four years of that nonsense I went to film school and really learned how to write screenplays. And just like my high school plays, some of these scripts were produced and turned into short films. Bad ones, but that’s how you learn.
Earlier this year I decided to break from comics and go back to straight-up writing. I’ve had this one idea for a movie kicking around since late 2006. I had done some research and preliminary notes on the subject matter back then but for some reason I put it aside. I picked it back up again a few months ago and threw myself into really fleshing out the story and continuing my research. I read bunches of books, drew maps and timelines and wrote stories about the characters. All this was in preparation for the actual writing.
Last month I went to Daytona Beach, Florida to write the damn thing. A couple of snotty people made remarks like “You have to go to Florida go write?” Well, no I don’t, asshole; it’s just nice there. Anyway, I spent one week alone in a condo on the beach writing my ass off. Every day I wrote in the morning, spent a few hours in the afternoon on the beach, and then wrote again at night until I was worn out. I loved it.
Once I returned to California I did a bunch of revisions and added several more pages of material. Now at this point the script is pretty much done. I won’t tell you what it’s called or what it’s about yet. But I’ll give you a hint: the title is similar to “The Something of the Something.” It’s literary. It’s classy. And it just needs a little bit more polish before Eden and I start sending it out to “people with connections,” which sounds like a major nerve-racking headache, but hey, that’s how business gets done, cubby.
I’m really happy about this thing. While I wait for the right people to take a look at it I’ve got to find a way to keep busy. How? Well, I’ve already started working on my next two scripts. Yes, two! One is a comedy and the other is an erotic drama. Gotta keep my options open, y’know. Eventually I do want to get back into writing comics. I’ve got some ideas that I’d love for people other than me to draw. I also have an idea for a photo book which I really want to pursue. But for now, though, I think I’ll keep my focus on where the money is. Because money is not funny, honey bunny.
