John R. Fultz's Blog, page 69

The “Wild Weird Clime” – or – Thoughts On Thule

All artwork on this post by the fantastic Bruce Pennington

The great James Enge (A Guile of Dragons; Blood of Ambrose, etc.) has posted a fascinating article on “Heroic Fantasy & Imagined History” at his Ambrose & Elsewhere blog:

http://jamesenge.com/2012/10/10/aged-in-oaken-heroes-heroic-fantasy-imagined-history/

James makes a good point (as he always does) about the Middle Ages being not only historically inaccurate, but also the root of most heroic fantasy cliches. There are so many ways to create unique and interesting settings for Heroic Fantasy (and/or Sword-and-Sorcery), that it’s become passe to use the medieval era for these types of tales.

As both reader and a writer I prefer fantasy settings that are as far as possible from our own reality. Or, to quote Edgar Allan Poe:

I have reached these lands but newly

From an ultimate dim Thule —

From a wild weird clime, that lieth, sublime,

Out of Space — out of Time.

These lines from Poe’s poem “Dream-Land” crystallize what draws me to worlds of fantasy in the fiction that I read (and write). Most readers of Heroic Fantasy and/or Sword-and-Sorcery share my goal of exploring that “ultimate dim Thule”—that unknown land of strange kingdoms, dark terrors, and brave heroes who represent the better aspects of our own human nature.

Visit James’ blog to read more about this topic.

Meanwhile, here’s the entire Poe piece, which just happens to be one of my favorite poems:

Dream-Land

by Edgar Allan Poe (1844)

By a route obscure and lonely,

Haunted by ill angels only,

Where an Eidolon, named Night,

On a black throne reigns upright,

I have reached these lands but newly

From an ultimate dim Thule —

From a wild weird clime, that lieth, sublime,

Out of Space — out of Time.

Bottomless vales and boundless floods,

And chasms, and caves, and Titian woods,

With forms that no man can discover

For the dews that drip all over;

Mountains toppling evermore

Into seas without a shore;

Seas that restlessly aspire,

Surging, unto skies of fire;

Lakes that endlessly outspread

Their lone waters, lone and dead, —

Their still waters, still and chilly

With the snows of the lolling lily.

By a route obscure and lonely,

Haunted by ill angels only,

Where an Eidolon, named Night,

On a black throne reigns upright,

I have reached these lands but newly

From an ultimate dim Thule.

By the lakes that thus outspread

Their lone waters, lone and dead, —

Their sad waters, sad and chilly

With the snows of the lolling lily, —

By the mountains — near the river

Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever, —

By the gray woods, — by the swamp

Where the toad and the newt encamp, —

By the dismal tarns and pools

Where dwell the Ghouls, —

By each spot the most unholy —

In each nook most melancholy, —

There the traveller meets aghast

Sheeted Memories of the Past —

Shrouded forms that start and sigh

As they pass the wanderer by —

White-robed forms of friends long given,

In agony, to the worms, and Heaven.

By a route obscure and lonely,

Haunted by ill angels only,

Where an Eidolon, named Night,

On a black throne reigns upright,

I have reached these lands but newly

From an ultimate dim Thule —

For the heart whose woes are legion

’T is a peaceful, soothing region —

For the spirit that walks in shadow

’T is — oh ’t is an Eldorado!

But the traveler, traveling through it,

May not — dare not openly view it;

Never its mysteries are exposed

To the weak human eye unclosed;

So wills its King, who hath forbid

The uplifting of the fringéd lid;

And thus the sad Soul that here passes

Beholds it but through darkened glasses.

By a route obscure and lonely,

Haunted by ill angels only,

Where an Eidolon, named Night,

On a black throne reigns upright,

I have wandered home but newly

From this ultimate dim Thule.

Don’t Call It A Comeback: WEIRD TALES #360

Click for larger image

“That is not dead which can eternal lie, yet with stranger aeons, even Death may die.” –H.P. Lovecraft

The literary world was shocked last year when legendary fiction mag WEIRD TALES was bought by Marvin Kaye and John Harlacher of Nth Dimension Media. Kaye announced that the magazine would return to its original “classic logo,” and that he would be editing the magazine himself.

The supposition was that the mag would also be returning to a  more classic style of weird fiction—a shift away from the surreal and “new weird” direction the mag had been exploring in the past few years. Since then only one issue has been released, that being an already “canned” issue put together by the outgoing editorial team. Speculation has continued about the mag’s future: Would Kaye’s editorial reign be well received? Would the often sporadically-published magazine get back to a regular schedule? Kaye has endured much criticism and complaint about some of his controversial decisions, and the future of the Unique Magazine has hung in the balance.

Now comes word that the first Kaye-edited issue has finally gone to press. It features the bold cover headline “CTHULHU RETURNS” along with the classic WT logo at full size and a Lovecraft-inspired artwork. A blend of classic and modern sensibilities, the new cover evokes a wholehearted celebration of the magazine’s history, as exemplified by this Cthulhu-themed issue. Perhaps no other creation reflects the “classic” WEIRD TALES sensibility more than Lovecraft’s tentacled squid-god, an obvious symbol of Kaye’s vision for the magazine: A return to the “weird” tradition.

Sure to be the subject of much argument, debate, and strong feelings on both the pro and con sides, the Kaye/Harlacher version of WEIRD TALES is about to arrive.

My experience with Kaye’s work dates back to his 1988 anthology WEIRD TALES: THE MAGAZINE THAT NEVER DIES. I was in college when this terrific collection of classic WT tales was released. It was responsible for leading me directly to the Terminus Publishing version of the magazine that existed at that time—a magazine that became one of the biggest influences on my own writing career.

Some of the stories in this anthology still rate among my all-time favorites, including Tanith Lee’s “The Sombrus Tower,” Clark Ashton Smith’s “The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan” H.P. Lovecraft’s “He,” and Darrell Schweitzer’s “The Mysteries of the Faceless King.”

If not for Kaye’s ’88 anthology, I might never have discovered WEIRD TALES and its fantastic history of weird fiction. It will be interesting to see where he takes the magazine now that he’s in charge.

Above all else, WEIRD TALES needs to return to a stable bi-monthly or quarterly schedule in order to maintain its reputation as one of genre fiction’s most enduring institutions.

SOUNDGARDEN: “King Animal” coming in November

As one of the world’s biggest SOUNDGARDEN fans, I’m ecstatic at the news that their long-awaited new studio album, “King Animal” is complete and will be available on November 13.

This is their first album of all-new material in over 15 years.

I was lucky enough to see the boys on their reunion tour last year when they smashed into San Francisco. I can say beyond a doubt that they have lost NONE of what made them one of the world’s greatest heavy rock bands.

The trailer for their new album gives me chills, so I thought I’d share it right here…

SEVEN KINGS: Amazon Now Taking Pre-Orders

SEVEN KINGS is still four months away, but Amazon is taking pre-orders for it right now -AND- offering delivery on the same day the book is released (Jan. 15). Pre-order your copy right here and save five dollars on the retail price:

Pre-order SEVEN KINGS from Amazon

SEVEN KINGS takes place 7 years after the end of SEVEN PRINCES. Favorite characters return, and some fascinating new ones join the story. Enter the dark and poisonous kingdom of Khyrei, learn the secrets of a long-lost sorcery, witness the rise of ancient terrors, and endure the red nightmare of battle.

Discover more about the mysterious Shaper and his goals; march with the Giants of the North and the gold-green Legions of Uurz; witness the rise and fall of dreadful powers.

Read SEVEN KINGS for all of this and more.  I’d love to see this book become the King of Pre-Orders.

Let’s make it happen…

Peace!

– John

SCALPED: The End of an Era

From the first issue to the last issue: Back-to-back covers of SCALPED #1 and #60. (Covers by Jock)

It’s been said that a story is only as good as its ending. A satisfying ending is crucial to keep readers (or viewers) from feeling disappointed. And there are few things worse than a series–or a story–that keeps on going long after it should have come to a satisfying close.

Readers of SCALPED, one of the best comics of the last ten years, can be grateful that writer Jason Aaron and artist R.M. Guera have delivered a terrific finale to their 60-issue masterpiece.

Man, will I miss this comic. It was the best VERTIGO series since 100 BULLETS, and one of the very best crime comics of all time. My pleasure at seeing the story come to a no-holds-barred conclusion that stays true to the characters and their world is exceeded only by my chagrin at having no more issues of SCALPED to read in the future.

Much has been written in praise of Aaron’s gritty, character-based writing, as well as Guera’s fantastic artwork that fit the story to perfection, so I won’t repeat the words of critics here. Suffice to say, this was one helluva ride, and I hate to see it end. But I salute Aaron and Guera for giving us the ending that we needed–it may not have been the ending we WANTED–but it was the ending that we needed. Rarely has a comic stayed so true to the heart and soul of its lead character.

During the course of the SCALPED run we met and grew to love (or hate) plenty of fascinating and unforgettable characters such as Red Crow, Catcher, Shunka, and Poor Bear (to name only a few).  But in the end SCALPED was always the story of Dashiell Bad Horse, and we’re reminded of that by the final decision that our deeply flawed protagonist makes in the sixtieth and final issue.

Here’s a nice interview with Aaron about the series, which will undoubtedly live on in the form of trade paperback collections:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=40752

With SCALPED finished and CRIMINAL on indefinite hiatus, where is the next great crime comic?

I can’t wait to find out.

RAINN AND DEEPAK: Cosmic Conversation in a Van

“Like you I am a luminous stardust being that has become self-aware, and we are two pieces of stardust that are having a conversation. But that is just a space/time event.

Our real nature is beyond space and time.”

–Chopra

The above is my favorite quotation from this enlightening and hilarious conversation between philosopher Deepak Chopra and comedian/actor Rainn Wilson.

Wisdom meets humor in this terrific 6-minute video from SoulPancake.  Dig it.

Cosmic Thoughts: XI

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence,

it can only be attained through understanding.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

A LEGEND PASSES: Joe Kubert (1926 – 2012)

Rest in Peace, Joe Kubert, one of the greatest comics artists ever born. 

His many great works will live on. TOR is my favorite of them all.

 

 

Cosmic Thoughts: X

“Love yourself. Love the world. There is no power stronger than love.”

–Chopra

“Hell Broke Luce” by Tom Waits

Tom Waits’ brilliant new video, in my view, is a tribute to all those brave soldiers fighting for their country, and all the generations of soldiers who came before them.

To all the vets still slogging through Hell out there:

COME HOME SAFELY AND SOON. GOD BLESS YOU.