American Heroic Fantasy Graphic Novels
The term “Graphic Novel’ was coined in November 1964 by Richard Kyle in the pages of the fanzine, Alpha-Cappa. It started to get more traction Read More
Month: March 2020
Gulliver’s Covers
Gulliver’s Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift is a classic that is rarely appreciated beyond its adventure roots. Swift’s satire pokes fun at politics, science, technology, Read More
Jungle Jimmy Olsen
The first Tarzan film, starring Elmo Lincoln, was 1918, a silent movie. By 1956, Gordon Scott had replaced Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker. The average Read More
Link: Kinsmen of the Dragon – Part 1
When I write one of these blog pieces I usually begin by reading all the stories concerned. This time around I haven’t. Let me explain. Read More
The Hogs of Horror
Monsters are often warped versions of animals. Wolves, bears, tigers even lizards and birds are common choices, the more dangerous the animal the more likely. Read More
Elliott O’Donnell: Ghost Hunter and Author
It is hard to imagine how big a writer Elliott O’Donnell was in his day. He is practically forgotten today outside of scholarly circles. This Read More
Link: Careful What You Wish For…
I was recently ruminating with my cousin about how our kids, now all in their twenties, don’t want the legacies we have gathered. Legacies? Millions Read More
Are We Not Men? Moreau’s Island
The Island of Doctor Moreau (1897) was written by H. G. Wells as a fundraiser and a pamphlet against animal vivisection. It is usually thought Read More
Just Add Monsters: Conan Rewrites
L. Sprague de Camp found himself in the position of editor and collaborator on the Conan series after 1951, when he read Conan the Conqueror. Read More
Link: Your Elder Sign Is In My Eye: or, Advice For Writers Of Cthulhu Mythos Fiction
A sign of true cultural phenomenon seems to be that many people want to copy its masters endlessly. Conan the Cimmerian. Sherlock Holmes. Dracula. The Read More