so I'm cruising the internet looking for issues of May 2012, the one with four covers, and finding it is surprisingly unavailable. I started looking when I noticed that even HM doesn't have it for sale on the website. there are probably some out there but I haven't found it yet.
while searching, I came across porporbooks blog, which has posts about SF books and stuff from the 80s and such. there are many posts on HM magazines from the late 70s and 80s, maybe thirty, and several others on stories from HM. not only are some of them about some really fantastic issues of HM, but the 80s were the time of my fondly remembered misspent youth (the memories are good, the crap I seem to have forgotten), much of it misspent reading Heavy Metal magazine. while they often start with references to popular songs and movies, they are light on commentary and heavy on scanned images. I have not read them all, yet, but I find them quite enjoyable. I hope you do too.
http://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
#261
It took a while to find this one. My favorite local bookstore no longer gets HM. The two closest comic stores didn't have it ("we could order it ... "), had to get to the big city B&N to get it. I guess that will happen when they print half of the magazines they used to. At least it still exists.
Cover - 6 - It's the newsstand cover of course, both this and the "Diamond" cover are Bisleys. This one is so outlandish, the hair, the clawed glove, the barbed wire, the multitude of dangling crosses beneath the tubelet top, makes it almost like Bisley doing a parody of a Bisley cover.
No editorial, but they had some fun with the personnel titles.
Journey Into the Dark Side of the Moon - 6 - Space explorers find something unexpected. There are some nice aspects to the art and the story, but I like this more for what it's trying to say, people have choices, than how it actually says it. One of three Abraham Martinez stories in this issue.
Dave Wachter Gallery - 6 - I think he likes wolves.
Choose Your Own Misadventure - 5 - Some prisoners are given choices for a chance to escape, but they choose a false choice. I noticed a bit of classism in how the choices were presented. Would they even know what Megalodon is? I like Llarena's writing but this is not my favorite example, but the art is nicer than he often gets.
War Pig Necrosoldier - 7 - A soldier's short story that's kind of funny but also shallow. Cardoselli's art reminds me of Druillet in the old HM more and more these days.
Star Bride - 6 - Neat story of ancient Central American culture meets traveling aliens, again. The art is flat but colorful. Peoples' selfishness transcends time and space.
An ad for a Free Comic Book Day event features a Kevin Eastman sketch, of a Turtle. What else? At least he gets to draw more now, good for him.
Divide to Conquer - 7 - Xalabarder again displays the imagination I so like about his work. I really liked the two stories told together, but they never really join like I hoped they would. It's more apparent that these are part of a series, that we only see parts of, too bad.
Do You Hear the Sedna-3 Mermaid's Chant? - 8 - Even loyal android servants can't save us from evil aliens. The art's pretty nice, the writing is even better.
17 pages of ads later ...
White Threat - 7 - Someone's lost in the woods, finds a cabin that offers no shelter. I like the black and white art. The story is rather simple but it's told pretty well.
Artist Studio - Andy Kuhn - 6 - nice stuff
The Tide is Coming! - 6 - An organic plague threatens, will humanity survive? Don't know. Looks nice, nice telling, but doesn't tell very much.
Treacherous Bullet - 6 - Crime and betrayal in the American Old West. Nice looking art, pretty nice story. No one gets the girl.
Back cover - 7 - Dave Wachter, I like it, it's contemplative.
A pretty good issue, variety and imagination, I still hope for more. I'm led to believe that some editorial content and other stories will continue, hope so.
Cover - 6 - It's the newsstand cover of course, both this and the "Diamond" cover are Bisleys. This one is so outlandish, the hair, the clawed glove, the barbed wire, the multitude of dangling crosses beneath the tubelet top, makes it almost like Bisley doing a parody of a Bisley cover.
No editorial, but they had some fun with the personnel titles.
Journey Into the Dark Side of the Moon - 6 - Space explorers find something unexpected. There are some nice aspects to the art and the story, but I like this more for what it's trying to say, people have choices, than how it actually says it. One of three Abraham Martinez stories in this issue.
Dave Wachter Gallery - 6 - I think he likes wolves.
Choose Your Own Misadventure - 5 - Some prisoners are given choices for a chance to escape, but they choose a false choice. I noticed a bit of classism in how the choices were presented. Would they even know what Megalodon is? I like Llarena's writing but this is not my favorite example, but the art is nicer than he often gets.
War Pig Necrosoldier - 7 - A soldier's short story that's kind of funny but also shallow. Cardoselli's art reminds me of Druillet in the old HM more and more these days.
Star Bride - 6 - Neat story of ancient Central American culture meets traveling aliens, again. The art is flat but colorful. Peoples' selfishness transcends time and space.
An ad for a Free Comic Book Day event features a Kevin Eastman sketch, of a Turtle. What else? At least he gets to draw more now, good for him.
Divide to Conquer - 7 - Xalabarder again displays the imagination I so like about his work. I really liked the two stories told together, but they never really join like I hoped they would. It's more apparent that these are part of a series, that we only see parts of, too bad.
Do You Hear the Sedna-3 Mermaid's Chant? - 8 - Even loyal android servants can't save us from evil aliens. The art's pretty nice, the writing is even better.
17 pages of ads later ...
White Threat - 7 - Someone's lost in the woods, finds a cabin that offers no shelter. I like the black and white art. The story is rather simple but it's told pretty well.
Artist Studio - Andy Kuhn - 6 - nice stuff
The Tide is Coming! - 6 - An organic plague threatens, will humanity survive? Don't know. Looks nice, nice telling, but doesn't tell very much.
Treacherous Bullet - 6 - Crime and betrayal in the American Old West. Nice looking art, pretty nice story. No one gets the girl.
Back cover - 7 - Dave Wachter, I like it, it's contemplative.
A pretty good issue, variety and imagination, I still hope for more. I'm led to believe that some editorial content and other stories will continue, hope so.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Tex Arcana
So, I finally got the complete Tex Arcana book (from Amazon). I'm quite happy with it, I'm happy I finally got around to getting it, and I really enjoyed reading it over. Not only is it very good, it brought back some nice memories of the times this was in HM magazine. I guess that kind of thing happens when you are old.
The book itself is fine, while the pages are a bit smaller than the magazine pages, and the paper is not the high quality in the magazine (at least the beginning, through the years HM used a variety of paper stock, sometimes a mix, and sometimes Tex Arcana was on even lesser paper in the magazine than in this book), and there are unfortunate instances of fuzzy images in it, it's still 276 pages of John Findley awesomeness. I was bemused by the fact of a date at the back of the book, indicating it was printed a day before it was shipped to me. It appears to be produced on demand rather than from stock. Apparently that can be done these days.
I really enjoy Mr. Findley's work, the high quality of his line drawing, and the convoluted imagination of his storytelling. When this was in HM magazine, it seemed to go on forever (it was in six years of the mag) which was fine with me. It was one of the stories that kept me buying the magazine as its focus and quality varied during those years after the 1981 movie came out.
The book has the revisions Mr. Findley made and are posted on his website, less the few bits of color he tried (if you have not seen it, go to the links page right now for the link to his website, it's all there for free). Mostly the ending of the "Tex Arcana Meets the Toast of Europe" is extended and expanded, which is good. As I mentioned in my review of December 1985, "the Last Monthly" the ending of the magazine story seemed rushed compared to the meticulous telling of the rest of it. The ending in this book doesn't quite tie up every loose end but it does add more detail and makes for a more enjoyable finish.
(Mr. Findley has also started a fourth book, available on his website also, which continues a story with some of the same characters, but it remains unfinished. He's indicated he may or may not restart work on it. While I wish he would, I won't complain if not, he's given so much he doesn't owe me a thing.)
At $24 plus shipping, it was rather expensive, but it was worth it to me. I really enjoy reading on the printed page more than a screen, it's more fun to flip through pages and usually the image reproduction is better and I can see more detail, which is one of the things I like about Mr. Findley's work and HM in general. I feel fortunate that this is available and that I can afford such an extravagance. If you are able and interested, I certainly recommend it to everyone who is actually reading this.
The book itself is fine, while the pages are a bit smaller than the magazine pages, and the paper is not the high quality in the magazine (at least the beginning, through the years HM used a variety of paper stock, sometimes a mix, and sometimes Tex Arcana was on even lesser paper in the magazine than in this book), and there are unfortunate instances of fuzzy images in it, it's still 276 pages of John Findley awesomeness. I was bemused by the fact of a date at the back of the book, indicating it was printed a day before it was shipped to me. It appears to be produced on demand rather than from stock. Apparently that can be done these days.
I really enjoy Mr. Findley's work, the high quality of his line drawing, and the convoluted imagination of his storytelling. When this was in HM magazine, it seemed to go on forever (it was in six years of the mag) which was fine with me. It was one of the stories that kept me buying the magazine as its focus and quality varied during those years after the 1981 movie came out.
The book has the revisions Mr. Findley made and are posted on his website, less the few bits of color he tried (if you have not seen it, go to the links page right now for the link to his website, it's all there for free). Mostly the ending of the "Tex Arcana Meets the Toast of Europe" is extended and expanded, which is good. As I mentioned in my review of December 1985, "the Last Monthly" the ending of the magazine story seemed rushed compared to the meticulous telling of the rest of it. The ending in this book doesn't quite tie up every loose end but it does add more detail and makes for a more enjoyable finish.
(Mr. Findley has also started a fourth book, available on his website also, which continues a story with some of the same characters, but it remains unfinished. He's indicated he may or may not restart work on it. While I wish he would, I won't complain if not, he's given so much he doesn't owe me a thing.)
At $24 plus shipping, it was rather expensive, but it was worth it to me. I really enjoy reading on the printed page more than a screen, it's more fun to flip through pages and usually the image reproduction is better and I can see more detail, which is one of the things I like about Mr. Findley's work and HM in general. I feel fortunate that this is available and that I can afford such an extravagance. If you are able and interested, I certainly recommend it to everyone who is actually reading this.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
#260
Cover - 4 - I got the newsstand cover, I think it's too far towards a simple comic cover, and though it does relate to a story inside, I'm not a big fan of that story. The subscriber cover by Horley looks nicer. I'm not a big fan of the multiple covers. I'm unlikely to subscribe, and even less likely to seek out different covers to "complete my collection".
Emily, Almost - 8 - mysterious and moody, and makes a good point.
The Lottery Party - 7 - So this is perhaps another editorial like Dossier or Metal Media, with a review or something? I'm ok with that, we'll see if it returns. This one had a nice review of Fahrenheit 451, which I had only recently read, that I enjoyed as the writer made the case that we live in the times of that story now. There was also a story about Dax Riggs of Acid Bath. I didn't know about them, but I enjoyed the article and that it made me recall past HM music reviews from the 80s etc.
The Matron - 7 - written by the author of the previous editorial, an interesting story about a tribal outcast's growth from child exile to matron, in a changing world. It has a descriptive and imaginative writing style that I enjoyed. For this and the previous article I wonder if the uncredited art is actually by the author.
Gallery - 5 - the one I liked was Light It Up, just because I like that kind of line drawing.
Carpe Diem - 6 - pretty nicely done, bright and full of action, and there's some fun in the writing, but it just doesn't make a big impression on me.
The Weirding Willows - 5 - another random episode with more critters and .... mini robots? In HM it's not unexpected to have gaps in storytelling or episodes, but this was more annoying than usual. There are some good art examples, though the contrived ways to keep it PG-13 were more annoying than alluring.
Odyssey - Part Two - 6 - a continuation from #259, I think it's ok but not great, at least it goes somewhere.
Elephant's Graveyard - 6 - I want to like what it's trying to say, and the glowing comm-orbs are interesting and offer weird lighting opportunities. Doesn't really grab me though.
Daniel - 8 - I really liked this, even though the art isn't really precise it is very successful telling me this story. I imagine the Bible offers many potential illustrated fantasy stories. (I do have R. Crumb's Genesis)
Dante's Inferno - 6 - interesting and short essay about Dante and his Divine Comedy, and recalling some images it projects as subjects for art. less interesting to me were the theological implications, though it provides an offer to discuss online for those interested.
Deep Six Odyssey - 7 - Big story with lots of action. Seeing Suydam credited with coloring caught my attention, and I thought it added a great deal (he did a bunch of stories like Mudwog back in the 90s etc).
Sharky - 6 - the Johnson gallery and Horley art are pretty cool, looks like the story is trying to have some fun. I'll wait to see if this ever shows up in HM again.
Battle Beasts Preview - 3 - some of the art is good, but seeing a promo for little plastic bits makes me think I'm watching Saturday morning cartoons about 20 years ago, and not in a good way.
There were a couple nice things in this issue, and some things that I wasn't too fond of. Some of the blatant merchandising and the PG-13 approach are unappealing. Note the removal of "adult" from the new tagline "The World's Greatest Illustrated Magazine". Previews on the internet give me a couple things to look forward to, and as long as the print magazine continues to be produced I'll keep trying to find something to like.
Emily, Almost - 8 - mysterious and moody, and makes a good point.
The Lottery Party - 7 - So this is perhaps another editorial like Dossier or Metal Media, with a review or something? I'm ok with that, we'll see if it returns. This one had a nice review of Fahrenheit 451, which I had only recently read, that I enjoyed as the writer made the case that we live in the times of that story now. There was also a story about Dax Riggs of Acid Bath. I didn't know about them, but I enjoyed the article and that it made me recall past HM music reviews from the 80s etc.
The Matron - 7 - written by the author of the previous editorial, an interesting story about a tribal outcast's growth from child exile to matron, in a changing world. It has a descriptive and imaginative writing style that I enjoyed. For this and the previous article I wonder if the uncredited art is actually by the author.
Gallery - 5 - the one I liked was Light It Up, just because I like that kind of line drawing.
Carpe Diem - 6 - pretty nicely done, bright and full of action, and there's some fun in the writing, but it just doesn't make a big impression on me.
The Weirding Willows - 5 - another random episode with more critters and .... mini robots? In HM it's not unexpected to have gaps in storytelling or episodes, but this was more annoying than usual. There are some good art examples, though the contrived ways to keep it PG-13 were more annoying than alluring.
Odyssey - Part Two - 6 - a continuation from #259, I think it's ok but not great, at least it goes somewhere.
Elephant's Graveyard - 6 - I want to like what it's trying to say, and the glowing comm-orbs are interesting and offer weird lighting opportunities. Doesn't really grab me though.
Daniel - 8 - I really liked this, even though the art isn't really precise it is very successful telling me this story. I imagine the Bible offers many potential illustrated fantasy stories. (I do have R. Crumb's Genesis)
Dante's Inferno - 6 - interesting and short essay about Dante and his Divine Comedy, and recalling some images it projects as subjects for art. less interesting to me were the theological implications, though it provides an offer to discuss online for those interested.
Deep Six Odyssey - 7 - Big story with lots of action. Seeing Suydam credited with coloring caught my attention, and I thought it added a great deal (he did a bunch of stories like Mudwog back in the 90s etc).
Sharky - 6 - the Johnson gallery and Horley art are pretty cool, looks like the story is trying to have some fun. I'll wait to see if this ever shows up in HM again.
Battle Beasts Preview - 3 - some of the art is good, but seeing a promo for little plastic bits makes me think I'm watching Saturday morning cartoons about 20 years ago, and not in a good way.
There were a couple nice things in this issue, and some things that I wasn't too fond of. Some of the blatant merchandising and the PG-13 approach are unappealing. Note the removal of "adult" from the new tagline "The World's Greatest Illustrated Magazine". Previews on the internet give me a couple things to look forward to, and as long as the print magazine continues to be produced I'll keep trying to find something to like.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Kranburn #5
I got the .pdf of Kranburn #5, I'll wait for one more before I order paper copies.
The cover is another enjoyably detailed pose. The outfit is especially silly, I'd bet it would weigh 80 lbs at least, with all the stuff hanging on it. Not that I'm complaining, it's fun to look at and I imagine it's lots of fun to draw this. I wondered how the chainsaw cut anything with those smooth teeth, until I saw the mangled end of the branch.
The story picks up in a sort of flashback, a young Brand makes his way through his increasingly horrible neighborhood, to find even greater horror at home. Vicious assault, rapes, stabbings, dismemberment, death, all ensue. Good God. The story holds nothing back in showing an awful and formative moment in Brand's life.
And it was all a dream. No, really, it's the nightmare Brand awakens from ("been a long time since I last had that dream") after hiding to recover, after absorbing the vicious beating from Brutus. Two Nong make the mistake of finding Brand, he makes them pay with their lives, and begins his next assault.
During this, the Nong continue to torture Lawton, sending bits of him to taunt the residents of Kranburn. The Kranburnites are fearful of action, and a frustrated Silvia storms off on her own to search for her parents.
We see Lord ordering increased pressure on the Lawtons and on Kranburn, time is running short for them. Then suddenly Silvia encounters a Nong scurrying back from dropping a "message" to Kranburn, and a chase ensues.
Certainly this is one of the strongest chapters in the story. The action, drama, and emotion shown are unsurpassed here. I really like the artwork, it's easy for me to overlook inconsistencies (BMB's obviously not a cyclist, never seen a bike like that before...) because I enjoy it so much. The raw black and white is perfect for depicting the unflinching brutality people are capable of.
I'm curious about what the future holds for Kranburn. The books have run about mid-40s pages long, there are about 18 pages on the webcomic after the last page of this book, and there are about 9 weeks until the beginning of March, when I thought the 5th book would come up, so I don't see how there would be enough pages by then. I'm sure I'm missing something, and I'm not too concerned, the comic seems to be going strong so I can look forward with anticipation for its conclusion.
The cover is another enjoyably detailed pose. The outfit is especially silly, I'd bet it would weigh 80 lbs at least, with all the stuff hanging on it. Not that I'm complaining, it's fun to look at and I imagine it's lots of fun to draw this. I wondered how the chainsaw cut anything with those smooth teeth, until I saw the mangled end of the branch.
The story picks up in a sort of flashback, a young Brand makes his way through his increasingly horrible neighborhood, to find even greater horror at home. Vicious assault, rapes, stabbings, dismemberment, death, all ensue. Good God. The story holds nothing back in showing an awful and formative moment in Brand's life.
And it was all a dream. No, really, it's the nightmare Brand awakens from ("been a long time since I last had that dream") after hiding to recover, after absorbing the vicious beating from Brutus. Two Nong make the mistake of finding Brand, he makes them pay with their lives, and begins his next assault.
During this, the Nong continue to torture Lawton, sending bits of him to taunt the residents of Kranburn. The Kranburnites are fearful of action, and a frustrated Silvia storms off on her own to search for her parents.
We see Lord ordering increased pressure on the Lawtons and on Kranburn, time is running short for them. Then suddenly Silvia encounters a Nong scurrying back from dropping a "message" to Kranburn, and a chase ensues.
Certainly this is one of the strongest chapters in the story. The action, drama, and emotion shown are unsurpassed here. I really like the artwork, it's easy for me to overlook inconsistencies (BMB's obviously not a cyclist, never seen a bike like that before...) because I enjoy it so much. The raw black and white is perfect for depicting the unflinching brutality people are capable of.
I'm curious about what the future holds for Kranburn. The books have run about mid-40s pages long, there are about 18 pages on the webcomic after the last page of this book, and there are about 9 weeks until the beginning of March, when I thought the 5th book would come up, so I don't see how there would be enough pages by then. I'm sure I'm missing something, and I'm not too concerned, the comic seems to be going strong so I can look forward with anticipation for its conclusion.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Season's Greetings
Happy Apocalypse! And happy all the other damn holidays too!
The world ended and I didn't even notice.
Looks like Issue #260 is out, in two covers, one for subscribers by Horley that looks nice and one for newstands. Time to look for a store that has it. On the website, you have to look for it in the HM sales pages, but there's a free sample pdf that looks nice.
There are some other new digital downloads, including Sinkha Episode 0 and Episode 1. There's a sample from the Episode 0, it supposedly is the original "3D Computergraphic Novel" from 1994, and it was interesting that it looks more like a comic than the slick-for-the-mid-90s computer graphics that were in the magazine (in 1996, 2004, and 2010).
Pax Vobiscum
The world ended and I didn't even notice.
Looks like Issue #260 is out, in two covers, one for subscribers by Horley that looks nice and one for newstands. Time to look for a store that has it. On the website, you have to look for it in the HM sales pages, but there's a free sample pdf that looks nice.
There are some other new digital downloads, including Sinkha Episode 0 and Episode 1. There's a sample from the Episode 0, it supposedly is the original "3D Computergraphic Novel" from 1994, and it was interesting that it looks more like a comic than the slick-for-the-mid-90s computer graphics that were in the magazine (in 1996, 2004, and 2010).
Pax Vobiscum
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
and ... ?
So, if I'm counting right, #259 was the fourth issue of HM in 2012. Ever since the specials were stopped, there were still supposed to be six issues a year, so supposedly we should see two more yet this year.
The internet doesn't tell me anything about #260 being in the works, so I'm pretty skeptical we'll see it in 2012, let alone #261 to get in all six. Good thing I don't have a subscription, else I'd feel pretty ripped off by now, instead of just annoyed and disappointed.
(edit)
I stand corrected:
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Heavy-Metal-260___419534
That might count for 2012, but ...
and #261? It's encouraging, but I'll believe it when I see it.
(edit again)
this is the letter to fans by Mr. Eastman, that was the editorial in issue #259 (with a few small edits):
http://comicrelated.com/news/17448/heavy-metal-letter
I'll try to remain patient.
The internet doesn't tell me anything about #260 being in the works, so I'm pretty skeptical we'll see it in 2012, let alone #261 to get in all six. Good thing I don't have a subscription, else I'd feel pretty ripped off by now, instead of just annoyed and disappointed.
(edit)
I stand corrected:
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Heavy-Metal-260___419534
That might count for 2012, but ...
and #261? It's encouraging, but I'll believe it when I see it.
(edit again)
this is the letter to fans by Mr. Eastman, that was the editorial in issue #259 (with a few small edits):
http://comicrelated.com/news/17448/heavy-metal-letter
I'll try to remain patient.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
#259
After months of delay, another issue at last.
Issues will now simply be numbered, distribution was changed, it'll be great, we are told. We get a note from Mr. Eastman, describing the changes, thanking Dave Elliot for guest-editing, and directing our attention to the official web site for future updates. Meanwhile, my favorite local bookstore never got this issue, so I got it, bagged, at a mainstream store. The web site only shows this issue on the sales page, the 4 Horsemen still dominate the main page.
I think this is the most direct communication to the magazine's readers from Mr. Eastman in a couple years. It's interesting that he is pictured with an apparent turtles sketch in front of him. My impression is that his attentions have been, um, divided, and as such he hasn't given my favorite adult illustrated fantasy magazine the attention I think it deserves.
However, Mr. Eastman can do what he wants, and if the changes allow the print magazine's continued existence then I'm all for it. We'll see what the future will bring.
For this issue, difficulties are apparent, and I think I'm lucky this one even made it. Ad for SDCC events in July, page announcing back cover contest winners for the "three different front covers for this issue" (as far as I can tell there's only one), more 4 Horsemen stuff. At least it says "Monster Massacre Special" and there are actually monsters in it. The promotion of DeviantArt and inclusion of some prose work may be signs of good things coming. I do miss a couple things, like Animal'z by Bilal and Metal Media, that I had hoped would continue.
Cover - 6 - It's ok, hope it sells.
The Weirding Willows: Where Dwell Monsters - 6 - The Horley page was good, the rest of it was ok. Too bad it was just a small part of the story.
The Empty Sisters - 6 - It tells such a horrible story in such a sparse way. I like the idea of the occasional written piece with a picture or two, this one was a bit flat.
Ira Gershwin Monster Puncher - 7 - The monster fight is fun, the story is pretty funny, it's not exactly thought-provoking, but that's ok.
Odyssey - 6 - Tries to tell me something but I'm not quite getting it all. This is an origin of a Captain America redux? The art doesn't draw me into it.
The Weirding Willows: Russell's Son - 6 - Badgers and weasels and, what - irresponsibility? oh my. Too bad it's not a continuation of the first part of the story we saw.
The Meeting - 7 - I like black and white, I like the execution, it's a nice little story told with just one word. It says Chapter One, it'd be nice if we actually saw the next ones, but I enjoyed this one just fine if we don't.
Cthulhu is still calling - 7 - Short but intriguing essay about this guy's view of fear of the "other" and how he thinks Lovecraft's character represents an example of a universal mythos. Picture's pretty cool too.
El Zombo Fantasma - 5 - A couple moments of fun don't really make up for how little this appeals to me.
Pair of Rogues - 7 - Pretty good, looks ok with a bit of imagination and fun. "I'll have my way with both your corpses!" now there's a threat for ya.
Odyssey - 7- This one's a bit better, the art is more sketchy than I like but it does well to bring me to the story by the way it's shown to us. Not needing to look realistic it can convey more immediate emotion.
Weirding Willows: The Uninvited! - 6 - More uninteresting critters, the story told in the story was pretty good though.
Bandits - 7 - Nice to look at, pretty silly story.
Back Cover - 5 - Not bad, not great. I think I would have preferred one of the others.
Issues will now simply be numbered, distribution was changed, it'll be great, we are told. We get a note from Mr. Eastman, describing the changes, thanking Dave Elliot for guest-editing, and directing our attention to the official web site for future updates. Meanwhile, my favorite local bookstore never got this issue, so I got it, bagged, at a mainstream store. The web site only shows this issue on the sales page, the 4 Horsemen still dominate the main page.
I think this is the most direct communication to the magazine's readers from Mr. Eastman in a couple years. It's interesting that he is pictured with an apparent turtles sketch in front of him. My impression is that his attentions have been, um, divided, and as such he hasn't given my favorite adult illustrated fantasy magazine the attention I think it deserves.
However, Mr. Eastman can do what he wants, and if the changes allow the print magazine's continued existence then I'm all for it. We'll see what the future will bring.
For this issue, difficulties are apparent, and I think I'm lucky this one even made it. Ad for SDCC events in July, page announcing back cover contest winners for the "three different front covers for this issue" (as far as I can tell there's only one), more 4 Horsemen stuff. At least it says "Monster Massacre Special" and there are actually monsters in it. The promotion of DeviantArt and inclusion of some prose work may be signs of good things coming. I do miss a couple things, like Animal'z by Bilal and Metal Media, that I had hoped would continue.
Cover - 6 - It's ok, hope it sells.
The Weirding Willows: Where Dwell Monsters - 6 - The Horley page was good, the rest of it was ok. Too bad it was just a small part of the story.
The Empty Sisters - 6 - It tells such a horrible story in such a sparse way. I like the idea of the occasional written piece with a picture or two, this one was a bit flat.
Ira Gershwin Monster Puncher - 7 - The monster fight is fun, the story is pretty funny, it's not exactly thought-provoking, but that's ok.
Odyssey - 6 - Tries to tell me something but I'm not quite getting it all. This is an origin of a Captain America redux? The art doesn't draw me into it.
The Weirding Willows: Russell's Son - 6 - Badgers and weasels and, what - irresponsibility? oh my. Too bad it's not a continuation of the first part of the story we saw.
The Meeting - 7 - I like black and white, I like the execution, it's a nice little story told with just one word. It says Chapter One, it'd be nice if we actually saw the next ones, but I enjoyed this one just fine if we don't.
Cthulhu is still calling - 7 - Short but intriguing essay about this guy's view of fear of the "other" and how he thinks Lovecraft's character represents an example of a universal mythos. Picture's pretty cool too.
El Zombo Fantasma - 5 - A couple moments of fun don't really make up for how little this appeals to me.
Pair of Rogues - 7 - Pretty good, looks ok with a bit of imagination and fun. "I'll have my way with both your corpses!" now there's a threat for ya.
Odyssey - 7- This one's a bit better, the art is more sketchy than I like but it does well to bring me to the story by the way it's shown to us. Not needing to look realistic it can convey more immediate emotion.
Weirding Willows: The Uninvited! - 6 - More uninteresting critters, the story told in the story was pretty good though.
Bandits - 7 - Nice to look at, pretty silly story.
Back Cover - 5 - Not bad, not great. I think I would have preferred one of the others.
other reviews
So
while looking around the internet for something, I found this guy who
wrote a bunch of HM magazine reviews, he called them "recaps", starting
with the first issue. He made it through about a dozen of them. It's
amusing to me that his first impression of HM appears to be the 1981
movie and how it colors his viewpoint, especially how he seems to read
them from a present day perspective (he wrote them a couple years ago), without considering the context of
the time they were produced.
He hates Barbarella and doesn't get 1996
(I enjoyed Barbarella, though it was often dumb, and I thought 1996 was
hilarious, and it seemed so far in the future then).
However, they are
thorough and well written, and even have scans of pages and covers.
It's an admirable effort, and I think it's worth looking at. (link
starts at the first review and you can go backwards from there):
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
XTIN
Jeremy Ray has been producing XTIN - The Dragon's Dream World, for a while now. Link is on the "Links" page of this blog. I signed up for the Donations so I am getting the pages as they are produced. It appears to be nearing its end. There have been challenges but it has persisted.
He posted some images and links on the old HM website forums, which got my attention, and I continued to follow it. Over these many months it's had success and attention on his site rise and fall. It's my impression that he's been frustrated by its inability to grow its success, which seems understandable given my impression of his considerable ambition for this project. If one goes to the beginning of the webcomic and reads through it, and also follows the comments, one could see the sometimes wandering nature of how this has been presented.
The work itself appeals to me with its spectacular draftsmanship and mysterious storytelling. To be honest, some of it I just don't get, but in this case that adds to my interest. The art is fantastic, I happen to like black and white, and he has some great technique. Often there are depictions of horrible cruelty and violence, that I'm sure many would find offensive. Though the fact that much, certainly not all, of the violence is shown with female victims is scary, it seems the intent is to show the horror that people (so to speak) are capable of, rather than to arouse perversions. Again, the presentations are often obtuse, and the deeper meaning I think it contains can be obscured by the images that are first seen. This reminds me in several ways of the early days of HM magazine, where powerful stories were told in ways beautiful and often incomprehensible, and sometimes vicious and unsettling.
I'm looking forward to seeing it completed, then looking at it over and over to try to find more of what's inside it. I was encouraged to hear that he has a line on publishing it, I'm really interested in owning this on the printed page. I'll believe it when I see it, but there's something for me to look forward to.
If you're able to read through some renderings of horror and incomprehensible meanings, I'd recommend this, and if you're interested in supporting a struggling artist you should consider donating to his cause.
He posted some images and links on the old HM website forums, which got my attention, and I continued to follow it. Over these many months it's had success and attention on his site rise and fall. It's my impression that he's been frustrated by its inability to grow its success, which seems understandable given my impression of his considerable ambition for this project. If one goes to the beginning of the webcomic and reads through it, and also follows the comments, one could see the sometimes wandering nature of how this has been presented.
The work itself appeals to me with its spectacular draftsmanship and mysterious storytelling. To be honest, some of it I just don't get, but in this case that adds to my interest. The art is fantastic, I happen to like black and white, and he has some great technique. Often there are depictions of horrible cruelty and violence, that I'm sure many would find offensive. Though the fact that much, certainly not all, of the violence is shown with female victims is scary, it seems the intent is to show the horror that people (so to speak) are capable of, rather than to arouse perversions. Again, the presentations are often obtuse, and the deeper meaning I think it contains can be obscured by the images that are first seen. This reminds me in several ways of the early days of HM magazine, where powerful stories were told in ways beautiful and often incomprehensible, and sometimes vicious and unsettling.
I'm looking forward to seeing it completed, then looking at it over and over to try to find more of what's inside it. I was encouraged to hear that he has a line on publishing it, I'm really interested in owning this on the printed page. I'll believe it when I see it, but there's something for me to look forward to.
If you're able to read through some renderings of horror and incomprehensible meanings, I'd recommend this, and if you're interested in supporting a struggling artist you should consider donating to his cause.
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