Tagged: Books

Banned Comic Books for Banned Books Week

  • News
  • September 30, 2012

(In honor of Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6, 2012) we are reprinting this list from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and will be reprinting lots of stuff from them over the coming week to highlight their efforts. Donate now! —CM)

Banned Books Week is upon us, and it’s telling that the event is more relevant than ever in its 30th year. Given their visual nature and the rampantly held misconception that comic books are for children, comics are among the most challenged and banned books in libraries and schools. Let’s take a look at some frequently challenged and banned comics…

Amazing Spider-Man: Revelations by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita, Jr., and Scott Hanna

• Location of key challenge: A middle-school library in Millard, Nebraska

• Reason challenged: Sexual overtones

The parent of a 6-year-old who checked out the book filed a complaint and took the story to the media; the parent also withheld the book for the duration of the review process rather than returning it per library policy.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley

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• Location of key challenge: Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio

• Reason challenged: Sexism, offensive language, and unsuited to age group

Despite the challenge, the library retained the book and now holds two copies, which are shelved in the Teen section.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

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• Location of key challenge: The public library in Marshall, Missouri

• Reason challenged: Obscene images

CBLDF wrote a letter to the Marshall library on behalf of Blankets and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, playing a key role in keeping both books on shelves.

Bone by Jeff Smith

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• Location of key challenge: Independent School District 196 in Rosemount, Minnesota

• Reason challenged: Promotion of smoking and drinking

A letter from Jeff Smith decrying the attempted ban of his book was read aloud at the library review committee’s hearing, and the challenge was ultimately rejected by a 10-1 vote, to the praise of Smith and the CBLDF.

Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

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• Location of key challenge: All public school libraries in Wicomico County, Maryland

• Reason challenged: Violence and nudity

The library review committee recommended that the books in the Dragon Ball series, which were recommended by the publisher for ages 13+, be removed from the entire public school library system, including at the high school level.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel 

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• Location of key challenge: The public library in Marshall, Missouri

• Reason challenged: Obscene images

CBLDF wrote a letter to the Marshall library on behalf of Fun Home and Craig Thompson’s Blankets, playing a key role in keeping both books on shelves.

Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes

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• Location of key challenge: A high school in Guilford, Connecticut

• Reason challenged: Profanity, course language, and brief non-sexual nudity

A high school teacher was forced to resign from his job after a parent filed both a complaint with the school and a police complaint against the teacher for lending a high school freshman a copy of Eightball #22, which was later published as the graphic novel Ice Haven.

In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

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• Location of key challenge: Multiple locations

• Reason challenged: Nudity

In the Night Kitchen was not often removed from shelves; instead, librarians censored it by painting underwear or diapers over the genitals of the main character, a precocious child named Mickey.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

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• Location of key challenge: Jessamine County Public Library in Kentucky

• Reason challenged: Sex scenes

Two employees of the Jessamine County Public Library in Kentucky were fired after they took it upon themselves to withhold the library’s copy of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier from circulation because they felt it was pornographic.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

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• Location of key challenge: Pasadena Public Library in Pasadena, California

• Reason challenged: Anti-ethnic and unsuited for age group

Nick Smith of the Pasadena Public Library describes the challenge as being “made by a Polish-American who is very proud of his heritage, and who had made other suggestions about adding books on Polish history… The thing is, Maus made him uncomfortable, so he didn’t want other people to read it. That is censorship, as opposed to parental guidance.”

Neonomicon by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows

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• Location of key challenge: The public library in Greenville, South Carolina

• Reason challenged: Sexual content

Despite giving her 14-year-old daughter permission to check out the book, which was appropriately shelved in the adult section of the library, a mother filed a complaint, claiming the book was “pornographic.” CBLDF wrote a letter in support of the book, but it remains out of circulation pending review.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon

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• Location of key challenge: Various

• Reason challenged: Sexual content

Despite receiving high praise from the ALA and Booklist and featuring a cast consisting of animals, the book has been challenged at libraries for sexual content.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists

• Location of key challenge: Various

• Reason challenged: Anti-family themes, offensive language, and unsuited for age group

When asked about how he felt when Sandman was labelled unsuitable for teens, Gaiman responded, “I suspect that having a reputation as adult material that’s unsuitable for teens will probably do more to get teens to read Sandman than having the books ready and waiting on the YA shelves would ever do.”

SideScrollers by Matthew Loux

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• Location of key challenge: The public school district in Enfield, Connecticut

• Reason challenged: Profanity and sexual references

The school district removed the book from non-compulsory summer reading lists, possibly violating its own review policy, which states in part that “no parent nor group of parents has the right to negate the use of educational resources for students other than his/her own child.” CBLDF wrote a letter in support of the book and is still awaiting a response from the school board.

Stuck in the Middle, edited by Ariel Schrag

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• Location of key challenge: The public school system in Dixfield, Maine

• Reason challenged: Language, sexual content, and drug references

CBLDF wrote a letter in support of the book, and the school board voted to leave the book on library shelves with the caveat the students must have parental permission to check out the book. “While we’re pleased to see the book retained in the library’s collection, we’re very disappointed that it is retained with restrictions,” said Executive Director Charles Brownstein.

Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse

• Location of key challenge: Montgomery County Memorial Library System, Texas

• Reason challenged: Depiction of homosexuality

The book was challenged alongside 15 other young adult books with gay positive themes. The book was ultimately retained in the Montgomery County system, but was reclassified from Young Adult to Adult.

Tank Girl by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett

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• Location of key challenge: Hammond Public Library in Hammond, Indiana

• Reason challenged: Nudity and violence

The Tank Girl books are meant to entertain an adult audience, frequently depicting violence, flatulence, vomiting, sex, and drug use. After the 2009 challenge, the Hammond Public Library chose to retain the book, and it remains on shelves today.

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

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• Location of key challenge: Various

• Reason challenged: Nudity, sexual content, and unsuited to age group

When the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom released their list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011, the second-most challenged book on that list was The Color of Earth, the first book of a critically-acclaimed Korean manwha, or comic book, series.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

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• Location of key challenge: Various

• Reason challenged: Unsuited to age group

Watchmenreceived a Hugo Award in 1988 and was instrumental in garnering more respect and shelf space for comics and graphic novels in libraries and mainstream bookstores. The inclusion of Watchmen in school library collections has been challenged by parents at least twice, according to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Given their visual nature, graphic novels and comic books are among the most-challenged books in libraries and schools. CBLDF is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week, which takes place September 30 – October 6, 2012. Please help support CBLDF’s defense of your right to read by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

Related articles

Marc Alan Fishman: Comics Are Good For Learnin’

So it came to my attention by way of an amazingly nice lass that some forward thinking teacher-types are slowly coming around the bend. Yup, they are looking toward comic books, those evil things, as potential fodder for their classrooms. Gasp! And, as it would seem, this very nice girl asked me – little old me – to give my two cents on the matter. And because I love killing two birds with one stone, I figured this outta make a great li’l rant to share with you, my adoring public. Of course, I realize now I admitted to the glee I feel when I commit aviaricide. Well, there went my fan-base. Tally ho!

I know back in the olden days, comics were largely seen as kitchy wastes of ink and paper. Kids buried in them were potentially violent sociopaths just waiting to commit crimes of laziness. But by the time I was in school they were starting to be called graphic novels. Thanks in large part to the artsy works of Art Spiegelman, Joe Kuburt, and Will Eisner, the medium as a whole was slowly pulling itself out of the low-bro.

That being said, I was never assigned a graphic novel to read for a class. Nor was I able to select one for independent book reports or the like. Even within the realm of studio art classes I was nixed the ability to cite Alex Ross as a major influence without scoffs. But as Bob Dylan sings, “The times, they are a changin’.”

If I were to suggest opening up a classroom to comics, well, it’s a simple issue – do it. Comics are easily one of the best gateways to literacy I can think of. Truth be told, the first books our parents read us (and I’m reading to my own boy now) are gloriously illustrated. Dr. Seuss, a one-time newspaper comics guy, is just panel borders away from sharing shelf space with Daniel Clowes. In the earliest of classroom settings I’d start with the recognizable. Art Baltazar and Franco’s Tiny Titans is as accessible a comic as I know of. But more than just being kid friendly, the book is funny, bright, and charming. So much so that I was an avid reader of it long before I was even married, let alone a father. And because it uses semi-recognizable super hero sidekicks, it’s easy for kids to relate, and learn to read.

Tiny Titans aside, there’s always Jeff Smith’s tome of toonage, Bone. The long running series blends laughs, mysteries, and adventure. If kids can’t find something to love there? Well, then I’ll eat my hat. Come to think of it, I don’t own hats anymore. Note to self…

Beyond the early readers, the always-tough-to-please nine year olds (perhaps through 13 or 14?) are going to start dividing themselves. Girls have cooties. Boys are messy. The division of the sexes may make many a teacher feel like comic books will degrade into the capes and cowls for the boys and leave nothing for the girls. Nay, I say. Nay! Both the boys and girls can take heed that I myself grew to love comics at this tender age due to the long-running Archie series. And Archie, unlike his more heroic counterparts, seems to have found a way to stay with the times, without diverging into the too-real, too-gritty, or too-angsty. Consider also the Adventures of TinTin. Long before it was a computer-animated movie, it was a comic. A great comic. And don’t we all laugh a bit when we recount the Scrooge McDuck comics of yesteryear? That book was doing Inception long before Chris Nolan was firing up the vomit-comet to film anti-gravity fight scenes.

The real meat and potatoes for me though come right at adolescence. Here, our kids are primed to learn that comics are more than just good fun. The Pulitizer Prize-winning Maus (by the aforementioned Spiegelman), Jew Gangster (by the late and beyond-great Kubert), and A Contract With God (by Will Eisner) all help teach that the medium of comics transcends the super power set. And sure, they all hold quite a bit of Jewish lore to them… so allow me to expand beyond Judaica.

Mike Gold himself turned me on to Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Kings in Disguise by Dan E. Burr. They are both amazing reads. And please, don’t get me wrong – comics at this tender age need not be without a twinge of the supernatural. Watchmen might as well be a high school freshman class in and of itself. Frank Miller’s Sin City and or 300 are far better on page than on screen, and on screen they were both pretty amazing.

And let’s not leave Marvel out of this. Kurt Busiek’s Marvels singlehandedly brought me out of a four year freeze of comic book reading. It’s insightful, and a beautiful take on super heroes from the human perspective. And I’ve little column space left to suggest even more here… Empire by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson, Astro City, Batman: Year One, Runaways and Y: The Last Man all spring to mind. But I digress.

Suffice to say, introducing comics to a literature program shouldn’t be that hard to tackle. The fact is the medium itself makes open discussion far easier to instigate. More work to enjoy than watching a movie, without the scariness of endless pages without something beyond words to look at means less barrier to entry. For those learning to read (or who have trouble with it) comics are a gateway drug to amazing new worlds. For those already well versed in literature, comics offer an endless string of independent authors bringing original takes on the world that combine their plots with art that tends to force us to stop and appreciate. Akin to indie films, comics at any age offer more than the commercial world. Thanks to a bit of knowledge gained at this year’s Harvey Awards (thank you, Ross Ritchie), I leave on this thought:

 “The French codified it well: they call it “The Ninth Art.” The first is architecture, the second sculpture. The third painting, the fourth dance, then there’s music, poetry, cinema, and television. And ninth is comic books.”

Now, the question is: if it is indeed the ninth art of our world, comics should not be considered for the classroom. They should be compulsory.

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

 

Ray Dillon / Artist & Writer: My wife, Renae De Liz, is going to be okay, but she is in the hospital. :(

  • News
  • June 10, 2012
Spreading the word: Renae De Liz, the creator behind Womanthology, is in the hospital, according to husband Ray Dillon:
Hi, everyone-

Been avoiding saying anything publicly because I didn’t want to cause worry prematurely and wanted to make sure I had more information and talked to our immediate family first.
Renae is recovering right now, just very slowly.
She has an infection that has spread into her blood and kidneys, as well as pneumonia and some other things we’re worried about, but I don’t want to say anything there until test results are back. As of today she’s doing a bit better and we’re told after perhaps a week in the Critical Care Unit she should be mostly recovered. It got really bad and we almost lost her. :( Been a very rough couple of weeks. We’re behind in work, income, communication, and our nerves are just shot from all this. (I can’t even think about the likely $30k or more in medical bills we’re racking up here with no health insurance and we don’t qualify for assistance…)
So, please understand that we’re unable to get back to everyone checking in on current or future projects, Womanthology copies, or anything else right now. Please give us 2-3 weeks. I’ll do my best during that time, but can’t promise to get back to everyone. Renae will likely be in CCU for a week or more, not sure how long she’ll be in a recovery room after that. My focus is taking care of her and the kids during this (which I can’t do at the same time because Critical Care doesn’t allow kids).
I just can’t keep up on all these messages right now, but I’ll do my best. If you could help by spreading the word so no one out there is getting frustrated by not hearing back from us sooner that would be amazing. Particularly on Womanthology. If you happen to see someone asking about it, please direct them here and to the updates on the Womanthology Kickstarter Updates page, which should answer all questions. Books and other rewards are in process as quickly as we can get them out. Most of them are done! But we’re sorry for any delay this might cause, if any. It’s mostly out of our hands at this point and just about everything is already on its way to the backers.So aside from a few pre-scheduled tweets and blogs to keep things running I’ll be away from the computer most of the time for right now.

Huge thank you to Stacie Ponder (check out her movies and comics!) for helping with the kids while I visit Renae and to Renae’s sister Kimberly De Liz (check out her art!) for offering to fly all the way over here to Maine to help with the kids.
And to everyone who already knows and has offered their support and love and everyone who surely will. Thank you.

Get Well Cards!

Oh, and if anyone wanted to send Get Well cards, flowers, chocolate, or anything like that to Renae that would be so sweet! You can send to our home: 18 Killdeer Road, Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107 or directly to her hospital room Mercy Hospital, 144 State Street, Portland Maine, 04101 – Critical Care Unit c/o patient: Renae Dillon. (Keep in mind that is the Critical Care Unit so nothing too elaborate, but once she’s in her recovery room you could send real elephants and stuff). That would make her feel really loved and special (which she is!)

~Ray
www.RenaeDeLiz.com

Are We Taking Donations?

Wow! I’m overwhelmed the amazing support, love, and offers for donations. We’ve even gotten a few already! Wow! Thank you! Generous people!!!!!
The answer is:
Kinda?
Part of me (the scared part) wants to say, “Yes, please help!” But … some of you might remember a few years back, when we lived in Kansas, and we were about to have a baby and things with the home we were trying to buy (and had been living in for a year) fell through and we had to move in 30 days and didn’t know what we were going to do. Back then we asked for donations and took on a ton of commissions and new projects to try to raise the money to save the house. Despite all of our efforts (and yours) it still didn’t work out, but we moved to Maine and life is incredible here and we’re actually glad now that we didn’t stick our roots down there, even if we loved the house.Everyone was SO generous and helpful, and in fact we still owe some commissions from back then (moving across country and having a baby who didn’t sleep for his first 2 years is like jumping in a time warp). So I know we totally don’t want to be the people who are like “We need help AGAIN!” You know? And this is something that we can probably work out. We might be paying these medical bills forever, but it’s not the same as needing to raise a certain amount by a certain time to save a house or to have a major operation to save a life or anything like that. It’s just going to be some really, really bad debt that we were really hoping never to have. Taking a huge bite out of our future plans and the getting ahead of debt that we’ve been hoping to do forever, that’s for sure. BUT, right now we don’t have any dire need and there are a lot of people out there who probably do.

Also I can’t ask Renae our thoughts on this yet. She’d probably think you’re all amazing for wanting to but not want to bother anyone for the help. That’s just who she is.

SO, with that in mind (the fact that we’ve gotten an amazing amount of help before and this isn’t an urgent and dire need … at least not yet … knock on wood) if you still want to help and totally have it to spare (if you’ve got your own financial worries, please take care of you and yours first) then you can donate by clicking this button:

But please read the above information before you do that. We’ll probably be fine without donations, but of course they would help! But there are people who need it more, too. 
You’re all just super incredible people for being so sweet and supportive and wanting to help so much.
THANK YOU!!
~Ray

 

via Ray Dillon / Artist & Writer: My wife, Renae De Liz, is going to be okay, but she is in the hospital. :(.

ALL PULP INTERVIEWS PULP FANTASY AUTHOR NANCY HANSEN ON LATEST BOOK AND IMPRINT!

  • News
  • January 27, 2012

ALL PULP: Nancy, share some background with our readers, both personal and professionally.

NANCY HANSEN: I’ve been an avid reader since a very young age. Writing was always something I was good at; I was that lone kid in the classroom who actually looked forward to the essay questions on the test. When my sons were young and I was a stay-at-home mom, I took that opportunity to explore a lot of creative endeavors in arts and crafts areas. I eventually settled on writing because it worked the best with my busy home life. Once I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, I never looked back.

I took a couple of writing correspondence courses over those years, and put the insight and instructions to good use. Along the way, I taught myself to use a computer, and once we finally got internet (we’re rural) I started looking for like-minded souls. I spent the better part of 5 years as a volunteer moderator for first a big software company’s gardening and landscaping forums, and then Prodigy Internet’s Books and Writing Bulletin Board. In the first forum set I learned quickly how to explain complex ideas and instructions within the context of a limited space, and with the second position honed my writing skills while learning from the pros and helping a lot of new writers get started. From that latter experience came some long lasting friendships with other writers that remain to this day, as well as a lot of the story material I am mining now. I wrote a lot of poetry back then also, and managed to win a couple of local awards. So I was living the writing life, though the mainstream publishing field was always a dead end for me.

I have a very diverse household with three generations under one roof, and it gets hectic. Now that my sons are adults, I have more time to pursue writing. Because of that, most of my professionally published work has happened in the last couple of years. I’m another one of those overnight success stories that only took 20+ years in the making…
AP: THE TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS, your latest release, is a short story collection.  What can you share about the characters and tales found within its pages?

NH: The initial story, The Arcane Codex, was the first and it was based on a vivid dream I had. My dreams tend to be in color and very cinematic, like movie trailers, and they even have background music. I did what you’re supposed to do if you’re a serious writer; I sat up in bed, and jotted it all down. It was just the very beginning of a tale, but it was enough to build upon. Later on, I decided to set it in that familiar sword & sorcery fantasy world I had created years ago where many of my stories—including my novel FORTUNE’S PAWN—take place. Since music was part of the dream, the idea of roving bards as teachers and keepers of the history of their land became appealing, and I just ran with it. Little by little I’ve been fleshing our their part of the overarching world, giving each bard a tale of his or her own, with a common thread binding them all. That’s what this book is, an introduction to the world of these restlessly footloose musicians, poets, singers, and keepers of the lore. Within those pages you will find three distinct stories about the adventures of three different bards.

AP: This is also the debut of your own author based imprint via Pro Se-Hansen’s Way.  First, tell us how it feels to have such a body of work that you’ve been given your own imprint?

NH: There are times when it is mindboggling, and I’m surprised I can keep the details straight. I keep wondering if the well will run dry, but I never seem to run out of ideas. It does help to have some series diversity amongst the stories so that if X doesn’t seem appealing, or I’m stuck for an idea, I can go write something for Y or Z.

Over the years I have kept writing down story concepts and shoving them in files, with the idea I would sit down someday and flesh them all out. Some were actually finished tales, others no more than a few sentences. I remember when I first hooked up with Pro Se back in the spring of 2010, I told Tommy Hancock I had lot of mothballed stories I could write up and send him, and he said bring it on! I don’t think he was expecting 21 short stories from me that year! LOL He was a very good sport about it, and encouraged me to keep sending them in. Many of them were set in that same world, just different places and characters.

When I was approached about having my own imprint—which is an honor for someone who previous to 2010 was an unknown writer—I immediately thought about all those Terran World short stories, and bringing them in under one banner. I have 5 different series amongst those right now; each series with its own unique setting and recurring characters, and there have been some crossover characters and settings between them. It just makes more sense to keep them under one flagship imprint than scattering them hither and yon in other publications. I have other series that I write outside this world setting that will still be appearing elsewhere, as well as full length novels and other projects. So I’m going to be quite busy!

AP: What is the direction or guiding mission of Hansen’s Way?  What do you hope to do with the imprint?
NH: The main thing for now is getting these 5 story lines off the ground and establishing characters and settings, and hopefully a loyal following of readers. What I hope to do down the road is interest other authors in contributing stories that fit within the concepts of each separate series title and the overall Terran World. For the present time I have enough backlog of work that I can fill anthologies fairly easily. When the time comes that I can’t keep up, and I feel enough reading material is out there that interested writers should have a good grasp of how to handle these series, I’ll send out the call for submissions. It’ll be a while though! I have not yet plumbed the depths of my files.
AP:   You’re fairly a newcomer to Pulp.  What about Pulp appeals to you, a fantasy writer.
NH: I am relatively new to both pulp writing and the published work, though I have been a big Robert E. Howard fan for many years. I didn’t really know anything about pulp per se, just that I loved Howard’s breathless pacing and direct approach to getting a story told. I’ve always been an avid fan of the epic/heroic swashbuckling adventure fantasy—could never get enough of that. It’s the kind of thing that works so well for pulp, which is big on action and heroes. If it’s got magic and swordplay, mythological creatures and a big otherworldly backdrop, I’m in!

Now that I’ve written on both sides of the line, I can say that the fundamental difference between mainstream fantasy and pulp fantasy is that pacing. The mainstream books tend to be very long, with convoluted plots and some sort of hero’s quest involved. Pulp is generally shorter, more straightforward, and a simpler plot that is easily satisfied in 200 pages or less. Both share a tendency for recurring characters in series stories, and that ‘larger than life’ hero opposing some arch villainous force over the course of the story.

Now that I’ve had a chance to write to a pulp audience, I find I prefer that quick pacing with shorter intervals between action scenes. Even reading mainstream fantasy now, I get impatient when the story plods through some long introspective moments. I don’t mind those sections as long as the action doesn’t bog down while our heroine is discovering her destiny. Keep that bow twanging during the breathless chase across the tundra while you’re soul searching and it makes for a far more exciting read, and you still get the point across.

AP:  Readers of Fantasy and/or Pulp, what will they find that they love in TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS?
NH: In all my fantasy writing these days, I tread a tightrope between what I know the mainstream fantasy readers are looking for and what the pulp world expects. I don’t want to alienate either camp, because at the end of the day, all I want to do is tell a good story well. With the Vagabond Bards, which are not necessarily a fighting group, it’s been a real test of skill to make the stories appeal to the mainstream fantasy reader, who will have certain expectation; and yet maintain that headlong excitement throughout that pulp fans crave. Mainstream fans want a complex world setting with plenty of details and characters they can relate to and cheer along. Pulp readers want a wild ride with lots of action and adventure. So since I already have that big world behind all this, it comes down to characters and plot.

What this book has is three unique and separate tales of three different bards doing what they do best—using their talents and knowledge to help and educate the folks around them. I think what really shines in these is the characters themselves, and their dedication to what they do, and to each other. Each bard has a distinct personality, some claim to fame, and a background history, and yet they are brought together by a common cause. The three adventures are very different and not at all tame: a desperate attempt to secure a handwritten book of history before it is confiscated, a frantic search for a talented young boy before something happens to him that will alter his life forever, and a rather comical and poignant ‘rescue’ attempt for a local thief by the man who loves her and the bard who gets dragged into the whole sordid mess. If you love good old fashioned adventures in a world where magic and religion are often at odds, you’re not going to want to miss this book.
AP: What are your future plans for the Bards?
NH: Definitely more tales! I’ve barely begun to plumb their depths yet. I’ve brought in some new bard characters along the way that are begging for their own stories. What works well about these is that because they are not your typical fantasy action hero out swinging a sword or flinging spells, there is room for all ages and abilities to have a starring role. For instance, within this book, I have mentioned both a senior female bard and a young boy who will be joining them in the not distant future, and both could easily be featured in their own adventure stories. I see no reason why I can’t use a blind or disabled character, someone with a checkered past (done that once already in fact), bards with varying ethnic or gender identities, or addiction issues (ditto, though it’s outlined in another series). That’s one thing that is fun about these characters; they open a lot of possibilities.

I’ve already mentioned the idea of bringing in other writers to the imprint at some point, and it’s very likely that the Vagabond Bards series is going to be the first place that happens. I think the whole nature of having a rotating cast works very well for that. This is the one series under the imprint where other writers would have a good opportunity to create a brand new character. I’m really looking forward to seeing what others can come up with when we get that far.
AP:  If you had to point out one thing about your writing that you hope readers take away from reading one of your books, what would that be?
NH: Actually, I have a couple of goals…

First of all, I like to make the point that everyday people can still do extraordinary things. Throughout my writing, many of my heroic characters don’t fit the mold of ‘superb physical specimen’ that you see quite often in pulp. Some of them have nagging emotional issues, less than ideal appearance, there are various vices mentioned—and a few are downright flawed. I do that on purpose, because I want these characters to resonate with readers, so that instead of seeing someone whose looks and personality are superhuman and unattainable, they remind you of someone you know, and can feel comfortable with. So when the character does rise to the occasion, you’re right there with them, wrapped up in that situation, cheering her or him on.

I want my villains to have real motivation, something that while it might be skewed thinking, is understandable. That’s how it is in the real world. We’re judged on our deeds today, but our background plays a long way into what we’ve become. Don’t worry, these scoundrels are nasty and you’re going to want to see them get their due, but it’s understood there is more reason to their madness than this is someone who is pure evil incarnate.

Most important of all, I want to tell some rousing good tales. While a story can uplift, enlighten, and make you think, it should also be entertaining. That’s the most important part of fiction writing as far as I’m concerned. I want you to shut that cover at the end of a book feeling good about what you read, and a little sad that it’s over. If I can accomplish that, then I’ve done what I set out to do: write the kind of stories I love to read.

JOHN OSTRANDER: The Digital Rubicon

A very intelligent man, one Dennis O’Neil (who you will also find here on ComicMix), and I were talking once about comics’ future. He noted that comics didn’t have to survive. Like the dinosaur, they could die out. Early cars had places for buggy whips; I doubt that you’ll find that feature on your car today. Food we need, water we need, air and so on. Story we need, I think, but comics as a venue for story? Not necessarily.

It’s no secret that comics sales are declining. The numbers of readers are declining, the numbers of stores are declining, the amount of cash being made is declining. It happened once before when comics were sold only on the newsstand, back in the Neolithic Era for you who are too young to remember. What saved it then was the Direct Market but that’s now killing it; the market is constricting and the numbers of readers are finite. What may save it this time is going digital – comics here on the web.

The reason is this is where the eyeballs are. As a product in comic books stores, comics are a very specific market – a destination shop for those who already know the product exists. The problem with selling comics on the internet is that will inevitably undercut the brick and mortar retailers, just as e-books are doing. (Amazon now says it sells more e-books than physical ones.) I love comic book stores. I admire the retailers who have put their hard work and passion into building businesses that cater to we the fans. I’ve made a living for more than twenty years because these people sell my stuff (and, okay, some other stuff, too). However, it’s going to happen. Comics are headed for the digital market big time.

Up until now, the majors have been releasing some titles on the web after the onsale date in stores but that changes in September. DC is renumbering its books and relaunching and all that but, to me, the bigger story is that they’re crossing the Digital Rubicon and putting everything on sale digitally the same day they’re in the stores. If that is successful, expect lots more companies to follow, big and small.

The big question in my mind is – will people buy comics on the web? If so, how much are they willing to pay? If all that happens is that those who go to the stores now buy online, this won’t fly. This has to increase the overall market – the number of eyeballs – or it will not only fail, it could sink much of what’s left of the retail market.

I’m thinking it’s part of the reason for the renumbering and rebooting (despite denials from DC) – to make the books more attractive to new readers. It will also attract some national media attention. It’s also necessary. In an era when superhero movies (and movies made from all kinds of comics – i.e. Cowboys And Aliens) attract huge numbers in the theaters, there is clearly a following for these characters. If even a small percentage of that can be attracted to the comics, it would make an enormous difference. I think DC is making a gutsy move.

Make no mistake, however; whatever happens in September, the comics biz won’t be the same. By this time next year, we may know if we’re still viable or making buggy whips.

MONDAY: Mindy Newell

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FORTIER TAKES ON BLOOD OF THE REICH!!

  • News
  • June 29, 2011

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

BLOOD OF THE REICH
By William Dietrich
Harper Books
417 pages
Available July 2011
ISBN 13 – 978-0-06-198918-6

You realize there are books reviewers are predisposed to like by the title alone.  When the good folks at the New York Journal of Books offered to send me this book, it was because I’d already reviewed an earlier book by the same author and liked it a great deal.  But being brutally honest here, I’d forgotten what that title was until they showed me the cover image to “Blood of the Reich.”  Ah, yes, William Dietrich, I thought, the fellow who created that Revolutionary version of Indiana Jones in his first book, “Napoleon’s Hero.”  Yes, I had enjoyed that historical romp and was curious as to what this new stand alone offering might contain in the way of a fun reading experience.

Once I read the marketing copy, I was hooked.  Nazis scientists racing to Tibet in hopes of finding a hidden mystical power in the lost city of Shambhala.  These plot elements scream pulp pleasure and I knew immediately this was my kind of book.  Dietrich’s background as a naturalist and historian allow him to create outlandish plots against authentic, real world settings and it is that richness of historical data that catapults “Blood of the Reich” into action from page one.

In 1938 Kurt Raeder, a German archeologist, is given an assignment by Hitler’s personal advisor, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler.  Raeder and a handful of loyal Nazis scientists are to travel to Tibet, seek out the lost city of Shambhala and there retrieve an ancient power known as Vril.  Himmler and the members of the arcane Thule Society believe this Vril could tip the balance of the coming war in Germany’s favor and fulfill Hitler’s mad dreams of a Third Reich world conquest.

Raeder is an intellectual sadist and the temptation to achieve personal glory, maybe even immortality, through the success of such an undertaking is much too great for him to resist.  And so the mission is launched.  At the same time, American intelligence agencies discover Raeder’s purpose and recruit their own academic agent, zoologist Benjamin Hood, to go after the Nazis and beat them at their own game.  Failing that, he is to sabotage their efforts and assure Vril never becomes a German weapon.

Now this rollicking race across the world is exciting enough but Deitrich ups the ante by creating a second storyline; this one taking place today.  Rominy Pickett is a computer publicist living in Seattle when she is kidnapped by a mysterious, handsome journalist, who claims her life is in danger from Neo-Nazis.  They believe her to be the great granddaughter of Benjamin Hood.  These want-to-be Nazis have uncovered the records of Raeder’s Tibetan mission and hope Rominy will lead them to rediscover what was found in those rugged mountains back in 1938.  Thus is a smart, witty, normal young woman suddenly hurled head first into a life-or-death race around the globe accompanied by a charismatic stranger who appears to be a physical embodiment of all her romantic fantasies.  But is he really her knight-in-shining armor or someone with ulterior motives using her to achieve his own dark agenda?

“Blood of the Reich” is a barn-storming novel that sets its sights high and never fails to deliver on them.  My singular criticism is that the convoluted mystery of Rominy’s past and her evolution from frightened victim to pistol toting survivalist challenged even my willing suspension of disbelief.  Deitrich’s prose is much more accomplished when dealing with the 30s whereas his modern sequences aren’t as assured.  Still, this book has so much pulp goodness within its pages, I can’t help but recommend it enthusiastically.  It would make one hell of a great film. 

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