Tag: comics

CBC Q: Interview with Margaret Atwood

SFFaudio Online Audio

CBC Radio One - Q: The PodcastHost Jian Ghomeshi of CBC Radio One’s Q has an astounding new interview with Margaret Atwood. Atwood’s latest book, In Other Worlds: SF And The Human Imagination, can be found in the “Literary Criticism” section of your local paperbook store.

Gomeshi talked to Atwood about the realistic novel, comics, Weird Tales and the “sluttish” reputation of SF.

In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood

One point in the interview left me confused and asking questions. Atwood claimed that “Conan the Barbarian is the literary descendant of Walt Whitman … and Henry James”.

I am floored.

What the fuck is she talking about?

Seriously, did she misspeak?

Did she mean to say that Robert E. Howard himself was their literary descendant?

Surely she didn’t mean the the character. Either way I don’t get it.

Or maybe she meant the stories themselves were somehow in the tradition of Walt Whitman and Henry James??? How could that be?

No matter how I look at it I don’t see how either Walt Whitman or Henry James ties into Howard. It just doesn’t make any kind of sense to me.

Does anybody know what the hell Atwood meant by that?

Seriously, I do not get it.

Will I have to buy her book to understand this thesis?

Have a listen |MP3|.

Podcast feed: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/qpodcast.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

P.S. CBC, please release Apocalypse Al. You can call it “scientific romance” or something else, just release it.

Inkstuds: Interview with Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra of Y: The Last Man

SFFaudio Online Audio

InkstudsThere’s an interesting 2008 interview with Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, the writer and artist behind Y: the Last Man, right here |MP3|. Here’s the description:

The inkstuds were joined by two stellar creators today. Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra have been doing Y the Last Man for the 5 years, and just released the last issue of their acclaimed series. It was a really neat chat about there collaborative work and the series.

Y: The Last Man - Collection 1

Posted by Jesse Willis

Inkstuds: Interview with Nick Abadzis about Laika

SFFaudio Online Audio

InkstudsI’m reading a terrific graphic novel called Laika. That’s writer/artist Nick Abadzis’s fictionalized history of the little Soviet dog who became the first Terran in space. The art is nicely stylized, the colours are wonderful, and the story is very moving. Here’s a vintage podcast interview (2007) that was broadcast on CiTR and podcast by Inkstuds |MP3|. Here’s the description:

“To celebrate 50 years of the Space Age, Nick Abadzis joined us to discuss his new book, Laika. Laika is a wonderful piece of historical fiction, looking at the history of the first animal in space, the Russian dog, Laika. Published by First Second books, Laika is a great insite in the world of coldwar USSR and some of the unique characters that surrounded this special event.”

Laika by Nick Abadzis

Laika by Nick Abadzis

Posted by Jesse Willis

How John Carter Got To Mars

SFFaudio Online Audio

I’ve been hankering to read A Princess Of Mars ever since I heard Ray Bradbury explain how John Carter got to Mars. Bradbury described the scene in the novel saying:

“He wished himself there.”

I love that.

I’ve extracted and abridged the scene itself from the audiobook (it runs over three chapters) into this eleven minute |MP3| (the narration is by Mark Douglas nelson).

Here’s the newspaper strip’s three panel explanation:

How John Carter got to Mars

Here’s Jesse Marsh’s six panel explanation:

How John Carter got to Mars in six panels

Here’s the old Marvel Comics explanation – [update: art by Gil Kane] (done in an eight panel flashback):

John Carter Warlord Of Mars - Eight Panel Explanation

UPDATE: Here’s a 14 panel explanation as appeared in DC Comics’ Tarzan Family No. 65 (1976):

Tarzan Family No. 65

The Dynamite Entertainment adaptation was spread over two issues (and 15 panels):

Dynamite Entertainment - Warlord Of Mars - illustration by Stephen Sadowski

The trailer for the 2012 film version (currently called Disney’s John Carter), has none other than Michael Chabon working on it. The soundtrack written by Arcade Fire and performed by Peter Gabriel is entitled My Body Is A Cage:

BONUS: Carl Sagan on Mars and Burroughs:

[via StereoGum and JohnColemanBurroughs.com]

UPDATE: Murray Anderson’s version from Weird Worlds, Vol 1., #1, Aug-Sep 1972:
Weird Worlds, Vol. 1, #1

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga

SFFaudio Review

Horror Audiobook - The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay BonansingaThe Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor
By Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga; Read by Fred Berman
10.5 Hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: 2011
Themes: / Horror / Zombies / Survival / Post-apocalypse / Evil /

“It may be confidently asserted that no man chooses evil, because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.” — Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Men

Because I enjoyed the TV series so much, I was eager to listen to this. My expectations were not too high because (1) it’s a media tie-in and (2) it’s an origin story. Those are not a pair of my very favorite things, but I’m delighted to report that this is a very good novel. There is plenty of zombie mayhem, but foremost this is a horror story in the tradition of Stephen King. In other words, it’s not about the zombies but about people and what monsters bring out in them.

It’s also a satisfying origin story. I knew going in that The Governor (Philip Blake) was an exceptional bad guy. The story of his journey from normalcy to that level of bad could not have been an easy story to tell, but job well done. It was both compelling and surprising. Most importantly, I found the characters and their actions believable. Often reprehensible, sometimes jaw-dropping, but believable. As Philip Blake, his brother, his daughter, and others make their way to Atlanta in their suddenly changed and extremely violent world, I was forced to ask myself what I’d do in their situation, and I wasn’t always comfortable with my answers.

As far as I know, this is the first time I’ve heard a Fred Berman narration. There’s a lot of grisly uncomfortable stuff here, and I can’t imagine another narrator handling it better. I look forward to hearing him again soon. I’m not ready for another intense zombie novel, though. Maybe he’s narrated something with puppies.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson