tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34500310048207867242024-03-13T13:59:48.942-07:00An Age Undreamed OfJeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-43190737618199545402015-09-22T10:59:00.002-07:002015-09-23T17:31:25.662-07:00My Comments on the Cimmerian BlogAt one time the Cimmerian Blog was the cream of the crop for online Robert E. Howard scholarship and I was very proud to be a contributor there in 2009-2010. Since closing down that year the blog has remained online as an archive of scholarship, hosted by the owner Leo Grin. <br />
<br />
This weekend I learned that owner had posted a political rant attacking one of the other bloggers, Barbara Barrett, and endorsing controversial science ficiton writer Theodore Beale (a.k.a. Vox Day) founder of the Rabid Puppies group that tried to hijack the Hugo Awards this year. The wording of his rant in the first person plural makes it sound as though all of the other bloggers endorsed this action as well as the ideology of Vox Day. This is <strong>not</strong> the case at all. <br />
<br />
I was <strong>not</strong> consulted about this and I do <strong>not</strong> in anyway endorse Leo Grin's comments or the beliefs of Vox Day and the Rabid Puppies. <b>Howard fandom and studies needs to remain apolitical </b>-- and yes that applies to all the parties involved. But only one party chose to involve me without my consent.<br />
<br />
I have asked that my name, image, and posts be removed from the site and Leo has complied. I will likely be reposting some of my less-dated material here as time permits in the weeks to come. I am very saddened that this had to happen and that what was once a great REH blog has been tarnished by such divisive politicization.<br />
<br />
That said. there are amazing things happening in Howard fandom and scholarship now and coming in the future. We will not let this petty nonsense get in the way of that great work. Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-67714302798443334522013-12-06T05:26:00.003-08:002013-12-07T03:48:25.375-08:00Adventures in Pulp Culture: The Year in Review<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Fx09xZgOg/UqHQKlKnu3I/AAAAAAAAGWk/PvdJEbgcF9U/s1600/81Aa-HUx1LL__SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Fx09xZgOg/UqHQKlKnu3I/AAAAAAAAGWk/PvdJEbgcF9U/s320/81Aa-HUx1LL__SL1500_.jpg" width="200" /></a>This has been a great year for me in my ongoing quest to promote pulps and comics in cultural studies and I thought it might be a good time to take a look back at my 2013 escapades. <span id="goog_966232483"></span><span id="goog_966232484"></span><br />
<br />
Let me start with a plug for my lastest publication that hit the shelves last month. My buddy Mark Finn and I co-wrote a exhaustive article entitled "Vaqueros and Vampires in the Pulps" discussing the weird westerns of Robert E. Howard and his role as a pioneer in that popular hybrid genre. <br />
<br />
The article appears as the opening chapter of the collection <em>Undead in the West II: They Just Keep Coming</em> from Scarecrow Press. This is a really fun book -- not a dry academic tome -- with an introduction from the legendary SF author Willian Nolan (Logan's Run) and articles on Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen King, <em>The Walking Dead</em>, and other icons of the weird wacky west. Check it out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Undead-West-II-They-Coming/dp/0810892642" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
More after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oTrzneah1K4/UqHSiuj5swI/AAAAAAAAGWw/v9FCSJKeVlI/s1600/conan+academy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oTrzneah1K4/UqHSiuj5swI/AAAAAAAAGWw/v9FCSJKeVlI/s1600/conan+academy.jpg" /></a>I had two more scholarly articles appear earlier this year as well. The first was my article "Hyborian Archaeology: Unearthing Historical and Anthropological Foundations" that appeared in the collection <em>Conan Meets the Academy: Multidisciplinary Essays on the Enduring Barbarian</em> from McFarland Press. More info <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conan-Meets-Academy-Multidisciplinary-Barbarian/dp/0786461527" target="_blank">here</a> and you can check out Brian Murphy's review <a href="http://thesilverkey.blogspot.com/2013/02/conan-meets-academy-multidisciplinary.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
In this I discuss Howard's use of then current ideas on history, anthropology, geology, and archaeology as the framework for his world-building (much as Tolkein used mythology and philology) -- a topic which I plan on expanding into a book-length treatment in the near future. This article won the 2013 Hyrkanian Award for Best Essay from the Robert E. Howard Foundation, an honor for which I am extremely grateful.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-exoLKTt3WQY/UqHzcriIKDI/AAAAAAAAGXA/ipkHlXh-TK0/s1600/criticalinsights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-exoLKTt3WQY/UqHzcriIKDI/AAAAAAAAGXA/ipkHlXh-TK0/s320/criticalinsights.jpg" width="214" /></a>In May, my article on Robert E. Howard's development of the sword and sorcery genre, "History, Horror, and Heroic Fantasy" appeared as the opening chapter (there's a pattern here) in <em>Critical Insights: Pulp Fiction of the 1920s and 30s</em>. This <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-1920s-1930s-Critical-Insights/dp/1429838272" target="_blank">volume</a> from Salem Press is edited by Gary Hoppenstand, one of the leading scholars in popular culture studies and the longtime editor of the <em>Journal of Popular Culture</em>. Along with my chapter, there are contributions from renowned H. P. Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi and the 2013 Munsey Award winner Garyn Roberts. The Critical Insights series is aimed at introducing students to the latest critical scholarship in various literary areas, in this case early 20th century pulp ficition. <br />
<br />
I also hit the convention and conference scene this year, beginning with the Popular Culture Associaction National Conference in Washington D.C. last March. Mark Finn and I have have been regulars in the Pulp Studies area for the last several years and this year we were joined by our fellow Howardists, Rusty Burke and Chris Gruber. You can can read about our exploits in my <a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2013/04/2013-pcaaca-pulp-studies-trip-report.html" target="_blank">trip report</a>, but suffice to say the Pulp Studies Area is blowing up at PCA. I am now the co-chair of Pulp Studies and so have the opportunity to take a more active role in shaping the subject area at PCA in the future. We're already looking foward to an amazing line up for the 2014 conference in Chicago.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.reporternews.com/media/img/photos/2013/06/07/78522_t607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://media.reporternews.com/media/img/photos/2013/06/07/78522_t607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">REH in the Comics panel with (left to right) Al Harron, Tim <br />
Truman, and me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up was Robert E. Howard Days in June. Again you can read more in my <a href="http://rehtwogunraconteur.com/?p=23225" target="_blank">trip report</a> at the REH: Two-Gun Raconteur blog. This was a great Howard Days. The theme was REH in the comics and the guest of honor was the legendary Tim Truman, current writer of the Dark Horse King Conan series. As a special bonus, Tim's frequent collaborator and partner-in-crime, Joe R. Lansdale showed up as well. Getting to hang out and be on panels with Joe and Tim in the hometown of Robert E. Howard. was a helluva good time and made for a Howard Days that won't soon be forgotten.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/GfpnImY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://i.imgur.com/GfpnImY.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Chad Coleman and publisher J. David Spurlock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In August I attended the Tampa Bay Comic Con where the organizers asked me to moderate some panels. I spent much of the time hanging out with Hugh Howey, author of the NY Times best-selling WOOL series, a post-apocolyptic SF hit that I highly recommend if you haven't checked it out yet. I also had dinner with actor Chad Coleman (<em>Walking Dead, The Wire</em>) who was an absolutely engaging and interesting individual. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/eXmzgCU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://i.imgur.com/eXmzgCU.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a panel with Hugh Howey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following week it was off to Worldcon in San Antonio for a week-long extravaganza of nerdery and debauchery. I was on a dozen panels, including one in the academic area where I gace my PCA paper again. I helped set up and man the Robert E. Howard booth in the exhibit hall, bringing many of my own pulps and first editions for display. Therewas a big emphasis on Howard at the convention since he was a Texas writer and it was great to finally see him getting some of the recognition he is due from the SF fandom elite. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/Pp8T1h2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://i.imgur.com/Pp8T1h2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partying with George and Patrice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The highlights of the week included visting with buddy Roger who is a local San Antonio comic and art collector and perusing his amazing collection (Frazetta, BWS, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Eisner, Corben -- you name it!), getting to meet George R. Martin, drinking with "The Hound" (Rory McCann) from Game of Thrones, and finally getting to hang out and party with longtime correspondent Patrice Louinet, the editor of the Del Rey Conan series. Patrice and I had a blast all week and it was a really great time and an amazing experience. <br />
<br />
After that I needed a break, but there are plenty of exciting new projects on the horizon, including my article of the Mexican Conan comics from the 1950s and 60s being published in the December issue of <em>Foreign Comic Collector</em> magazine.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/xnwgbrm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i.imgur.com/xnwgbrm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the weird westerns panel with Joe Lansdale, Scott Cupp,<br />
and Rusty Burke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of the projects I'm most excited about is a collection of critical essays on <em>Weird Tales</em> magazine with Justin Everett. This will be a part of S. T. Joshi's Studies in Supernatural Literature series from Scarecrow Press and should be out by the end of next year if all goes well. This is a book that I have had in mind for some time and I have assembled an outstanding list of contributors, including some longtime pulp scholars as well as some of the newer, younger academics that have been giving papers at PCA.<br />
<br />
I'm also going to be working on a illustrated Conan encyclopedia and a gazeteer of Howard's boxing universe (yes, that is a thing) with several other noted Howard scholars. I'm also in the process of putting together a series of anthologies of pulp reprint stories, beginning with a collection of zombie tales that should be finished after Christmas. Next year should be a great year for pulp studies and for yours truly. <br />
<br />
Hope every one has a great holiday season!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/GiSjo4m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://i.imgur.com/GiSjo4m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-57006295695447668602013-12-03T16:19:00.000-08:002013-12-05T06:48:19.634-08:00Gouged Eyes and Chawed Ears: Breckinridge Elkins Video PodcastMy previous <a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2013/03/creating-age-undreamed-of-video-podcast.html" target="_blank">video podcast</a> of my 2011 PCA/ACA presentation was well-received when I posted it earlier this year, so I've decided to give the same treatment to my 2012 paper. The subject is Robert E. Howard's humorous westerns featuring Breckinridge Elkins, looking at the ways in which Howard used violence as a comedic motif in the tradition of 19th century frontier humor. In particular I use the theme of rough-and-tumble fighting in the Breck stories as an example of this humorous violence. This presentation began as an essay in my first <a href="http://www.rehupa.com/" target="_blank">REHupa</a> fanzine in 2010, then expanded into an article for <i><a href="http://rehtwogunraconteur.com/?page_id=926" target="_blank">REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #15</a></i>, and finally revised again for PCA. Hope you all enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/FD_aEC-i530/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FD_aEC-i530?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FD_aEC-i530?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-13147772666796570642013-06-19T07:42:00.001-07:002013-06-19T07:42:24.696-07:00Robert E. Howard Days 2013 Trip Report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWosyOubDc0/UcHBUiftgvI/AAAAAAAAD70/-iBAjIk8vdI/s1600/REH+Comics+Panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWosyOubDc0/UcHBUiftgvI/AAAAAAAAD70/-iBAjIk8vdI/s400/REH+Comics+Panel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">REH Comics panel: Tim Truman, Al Harron, me, and Mark Finn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After a week-long adventure driving out to Cross Plains, Texas for Robert E. Howard Days 2013, I have finally put together a trip report. It is now posted over at the <a href="http://rehtwogunraconteur.com/" target="_blank">REH: Two-Gun Raconteur</a> blog. Here's a little excerpt:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And with that, the crowd returned once more to the pavilion for the traditional drinking of Shiner Bocks and swappin’ of lies. A number of folks headed over to the front of the house for the poetry reading. I made the rounds for a bit, found Rusty, Chris, and Mark and finished off the rest of the Sullivan with a toast (<em>Slainte</em>!), then settled down to some good conversation. The highlight of the evening of course was the now-legendary no-holds-barred, rough-and-tumble set-to between REH boxing guru Chris Gruber and hall of fame martial artist Joe Lansdale. It was a grueling, brutal display of the manly art against the gentle way as the two locked horns and strove against each of other in a titanic battle of strength and technique. And who was the victor in this magnificent struggle? Well....</blockquote>
<br />
Head on over to the TGR site for the <a href="http://rehtwogunraconteur.com/?p=23225" target="_blank">full write-up</a>.Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-48352383789128841672013-05-29T07:07:00.001-07:002023-09-03T21:04:20.444-07:00La Reina de la Costa Negra: The Mystery of the Mexican Conan Comics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bjQd90d8Pq8/UaYAsZ9YhII/AAAAAAAAAWI/wFUwJG5P3jg/s1600/BLACKCOASTADV_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bjQd90d8Pq8/UaYAsZ9YhII/AAAAAAAAAWI/wFUwJG5P3jg/s320/BLACKCOASTADV_10.jpg" width="247" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The latest iteration of the ongoing monthly Conan series
from Dark Horse (written by Brian Wood) has received a great deal of praise from critics and readers alike for its fresh take on the iconic 80-year old barbarian. However, the series has had mixed reviews from the hardcore Robert E. Howard fans to say the least, and has been the subject
of much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth on various REH-related online
communities. Wood's current adaptation of "Queen of the Black Coast" is
certainly a different approach to the classic story than what most longtime
Conan comics readers are used to. The classic adaptation by Roy Thomas and John
Buscema was a legendary run in the 1970's, spanning over 40 issues in the main
Marvel title and for many the image of Buscema's Bêlit with her fur mono-kini
is iconic. But what few people realize is that nearly a quarter of a century
before Marvel's "Queen of the Black Coast" and six decades before the </span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">current Dark Horse version, the classic story of Conan and his she-pirate lover had already made their comic book debut in an obscure, unauthorized Mexican publication.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPhLCJEPDJY/UaXdAjlrvzI/AAAAAAAAAVc/s6KJ15WFWR8/s1600/1_ReinaDeCostraNegra002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPhLCJEPDJY/UaXdAjlrvzI/AAAAAAAAAVc/s6KJ15WFWR8/s320/1_ReinaDeCostraNegra002.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>La Reina de la Costa Negra</em> #2 (EMA 1958)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">The series "La Reina de la Costa Negra" appeared in several formats in the 1950s and 60s. While Howard's original story was adapted in a few issues, the writers of this version took considerable liberties with the characters and added dozens of issues of pastiche stories. The most unconventional features of these stories included the fact that Bêlit—not Conan—is the lead protagonist and Conan is depicted with blond hair rather than black. The Black Corsairs of Howard's story were also changed to Vikings and first mate N'yaga had his name changed to Yanga. For many years there was very little known about these curious Mexican bootlegs and today they have achieved something like urban myth status among Howard collectors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Supposedly, they first appeared on the radar of US fandom in 1966 when L. Sprague de Camp, then editing the Conan stories for the Lancer paperbacks, learned that the Mexican company Ediciones Joma was publishing a Conan comic book. De Camp contacted the company with the intention of trying to inquire about them, but they never replied and stopped publication (perhaps fearing a lawsuit) (Bacon 3). De Camp seems to have let the matter drop and the knowledge of this series was not circulated within American fandom. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vO3MYT7OPmM/UaYBhR_OFQI/AAAAAAAAAWU/wpLoffI_PlE/s1600/ReinaCostaNegra+16b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vO3MYT7OPmM/UaYBhR_OFQI/AAAAAAAAAWU/wpLoffI_PlE/s320/ReinaCostaNegra+16b.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>La Reina de la Costa Negra</em> #16 (Joma 1965)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Then in 1968 collector Douglas Menville found a copy of <i>La Reina de la Costa Negra</i> #2 in a bookstore (dated October 8, 1958 and published by Ediciones Mexicanas Asocidas or E.M.A.). In 1970, when Marvel began publishing its Conan series, Menville contacted them to let them know about this earlier Conan comic from Mexico, but his letter was never printed or acknowledged. Then more issues began to appear: Roy Thomas acquired photocopies of #3 and #4 (dated October 15 and 22, 1958) and Menville found a copy of #16 published by Joma and dated December 16, 1965 (Menville 53). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">In 1976, Jonathan Bacon acquired a photocopy of #10 (again by Joma) dated October 27, 1965 from Bill Blackbeard at the San Francisco Academy of Art and reproduced it in full for his contribution to the APA fanzine <i>REHupa</i> #21 (Bacon 3, 5ff). </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Bacon mentions the story of De Camp contacting Joma for the first time in print and notes that it was believed that there were around forty issues printed. That same year, Glenn Lord, the executor of the Howard estate, mentioned the series in his Howard bio-bibliography </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">The Last Celt,</i><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> noting that at least forty-five issues were published by Joma in 1965-66 (Lord 333). </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ--FGKaH68/UaXdfdFeRlI/AAAAAAAAAVk/moHMH_mMBhs/s1600/Savage+Sword+of+Conan+%2326+-+Page+42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ--FGKaH68/UaXdfdFeRlI/AAAAAAAAAVk/moHMH_mMBhs/s320/Savage+Sword+of+Conan+%2326+-+Page+42.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred Blosser's article in <em>Savage Sword </em>#26</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">In 1978, the larger comic book community became aware of the series for the first time when Fred Blosser wrote an article for </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Savage Sword of Conan</i><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> #26 describing a copy of</span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> La Reina de la Costa Negra</i><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> #15 he had acquired from Roy Thomas (Blosser). After seeing Blosser’s article, Menville wrote Marvel again. This time Thomas was very interested in his information and made him aware of Bacon’s discovery (Menville 53-54). This led to Menville writing his own article (in <i>Savage Sword</i> #44) about his research into the series and more of the pieces began to fall into place. Menville also noted that issue 16 was a partial adaptation of the original "Queen of the Black Coast" story (55-57).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">So by the late 1970s, several researchers had begun to compare notes and put together the story behind these interesting comics. It appeared at that point that <i>La Reina de la Costa Negra</i> had begun as a weekly series published for a few issues by E.M.A in 1958. Then after a gap of seven years the title had resumed in 1965, this time by Joma, with the break in publication occurring somewhere between #4 and #10. This remained the extent of the knowledge about these curious comics for the next two decades.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KLMbtXur7xE/UaXeBMmBY7I/AAAAAAAAAVs/MwyRM7BZwsU/s1600/CuentosdeAbuelito017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KLMbtXur7xE/UaXeBMmBY7I/AAAAAAAAAVs/MwyRM7BZwsU/s320/CuentosdeAbuelito017.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Cuentos de Abuelito</em> 17 (CEMSA 1952)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Over the years a few more issues were discovered, but it was not until the advent of the internet and eBay that enough issues began to surface to fill in the gaps in the story. It turns out that the Joma series in 1965-66 was not a continuation of the E.M.A. run in 1958, but a completely different series with separate numbering. Then it was discovered that "La Reina de la Costa Negra" had first appeared even earlier in 1952 as a feature in an anthology series called <i>Cuentos de Abuelito</i> (Grandpa’s Stories). This was first pointed out by Paul Herman in <i>The Neverending Hunt</i> in 2006, but his information was incomplete. He noted that a series called <i>Cuentos de Abuelito presents La Reina de la Costa Negra</i>, published by Corporacion Editorial Mexicana S.A. (C.E.M.S.A.), had run for 18 issues in 1952 in a small-size format (4x5½") and that he owned a copy of #17 (502).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">In 2008, Paul Wells, added a more information (and more questions) when he discussed "La Reina de la Costa Negra" in an article on sword and sorcery comics in <i>Alter Ego</i> #80. Using information provided by Ulises Mavrides, a researcher and collector from Mexico, Wells first notes that La Reina appeared in two issues of <i>Cuentos de Abuelito</i>, (13) then later contradicts himself saying that it appeared in issues 8-12 (14). He credits the writers of that story arc as Loa and Victor Rodriguez and the artist as Salvador Lavalle with covers done by Hector "Hecky" Gutierrez. Excerpts from these issues also indicate that they adapt the Howard story, though with Bêlit surviving at the end. The opening panels from #8 show Conan riding down to a port as in the beginning of the original Howard story (14). While Wells does not explicitly say it, this suggests that #8 may have been the first appearance of La Reina and thus the first comic appearance of Conan. That said, he clearly was not aware of the 18 issues that Paul Herman referenced so the question of exactly how many issue of <i>Cuentos</i> there were and how many contained Conan stories was still unclear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy0OVCOD9Cw/UaYB3-Q6nAI/AAAAAAAAAWc/ayz2RXGk_Lo/s400/Ceuntos08panel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening panels of <em>Cuentos de Abuelito</em> #8 adapted form the orginal story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>
</span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Wells did have more information on the two later standalone <i>La Reina de la Costa Negra</i> series. According to his source, Mavrides, the digest-sized (5x7") E.M.A. series ran for 11 weekly issues from 1958-59 (13). Written by Riol de Man, it retooled some of the stories from the earlier <i>Cuentos</i> series with new artwork by Lavalle and Gutierrez (including no small amount of swipes from Joe Kubert’s "Viking Prince" that was running in <i>The Brave and the Bold</i> at the time). </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">The later Joma series (standard comic book size), according to Wells ran for at least 47 issues in 1965 to 1966 (17). The early issues of the Joma series were re-prints of the 1958 E.M.A. series, but new stories by J. Kstro and art by Lavalle were added for the later issues. One of the interesting characteristics of this series is its depiction of violence and gore, which was far more graphic than anything the Comics Code Authority would have allowed in the United States at the time. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LHBvwep7D4/UaYEH1hF2CI/AAAAAAAAAW8/ti0FyLwmtYA/s1600/armrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LHBvwep7D4/UaYEH1hF2CI/AAAAAAAAAW8/ti0FyLwmtYA/s400/armrip.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>La Reina</em> was much more violent than US comics in the 60s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">For the next couple of years, that was where the knowledge of these books stood. The 1958 and 1965-66 series were fairly well-documented with the latter being more common (though still very scarce). The earlier <i>Cuentos de Abuelito</i> series was still more of a mystery and they were incredibly rare. Unlike comics in the US, Mexican comics were not collected until very recently and were considered disposable trash. It is remarkable that any of the issues from the 1950's survive.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Then in 2011, there was a break-through when a Mexican collectibles dealer acquired a full run of <i>Cuentos de Abuelito</i> and put it on eBay. The auctions never ran their coarse, however, as someone made a private deal to buy all of the issues with Conan appearances for several thousand dollars. Scans of the covers of many of the issues were saved by various individuals and they can be seen online now on several sites such as <a href="http://junglefrolics.blogspot.com/2011/10/la-reina-de-la-costa-negra.html" target="_blank">Jungle Frolics</a> and <a href="http://ultimateconanfan.blogspot.com/search/label/La%20Reina%20de%20la%20Costa%20Negra" target="_blank">CROM!</a>. I contacted the seller recently to get more information from him and discuss these interesting comics. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W1_7RIEpid8/UaYCgyyhZ3I/AAAAAAAAAWk/AEWtb98Ngfo/s1600/cuentos+08+cover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W1_7RIEpid8/UaYCgyyhZ3I/AAAAAAAAAWk/AEWtb98Ngfo/s400/cuentos+08+cover2.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conan's 1st comic appearance: <em>Cuentos de Abuelito</em> #8 (1952)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">First of all he was able to confirm that issues 1 through 7 did not contain "La Reina de la Costa Negra" stories. Therefore it can now be said with some certainty that the first appearance of Conan in a comic book is <i>Cuentos de Abuelito</i> #8. Its scarcity is probably impossible to overestimate. There are at least two copies in existence: Mavrides' copy that was pictured in Alter Ego #80 and the recent eBay copy. There may have also been another copy in the 18 issues that Paul Herman knew about (though it is possible that set is the same as Mavrides' set). </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">The eBay seller was also able to confirm that there were no Conan stories in issues 20, 22, 27, 29, and 31. But that every other issue from 8 to 61 contain "La Reina de la Costa Negra." That makes 49 issues of Conan comics from 1952-53, many of which had never been seen in the US before 2011. It is also very likely that some of these issues have less than five to ten copies in existence. As time goes by and collectors become aware of their significance, more will likely come to the surface and we will be able to more accurately judge their relative scarcity. </span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">The 1958 series also seems to be quite scarce. Only issues 2, 3, 4, and 11 have been positively identified. It is possible that the series went beyond 11, but that has not yet been confirmed. The latest issue that has been positively identified for the 1965-66 series is #53, though Jim Van Hise once posted on the REH Forum that he had seen a #60 sell on eBay. No copy of the first issues of either the 1958 series or the 1965 series have ever been shown publicly. Again the internet has made our knowledge of rare collectibles grow rapidly in just a few years and has help shed new light on this old mystery of the strange Mexican Conan comics. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJogxI6-MMk/UaYDyXXIGaI/AAAAAAAAAW0/IDutHnYmVQ0/s1600/FixafUK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJogxI6-MMk/UaYDyXXIGaI/AAAAAAAAAW0/IDutHnYmVQ0/s400/FixafUK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My personal collection of <em>La Reina </em>and <em>Cuentos</em> comics.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">[NOTE: </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">This is a revised version of an essay that appeared in </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">REHupa</i><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> 237 (October 2012) and in <i>Comic Book Quarterly</i> 11 (Spring 2013). </span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Last year I acquired a set of eight copies of issues from the 1965-66 Joma series from a collector in Belgium and I also know a collector that has a copy of #11 from the 1958-59 E.M.A. series. Even more amazingly I had the good fortune to acquire one of the </span><i style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Cuentos de Abuelito</i><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"> issues (#58 from 1953) from a seller in the summer of 2012. Just this week and since the original publication of this article, I acquired a large collection containing issues from all three series, including a large number of <i>Cuentos del Abuelito</i>, which I believe may be the sames ones that Paul Herman saw years ago. It also included issues 2, 3, 4 of the 1958 series, which may be the same copies that circulated among Menville, Thomas, and other researchers in the 1970s. Another large group of <em>Cuentos</em> sold on eBay recently including a few of the earlier issues like 12. My hope is that in spreading the word about these rare comics more will begin to surface and we can get a better understanding of how many are out there.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><b>Bibliography</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Bacon, Jonathon. <i>Ixion Unbound</i> 5, compiled in <i>REHupa</i> 21, ed. Jonathon Bacon. May 1976. 1-38. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Blosser, Fred. "The Other Queen of the Black Coast." <i>The Savage Sword of Conan</i> 26. January, 1978. 42-46. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Herman, Paul. <i>The Neverending Hunt</i>. Rockville: Wildside Press, 2006. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Lord, Glenn. <i>The Last Celt</i>. West Kingston: Donald Grant, 1976. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Menville, Douglas. "Conan the Conquistador." <i>The Savage Sword of Conan</i> 44. September, 1979. 52-57. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Wells, Paul. "Sword and Sorcery in the Comics, Part 1." <i>Alter Ego</i> Vol. 3, No. 80. August, 2008. 3-36. Print.</span></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-29507293632847649732013-04-03T10:11:00.000-07:002013-04-03T11:31:42.381-07:002013 PCA/ACA Pulp Studies Trip Report<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fo0YbA1i1QI/UVuTrU8CTeI/AAAAAAAAATM/tBRThPK6yKw/s1600/PCAACA-Logo_940x292_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fo0YbA1i1QI/UVuTrU8CTeI/AAAAAAAAATM/tBRThPK6yKw/s320/PCAACA-Logo_940x292_3.png" width="320" /></a>This past week I attended the <a href="http://pcaaca.org/" target="_blank">Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association</a> national conference in Washington, D.C. This was my third time presenting a paper on Robert E. Howard at PCA/ACA and the <a href="http://ncp.pcaaca.org/schedule/topic/all?field_topic_area_value=1072" target="_blank">Pulp Studies</a> area is growing every year. Shortly after arriving at the hotel on the first I found my partner in crime, <a href="http://marktheaginghipster.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mark Finn</a>. For those who don't know Mark is the author of <i><a href="http://www.rehfoundation.org/2011/12/10/pre-order-blood-thunder-revised-and-updated-edition/" target="_blank">Blood and Thunder</a>,</i> the best biography of Howard out there. We were soon joined by legendary Howard scholar and editor Rusty Burke. Rusty was the series editor for the <a href="http://www.thecimmerian.com/a-book-too-far-the-savage-tale-of-wandering-star/" target="_blank">Wandering Star/Del Rey</a> definitive editions of Howard's stories. The three of us hit the pub, while we waited for the arrival of our fourth dog-brother, <a href="http://punchdrunkbard.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chris Gruber</a>. Grub is the foremost expert on Howard's boxing yarns, and the editor of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boxing-Stories-Works-Robert-Howard/dp/0803273525" target="_blank">Boxing Stories</a></i> from the University of Nebraska Press. After a fairly restrained first night of drinking beer and swappin' lies, we turned in fairly early, knowing that we would have long day on Thursday and that we needed to pace ourselves. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j2hY5YV8tWE/UVuTaXTbUwI/AAAAAAAAATE/J8Wf60sLKdg/s1600/2013-PCA03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j2hY5YV8tWE/UVuTaXTbUwI/AAAAAAAAATE/J8Wf60sLKdg/s320/2013-PCA03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left to Right) Rusty Burke, Chris Gruber, Mark Finn, and me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This year we had five sessions and sixteen scheduled papers on topics ranging from confessional pulps to contextual studies of the shudder pulps to Marxist perspectives on the Conan stories to images of anti-fascism in <em>Operator No. 5</em> to Modernism in <em>Weird Tales</em> to temporal and spatial anxiety in Lovecraft's cosmic horror.<br />
<br />
There were a few unexpected changes to the schedule, however. Justin Everett the chair of the Pulp Studies area was unable to attend to due unforeseen circumstances so he asked me to step in and help coordinate the sessions and other activities. Rebekah Brown, a <a href="http://www.rehupa.com/" target="_blank">REHupa</a> member was also unable to come, which was very unfortunate as I was really looking forward to hearing her paper on the theme of reincarnation in Howard's stories. Two other panelists with interesting-sounding papers also dropped out at the last minute. But with a few minor adjustments and shuffling of schedules we made everything run very smoothly.<br />
<br />
The first paper of interest on Thursday morning was not in Pulp Studies, but in the Famous American Authors area, where Chris Gruber gave a presentation on masculinity in Robert E. Howard's humorous boxing stories. For those who may not know, Chris was not only the editor of <i>Boxing Stories</i> but he is also the co-editor (with Mark Finn and Patrice Louinet) of the forthcoming four-volume <i>Tales of the Ice House: The Collected Boxing Stories of Robert E. Howard</i> from the <a href="http://www.rehfoundation.org/" target="_blank">REH Foundation Press</a>. Chris's session was very interesting as the other panelists were speaking about the erotic stories of Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women) and the hard-boiled crime fiction of Robert Penn Warren. So the common theme, intentional or otherwise, was the lesser-known genre works of authors that were famous for something completely different. It was something else to see Howard being presented alongside these other "canonical" authors without a bit of condescension. In fact there was considerable interest from the audience during the question-and-answer session afterwards.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saZ61SKKJc8/UVuUamg8jTI/AAAAAAAAATU/m7sBjjQeWhY/s1600/2013-PCA02sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saZ61SKKJc8/UVuUamg8jTI/AAAAAAAAATU/m7sBjjQeWhY/s320/2013-PCA02sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left to right) Rachel Johnson, Emily Sisler, and Lauren Gibson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up was the first panel in the Pulp Studies area. This consisted of three students of David M. Earle, English professor at the University of West Florida, who teaches a series of classes on pulps and periodicals. I met David for the first time two years ago at the 2011 PCA/ACA and I am always impressed with the high level of research that his student demonstrate. This year was no exception as all three papers were engaging and insightful and worthy of publication. And I'll add that these three well-spoken and extremely knowledgeable young women, Lauren Gibson, Emily Sisler, and Rachel Johnson belie the typical picture that many in fandom have of the "crusty, old, boring academic." These are interested young scholars doing research on topics like the voice of working-class women as seen through the lens of the "confessional" pulps, the correlation of the the Hayes code with the rise of the "shudder pulps," and the rediscovery of lesser-known female writers in the SF pulps. This ain't yer granddaddy's academia, folks.<br />
<br />
Following lunch we had our second panel on anthropological and evolutionary themes in the pulps. Chris Gruber graciously agreed to give his paper again for this more Howard-savvy audience in order to fill in the vacancy created by Rebekah's absence. I gave my paper on the influence of certain outdated 19th century anthropological theories on Howard's Little People stories like "Worms of the Earth." And David Schappert gave a paper on the malleability of the body in Leigh Brackett's works.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFp3GJm6BVM/UVuVQyTO7AI/AAAAAAAAATc/vx9S8XWyvaI/s1600/2013-PCA01sm2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFp3GJm6BVM/UVuVQyTO7AI/AAAAAAAAATc/vx9S8XWyvaI/s320/2013-PCA01sm2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left to right) Mark Finn, Deke Parsons, and Daniel Nyikos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next session was all Howard, with the great title of "Sex, Swords, and Sinews!" and predictably the audience swelled in numbers. Pulp Studies regular and University of Nebraska doctoral student Daniel Nyikos gave an excellent paper looking at Marxist and socialist themes in the Conan stories—challenging the old chestnut from SF scholarship that sword and sorcery is inherently fascist. Deke Parsons, recognizing the importance of the pulp magazine <i>Adventure</i> as an influence on Howard, gave a thorough breakdown and deconstruction of one of the issues from the period that a young Howard started reading it. Then Mark Finn brought it all home, concluding with a condensed version of the article on Howard's weird westerns that he and I co-authored for the forthcoming collection <a href="http://scifipulse.net/2012/10/interview-dr-cynthia-miller-discusses-the-undead-in-the-west/" target="_blank"><i>Undead in the West II: They Just Keep Coming</i></a> (look for it around September or October).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONsnhkoLnRY/UVuXMw0yF7I/AAAAAAAAATw/7Ogpif14uLY/s1600/secret_service_operator_five_193606-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONsnhkoLnRY/UVuXMw0yF7I/AAAAAAAAATw/7Ogpif14uLY/s320/secret_service_operator_five_193606-07.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Purple Invasion" story arc ran for 13<br />
issues from June 1936 to March 1938.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the next session, on politics in the pulps, Jason Carney, doctoral student at Case Western University and contributor to <a href="http://www.robert-e-howard.org/TDM/" target="_blank"><i>The Dark Man</i></a>, gave a very insightful paper on Modernism in <i>Weird Tales</i>, a topic certainly worthy of further discussion. He was followed by David Earle, whose students had given their papers in the morning session, and who was able to give an extended version of his own presentation due to one of the canceled papers. David spoke on anti-fascist themes in the pulps, specifically focusing on the legendary "Purple Invasion" story-line in <i>Operator No. 5</i>. Both Jason and David's papers helped demonstrate that the pulps aren't always the the brainless disposable entertainment they are often portrayed as. They can, on occasion, demonstrate considerable ideological depth and social awareness and as such can be valuable cultural artifacts.<br />
<br />
In the final panel the audience started to thin a bit as happy hour began to call, but there were still some great papers to hear. Benjamin Wallin demonstrated the hidden literary merit of Cornell Woolrich's 1937 story "Face Work" from <i>Black Mask</i>. I read Justin Everett's paper on temporal and spatial anxiety in Lovecraft's cosmic horror and that was followed by Gabriel Cutrufello who showed that the early letter columns in <i>Amazing Stories</i> demonstrate the presence of a highly knowledgeable and sophisticated fanbase from the very beginning of the pioneering magazine's run.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DX6gYQar12I/UVuWElT5WsI/AAAAAAAAATk/XZAoZkMbsXI/s1600/TWIDposter__span.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DX6gYQar12I/UVuWElT5WsI/AAAAAAAAATk/XZAoZkMbsXI/s320/TWIDposter__span.gif" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Whisperer in Darkness</i> (2011)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the end of all the papers, the Pulp Studies area hosted a screening of <i>The Whisperer in Darkness</i> (2011), the independent film based on the 1931 H.P. Lovecraft story published in <i>Weird Tales</i>. It was shot in black and white in the period style of the early 1930s. There was a very good turn out for the film and after a bit of discussion at the end, it was time to adjourn to the nearby pub to celebrate a long, exhausting, but very successful Pulp Studies symposium.<br />
<br />
Friday morning we slept in, recovering from the academic marathon of the previous day and the John L. Sullivan Irish whiskey of the night before. The afternoon was spent talking with certain editors and publishers about several potential projects. There was a very positive response across the board for pulp and Howard-related material and there are now several very interesting upcoming projects on the drawing board that have me very excited. I hope to be able to say more in the coming weeks.<br />
<br />
That evening all of the pulp studies presenters met in the lobby, and Rusty, who happens to be a D.C. resident, led us to a local watering hole for the annual Pulpfeast—dinner and drinks and great conversation. I brought a few of my extra pulps and we drew names and gave them away as door prizes. It was a great time and a wonderful way to wind down an awesome conference. A big thank you to all those who helped make it such a great experience and I'm now looking forward to the 2014 PCA/ACA in Chicago (and hoping that it will coincide with the <a href="http://windycitypulpandpaper.com/home/" target="_blank">Windy City Pulp Con</a>!).<br />
<br />
Now I'll leave you with a few pics from Pulpfeast!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTNRsJnLBVQ/UVxiPZGU-TI/AAAAAAAAAUA/OIeLtfNtI54/s1600/pulpfeast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTNRsJnLBVQ/UVxiPZGU-TI/AAAAAAAAAUA/OIeLtfNtI54/s320/pulpfeast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KS8vtnijXVA/UVxiTKwQgfI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HeqLa1WJkDg/s1600/pulpfeast01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KS8vtnijXVA/UVxiTKwQgfI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HeqLa1WJkDg/s320/pulpfeast01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfsCygUyUWU/UVxiYLkMMhI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/MeKqQgSi5AQ/s1600/pulpfeast02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfsCygUyUWU/UVxiYLkMMhI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/MeKqQgSi5AQ/s320/pulpfeast02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvzHOMwhEDY/UVxidUj75qI/AAAAAAAAAUY/xT7oCSfjxC4/s1600/pulpfeast03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvzHOMwhEDY/UVxidUj75qI/AAAAAAAAAUY/xT7oCSfjxC4/s320/pulpfeast03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-36113023259360726682013-03-25T20:34:00.000-07:002013-03-26T03:54:07.632-07:00Creating an Age Undreamed Of Video PodcastThis week I'll be headed to Washington, DC where I'll be chairing a Pulp Studies session at the <a href="http://ncp.pcaaca.org/schedule/topic/all?field_topic_area_value=1072" target="_blank">2013 PCA/ACA Conference</a>. I'll be joined by my fellow Robert E. Howard aficionados, <a href="http://marktheaginghipster.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mark Finn</a>, <a href="http://punchdrunkbard.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chris Gruber</a>, and Rusty Burke. My paper will be on Howard's use of anthropological theory in his "Little People" stories like "Worms of the Earth."<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I've gone back and taken my older 2011 PCA/ACA presentation and turned it into a video podcast. This is my first attempt at doing something like this and it's little more than me reading my paper over my powerpoint presentation, but hopefully some of you will find it interesting.<br />
<br />
The topic is on Howard's use of the Atlantis theme in his fiction and looks at several of his sources in that regard. Much of this material would make it into my recent chapter in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conan-Meets-Academy-Multidisciplinary-Barbarian/dp/0786461527" target="_blank"><i>Conan Meets the Academy</i></a>.<br />
<br />
Video after the jump. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Lnl8LEJJE88" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
. <br />
<br />
<br />Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-50089500845704316502012-12-15T13:46:00.002-08:002012-12-17T14:34:10.727-08:00Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36f0RgPSor8/UMzuN8Gi9NI/AAAAAAAAAKo/n0ZDglPV9_Q/s1600/The_Hobbit+_An_Unexpected_Journey_74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36f0RgPSor8/UMzuN8Gi9NI/AAAAAAAAAKo/n0ZDglPV9_Q/s400/The_Hobbit+_An_Unexpected_Journey_74.jpg" width="268" /></a>Like most fantasy aficionados I have been looking forward to
this film ever since it was announced (and hoping for something like it since I
was a kid); not just because <i><b>I</b></i> wanted to see it, but because I knew that my son
(who is now eight) would be the perfect age to see it -- this could be his <i>Star
Wars</i>. <i>The Hobbit</i> was the first "real" book I read to him when he was
three. He saw the Rankin-Bass animated version at four (the same age I saw it
when it originally aired). He got the graphic novel adaptation at five and the
video game at six (the latter was like digital crack for him for a while). At
seven he saw the Peter Jackson <i>Lord of the Rings</i> trilogy and was blown away.
Recently he's begun reading the<i> The Hobbit</i> on his own and his Christmas list is
filled with various Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Lego sets. So needless to say,
the debut of Jackson's film adaptation of <i>The Hobbit</i> has been looked upon with
great anticipation in our household.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then as the release date neared the negative rumblings
began to roll through the interwebz and blogosphere. "He's breaking it into three
movies unnecessarily." "The new 48 fps speed looks fake." Etc. As the first reviews
began to trickle in the rumbling increased. "It's too long." "The 48 fps looks
fake." Etc. The so-called online "professional" critics, most of whom seem
to lack the ability to formulate original thoughts or opinions and who are desperately
afraid to admit they like something that other so-called online "professional"
critics don't like, began to parrot each other as they often do. This created
the beginnings of the kind of negative echo-chamber effect that unfairly sank<i>
John Carter</i> earlier this year. Unlike with <i>John Carter</i>, however, it doesn't
seem like the movie-going public is buying it this time. And thank Il<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ú</span>vatar
for that, because otherwise they would be missing out on a great film.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yes, it <b><i>is</i></b> a great film. If you enjoyed Jackson's
original trilogy then you will enjoy this prequel as well. Is it as good as the
original trilogy? No, it's not. Is it Peter Jackson's <i>Phantom Menace</i> as some
have suggested? Absolutely not! It has its flaws to be sure, mostly a result of
the fact that Jackson was pressured into turning this into three films instead
of two (but not in the way you might expect---more on that in a minute). But
despite those flaws it is still an amazing cinematic experience and if you
enjoy immersing yourself in a purely fantastic environment and if you enjoy a
rousing adventure film you will certainly not be disappointed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If, however, you are one of those Tolkien fans who simply
cannot divorce Peter Jackson's and co-writer Fran Walsh's alternate
vision of Middle Earth from that of the source material and enjoy it on its own
terms, then you may have some problems with this film as well. Not because
Jackson cut out parts of the original novel -- everything from the book was
left in whether it needed to be or not -- but because the additions that were
made change the narrative flow and even the characterization and motivations of
some of the main players. Again this was due, I believe, to the original decision
to do two films instead of one and then the last minute decision to do three
films instead of two. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-azMeo2WhubM/UMzuMbnm8xI/AAAAAAAAAKY/dbwFrgEoURo/s1600/126278-thorin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-azMeo2WhubM/UMzuMbnm8xI/AAAAAAAAAKY/dbwFrgEoURo/s400/126278-thorin.jpg" width="400" /></a>The first of these decisions, made early on in the
production process, changed the project from a simple adaptation of Tolkien's
book to a true prequel of Jackson's <i>Lord of the Rings</i> movie trilogy. This
necessitated bringing in filler material from the appendices of <i>The Lord of
the Rings</i> novels that would explicitly tie in the events of <i>The Hobbit</i> to the
greater War of the Ring epic saga. The problem with that is that <i>The Hobbit</i> is
really only tangentially related to that larger saga. It's a very
personal, self-contained archetypal quest story about an unassuming
"Everyman" that steps up when called upon and finds previously
unknown courage within himself. By bringing in the appendicular material that takes
place concurrently with the events in <i>The Hobbit</i> (e.g. the conflict between the
White Council and the Necromancer), Bilbo's very personal story no longer
becomes the primary focus and can easily be overshadowed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the recent decision to turn it into three movies was made this
required creating an ending for the first part earlier than was originally
intended. The point at which that new break was placed makes perfect sense and
was the correct choice under the circumstances; however, this also meant that a
new conflict and resolution had to be inserted where none existed before (or
rather a very minor conflict and resolution was greatly increased in
significance) in order to have a solid ending for this installment. The source
of this manufactured conflict is a Tolkien character, removed from his original
context and set up as a direct antagonist to Thorin. This is very similar to
Jackson's creation of the Uruk-hai "Lurtz" as a manufactured villain
designed to create a final fight scene for <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>. This new
villain in <i>The Hobbit</i> is much more interesting than Lurtz and his rivalry
with Thorin should have a payoff later in the trilogy. The problem is that this
creates a third plotline that competes with Bilbo's tale, pushing that plot thread even
further into the background. The new villain is very compelling and well done;
so compelling that he unfortunately overshadows some of the other antagonists from Tolkien's
original story. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another problem with this newly-created finale to this newly-created first act is that the way the conflict is resolved forces certain
characters to undergo changes to their personality that did not take place
until much later in the book. In the big picture it's probably not significant,
but it is a bit jarring and feels somewhat contrived -- probably because it is
contrived. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So these are problems if you go into this film simply
expecting a straightforward adaptation of the book. If, however, you understand
and accept that this is not just an adaptation, but full-fledged prequel to
Jackson' first trilogy with multiple plot threads taking place, only one of
which is Bilbo's tale, then it's much easier to accept. As someone who has a
great affection for the book this was a little disappointing for me, but I
understand what Jackson is doing. I don't think it was necessary and it isn't
what I would have done, but I understand from his perspective why he did this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKoFowgrV00/UMzuNKDFUdI/AAAAAAAAAKg/f6PHYsEKYT0/s1600/The-Hobbit-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKoFowgrV00/UMzuNKDFUdI/AAAAAAAAAKg/f6PHYsEKYT0/s400/The-Hobbit-010.jpg" width="400" /></a>If you're able to look past these changes or if you're not
heavily invested emotionally in the original book, then you should find this film
to be a very enjoyable cinematic thrill ride. I saw it in IMAX 3D, but only in
regular 24 fps so I can't comment on the HFR 3D version. I do want to watch
again it in 48 fps just to see what it looks like, though it clearly has been a
problem for some people. What I saw looked great. It was beautifully shot. The
3D, which I'm not a big fan of generally, worked well and wasn't distracting or
annoying. There were a few action sequences that were a little "video
gamey" and close to being overdone, but they never quite crossed the line.
I was fine with the pacing and the length as well. There are some slower
moments in the first half until things begin to take off in the second, but I
didn't think that was a bad thing. I am so sick of the Michael Bay
never-get-a-chance-to-breathe style action films. This film had room to breathe and it made it a more enjoyable experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The acting was top notch across the board. Martin Freeman
nails Bilbo -- absolutely nails him. Richard Armitage was a very compelling
Thorin, though this wasn't really Tolkien's Thorin -- more like Tolkien's
Thorin after undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. Andy Serkis as Gollum
was brilliant as usual and the Academy really needs to remove its head from its
ass and nominate this man for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dwarves looked much less silly in the actual film than
they did in the stills that were released early on. The attempt at keeping the
humor and light-hearted feel of the original novel and yet also trying to
maintain the serious tone of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> could have been an
incongruous mess, but I actually think Jackson managed to pull it off fairly
well. There was really only one or maybe two "dwarf-tossing"-style
cringe moments that should have been avoided. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All in all this was an excellent film. Not quite up to the
standards of the first trilogy perhaps, but a worthy prequel nonetheless. The
original book was intended to be enjoyed by children, so ultimately it's only
through eyes of a child that its worthiness as a representation of Tolkien's
legacy can be measured. The amazed and enrapt expression on my son's face
throughout film and his immediate vocalized desire to see it again as soon as
the credits started rolling are perhaps the best indication that this test was
easily passed.<br />
<br />
ADDENDUM: <span id="body8">So my son and I went back tonight to see it
again -- this time in 48fps. It was spectacular. I wish we had seen that
way the first time. It is definitely a better experience. The 3D looked
more natural than in any other 3D movie I have ever seen. The "layered"
effect that you often get with most 3D movies (including this one in
28fps) was no longer there. I was able to see details I had missed
before and the CGI looked more real. If you have the choice I would
highly recommend going with the 48fps as that is the way this is meant
to be seen.</span></div>
Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-27731128489702670052012-12-09T06:55:00.000-08:002012-12-17T14:27:28.926-08:00Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 3<b>Previous Installments:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2012/12/collecting-robert-e-howard-pulps-part-1.html" target="_blank">Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 1</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2012/12/collecting-robert-e-howard-pulps-part-2.html" target="_blank">Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 2</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KzuiZnyHCDo/UMSd2v9lSDI/AAAAAAAAAJw/GUe4ICuiq0o/s1600/weirdtales193212sm-204x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KzuiZnyHCDo/UMSd2v9lSDI/AAAAAAAAAJw/GUe4ICuiq0o/s1600/weirdtales193212sm-204x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 1932 - First Appearance of Conan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the last installment of this series, I discussed the<i></i>
issues of<i> Weird Tales</i> in which Howard’s work appeared, from his first published story
in 1925 up to the end of 1932. During that period, Howard continued to
submit his yarns to a number of publications and began to branch out into
other genres such as boxing and historical fiction. <i>Weird Tales</i>,
however, continued to be his primary publishing venue and in the
December 1932 issue the character with whom Howard has always been
mostly closely associated made his debut in print. Combining the fantastic
imagery of his earlier Kull stories and the weird horror themes that
had always been his mainstay with elements of the historical adventure he
had been writing recently, Howard created an amazing new world – the
Hyborian Age – and its most prominent inhabitant – Conan the Cimmerian.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYNJSwoRsIM/UMSd4NVxrHI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/DkTaPDGDfp4/s1600/weirdtales1933_06sm-205x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYNJSwoRsIM/UMSd4NVxrHI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/DkTaPDGDfp4/s1600/weirdtales1933_06sm-205x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 1933 issue. First Conan cover story</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The December 1932 issue of <i>Weird Tales</i> with the first Conan
story, “The Phoenix on the Sword,” is without a doubt the ultimate grail
for most Howard pulp collectors. The issue is not particularly rare,
but many copies are locked up in collections and it does not often come
up for sale in public venues. Prices can vary widely on this issue
depending on where and how it is sold. Very Good copies will generally
range from around $800 to $1500. Copies in Good condition usually go for
around $500-600. Rarely will any copy sell for less than $500 unless it
is incomplete. I have seen coverless copies sell in the $100-150 range.<br />
<span id="more-8359"></span><br />
The highest amount paid for this issue in a public auction was
$5377 for a Very Good to Fine copy in 2006. It should be noted that
this particular auction was a high profile affair, in which the
collection of long-time comic, pulp and book collector John McLaughlin
was being sold off. There were a number of rare, once-in-a-lifetime
items in this auction, including a copy of the <i>Tarzan of the Apes All-Story</i>
pulp, and that brought out a number of buyers that were not normally
active in the market. Because of this, there were a number of bidding
wars and record prices set, including for this Conan issue. This price
therefore should best be seen as an aberration and in fact, the same
copy sold again in 2008 for $2390 and then in 2012 for $1792, the last amount being probably more
reflective of its true market value.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BlP9EpJ-jFM/UMSd5J1gdBI/AAAAAAAAAKA/sGwo_7nd7mY/s1600/weirdtales1933_09sm-208x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BlP9EpJ-jFM/UMSd5J1gdBI/AAAAAAAAAKA/sGwo_7nd7mY/s1600/weirdtales1933_09sm-208x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 1933 issue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These prices may seem outrageous to the average collector, but really
they are actually fairly low when one considers that Conan is one of the
most prominent fictional characters to debut in the pulps, alongside
such icons as Tarzan, Zorro, The Shadow, and Buck Rogers and of those he is arguable the most relevant today. It is really
only its lack of scarcity that keeps its value as low as it is. Another
factor is that Conan does not appear on the cover. As with the November
issue, the John Allen St. John cover illustrates Otis Adelbert Kline’s
serialized novel, <i>The Buccaneers of Venus</i>. Imagine if this
issue had instead had a Conan cover by the legendary St. John! The great
irony, of course, is that within a few years Kline would, for the most
part, give up his writing to be become the literary agent for Howard.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GvpTSh6pb2A/UMSdvOzhicI/AAAAAAAAAI4/MNwpPhrvbb0/s1600/1934-05fcsm2-205x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GvpTSh6pb2A/UMSdvOzhicI/AAAAAAAAAI4/MNwpPhrvbb0/s1600/1934-05fcsm2-205x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 1934. First cover depicting Conan himself</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following month, January 1933, saw the second published
appearance of Conan in the story “The Scarlet Citadel.” Once again, the
cover was by St. John. This issue typically sells for around $200-250 in
Very Good condition.<br />
<br />
The third published Conan story, “The Tower of the Elephant,”
appeared in the March 1933 issue and usually sells for $125-200 in Very
Good. This issue featured only the second cover by a female artist whose
name would become synonymous with Weird Tales in the 1930’s – Margaret
Brundage.<br />
<br />
Many have criticized Brundage’s later
depictions of Conan, but she has developed quite a following among
modern day collectors, mainly due to her images of women. Her covers,
rendered in pastels rather than painted, give her female subjects a
soft, innocent, almost child-like appearance which is often in stark
contrast to the macabre, menacing situations in which they are usually
depicted. Brundage would go on to illustrate nine of Howard’s Conan stories on the cover of <i>Weird Tales</i>. These are some of the most desirable and valuable issues of <i>Weird Tales</i> from the 1930’s.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dm7a7LSqamA/UMSdylzvgnI/AAAAAAAAAJY/TlmfPdfF7Nw/s1600/WeirdTales1934-08sm-206x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dm7a7LSqamA/UMSdylzvgnI/AAAAAAAAAJY/TlmfPdfF7Nw/s1600/WeirdTales1934-08sm-206x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 1934</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From early 1933 until his death three years later, Howard would see print in <i>Weird Tales</i> on almost a monthly basis. For a complete list of these stories and poems see the <a href="http://www.howardworks.com/weird.htm">HowardWorks</a>
site. Most of these issues, all with Brundage covers sell for around
$100-150 in Very Good. The exceptions to this are the nine Howard cover
story issues and a couple of the more popular non-Howard
Brundage covers, all of which sell for several hundred dollars.<br />
<br />
The first of the Howard covers is the June 1933 issue, containing the
Conan story “Black Colossus.” The cover depicts a nude Yasmela
prostrating herself before the statue of Mitra. This issue usually sells
for $200-300 in Very Good condition.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8J60LBpdWY/UMSdzklyDKI/AAAAAAAAAJg/41rbH2fHb3A/s1600/WeirdTales1934_09sm-203x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8J60LBpdWY/UMSdzklyDKI/AAAAAAAAAJg/41rbH2fHb3A/s1600/WeirdTales1934_09sm-203x300.jpg" /> </a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 1934</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next Howard cover, September 1933, depicts the flagellation scene
from “The Slithering Shadow” (a.k.a. “Xuthal of the Dusk”). One of
Brundage’s most controversial covers at the time, this issue is highly
sought after by collectors. It usually sells for $300-400 in Very Good
condition.<br />
<br />
The May 1934 issue is the first publication to depict Conan on its
cover in a scene from “Queen of the Black Coast” in which he and Belit
fend off the attack of the winged ape. Conan appears again on the cover
of the August 1934, fighting the giant python from “The Devil in Iron.”<br />
<br />
The cover of the September issue features Yasmina being threatened by
one of the Black Seers of Yimsha in a scene from “People of the Black
Circle.” All of these issues run about $200-300 in Very Good.<br />
<br />
The cover of the December 1934 issue features another flagellation
scene, this time from “A Witch Shall Be Born.” This is another popular
cover with collectors and as such, it tends to sell for a bit more,
around $300-400.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5ZJH7K636c/UMSdyLc2HNI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nh92PqsDfs8/s1600/WT1234sm-204x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5ZJH7K636c/UMSdyLc2HNI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nh92PqsDfs8/s1600/WT1234sm-204x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 1934</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The November 1935 issue depicts the scene from “Shadows of Zamboula”
(a.k.a. “Man-Eaters of Zamboula”) in which a nude Nafertari dances among
the cobras. The following December issue, containing the first of five
installments of <i>The Hour of the Dragon</i>, features the third and final appearance of Conan on a <i>Weird Tales</i> cover. Both of these last two issues sell for $200-300 in Very Good condition.<br />
<br />
The final Conan cover is the July 1936 issue, containing the first
part of “Red Nails.” The cover is one Brundage’s most provactive, with a
nude Valeria held down by two scantily-clad female slaves, about to be
sacrificed by Tascela. This issue, which would have probably been on the
newsstands by late May, was also the last of Howard’s stories to be
published before his death. It usually sells for $300-400 in Very Good.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O0fXcCkSv2A/UMSdwGMw2fI/AAAAAAAAAJA/EHc5h3g-SDo/s1600/1935-11sm-207x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O0fXcCkSv2A/UMSdwGMw2fI/AAAAAAAAAJA/EHc5h3g-SDo/s1600/1935-11sm-207x300.jpg" /><i> </i></a><i> </i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> November 1935 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It should be noted that there are a few Weird Tales issues from this
period with Howard stories that still comand higher than usual prices
even though they are not Conan covers. The most prominent of these is
the October 1933 issue containing “The Pool of the Black One.” This
issue can easily sell in $500 to 600 range in Very Good, not because of
its Howard content, but because it has the famous “Bat Woman” cover, one
of Brundage’s most recognizable and iconic images. Another issue that
often sells for higher than average prices is the January 1934 issue
containing “Rogues in the House.” This cover issue has a nude woman
kneeling before a KKK-style hooded villain. So-called “hooded menace”
covers such as this are a popular theme with some collectors and this
issue sells for $300-400 in Very Good condition.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8OCHQ0jw8PM/UMSdwzwnv3I/AAAAAAAAAJI/Xl4hQwWPzfs/s1600/1935-12fcsm-202x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8OCHQ0jw8PM/UMSdwzwnv3I/AAAAAAAAAJI/Xl4hQwWPzfs/s1600/1935-12fcsm-202x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 193<i>5</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Weird Tales </i>would continue to publish Howard’s work posthumously for the next several years. For a complete listing of these, again see the <a href="http://www.howardworks.com/weird.htm">HowardWorks</a>
site. Most of these issues are fairly inexpensive, usually selling for
around $50-75 in Very Good. One notable exception is the December 1936
issue featuring “The Fire of Asshurbanipal” which can sell for $100-200.
This is the last issue of <i>Weird Tales</i> to feature a Howard yarn
on the cover – the artwork incidentally is by John Allen St. John, the
only time he illustrated an REH story.<br />
<br />
<i>Weird Tales </i>would continue to publish Howard’s work posthumously for the next several years. For a complete listing of these, again see the <a href="http://www.howardworks.com/weird.htm">HowardWorks</a>
site. Most of these issues are fairly inexpensive, usually selling for
around $50-75 in Very Good. One notable exception is the December 1936
issue featuring “The Fire of Asshurbanipal” which can sell for $100-200.
This is the last issue of <i>Weird Tales</i> to feature a Howard yarn
on the cover – the artwork incidentally is by John Allen St. John, the
only time he illustrated an REH story.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-GJkApFzYA/UMSd0mWWncI/AAAAAAAAAJo/WZbNC2_Tblk/s1600/WeirdTales1936_07sm2-204x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-GJkApFzYA/UMSd0mWWncI/AAAAAAAAAJo/WZbNC2_Tblk/s1600/WeirdTales1936_07sm2-204x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 1936. Last Conan cover story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some other notable Howard works that were published posthumously in <i>Weird Tales</i>,
include “Dig Me No Grave” in the February 1937 issue and “Pigeons from
Hell” in the May 1938 issue. Howard’s unfinished sword-and-planet novel <i>Amulric</i>
was serialized in three parts in the May, June-July, and August 1939
issues. The latter was completed by another hand, possibly that of Kline
who had continued to serve as literary agent for Howard’s estate or perhaps – more likely – Otto Binder who worked for Kline at the time.<br />
<br />
In the next installment I will focus on collecting Howard pulps other than <i>Weird Tales</i> – <i>Fight Stories</i>, <i>Thrilling Mystery</i>, <i>Action Stories</i>, <i>Top-Notch</i>, <i>Spicy Adventure</i> and many others.<br />
<br />Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-70671727802153107642012-12-08T04:43:00.002-08:002012-12-17T14:26:31.429-08:00Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 2<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdsb2418xu0/UMMxH5PIMzI/AAAAAAAAAIY/Q4TU8bdQQfw/s1600/weirdtales19321933b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdsb2418xu0/UMMxH5PIMzI/AAAAAAAAAIY/Q4TU8bdQQfw/s400/weirdtales19321933b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Previous Intstallment:<br />
<a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2012/12/collecting-robert-e-howard-pulps-part-1.html" target="_blank">Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 1 </a><br />
<br />
There are few creators who are as enjoyable to collect as Robert E. Howard. His works have been published and adapted in various forms and in numerous media for over eight decades. Howard items have an incredibly broad range in scarcity and value so that any collector on most any budget can usually find a niche within the hobby that suits their tastes and resources.<br />
<br />
Out of all the REH collectibles out there, however, there is nothing – at least in my opinion – quite like the original pulp magazines. To be able to hold in your hands one of these relics of a bygone publishing era and read one of Howard’s yarns as his first generation of fans would have done is a special experience indeed. The primitive line drawings that comprise the interior illustrations, the smell of the pulp paper, the letters from readers arguing the tastefulness (or lack thereof) of Margaret Brundage’s latest racy cover – all these things help to connect the modern collector with that earlier time when Two-Gun Bob was still alive and well and furiously pounding away on his Underwood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPeG2Re_ATU/UMMxDZFIRxI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Qric09ERdpg/s1600/weirdtales192303sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPeG2Re_ATU/UMMxDZFIRxI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Qric09ERdpg/s320/weirdtales192303sm.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First issue of Weird Tales from March 1923.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These pulp magazines were considered cheap, disposable entertainment
and were not meant to last very long – certainly not for the better part
of a century. Due to their fragile nature and the cheap paper on which
they were printed, it can be very difficult for the collector to find
many issues, especially early ones, in any condition nicer than Good or
Very Good (<a href="http://acidgothic.com/book-pulp-grading">pulp grading standards</a>).
It is very important to pay attention to paper quality – brown or
brittle pages are often a death sentence for these magazines. When high
grade pulps do appear, especially when they contain a work by a popular
writer like Howard, they can command very high prices – often multiples
of the listed guide value. For this article I will tend to list market
prices for books in Very Good condition as that grade tends to be a
useful middle-of-the-road benchmark from which to estimate value.<br />
<br />
Though his works were published in numerous pulps, the magazine in
which Howard appeared most often and with which he is most closely
associated is of course <i>Weird Tales</i>. The next two parts in this
series will focus on this publication and its collectability. Published
monthly beginning with its first issue in 1923, <i>Weird Tales</i>
featured stories of speculative fiction with a supernatural or ‘weird’
element. H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Otis Adelbert Kline and
Seabury Quinn were all contributors in the magazine’s early issues. The
first few issues were oversized (referred to as “bedsheets”) and are
quite scarce today. Copies rarely come up for sale and when they do they
command premium prices in all grades.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wivBze6HpWY/UMMxJN9bvHI/AAAAAAAAAIg/yrbMQmwoKG4/s1600/weirdtales_1sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wivBze6HpWY/UMMxJN9bvHI/AAAAAAAAAIg/yrbMQmwoKG4/s320/weirdtales_1sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left - July 1925; Right - August 1925 issue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By 1924, Farnsworth Wright had taken oven as editor and he would helm
the magazine through its "Golden Age” period from the late 1920’s
through the 1930’s. The magazine was also reduced to standard pulp size –
7 x 10 inches – and the circulation numbers increased. It was Wright
that would give an aspiring young writer from Texas his first
professional sale, publishing Howard’s cave man story “Spear and
Fang” in the July 1925 issue. This issue is uncommon, but does
occasionally come up for sale. It is one of the most collectible of REH
pulps and Very Good copies have sold at auction for $1400-1600. Even
Good copies can sell in the $500-600 range. I have seen very low grade
copies with incomplete covers sell in the $100-200 range.<br />
<br />
The following month saw the publication of Howard’s second story, a
werewolf yarn, “In the Forest of Villefere.” This issue is also fairly
uncommon and Very Good copies tend to sell in $400-600 range. In the February 1926 issue Wright published “Wolfshead”, Howard’s
sequel to “In the Forest of Villefere.” This issue is significant for
being the first time a Howard story was featured on the cover of a pulp
magazine. Noteworthy covers are always desirable and covers that feature
Howard stories are certainly no exception. As Howard’s first cover
appearance, this issue is certainly one of the most collectible of REH
pulps. Very Good copies usually sell for around $600-800.<br />
<br />
It would be nearly a year before Howard saw his fourth story in print.
“The Lost Race” appeared in the January 1927 issue, along with the H.P
Lovecraft story “The Horror at Red Hook.” This issue generally sells for
around $300-400 in Very Good Condition.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d69728g-ti8/UMMxKM4Th7I/AAAAAAAAAIo/AYwMFlbpLWs/s1600/weirdtales_2sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d69728g-ti8/UMMxKM4Th7I/AAAAAAAAAIo/AYwMFlbpLWs/s320/weirdtales_2sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left - February 1926 issue; Right - January 1927 issue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The years 1927 and 1928 saw a number of <i>Weird Tales</i> issues with
poems by Howard as well as a handful of stories. A listing of these
works and the issues in which they appear can be found on <a href="http://www.howardworks.com/weird.htm">HowardWorks.com</a>.
These issues are a bit more common and can often be found on eBay. They
are also considerable less expensive than the earlier issues and
usually sell for around $100-200 in Very Good condition – sometimes less
if one is patient. One notable exception to this is the February 1928
issue, which includes the Howard tale “The Dream Snake.” This issue
often commands prices in excessive of $500 in Very Good condition,
though not due to the Howard story; this issue is the first publication
of Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthullu.”<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyJvYMP_n-0/UMMxBPBH5cI/AAAAAAAAAHo/f0DjUhXOyGA/s1600/WT8-28fcsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyJvYMP_n-0/UMMxBPBH5cI/AAAAAAAAAHo/f0DjUhXOyGA/s320/WT8-28fcsm.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 1928 issue featuring "Red Shadows."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next Weird Tales issue that should be of special note to REH
collectors is the August 1928 issue. This contains the story “Red
Shadows” – the first appearance of one’s Howard’s most popular
characters, the swashbuckling puritan Solomon Kane. It is also only the
second time a Howard story was featured on the cover. Another
interesting fact about this issue is that it contains the first
published work of a very young “Tennessee” Williams, whose contribution
was an historical tale of ancient Egypt, “The Vengence of Nicrotis.”
Based on an obscure reference in Herodotus, the story is fairly risqué,
complete with an orgy scene, and is not a bad piece of short fiction
considering its then unknown author was only a teenager. All of these
elements combine to make this a very desirable issue, not only for
Howard collectors, but for pulp collectors in general. Prices tend to
vary widely on this issue, ranging from $500 to $700 for Very Good
copies.<br />
<br />
1929 was a prolific year for Howard in the pages of Weird Tales with a
story or poem appearing in ten out the twelve issues. Most of these
issues are actually quite affordable compared to the earlier scarcer
issues or even the later Conan issues. They can often be found in Very
Good condition for $150 to 200. Notable issues include January and June
with the Solomon Kane yarns “Skull in the Stars” and “Rattle of Bones”
respectively.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ww0eCIMhbiM/UMMxERU2gQI/AAAAAAAAAIA/ot0qkiOc8dg/s1600/weirdtales192908sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ww0eCIMhbiM/UMMxERU2gQI/AAAAAAAAAIA/ot0qkiOc8dg/s320/weirdtales192908sm.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 1929 issue with "The Shadow Kingdom."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The August issue saw the debut of Kull in “The Shadow Kingdom”
followed by “The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune” in September. The August 1929
issue with Kull’s first appearance is something of a “sleeper” issue as far as
collectability. It can often be found selling for
not much more than the less significant surrounding issues despite the
fact that many consider this to be beginning of the sword-and-sorcery
subgenre. Very Good copies tend to sell for $250-300. Had "Shadow Kingdom" been the cover story, this issue would likely cost two to three times that amount.<br />
<br />
The year closed out with Howard’s longest work to that point, the
novella “Skull-Face.” It was serialized in three parts in the October,
November, and December issues. Again these issues are fairly inexpensive
– around $150 to 200 for Very Good copies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1mrd1TVZ5Ew/UMMxFS3LY3I/AAAAAAAAAII/BrD3GHCT1Do/s1600/weirdtales193006sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1mrd1TVZ5Ew/UMMxFS3LY3I/AAAAAAAAAII/BrD3GHCT1Do/s320/weirdtales193006sm.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The June 1930 issue with "Moon of Skulls."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following year, 1930, also saw Howard represented in almost every
issue. Prices for common issues are about the same as the previous
year. The June issue saw Howard’s third cover story, the first half of
the Solomon Kane two-parter “The Moon of Skulls.” As such, it tends sell
for a bit more than the surrounding issues – around $300-350 in Very
Good. Other issues of note are July with the second half of “The Moon of
Skulls” and August with another Kane story, “The Hills of the Dead.”
November saw the debut of Bran Mak Morn in “Kings of the Night”, a
crossover story in which Kull also appears.<br />
<br />
1931 saw a number of well-known Howard yarns see print including “The
Children of the Night” in the April-May issue and another Solomon Kane
story “The Footfalls Within” in September. The Irish renegade Turlogh
Dubh O’Brien made his debut in print in the October issue with “The Gods
of Bal-Sagoth” and November featured “The Black Stone,” one of Howard’s
contributions to what would later be known as the Cthulhu Mythos. A
second Turlogh yarn, “The Dark Man,” made the cover of the December
issue and was Howard’s fourth cover appearance. These issues tend to for about
$150-200 in Very Good, with "The Black Stone" and "The Dark Man" issues sometimes selling for more.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YaJ3ZDG4iaU/UMMxCcEpURI/AAAAAAAAAHw/E1HW2BoruTI/s1600/WeirdTales1931-12fcsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YaJ3ZDG4iaU/UMMxCcEpURI/AAAAAAAAAHw/E1HW2BoruTI/s320/WeirdTales1931-12fcsm.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 1931 issue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following year, 1932 began with two of Howard’s better horror
stories, “The Thing on the Roof” in February and in May, one of
the earliest (if not the first) examples of what would become the “weird western”
subgenre, “The Horror from the Mound.” The July issue contains “Wings of
the Night,” the last Solomon Kane story to see print in Weird Tales.<br />
<br />
Finally, the November 1932 issue featured one of Howard’s best known
and most popular stories, the Bran Mak Morn yarn “Worms of the Earth.”
It also featured the first in a series of stunning covers by the
legendary illustrator John Allen St. John. St. John is best known for
doing many of the iconic dust jacket covers for the Edgar Rice Burroughs
books and his work for <i>Weird Tales</i> is perhaps only slightly
less famous. Unfortunately for REH fans, St. John was not illustrating
“Worms of the Earth,” but rather the first installment of Otis Adelbert
Kline’s serialized novel, <i>The Buccaneers of Venus</i>, a sword-and-planet tale in the style of Burroughs’ Barsoom novels (later published in book form as <i>The Port of Peril</i>). This issue tends to sell for around $200-250 in Very Good condition.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw6Ytv9U8IU/UMMxGeaN4EI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/FJsCSLqz3js/s1600/weirdtales193211sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw6Ytv9U8IU/UMMxGeaN4EI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/FJsCSLqz3js/s320/weirdtales193211sm.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 1932 issue featuring "Worms of the Earth."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For Howard collectors there are a number of great <i>Weird Tales</i>
pulps from this period of his career, many surprisingly affordable
especially in lower grades. It is possible to acquire a number of these
pulps with Howard stories in their very first printed form for less than
what one would pay for some of the numerous modern limited editions.
Some of the early issues are quite scarce, however, and do command top
dollar in all grades, but there are always bargains to be had if one is
diligent and patient<br />
For fans of weird fiction these early issues also chart the birth and
development of the genre as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith,
Seabury Quinn, Frank Belknap Long, and of course Robert E. Howard honed
their craft. In the next installment of this series I will discuss the
subsequent phase of Howard’s tenure at <i>Weird Tales</i> from a collector’s standpoint, beginning with the December 1932 issue and the first appearance of a certain Cimmerian.<br />
<br />
<b>Next Installment:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2012/12/collecting-robert-e-howard-part-3.html" target="_blank">Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 3</a> <br />
<br />
<i>Acknowledments:<br />
All but two of these images are courtesy of a long-time private
collector who graciously allowed me to use them for this article (thanks
BZ). The exceptions are the August 1928 and the December 1931 issues
which are my own. </i>Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-5705122054436109752012-12-04T07:41:00.000-08:002012-12-17T14:25:55.660-08:00Historic Hal Foster Tarzan Sunday Sells for $35,000<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87hINwWS9Yw/UL4Vb6MsBoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uD8SDVFclSA/s1600/RAD72FEB2012105_14364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87hINwWS9Yw/UL4Vb6MsBoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uD8SDVFclSA/s320/RAD72FEB2012105_14364.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foster Tarzan page sells for $35K</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The original art for a 1933 Tarzan Sunday page by the legendary Hal Foster <a href="http://www.comiclink.com/auctions/item.asp?back=%2FAuctions%2Fsearch%2Easp%3Fwhere%3Dauctions%26title%3Dtarzan%26ItemType%3DCA%23Item%5F951009&id=951009" target="_blank">sold at auction</a> last week for $35,000. The page depicts the origin of Edgar Rice Burrough's famous ape-man and was used to introduce readers to the strip whenever a new paper picked it up. Thus, this particular strip would have published at different times in different parts of the country.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn3F14jpD_w/UL4XAycSVoI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/nkZF5VWdVBo/s1600/hal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn3F14jpD_w/UL4XAycSVoI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/nkZF5VWdVBo/s200/hal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hal Foster (1892-1982)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The page was sold in the <a href="http://www.comiclink.com/" target="_blank">ComicLink</a> November Featured Auction and while the price achieved was significant, it was probably less than what the consignor was hoping for with such a historic piece. The final bidding price was likely held down by the significant amount of restoration that was undertaken in order to conserve the brittle page (see below for a pre-restoration pic). Having the work undertaken, however, was clearly necessary in order to preserve such a historic piece and it looks spectacular.<br />
<br />
Foster is one of the great pioneers of comic art. His work, first on Tarzan and later on his own long-running Prince Valiant strip, had a tremendous influence on the next generation of comic artists, including Frank Frazetta, Jack Kirby, and Al Williamson. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7G-9V-vFEA/UL4XDk3cuLI/AAAAAAAAAHY/Lqepw5zGPOc/s1600/tarzanoriginalimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L7G-9V-vFEA/UL4XDk3cuLI/AAAAAAAAAHY/Lqepw5zGPOc/s200/tarzanoriginalimage.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tarzan page prior to restoration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-1674933648093815442012-12-04T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-27T15:42:22.713-08:00Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 1<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<i>This is a revised version of an article I wrote for </i>The Cimmerian <i>blog in 2009.</i> <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCw9K6mjDdw/UL1jBjuOTkI/AAAAAAAAAGg/X0PXz6tH7Ic/s1600/rehgroup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCw9K6mjDdw/UL1jBjuOTkI/AAAAAAAAAGg/X0PXz6tH7Ic/s320/rehgroup.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some REH items from my personal collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have always been a collector by nature and collecting Robert E.
Howard material can be both challenging and rewarding and most certainly
addictive. I began with the comic books and paperbacks when I was
young, then moved on to the books published by Donald M. Grant, Arkham
House and other small presses. Today, I am primarily focused on
collecting pulp magazines with Howard stories. It is as a Howard
collector that I will be posting here at <i>The Cimmerian</i>. There
are many REH experts out there whose knowledge in this area dwarfs my
own, but I have picked up a few things during my obsessive attempts to
accumulate obscure “Howardiana” and I hope to share some of this
knowledge with you over the following weeks.<br />
<br />
<span id="more-7515"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
A few years back, <a href="http://www.donherron.com/">Don Herron</a> wrote an excellent <a href="http://www.donherron.com/collect_reh.html">article</a> for <i>Firsts</i>
magazine on collecting Robert E. Howard books – a “must read” for any
REH collector. I plan to follow Don’s lead and discuss collecting
Howard, but in other media – pulps, comics, fanzines, toys, etc. This
week I would like to begin where Howard himself got his start – with the
pulps.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0kemRN5vW4/UL1jQJzabNI/AAAAAAAAAGo/LbMYqYvZbZs/s1600/newstand1938sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0kemRN5vW4/UL1jQJzabNI/AAAAAAAAAGo/LbMYqYvZbZs/s320/newstand1938sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulps on sale at a newsstand in 1938.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From 1896 to the middle of the twentieth century, pulp magazines were a
very popular form of disposable entertainment. Printed on cheap paper
(whence they derive their name) with slick, sometimes lurid, covers,
pulp magazines were one of the primary means of publishing popular
fiction in the days before the mass market paperback. Authors such as
Edgar Rice Burroughs, L. Ron Hubbard, H. P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury,
“Tennessee” Williams, Arthur C. Clarke, Dashiell Hammett, and of course
Robert E. Howard got their start writing for the pulps. During their
heyday in the years between the two world wars, pulp titles such as <i>Argosy</i>, <i>Blue Book</i>, <i>Adventure</i> (a favorite of Howard’s), <i>The Shadow</i>, <i>Doc Savage</i>, <i>Amazing Stories</i>, <i>Black Mask</i>, and <i>Weird Tales</i> sold millions of copies.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCca-9ySTlc/UL1jiT3N9QI/AAAAAAAAAGw/A-JwvSWPfls/s1600/weird_2507sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCca-9ySTlc/UL1jiT3N9QI/AAAAAAAAAGw/A-JwvSWPfls/s1600/weird_2507sm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 1925 issue of <i>Weird Tales</i>,</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After several previous rejections, Howard sold his first story,
“Spear and Fang,” which was published in the July 1925 issue of Weird
Tales. For the remainder of his life and even after his death, he would
be a regular contributor to <i>Weird Tales</i> and many of his most
famous characters from Solomon Kane to Kull to Conan appeared in the
pages of “The Unique Magazine.” These issues are highly sought after by
collectors and can be quite expensive, especially in higher grades. But <i>Weird Tales</i> was not the only pulp to publish Howard’s work – his yarns also appeared in <i>Argosy</i>, <i>Oriental Stories</i>, <i>Magic Carpet</i>, <i>Top-Notch</i>, <i>Action Stories</i>, <i>Fight Stories</i>, <i>Spicy Adventure</i>, <i>Thrilling Mystery</i>, and a number of others.<br />
<br />
For collectors interested in delving into the fascinating world of
pulp magazines, there are a number of useful resources available both
online and in print. A great place to start is <a href="http://thepulp.net/">ThePulp.net</a>, an excellent site with an abundance of information, history, and useful links including links to dealers that sell pulps. <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Epulpgallery/welcome.html">The PulpGallery</a> is a great site with numerous cover images. <a href="http://www.collectorshowcase.fr/pulps__magazines_americains.htm">Collectors Showcase</a>
is a French site that is a very useful reference tool as they not only
have a thorough collection of cover images, but also detailed contents
of many issues.<br />
<br />
There are several great books about pulps, but the “Bible” for pulp collectors is <i>Bookery’s Guide to Pulps</i>
by Tim Cottrell. This price guide and reference work is essential for
anyone wishing to make a serious foray into pulp collecting. Also useful
is <i>The Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps</i> by Ed Hulse.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
For information on Howard’s appearances in the pulps, the first stop, as always, should be <a href="http://howardworks.com/">HowardWorks.com</a>. There, every REH story and poem published in the pulps is catalogued and split into two separate pages, his appearances in <a href="http://howardworks.com/weird.htm">Weird Tales </a>and his appearances in <a href="http://howardworks.com/pulps.htm">other pulps</a>. A similar bibliographic-style reference is <i>The Neverending Hunt</i> by Paul Herman – essentially a print version of <a href="http://howardworks.com/">HowardWorks.com</a> but annotated.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f1Wm8ga3lek/UL1jyn6JyqI/AAAAAAAAAG4/ufMX7L_juYQ/s1600/bookerysm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f1Wm8ga3lek/UL1jyn6JyqI/AAAAAAAAAG4/ufMX7L_juYQ/s1600/bookerysm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bookery's Guide to Pulps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So where are the best places to find pulps for sale? As mentioned above, <a href="http://thepulp.net/">ThePulp.net </a>has links to a number of dealers that sell pulps. There are always numerous pulps listed for sale on <a href="http://books.shop.ebay.com/Magazine-Back-Issues-/280/i.html?_dmpt=Magazines&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&Subject=Pulps">eBay</a> but, as always, unless the seller is known to you then <i>caveat emptor</i>. <a href="http://comics.ha.com/">Heritage Auctions </a>often
have REH pulps in their quarterly Signature Comic & Comic Art
Auctions. There are two major pulp conventions held annually in the
US, which many of the country’s biggest dealers regularly attend: <a href="http://www.windycitypulpandpaper.com/">The Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention</a> in Chicago and <a href="http://www.pulpfest.com/">PulpFest</a> in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
<br />
Many pulps change hands in private sales between dealers and
collectors. It helps to get to know other pulp enthusiasts and build a
network of contacts. Internet forums and conventions are great way to
make these connections. Many dealers will also take wantlists and will
try to fill them. Some of my best pulps were acquired privately from
fellow collectors.<br />
<br />
In future posts I will go into more detail on specific pulps with
Howard content, discussing scarcity, value and collectability. I also
plan on giving occasional market reports with actual sales data on
notable Howard collectibles. Until then, good hunting!<br />
<br />
<b>Next Installment:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.anageundreamedof.com/2012/12/collecting-robert-e-howard-pulps-part-2.html" target="_blank">Collecting Robert E. Howard Pulps - Part 2</a> Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3450031004820786724.post-84428464176109289272012-12-03T13:37:00.003-08:002012-12-04T07:47:13.229-08:00Introducing An Age Undreamed Of...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oDidu5STvtI/UL0bcjSHpLI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/qLCHRBs0ACo/s1600/jeffrey_shanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oDidu5STvtI/UL0bcjSHpLI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/qLCHRBs0ACo/s320/jeffrey_shanks.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Let me provide a little background about myself. I'm an archaeologist and a historian with an avid interest in ancient cultures and mythology. But I also have a fascination with late nineteenth and early twentieth century popular culture, particularly examples of what some might consider “low-brow” pop culture – dime novels, pulps, comic strips, etc. I have always enjoyed reading good, rousing adventure fiction, but, even as a child, the speculative genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror were my favorites. I'm also a collector of various of various pop culture media, particularly books, comics, and pulps.<br />
<br />
In the last few years I have become more involved in popular culture studies, particularly related to 1920s and 30s pulp fiction. The primary focus of my research has been on the work of Robert E. Howard, best known as the creator of Conan the Cimmerian, but I am also interested other pioneers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and H. P. Lovecraft. I was previously a contributor to <i><a href="http://www.thecimmerian.com/" target="_blank">The Cimmerian</a></i> blog and have written both scholarly and popular articles for several venues such as <a href="http://www.robert-e-howard.org/TDM/" target="_blank"><i>The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E.</i> <i>Howard Studies</i></a>, <i><a href="http://rehtwogunraconteur.com/" target="_blank">REH: Two-Gun Raconteur</a></i>, and <i><a href="http://www.comiccollecting.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=61" target="_blank">Comic Book Quarterly</a></i>. On this blog I will be sharing my observations, my research, my occasional random thoughts on various topics related to popular culture though it will tend to be comic and pulp-centric. In addition to posting new material I will also occasionally post revised versions of some of my previously published work. <br />
<br />
Finally let me close this introductory post with a word on the title of this blog. Fans of Robert E. Howard and Conan likely know the reference immediately, but for those who don't it is taken from the opening lines of the first Conan story, "The Phoenix on the Sword," which was published appropriately enough eighty years ago this month in <i>Weird Tales</i> magazine:<br />
<br />
<i>“Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of…”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeffrey Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.com5