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Author: John R. Fultz

I've written stories for BLACK GATE, WEIRD TALES, SPACE AND TIME, LIGHTSPEED and others. My tales have appeared in the anthologies WAY OF THE WIZARD and CTHULHU'S REIGN, as well as various comic books including my own PRIMORDIA (with artist Roel Wielinga). A series of "Big Fantasy Novels" is forthcoming...
Ernie Chan (1940-2012): A Legend Passes

Ernie Chan (1940-2012): A Legend Passes

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savagae-sword-of-conan-erniechanEarlier this evening I heard the sad news that one of comics’ great legends, Ernie Chan, has passed away. Ernie was set to appear at the BigWow Comicfest in San Jose this weekend, so his death comes as a real surprise to those of us who expected to see him there.

I wanted to post a tribute in the form of my favorite Chan images. You can see that tribute right here. Some of these he painted, some he penciled and inked, and some he only inked — but Ernie’s inks were some of the most powerful in the world of comics.

When I was a kid I couldn’t get enough of Conan the Barbarian and its black-and-white companion magazine The Savage Sword of Conan. But I was incredibly picky about the art in my comics — if the art didn’t blow me away, I wouldn’t buy the comic. Plus, I had the seriously limited budget of a child, so I had to be impressed by the art or I left the book sitting on the rack.

Whenever I found a Conan book that was drawn (or inked) by Ernie Chan, my money hit the counter immediately.

Rest in peace, Ernie. You will be missed…

LORE Returns from the Grave

LORE Returns from the Grave

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lore2
Richard Corben provides a stunning cover for the issue of LORE #2.1, which features a long-lost tale of Seelura by the late, great Brian McNaughton (among other great stories).

LORE is back!

You can’t keep a good mag down. [Insert your own zombie joke here] Back in the 90s LORE was one of the coolest independently-produced horror mags to see the light of day, showcasing stellar talents like Harlan Ellison, Richard Corben, Brian Lumley, and the late, great Brian McNaughton, to name only a few.

Recently LORE dug itself out of its own musty tomb and returned in an improved “2.0” version. I spoke with the mag’s co-founder Rod Heather about where LORE came from, where it’s going, and the resurrection of McNaughton’s THRONE OF BONES setting, Seelura.

More on this and other vital topics follow in the interview:


FULTZ:  For those not familiar with the first incarnation of LORE, can you give us a quick snapshot of the mag’s unique history?

We began to put LORE together in 1994, and released our first issue in June, 1995. Back then, we really had no idea about the market … at all. We had never even heard the term “small press.”  We have always been avid readers of horror, science fiction and fantasy, and it seemed like it might be fun to publish a magazine of horror stories. And, it was.

Though co-publisher Sean O’Leary and I have written stories of our own in the past, we didn’t want to include any of our own stories in LORE. To us, it’s tacky when someone publishes his or her own work in a collection or magazine for which they, themselves, have selected the stories. We wanted LORE to consist of wholly original short stories discovered and captured in the wild, as it were.

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PRIMORDIA: The Hardcover Arrives

PRIMORDIA: The Hardcover Arrives

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How about a nice graphic novel?

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here: The ultimate hardcover collected edition of PRIMORDIA, the “stone-age faerie tale” written by me and illustrated by the amazing Roel Wielinga.

The original series was released by Archaia in 2007, but the hardcover is the ultimate edition of the tale. It also includes tons of extras: a new wrap-around cover, a new short story by Yours Truly, new illustrations and sketches from Roel, a groovy pin-up gallery, my original PRIMORDIA ashcan, and other behind-the-scenes goodness, as well as an introduction by the great Kat Rocha (Titanium Rain).

Here’s an extensive preview from Archaia: http://www.archaia.com/archaia-titles/primordia/

The hardcover hit comic shops across America yesterday, but is available from Amazon for a cool 15 bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Primordia-John-R-Fultz/dp/1932386262/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331856517&sr=8-1


DANGEROUS BEAUTY: The Kung Fu Fantasies of Zhang Yimou

DANGEROUS BEAUTY: The Kung Fu Fantasies of Zhang Yimou

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Ziyi Zhang as Xiao Mei in HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, Yimou's second kung fu masterpiece.
Ziyi Zhang as Mei in the masterful HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS.

“Even without a weapon, the warrior can slay his enemy from a hundred paces. But the ultimate ideal is when the sword disappears altogether.
The warrior embraces all around him. The desire to kill no longer exists.
Only peace remains.”

–The King of Qin, HERO

Back in 2000 director Ang Lee reinvented the kung fu film (or “wuxia film”) with his Oscar-winning CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Inspired by the great tradition of Chinese martial arts films, Lee brought solid storytelling, deft acting, and superb special effects to bring a new originality to the genre. The film set a new bar for kung fu flicks, where over-the-top action and supernatural elements blended seamlessly with high drama and solid scripting. Yet for Lee this was not the first installment of a new series, or a new direction for his creativity. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON was his single entry into the martial arts film genre–he quickly moved on to other types of films.

In 2002 a film called HERO was released in China by well-established director Zhang Yimou, who was acclaimed for such “serious” (i.e. non-action) films such as RAISE THE RED LANTERN and TO LIVE. Two years later, HERO hit American cinemas (thanks to Quentin Tarantino championing the film) and established Yimou as the new reigning king of the kung fu flick. What Lee failed to do (i.e. continue exploring the fertile ground of his CROUCHING TIGER universe), Yimou did with style, finesse, and sheer visual bravura.

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THE ART OF RICHARD ANDERSON: Princes, Kings, and Sorcerers

THE ART OF RICHARD ANDERSON: Princes, Kings, and Sorcerers

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Rich Anderson's fantastic cover for SEVEN PRINCES. The book hits stores on January 3rd.
Rich Anderson's cover for SEVEN PRINCES. The book hits stores on January 3rd.

Rich Anderson grew up in Montana, moved to Seattle in 2000, and went on to revolutionize the field of fantasy art by incorporating classic concepts with digital virtuosity. He’s been an illustrator for Wizards of the Coast, Guild Wars, Tor, Random House, and this year Orbit Books tapped him to do the cover for SEVEN PRINCES.

Praise for the book’s striking cover has been both loud and frequent. Rich’s “golden sunset” silhouette approach provides an iconic image that is perfect for the novel. I’ve also seen his advance sketch for the cover to SEVEN KINGS–it’s going to be another masterful vision. He will also be doing the cover for SEVEN SORCERERS, the Third Book of the Shaper.

Rich’s art is turning heads everywhere, so I thought I’d probe the mind of the Artist Himself in a brief yet enlightening interview. More of his work can be found at his web site and blog: http://www.flaptrapsart.com/

JRF: Who are your biggest artistic influences?

RA: I would have to say John Singer Sergent. Love the way you can almost see his decision-making in his paintings. Frank Frazetta is another one of course, so much style and knowledge. There really is so many.  I find so many people around me inspiring me probably the most [and] I’ve been very lucky to work with some amazingly talented people.

ra1
Rich Anderson piece from Guild Wars 2 - http://www.guildwars2.com

JRF: What is your typical day like? How often do you create pieces of art?

RA: I recently worked at The Moving Picture Company in London, doing concept work for visual effects and film work. In the beginning of January I’ll be starting at Framestore, working on pre-production concepts for film. Concept work is a lot different than my illustration work. It’s a lot more functional. My illustration work, like your cover, is where I get to play a lot more and just get into the “art mode” if you know what I mean. I love it.

JRF: Your art is such a terrific blend of classic fantasy imagery and modern digital style. How in the world do you achieve this unique and eye-popping blend of techniques? (Do you do part of the work by hand, or is every step done on the computer?)

RA: Ha! Thanks. Yeah, everything is drawn right in Photoshop. I love playing with textures and blending things and trying to get stuff closer to what I love seeing in traditional pieces.

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SIR JULIAN THE APOSTATE: Doomed Knight, Tragic Hero

SIR JULIAN THE APOSTATE: Doomed Knight, Tragic Hero

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legends-cvr2Swords Against Darkness.
Heroic Fantasy.
The Year’s Best Horror Stories.
Distant Worlds.
Alien Worlds.
Void.

What sword-slinging hero appeared in all of these anthologies and magazines (and more) before his adventures were collected into a single impressive volume? The answer is Sir Julian the Apostate, a knight fallen from grace, and as doomed a hero as you’ll find in the history of sword-and-sorcery fiction. For swashbuckling fantasy as dark and seductive as a vampiric lamia, look no further than the saga of Sir Julian, as chronicled in Darrell Schweitzer’s WE ARE ALL LEGENDS.

The twelve stories comprising the book were first published between 1976 to 1981, definitely a “golden age” for sword-and-sorcery novels, magazines, and comics. Yet unlike much of what was published during the S&S “boom” of the era, Schweitzer’s tales of Sir Julian and his weird fate are all timeless gems.

“It was in an old land that the battle had taken place; a country of empty halls and deserted castles where ruined walls stood protecting nothing from nothing, and roadways faded into the earth and led nowhere. For three days in this place the swords of the two armies sang their terrible song on shields and armor, and when the fighting was done and all was still, a deep fog covered the sodden ground.”
–WE ARE ALL LEGENDS

This cycle of related stories includes witches, demons, vampires, zombies, ghosts, and far stranger things. It blurs and then erases the line between fantasy and horror. The book’s main character enables Schweitzer to twist the whole “knight on a quest” idea into a deep strangeness all its own. …

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SEVEN PRINCES – Cover Launch

SEVEN PRINCES – Cover Launch

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sp-coverOrbit Books just did a cover launch for SEVEN PRINCES on their official site today: http://www.orbitbooks.net/ I’ve wanted to share this with BG readers for months, and the day has finally come…

Artist Richard Anderson did an amazing job, giving us a silhouette of each prince, evoking the golden sun of a battlefield, the waving standards of ancient armies, and leaving just enough detail to the imagination.

Richard will also be doing the covers for the 2nd and 3rd Books of the Shaper, i.e. SEVEN KINGS and SEVEN SORCERERS. More of Richard’s cutting edge artwork can be found at his own site:  http://www.flaptrapsart.com/

Amazon is taking pre-orders for SEVEN PRINCES right here: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Princes-Books-Shaper-Fultz/dp/0316187860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317091065&sr=8-1

Peace!
John

The Problem with ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST

The Problem with ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST

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elric3
“Arioch! Blood and Souls!”

When I heard that Boom! Studios was putting together a new series starring Michael Moorcock’s most beloved and iconic character Elric of Melnibone, I was instantly on board. Especially when the Free Comic Book Day preview was released. Lo and behold! Great art by Francesco Biagini was just what the Prince of Ruins needed to bring him to life in a new comics venture!

So I jumped on board when the first issue of ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST hit the comics stands, and I was pleasantly surprised that not only was the art fantastic, but the writing is good as well. Chris Roberson does a nice job filling Moorcock’s shoes, throwing multiversal concepts around with great abandon. Great art. Great writing. What’s not to like?

Here’s the problem: ELRIC isn’t really an ELRIC comic. We’re three -and-a-half issues in and we’ve gotten only about one issue’s worth of Elric story time (if that). The trouble with this new book is that it should be called Michael Moorcock’s ETERNAL CHAMPION because every issue is divided between the ongoing (and apparently unrelated!) stories of Elric and several other Moorcock creations: Dorian Hawkmoon, Corum Jhaelen, and Eric Beck (?). Only those who are familiar with Moorcock’s body of non-comics fiction will have any idea that each of these characters is a variation or facet of the Eternal Champion–the hero that exists in all realities at once.

Instead of featuring Elric of Melnibone as its main character, we get a melange of four different stories–a blend of science fiction, steampunk, alternate history, and a smidgen of sword-and-sorcery. “What’s wrong with that? Sounds like a nice blend!” I hear somebody asking in the back row. The problem isn’t in the concepts, it’s in the execution.

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IT’S ONLY PULP: A Fair and Balanced Review of CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011)

IT’S ONLY PULP: A Fair and Balanced Review of CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011)

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conan2Friends, Bloggers, Conan Fans, lend me your ears! I come not to defend the new CONAN movie, but to present an informal overview that examines what works and what doesn’t work. To begin, I’ve seen a lot better movies … and I’ve seen a LOT worse movies.

First, let’s consider the source: Robert E. Howard is a largely respected fantasy author by today’s standards. However, that was not the case in the 20s and 30s when he was publishing his lurid pulp adventure stories in WEIRD TALES and similar pulp magazines of the time. In Howard’s day, pulp fiction was considered “trash,” and it was treated accordingly. Sex and violence were common ingredients in a good pulp tale, and Howard’s work is definitely full of both. However, what was considered obscene in the Pulp Era seems rather tame compared to the graphic sex and violence we see in today’s media. You can look at this in two ways: Either we as a society have gotten less uptight about certain subjects, or we have become a more depraved society. It’s all a matter of perspective. And as many philosphers will tell you, perspective is reality.

The new CONAN THE BARBARIAN film isn’t exactly a remake, but it does borrow its revenge motif from the original (and superior) John Milius CONAN film from 1982. That was NOT a Howard plot point. The Conan of Howard’s tales is not pursuing vengeance for his slain father, his slain mother, or his slain village. However, he would certainly have not been above bringing bloody and thunderous vengeance to anybody who wronged him. It simply was not his driving ambition, as it is in the movies.

Before I talk about the movie’s failings, let me first say what works about it: The visuals. Marcus Nispel’s CONAN THE BARBARIAN is a visual triumph. The Hyborian Age has never looked so wondrous, splendid, and believable on screen. From the virgin wilderness and Cimmerian villages to the decadent, sprawling cities, the vast monastaries, and the ancient citadels with skull-shaped caves, the movie simply looks fantastic. The costuming too is spot-on and suitably grimy, evocative, and well-designed. Same goes for the props: swords, spears, armor, ships, etc.

It all LOOKS fantastic. But looks aren’t everything…

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Glory Be to the Bomb, and to the Holy Fallout

Glory Be to the Bomb, and to the Holy Fallout

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Ten Reasons why BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES is the best movie of the classic series.nova-lh1

Once again the Time of the Ape draws near.

The latest incarnation of the legendary cinematic franchise PLANET OF THE APES draws near with the impending release of a new film–reportedly planned from the get-go the first in a new series. What does that mean? That RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES would have to fail utterly at the box office to kill this new version of the franchise. Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 original PotA met with mixed results, but ultimately failed to relaunch an entire franchise. Perhaps because Burton, who picks his own projects these days, had far too many other ideas to explore instead. Whatever the case, there is nothing like the original movie and its once-in-a-lifetime shocker ending.

But nothing was more shocking, more terrifying, or more unforgettable than the end of the second Apes movie, my personal favorite, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. Critics and fans may argue, but there is no real doubt that BENEATH is the best of the four sequels. As I stated before, there’s no comparing any of the sequels to the sacrosanct status of the first movie. The first PLANET OF THE APES movie came out in ’68, the year before I was born. I had no idea what was in store for me.

I was only four or five years old when BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES finally came to the local one-screen cinema in Olive Hill, Kentucky, where I lived with my grandparents while my mother finished college at Morehead State University. The year was most likely ’74 or ’75. I remember it all in bits and pieces, the way I remember scenes from the movie itself. It was my first conscious experience of seeing a movie…in a movie theatre. I was being imprinted. My uncle had taken a group of us kids–cousins all–to the movie theatre because our grandparents weren’t the moviegoing types. They’d rather wait and watch movies on TV. But it was the mid 70s and going to the movies was an adventure–even before the wrecking ball of cinema culture that is STAR WARS came along.

What I remember most, burning into the neural pathways of my brain and the sketchpad of my imagination, was the bloodcurdling scream my cousin Regina let out when the mutants in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES peeled off their fleshy masks and revealed their true monstrous faces. This was, as they say, a moment of sheer movie terror. Especially for a precocious little five-year-old who was already reading comics before entering first grade.

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