First new article for 2026 and it is a review of the adult, neo-jungle girl series Vanya!
Vanya #08 standard cover by Zoran Jovicic and Zork Marinero.
I take a gander at issue eight from the series, and my review can be read right here. A review for issue nine will be published in early March.
H. P. Lovecast Podcast Returns
After over a year of hibernation the H. P. Lovecast Podcast is back!
H. P. Lovecast Podcast Episode 63 thumbnail – The Deadly Spawn
Recorded in January but published early February, we just dropped our first episode since November 29th, 2024. So, it has been a while. Sorry about that folks, things have just been busy with Michele and I juggling a lot of projects and doing real life stuff.
We return back with the great cult film and Lovecraftian horror movie, The Deadly Spawn (1983)! One of our favorites, it was great to talk about, so hear us discuss it at our Buzzsprout page here, at the player below, or via your podcast app of preference.
The plan for our next episode is the 1991 Dan O’Bannon film The Resurrected.
Talkin’ Talkies Appearance
Author Robert P. Ottone, who has been a guest on our H. P. Lovecast Podcast (check out those appearances here and here), has his own vidcast called Talkin’ Talkies that he does via Instagram livestreaming/reels. I was super honored to be invited on his last episode to talk about non-Italian giallo films!
Logo for Robert Ottone’s Talkin’ Talkies IG vidcast.
The episode of Talkin’ Talkies I am on is hosted on Instagram, so you may have to be on your IG account on your mobile to view it. Here is the direct link. Sincere appreciation Rob for having me on!
Scholars from the Edge of Time
For February’s Scholars from the Edge of Time Michele and I talk about the 2010 neo-peplum film, Centurion.
Note: Centurion was heavily written about in Dr. Wetmore’s essay in The New Peplum. If you are curious, consider plucking up a copy of the book at McFarland.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2026.
National Capital Panthans Journal #344.
“All E.T.’s Aren’t Nice: Vanya 06” reprinted in National Capital Panthans Journal #344, January 2026.
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal acquisitions.
Hercules and the Captive Women Film Masters Blu-ray
Back in 2021 The Film Detective released a Blu-ray edition of Hercules and the Captive Women (1961) that was full of special editions, such as the MST3K version of the film, documentaries and commentaries (PeplumTV did a review of the release and compared it to other versions. It can be read here).
Film Masters 2026 Blu-ray of Hercules and the Captive Women.
Not five years later another Blu-ray of Hercules and the Captive Women has been released! This one is put out by Film Masters and is a bare bone release (no supplemental material). I decided to double dip (well, triple dip, since I have this on the Retromedia DVD) and pluck this copy up. Maybe I’ll do a comparison between the two Blu-rays, see if there is a difference in image? Might be fun!
Ben-Hur 4K
Hercules and the Captive Women is not the only classic sword and sandal getting a re-release in early 2026! Mutha-fucking big daddy papa pump OG Ben-Hur (1959) is as well!
Personal copy of the 2026 4K release of Ben-hur.
Back in 2022 I did an unboxing article for the Ben-hur 50 year anniversary Blu-ray set (which can be read here). That edition came out in 2011. So, 15 years later (65 year anniversary!) there is now the 4K edition of Ben-Hur.
Amazon sold out of the steel book edition, so I had to go with this version. Going to DVDCompare, the 2026 release vs the 2011 release, it looks like the 2026 version lacks trailers and the 1925 version of Ben-Hur. The 2026 version omits the 57 minute “Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema” 2005 documentary that appeared on the 2011 version, but replaces it with two new, way shorter featurettes: “Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic 2026″ (6 minutes) and “The Cinematography of Scale 2026” (8 minutes).
Both have the 78 minute “Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey” 2011 documentary, the 58 minute “Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic” 1994 documentary, the 5 minute “Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures” 2005 featurette, 29 minutes of screen tests, and some other features. The 2011 has a plethora of other, smaller, features, such as newsreels, Academy Award ceremonies, etc. that are not present on the 2026 edition.
So overall, just at a cursory glance, it looks like the new Ben-Hur may have better image quality at 4K, but scales back the supplemental material. Maybe this is ok: you can only re-re-re-re-release the movie so many times and re-re-re-re-re-reuse the same supplemental material before it gets stale?
Deathstalker Comic and Remake
2025 was the year for the cult 80s sword and sorcery series, Deathstalker, and I got some loot!
Deathstalker the graphic novel and the Deathstalker remake on Blu-ray.
First, there is a remake of the film, simply called DeathStalker. I’ve heard good things about the remake, and I actually dig Daniel Bernhardt (Michele and I talk positively of him in G2: Mortal Conquest [1999] on Scholars from the Edge of Time). I’m excited to watch this one!
The next thing is the Deathstalker graphic novel that was done via Kickstarter. I did the Tier IV plus which was supposed to be a cloth bound hardcover, a standard dust jacket, a Kickstarter exclusive dust jacket, and a book plate. Instead the hardcover is not cloth bound, and no book plate has been sent. Per a January 12th post, it sounds like book plates will be sent later on, and they decided to change from a cloth bound book mid-production. Thems the risks doing Kickstarter, I guess.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Hard Drive
On Robert Ottone’s Talkin’ Talkies vicast (see above) we brought up 90s erotic thriller films.
Personal copy of Hard Drive on DVD signed by Stella Stevens.
This was a perfect opportunity to show off my copy of Hard Drive (1994) which is signed by legendary starlet Stella Stevens (RIP). Her son, Andrew Stevens, acted and produced a lot of erotic thrillers, and Stella appeared in a handful of them. It’s been probably 1.5 decades since I last saw this, maybe time for a re-watch!
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episodes
Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata have some brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast, but something has gone down! Netflix has removed Lost from their services! That means Ride the Stream is looking at other shows and movies to talk about.
Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference.
Pacuła: Najsłynniejsza Polka na świecie
Marta Górna has a new book coming out and about cult Polish actress Joanna Pacuła (Gorky Park, Dinocroc, Tombstone, Virus). This is the first laser focused retrospective on the actress. The booked is titled Pacuła: Najsłynniejsza Polka na świecie (Pacuła: The Most Famous Polish Woman in the World).
Pacuła: Najsłynniejsza Polka na świecie by Marta Górna.
Górna’s book can be (pre) ordered here. It is slated to be published March 25th by Agora Publishing House.
Morgana Pendragon Kickstarter
Madeleine Holly-Rosing (Boston Metaphysical Society) has a new Kickstarter up for issue two (with issue one caked into some of the reward tiers) of her other comic series, Morgana Pendragon.
Morgana Pendragon cover art by Claudia Ianniciello.
Dannie Delisle is in an upcoming movie called The End is Trending. Check out the trailer at Youtube or below. Dannie is the conspiracy lady!
The director, Mark Christopher (husband to Kathleen Kaufman who has appeared on a few episodes of the H. P. Lovecast Podcast [this one and this one]), has a Substack where more info about the film can be found. There is also an entry at IMDB.com.
Laser Joan and the Rayguns Kickstarter
D. J. Kirkbride (whom I’ve interviewed prior on my website, check it out!) has a Kickstarter going to reprint his comic miniseries Laser Joan and the Rayguns that was originally in Dark Horse Presents.
J. Manfried Weichsel (whom I’ve also interviewed before on my website, check that out here) has a Kickstarter for an omnibus called Action Girls that collects three of his prior stories: Jungle Jitters (2021), Into the Bush (2024), and Space Escapades (2025) into one book.
Action Girls by J. Manfred Weichsel.
This campaign can be found on Kickstarter and it goes live March 3rd at 4pm EST. Click the “Notify Me on Launch” button if checking out the campaign before then.
This is my first News Roundup post for 2026. This is also my first post of moving to my new schedule of publishing these once a month at the end of each month.
2025 Accomplishment Recap
My recap of 2025 – writing I got done (published or reprinted), vidcasts, podcasts, conferences, etc. is now online.
Works published physically in 2025: Three issues of NESS, 1 issue of Burroughs Bulletin, and Merry Creepmas.
Last year was a pretty good year! I did not get to everything I wanted to (Emmanuelle book), but I was pretty prolific! Feel free to read the recap here.
Panthans Journal #344 and #345
The newest issue of the National Capital Panthans Journal has been published. This issue contains a re-print of my review of issue five of of the adult/neo-jungle girl series Vanya: The Lost Warrior. The original version of my review can be read right here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #344.
The February Panthans issue #345 came out a day earlier on January 31st. This issue has a reprint of my review of Vanya #7, and the original can be read here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #345.
As a preview of things to come, the March issue of the National Capital Panthans Journal will contain a reprint of one of my short stories that has been OOP for a few years. Stay tuned!
Paraphrased from the zine: The National Capital Panthans Journalis a monthly publication issued as a .PDF file on the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Contribution of articles, artwork, photos, and letters are welcome. Send submissions to the editor: Laurence G. Dunn at laurencegdunn AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
Fan2Fan Podcast Appearance
The cool kids at the Fan2Fan Podcast have been dropping episodes recently about collecting physical media (see below).
Fan2Fan Podcast episode thumbnail for the episode about CD collecting.
They just dropped an episode about CD collecting and both Michele and I are on it. The episode can be streamed at this link here, via the embedded player below, or via your podcast app of preference.
Following that they have another episode about how Michele and I’s collection of movies, games, etc. and how we collect lots of media.
Fan2Fan episode thumbnail on Physical Media.
That episode can be heard here or in the player below.
Physical Media: Heavy Boxes, Special Editions, and Video Games –
Fan2Fan Podcast
Check out both episodes!
H. P. Lovecast Podcast
H. P. Lovecast Podcast will return in February! We’ve already recorded our discussion on the 80s creature feature classic, The Deadly Spawn, it just needs to be edited and published.
The New Peplum Citations
It has been a hot minute, but new citations for The New Peplum have just popped up!
Audio-Visual Roman Women cover.
The open access collection, Audio-Visual Roman Women: Gender, History & Screen Media, contains two essays that reference The New Peplum. Martin M. Winkler’s essay “Caesar’s Daughter: Lucilla on Screen” while Panayiota Mini’s essay “British Women in a Roman World: Female Figures in Audio-Visual Works about the Ninth Legion” cites Kevin Wetmore’s essay. Always wonderful to see The New Peplum continue to be cited by others.
The last episode of Scholars from the Edge of Time in 2025 was on the David Carradine/Roger Corman 80s S&S classic, The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984).
Blu-Ray of The Warrior and the Sorceress.
The cover promises a lady with four boobies and a Cthulhu and gosh darn it, the movie actually delivers four boobies and a Cthulhu. Our discussion of The Warrior and the Sorceress can be watched on YouTube. Check it out!
For January 2026 we kick of a new year of Scholars on the comedy side by discussing Hercules Returns (1993). An Australian movie that is essential a comedic redubbing of Samson and His Mighty Challenge (1964) with a thin plot of sorts that act as bookends. It’s a hilarious film.
Personal copies of Hercules Returns on DVD and Blu-ray.
Our discussion of Hercules Returns can also be watched on YouTube.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2026.
National Capital Panthans Journal #344.
“All E.T.’s Aren’t Nice: Vanya 06” reprinted in National Capital Panthans Journal #344, January 2026.
Here are some new pop culture CFPs that have crossed my path or I am sharing on behalf of my colleagues. Links to these will also be in the CFP page on the navigation bar.
Werewolf Media Journal
Seeking paper abstracts for an upcoming WEREWOLF MEDIA-themed literary journal. Abstracts are open for critical theory papers discussing ANY MEDIA OR FRANCHISE WITH WEREWOLVES. The Horror Scholar Journal Vol 8 aims to be made available online in July 2026. This opportunity is paid 50 USD upon receipt of the final paper. Abstracts should be ~300 words briefly describing the scope and topic of your paper.
Final papers must be anywhere from 2000-5000 words. Not accepting reviews or previously published papers. This journal attempts to prioritize underserved or less published horror academics. Proposals and papers should be submitted in a readable, neutral size 12 font.
CUT OFF DATE FOR ABSTRACTS: FEB 3rd, 2026
CUT OFF DATE FOR FINISHED PAPERS: JUNE 1st, 2026
STEPS FOR APPLICATION:
Submit your abstract via email to horrorscholar@gmail.com, along with your name, a 3-sentence bio, and social media links.
Once your abstract is accepted, a finished paper can be submitted via email any time until the cutoff date above.
Payment for your work will be sent upon reception of the first draft.
Each paper will have 1 round of edits.
ABOUT HORROR SCHOLAR
HS is an independent horror research brand and one-woman publishing operation. It strives to make academic publishing more accessible and to celebrate both critical theory and fandom. @scholarhorror on Twitter or horrorscholar@gmail.com for questions.
Contemporary Indigenous Horror – Creative Writing
Contemporary Indigenous Horror (University Press of Mississippi, 2027) solicits original, unpublished short horror fiction, poetry, and experimental works by self-identifying Indigenous creatives. No work produced with AI will be accepted.
Honorarium: $250 (Canadian) per accepted piece
Deadline for submissions: July 14th, 2026
Name of organizer: Dr. Naomi Simon Borwein and Dr. Krista Collier-Jarvis
Contact email: Naomi Simone Borwein (nborwein@uwo.ca) and Krista Collier-Jarvis (Krista.Collier-Jarvis@msvu.ca)
As a companion to analysis in Contemporary Indigenous Horror (contracted with University Press of Mississippi), we are looking for creative pieces to be published within this academic volume.
To acknowledge the various ways in which Indigenous scholarship may engage in an ongoing conversation with other forms of expression and writing, we welcome both traditional as well as more exploratory approaches to fiction, poetry, flash, and related hybrid, experimental intertexts that rupture settler-colonial categorizations of genre. Word/line count should be as follows:
Flash Fiction: about 500-1000 words
Short Stories: about 1000-4000 words
Poetry: maximum of about 110 lines
Experimental, hybrid words: some flexibility
Please send submissions and a 100 word bio to editors Naomi Simone Borwein (nborwein@uwo.ca) and Krista Collier-Jarvis (Krista.Collier-Jarvis@msvu.ca) by July 14th, 2026.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Student Bodies
Student Bodies (1981) is one of, if not the first, slasher comedy film. It is fairly rough around the edges if I recall, but still an important film in the early days of the genre. It would take a while to kind of juggle the two genres successfully, perhaps the first Scary Movie (2000)?
Personal copy of Student Bodies on DVD.
Student Bodies DVD signed by Robyn Flanery.
Way back in the 2000s, I was hooked on buying Mike Nelson commented movies from Legend Films, and they released Student Bodies, so of course I plucked it up. I sent my copy off to actress Robyn Flanery who graciously signed it.
The Strangeness
Two decades before The Descent (2005) there was The Strangeness (1985), though The Strangeness did come 5 years after Alien 2: On Earth (1980), when it comes to subterranean horror.
The Strangeness was one of those films I discovered during my Stephen Thrower/Nightmare USA phase in the 2000s. This movie was talked about in great detail in Thrower’s book, and I was tracking down all the movies I could. The only copy of The Strangeness I could find at the time was a British import from 23rd Century, a DVD label of dubious quality. I mean, look at that skull on the back. Generic much?
Personal copy of The Strangeness DVD.
Strangeness DVD signed by Mark Sawicki.
Regardless, I plucked up this film to add to my growing Nightmare USA collection. I did reach out to Mark Sawicki, who worked on the film and asked if he could autograph it for me, and he said sure!
Years later Code Red released a much better version of this film. Time for a re-watch!
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal acquisitions.
The Last Legion and Seventh Son
Michele and I took our periodic trip to Zia Records the other weekend. I’m always on the lookout for some peplum and peplum-adjacent movies when we are out and about and this time I scored two!
Personal copies of The Last Legion and Seventh Son.
The first is The Last Legion (2007). I’ve been on the prowl for this one for a while, especially since it is mentioned in Dr. Wetmore’s essay in The New Peplum. That’s on the to watch pile for sure, and possible Peplum Ponderings article?
The second is Seventh Son (2014). I’ve never heard of this movie before and bought it because it looked like a post LOTR cash grab. Turns out I was wrong and it is based off a series of grim dark young children’s fantasy novels from the Spook’s series by Joseph Delaney. So, this is more of a post-Harry Potter cash grab as kids fantasy was in. Didn’t no one learn from Eragon (2006) a decade earlier? Regardless, it could be fun, so I look forward to checking it out.
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episodes
Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata have some brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast where they dive into season 2 of the cult television series Lost.
Philippe Gerber has a new remix that just dropped.
Sobaki Tabaka Remixes cover art.
Under his John 3:16 moniker, Philippe has done a remix of the song “V Bezdne” by Sobaki Tabaka that appears on the remix album Sobaki Tabaka Remixes. The album is released by Industrial Complexx and is available at Bandcamp.
New Janet Joyce Holden Books
My friend Janet Joyce Holden has two books that are coming out at the very beginning of February.
Palladium’s Resolution and Palladium’s Insurrection by Janet Joyce Holden.
They are titled Palladium’s Resolution and Palladium’s Insurrection. Blurb below for what these are all about.
Here is the Amazon link for all of the books in Holden’s Palladium series.
Press Blurb
Rogan is a troubled clairvoyant who can see more than most, but when he teams up with the monstrous Jake, a Khir’gham Guardian of the Void, it’s for an undeniably good cause. Keeping the hungry Void from invading Jake’s home of Palladium, and thereby saving Rogan’s own world from destruction.
Except a hitherto mysterious threat has now fully revealed itself. Carl Drake, visionary CEO of Stormquell and secretly one of Palladium’s mighty dragons, is not only hellbent on breaking his exile and reclaiming what he has lost, he has greedy ambitions regarding Rogan’s world, too.
The series reaches its climax in the final two novellas, Palladium’s Insurrection, and Palladium’s Resolution. The confrontation they always feared is now on the horizon, its arena shifting from the glossy mansions of Benedict Canyon, to the Southern California high desert, and finally into the fragile world of Palladium, and it’s up to Jake and Rogan to save the day. Except the task of killing dragons, not only seems impossible, its consequences will prove devastating and unforgivable. Perhaps Rogan and Jake will survive, but at what terrible cost?
Palladium is a series of high fantasy and dark adventure, containing monsters, dragons, interdimensional worlds, along with the all too human attributes of trust, courage, and family treachery.
Arriving on Tuesday 2nd February.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Brand new episodes of the Fan2Fan podcast are now online. Aside from the CD collecting episode above, there’s a plethora of other episodes since the end of December. Check these all out:
At the start of every new year I like to reflect on the previous year, see what I accomplished, had published, got done. Did some projects I say I would get realized actually get realized? Did I wander off and do something else? Am I more or less prolific?
Shelfie at the end of 2025. All work I’ve had physically published in my career up to this point.
Prior year recaps can be found at the following links:
In the realm of physical publications, I appeared in five (!!) journals, magazines, and books!
Firstly, the year began with the publication of Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book which contained my horror/sword and sorcery/comedy short story “There’s Always Room”. I do not write much fiction and this was the first time in years I had something that was not non-fiction published. This was actually a story I wrote ten years ago for a different anthology that did not make the cut. Thus, the story has been sitting in my arsenal to be used later all this time. The opportunity popped up in 2024 for a different anthology, I revisited this story, polished it up a bit, submitted it, and got accepted. Take this an encouragement that rejections can turn into successes, even if it takes a while.
Next, in February, the 109th issue of the Burroughs Bulletin, the journal of the Burroughs Bibliophiles, came out and contained my interview with peplum starlet Bella Cortez titled “Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty”. Michele and I spent a good chunk of 2024 discussing the sword and sandal films of Bella Cortez on Scholars from the Edge of Time, and this interview is the cumulation of those efforts. I felt really proud to immortalize her and one of her movies, in this instance, an Italian Tarzan knock off.
Fast forward to the end of the year and volumes five, six, and seven of New Edge Sword and Sorcery were published simultaneously. I was invited by editor Oliver Brackenbury to contribute a themed cocktail to each issue. It was fun inventing cocktails to honour different characters of sword and sorcery fiction and I was ecstatic to be involved. The hardcovers of these issues are so damn stately and it feels really rad to be included in their pages.
Works published physically in 2025: Three issues of NESS, 1 issue of Burroughs Bulletin, and Merry Creepmas.
2024 saw the beginning of my past works being reprinted and that practice continued well into 2025. Last year I had six previously published works reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal, while this year I had nine!
In 2024 I had 13 articles published at my website. This year I had 15:
Comic Book Reviews = 10
Magazine Reviews = 2
Interviews Conducted = 1
Peplum Ponderings = 1
Conference Recaps = 1
So, overall, on the writing and publishing front, by the numbers I had a much more successful year in 2025 than in 2024.
On the flip side, some projects did fall through. The book that my peplum cats essay was initially accepted for had a change in editors or publishers or something and my essay is no longer a part of it. If anyone out there is editing a collection that needs an essay about lions/tigers/panthers and how they recreate the Nemean Lion myth in sword and sandal films, let me know! In the meantime, the essay goes into the arsenal, to be used at a later date.
I did bow out of the Roger Corman project. The essay I was writing was less Roger Corman-centric and more industrial sampling specific, and I really could not find a way to rejigger it. So, better to bow out rather than write an essay that does not even pass my muster for the project at hand.
Podcast/Vidcast Accomplishments
Podcast and vidcasting took a bit of a backseat in 2025. For H. P. Lovecast Michele and I did not record any episodes. There are lots of reasons for this including there was just a lot on our plates. Michele and Travis Lakata did start their vidcast, Ride the Stream, so do check that out. We are hoping in 2026 that we will bring H. P. Lovecast back. On the board is to start with an episode on Deadly Spawn.
Even though there were no H. P. Lovecast this past year, Scholars from the Edge of Time was pretty prolific! Overall 2025 can be recapped as:
10 appearances on Scholars from the Edge of Time
1 appearance on Castle of Horror podcast
Conferences
2025 did see me return to the conference circuit, somewhat. In late September, Michele and I attended the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) gathering in Willcox, Arizona (read my recap of it here). It was our second time ever vending a convention, so that was neat. I sold a few books, which is a nice feeling. I gave a presentation on the sword and sandal elements of the Burroughs novel Tarzan and the Lost Empire, which, I think, was decently received? Hopefully I made some impression on the ERB Inc., folks and other attendees. The last time I did an academic presentation was at AnnRadCon in 2022. I am not 100% sure what I am going to do with my presentation. I may record a version of it and put it on YouTube with some of my other presentations, or rewrite it to be in essay format and submit it so one of the Edgar Rice Burroughs journals out there. But, it was nice to be back at a conference and giving a presentation and hopefully another opportunity pops up in 2026.
2026 Expectations
Overall, 2025 was not a bad year at all. A fairly successful year in fact! I did hit a few slumps through the year. After giving my presentation in Willcox, I was pretty much drained from writing, so the last part of 2025 I did not get much done. I’ll be honest, it is tough sometimes. I am still culling through a backlog of obligations. I’ve said “yes” instead of “no” to too many things. My work life has gotten more strenuous as I am now juggling being on two different teams, reporting to two mangers both with different sets of projects. Sometimes when I am done with a day at work I don’t want to look at my computer anymore. General life anxiety also creeps in, and, well, it takes a lot of effort to push myself to work on things.
Walking into 2026 I already have things lined up to be published. I have a stockpile of reviews that are spoken for to be reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal (one just dropped earlier this month!). A short story of mine that has been out of print for many years will also be reprinted around March, so that is great!
Michele and I did a few episodes of the Fan2Fan podcast in December, so expect those episodes to drop soon. We also contributed some text to an upcoming secret Fan2Fan project. I can’t say more, but I’m extremely excited about it.
I will also be returning to Exotica Moderne! I am finishing up am essay about the documentary The Donn of Tiki and interviewed the filmmakers behind it. This will see the light later this year as well. I have other ‘to do’ items on my Exotica Moderne list (that have been there for a while) that hopefully I will realize.
So, 2026 is already looking pretty good with material already primed and good to go.
Other obligation-wise, the Emmanuelle book needs to be a big priority to complete in 2026. I’ve been stymied on this project and hope to get is sussed out and get back on track. I’ll be honest, unliked my peplum book which went by smooth, this project has not been the best to work on for a variety of reasons. I’ll say no more out of professionalism.
I also hope to get re-caught up with my reviews of the Vanya series of comics. I was caught up for a brief spell there, but then Willcox happened and I got fatigued on writing.
I would like to go back and revisit some of my presentations I’ve given in the past and see about getting them published in some form. Maybe working backwards from the Tarzan presentation I just did, and then the Acylum presentation. I believe I’ve done some great academic work that should be published to reach a greater audience.
I have been asked back to contribute cocktail recipes to the 2026 issues of New Edge Sword and Sorcery. Of course this requires me to go back into the lab, experimenting with mixology to come up with some great, new libations.
A big thing I want to pivot to are revenue generating projects. I’ve gotten too much in the hole for doing things for/about others and I should be doing more projects that I want to do. I think of back to the early years of Covid and Nick Mamatas was sharing on social media how much he was making each month in royalties and passive book income. It was interesting and kind of inspiring. Aside from the yearly McFarland check I get for The New Peplum and Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Moderne, I do not have any other publications that generate passive income. I would love to change that, especially as we move into more uncertain times economically. With that in mind, I do want to draw attention to my “Support Me” page which has a list of ways to support me in what I do.
Overall, I am looking forward to 2026. I am intimidated to get back on track for the Emmanuelle book, to be honest. Words of encouragement and motivation will be greatly appreciated. I do want to end with a sincere thank you to all the folks who support what I do, be it buying books I am a part of, inviting me to podcasts, recommending me for projects, or even sharing my work on social media. It is dog eat dog out there. I am a small fry in the sea of other writers and academics. Every little bit helps and I am grateful for the support I do receive.
My last website post for 2025! Starting in 2026 I am going to publish these news roundups monthly.
New Edge Sword and Sorcery
Awesome news to end 2025 on: issues five, six, and seven of New Edge Sword and Sorcery are now out!
I was honored to be asked to contribute themed cocktails to these issues, libations that celebrate different sword and sorcery and sword and planet characters. They are:
Issue Five – The Red Sonja or, The Scalemail Bikini
Issue Six – The Kai Lord or, The Lone Wolf
Issue Seven – The Brax or, Under the Warrior Star
Photo by Michele Brittany.
If you want to see the recipes proper you’ll have to pluck up these issues. They are available digitally and in soft and hardcovers. They can be bought at the NESS webstore. Sincere appreciation to Oliver Brackenbury for the opportunity to be a part of the NESS family.
Panthans Journal #343
The newest issue of the National Capital Panthans Journal has been published. This issue contains a re-print of my review of issue five of of the adult/neo-jungle girl series Vanya: The Lost Warrior. The original version of my review can be read right here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #343
Paraphrased from the zine: The National Capital Panthans Journalis a monthly publication issued as a .PDF file on the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Contribution of articles, artwork, photos, and letters are welcome. Send submissions to the editor: Laurence G. Dunn at laurencegdunn AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
New Citations
It’s been a hot minute, but a new citation has popped up!
It always brings me joy when an author from this collection gets cited!
Update 2026-01-27: Confirmed! Dr. Gallagher cites Dr. Borwein! Citation page updated to reflect this. Sincere appreciation to Dr. Gallagher for the details.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
New Edge Sword and Sorcery #05
Cocktail recipe for The Red Sonja or, The Scalemail Bikini published in New Edge Sword and Sorcery, vol 1 issue 5.
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Steve Nazar and T&C Surf Designs NES Games
I am quite a few months late to finding this out, but artist Steve Nazar passed away in March earlier this year (article at Surfer.com).
Kids like me born in the 80s and with a NES system will remember Nazar’s work of “The Boys” for Town and Country Surf Designs, which made there way to two Nintendo games: Wood & Water Rage and Thrilla’s Surfari. I didn’t play Thrilla’s Surfari until much later in life when I started collecting retro games, but I played Wood & Water Rage many of times, and boy did that game kick my butt.
Nintendo games T&C Surf Designs Wood & Water Rage and Thrilla’s Surfari signed by artist Steve Nazar.
Getting into tiki culture in the 2010s made me appreciate Nazar’s artwork much more. He was a guest at a Yestercon event (RIP Yestercon, one of my all time favorite small affair pop culture shows), where I took my two video games for him to sign. He was a super cool dude.
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episodes
Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata are back with brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast and they dive into season 2 of the cult television series Lost.
Prior episodes of Ride the Stream can be found on their YouTube channel, so please give that a subscribe. There is also a Bluesky account, so feel free to five them a follow.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Brand new episodes of the Fan2Fan podcast are now online. Check these all out:
New article up at my website! I’m a big fan of Bachelor Pad, the #1 digest for pinup and retro models. Earlier this year they launched their debut issue in their Nylon Nightcap line of issues and now they’ve recently published their second issue.
Cover art of Nylon Nightcap #2. Provided by Bachelor Pad.
As a stockings connoisseur I was excited to see the line continue. I did a review of the first issue, which can be read here, and now my review of the second issue is online and can be read here. Check them out and consider supporting the magazine and plucking up a copy./
New Edge Sword and Sorcery
The next three issues of New Edge Sword and Sorcery (numbers 5, 6, and 7, with one of them focused on the sword and planet genre) will be out soon! It sounds like digital and softcover copies will be out the last week of November and the hardcovers the first week of December. A reminder: I have a cocktail in each issue! Each cocktail is inspired by a different S&S and S&P character.
Collage of the three upcoming New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazines.
Copies of these upcoming issues (along with some older issues, in both softcover and digital) can be pre-ordered at Backerkit.
Scholars from the Edge of Time
There’s a brand new Scholars from the Edge of Time now online!
Poster of Serpent of the Nile from Wikipedia.
In this episode Michele and I dive into the world of William Castle peplum by taking a look at his Egyptian toga and sandal film, Serpent of the Nile (1953). The episode can be watched on Youtube here.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS
Kino Lorber has been doing Blu-ray re-releases of the different entries in the infamous Nazisploitation Ilsa series: Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975), Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), and Ilsa, Tigress of Siberia (1977). No Ilsa, The Wicked Warden (1977) though.
Personal copy of the Ilsa She Wolf of the SS DVD signed by director Don Edmonds and actress Dyanne Thorne.
Many, many moons ago, an online DVD website (like DiabolikDVD – it may have been them? I don’t recall, but an online place like them) were able to coordinate an autograph run of Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS signed by director Don Edmond and star Dyanne Thorne. They are kind of gray-market DVDs, but they did 50 of them and I, of course, scooped one up. So, in honour of these new re-releases, here is my old school, autographed DVD.
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal acquisitions.
The Ten Commandments 4K Steelbook
A brand new, 4K steelbook release of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments came out at the tail end of November.
4K Steelbook edition of The Ten Commandments.
Another classic Biblical epic from the Golden Age of Hollywood epics that I have not seen (it’s like 4 hours!). So, on the to watch list. It’s got Yul Brynner! I love seeing Brynner in epic films, Michele and I covered him in Kings of the Sun (1963) and Solomon and Sheba (1959) on Scholars from the Edge of Time (see podcast list for links).
Soundtracks: The Egyptian and Gladiator II
A trip to our local used record/movie store, Zia Records, produced lots of great treasures, including finding two sword and sandal soundtrack: The Egyptian (1954) and Gladiator II (2024).
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episodes
Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata are back with brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast and they dive into season 2 of the cult television series Lost.
They also did another non-Lost episode where they talk about the 2015 film The Martian:
Prior episodes of Ride the Stream can be found on their YouTube channel, so please give that a subscribe. There is also a Bluesky account, so feel free to five them a follow.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Brand new episodes of the Fan2Fan podcast are now online. Here are the most recent three episodes:
Reflections of Fear: How Horror Remakes Mirror Their Times Part 2 –
Fan2Fan Podcast
Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference
Travis Lakata Thankful For Article
Aside from the above episodes of Ride the Stream, Travis Lakata has been busy with lots of other projects, such as his Substack,The Never Ending Streamer, and writing articles for his “Geeky Parent Guide” at Fanbase Press. In his newest article, “Geeky Parent Guide: Sharing Some Love – What We’re Thankful for…”, Travis talks about the folks he is thankful for. I’m sincerely humbled that I am mentioned!
The next three issues of New Edge Sword and Sorcery (numbers 5, 6, and 7, with one of them focused on the sword and planet genre) will be out soon! It sounds like digital and softcover copies will be out the last week of November and the hardcovers the first week of December. A reminder: I have a cocktail in each issue! Each cocktail is inspired by a different S&S and S&P character.
Collage of the three upcoming New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazines.
Copies of these upcoming issues (along with some older issues, in both softcover and digital) can be pre-ordered at Backerkit.
Panthans Journal #342
The newest issue of the National Capital Panthans Journal has been published. This issue contains a re-print of my review of issue four of the adult/neo-jungle girl series Vanya: The Lost Warrior. Of course the original version can be read at my website here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #342
Paraphrased from the zine: The National Capital Panthans Journal is a monthly publication issued as a .PDF file on the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Contribution of articles, artwork, photos, and letters are welcome. Send submissions to the editor: Laurence G. Dunn at laurencegdunn AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
Scholars from the Edge of Time
The October Scholars from the Edge of Time episode is now online. Michele and I discuss Wrath of the Titans, which concludes our dive into the Clash of the Titans trilogy of films.
Personal copy of Wrath of the Titans in a Blu-ray steel book.
The episode can be watched on YouTube here, so check it out. We are not 100% sure if we will be doing an episode in November (Thanksgiving). If we do, we might be talking about William Castle’s 1953 peplum, Serpent of the Nile.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Calls for Papers/Proposals
Here are some new pop culture CFPs that have crossed my path or I am sharing on behalf of my colleagues. Links to these will also be in the CFP page on the navigation bar.
Call for Chapters: Masculinities in Weimar Cinema
‘…many men shared the feeling of standing on the edge of a great upheaval’ (Harald Jähner)
‘…we were familiar with apocalyptic moods’ (Klaus Mann)
The aftermath of WWI saw a general acceleration of modernity, of social, political, and cultural transformation. This is arguably truest of Germany, where the explosive, violent, traumatic, at times ecstatic pace and perceptions of change were unprecedented. As a result, Weimar society (1918 – 1933) was characterised by acute self-awareness, regardless of the diverse views and interests of its population.
Against the background of Germany’s first experience of parliamentary democracy, born in the chaos of localised Communist revolutions and right-wing terror, the fifteen vertiginous years of the Weimar Republic witnessed an often iconoclastic, gigantic shift in every sphere, from architecture to gender and sexual mores to flight technology to art in all its forms. This extremely powerful, self-reflective chronotope inevitably affected German film production, itself reaching new heights of innovation, quality, and even genius.
A complex socio-political environment in a state of cultural flux, Weimar Germany thus yielded a vast range of associations, suggestions, and challenges which cinema could and did respond to, whether to negotiate, reflect, or negate them. Among the multiple aspects, strands, and societal references found in these filmic texts, the representation and performance of one, deceptively simple category stands out: men. However, despite the growing scholarly interest and exciting new perspectives brought to bear on Weimar Cinema, the broad topic of screen masculinities has not received the full attention it deserves. Yet from beginning to end, the 1918-1933 years saw male identities dominating German film in a wide, at times conflictive range of roles; most notably, male protagonists are often lost, humiliated, masochistic, self-destructive, annihilated, or simply redundant. This is not surprising given the upheaval surrounding manhood, especially affected by war trauma, catastrophic military defeat, the rise of women’s emancipation, amid the virtual collapse of the old systems of politics, currency, thought, morals, and art. Some of Germany’s greatest, most popular male stars and actors made a virtual career of playing bewildered, defeated, out-of-place characters: Emil Jannings is just the first name that comes to mind.
Nonetheless, side by side with this catastrophic or doom-laden representational strand, we also see the re-creation of ‘men’ along positively undetermined, hybrid, blurred, or defiantly oppositional lines. While this particular current frequently inhabits plots centring on gender and sexuality, it is not exclusively found there: a craving for Otherness and/or for being Other may be found in male screen narratives not primarily hinging on sex and gender identities. At the same time, it would be absurd to deny the presence of continuity, whether self-standing or deliberately countering change, in filmic representations of masculinity. Indeed, heroes and villains who bridge the gap, from thrillers to romantic comedies to science fiction to musicals, are plenty and equally worthy of careful study. What do these seemingly conventional males tell us about Weimar cinema?
As academic interest in the Weimar Republic’s cultural output continues to grow, foregrounding thought-provoking developments in the field, this edited collection aims at bringing together a range of new scholarly work on the specific, yet broad topic of screen masculinities. Chapters exploring Weimar cinema in this light may focus on, but are most certainly not limited to:
Masculinity and power
Masculinity and desire
Masculinity and modernity
Masculinity and its boundaries
Masculinity and femininity
Masculinity and the city
Masculinity and reality
Masculinity, sexuality and/or asexuality
Masculinity and Otherness
Masculinity and emotions
Masculinity and violence
Masculinity and defeat
Masculinity and pain
Masculinity and the body
Masculinity and technology
Masculinity and Germany
The editor invites abstracts of 250-300 words for chapters about 8,000 words long, plus a short bio of the author. Please send your abstract and bio to eg51@st-andrews.ac.uk by the deadline which is 15 November.
Please feel free to email me with any queries!
Dr Elisabetta Girelli Honorary Senior Lecturer in Film Studies University of St Andrews
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Carnosaur
Diane Ladd passed away recently, so sad! I remember her most vividly from David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, and, of course, Carnosaur.
Personal copy of Carnosaur on DVD autographed by actress Jennifer Runyon.
In the wake of the success of Jurassic Park, there came the knock offs and the cash grabs. Roger Corman brought his Jurassic Park clone with the cult classic Carnosaur. If Jurassic Park had Laura Dern, then Carnosaur has Laura Dern’s mom… Diane Ladd!
I never had the opportunity to meet Ladd, but I did meet Jennifer Runyon (the movie’s heroine) at a convention and she signed my copy of Carnosaur, so that rules. RIP Diane Ladd!
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal acquisitions.
The Epic Film Music of Milos Rozsa
Not too many sword and sandal acquisitions as of late – I need to start watching more from the library! However, I do have a few movies pre-ordered on Amazon: A 4K edition of The Ten Commandments, and a Blu-ray of the new Red Sonja film. So, those will be fun when they arrive.
CD of The Epic Film Music of Miklos Rozsa.
When I was at Half Priced Books on a recent outing, looking through the music section, there was a small stack (overstock from 30 years ago?) of The Epic Film Music of Miklós Rózsa, the composer behind lots of classic era Hollywood pepla and Biblical epics. This CD has scores from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, King of Kings, El Cid, Sodom and Gomorrah, Quo Vadis, Ben-Hur, Beau Brummell, All The Brothers Were Valiant, and Madame Bovary. Very cool!
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episodes
Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata are back with brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast and they dive into season 2 of the cult television series Lost.
Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) 2025 Gathering Recap
Welp, I have been sharing it on the news updates posts at my website here for months, and now it finally happened: The Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) gathering for 2025. Or, it happened a few weekends ago. It was a great time, I got to meet some awesome folks, and even go to do a presentation about the peplum genre and Tarzan and the Lost Empire.
The monument unveiled.
I did my best to document everything I could. My write up of Michele’s and my adventures driving to Willcox (and stopping at THE THING? on the way there) and of the ECOF event proper can be read here. Do check it out!
McFarland Horror Booksale
My publisher, McFarland Books, is currently doing a book stale on all their horror books. This includes four books I am a part of:
Since I’m the co-editor of Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern, purchases of this book send a few royalty dollars my way (so it is a great way to show support). But all four books are great references to purchase.
Cover of Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays.
Cover for Horror in Space.
When purchasing these (or other horror) books, use the code “HORROR40” at checkout to get 40% off. This sale ends Halloween, so don’t miss out!
Scholars from the Edge of Time
This upcoming Thursday Michele and I will be recording our discussion of Wrath of the Titans (2012).
Personal copy of the Clash of the Titans ’81, Clash of the Titan 2010, and Wrath of the Titans 3 Movie Blu-ray set.
Keep an eye out for the link when it goes live!
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts. Or artifacts I’m digging out of the archive. Just, general cool or unique things to show off.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Perfect Crime Party
A graphic novel-anthology was just recently released titled Perfect Crime Party.
Personal copy of Perfect Crime Party
Speculative fiction/cult author Nick Mamatas wrote one of the stories in it! I’m a fan of Mamatas’ work, so I bought a copy from him which he signed.
The 21 Foot Rule autographed by Nick Mamatas.
Have not read it yet, but looking forward to! The cover for the book is adorbs.
Grand Theft Auto IV
One of the things I have been doing lately if I have a few moments is going back and playing some of my video games I did not 100% complete (ie. get all the achievements). Grand Theft Auto IV is one of those games I have not touched in 17 years, and only had a handful of achievements.
Personal copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 autographed by Michael Hollick.
It has been both fun and frustrating revisiting the game after so long. What is cool about the game is back in 2008 Michele and I went to SDCC where Michael Hollick, who played Niko Bellic in GTA4, was one of the celebrity guests. I brought my Xbox 360 copy of the game for him to sign and he excitedly did. A real gem in my autograph treasure.
The Brood / Rest in Peplum Samantha Eggar
Rest in Peplum to Samantha Eggar who passed away last week! Peplum-wise she voiced Hera in the Disney Hercules movie and TV show.
Personal copy of The Brood DVD signed by Samantha Eggar.
She was a guest at a Hollywood Collectors Show back in the late 2000s/early 2010s, where she autographed my copy of David Cronenberg’s The Brood.
Joanna Pacula Addendum
Back on 8/17 I posted my copy of Gorky Park that was signed by actress Joanna Pacula.
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Ride the Stream Episode
Michele and Travis have a brand new episode of their Ride the Stream vidcast online at YouTube. As they are currently recording episodes about season two of Lost, they done an in-between episode to talk about Raiders of the Lost Ark. Check it out here on YouTube or via the embedded player below:
Expect new episodes to resume being published every Friday on YouTube. Keep an eye on their YouTube channel, or give them a follow on Bluesky.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
The Fan2Fan Podcast has released a lot of mini “Flash” episodes of their podcast for this Halloween season. Check these short episodes out:
It has been since August since I last posted to my website here! September was simply a crazy month. At work I am on two implementations at the same time, so that has been a big focus for me. The other thing was getting prepared for the 2025 ECOF that happened last weekend. I’m right in the middle of doing a big write up and picture gallery that recaps the event, which I’ll have posted this Wednesday. After that, back to the Emmanuelle book and cranking out the backlog of comic book reviews. In the meantime, here is a month’s worth of news to catch up on!
Panthans Journal #340 and #341
Since my last website update, two issues of The National Panthans Journal have been been published.
Issue #340 contains a re-print of my interview with Jeffrey Mariotte, “Thunder in God’s Country: Interview with Jeffrey Mariotte.” I also sent in a letter to the editor where I go over some Edgar Rice Burroughs inspired libations.
National Capital Panthans Journal #340
Issue #341, which came out this past Saturday, contains a reprint of my review of the third issue of Vanya, which can also be read online here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #341
Paraphrased from the zine: The National Capital Panthans Journal is a monthly publication issued as a .PDF file on the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Contribution of articles, artwork, photos, and letters are welcome. Send submissions to the editor: Laurence G. Dunn at laurencegdunn AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
Scholars from the Edge of Time – Clash of the Titans (2010)
In June, Michele and I announced we would start covering the three Clash of the Titans films: the original, the 2010 remake, and Wrath of the Titans for Scholars from the Edge of Time.
Our dialogue for the original film went online back in June. We had to skip July because someone (me) decided to fracture a toe.
Personal copy of the Clash of the Titans ’81, Clash of the Titan 2010, and Wrath of the Titans 3 Movie Blu-ray set.
Well for August we are back, baby! Our discussion about the Clash of the Titans remake can be watched on YouTube here. Give it a watch/listen!
For September we were scheduled to talk about Wrath of the Titans, but that Thursday we were in Willcox, AZ for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship gathering. Instead, when we got back, on Tuesday we did a recap of our adventures and talked about THE THING, the ECOF, and my presentation on the peplum elements of the novel Tarzan and the Lost Empire. That can be watched on YouTube.
Personal copy of the hardback edition of Tarzan and the Lost Empire.
In October we will finally conclude the trilogy by discussing Wrath of the Titans.
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts. Or artifacts I’m digging out of the archive. Just, general cool or unique things to show off.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Final Exam
Final Exam, a film that rides that early wave of 80s slasher movies. I have not watched it in many years, but I remember digging it, and also how it tip toed into genre meta-ness before the likes of Deadly Spawn and Scream.
Personal copy of Final Exam DVD signed by Julia Marchese.
Horror film aficionado, podcast, and film director Julia Marchese moderated the commentary track on the old DVD copy of the film, and she was kind enough to let me post it to her way back in the day to autograph.
Challenge the Devil
More Bella Cortez, queen of the pepla, goodness!
As folks know, I’m a super fan of peplum starlet Bella Cortez, got to interview her, and also had her autograph the films in my collection she stars in.
Personal copy of Challenge the Devil from the Severin Christopher Lee box set.
Challenge the Devil Blu-Ray sleeve, reverse side, signed by Bella Cortez.
While Cortez is mostly known for her sword and sandal appearances, she did star in a handful of other Italian genre films, such as the gothic horror film Challenge the Devil, which saw a new edition not too long ago in Blu-ray format as part of a Christopher Lee boxset from Severin Films. Here is the sleeve of the Blu-ray signed by Cortez.
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal films acquisitions.
William Castle pepla
On my last news roundup I shared I found a lobby card for a William Castle peplum film called Slaves of Babylon (1953). I was so caught off guard that the maestro of horror cinema had some some historic epics that I set out immediately to collection them. And here they are!
DVDs of William Castle’s pepla films
No Blu-ray treatments for these films, but I’m excited to give them a watch and see how the compare to the likes of House on Haunted Hill (1959). I ordered from Alpha Video the aforementioned Slaves of Babylon, and then got on eBay and found this multi-film set that contains the Egyptian peplum Serpent of the Nile (1953) and two other historic epics: Charge of the Lancers (1954) which takes place during the Crimean War (1853-56), and The Saracen Blade (1954) which is during the Crusades.
In the meantime I went to a sports card store and got a plastic sleeve big enough to hold my lonny card until I can get it proper framed.
The Norseman
I have a huge soft spot for the films of Charles B. Pierce. I was first introduced to his work by way of Boggy Creek 2 on MST3K when it first air on the Sci-fi Channel back in the 90s, and I thought it was a great episode! Years later I would finally watch the original Boggy Creek film, and it is a terrific faux documentary/horror film. In the 2000s I collected all the films of his that I could get my paws on at the time, such as his westerns. However it totally flew under my radar that he did a Viking peplum!
The Norseman Blu-ray.
That film is The Norseman (1978), which was released in that empty void of pepla, before 1979’s Caligula and before the Conan cycle of strongman films. The movie was apparently shot in Florida, which when I think Vikings, I think Florida. I do recall watching and enjoying Pathfinder (2007), which also deals with Vikings encountering North American indigenous folk, so this might be a good pair of movies to compare and contrast together.
The Rabbit Joint – Zelda vinyl
Back in the latter half of the 90s, during those halcyon days of Napster, apparently there was a parody song circulating out there called “Zelda” that was sung to the tune of the Zelda theme, and attributed to System of a Down. How this never, ever, ever showed up on my radar is a surprise to me.
Last month I get a news letter from Light in the Attic records about the song getting a vinyl release. What struck me was the cover art for the vinyl – showing princess Zelda under a tree with a town behind her. I really liked it! So I impulsively bought the record based on the lore behind it, and the cover art.
The Rabbit Joint’s “Zelda” vinyl.
Turns out the song sucks bad. It’s really annoying. It sounds shades like Group-X (remember Group-X? The “Mario Twins” song?). But, it is an interesting curio in the Zelda history, and to an extent, sword and sorcery history.
Digital versions of some of the tracks can be bought off Bandcamp thought I did a physical pre-order at Light in the Attic.
George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra Magazine Advert (and other swag)
Aside from the lobby card of Slaves of Babylon, I found another fun toga and sandal thing at the antique mall: a magazine advert for Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). There was a booth that was selling just advert pages from old magazines, and I saw this one a plucked it up. It’s really nice looking.
Magazine advert for Caesar and Cleopatra.
George Bernard Shaw on Film DVD Eclipse (Criterion) boxset.
Caesar and Cleopatra play.
Back in 2021 Michele and I talked about this film on an episode of Scholars from the Edge of Time. However, that episode was hosted on BlogTalkRadio, which went defunct earlier this year. Luckily, I saved an MP3 of the episode, I just need to find a venue to host it. Maybe in the meantime I should re-watch it for a Peplum Ponderings article.
Anywho, I have the Eclipse (Criterion Collection) boxset of some of the movies adapted from Shaw’s plays, and a copy of the Caesar and Cleopatra play in book form, so check all those goodies out in the slideshow above.
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Bernie and Pete have lots of new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online. Since it has been a month+ since my last news round up, there is a lot of epodes to get caught up on!
First they have an episode on the classic 1990 film Tremors (which will always rule):
Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference.
Michele Appearance on Mount Olympus Vidcast
Hercules Invictus, who hosts our Scholars from the Edge of Time vidcast, does tons of other programming. He recently did a panel vidcast on mythical creatures – winged humanoids. Michele was a guest on the episode, talking about the first Mimic film. Give it a watch on YouTube.
A side note, Michele has been recording new episodes of Ride the Stream with her co-host Travis Lakata, so expect to see new episodes soon!
I had the honour to talk to editor/writer of fiction and comics, Jeffrey Mariotte. Mariotte is also the guest of honour at the upcoming Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) gathering (see below).
Jeffrey Mariotte author photo (provided courtesy by Mariotte).
The interview with Mariotte can be read here – check it out for sure!
On the subject of the upcoming ECOF, check out this sweet new artwork for the event done by Gilead:
ECOF Poster art done by Gilead.
Death Nell Issue Two
Back in February 2023 I reviewed the first issue of Death Nell (check it out here). I meant to review the issues as they came out, but got distracted with other projects. With the physical edition of Vanya #8 still a bit from being released, and the fifth and final issue of Death Nell about to come out, now is the perfect time to pivot and get caught up on the reviews for this series.
Standard cover of Death Nell #2 by Cammry Lapka. Image from the Bad Bug website.
So here we are, two and a half years late, my review for Death Nell #2 is finally online and can be read right here.
ECOF 2025
In September of 2025 there will be an Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) event down in Willcox, AZ. This event is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Burroughs while also honoring him with a plaque in the town due to his stationing there with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the 1890s. (Note: another ERB convention was held in Willcox back in 2019 and an event recap of that can be read at ERBZine #7059).
Here is the flyer for the 2025 event:
Flyer for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ 2025.
Here is the press release:
RENOWNED AUTHOR EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS’ CAVALRY SERVICE TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN WILLCOX, AZ
“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential “Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy” Commemorated for His 150th Birthday.
WILLCOX, AZ – The renowned “Master of Adventure” Edgar Rice Burroughs started his adult life as a cavalryman at Arizona’s Fort Grant in May of 1896. This September, as part of the late author’s 150th birthday celebration, his cavalry service will be memorialized with a monument at the restored Southern Pacific train depot in Willcox, where he arrived on his way to Fort Grant (35 miles north).
The influential creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and The Land That Time Forgot series of stories wrote in his “Autobiography” that he specifically requested “to be sent to the worst post in the United States” and was then promptly assigned to Fort Grant in Arizona Territory, where his troop would spend some time hunting after the Apache Kid and other outlaws.
Many believe that Burroughs’ initial stay in Arizona influenced his first Martian story, Under the Moons of Mars, which begins with the first chapter titled “On the Arizona Hills.” The John Carter Martian stories would go on to influence generations of science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and would inspire many young people to become scientists, engineers, and astronauts. He would later author the books The War Chief and Apache Devil, both set in Arizona during the Apache Wars of the 1860s – 1880s.
This Willcox Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering will take place from September 25 to 28, 2025, with the 7th Cavalry Historical Monument formal dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon near the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.
The monument dedication at the Willcox train depot will include guest speakers and participation of local Buffalo Soldier reenactors. All other convention events will take place at the Elks Lodge #2131 in Willcox, and will include discussion panels, a “huckster” (vendor) room, Guest of Honor and speaker Jeffrey J. Mariotte (author of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. speakers, a Saturday night banquet/ dinner, a Tarzan movie screening, and other surprises.
These events are sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and the Apache Devils chapter of The Burroughs Bibliophiles. The celebration is open to the public for free (except for the dinner and movie), but full attendees can register for a fee that covers a goodie bag, a huckster table, and the Saturday dinner.
This is a must-attend event for fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and pop-culture historians alike. If you’d like to visit the place where it all began, don’t miss this very special celebration. (Note that some convention activities will require full event registration – the registration form is provided separately.)
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Willcox is offering a special daily room rate of $119 plus taxes for the nights of 25 to 27 September for attendees. The group name is “ECOF.” You can make reservations at this rate by calling the hotel at (520) 384-3333; rooms are limited. The address is 1251 N. Virginia Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643.
If you would like more information about the 2025 ECOF event, please call Frank Puncer at 520.281.1818, or email him at fwpuncer at gmail dot com.
2025-08-17 Addendum: Special Event Bags and Contents are Available for the First 50 Registrants.
Michele and I will be in attendance for this convention, so I’ve added it to the appearances section of my website as well. I’ll be doing a presentation on Tarzan as a Maciste-like peplum character in Tarzan and the Lost Empire. Hope to see yall there!
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts. Or artifacts I’m digging out of the archive. Just, general cool or unique things to show off.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Gorky Park
Here is an old school thriller from the 80s: Gorky Park. I’ll be honest, I watched this movie back in the late 2000s and do not remember too much of it, except it took place in Russia and the big plot reveal was about smuggling special Russian foxes outside the country. In hindsight, maybe it has some porto-Jack Reacher vibes (in the “im gonna investigate this big brew-ha-ha thing”).
Personal copy of the DVD of Gorky Park, signed by Joanna Pacula.
Anywho, my copy of the DVD is autographed by Joanna Pacula! Michele and I met her at a Hollywood Collector’s show. I believe, in an effort to be budget friendly, I asked what would she rather sign, Gorky Park or Dinocroc.
She went with Gorky Park.
2025-10-19 – Addendum – here is a photo of Ms. Pacula and I from the show:
Nicholas Diak and Joanna Pacula, 2010.
Khazaddum’s Plagues Upon Arda
I am not metal expert, but I loves me some adventure metal, power metal, and female-fronted symphonic metal. Whenever I got out used music shopping, I do like to keep an eye out for metal releases that have sword and sandal or sword and sorcery elements.
The last time I was at Zia Records and combing through the metal section I came across Plagues Upon Arda by Khazaddum. I have never heard of them before, but all the Tolkien elements were there so I decided to take the gamble and pluck it up. Turns out the band is a defunct death metal band from Wisconsin. I enjoyed the album and decided to reach out to the band’s lead person, Alex Rausa, and ask if I could send him the album’s booklet to be autographed.
Khazaddum’s “Plagues Upon Arda” CD album.
Khazaddum CD booklet autographed by Alex Rausa.
He said absolutely, so I sent off my booklet (make sure you include a SASE when doing stuff like this folks, it is good etiquette) and he returned it back with his signature on one of the pages. Very cool! Khazaddum may be defunct, but they do have their music available on Bandcamp. Rausa is now part of a band called Ancient Entities, so check them out at their Bandcamp page.
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal films acquisitions.
DeathstalkerI and II 4K
Deathstalker and its sequels, some of the most infamous sword and sorcery films to come out during the post-Conan cycle in the 80s. Sporting amazing poster art that the films could in no way live up to, these movies found other ways to be transgressive, exploitative, and challenging, and sometimes, even fun.
Shout Factory just released Deathstalker (1983) and Deathstalker II (1987) on 4K and Blu-ray, and it is a must have for sword and sorcery aficionados. Since I did a pre-order, I got a sweet double sided poster.
Personal copy of the Deathstalker / Deathstalker 2 4K/Blu-ray + Poster.
Was excited for the upgrade because my prior copy of the first two Deathstalker films was from the 4-movie Roger Corman sword and sorcery collection that Shout Factory released many years ago.
Personal DVD copy of the Roger Corman Sword and Sorcery collection.
Of note, of the four movies in this DVD release, only Barbarian Queen remains unreleased in HD. I hope that movie, along with Deathstalkers 3 and 4 also get some new releases! With the upcoming remake of Deathstalker looming on the horizon, now is a good time to do so.
Shameless self plug: back in 2022 I had the honour to appear on the Fan2Fan podcast to talk about Deathstalker 2 along with some other sword and sorcery films of the early 80s. Definitely check that episode out, it can be found here or at the embedded player below.
Deathstalker 2, Ator, and Yor: Hunter from the Future –
Fan2Fan Podcast
Slaves of Babylon Lobby Card
When I think of William Castle I think of House on Haunted Hill (1959) (which is a great film!) and his association with theater gimmick like walking skeletons and buzzing seats. I never thought about his career doing other genres, let alone the sword and sandal genre!
Slaves of Babylon Lobby Card.
While out and about at our local antique mall, I happened upon this lobby card for Slaves of Babylon (1953) which looks a little beat up, but still rad! I had never specifically heard of this peplum, but it is an early 1950s American one, and done by William Castle! So, of course, I had to pluck it up. The movie looks like it only has a bargin-bin style DVD release, but I put an order in for it. I’m curious to see what it will be like.
But you know who has seen it? Matt Page of Bible Films Blog! He did a write up of the film back in 2016. Check it out!
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Bernie and Pete have some new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online.
First there is a part one episode of Pete and Bernie interviewing Daniel Richardson about Slasher Trash:
Alas, I could not keep the momentum going so I missed a week, but this is still pretty prolific for me getting these reviews written and published.
Vanya #7 cover done by Sean Joyce. Image from the Bad Bug website.
My review of issue seven of the neo-jungle girl series Vanya is now online and can be read here. Technically, I am now all caught up on this series! I do have a PDF of issue eight, but not the physical copy and associated Kickstarter swag, and since I like to cover that sort of stuff, a review of issue eight will have to wait until it arrives (which should be in the near future).
Upcoming: Interview with Jeff Mariotte
Want to give a heads up to my readers to come back this Wednesday. I conducted an interview with Jeffrey Mariotte and it is going online on the 6th! You don’t want to miss it!
UncoveringStranger Things – Italian Edition
Uncovering Stranger Things, edited by Kevin Wetmore and published by McFarland in 2018 (see their product page here) now has an Italian edition!
Publisher Cue Press has published a translated version of this collection (it looks like back in 2023?) and here is the cover art:
Italian edition of Uncovering Stranger Things published by Cue Press.
I segreti di Stranger Things can be purchased at Cue Press at this link here. If you want to read my essay about Stranger Things and synthwave music in Italian, it is called “Notti perse e giorni pericolosi: Il disfacimento delle relazioni fra Stranger Things e synthwave” in this publication. Check it out for sure!
Aside from a brief snippet of my Castle of Blood/Danza Macabra masters thesis being translated into French (see below!), this is the first time something I’ve written has appeared in another language (in its entirety). Career milestone unlocked!
Panthans Journal #339
The newest issue of the The National Panthans Journal has been published. This issue contains a re-print of my review of issue two of the adult/neo-jungle girl series Vanya: The Lost Warrior. Of course my write up can also be read at my website here.
National Capital Panthans #339.
Paraphrased from the zine: The National Capital Panthans Journal is a monthly publication issued as a .PDF file on the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Contribution of articles, artwork, photos, and letters are welcome. Send submissions to the editor: Laurence G. Dunn at laurencegdunn AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
ECOF 2025
In September of 2025 there will be an Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) event down in Willcox, AZ. This event is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Burroughs while also honoring him with a plaque in the town due to his stationing there with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the 1890s. (Note: another ERB convention was held in Willcox back in 2019 and an event recap of that can be read at ERBZine #7059).
Here is the flyer for the 2025 event:
Flyer for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ 2025.
Here is the press release:
RENOWNED AUTHOR EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS’ CAVALRY SERVICE TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN WILLCOX, AZ
“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential “Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy” Commemorated for His 150th Birthday.
WILLCOX, AZ – The renowned “Master of Adventure” Edgar Rice Burroughs started his adult life as a cavalryman at Arizona’s Fort Grant in May of 1896. This September, as part of the late author’s 150th birthday celebration, his cavalry service will be memorialized with a monument at the restored Southern Pacific train depot in Willcox, where he arrived on his way to Fort Grant (35 miles north).
The influential creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and The Land That Time Forgot series of stories wrote in his “Autobiography” that he specifically requested “to be sent to the worst post in the United States” and was then promptly assigned to Fort Grant in Arizona Territory, where his troop would spend some time hunting after the Apache Kid and other outlaws.
Many believe that Burroughs’ initial stay in Arizona influenced his first Martian story, Under the Moons of Mars, which begins with the first chapter titled “On the Arizona Hills.” The John Carter Martian stories would go on to influence generations of science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and would inspire many young people to become scientists, engineers, and astronauts. He would later author the books The War Chiefand Apache Devil, both set in Arizona during the Apache Wars of the 1860s – 1880s.
This Willcox Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering will take place from September 25 to 28, 2025, with the 7th Cavalry Historical Monument formal dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon near the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.
The monument dedication at the Willcox train depot will include guest speakers and participation of local Buffalo Soldier reenactors. All other convention events will take place at the Elks Lodge #2131 in Willcox, and will include discussion panels, a “huckster” (vendor) room, Guest of Honor and speaker Jeffrey J. Mariotte (author of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. speakers, a Saturday night banquet/ dinner, a Tarzan movie screening, and other surprises.
These events are sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and the Apache Devils chapter of The Burroughs Bibliophiles. The celebration is open to the public for free (except for the dinner and movie), but full attendees can register for a fee that covers a goodie bag, a huckster table, and the Saturday dinner.
This is a must-attend event for fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and pop-culture historians alike. If you’d like to visit the place where it all began, don’t miss this very special celebration. (Note that some convention activities will require full event registration – the registration form is provided separately.)
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Willcox is offering a special daily room rate of $119 plus taxes for the nights of 25 to 27 September for attendees. The group name is “ECOF.” You can make reservations at this rate by calling the hotel at (520) 384-3333; rooms are limited. The address is 1251 N. Virginia Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643.
If you would like more information about the 2025 ECOF event, please call Frank Puncer at 520.281.1818, or email him at fwpuncer at gmail dot com.
Michele and I will be in attendance for this convention, so I’ve added it to the appearances section of my website as well. I’ll be doing a presentation on Tarzan as a Maciste-like peplum character in Tarzan and the Lost Empire. Hope to see yall there!
Publishing Recap
Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.
Panthans Journal #332
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.
Panthans Journal #333
Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.
Panthans Journal #335
“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.
“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.
Burroughs Bulletin #109
“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.
Calls for Papers/Proposals
Here are some new pop culture CFPs that have crossed my path or I am sharing on behalf of my colleagues. Links to these will also be in the CFP page on the navigation bar.
Twainian Regeneration: Adaptations of the Works, Life, and Legacy of Mark Twain
This session is sponsored by the Mark Twain Circle of America.
American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1935-1910) achieved lasting fame as Mark Twain, an identity that served as both his pen name and the persona he cultivated for the public. Twain’s writings and his distinctive character have dispersed across time and space, and the resulting Twainian tradition incorporates these elements in many ways.
Importantly, his works and iconography have long been the focus of adaptation. This process begins with the illustrations commissioned for the initial publication of his texts, Twain’s own attempts to rework and expand his stories, and contemporary caricatures of his person, and it continues with retellings of Twain’s stories, linked texts (such as prequels, midquels, and sequels) connected to his work, recastings and restagings of his tales, and new adventures for Twain himself. These adaptations, appropriations, and transformations of Twain appear in diverse forms and formats including anime series, artworks, cartoons, comics, films, games, historical fiction texts, home video releases, graphic novels, illustrations, memorials, musical theater productions, mysteries, performances, plays, radio broadcasts, science fiction works, sculptures, song lyrics, stamps, television programming, theme park attractions, and tourist sites.
Each adaptation regenerates aspects of Twain for new audiences revealing fresh insights into the reception of his works, life, and legacy. They also highlight both the timelessness of Twain as well as his timeliness for the present of each new text that his writings and his person have inspired. A resource guide for the session can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/TwainianRegenerationRG.
We seek proposals that engage with these texts in the belief that each adaptation regenerates aspects of Twain for new audiences revealing fresh insights into the reception of his works, life, and legacy and highlighting both the timelessness of Twain as well as his timeliness for the present of each new text that his writings and his person have inspired.
Friday and Saturday, October 17–18, 2025 (Eastern Time) Virtual conference (digiHPAC)
Deadline for proposals (academics & community members): September 1, 2025
ABOUT: The Harry Potter Academic Conference returns for its 14th annual gathering, which will be a fully online format known as digiHPAC. We are a non-profit, interdisciplinary conference that provides a forum for scholarly inquiry surrounding the Harry Potter literature and related cultural phenomenon. Open to scholars of any experience level, from established academic researchers to community members and students, this is a space curated to be inclusive and welcoming to all. The conference is held in person at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia in even-numbered years and online in odd-numbered years.
PRESENTATIONS: digiHPAC presentations are presented over Zoom, live or pre-recorded, in 30-minute windows (20 minutes for presentations and 10 minutes for Q&A). Panel discussions, teaching sessions, or other alternative proposals may request a longer presentation time. Topics can include, but are not limited to, close textual criticism, diversity and inclusion, psychology, philosophy, political science, and film, music, religious, and fandom studies. Past presentations have been accepted on the Harry Potter book and film series, the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the Potterverse in dialogue with other works. More information about HPAC can be found at harrypotterconference.com.
PROPOSALS: Please submit abstracts of 150–250 words describing your proposal at harrypotterconference.com/submit. Multiple abstracts may be submitted but will be evaluated individually. Submission deadline is September 1, 2025, and acceptance notifications will be sent by mid-September 2025. Any questions? Please email Patrick McCauley (mccauleyp@chc.edu) and copy harrypotterconference@gmail.com.
Please see our website for HPAC’s statement on our commitment to maintaining an LGBTQIA2S+ inclusive space in the fandom.
Cinema’s First Epics in Focus: Silent Epic Film from Literary Adaptation to Contemporary Epic Narratives
Though epic cinema is most commonly associated with the mid-century triumphs of Hollywood, its origins extend far deeper into the history of the medium, reaching back to the earliest days of film, long before the advent of sound. The first documented uses of the term “epic” in relation to film stem from the nascent Italian industry, where monumental productions like L’Odissea (1911, dir. Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, Adolfo Padovan) not only astonished audiences with unprecedented scale but employed vast promotional efforts to assert a distinctly national— and as Maria Wyke and Pantelis Michelakis have noted, overtly nationalistic—cinematic identity. This movement towards epic during the silent era, often drawing inspiration from classical epic poetry and Christian narrative, has been understood to be important in the broader context of the nationalist fervor that swept through Europe in the years leading up to and following the First World War, yet has been curiously overlooked by film scholars, due in large part to the fragility of early film materials and inconsistent archival practices which have led to the loss of many key works. This neglect is particularly regrettable when we consider that the silent epic was central to the major artistic and ideological shifts that defined the early cinematic project, deeply enmeshed in the ontological debates over cinema’s status as a visual and rhythmic art—debates that were especially vibrant in early French and German cinema—and later in the drive toward naturalism that would come to dominate Hollywood, championed by figures such as André Bazin and Siegfried Kracauer. The continued presence of the epic, from the silent era through to the sound era, underscores its fundamental role in cinema’s dialogue with other arts as well as its longitudinal development, and in recognizing the centrality of early epics to the history of film, this edited volume seeks to reassert their study, not only as historical artifacts but as key contributions to an ever-evolving art of cinema.
Building on the conversations initiated during the Cinema’s First Epics in Focus conference (May 2025), we aim to build a comprehensive edited volume which gathers a selection of expanded papers from the event, complemented by new scholarly contributions that critically engage with the silent epic and its reverberations across film history, media theory, and related fields. We hope to move beyond the framework of film philology completely, opening up the field to more interdisciplinary approaches that consider aesthetics, temporality, material culture, and the shifting meanings of “epic” across media in interconnected relation. We believe this collection would fill a significant gap in the scholarship and could serve as a foundational reference for future work on both epic and early cinema as, to our knowledge, no existing volume addresses the silent epic across such a broad yet coherent set of methodologies and global perspectives. We are particularly interested in contributions that interrogate the intersections between epic form and silent cinema through innovative and open methodologies—whether from film and media studies, classical reception, visual culture, performance studies, or archival research. By foregrounding these diverse perspectives, the volume seeks to move beyond narrowly textual or genealogical approaches, and instead open up a wider discursive field through which the silent epic can be understood as a transmedial and transhistorical phenomenon.
While the volume retains the conference’s original focus on adaptation, national identity, cinematic scale, and the episteme of early film, the discussions brought forth by participants have revealed key thematic axes that we now wish to foreground:
Genre:
The volume seeks to examine the epic as a contested and evolving genre. Contributions may explore the tensions between prescriptive and descriptive models of genre, the shifting boundaries between epic and tragedy across media, and the historical and theoretical slippages in the definition of “epic” across literature, cinema, and other arts. We welcome work that revisits classical, romantic, and modern theories of genre in light of early cinematic practice.
Time and Temporality:
Essays may address the intersections between epic time and cinematic time, considering how film reconfigures notions of epic duration, rhythm, and repetition. We are particularly interested in studies that employ film theoretical methodologies—such as montage theory—to reframe literary epic, and vice versa.
Material Culture and Reception:
We encourage research on the material and institutional contexts of silent epic film: distribution networks, live musical accompaniment, promotional ephemera, newspaper reception, and archival challenges. To what extent do these material elements participate in constructing the epic as a form? How might production and reception conditions shape our understanding of the epic mode in film? How important was this surrounding context for the epic’s formation as a cinematic mode in the silent era?
The Silent Era:
What makes the silent period uniquely generative for the epic form? We invite proposals that attend to the technological, stylistic, social, economic and industrial specificities of the silent era, and their formative impact on the emergence of cinematic epic traditions.
Adaptation and Intermediality:
How are epic modes rearticulated through the visual and narrative strategies of early film? What happens to epic’s narrative authority, scale, or temporality when it migrates across media? How does medial transposition function for the epic—what is gained, lost, or transformed in the process of adaptation? We welcome contributions that consider the semiotic logics at work in each medium and how these shape the reception and reinterpretation of epic structures, characters, and themes.
Identity:
We welcome analyses of the epic as a cultural and political form, examining how epic narratives serve as mediators of national, social, or class identity. How does the epic negotiate questions of inclusion, exclusion, and transformation within diverse sociopolitical contexts, both in its production and reception?
In addition to these central themes, the volume remains open to broader considerations of silent epic film, including (but not limited to):
Representations of mythological, biblical, or historical themes;
National cinemas and epic aesthetics;
Theatricality, realism, and expressionism in silent epic form;
Gender, class, ethnicity, colonialism, and spectatorship in early epic cinema;
Archival recovery and the status of lost or restored epic films;
Scale and mise-en-scène in silent epic film;
Modern cinema and silent epic film;
Comparative studies of silent epic film, particularly on marginal or non-angloeuropean film.
We are currently preparing a formal book proposal to be submitted to a major academic press, with Blackwell and Routledge among our intended publishers.
Submission Details:
Please submit your complete text (maximum of 8000 words), along with a short biographical note (max. 150 words), to the editors by September 15th, 2025. Contributions may be written in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese, but accepted papers must be submitted with an English version for publication.
Contact:
Vítor Alves Silva (University of Porto) – up202204445@up.pt
João Paulo Guimarães (University of Porto, ILCML) – guimaraesjpc@gmail.com
Larson Powell (University of Missouri Kansas City, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Film – Emeritus) – powelllar@umkc.edu
We look forward to receiving your proposals and continuing the vibrant conversations sparked by the conference.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts. Or artifacts I’m digging out of the archive. Just, general cool or unique things to show off.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.
Lord of the Rings (Bakshi Version)
Decades before Peter Jackson amazed audiences with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi put out the rotoscoped masterpiece of The Lord of the Rings. I’m a huge Bakshi fan (Cool World FTW!), and I remember watching this movie when I was young and, frankly, being kind of terrified by it.
Personal copy of the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings film, signed by Peter S. Beagle and Steven E. Gordon.
Anywho, I met Bakshi once, at SDCC back in 2006, where he signed some of my other movies, but at the time I didn’t have a copy of LOTR. However, in the years since I’ve procured a copy and had it signed by two folks.
The first is Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, but who also did the screenplay of the Bakshi LOTR. He was a guest at a Glendale Vintage Paperback Show where he signed my DVD.
Next animator/cartoonist Steven E. Gordon sign my DVD. Gordon worked with Bakshi on a couple of projects (like Fire and Ice). He is a staple of the different comic book conventions in the LA area. He did a pinup girl commission for me one time – I’ll have to share that!
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal films acquisitions.
Hercules and Hercules Unchained Blu-rays
Hercules (1958) and Hercules Unchained (1959) have two brand new HD/Blu-ray releases from Artus films! Check these bad boys out:
Hercules and Hercules Unchained Blu-rays from Artus Films.
As far as I can tell (looking at dvdcompare.net) there has not been an English/state-side Blu-ray release of either Hercules or Hercules Unchained yet (which is rather strange since they are iconic, important films in the peplum genre). So if you want a Blu-ray of these films, Artus seems to be the only release currently (but there is no English audio or subtitled on either). PeplumTV.com has a few musings about the possible print source of these releases, which can be read here.
News from Friends
Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Bernie and Pete have some new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online.
Cyanide Constellations and Other Stories (Photo provided by Sara Tantlinger)
Sara’s new book can be pre-ordered from Dark Matter Ink – here is the book’s product page. The release date is October 21st, just in time for Halloween!
