Tag: Peplum

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Peplum

Peplum Ponderings: Ursus in the Valley of the Lions

Ursus in the Valley of the Lions is a 1961 Italian sword and sandal film starring Ed Fury as the titular Ursus, a strongman character in the same vein as Hercules. Ursus in the Valley of the Lions is an origin story of sorts, depicting Ursus as being raised by lions and eventually overthrowing the evil Ayak (Alberto Lupo) who usurped the kingdom from Ursus’ parents. What follows here are general and informal observations about the film. 

In Chains

When Ursus is locked in Ayak’s dungeon, he is chained up in a fashion that mimic’s the iconic shot of Hercules (Steve Reeves) at the end of Hercules (1958): arms outstretched, chains pulled in opposite directions.

There is a major difference though: Hercules’ strength allows him to pull his chains and cause the pillars they are attached to to collapse. Ursus, on the other hand, is unable to break his bonds. Instead, Attea (Moira Orfei) frees him. This portrayl of Ursus diminishes the notion that the strong man in pepla are 100% independent and can rely solely on their body’s capabilities to best any situation. This dungeon scene, along with a scene later in the film where Simba the lion helps free Ursus from a cave, demonstrate that a strong man does, indeed, need the help of others. A better way to put it: as much as the strong man helps those in need, he, in turn, needs help when he is in need (and that is ok!).

Swordless and Sandals

Ursus doesn’t use a sword or any other melee weapons in the film. Aside from a few instances of improvisational weapons (such as the throwing of tables or other debris at attackers) Ursus relies entirely on fisticuffs in all his battles. This is exceptional, consideration a) his opponents typically have an arsenal of weapons (swords and nets) and b) being raised by lions he doesn’t really have a combat school to adhere to. 

Tarzan and Romulus/Remus?

Some texts, such as the film’s Wikipedia entry and Barry Atkinson’s book Heroes Never Die! (pg 140) compare Ursus in this film to Tarzan in that both characters are considered feral children, with noble births, raised by animals (Ursus by lions and Tarzan by apes). Though the comparison is certainly apropos, it would be worthwhile to factor in the mythology of Romulus and Remus as well considering that many peplum films drew heavily from Grecian and Roman mythologies. Ursus’ upbringing, and eventual destiny, shares much in common with Romulus and Remus: as babies they represented threats to their respective kingdoms, they were raised by animals (lions/the she-wolf), and eventually go on to restore the throne to the proper heir. Echoes of Ursus (and Romulus and Remus) can also be found in episode four of the first season of the Netflix series Blood of Zeus where the character of Seraphim is also a baby that represents a threat to the throne and is eventually raised by bears.

The Revolt of the Slaves

The ending of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions shares similarities to The Revolt of the Slaves (1960). Both films end with rebels of sorts (Christians in Revolt and rebels proper in Ursus) being captured and put into an arena where many are burned alive for the amusement of others. 

Depiction of Animals

As a low budget Italian genre film, it probably goes without saying that animals were, indeed, harmed in the making of this film. The beginning scenes showing Ursus trying to coerce a kiss from a lion who clearly didn’t want to give one, to the hyena pit, and the climatic end where elephants are forced down to their side. Of note when the film introduces an adult Ursus interacting with this lion family: any shots of Ed Fury’s face are close up with nary a lion in frame, while all instances of Ursus interacting with the lions are wide shots, with Ursus’ back to the audience. What can be inferred here is that these scenes don’t actually contain Ed Fury but an animal handler instead.

Some of the plot synopsis of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions claim that Lothar and his men kill all the lions (but Simba) by poisoning them. When Ursus finds the lions, they all appear to be on their sides in a drowsy state. Is can be surmised from the film that the lions were not killed, only tranquilized. Also, these are well kept lions and not dumb creatures, they can probably use their sense of smell to suss out that the meat they’ve been tossed is not consumable. 

Ursus as a Hero and Political Leanings

Ursus is a hero with goals and motivations that seem to change throughout the film, which may be a combination of him adapting to the evolving narrative coupled with with his own naivety. The film implies Ursus is a feral child, raised by lions, however he contains a degree of civility, saying he has learned the language from caravans that pass by. The early scenes that show interactions between Ursus and the traveling slave trader convey that Ursus doesn’t know much about money or the value of objects (hence why he gives up his royal necklace so readily). However, there is a wink and a nod in the performance of Ed Fury that hints that Ursus knows more than he leads on, and is perhaps not as naive as the audience think he is. 

Regardless, Ursus begins the film not as a hero and without a goal, save perhaps to make Annia (Mary Marlon) his love interest. When Annia is captured by Lothar (Gérard Herter) and his men, Ursus’ motivating goal is to rescue her. When brought before Ayak, Ursus’ goal now changes to vengeance, to kill Ayak. When finally freed and grouped with the rebels, Ursus states his revised motivation: “I didn’t come here to claim a throne, though your words touch me. I came for only one reason: to return all your lands to all of you, the rightful owners.”

As Michael C. Cornelius states in the introduction to Of Muscles and Men, one of the selling points of these peplum films is that (corrupt) empires topple (page 5) and certainly that occurs at the end of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions. Politically, the film is concerned with overthrowing overly maleficent dictators and warlords, but restoring the government back to one with a monarchy and landowners, probably a form of Feudalism. 

Waterfalls of Monte Gelato

Towards the beginning of the film, Annia is swimming in a pool under a set of waterfalls. Later Lothar’s men attempt to capture Ursus here by throwing a net on him. These are the Waterfalls of Monte Gelato:

Screen capture from Alpha Video release.

Lots of other films have been shot in these waterfalls. Other pepla filmed here include:

  • Messalina (1960)

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Comics Interview Peplum

Conquest Plans: Riley Hamilton on S.P.Q.R.

S.P.Q.R. is a neo-peplum comic created by Riley Hamilton whose first issue released in early 2021 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. S.P.Q.R. takes a different approach to the subject matter when compared to other indie/crowdfunded peplum comics as of late; it eschews mythology and the more fantastical elements to instead ground itself in historic events. The comic takes places in 69 C.E. during the Year of Four Emperors with the first issue focusing on a band of nomads in the Roman province of Moesia who are trying to survive in the wilderness while also avoiding the attention of the Roman military machine. 

Hamilton has graciously allowed an interview about S.P.Q.R.

S.P.Q.R. Logo used with permission from Riley Hamilton

Tell us a bit about yourself and what got you into writing and comics.

I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember. The earliest memory I have of writing was when I was about 6 or 7, when I was writing my own Captain Underpants stories. The first comic book I remember getting and reading was Ultimate Spiderman #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, that I got on Free Comic Book Day, when I was in my [local comic book store] looking for Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. 

After getting that book, I was completely hooked and started writing and drawing my own comics about a superhero called Energy-Man. The comics were four panels and drawn on printer paper that I took directly out of the printer. I stopped reading comics regularly in junior high and only started getting back into them when I was studying at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. I saw that there was a comic book club on campus and decided to join.

When I joined, I assumed that the club would be talking comics and comics-related media, but they were in the process of making their own series. The series was called Gael Force and was about a superhero team made up of university students from different faculties. They had already written the first issue when I arrived and I helped the club president, now one of my closest friends, Brendan Montgomery, with lettering the first issue. I co-wrote issues 2 and 3 with another club member and helped with some editing, here and there. We completed the series just as I was finishing up my undergraduate degree and leaving Queen’s, so the timing worked out nicely for me. 

What was the genesis of S.P.Q.R.?

With Gael Force I got an in-depth look into the process of comic creation and how much planning and effort goes into a single, 24-page floppy. I really enjoyed working on Gael Force and was getting back into reading comics and the thought crossed my mind about writing my own book. I did not start to seriously think about creating the book until I got some feedback from a couple of friends, Brendan being one of them, who thought I had something good and should give it a go.

The main catalyst for the format of the book really took shape after I read Brian Wood’s Northlanders, a historical comic set during the Viking Age. The structure of that series is the blueprint that I want to follow with S.P.Q.R. Rather than follow one set of characters throughout the entire series, which I find incredibly daunting to even think about, each arc followed a different set of characters, in a different location, and time within the 250-year period of what’s considered the Viking Age. One of the small arcs in that series centered around the Viking raid on Lindisfarne and crafted an entire story about a real historical event that is not well understood.

What sort of research did you do prior to creating S.P.Q.R.?

I was reading Tacitus for a paper and came across a passage about Legio III Gallica massacring 6,000 Roxolani horsemen in Moesia in 69 CE. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but once I read Northlanders that short passage immediately jumped back into my mind.

Apart from that I read a few books on the Roman legions and on their prisoner-taking practices. Legion by Stephen Dando Collins was a massive help, especially simplifying the convoluted history and organization of the legions. I also read a few research papers such as Dr. Jason Wickham’s PhD thesis “The Enslavement of War Captives by the Romans to 146 BC.”

Standard cover of issue #1. Photo used with permission from Riley Hamilton.

What were some of the main obstacles you encountered while producing S.P.Q.R.?

I had been playing around with the idea of writing a historical comic since I had read Northlanders in 2016. I also knew, speaking to some artist friends, that I wanted to be able to pay anyone who I worked with, so I did not have the means to make the book when I first came up with the idea, so I sat on it for a couple of years. By November 2019, I felt that I had saved enough and had a feasible plan in place to pay for the production myself and then went looking for artists.

One interesting note was the title, which was originally going to be Pax Romana, which I really liked as a title. However, it turns out that Jonathan Hickman had released his own miniseries, through Image, with that exact title. His story was completely different, about a group of commandos who time travel to 312 CE on a mission from the Vatican, but I did not want to tempt fate, or Image’s legal team, so I changed it to S.P.Q.R.

One option would have been to launch a Kickstarter to cover the production costs of the book and deliver it to backers a year later when it would have been finished. I spoke to a friend who had done this for his book but had his artist ghost him and disappear, leaving him with no artist and backers waiting for their books. I did not want to have something like that happen to me and have to deal with that kind of stress, so I decided the fund the production out of my own pocket and use Kickstarter to cover the printing and shipping.

The production of the book ended up being incredibly smooth sailing and I’m grateful to my penciller, Samrat Das, inker, Rowel Roque, and colourist, Lucas Aparicio, for making the experience a pleasant one. There was a hiccup in printing that was my own fault for not checking a layer on the variant cover properly, but it was a learning experience, and hopefully the next one goes smoother. 

What are your favourite sword and sandal texts?

It seems the catalyst for a lot of people that I’ve talked to about their interest in Classics, whether other creators or people I went to university with, is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. I didn’t see Gladiator until I was in my 20s and was already a sword and sandal fan.

My introduction to the genre was through video games, and Creative Assembly’s Rome: Total War. I loved that game as a kid and even though I can look back on it and see its many flaws, I still love to boot it up and play for hours when I get the urge. I loved playing as one of the patrician families and growing the empire before turning on the Senate and fighting a brutal civil war. It blended the turn-based games that I loved like Axis and Allies and mixed it with real-time battles like Age of Empires and StarCraft, without all the tedious base-building and resource gathering.

I’ve also sunk many hours into its sequel and have looking forward to the remastered edition which is coming out at the end of the month (April 29). In high school I got the boxed sets of HBO’s Rome and watched them religiously, I liked the performances from Ciaran Hinds, Kevin McKidd, and I really loved James Purefoy as Mark Antony. I also checked out the new German series Barbarians, which was a fun retelling of Arminius’s story and the battle of the Teutoburg Forest. My enjoyment of the series may have been influenced by the fact that I’m a sucker for the Roman characters speaking Latin. 

What are your general thoughts about the present-day state of sword and sandal media?

I can honestly say that I am not up to date on the happenings in the genre. If I stumble across something, new or old, I will check it out but most of the stuff I’ve seen and read has been enjoyable. I still feel that the genre does not have the same grasp on the public’s imagination that the World Wars or the Cold War have in popular media. I think the reason for that is largely because people has a direct connection to those events, whether they lived through them themselves or have close relatives who did.

The sword and sandal genre seems more abstract to people than more modern stories, but I think shows like Game of Thrones, despite being set in a fantasy world, have shown that people love a gripping story with interesting characters. I think that a show set during the Crisis of the Third Century or the Augustan Civil War, or many of the tumultuous events of Antiquity could become a huge hit, if you have the right people working on it. 

What do you feel differentiate S.P.Q.R. from other peplum/historic epic comics out there?

I always knew that I wanted to tell a story that was one that was grounded in history and real-world events. Most of the comics I have read that are sent in Antiquity, like Britannia by Peter Milligan and Frank Miller’s 300, have a heavy focus on mythology and fantasy as opposed to being strictly grounded. I knew that I wanted to tell a story that someone could read and learn that these people really did exist and could learn about things in my book without dismissing it as entirely made up.

What is the primary goal you want to accomplish with S.P.Q.R.?

The biggest thing for me was proving to myself that I could write, letter, and successfully self-publish my own book. Launching the Kickstarter was very intimidating and there are moments in the mid-campaign lull where I felt like the Kickstarter was not going to make it. Once we funded and reached our stretch goal, I felt very satisfied, at this point I am just looking to tell an interesting story and hoping people will read it and like it. The Kickstarter also showed me that there is an audience for this genre and that it does not need to be a fantasy series or have a heavy emphasis on mythology to succeed as a comic. 

S.P.Q.R. issue #1 variant cover. Used with permission from Riley Hamilton.

What has been the feedback you’ve received on S.P.Q.R. since its release?

I haven’t received much feedback to be perfectly honest but the feedback I have gotten has been positive. As a first-time creator, who has never published my own book before, I had no idea what sort of reception the first issue would get but it’s been good so far. I hope it continues as more people read the book and when issue two comes out. 

What are your next big plans?

Right now, issue two is in production and I’ve got some great ideas of where I want to take both Ara’s story and others going forward. I am still working to streamline the work process with my collaborators so we can hopefully start pushing issues out more regularly. I have a few other irons in the fire that I can’t go into too much detail about right now.

Lastly, I am a contributor to Sequential Magazine, a print magazine focusing on the Canadian indie comics scene and Canadian indie creators. We just released our mega-sized March issue in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the first comic book that was made and published in Canada, Better Comics #1. This issue of the magazine covers the history of Canadian comics and contains interviews and chats with creators in every part of Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. You can order a copy on Sequential’s Gumroad store.

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News

News Roundup W/E 2021-03-28

Personal / Website News

Podcast News

Michele and I has our monthly appearance on the Scholars from the Edge of Time segment of the Voice of Olympus podcast. This month we discuss the toga and sandal film Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). Great discussion and keep an eye out on a write up about the film here at my website. In the meantime, the episode can be downloaded/streamed at BlogTalkRadio.

Screen capture from the Eclipse release of Caesar and Cleopatra. Pictured is Claude Rains as Caesar and Vivien Leigh as Cleopatra.

This upcoming Tuesday we will have a mini episode on Voice of Olympus as well.

General Neo-Peplum News

Polis Part 2 Comic

Jave Galt-Miller informs via Kickstarter that the second part of his Polis: The Trail of Socrates has been printed and in his possession. He expects to ship out to backers in the next couple of weeks. Historic info about the project can be found on Kickstarter.

Cover art of issue 2. Copyright by Jave Galt-Miller

Of note, back when I wrote for Fanbase Press, I did a review of issue one of Polis. It can be read here.

Rest in Peplum

Bertrand Tavernier passed away at the age of 79. He was an assistant director for The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules (1964).

Susana Canales passed away at the age of 87. She starred in Revolt of the Mercenaries (1961).

Categories
Peplum

An Empire Crumbles: Retrospective of the Roman-themed Fry’s Electronics

On Tuesday February 23rd mega retailer Fry’s Electronics announced it was immediately suspending operations and permanently closing all of its remaining thirty-one stores. While the announcement was sudden, it was not unexpected: Fry’s had been in a death spiral for many years with many speculating its end. Customers, past and present, turned to social media to share their nostalgia of the former titan of electronics and reminiscence over each store’s unique theme.

My first experience with Fry’s was while living in Phoenix in the early 2000s. At the time I was attending a tech school, working on my Bachelors of Science, and the store was a mecca. Myself and many of my friends would go to the Aztec-themed Fry’s on Thunderbird and get lost in the store for hours. This was the era of PC games still being released in big boxes, and niche music labels such as Mute and Metropolis had albums for sale. I greatly rounded out my KMFDM collection at this Fry’s while plucking up computer games and an occasional part or two for my PC. As a tech student, Fry’s was heaven. 

I vividly recall my final purchase at this Fry’s: a copy of Persona 2 on the Playstation in the discount bin, which now goes for 100s of dollars on eBay. 

When I moved back to Washington, the Fry’s in Renton became the go-to Fry’s for Michele and I. By this time my interests has shifted: I was knee deep in my masters on film studies. While we didn’t visit this Fry’s as much, (and I unfortunately cannot recall its theme), I was always impressed by its massive DVD section: huge aisles broken into genres. I was able to load up on quite a bit of exploitation and foreign films at this Fry’s that I was unable to get elsewhere.

In the 2010s Michele and I moved to Orange CA and the Fry’s in Anaheim became our home base. Unlike the Renton Fry’s, the Anaheim Fry’s was mere minutes away from our apartment. This Fry’s was to say rather lackluster in its theme, which was NASA and Cape Canaveral. What should be a fairly easy to execute theme, this Fry’s was rather bland and generic. It was also quite empty. I recall the Aztec Fry’s in Phoenix in the early 2000s being filled to the brim with customers, with long queues to get in. The Anaheim Fry’s, 10+ years later, a ghost town. Regardless, it was often our place of preference to pick up a last minute movie, or find a cheap video game. By this time, the movie section was obliterated: the genres all gone and everything condensed to simply “blu-ray.” The music section was practically absent. However, I was able to load up on Skylanders figures extremely cheap. 

And thus my history with Fry’s Electronics. What does this have to do with the peplum genre? In the very late 2010s the news really started to pick up traction of Fry’s closing down. There were a plethora of articles about shuttered stores and Fry’s that were entirely empty of product. Directly south of me on the border of Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley was a Roman-themed Fry’s. Not wanting to miss out on seeing this Fry’s before it shuttered, in October 2019 Michele and I went and checked it out. What follows below is a gallery of images I took of the Roman-theme Fry’s, highlighting its many embellishments of antiquity while also documenting a store in decline. 

There are a few things to note about this Fry’s. First, its address was on Kalama River Ave, which resonated with me for I grew up in Kalama Washington on the Kalama River. Secondly, this Fry’s was 80% empty. Entire aisles were void of product, which you might get a hint of in these photos. However, all of the Roman statues and faux-architecture was still quite a sight to behold, which is what this gallery focuses on. Much like how we behold the glory of a fallen empire by marveling at its crumbled ruins, one can get a glimpse of what Fry’s would have been like back in its heyday.

  • Fry’s signage
  • Empty parking lot and nondescript entrance.
  • Interior entrance arches
  • Statues
  • PC displays on lion tables
  • Vine covered walls
  • Vines, different view
  • Statues and torches
  • Atlas
  • Audio room
  • Magazine rack
  • Statues that watch over the magazines
  • Crumbled ruins, foreshadowing?
  • Mural at the registers
  • Empty check out
  • Themes prize machines

All photos copyright by Nicholas Diak.

Categories
Comics Interview Peplum

Unlocking the Secrets of Secret Rites: Interview with Sammy Ward

Secret Rites is a neo-peplum, mythological comic by Sammy Ward. The one-shot comic was successfully Kickstarted and subsequently published in late 2020. The comic provides an alternate viewpoint of the myth of Persephone and Hades by being told from the point of view of her mother, Demeter. Simultaneously, the comic also not only depicts, but acts as an extension and interpretation of the Eleusinian Mysteries. This places the comic in the same canon as other artifacts of antiquity and paintings that depict the mysterious rituals.

Sincere thanks to Sammy Ward for allowing the following interview about her comic.

Secret Rites cover

Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into art and comics.

I’ve always been creative and enjoyed drawing. My first interest in comics came when I discovered Kabuki by David Mack. I was really interested in how he used different media and how it didn’t follow the typical conventions of a comic book. It opened up the medium to me and I realised it wasn’t all just super heroes.

Tell us more about the catalyst that started this comic, that is when you happened across the Eleusinian Mysteries? What was the big “A-ha! I want to make  comic from this!”

The first spark for me was when I did an illustration of Persephone for a drawing challenge back in 2018. I wasn’t following the usual prompt list but drawing deities from different cultures. Persephone is so fascinating as a symbol of life and death as well as being presented as powerful and a victim. When I was researching Persephone I read about the Eleusinian Mysteries. It just captured my imagination in that it was a real mystery so it opened up all these possibilities that I played around with for a while before writing what is now Secret Rites.

What texts did you use to draw inspiration from?

I’ve read Circe by Madeline Miller which explores Circe’s defiance as a witch and a mother against the Olympians. That defiance was definitely a theme I wanted to use in Secret Rites. I also enjoy listening to a lot of soundtracks whilst working and I find it can be inspiring. The God of War OST has probably been the main one but I also discovered the Hadestown the musical by Anaïs Mitchell whilst creating Secret Rites. It’s a different Greek Tragedy with a modern take but I still found it inspirational in creating the characters for Secret Rites where each one has a selfish agenda.

What texts and resources did you use for research materials?

I found articles by Mark Cartwright and Joshua J. Mark very helpful which led me to discover The Myth of Er by Plato (said to be an initiate himself) which describes the character Er joining the afterlife and then returning to reality. I also came across a talk from Terence Mckenna who was an ethnobotanist and mystic. He discusses the use of Ergot, a deadly black fungus found on wheat and barley with psychotropic properties which was a component in a drink consumed during the ritual. I found the link of this and Demeter being the goddess of the harvest very alluring.

Interior page depicting a scene of the Eleusinian Mysteries

What is your relationship with Greek mythology?

I think my interest in Greek mythology started when I was at school studying Greek playwrights in drama class. It’s not something I’ve devoted loads of time throughout my life but mythology and folklore have always fascinated me. I love reading different stories from all over the world whether it’s the Poetic Edda or Russian fairy tales. That’s my constant go to for books and comics.

Are you into any sword and sandal media?

I do enjoy the 1963 Jason and The Argonauts and [the] 1981 Clash of the Titans. I have a big appreciation for the Ray Harryhausen era of stop motion animation that really captures those stories. I also really enjoy reading Wonder Woman comics, I especially enjoyed the 2011 relaunch written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Cliff Chiangs and Tony Akins. Again, women defying the power and will of the Gods seems to be a favourite theme of mine.

What were some of the biggest challenges you encountered while realizing Secret Rites?

Whilst the actual concept and story came pretty naturally, the script process was challenging as it would change whilst I was creating the art. There are good and bad aspects of being both writer and illustrator. I started illustrating the book in 2019 but my art has changed/improved a fair bit since then so I went back and changed a few pieces I had previously completed. My first comic, Scavengers, is a silent comic so I managed to create a story without having to do any lettering other than the intros which I hand lettered. Learning to letter Secret Rites has been a really fun journey for me though a slow one. Lettering is it’s own art form.

Secret Rites and pin-up art from a Kickstarter package. Photo by Nicholas Diak.

Do you any any successor plans to Secret Rites?

Secret Rites is a one shot so there are no sequels planned. Not to say I wouldn’t be interested in exploring the mythos a little more. I’m very interested in exploring more deities from the Greek pantheon and from many different cultures and religions. I would also like to collaborate more in the future especially with those writing mythology and folktales.

Do you have any upcoming projects on the horizon that you’d like to share?

I worked on some original pieces illustrating winter and Christmas deities which are available from my Etsy store along with my comics. I’m currently working on a comic/zine hybrid which will involve deities but I can’t say much more at this stage, it will include more mixed media in terms of art and will be a lot more experimental.

Links for Sammy Ward

Artwork provided courtesy of Sammy Ward unless otherwise noted.

Categories
Comics Interview Peplum

Building Mythologies: Samuel George London on Band of Warriors

Band of Warriors is a neo-peplum comic that is currently in the stages of being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Written by Samuel George London (The S Factor, Milford Green, and Project Hoax), with art by Federico Avila Corsini (Treble, Remitente, and Maranatá) and editing by Nicole D’Andria (Miraculous), the story begins with King Minos at the height of his reign and leads to an epic, adventurous tale that incorporates both Grecian and Celtic mythologies.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into comics.

I only got into comics in 2015 after finding out that the TV show, The Walking Dead, was based on a comic. I bought all the compendiums up to that point and was hooked. After that I discovered Image’s back catalogue and went down a rabbit hole of indie comics. After a year or so, I was inspired enough to give writing a go and luckily an idea came to me in the form of Milford Green, which is best described as a Victorian space adventure. I Kickstarted that in 2018 and have since successfully funded five other comics as well as having a four issue mini-series titled The S Factor published by Action Lab – Danger Zone, which is about the dark underbelly of a superhero dating reality TV show.

What was the genesis of Band of Warriors (BoW)?

My mother has a house on the island of Crete and when I visited there for the first time in 2016 I was enthralled by the history it had, both fairly recently (WW2) and even further in the past, especially the bronze age (3,000-1200 BC). That same year, I visited my wife’s family in Brittany, France. Of course, I had visited them before but this time we visited a megalith which was next to an old tin mine. For those of you not in the know, bronze is made up of copper and tin.

When investigating all of this further it turned out that bronze age tin from France and Britain (my own homeland) had been found among bronze age artefacts on and around Crete. This trading relationship between France, Britain and Crete during the bronze age got my imagination fired up and the idea of Band of Warriors began.

BoW was actually the first idea that came to me but I thought the scope of the story was far too big for me to take on as a first time writer. But now that I’ve got a few books under my belt, I thought it was high time I got it out to the world. Honestly, it hasn’t been easy trawling through all the history and mythology surrounding all of those regions to create a coherent story but I think (if I don’t say so myself) I’ve created a rather epic story.

What were your other sources of inspiration for this comic?

To name but a few; 300 (both comic and movie), Kill the Minotaur and Vikings (both comics and TV show) have all inspired BoW. The mixture of mythology, history and action really helped me see that it’s possible.

What texts did you use for research for BoW?

One that really stands out is 1077 B.C. by Professor Eric Cline. The book is an outstanding insight into the era and as an added bonus you watch a lot of his lectures online, which are also massively useful.

What was some of the most interesting things you learned while researching?

One of the most interesting things to me was just how international that time was. There were full on trading relationships from France and Britain to Crete and even to Egypt, Turkey and Afghanistan. It’s incredible to me that over 3,500 years ago this was going on.

There’s a few other comics out there that merge different mythologies: what would you say sets yours apart?

My USP, so to speak, is that I’ve grounded the mythology in actual historical events. Using actual history to try and connect the dots of mythology is time consuming as a writer but I think that it will help the comic shine for the readers.

Do you have any favourite sword and sandal texts?

This might seem vacuous but I really enjoyed the 2014 movie with Dwayne Johnson, Hercules. I thought they did a superb job of merging mythology, history, reality and action. Sure the character development wasn’t great but man was the action awesome.

What is your general thoughts/impressions of the current state of the sword and sandal genre?

I think the sword and sandal genre can be quite one-dimensional and predictable, so I think it’s important that for those of us who are passionate about it think outside the box. Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules was a great example of subverting my expectations from everything being about magic and what not when in reality it was all tricks of the eye and playing into the reputation Hercules and his team had created.

How did you go about meeting/recruiting your artist Federico Avila Corsini and editor Nicole D’Andria?

I met Nicole a couple of years ago through Kickstarter and it turned out she did freelance editing. I then hired her to work on the Milford Green series and she’s been my trusted editor ever since. Federico on the other hand, was through Reddit. A few months ago I put a call out on Twitter and Reddit for an artist to work on a story that involved both Celtic and Greek mythology and after sifting through about thirty artists, Federico stood out. Both his style and work ethic are fantastic, so he’s the ideal artist for BoW.

What were some of the biggest challenges or obstacles you encountered while creating BoW?

My biggest challenge was connecting all the dots and making the story consistent. I actually have one of those cork boards that allows me to see all the storylines side by side in chronological order. I feel like I’m trying to catch a serial killer but it really does help.

Having successfully Kickstarted other projects, what advice do you have for other folks looking to use the medium?

First and foremost, get involved with the community. Secondly, research successful campaigns. Lastly, make sure you triple check your reward and postage costs.

What is the biggest thing you want to accomplish with BoW?

Great question! We’ve got an initial six issue arc sorted but I’d love for BoW to become an on-going series that would be released every three months, direct to the people via crowdfunding. However, that’s only possible if we get the right level of support, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Thank you your time for this interview, any final words?

I’d just like to say thanks to you for taking the time to do this interview and to your readers who have read this interview. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and that you’ll check out Band of Warriors to potentially help support it.

Links

Samuel George London

Federico Avila Corsini

Nicole D’Andria

Artwork for this interview provided courtesy by Samuel George London.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2020-11-15

Personal / Website News

Stranger Things Citation

My essay, “Lost Nights and Dangerous Days: Unraveling the Relationship Between Stranger Things and Synthwave” from Uncovering Stranger Things was cited (opens up!) in the article “GTA Vice City Created a New Wave of ’80s Nostalgia: How a video game kickstarted reverence for a decade — even for those who never lived through it” over at Super Jump.

The New Peplum Citations

The New Peplum has been cited in two essays in a new anthology published by Brill, The Modern Hercules: Images of the Hero from the Nineteenth to the Early Twenty-First Century, edited by Alastair J.L. Blanshard and Emma Stafford:

The Modern Hercules

The two essays are:

“Hercules’ Self-fashioning on Screen: Millennial Concerns and Political Dimensions” by Jean Alvares and Patricia Salzman-Mitchell

“Warriors, Murderers, Savages: Violence in Steve Moore’s Hercules: The Thracian Wars” by Katherine Lu Hsu

Unfortunately I don’t know which essays within The New Peplum these two essays cite, but as soon as I find out I’ll update the citation page accordingly.

Podcast News

New episode of H. P. Lovecast Podcast Fragments is live. This is the episode we interview Robert P. Ottone. Check it out on Buzzsprout or your podcast app of preference.

Call for Papers

The Call for Presentations for Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference is live. The CFP can be read at the StokerCon 2021 website.

The Call for Abstracts for my collection of essays on neo-medievalism is live. The CFP can be found here.

General Neo-Peplum News

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

The newest neo-peplum title in Ubisoft’s long running Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, was released this past Tuesday. Lots of news to round up.

Lakeshore records released the soundtrack via Bandcamp.

YouTube cocktail channel How2Drink has created a libation for AC:V called The Horn of Eivorr.

Blood of Zeus

Articles at Screenrant: “Blood of Zeus: 10 References to Classic Peplum Flicks You Probably Missed” and “Blood of Zeus: 5 Authentic References to Greek Mythology, 5 Things That Are Totally Made Up.”

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2020-11-08

Personal / Website News

Podcast News

Recorded our interview with Robert P. Ottone over the weekend for H. P. Lovecast Fragements. Episode is now in post-product and will be uploaded on the 15th.

Call for Papers

The Call for Presentations for Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference is live. The CFP can be read at the StokerCon 2021 website.

The Call for Abstracts for my collection of essays on neo-medievalism is live. The CFP can be found here.

General Neo-Peplum News

Sword and Sandal Media Releases

Kino will be releasing a blu-ray of Ulysses (1954, Mario Camerini) on November 17. DVD Beaver has the details on the specs, supplements, and screen captures.

Ubisoft will be releasing Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on November the 10th across all major platforms. More details can be found at the publisher’s product page.

Peplum Photography

Photographer Ana Martinez has a beautiful photo set called “Olympus” at their website. Thanks to Dannie DeLisle for the heads up!

The photo set reminds me of the “Celestial Goddesses” post over at Lingerie Addict. Check that one out too for a melding of peplum and lingerie.

Rest in Peplum

Scottish actor John Fraser passed away on November 7th. He was in El Cid (1961, Anthony Mann) and the sorta sword and sandal (I’ll allow it for its historic epic sequences) Loves of Three Queens aka The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships (1954, Marc Allégret and Edgar G. Ulmer)

Neo-Peplum Television

Over at Inverse there is an interview with Blood of Zeus creators Vlas and Charley Parlapanides.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2020-11-01

Personal / Website News

Podcast Appearances

Michele and I appeared on the Chatting with Sherri program and the episode went live this past Thursday.

Earlier today we recorded the newest episode of the H. P. Lovecast Podcast. In this episode we discuss Kij Johnson’s The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe. Both podcasts have been added to the podcast index.

Our upcoming podcast schedule looks like this:

  • 11/25 – HP Lovecast Fragments: Interview with Robert Ottone
  • 11/26 – Scholars from the Edge of Time appearance
  • 12/06 – HP Lovecast: Stories from Wonder and Glory Forever, edited by Nick Mamatas
  • 12/20 – HP Lovecast Fragments: Interview with Nick Mamatas
  • 12/24 – Scholars from the Edge of Time appearance

Call for Proposals

The Call for Presentations for Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference is live. The CFP can be read at the StokerCon 2021 website.

The Call for Abstracts for my collection of essays on neo-medievalism is live. The CFP can be found here.

ICYMI

In case you missed them, here is a wrap up of my essays published at my website since going live:

General Neo-Peplum News

Netflix is looking to develop an Assassin’s Creed series. Hopefully they will bring in Kassandra?

Both Looper and The Cinemaholic have write ups on the Blood of Zeus animated series on Netflix.

While IGN reviews season one of Netflix’s Barbarians.

Rest in Peplum

Legendary actor Sir Sean Connery, iconic for bringing pop culture phenomena James Bond to life, passed away earlier this week at the age of 90. Aside from his portraying Bond, Connery starred in numerous peplum films and TV programs:

  • An Age of Kings (1960)
  • Adventure Story (1961)
  • Zardoz (1974, John Boorman, counting film as sword and planet genre)
  • Robin and Marian (1976, Richard Lester)
  • Time Bandits (1981, Terry Gilliam)
  • Sword of the Valiant (1984, Stephen Weeks)
  • The Name of the Rose (1986, Jean-Jacques Annaud)
  • Highlander (1986, Russell Mulcahy)
  • Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991, Kevin Reynolds)
  • First Knight (1995, Jerry Zucker)
  • Dragon Heart (1996, Rob Cohen)
Categories
Essays News

Call for Abstracts: Essays for Neo-medievalism Media in the New Millennium

2021-03-06 – Update

The call for papers officially closed last week. In the week since I’ve given careful consideration to shutter this project. I have informed all folks who submitted abstracts as such.

Introduction

The critical and commercial success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy ushered in a new era of fantasy-medieval and historic-medieval texts in the new Millennium. These neo-medieval texts were not restricted to the big screen, but in true transmedia fashion, exploded on the small screen, in video games, comics, and a variety of other medias as the genre became popular and hence, lucrative. Nearly twenty years later, depictions of the medieval period, be it authentic or moored in fantasy, remain a dominate component in the greater pop culture, with shows like Game of Thrones, video games like Skyrim, many fantasy-medieval books, young adult comics, and the like.

With neo-medieval texts enjoying heightened popularity, it invites an academic gaze to unearth their importance. What is it about these texts that makes them fascinating, especially considering that they are rooted in the distant past as compared to the new Millennium we are living in? What are the different approaches we can take to make sense of these films, shows, books, etc. which in turn can be used to understand not just our present world, but the future we are going into?

This anthology is looking for shorter-form essays (2.5k – 4k words in length) that aim to explore fantasy-medieval and historic medieval films, television shows, comics, video games, literature, and other works made after the year 2000 that add and expand the genre’s canon. The result would an anthology of 22-28 essays that touch upon a variety of texts with a plethora of academic lenses and approaches, grouped together to support a series of wider topics under the neo-medievalism banner.

Potential Essay Topics

The following is a list of possible (but not comprehensive) topics that contributors could submit on:

  • Auteur theory on filmmakers and their medieval films/TV shows (e.g. Neil Marshall, Guy Ritchie, Uwe Boll, etc.)
  • Adaptations of the Matter of Britain
  • Adaptations/portrayal of historic figures (Robert the Bruce, Robin Hood, Marco Polo, etc.)
  • Adaptations of fairy tales, stories, and myths
  • Adaptations of video games (In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale [2007] (and its sequels), Warcraft [2016])
  • Blending medieval with other genres, such as horror (The Head Hunter [2018]) or sci-fi (Transformers: The Last Knight [2017])
  • Close readings of specific texts
  • Colonialism
  • Covid-19 and plague texts (A Plague Tale: Innocence [2019 video game], The Last Witch Hunter [2015], Black Death [2010])
  • Currency/economics in medieval video games (Skyrim, The Witcher, Final Fantasy) compared to current economic anxieties
  • Fan and fandom studies
  • Gender studies
  • History of the portrayal of medieval times from the past to the present
  • Intersectionality
  • Intertextual analysis
  • Medieval monsters as metaphors
  • Monomyth/heroes journey
  • Non-occidental medieval films:
    • Indian neo-peplum films: Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and Veeram (2016 film)
    • Late-era Mesoamerica films: Apocalypto (2006)
    • Russian medieval films: Furious (2017)
    • Chinese historic epics: Hero (2002), Genghis Khan (2018), House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    • Adaptations of One Thousand and One Nights
  • Portrayals of religions and nationalities (Vikings, Saxons, etc.)
  • Portrayals of bodies (such body builders and muscular heroes)
  • Race portrayals (example: white characters in Eastern settings such as The Great Wall [2016])
  • Semiotic analysis
  • Surveillance/panopticon in scrying magic: Lord of the Rings films
  • Temporal texts (time traveling): medieval in modern times or modern times in medieval
  • Torture porn genre in movies with medieval torture scenes: Red Riding Hood (2011)
  • Vernacular film theory
  • And others

List of Media Texts

Below is a list of media titles (from films, TV, comics, games, etc.) that could potentially fit into the neo-medieval formula. This list is by no means complete, but it is presented to give title examples that fit within this genre and to inspire creative ideas on topics to write about. The below list contains titles that are historic-medieval, fantasy-medieval, and medieval combined with other genres.

Films

  • Black Death (2010)
  • Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000)
  • Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (2015)
  • Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017)
  • Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020)
  • The Head Hunter (2018)
  • The Hobbit trilogy (2012-214)
  • The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016)
  • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
  • Last Knights (2015)
  • The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
  • Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)
  • Maleficent (2014)
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
  • Robin Hood (2010)
  • Robin Hood (2018)
  • Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Television

  • Britannia (2018-present)
  • Cursed (2020)
  • Deus Salve o Rei (2018)
  • Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
  • The Hollow Crown (2012, 2016)
  • Knightfall (2017-2019)
  • The Last Kingdom (2015-present)
  • The Letter for the King (2020)
  • Marco Polo (2014)
  • Miracle Workers (season 2)
  • The Name of the Rose (2019)
  • Robin Hood (BBC) (2006-2009)
  • The Witcher (2019-present)

Literature

  • Ascendance Series (Nielsen)
  • Codex Alera (Butcher)
  • The Kingkiller Chronicle (Rothfuss)
  • Ranger’s Apprentice (Flanagan)
  • Sabbath (Mamatas)
  • Sands of Arawiya series (Faizal)
  • A Song of Fire and Ice series (Martin)
  • Throne of Glass series (Maas)
  • The Witcher series (Sapkowski)
  • The Wrath & the Dawn (Ahdieh)

Comics

  • Berserker Unbound (Dark Horse)
  • Birthright (Image)
  • Cursed (Simon & Schuster)
  • A Game of Thrones (Dynamite)
  • Lady Castle (Boom!)
  • Nimona (web comic)
  • Northlanders (Vertigo)
  • The Witcher (Dark Horse comics)

Video games

  • Assassin’s Creed series
  • Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (2012)
  • Crusader Kings series
  • The Cursed Crusade (2011)
  • Fable series
  • The First Templar (2011)
  • Game of Thrones (2012)
  • Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series (2014-2015)
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018)
  • A Plague Tale: Innocence (2019)
  • Stronghold series
  • The Witcher series from CD Projekt Red

Music

  • Dungeon synth music
  • Adventure/power metal bands like Blind Guardian and Keep of Kalessin

Again, the above list is not comprehensive, but to illustrate a general idea of titles from different media that could fit into this essay collection.

Project Timetable

This anthology has not yet procured a contract, but will be submitted for consideration to Peter Lang Publishing to be part of the Genre Fiction and Film Companions series. The following a proposed timetable to realize this project:

  • February 28, 2021 – Deadline for abstract submissions
  • March 7, 2021 – Notification of acceptance
  • March 14, 2021 – Submission of preliminary table of contents to Peter Lang Publishing for consideration for their Genre Fiction and Film Companions series
    • If rejected, submit to alternative publisher, repeat process
    • If accepted, distribute style guide to authors
  • + Five months after publisher acceptance – Chapter drafts are due
  • + Four months – Chapter revisions are due
  • + One month – Submission of manuscript to publisher

Drafts and revisions are strongly encouraged to be submitted before the deadlines.

Abstract Submission Information

Please submit your abstract(s) of roughly 500 words along with your academic CV/resume and preliminary bibliography to the email address below before February 28, 2021. Please use an appropriate subject line when submitting – have it contain the phrase “medieval submission.” I will confirm each submission via email within 72 hours. I will also accept multiple abstract submissions.

This CFP is open to all academics and scholars. Underrepresented scholars researching this genre are greatly encouraged to submit.

Nicholas Diak, editor

Email: vnvdiak@gmail.com
Website: http://www.nickdiak.com

Nicholas Diak is a pop culture scholar of neo-peplum and sword and sandal films, industrial music, synthwave, exploitation films Italian genre cinema, and H. P. Lovecraft studies. He is the editor of
The New Peplum: Essays on Sword and Sandal Films and Television Programs Since the 1990s (McFarland, 2018) and the co-editor of Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays (McFarland, 2020). Along with Michele Brittany, he co-created and co-chairs the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference and co-hosts the H. P. Lovecast Podcast. He has contributed articles, essays, and reviews to numerous journals, academic anthologies, magazines, and websites.