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:
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering is a periodic, small convention of sorts, hosted by a member of the Burroughs Bibliophiles in different cities across America. It is an event that allows Bibliophiles and the public to get together to celebrate the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, purchase books and memorabilia in the “Huckster Room”, listen to presentations, have a banquet, bestow awards, or partake in a huge event, such as the 2023 ECOF in Palm Springs that centered on the unveiling of a star on the walk of fame in Palm Springs for Burroughs.
The 2025 ECOF was held in Willcox, Arizona over the weekend of September 26th through the 28th, and was hosted by Bibliophile Frank Puncer, who had hosted a 2019 Burroughs event also in Willcox. The 2025 ECOF’s primary focus was to celebrate Burroughs’ 150th birthday and commemorate his military service as part of the 7th U.S. Cavalry at the nearby Fort Grant. The ECOF proper was held at the Willcox Elks Club, with the main attraction, the unveiling of the Burroughs monument, occurring at the Willcox city hall, that once served as the town’s train station (the very same that Burroughs arrived at), that was just a short walk away.
Michele and I have been extremely excited to attend the 2025 ECOF. Having moved to Phoenix in 2020, we have been eager to do more road trips to explore the desert lands of Arizona and see more of the Old West. The trip southeast to Willcox promised adventure. We also knew of THE THING?, a tourist trap on I10 on the way to Willcox, and we love to play tourist. We were excited to finally meet Puncer in person, who I have been in correspondence with since moving to Arizona and who has been the most welcoming individual in the Burroughs Bibliophiles since I joined. I was also invited to give a presentation, an opportunity I jumped at. There is quite a bit of cross over between the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the peplum genre (my specialty), so I had been working on a talk about the sword and sandal elements of Burroughs’ book Tarzan and the Lost Empire.
With all of this in mind, Michele and I counted down the days that we could get a respite from work and go on a road trip and partake in a unique, momentous event. What follows is a recap of the 2025 ECOF along with multiple photo galleries of pictures I took to document the occasion.
Thursday
We left Phoenix around 9:00 am Thursday morning, our mighty Fiat filled with our luggage, snacks, items to sell, and items to have autographed. The day started off bright and sunny with bagels in our tummies. As we got closer to Tucson, however, the horizon started to darken, with curtains of rain off in the distance. We stopped at a Pilot Express truck stop on S. Rita Rd. to get some Slushies, and we could start to see lightning and pillars of rain becoming more common.
Curtains of rain in the not too far distance.
Shortly after getting back onto I10 our radio cut out with an emergency broadcast: warnings of heavy rain, flash flooding, and hail. And we were driving right into it.
Ominous horizon.
Once the sky turned apocalyptic dark, the temperature dropped rapidly. Feeling the window on the door it was super cold. Lots of thunder in the distance, and then the sky broke with extremely heavy rain, huge globules battering the Fiat (lucky no hail). We had to pull off to the side of the freeway for a spell. We saw poor motorcyclists pull over to put on their raincoats. The rain would soon abate and stop by the time we reached Benson. For the rest of the day, however, the skyline would be perpetually dark with storm clouds and rain pillars.
When it became safe to drive and we were back on our way, the billboards along I10 decreasing stopped advertising lawyers and instead, more and more, began advertising, THE THING?.
One of the many THE THING? signed on I10.
These yellow billboards were everywhere, sometimes one right after the other. With each one we passed we got increasingly excited about checking out what THE THING? was. We hyped it up for ourselves so much, it had to be amazing.
After driving through Texas Canyon, which is filled with eroded boulders and rockscapes that make it look like a planet from the original Star Trek series, we could see just down the freeway, THE THING?, beckoning to us.
The Thing?
Pulling off I10, the outside of THE THING? looks like a large Shell station with a Dairy Queen attached to it. An aside, southern Arizona takes their Dairy Queens seriously. We saw more roadside adverts for Dairy Queens than any other fast food burger chain.
Michele stand in front of the entrance to THE THING.
Walking inside THE THING?, to the right was a bustling Dairy Queen, and to the left, a huge gift shop. This shop was filled with snacks, postcards, shirts, local artist doodads, toys, necessities, jewelry, novelties, stickers, rocks, crystals, Dinosaur things, just everything. The store could probably be said to be 1/3 devoted to THE THING?, 1/3 devoted to general Arizona trinkets, and the rest to normal travel items.
On the far back wall, a counter manned by a very disinterested youth, where it costs $5 a person or $10 for a family (reasonably priced!) was the door proper to THE THING?. Here is a slide show of the major points of interest of THE THING?:
An Alien riding a Raptor greets folks who enter THE THING.
A Jackalope hiding under a dinosaur tail.
A large triceratops.
Aliens arrive by UFO.
A huge T-Rex.
An alt-history time line wall. I’m not saying it’s aliens… but it’s aliens.
A red 1917 Ford Model-T Speedster.
Winston Churchill being chauffeured by an Alien in this Rolls Royce.
The THING? placard.
THE THING!
So, what is THE THING? Despite the name, it has nothing to do with the John Carpenter movie of the same name. However, ironically enough, back up the road in Benson, there is a road that runs parallel to the freeway called Dark Star Road, which is named after Carpenter’s directorial debut. Overall, it can best be described that someone watched every single episode of History Channel’s Ancient Aliens, decided to go all in on that theme, and set up an elaborate backstory that would cumulate into THE THING?.
THE THING? can basically be divided into two large segments that each make up half of the exhibit: the dinosaur portion and the alt-history portion.
The first, dinosaur, section of THE THING? tells the story about an alien race, the RAH’thians, that came to Earth during the Dinosaur times. They used their technology to enslave the Dinosaurs. There were also cave dwellers. At some point there was a civil war between the good and bad alien factions, and the Earth got destroyed (start of ice age). This entire portion of the exhibit was over the top, with many statues of aliens, dinosaurs, fossils, and placards that went into intricate “what if” history of the aliens in the prehistoric past. Each wall was a mural depicting Jurassic times, or epic space and land battles.
The second, alt-history, portion of the exhibit focused on the aliens returning back to earth and shaping human history. The good aliens did good things, and the bad aliens did bad things, like back Hitler. The walls had timelines from ancient Greece and Roman times up to World War 2 times were everything, from atomic bombs to sunken ships, are all entwined with the aliens. This portion of the exhibit also contained many old vehicles, like stagecoaches and wagons, old Model T cars, and even a Rolls Royce purported to have been owned by Winston Churchill.
This all cumulated into a small, dimly lit room made to look like the inside of a deep mineshaft, with a glass display case hugging the wall that contains… THE THING?, which is supposed to link all this alt-history and dinosaurs and aliens and cave dwellers together. THE THING? itself looks to be a mummified woman holding a mummified baby with a hat placed atop of them. I like to think it is an actual mummy found out in the desert a long time ago, but it also might be a fake. Regardless, the whole experience was AWESOME. Getting pumped seeing the billboards, arriving at THE THING?, seeing the outlandish story of the aliens and dinosaurs, all leading to the mummy. 100% worth it.
Enthralled having experienced the awe that is THE THING?, I purchased an armload of postcards, fridge magnets, hot sauce, peanuts, and a T-shirt like the tourist I am. We were soon back on the road and heading east to Willcox which was about twenty minutes away.
Willcox Cemetery
We arrived in Willcox a shade before 2:00 pm. Since our check in at the Holiday Inn Express was at 3:00 pm, we had some time to kill, so we drove straight to the Willcox cemetery at the northeast corner of the town, more-or-less right behind the Elks Lodge that we would be hunkered in for the next few days.
The road to the cemetery was unpaved, and with the sky threatening another storm, would easily turn into mud which would no doubt trap our Fiat. Because of this, and the armies of red ants that awaited us, we could not stay long at the cemetery. Oh yes, red ants. There was probably a ratio of three red ant hills to every grave in the cemetery. The cowboy ghosts have much company.
Willcox Cemetery.
The cemetery dates from the late 1800s, so all of the graves we saw were from that time period. The area proper was overgrown with prickly weeds, which, of course, I was wearing shorts while adventuring. The majority of graves had toppled over, broken into pieces and were slowly dipping back into the earth. A few wooden markers somehow survived the century. With the thunder clouds approaching and the general quiet of the high plains of Willcox, the cemetery was indeed atmospheric.
The grave of Warren Earp.
Warren Earp’s grave was at the far end of the cemetery, forcing us to traverse through weeds, red ants, and accidentally stepping on fallen graves (sorry about that!). Warren Earp may not have been present at the infamous O. K. Corral gunfight, but he none-the-less has his own notoriety. There is even the possibility he might have driven the coach that took Burroughs to Fort Grant!
But, it was humbling standing before Earp’s grave. Right in front of us, was a legend of the Wild West, whose own history was connected to Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the frontier, and so on. His grave stood out in the cemetery, as it was made of metal and seemed invincible among the crumbling ruins elsewhere.
After visiting the grave, Michele and I made our way out of the cemetery and proceeded to the Holiday Inn Express in hopes of an early check in. Awaiting in the lobby, also hoping for an early check in, was prolific author Jeffrey J. Mariotte, who was also the guest of honour at the 2025 ECOF! I had the privilege to interview Mariotte the other month in anticipation of the ECOF, and that interview can be read here. It was fantastic to finally meet Mariotte in person, he was extremely affable and quiet soft spoken.
Our room turned out to be on the top floor, lucky number 313. It was a room that had seen some wear-and-tear, with chipped wall fragments and a window leak above the AC unit. But the beds were comfy, the pillows were huge and fluffy, and we had William Shatner hosting paranormal nonsense on the History Channel, so we were all good!
The sun sets on Willcox.
Our room had a great view looking west and we got to watch some great sunsets and lightning storms during our stay.
Friday
Early to bed means early to rise Friday morning, the first official day of the ECOF. Michele and I had breakfast in the dining area of the Holiday Inn Express, a rather small area at that. Attendees of the ECOF were not the only folks headquartered at the Holiday Inn, but The International Cessna 170 Association as well. Older folks with name tags galore: are they there for Tarzan or tailspin? Both parties present meant the breakfast area got cramped quick, so Michele and I would not linger too long. Eat and leave so other folks could have our spot. We do have to give kudos to the Holiday Inn for continental breakfast variety: hot foods (scrambled eggs, omelets, potatoes, biscuits, gravy, sausages), a pancake making Rube Goldberg machine, cinnabons, cereal, yogurt, juices, milk.
The conference’s hotel is about two miles as the crow flies northwest of the Elks Lodge, a super quick less than ten minute drive. On the way over we could see storm clouds already forming on the horizon.
We arrived perhaps a little before 9:00 am, and the ECOF’s room was probably halfway set up by the other vendors. Michele and I chose an empty table near the back, being neighbors with guest of honour Jeffrey Mariotte. Before we could get fully setup, we had to go register where we got our name tag:
When attending conferences and conventions it is always cool to get a bag-o-swag. The ECOF 2025 goodie bag was loaded with treasures. Here is a slide show of each item (use the arrows to flip through):
ECOF 2025 swag bag.
ECOF Pin with artwork done by Gilead.
ECOF 2025 poster, art by Gilead.
ECOF 2025 Postcard of the Plaque.
ECOF 2025 plaque in magnet form.
Edgar Rice Burroughs pen.
Small booklet for “Arizona Connections: In the Life and Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs” by Alan Hanson.
ERB Inc., commemorative coin of Edgar Rice Burroughs (Front).
ERB Inc., commemorative coin of Edgar Rice Burroughs (Back).
A sample bit of Mariotte’s upcoming book Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn.
Map of southeast Arizona in 1895.
Beaded keychains.
Medallions commemorating Willcox, and the Chiricahua Apache Peace Treaty (Back)
Medallions commemorating Willcox, and the Chiricahua Apache Peace Treaty (Front)
USB Stick of movies.
Included in the swag bag, which was black and adorned with the event’s poster art done by Gilead, was:
The program
A poster of the ECOF event done by Gilead
A pin of the poster
A postcard of the ERB monument
A refrigerator magnet of the monument
A Burroughs pen
A copy of Arizona Connections: In the Life and Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs by Alan Hanson
A sample chapter from Mariotte’s Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn (this was actually supposed to be part of the swag bag, but it did not arrive in time to be included, so copies were at Mariotte’s table. But I am including it here)
A black and white map of southeast Arizona from 1895
Two beaded keychains (from a local artist?)
Medallions commemorating Willcox and the Chiricahua Apache Peace Treaty
And a USD stick with Burroughs home movies
This goodie bag was set aside for the first fifty registrants to the event, and there is lots of good stuff in here!
Vendors
Goody bags procured, it was time for Michele and I to set up our table proper. This has been only the second time we have ever vended at an event, the first time being CoKoCon back in 2023.
Michele’s wares at our table.
Hard to believe that going to comic book conventions and other events for almost twenty years, we have never really vended before. So, we are total newbies at it. Rotten luck on top of it, the Elks Lodge’s wifi was not accessible, on top of there being no cellular reception, made it that our Square would not work. This turned out to be ok, everyone paid in cash and Michele wrote up receipts for everyone.
Our table!
As shown, we had a pretty good setup with a range of stuff to sell. Michele had her crafts: cards, journals, and folios (make sure to check out her Facebook page for all her work). My half of the table was all of our books, from The New Peplum to Stranger Things. Since The New Peplum has an essay in it talking about the John Carter movie, that book sold the most.
Guest of Honour Jeffrey Mariotte at his table.
As mentioned prior, we set up shop next to Jeffrey Mariotte. Mariotte is a seasoned pro at cons, with a red tablecloth and decorations like a skull with a raven on it, a pile of pens for every autographing scenario, stacks of books from all the different genres he’s written in, and some other IPs as well, and, the most important thing, a sword! Mariotte was able to bring in a replica cavalry sword from his personal collection that would have been akin to what Burroughs would have used when he was stationed at Fort Grant.
ERB Inc. Left to right: Christopher Paul Carey, Cathy Wilbanks, Llana Jane Burroughs, and Jim Sullos.
Next to Mariotte were the tables for ERB Inc. which were staffed by Christopher Paul Carey, Cathy Wilbanks, Llana Jane Burroughs, and Jim Sullos. Sullos was rocking some tiki-style shirts throughout the convention. I have not seen the ERB Inc. folks since pre-Covid, probably the last time at Wondercon, so it was great to see them all again. Their table was half books, with a focus on newer editions, such as the authorized Tarzans, and half shirts and wearables. They also had more of their commemorative coins for other ERB characters. Lots of great merch.
Scott Tracy Griffin (L) and Gary Buckingham (R) at their table.
Across from Mariotte and ERB Inc.’s tables were Scott Tracy Griffin and Gary Buckingham. Gary had a huge spread of his many Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs books, such as Tarzan and theLion of Judah and Tarzan: Untamed Frontiers, and Griffin had copies of his ornate Tarzan film books. Together they had copies of issue one of their newly launched magazine, RevERBerate, and issue two, which they just debut at the ECOF. Michele bought the second copy of the second issue and got it autographed by the duo.
There were, of course, tables with other vendors and authors. Authors Robert Lupton, Robert Leeper, Doug Hocking, Frank Puncer (who we finally got to meet for the first time and he was incredibly friendly), had tables with their books or website posters. There was one vendor with many boxes of old pulp magazines, from Weird Tales to Amazing Stories. Robert Leeper’s write up about the event at Nerdvana (link here) contains many more photos that showcase the Elks Lodge and the vendors within.
Roughly an hour after getting set up and getting acquainted with the vendor’s room (Huckster Room) the clock struck 10:00 am and it was time to begin the presentations for the day.
Friday Presentations
The small stage on the west wall in the Huckster Room served as the presentation place, and I liked this. Many conferences, those on the larger side, typically separate presentations and panels into a side area from the vendor space. Since the ECOF was a lower key affair, everything was in one room, which allowed all of us vendors, and everyone else, to hear the presentations. The downside was the entrance to one of the bathrooms was right behind the podium.
Dr. Deni Seymour presents on the newest discoveries of the Coronado expedition found near the local area.
The first presentation given was by Dr. Deni Seymour titled “Recent Discoveries about the Coronado Expedition (1539 – 1541)”. This was a fantastic presentation detailing all the archeological finds Dr. Seymour has been encountering along the San Pedro River. The slides showed so many artifacts: cannons, pistols, arrows, spears, jewelry, and so on. She talked about how they discover where the expeditions camped and where they got into skirmishes, and then using this information to form trajectories as to where the next movement of the expedition went. She also talked a little about the clandestine nature of the work because these sites are vulnerable to being visited by others and ruined/objects taken/vandalized/etc. A great presentation with lots of awesome visuals of what Dr. Seymour is uncovering.
Nicholas Diak presenting on Tarzan and the Lost Empire. Photo by Scott Tracy Griffin.
The next presentation of the day was me! My presentation was titled “Tarzan nella valle dei Romani: Tarzan as a peplum strongman in Tarzan and the Lost Empire” (sorry folks, it was a mouthful). In the novel Tarzan and the Lost Empire Tarzan finds himself in a hidden valley in Africa that has two mini Roman empires in it, both at odds with each other. Tarzan fights Roman soldiers and eventually finds himself in the arena, becoming a gladiator, an even fighting a lion like Hercules fights the Nemean Lion. For all purposes, Tarzan becomes just like a sword and sandal strongman character (Hercules, Ursus, Maciste, Atlas, etc.) and placed in an antiquity setting. This is what my presentation deep dove into, and I will probably wind up editing it and putting it into a formal essay and submit it someplace.
At the Q&A at the end of my presentation someone asked, “who would win in a fight, Tarzan or Hercules.” In a room of full of Edgar Rice Burroughs fans, scholars, and even representatives from ERB Inc. itself, I replied with “Hercules because he is a demigod.” The boos I got were warranted, but I stand by my decision. I do concede Tarzan is much more agile, which is in alignment with neo-peplum characters, such as Perseus in the Clash of the Titans remake who can do flying spin kicks while wielding a sword.
After my presentation was an hour break time in which sandwiches, wraps, chips, cookies, sodas, and snacks were brought in. It was also a good time to mingle. Between presentations I got to talk to other folks and meet some in person for the first time, such as Robert Lupton and Jim Goodwin, who both gifted me books. Bernd Brand, one of the upcoming speakers, was extremely outgoing and complimentary toward my presentation.
Scott Tracy Griffin presents on RevERBerate #2 and deep diving into ERB’s sources.
The presentations resumed at 1:00 pm with Scott Tracy Griffin discussing his and Gary Buckingham’s new publication, RevERBerate, and its newest issue, which focuses on the Westerns of Burroughs. Griffin deep dives into the ten sources that Burroughs used as reference for his writings, of which he was able to track down eight. Per Griffin, Burroughs was able to anchor his Westerns into real life stuff by leveraging the sources he had at the time.
Bernd Brand presents on “Apache Scouts working for the U.S. Army with an overview of the life of the Apache Kid”
The next presentation was done by Bernd Brand and titled “Apache Scouts Working for the U.S. Army With an Overview of the Life of the Apache Kid.” Brand focuses on the Apache Scouts, from 1860 to 1947, and all the sorties they were involved in and their accomplishments.
At major conventions like Wondercon and San Diego Comicon, ERB Inc. usually hosts a panel showcasing all their works they have in the pipeline or have recently released. For the 2025 ECOF, Christopher Paul Carey, Cathy Wilbanks, and Jim Sullos had much to show to audience. Here is a few images from their presentation in this slideshow:
Christopher Paul Cary talks about upcoming projects from ERB Inc.
Christopher Paul Carey talks about the upcoming publication of Trailblazer.
Carey talks about the reprint of Monster Men and the new story Return of the Monster Men.
Carey talks about Mariotte’s upcoming novel Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn.
Carey and Wilbanks talked about the Taschen book of Tarzan Sunday strips.
Carey and Wilbanks show off the Woola plushie.
Carey and Sullos talk about the Victory Harben animated series.
Some of the major releases from ERB Inc. include
Trailblazer, the Edgar Rice Burroughs autobiography
Concluding the Authorized Library editions of Tarzan and now moving on to editions for John Carter
Jeffrey Mariotte’s sequel, Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn
Sequel to the “Dead Moon Arc” of Korak at Earth’s Coredone by Win Scott Eckert (coming 2026)
New Victory Harben tales in 2026 with a possible TV deal
The Land that Time Forgot: Kingdom of Skulls by Mike Wolfer (2026)
Chris Adams’ Gauntlets of Mars(the 14th book in the Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs series) which made its debut at the ECOF. This book will reveal how Barsoom became a dying planet.
A Return to Pellucidar story, which will be a follow up to a Joe Lansdale story
A huge tome from Taschen which will reprint the Hal Foster Sunday Tarzan comics, edited by Dian Hanson
Jim Sullos talked a bit about film and television projects that were outstanding and waiting for actions:
A Korak adult anime series
A John Carter Warlord of Mars animated series (per Sullos, younger folks are more interested in Carter than Tarzan)
Victory Harben animated series in conjunction with Flying S Films (the hope here is to use Victory Harben as the glue to hold together a true ERB universe)
An option on The Land Time Forgot
An option on Carson of Venus, which has been held up due to requirements demands of streaming services (need a director, a writer, a screenplay, the actors, etc.)
After some small technical difficulties and a computer swap later, ERB Inc. ended their presentation showing an AI generated clip of Burroughs, speaking to the audience and thanking his readers.
The final presentation of the day was from Gary Buckingham, who compliments Griffin’s talk about their RevERBerate endeavor. Buckingham also gave some insight into his time of being a writer, the woes he encounters getting his books printed, and how he goes about researching to make sure his period pieces reflect the times appropriately such as lingo used. Buckingham talked about how he used his story, Tarzan: Untamed Frontiers, to plug the narrative holes in Burroughs’ canon.
And with that, the presentations for Friday came to a close. The next activities for the ECOF where a board meeting for the Bibliophiles followed by a screening of Tarzan and his Mate. Michele and I, however, were famished and weary from the day’s events, so we called it early. We had dinner in downtown Willcox at Isabel’s South of the Border. Michele had a quesadilla and I had a chile relleno and two margaritas. Bellies bursting full, we headed back to the Holiday Inn to call it a day.
Saturday
Saturday began with a continental breakfast in the downstairs dining area of the Holiday Inn Express, mingled in with the ECOF attendees and the Cessna Club folks. We got to the Elks Lodge at around 9:00 am when it opened up and killed time talking with others and table browsing before walking to the train station/city hall for the big event at 10:00 am: the monument unveiling!
Monument Dedication
For the monument unveiling, the section of the street, S. Railroad Ave., in front of the train station / city hall was blocked off. Two canopies and foldout chairs were placed underneath, though thankfully this Saturday was a sunny day, a respite from the last two days of rain and thunder.
Post office setup, selling stamps and doing cancellations.
Set up on the deck of the city hall was an impromptu postal station, with postal workers selling stamps and performing cancellations using a special ERB commemorative stamp for the event:
Close up of an envelope, stamp, and cancellation.
There was quite the queue of folks who wanted their stamps cancelled! It was a neat service and definitely added a unique, “you-had-to-be-there”, aspect to the whole ceremony/ECOF.
After a bit of milling about, with folks taking photos of other folks guissied up, the dedications began. Here is a slide show of the speakers:
The crowd gathers outside the monument at the train station/city hall.
L to R, Doug Hocking, Kate Bonnaud, unknown, Patrick Quilter, Mayor greg Hancock, Llana Jane Burroughs, Floyd Gray.
Mayor of Willcox Greg Hancock.
Burroughs Bibliophile and Bulletin editor Henry Franke III.
Guest of Honour Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Scott Tracy Griffin.
Kate Bonnaud and Llana Jane Burroughs.
Tracy Scott Griffin, Frank Puncer (seated), Llana Jane Burroughs, Kathy Klump (seated), Kate Bonnaud.
Kate Bonnaud.
Floyd Gray.
The monument unveiled.
Folks who introduced the event and talked about Burroughs and the community included:
Frank Puncer, who was the master of the ceremonies
Greg Hancock, the mayor of Willcox, who talked about growing up with Tarzan
Kathy Klump, the president of the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society
Henry G. Franke III who talked a bit about Burroughs’ military career
Jeffrey Mariotte, the guest of honour
Scott Tracy Griffin, who introduced the Burroughs great-grand daughters
Floyd Gray, a Buffalo Soldier historian who talked about what Burroughs would have seen his first nights under the open sky
Kathy Bonnaud
Llana Jane Burroughs
Before unveiling the plaque, it was revealed that the boulder it was installed in was brought down all the way from Fort Grant, so it very well could have been a boulder that Burroughs had laid eyes on. Periodically during the speeches, a train would pass behind the station, halting the ceremony temporarily, but definitely adding to the ambience and the lore of Burroughs getting off the train station, right there, at Willcox.
The Burroughs family lifted the covering of the monument, and like the amazing photographer I am, did not take a clear picture of it. But, Robert Leeper took many, so take a look at his coverage at Nerdvana. There are also photos of the dedication and monument at the Cochise County Voice.
After the dedication, we would be remiss if we did not check out the interior of the train station/city hall, which had its public area converted into a museum. Here are a couple of pictures:
An exhibit inside the city hall.
Photographs, including the train station in a dilapidated state.
Old liquor bottles.
It was neat seeing the restoration effort done on the train station, the glow up from being run down to the restored building it is today.
Saturday Presentations
The canopies and the chairs began the breakdown process and it was time to wander off. Michele and I spent some time walking around downtown Willcox, exploring an antique store where we ran into ERB Inc. folks doing their own shopping.
Henry Franke III speaks about Burroughs’ military career.
The ECOF presentations resumed at 2:00 pm, with three scheduled for the day. The first was Henry Franke III giving a speech on Burroughs’ military career. Though Franke had mentioned Burroughs’ service during the dedication earlier in the day, this talk went into greater detail, covering his time in the cavalry to his time in World War 2 as a war correspondent. An interesting fact Franke shared was that Burroughs had spent much of his life signing books to others that he flipped the tables during the Pacific Campaign and started collecting autographs of the servicemen he encountered.
Floyd Gray talks about Buffalo Soldiers.
The martial-themed presentations continued with Floyd Gray talking about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and how integral, yet unacknowledged, they are in United States history. He spoke of why folks joined the Buffalo Soldiers, how they were confined to the west, and their accomplishments.
Robert Leeper talks about possible locations of John Carter’s cave.
The final presentation for the day, and for the ECOF, was from Robert Leeper titled “Geography vs. John Carter’s Arizona Cave”. Leeper talked about being in attendance at a pop culture event in Arizona, talking about John Carter, and having many folks question him as to where the location of the cave that John Carter found was. Leeper had a giant map of the south and east portions of Arizona and went through likely locations of where the cave could be. Using text from one of Burroughs’ books, he settled on the cave being located near the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona.
And with that, the presentations of the ECOF came to an end and the Huckster Room closed. Michele and I, and everyone else, packed up our tables to clear the area. It had been a fun two days headquartered in the vending/presentation room for the ECOF, but it was time to transition to the finale of the event: the banquet!
Banquet
The last bit of official programming for the ECOF was the banquet from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The banquet was held in a dining area of the Elks Lodge, with a buffet style dinner: BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, beans, and vegetable lasagna. Kathy Klump brought in a homemade pineapple cake that was the centerpiece for the first part of the banquet: the Edgar Rice Burroughs birthday celebration. Pictures of folks going up to talk about Burroughs can be viewed in this slide show:
Banquet room at the Elks Lodge.
Llana Jane Burroughs wishes Edgar Rice Burroughs a happy birthday.
Kate Bonnaud speaks about Burroughs.
Jeffrey Mariotte speaks about swords and how he is honored to be part of the event.
Henry Franke III speaks about Frank Puncer organizing the event.
Frank Puncer is presented with an outstanding achievement award by Jim Goodwin and Mike Conran.
Jim Sullos concludes the banquet.
Llana Jane Burroughs wished Edgar Rice Burroughs a happy birthday, which lead to the room singing the birthday song. Jeffrey Mariotte took the mic stand to talk about his youth and getting into fencing and sword collecting, and also his encounters with speculative fiction writing luminaries while he worked at various bookstores in California.
The last portion of the banquet was devoted to honouring Frank Puncer, who was bestowed an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Burroughs Bibliophiles for all the work he had done, not just for putting on the 2025 ECOF, but all his prior Burroughs centric endeavors (which are many). The award was truly well deserved. Puncer worked super hard to make sure everyone had a memorable and successful ECOF. Michele and I certainly did.
Autographed Treasures
When I attend events like comic book conventions or horror cons I love to bring things to be autographed (just look at any of my social media or news posts at this website and you will see me often sharing my autographed treasures). The 2025 ECOF was no different as Michele and I brought a box of books and comics to get signed by folks at the event. Here is some of that loot.
Christopher Paul Carey
The last time I saw Carey I had an armload of then-recently published ERB comics put out by American Mythology. In the years since I have gotten more books and comics he’s had his paws in. Here is a gallery of what I brought to be signed:
Personal copy of Before They Were Giants.
Before They Were Giants front matter page signed by Christopher Paul Carey.
Front matter page signed by Christopher Paul Carey.
Personal copy of Victory Harben: Ghosts of Omos, signed by Christopher Paul Carey.
Personal copy of Victory Harben: Warriors of Zandar, signed by Christopher Paul Carey.
Firstly, going old school, many moons ago Carey worked at Paizo and one of the lines he worked on was the Planet Stories series of books, which were reprints of classic sword and planet stories along with other sci-fi fare. I love the sword and planet genre and I have been collecting these books when I happen across them. Two of the books I have, the anthology Before They Were Giants, and the double book that contains Sojan the Swordsman by Michael Moorcock and Under the Warrior Star by Joe Lansdale, were edited by Carey. I really love Under the Warrior Star, so much so that I may have designed a cocktail based on the story which is slated to be printed in an upcoming issue of a certain fantasy magazine. (Shhh! Secret!).
Next, going new school, are my Kickstarter copies of two Victory Harben graphic novels: Ghosts of Amos and Warriors of Zandor. Apparently, Carey had never signed the Kickstarter editions of these comics before, so that was cool I got to be the first. I like Victory Harben, and I think her stories are the future of ERB Inc. I know Tarzan is the company’s bread and butter, but Victory Harben feels much more modern and connected to today and she does not have the baggage that Burroughs’ work carries. I really hope her cartoon series happens because I have a feeling it will be amazing.
Jeffrey J. Mariotte
While conducting my interview with Mariotte I tried to get my paws on as many books and comics he had his hand in as possible. A writer as prolific across so many genres and mediums as he, there is so much out there to check out! So, I brought my modest collection of items for him to sign (I wish I could have procured his Conan books!). Here is the gallery:
Hardcover of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone
Bookplate for Tarzan and the Forest of Stone.
Personal copy of Tarzan and the Forest of stone, personalized by Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Personal copy of Star Trek: Divided We Fall #1 signed by editor Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Personal copy of Star Trek: Divided We Fall #2 signed by editor Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Personal copy of Star Trek: Divided We Fall #3 signed by editor Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Personal copy of Star Trek: Divided We Fall #4 signed by editor Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Personal copy of Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda: the Attitude of Silence.
Title page of Andromeda: The Attitude of Silence signed by author Jeffrey J. Mariotte.
Firstly there is Tarzan and the Forest of Stone, Mariotte’s first contribution to the Burroughs canon. I bought my copy directly from the ERB website and it came with a bookplate already signed by Mariotte, Douglas Klauba, and Chris Gardner. However, I wanted my copy personalized and Mariotte gladly did so. It is the perfect book for the 2025 ECOF as it mixes Tarzan and the Wild West.
Next are the four issues of the Star Trek: Divided We Fall run that was published by Wildstorm. The story is a crossover comic of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and all four issues were edited by Mariotte. I am not a huge Trekkie, but I did watch a lot of Next Generation in the 90s when I was a teenager. I had gotten into the series when I started collecting the Star Trek: Next Generation CCG that Decipher was putting out. I was not able to watch much DS9, but probably my favourite episode I ever saw was the one where they time traveled back to the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode of the original series. I was able to find copies of these comics at my local comic bookstore, High Score Comics.
Finally, and related to Star Trek, is Andromeda: The Attitude of Silence. I recall in my college years, going home to visit my parents, and catching a few episodes of Andromeda, but I am far from familiar with the series. This was a random purchase: I was at Bookmans, browsing about looking for Mariotte’s Conan books in the sci-fi IP section of the store and happened upon this tome, so I plucked it up.
Burroughs Bulletins
One of the perks of being a member of the Burroughs Bibliophiles is you get copies of their journal, The Burroughs Bulletin. The journal publishes writings done by Bibliophile members and range from interviews to essays to galleries to retrospectives and other types of articles. My interview with pepla starlet Bella Cortez and her work on the Italian unofficial Tarzan film, Taur the Mighty, was published in issue 109. Since some of the attendees of the 2025 ECOF had articles published in the Bulletin, I brought a stack of issues, getting many of them signed by contributors. Here is a gallery of those issues:
The Burroughs Bulletin, issue 100-102.
Burroughs Bulletin 100-102 with Frank Puncer’s autograph.
Burroughs Bulletin 100-102 with Gary A. Buckingham’s autograph.
The Burroughs Bulletin, issue 104-105.
Burroughs Bulletin 104 with Gary Buckingham’s autograph.
The Burroughs Bulletin, issue 107.
Burroughs Bulletin 107 with Gary A. Buckingham’s autograph.
The Burroughs Bulletin, issue 108.
Burroughs Bulletin 108 with Gary A. Buckingham’s autograph.
Burroughs Bulletin 108 with Scott Tracy Griffin’s autograph.
Issue 100-102 signed by Frank Puncer and Gary A. Buckingham
Issue 104-105 signed by Gary A. Buckingham
Issue 107 signed by Gary A. Buckingham
Issue 108 signed by Gary A. Buckingham and Scott Tracy Griffin
At the next Burroughs-centric event I hope to get even more issues signed!
Tarzan and the Lost Empire
And finally, since my whole presentation was centered on the Burroughs novel Tarzan and the Lost Empire, I had to bring the new authorized library edition ERB Inc. published fairly recently to be signed by those involved. Here is a gallery of those signed pages:
Personal copy of the hardback edition of Tarzan and the Lost Empire.
Tarzan and the Lost Empire afterword signed by Henry Franke III.
Tarzan and the Lost Empire archives page signed by Cathy Wilbanks.
Tarzan and the Lost Empire, Dell edition.
I was able to get this handsome edition signed by Henry Franke III who composed the afterword and Cathy Wilbanks who wrote about the archival matter. Included in these images is the way old school Dell paperback of Tarzan and the Lost Empire, a gift from Frank Puncer, which I will cherish.
With a writing and editing career that spans decades, Jeffrey J. Mariotte has done everything. From working in the comics industry (at major publishers IDW, DC, and Wildstorm), penning novels and comic books of popular IPs (such as CSI, 30 Days of Night, Buffy/Angel, Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek, and many others), to his own fiction work that encompasses a variety of genres (especially the western), Mariotte’s canon is impressive and prolific.
By his own admission, one thing Mariotte has not yet done is be a guest of honour at a pop culture convention. That career milestone is about to be crossed off his list as Mariotte will be the guest of honour at the upcoming Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering that will be held in Willcox, AZ the 25th to the 28th of September. Mariotte, who wrote the Tarzan novel Tarzan and the Forest of Stone, is the perfect guest for this event being held in the town that is central to the mythology of the American west as it is the birthplace of Rex Allen and the burial spot of the youngest of the Earp brothers, Warren Earp.
Jeffrey Mariotte author photo (provided courtesy by Mariotte).
In anticipation for this upcoming event, Mariotte has graciously allowed me to interview him about his writing, westerns, working with IPs, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Tarzan.
As scholar of sword and sandal films, my obligatory first question has to be peplum related. Growing up, did you watch any old school sword and sandal films? Was it a genre you liked or had interest in?
I definitely did. The animated skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts both fascinated me and scared the crap out of me. Around the same time, I found Ben-Hur and Spartacus riveting (except I found the leper colony scenes in Ben-Hur disturbing, but the chariot race more than made up for it). My parents also took me to see Whatever Happened to Baby Jane in the theater in 1962, I don’t think they were intentionally trying to mold a horror writer, but it didn’t hurt.
From those roots, I graduated to swashbucklers on film and TV. I loved Disney’s Zorro, Errol Flynn’s The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood, and their ilk. Also, Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan, it should go without saying, and later the Ron Ely TV version. I spent four years, from the ages of 5 to 9, in France, where my father worked for the US Department of Defense and where old buildings, bridges, etc. were really old. Every antique store had swords and other forms of ancient weaponry galore, and I was enthralled by all that. I also fell in love with comic books there, which will become important later in this interview. In the summer between junior high and high school, I went back to France on a student trip, and I came home with a WWI-era Austrian light cavalry saber (in 1969, you could strap that to your suitcase and still get onto an ocean liner). In high school I took up fencing and archery, and I continued fencing in college.
Sword and sandal, of course, leads to sword and sorcery. You worked on a few Conan novels in the Age of Conan line: Ghost of the Wall (2006), Winds of the Wild Sea (2006), and Dawn of the Ice Bear (2006). How did you get involved with writing Conan, and was Robert E. Howard an author who had an influence on you?
My discovery of Conan came with the Lancer paperback series, particularly Conan the Barbarian, with Frank Frazetta’s Conan wrestling a huge ape with a red cape. Once I read one – and they tied directly in with my fencing interests and growing sword collection – I had to read them all. And the comics. And then Leiber and Moorcock and everybody else. The early 1970s were the golden age for sword and sorcery fans.
Lancer paperback of Conan photo provided courtesy of Oliver Brackenbury of New Edge Sword and Sorcery.
When the Age of Conan MMORPG came out, I had a friend who worked for Ed Pressman, who was somehow involved with the Conan rights and an executive producer on the first two movies (uncredited on Destroyer). That friend was dealing with Ace books on the tie-in novels, and he came to me and asked if I wanted to write them. The remit was to write books set in Conan’s Hyborian Age, but without Conan as a main character, fleshing out the rest of the world. I mostly did that, but I did slip in a Conan cameo appearance, and they let me keep it, so I became the first writer in the 21stcentury to write Conan into a novel.
I don’t know that Howard was an influence on me stylistically, but in terms of inspiration, he absolutely was. I admire his work tremendously and his imagination even more. As an adult, I was lucky enough to meet Mike Moorcock and Fritz Leiber and L. Sprague de Camp and many of the other writers who toiled in those fields during my early days of discovery. Later I also met Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway and Barry Windsor-Smith and Neal Adams, and a bunch of the folks who made the early Marvel run so great.
The Age of Conan is still going, albeit far from as popular as its heyday, but it is one of those few post-World of Warcraft MMORPGs that still survives. Did you ever play the game perchance? Or perhaps dive into any other MMOs out there?
I have the game box with its cool physical elements, but I gave my free code to play to a friend, because I don’t play MMOs at all. I was actually involved with two – I also wrote and edited a comic book that tied into the 2009 MMORPG Freaky Creatures, which apparently never really caught on with its target audience.
What was your introduction to the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB)?
I wish that I could remember the exact progression of that process. It started with Johnny Weissmuller’s movies, as mentioned earlier. They were seemingly on TV every week in my childhood and watching them created a fascination with jungle adventure movies that has never waned. At some point, I became aware that there were books behind them. I was also aware of the book All in Color for a Dime, by Richard A. Lupoff and Dick Thompson, because of my growing comics hobby. I read some of Lupoff’s novels, and I ran across his Burroughs book Master of Adventure. That was my entrée into the world of Burroughs scholarship. While I was attending San Jose State University, I met Dick, who just lived up the bay in Berkeley with his wife Pat, and that started a friendship that lasted the rest of his life.
Somewhere in between those things, I think after my discovery of Conan, but it might have been before, and getting to know the Lupoffs, I had read at least a few of the Tarzan books, some John Carters, some David Inneses, some Carson Napiers, and maybe a few others. Sadly, I didn’t keep reading journals or have the encyclopedic memory that a lot of Burroughs fans and scholars seem to.
Burroughs had written a handful of Westerns: The Bandit of Hell’s Bend (1924), The War Chief (1927), Apache Devil (1933), and The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County (1940). Have you read some of his Westerns and if so, any impressions you have about them?
I love ERB’s westerns, especially the two Shoz-dijiji books. After thirty-one years living in California, I moved to a 40-acre chunk of land in southeastern Arizona’s Cochise County. I was near the south end of the Sulfur Springs Valley, just north of Douglas. When he was at Fort Grant, ERB was at the north end of the same valley. So those books, which take place in my old stomping grounds and involve Apache people and customs that I’ve also studied and written about, were wonderful discoveries. Of course, John Carter spent time there as well. I’d still love to do something fictional based around Ed’s period at Fort Grant.
What are some of your books that showcase your scholarship and writing about Apache peoples and their traditions that you’d like to spotlight?
I wouldn’t go so far as to say “scholarship,” but Apache characters and culture have played roles in many of my books, including the Desperadoes comics series, Deadlands: Thunder Moon Rising, and my Cody Cavanaugh traditional Western novel series (currently out of print but due to be reissued sometime soonish).
Regarding Western literature, what would you say have been the biggest changes and shifts in the genre between Burroughs’ time to now?
The most substantive change, I think, is that today’s Westerns can be more realistic. Note that I didn’t say they “are,” because some definitely are not. But the option exists, in today’s Western fiction, to explore the rampant racism and sexism of the era, and on the flip side, to acknowledge that minorities and women were integral to the “settling” of the American West. In Burroughs’s day, if a character in a Western lived in poverty, it was probably a humorous minor character who was made fun of because he was poor. The truth is that a lot of people spent everything they had to go west, in search of their fortunes, but those fortunes never materialized. Diseases were romanticized, and generally easily cured through the accumulation of wealth, the wisdom of a kindly old doctor, or the love of a good woman. And of course, the single most significant fact of westward expansion was the genocidal effect on the Indigenous population—which, in some ways, continues today. Now, Western writers are able to address all of these situations in a more genuine fashion, pointing out the difficulties and terrors of the westward movement without relying on the stereotypes.
Going back to your adoration of Jason and the Argonauts, one cannot help but think of Harryhausen’s Weird Western The Valley of Gwangi (1969). Do you have any affinity to other Western subgenres, such as the Weird Western, Acid Westerns, neo-Westerns, etc.? Are these subgenres ones you like to write in?
I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen The Valley of Gwangi, though of course I’m aware of it. I should really track it down one of these days. I love Weird Westerns and actually began my career in Western literature with those, specifically with my 1997 comic book series, Desperadoes, which was very definitely Western horror. I tried to use real places and some real people and situations in the book, but all overlaid with supernatural horror. The series ran from 1977 to 2007, and I’ve recently written a short story involving those characters (in my collection Byrd’s Luck & Other Western Stories). I have an artist ready to go on what will be the last Desperadoes story, bringing the adventures of those characters to some kind of satisfactory conclusion. What we don’t have yet is a publisher willing to take it on.
I’ve also written several Weird Western shorts – the short-fiction collection mentioned above is split, with half of the stories being traditional Westerns and half Weird Westerns. And I wrote one of three novels based on the Deadlands RPG for Tor Books. Finally, I’m the unofficial “official” reviewer of Weird Western books for both True Westand Roundup magazines (Roundup being the official magazine of the Western Writers of America, of which I’m a proud member).
As one last example, most of my original novels are set in the west and sometimes include aspects commonly seen in traditional Westerns. In my horror novel Missing White Girl, for example, the sheriff’s deputy who is the primary protagonist also owns a ranch and holds some ideals more closely related to the Old West than to the new one.
Hardcover of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone
Your contribution to the Burroughs canon is with your novel Tarzan and the Forest of Stone(2022). What was the genesis of this project? How did it come about?
Speaking of the Sulfur Springs Valley, in 2019 my friend Bob Boze Bell of True West Magazine fame was the guest of honor at the Dum-Dum that Frank Puncer put on in Willcox. I accompanied Bob, and we had a grand old time getting to meet Burroughs fans and listening to scholarly talks and so on. Some of the folks from ERB, Inc., including Jim Sullos and Christopher Paul Carey, were also there. I got talking to them, and by the end of the event, Chris and I had pretty much agreed to do something together. Then he pitched me on writing a Tarzan novella, and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a true gift.
Bookplate for Tarzan and the Forest of Stone.
What obstacles did you encounter combining Tarzan with the Western? What was something neat you learned in the process of doing so?
I don’t remember any particular obstacles. I was putting Tarzan in a setting that was largely unfamiliar to him, the desert landscape of northern Arizona is as different from the deserts of northern Africa as the moon is to the Earth, but with the understanding that Tarzan is at home in nature, and not a guy who needs a lot of time to get acclimated to new things. I had a lot of fun with the opening section, involving Tarzan’s visit with a writer we all know and love, and I tried to get that part right, which meant learning about the house and grounds, the views from there. I also learned a lot about the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe’s The Chief, which at the time was the fastest way to travel from coast to coast. I love trains, so really enjoyed discovering the details of that journey (and finding out that its real schedule fit my story just right).
You have a tremendous history of dealing with other IPs and media tie ins, be it from the publishing side such as working for IDW, DC, and WildStorm, to also an author of numerous novels set in the Buffyverse, Star Trek, CSI, and so on. Working with the Tarzan IP, when compared to other IPs, what was that like? What was similar and what was different?
I’ve written a ton of licensed fiction, as you say. Tarzan was different in several ways. First, as a character, he’s one of the very few who’s known to almost everybody around the world. Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Mickey Mouse, maybe Superman and Spider-Man, and that’s about it. So, I knew there would be a lot of fans, some of them hardcore Burroughs enthusiasts who don’t want other people messing with their guy, some of them fans of the existing stories and willing, even anxious, to read new ones. He’s also appeared in virtually every form of mass media, from the books to movies and TV, radio, newspaper strips, comics, and more. Basically, nobody was going to pick up the book not knowing who Tarzan is and a bit about his background. That’s part of why he’s fun to write, but also part of why it’s scary, everyone’s already got an opinion, got their version of him in their head. I wanted to try to stay true to how I see him while not negating how somebody else sees him.
Scifi IPs that Mariotte has worked on.
Most of the other IPs I’ve written are well-known, but not that well-known. I’ve written Superman, Spider-Man, and Zorro, and those probably come closest. But Buffy and Angel, CSI, NCIS, etc., are considerably more modern. There are at most a few decades of stories in existence about them, and most people’s impressions of them were formed from the same source: television. Other novels exist, but I was writing mine at the same time that those novels were coming out, so there’s a basic continuity that everyone sort of agrees on. And in some of those cases, if I have a question, as a writer I can basically go to the source for an answer. I knew people in the CSI production office when I was writing CSI. I’d spent time with Joss Whedon and Anthony Zuiker, so when I wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, CSI, The Shield, and Las Vegas, I’d actually spoken with Whedon and Zuiker and Shawn Ryan and Gary Scott Thompson, the creators of those properties. That doesn’t mean I can’t make mistakes in continuity, but it means they’re less likely to happen. I’d have to have H.G. Wells build me a time machine to talk to Edgar Rice Burroughs, and sadly, I don’t think that’s likely to happen.
Having written across a variety of mediums (books, comics, etc.), your own work and other IPs, what project have you been a part of that was unique to you and put you out of your comfort zone or was incredibly off beat? Perhaps the most unexpected outlier in your bibliography?
I’d have to say that’s my one solo nonfiction book. I cowrote behind-the-scenes episode guides for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but those were not entirely my work, and they involved properties that I’d also written novels about. The one I wrote by myself isCriminal Minds: Sociopaths, Serial Killers & Other Deviants (which was not my title, because I would at least have used the Oxford comma). It’s not too far out of my zone because it’s true crime, but “true” isn’t typically used in connection with my book output. This one was licensed nonfiction that described all the criminals mentioned by name in the first five seasons of the Criminal Minds TV series, along with crimes that inspired episodes but weren’t specifically mentioned.
That obviously required tons of research. The ones named on the show were no problem, but many episodes use elements of real crimes and criminals, and I had to be familiar enough with both the show and the real-life counterpart to identify them. I did most of the writing during the months of November and December, so while other people were watching Thanksgiving Parades and Christmas specials, I was digging deep into the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, Edmund Kemper, and the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. The research phase was a real immersion into the darkest depths of human behavior, and very unpleasant. But it also led to the writing of my crime novel Empty Rooms, which I believe is one of my best books.
You are the Guest of Honour for the upcoming Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) gathering that is being held in Willcox, AZ, at the end of September. Congratulations! While the programming is certainly still being finalized, is there anything you can share that you’re doing at the event?
Thank you! I’m very much looking forward to it. My professional connection to the Edgar Rice Burroughs community came about entirely as a result of having attended the Apache Devils Dum-Dum in 2019. Frank Puncer, who put on that Dum-Dum, is also the driving force behind this one, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and everyone else. And I’m now an official member of the Apache Devils chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles.
As for my duties at the ECOF, I know I’m supposed to give a keynote speech, which I should probably start working on one of these days. I’ll have a table where some of my books will be available for sale. And I will, of course, be available to talk ERB with anyone who is so inclined.
A final question, aside from the ECOF appearance, what else do folks have to look forward to coming from you? Any new publications or projects you’d like to mention that readers can keep an eye out for?
Funny you should mention that, because this past Saturday, as I’m writing this [7/26], Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. announced my next project at the San Diego Comic-Con (an event I attended every year from 1983–2013 but haven’t been back to since). I’m in the midst of writing Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn, an authorized sequel to ERB’s short novel Beyond Thirty, which was originally published in a 1916 issue of All-Around Magazine. In it, naval officer Jefferson Turck and Victory return to Grabritin, and…stuff happens. I don’t know what else I’m allowed to say about it now, so I’ll leave it there.
ERB SDCC announcement graphic for Beyond Thirty: A World Reborn.
I’ve also become a publisher of Western fiction, as a partner in Silverado Press. So far, we have four books out, two books in the Galloway’s Gamble series by my partner Howard Weinstein, Byrd’s Luck & Other Western Storiesby me, and Silverado Press Presents: Western Stories by Today’s Top Writers, which I edited. We have a new Silverado Classics line launching when I can get around to it, republishing influential classics of Western literature with scholarly essays describing their place in the world of Western fiction.
Sincere appreciation for Jeffrey Mariotte’s time for doing this interview. For more information about Mariotte, news, and his works, check out his website and social medias:
Yall knew it was coming eventually! Gladiator II came out late last year. The follow up to the iconic film that started the neo-peplum cycle, what was I going to say about it?
Well, I did see it in theaters late December, but needed to wait for the physical release to come out and watch it again.
In case you did not want to read all of that above, Michele and I also discussed Gladiator II during the April Scholars from the Edge of Time episode. The episode can be watched on YouTube.
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 a 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.
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 may be doing a presentation on Tarzan as a 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.
We Live Again! Disney’s Gargoyles as an Evolving Transmedia Text
Co-sponsored by the Monsters & the Monstrous Area and Disney Studies Area Call for Papers for 2025 Virtual Conference of the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) Thursday, 9 October, to Saturday, 11 October, 2025 Submissions are open until Tuesday, 15 July by 5 PM EDT
Conceived by creator Greg Weisman, Disney’s Gargoyles began as a television series in the 1990s and has been expanded over the decades through action figures, books, clothing, collectibles, comics, conventions, fan art, fanfiction, games, puzzles, and recurrent rumors of a live-action reboot. Although now over thirty years old, Gargoyles has remained incredibly popular since its initial debut, yet, while other aspects of Disney Studies are flourishing, scholars have mostly neglected the series. Therefore, we seek in this session to offer some critical attention to Gargoyles and its various adaptations and continuations.
Proposals should display some knowledge of the history and scope of the series, its adaptation history, and its ongoing evolution. We encourage you to make use of the resource guide provided at https://tinyurl.com/WeLiveAgainRG in formulating your approach.
To submit a proposal, please review the requirements and procedure from NEPCA’s main conference page at https://www.northeastpca.org/conference. Proposals should be approximately 250 words; an academic biographical statement (75 words or less) is also requested. Payment of registration and membership fees will be required to present. More details on exact costs will be forthcoming.
Direct submissions to the Monsters & the Monstrous Area can be made at https://cfp.sched.com/speaker/sTP9T9X3cW/event. Address any questions or concerns to the area chair at popular.preternaturaliana@gmail.com.
Further information on the Monsters & the Monstrous Area can be accessed on our blog Popular Preternaturaliana: Studying the Monstrous in Popular Culture at https://popularpreternaturaliana.blogspot.com/. Further information on the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) can be accessed from our new website at https://www.northeastpca.org/.
Silly Old Bear? Adaptations, Appropriations, and Transformations of Winnie-the-Pooh
Co-sponsored by the Monsters & the Monstrous Area and Disney Studies Area Call for Papers for 2025 Virtual Conference of the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) Thursday, 9 October, to Saturday, 11 October, 2025 Submissions are open until Tuesday, 15 July by 5 PM EDT
A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh has always been a bit of a shapeshifter manifesting under various names and appearances since the start of his now over one-hundred-year career as a transmedia figure. Over the past century, Pooh and his associates from the Hundred Acre Wood have been adapted and appropriated to feature in artwork, cards, clothing, collectibles, comics, cookbooks, fiction, films, games, illustrations, memes, musical theater, original videos, philosophical treatises, plays, poems, radio broadcasts, self-help manuals, stuffed animals, songs, streaming video, television programs, theatrical productions, theme park attractions, and translations as well as critical commentaries and works of scholarship. These stories tell of their adventures across time and space, and each text offers a unique approach to the characters. Notably, Pooh and his band have often undergone radical transformations through various parodies and pastiches, with many more innovative approaches appearing since their move into the public domain beginning in 2022.
In this session, we seek to catalog and critique some of these various takes on Winnie-the-Pooh and his companions. We ask you to explore how these adaptations, appropriations, and transformations of these familiar figures connect to and/or diverge from the Poohian tradition established by Milne and illustrator E. H. Shepard. We want you to uncover what these works might say about the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood, the creators of these new works, and, ultimately, ourselves as the receivers of these texts. We encourage you to make use of the resource guide provided at https://tinyurl.com/SillyOldBearRG in formulating your approach.
To submit a proposal, please review the requirements and procedure from NEPCA’s main conference page at https://www.northeastpca.org/conference. Proposals should be approximately 250 words; an academic biographical statement (75 words or less) is also requested. Payment of registration and membership fees will be required to present. More details on exact costs will be forthcoming.
Direct submissions to the Monsters & the Monstrous Area can be made at https://cfp.sched.com/speaker/sTP9T9X3cW/event. Address any questions or concerns to the area chair at popular.preternaturaliana@gmail.com.
Further information on the Monsters & the Monstrous Area can be accessed on our blog Popular Preternaturaliana: Studying the Monstrous in Popular Culture at https://popularpreternaturaliana.blogspot.com/.
Further information on the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) can be accessed from our new website at https://www.northeastpca.org/.
(Re)Animating the Middle Ages: Adapting the Medieval in Animated Media (In-Person)
Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Association’s 2025 Annual Conference Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia (1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103) 6-8 November 2025
The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture invites proposals for an in-person panel on the theme of “(Re)Animating the Middle Ages: Adapting the Medieval in Animated Media” for the Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Association’s 2025 Annual Conference, which will run from Thursday, 6 November, to Saturday, 8 November 2025.
Proposals might cover any aspects of the medieval in animated films, animated shorts, anime, computer-generated images, games, or television cartoons.
We are especially looking for presentations on medieval-themed anime and adaptations of Beowulf, the Robin Hood tradition, and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien but also welcome work on other texts and traditions.
Please send a short biography and paper proposal (300 words or less) to the organizers at medievalinpopularculture@gmail.com by Thursday, 24 July 2025.
(Be advised that MAPACA will require accepted presenters to create an account in their conference system. There will also be a registration fee to participate in the event.)
For more information on the Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture please visit https://lnkd.in/eNUGT6ap.
Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts.
May the Fourth / Phil Brown Autograph
May the Fourth was earlier this month and its always fun to talk about and celebrate Star Wars.
My big entry point into Star Wars was actually the CCG dEcipher put out back in the 90s. Before the card game I knew of Star Wars, seen the movies on VHS, but it wasn’t a *thing*. After my cat had kittens on my Magic cards, I looked to other CCGs to collect, and went with Star Wars, and that was what sent me spiraling into the movies, comics, and the books – so many books. So, I have a soft spot for the old CCG and Expanded Universe at the time.
Star Wars CCG Card of Owen Lars, autographed by actor Phil Brown.
One of my treasures is my autographed Owen Lars card signed by actor Phil Brown. My friends and I attended a tiny Portland comic book show in the latter part of the 90s, and Brown was one of the guests. So, I got my card signed by him.
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 and Travis have some brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast online at YouTube. They dive into the next few episodes of Lost.
Folks probably know that I am a big fan of the Margheriti film Yor, the Hunter from the Future. I was excited a month or so ago when I stumbled upon that Antarctic Press was reprinting the comic in English! You better believe I ran to my local comic book store and put it on my pull list.
It’s been a while since I’ve had some citation news, but here is a new one, fresh off the presses!
My essay, “Lost Nights and Dangerous Days,” was cited by Gabrielle Berry in her essay “[Bones cracking]: Reading and listening to Foley and captions” which was published in the journal The Soundtrack, vol 16, Sept 2024 by Intellect. Super flattered!
Panthans Journal #329
The newest issue of the The National Panthans Journal has been published. This issues contains a re-print of my review of Carson of Venus / Warlord of Mars #1.
I love the cover by Mark Wheatley!
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@gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Scholars from the Edge of Time
The September episode of Scholars from the Edge of Time is online!
For this vidcast Michele and I discuss the early 80s cult sword and planet film, Krull. How we have gone our entire life without watching this film is near criminal because it ruled.
Personal copies of the Krull Blu-ray and the soundtrack.
The episode can be watched on YouTube, have a listen/watch!
Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2024.
Comic Book Review: “Carson of Venus: The Flames Beyond#1″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #326.
Comic Book Review: “Carson of Venus: The Flames Beyond#2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #327.
Comic Book Review: “Carson of Venus: The Flames Beyond#3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #328.
Comic Book Review: “Carson of Venus / Warlord of Mars #1″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #329.
Calls for Papers/Proposals
Here are some new pop culture CFPs that have crossed my paths. Links to these will also be in the CFP page on the navigation bar.
Roger Corman’s Horror Movies: Collected Essays
Edited by Sue Matheson
Part of theseries edited by Carl Sederholm
Indie filmmaker Roger Corman is known for producing and directing hundreds of B-movies, discovering industry stars (like Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, and Robert de Niro), anticipating Hollywood’s New Wave, and founding a profitable empire that included New World Pictures and Concorde/New Horizons. Entertaining, literate, and campy, his fast-paced, low-budget genre films, aimed at the youth market and generally shot in less than two weeks, included horror movies, horror comedies, and sci-fi/horror. The Beast With a Million Eyes(1955), It Conquered the World (1956), The Undead (1957), Not of This Earth (1957), A Bucket of Blood(1959), The Wasp Woman (1959), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961), The Intruder (1962), The Terror (1963), The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Haunted Palace(1963), and Dementia 13 (1963) helped make Corman “The King of the Drive-in” and the “King of Cult.” Cult classics, the gothic horror films of his Edgar Allan Poe cycle (House of Usher [1960], The Pit and the Pendulum [1961], Premature Burial [1962], Tales of Terror[1962], The Raven [1963], The Haunted Palace [1963], The Masque of the Red Death [1964] and The Tomb of Ligeia [1964]) also revived the careers of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, and Peter Lorre. As the “Orson Welles of the Z movies,” Corman was not only an auteur filmmaker and influencer; he was also a producer and distributor of horror movies. The last movie he directed was the under-appreciated Frankenstein Unbound (1990). Corman’s better-known works have been taught in courses on the history of the horror genre and cult films, while many others deserve critical reexamination.
This anthology seeks previously unpublished essays that explore Roger Corman’s body of horror films and mashups. It is open to submissions on films belonging to his Edgar Allan Poe seriesfranchise and his well-known cult horrors, but will particularly welcome interdisciplinary approaches that can illuminate overlooked films like The Beast With a Million Eyes (1955), It Conquered the World (1956), The Undead (1957), Not of This Earth (1957), Attack of the CrabMonsters (1957), Night of the Blood Beast (1958), Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), The Intruder (1962), Tower of London (1962), The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963), and Frankenstein Unbound (1990).
This volume will be interdisciplinary in scope, including approaches from philosophy, literary studies, film studies, gender studies, history, psychology, popular culture studies, hauntology, ecology, etc. The chapters will be peer-reviewed, scholarly, and written at a high academic level.
Contributions could include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Thematic and structural analysis of one or more films
Visual style
Notions of evil
Photography and cinematography
The supernatural
Corman as an auteur and/or influencer, producer, distributor
Mash ups and updated horror
Soundscapes and music
Film as philosophy/philosophy in film
Failed parenthood
Comedy, black humor, and irony
Social and cultural contexts
American youth and youth culture
Drive-in film culture
Landscapes as sites of horror
Literary and gothic adaptations
Exploration of the sub- and unconscious
Class, sexuality, abject, gender and queer readings
This anthology will be organized into thematic sections around these topics and others that emerge from submissions. It is open to works that focus on other topics as well. Prospective authors are welcome to contact the editor with any questions, including potential topics not listed above. Please share this announcement with anyone you believe would be interested in contributing to this volume. Please submit a 250-word abstract of your proposed chapter contribution, a brief CV / bio, current position, affiliation, and complete contact information to Sue Matheson (smatheson@ucn.ca) by the 30th of December 2024. Full chapters of 6,000-7,000 words are likely due in June/July 2025 after signing a contract with the publisher.
Note: Acceptance of a proposed abstract does not guarantee the acceptance of the full chapter.
Yor, the Hunter from the Future is a 1983 Italian Barbarian film directed by Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood [1964], Ark of the Sun God [1984]) and starring Reb Brown (best known as the lead protagonist in the MST3K-riffed Space Mutiny [David Winters, 1988]). The movie is a strongman/sword and sorcery film that came during a wave of similar other films (Ator, the Fighting Eagle [1982, Joe D’Amato], Conquest [Lucio Fulci, 1983], The Barbarians [1987, Ruggero Deodato], and so on), that were capitalizing on the success of Conan the Barbarian (1982, John Milius), though the added Star Wars-esque elements at the film’s end edge Yor into sword and planet territory. The film has enjoyed cult status, no doubt due to the presence of Brown and Margheriti’s special effects.
The film was adapted from a series of Argentinian comics titled Yor the Hunter that was created in the mid-70s by writer Ray Collins (Eugenio Juan Zappietro) and artist Juan Zanotto. For decades the comic has been inaccessible to an English-speaking audience, however Antarctic Press (Gold Digger and Ninja High School) is remedying this situation by publishing a translated edition of the original Yor comics. Slated to be released across four issues, the first was released in late August/September.
One thing that becomes apparent when comparing the two version of Yor is just how closely the film follows the plot of the original comic book incarnation. Issue one of Yor, divided into three episodes, corresponds to the first thirty minutes of Yor the movie. All the major narrative events and characters are there.
Film Yor vs. comics Yor:
Brown’s Yor is more lighthearted with a strong helping of naivety. Comics Yor is much more grimdark and serious. Film Yor is an outsider to the initial tribe depicted in the film while comics Yor is already part of the tribe and becomes a leader of it when he exposes a false god – a woolly mammoth encased in ice. Both are strong barbarians that wear a medallion and wield a stone axe.
Film Kalaa vs. comics Kalaa:
Film Kalaa is played by Corinne Cléry (Bond girl Corinne Dufour in Moonraker [Lewis Gilbert, 1979] and O in The Story of O [Just Jaeckin, 1975]) who is both the love interest of Yor and the damsel in distress of the film. Film Kalaa does not have as much character development as comics Kalaa who is much more strong willed. Comics Kalaa initially rebuffs Yor when he selects her to be his wife, not holding a high opinion of him. Comics Kalaa is also a damsel character, who must be rescued by Yor.
Film Pag vs. comics Pag
Cinematic Pag is played by Antonio Margheriti regular Luciano Pigozzi (Beetle in Ark of the Sun God, Francesco in And God Said to Cain [1970]) and pretty much is a one to one of comics Pag. Both are confidents/guards of Kalaa, proficient with a bow, and full of sage-like advice.
The major plot beats of the comic are present in the film.
Both the comic and film features a dino battle early in the story. In the film, Yor is introduced by him saving Kalaa and Pag from a triceratops. In the comic Yor saves Pag from a T-rex.
Ukan and his Blue People attacks Yor and friends, kidnap Kalaa and steal Yor’s medallion.
And after the battle throws Yor over a cliff, where he survives.
Afterwards Yor and Pag enter the caves of the Blue People in order to save Kalaa. In the film Yor rides a pterodactyl in to make a grand entrance while in the comic Yor and Pag battle the pterodactyls en route to the caverns. An epic battle ensues and in both media versions end with Yor destroying a dam and flooding the caves of the Blue People.
While the film adapts the plot of the comics fairly faithfully, where it really deviates is in tone. The filmic version of Yor is much more lighthearted. Even though it has a fair amount of blood (from when Yor slays the triceratops), the overall atmosphere of the film is fantasy-adventure, akin to Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (John Korty, 1984) with a bit of spear and fang thrown in for good measure. Conversely, the comics version of Yor is much more dark, grittier, and violent. There are executions, rape, and the violence is less cartoonish. The comics version of Yor also narrates the inner feelings of Kalaa and Yor, and they ponder the nature of love in the hostile, primitive world.
After comparing the two iterations of Yor, it is interesting to note just how faithful Margheriti’s adaption was to the source material, save for the tone. It is an interesting case study in how the same story can be told the same textually, but differ greatly in atmosphere and mood. Both film and sequential art incarnations of Yor compliment each other quite well. Fans of the film may not find the camp element in present in the comics version, but can certainly appreciate seeing the original source material of Yor and how it all came about. On its own, the comics version of Yor is fun, and feels like it could have been published in the early years of Heavy Metal.
Yor, the film, definitely derails itself as it progresses and veers into Star Wars territory, so it will be interesting to see if it continues to be faithful to the comics when issues two through four are published.
Being a Yor superfan, I’ve accumulated some Yor artifacts over the years, and the publishing of issue one of the comic is a perfect opportunity to show off a bit of the collection, which include different home video editions (including a German version of Yor on DVD signed by Reb Brown himself) and soundtracks. Check everything out in the slide show:
I had the opportunity to talk about Yor on the Fan2Fan Podcast, which can be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn.
For more information on the Yor comics, check out the following links:
Intergalactic thief extraordinaire Alicia Carter and her robot companion GDU-3 have just fled Junk World in a stolen space freighter belonging to reptilian bounty hunter Klaven. Klaven, none-too-happy to be stranded on a world of refuse along with his fellow hunters Kira and Arms, sends an SOS to his brother Vardak for rescue. Vardak is more than interested to help Klaven, for a price of course: a percentage of the bounty on Carter and the value of a crystal she has stolen. Meanwhile the freighter Carter is piloting beings to break down, experiencing issues with both the gravity and the hyperdrive. Carter and GDU-3 set about fixing the ship, with things getting quite personal in the close quarters.
Shikarii Cover for Issue #2.
Issue two of Alicia Carter and Robot (ACaR) picks up right after issue one with the duo having fled their bounty hunting pursuers. The minor amnesia subplot present in ACaR #1 is thankfully nowhere to be found, allowing issue two to better align its focus on true character development of Carter and GDU-3 as they bond. GDU-3, after encountering robot space leeches, expresses fear, something not really explored with robot characters. Carter’s backstory gets expanded upon as well, revealing she has partaken in sapphic rendezvous, specifically with the main antagonist’s wife.
The pulp elements hinted at in issue one of ACaR also appear to be dropped. Instead, the story embraces a more Cowboy Bebop approach regarding spacefaring adventuring. However, if there is a word to describe the tone of issue two of ACaRit is “horny.” The first half of the issue sees the narrative push Carter and GDU-3 as close to having sex as possible without actually having sex or showing nudity. The cramped access ducts of the space freighter force the two to straddle each other. GDU-3 sends some of his tendrils to fix various apparati of the ship and in the process rubs/vibrates against Carter’s labia majora that protrudes through her suit.
Is GDU-3 an innocent robot who is merely trying to fix the ship who is accidentally getting Carter all steamed up? The bend in his tendril suggests otherwise. Coinciding with the in-panel suggestive antics are innuendos galore as repairing the ship allows for many out of context verbal opportunities such as “I can barely reach the shaft,” “it’s getting harder,” and “Ah yes! It’s in!”
The sequences do give the scifi-adventure story overtones of 80s sex comedies, but at the same time does challenge the relationship between the two. Will Carter and GDU-3 remain platonic partners on the run from other criminals and assassins? Develop a true friendship? Or perhaps a more intimate relationship? (Some of the alternate covers for issues one and two definitely hint at the latter)
Story-wise, author Tristan Vick devotes issue two to characters, not just Carter and the robot, but introducing new characters and adversaries as well. The stakes are increasing against Carter which sets up the dominos for even more action in subsequent issues while in the process having the characters become even more interconnected as they not only pursue Carter, but some pursue each other (such as Kira and Vardak).
Chris Awayan and Mirza Wirawan both return to issue two on art and colours respectively. The images of space proper, instead of being void and black, are instead popping with colour and activity. The artistic depiction of Carter, though it retains an emphasis on showcasing her bust and bottom, still portrays her in a warm fashion. Carter is a thief, a Han Solo-esque character, yet her facial expressions depict her with a girl next door quality.
As with issue one, issue two of ACaR enjoys a bounty of Kickstarter loot (that is if one contributed to the campaign). The art print done by the Xong Bros. showcases Carter and GDU-3 in a manga style. Carter sitting atop of her robot companion is reminiscent of some of the Masamune Shirow/Ghost in the Shell covers.
The swimsuit print done by Rocha is fun and flirty.
And there are trading cards, fridge magnets, and stickers of the characters done in a chibi style.
As with many Kickstarted comics, there are numerous alternative covers for issue two, with Shikarii’s version depicting the bounty hunter Kira (shown at the beginning of this review and in the fridge magnet above) being the most standout. Shikarii has an iconic hyper-realistic style that is always a pleasure to see.
ACaR issue two plays more naughty than nice in its narrative, but it scratches the itch to see Carter and GDU-3 taking the next step in their galactic adventure as thieves on the run. It is both playful and fun to see the two characters interact (sexual overtones or not) as they are both extremely likable. The art and colouring are also well done, with an emphasis on vibrant purples and pinks that pop on the page.
Somewhere between the solar system and Proxima b the generation ship Calypso slowly limps back to Earth after failing to colonize an extrasolar planet. Carrying what may be the last of the human race, the Calypso is besieged by mechanical problems and caught in the crossfire between two unseen galactic forces. The ship’s problems are further compounded when a handful of xenomorphic stowaways make their presence known. The only person keeping everyone’s shit together (including their own) is Jacklyn Albright, who steps up to lead the Calypso against all odds when her father, the captain, falters.
And thus the premise of The Scourge Between Stars, the debut space horror novella by Ness Brown and published by Tor’s Nightfire imprint in the spring of 2023. Borrowing the stalking xenomorph from Alien, the decaying ship from Dark Star, and the uniformed humans who occupy a variety of functions a’la Star Trek, The Scourge Between Stars feels familiar, but Brown, whose professional background is astrophysics, keeps the narrative fresh, grounded, and throws in their own unique genre vision.
There’s no FTL in The Scourge Between Stars, which adds to a sense of futility and hopelessness to the story. If the Calypso will not make it back to Earth for hundreds of years, why bother? Main protag Jacklyn keeps the fire of hope burning despite all odds, and oh boy, are the odds against her, the crew, and the ship. Jacklyn is excessively critical of herself, comparing herself negatively to her father who, despite apparently having once been a great captain and leader, has sequestered himself in his quarter, forcing his daughter and crew to face the hardships on their own.
Yet, Jacklyn is extremely resolute, and this is demonstrated through all her relationships – be them platonic, professional, or romantic. Jacklyn puts everyone before herself, which overtime does take its toll on her. She is carrying a burden and Brown excels at depicting Jacklyn overcoming all the ordeals she is faced with by using her leadership and trusting others to do their roles.
These are the more action-oriented elements of The Scourge Between Stars. Jacklyn and her crew are also being hunted by xenomorphs that have made themselves hidden in the ship’s supplies, only surfacing now to lay eggs and stalk the Calypso crew. They bang inside the walls, dismember alone crew members, attack from the darkness, and even have a few unexpected tricks up their sleeve. Jacklyn and her crew take a competent approach to handle the alien menace, going ship section by ship section, locking down areas and trying to contain the aliens. Try as they might, things inevitably go awry, and the book has no shortage of alien attacks.
If there is a fault with The Scourge Between Stars is that the ending does feel rushed and resolved in a too tidy of package. Aside from this, The Scourge Between Stars expertly alternates between action and horror, finely maintaining an atmosphere of hopelessness and hope. Jacklyn is an excellent character, sympathetic and admirable, a model of a person acting against all odds. As a story proper, The Scourge Between Stars leverages the tropes that make space horror a fun genre to indulge in, but there is a unique authorial stamp from Ness that distinguishes the story from other space horror texts.
For more information about Ness Brown’s The Scourge Between Stars, check out our H. P. Lovecast Podcast interview with them:
Welcome to the second instance of my biweekly news roundup. I am digging this schedule more than my prior weekly schedule. There is a lot of content below, so make sure you scroll through it all.
Alicia Carter and Robot #1 Review
The physical first issue of the crowdfunded pulp/sword and planet inspired comic The Astonishing Adventures of Alicia Carterand Robot arrived last week.
One of my favorite things is finding new citations of the essays by the authors who appeared in the books I edited.
Dr. Hannah Mueller’s essay, “Male Nudity, Violence and the Disruption of Voyeuristic Pleasure in Starz’s Spartacus,” which appeared in The New Peplum, has been cited in Dr. Amanda Potter’s essay, “From Female Stereotypes to Women with Agency: Elite Women and Slave Women in Howard Fast’s 1951 Novel, Spartacus (1960), and Starz Spartacus (2010–13)” in Gender, Power, and Identity in the Films of Stanley Kubrick, edited by Karen A. Ritzenhoff, Dijana Metlić, and Jeremi Szaniawski.
Super congrats!
The Kubrick collection has been published by Routledge and the product page can be found here.
H. P. Lovecast Podcast Updates
New episode of H. P. Lovecast is online!
Thumbnail by Michele Brittany.
In this episode we talk about the second film in John Carpenter’s informal apocalypse trilogy, Prince of Darkness. This episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout page, in the embedded player below, or via your podcast app of preference.
On the 30th this month our September Transmissions episode will publish. This episode will have Brenda S. Tolian and Ian Welke.
Looking to the future, for October we will be covering the movie Mimic 2 (we covered the first Mimic film almost a year ago – here is the link). We are also solidifying our Transmissions guests as well.
Fan2Fan Podcast Appearance
The folks at Fan2Fan Podcast are collecting top five Halloween season films from their guests and I was honored to contribute mine.
The episode I appear on with my top five was published last Wednesday and can be heard at this Fan2Fan Libsyn page. Present in this episode was also Joshua Pruett. His top five movies can be heard on this Fan2Fan episode. Keep an eye out for Michele’s list!
Miscellaneous Tidbits
Footage Fiends Zine
Evan Jordan of the Void Video Podcast and Madeleine of the Unnamed Footage Festival are launching a brand new zine called Footage Fiends that is devoted to all aspects of the found footage genre of films. Tweet embedded below:
Exciting news: my good friend @DVDBoxSet and I are starting the first ever zine exclusively covering in-world camera films (found footage, mockumentary, faux doc, screenlife, hybrid, etc.) and we're now accepting pitches for the first issue!
This, of course, inspired me, so now I am working on an essay about the 1950s Italian cosmic horror film, Caltiki: The Immortal Monster (one of the first films to have a found footage scene). If you’re interested in submitting, check out the Tweet thread above for more information.
The Warrior and the Sorceress Re-Release
Shout Factory, under their Scream Factory label, is did a re-release of the Roger Corman 1980s sword and sorcery (sword and planet since it takes place on another planet?) film, The Warrior and the Sorceress.
My copy of The Warrior and the Sorceress with the poster.
I have not seen this film before, even though it is included in the four movie DVD release Shout Factory did a few years ago that contained Deathstalker, Deathstalker 2, and Barbarian Queen (side note: if you want to hear me talk Deathstalker 2 with the Fan2Fan Podcast crew, click here). Of course I had to pre-order the Blu-ray incarnation, plus it comes with a poster and the cover is reversible to a Cthulhu-looking one.
Emmanuelle director Just Jaeckin passed away earlier this month.
The filmmaker may be gone but his legacy lives on. Later in September Cult Epics released two Blu-rays of Jaeckin’s work: Madame Claude and The Last Romantic Lover. Commentary on the discs is done by Jeremy Richey who wrote Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol (read my review here). Check out the Cult Epics website for more info on these releases.
Artist Gilead Kickstarter Campaign
Sword and sorcery artist Gilead has started a Kickstarter campaign for his Sketch book and print art.
Check out the campaign on Kickstarter and consider supporting!
The Astonishing Adventures of Alicia Carter and Robot is a brand new comic series by Tristan Vick, with Chris Awayan on art and Mirza Wirawan on colours. The debut issue of Alicia Carter and Robot (ACaR) was Kickstarted in February 2022 and released by Vick’s own publishing imprint, Regolith Comics.
SFW cover for ACaR by Karen Darboe (for preview/thumbnail purposes)
ACaR is described on its Kickstarter campaign as an “action-packed sci-fi adventure” in the vein of classic pulps such as “Northwest Smith, Flash Gordon, and John Carter of Mars” with comedy thrown in. The Edgar Rice Burroughs’ character homage is immediately noticed in Alicia Carter’s last name. The comic shares the sci-fi pulp DNA in the same vein as Star Wars does.
Personal copy of ACaR with NSFW Toshio Maeda-inspired cover by Awayan.
Carter is an infamous space thief whose latest escapade has her stealing a crystal from the reptilian criminal Klaven Skullvek and the two bounty hunters in his employ: the cybernetic Armitage and sniper Kira. While being pursued, Carter crash lands on Junk World, an entire planet converted into a garbage dump by Nova Corp. Amnesic from a head wound during her rough landing, Carter is rescued by Garbage Disposal Unit 3 (GDU-3), a bipedal robot that salvages treasures from the refuse. Together, Carter and GDU-3 team up to evade Skullvek and his henchpeople and escape from Junk World.
Alicia Carter.
Carter as a character is a fun, rogueish heroine in the Han Solo/Star-Lord sense. As a sword and planet character, much like John Carter, she appears to be incredibly agile and able to leap large distances – or at least within the gravity on Junk World. If Carter has any fault it is due to the temporary amnesia she only suffers from for a handful of pages. If anything, this selective amnesia robs her of precious character development as it otherwise doesn’t advance or effect the plot at all. On the other hand, Carter is extremely animated and emotive. She pops off the comic’s pages with gestures and facial expressions that make her both endearing and easy to read, which is definitely in part due to the art and colour work of Awayan and Wirawan respectively.
GDU-3 (The Robot).
GDU-3 is quite fleshed out as a robot character. While he has protocols he must follow, he exhibits numerous human-like traits, such as he collects books and other trinkets for his own collection. His relationship to his parent company, Nova Corp, is very like that of Robocop to OCP – he follows his directives, but with the help of others, is able to overcome some of his programming to be more capable and free.
The art of ACaR is excellent. The Awayan and Wirawan team are able to make the muted, drab garbage planet of Junk World look interesting. All the characters look distinctive, at appropriate times stepping into cartoonish territory, but only for added comedic affect.
No expense was spared on issue one of ACaR. The comic clocks in at thirty-six pages of content including a gallery of all the alternative covers. The back cover of the comic has a bit of texture on it as well. In addition, folks who contributed to the ACaR Kickstarter received a plethora of fantastic loot as part of the campaign’s stretch goals.
Trading cards.
Firstly, there was six trading cards, one for each character. The backs of the cards contain stats (strength, speed, charisma, etc.) along with a biography of the pictured character. Hopefully the trading card trend will continue in successor crowdfunding campaigns. They are fun but they also provided paratextual information to supplement the world and character building in the comic.
Stickers and magnet.
Next, two chibi-styled stickers of Carter and GDU-3 along with a magnet of their ship were part of the stretch goals.
Foil art print by Shikarii.
Finally, a holofoil art print of Carter looking bad ass by artist Shikarii is also part of the package.
The Kickstarter campaign was also an avenue to pre-purchase exclusive cover variants of ACaR done by different artists, with most covers also having a NSFW incarnation. Interestingly, most Kickstarter comic book campaigns that have numerous NSFW covers also have corresponding content that is adult in nature (nudity, sex, and violence). Though ACaR has a handful of risque covers (see personal copy above), the comic proper is fairly PG-13. There’s no nudity and barely any profanity (swear words are replaced: “helios” for “hell,” “frack” for “fuck” and so on). The violence is cartoonish, with only one scene showing blood (on a regenerative character at that).
ACaR is off to a great start. Carter is a fun heroine and GDU-3 a shocking fleshed out, unique character. Unknown if future issues of the series will be episodic in nature, with a different adventure in each comic, or one large arc spanning multiple issues, but the intergalactic antics of Carter and GDU-3 look promising and exciting.
More information about Alicia Carter and Robot and the team behind it can be found at the following locations:
