Well, October was a wash for writing. I worked on a few things, but nothing published at my website or elsewhere. Car issues still plague Michele and I. The last two weeks have been hectic at work (in a good way!). My goal to get some spooky comic book reviews up in time for Halloween did not happen. However, I can still share some fun stuff and other news. Here is to a better November!
Scholars From the Edge of Time – Gladiators 7
Italian genre cinema star Richard Harrison passed away last month, so to commemorate his contributions to peplum cinema, Michele and I discussed a film of his, Gladiators 7 (1962), on this month’s Scholars from the Edge of Time.
Personal copy of the Gladiators 4 movie DVD pack.
I believe the movie is on Tubi or Youtube, but I have one of my trusty, low grade movie packs, in this instance, Gladiators, that has the film on it. Spoiler: I dug the movie, Michele not so much. You can watch our discussion on YouTube.
National Capital Panthans Journal #353
The October issue of the National Capital Panthans Journal has been published. This issue contains a reprint of my review of issue two of “Snow” of the Cavewoman series. My original review can be read here.
National Capital Panthans Journal #353. 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 AT gmail.com in a Word document for consideration.
Sincere appreciation to Laurence for the opportunity to have my work published in the journal.
PangoBooks Bookstore
I have an online bookstore at Pangobooks were I am selling books I no longer need, duplicates, etc. I have lots of horror, sci-fi, non-fiction, OOP, and weird books, so make sure to check my store out. Purchases help me out greatly!
New peplum movies and autographs this month. Lets break it down!
New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions
The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal acquisitions.
The Messenger
I was surfing on Youtube earlier in the month and happened upon a video called “The Most CONTROVERSIAL Halloween Blu-Ray EVER” by The Lost River Drive-In. Click bait title got my attention, I was curious as to what’s up, and give it a watch. Long story short, an early Halloween 2 blu-ray release removed a credit for producer Moustapha Akkad and replaced it with the studio name. Fans for rightfully mad.
I am no expert on the Halloween series of films, so I had no idea who Moustapha Akkad was. One Wiki-rabbit hole later and I was like whoa.
Personal copy of The Message on 4K.
Akkad has done exactly three things: he is the main money behind the majority of all the Halloween films (up to Halloween: Resurrection in 2002), and directed two historic epics, one being a sword and sandal film about Muhammad called The Message (1976)
Decades of Michael Myers and a film on Muhammad. Holy moly talk about going from one genre extreme to another. Learning this factoid, I had to pluck up a copy, which got a 4K release fairly recently.
Masters of the Universe
I missed the Masters of the Universe (2026) film when it was in theaters. Apparently it was pretty good, so I was bummed I missed it on the big screen, but I pre-ordered it as soon as it became available. Limited edition steel book of course.
Personal copy of Masters of the Universe in 4K Steel Book format.
Excited to give this a watch! I didn’t grow up with He-Man per se, but I caught episodes now and then (the first cartoon I was REALLY into was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Back in the 2010s I went to a few Power Con conventions, which were devoted to He-Man and She-Ra and had a lot of fun. But, yeah, I got a good feeling about this one.
Sword and Sandal Autographs
Two sets of autographs on peplum-related things were acquired in October. I love getting things signed, specially when it is in my field of study!
Pompeii with Kiefer Sutherland
There is a local collectibles business called Inked who seem to specialize in getting celebrities to autographed Funkos. They also do a mail in service where folks can send in their memorabilia to get autographed. They recently had a session with actor Kiefer Sutherland. I said “why not?” and decided to send in my copy of the neo-peplum film Pompeii (2014) to be signed.
Personal copy of Pompeii autographed by Keifer Sutherland.
In the first half of October I got my Blu-ray sleeve back, all signed I silver sharpie by Sutherland. I do not have many neo-peplum movies autographed, so I personally think this is quite cool. I have not watched the film since working on The New Peplum, I think it is time for a rewatch in the near future. Maybe as a Scholars from the Edge of Time episode.
The New Peplum with Tony Amendola
In early October Artists Assemble Productions did a horror con in Mesa. It was a big event for the Aliens (1986) film as many actors and actresses were guests, but other horror celebrities were also in attendance.
One of the guests was Tony Amendola, perhaps best known for appearing in the Stargate SG-1 series. One of the movies he had a small part in was the BBC docu-drama Pompeii: The Last Day (2003).
Copy of The New Peplum and Pompeii: The Last Day on DVD.
Folks who have read The New Peplum will probably recognize this movie as it is has almost an entire essay dedicated to it, “Sounds of Swords and Sandals: Music in Neo-Peplum BBC Television Docudramas” by Nick Poulakis. So, of course, I had to get my book signed!
Tony Amendola autograph in The New Peplum.
He told me as he signed it that he was born August 24th, which is the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted! How cool is that! Anywho, very happy to have him sign my book, really meaningful to me.
Of note, a few weeks later I started playing the game Mafia: The Old Country, and he is in it! I was doing a mission to steal some whisky from an impound at a port, and his character walks right in! Same likeness and everything.
Autographs from the Archive
Here are some autographed treasures I have shared on social media this past month.
Red Spirit Lake + We Await
Charles Pinion is a cult filmmaker, probably best known for his SOV movie, Twisted Issues (1988). The first movie I saw of his was American Mummy (2014). I wound up befriending him on social media and he is a really cool dude.
Personal copy of Red Spirit Lake/We Await signed by Charles Pinion.
I posted my copy of Red Spirit Lake/We Await for him to sign, which he graciously did.
Of note, he was a guest on the Fan2Fan Podcast last year, talking about making 3D movies. Give it a listen!
On October 12th Joe Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale came to Scottdale to the Poisoned Pen to promote their respective new books. Michele and I, of course, had to go because Lansdale is the man.
I was first exposed to his work via the Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) movie, which was amazing. Probably my favourite Don Coscarelli film (next to Beastmaster of course!). We met him at a Vintage Paperback Show in Glendale, CA sometime in the 2010s and he signed my DVD of the film.
Later on I would get a copy of his novella, Under the Warrior Star, which is an Edgar Rice Burroughs/John Carter pastiche. Last year when I was asked by New Edge Sword and Sorcery to create cocktails for sword and sorcery characters, I made a cocktail based on this novella for the sword and planet issue.
Under the Warrior Star autographed by Joe Lansdale.
New Edge Sword and Sorcery #07
The Brax recipe signed by Joe Lansdale.
Personal copy of Joe Lansdale’s “In the Mad Mountains”.
In the Mad Mountains signed by Joe Lansdale.
Personal copy of Lost Echoes.
Lost Echoes signed by Joe Lansdale.
Personal copy of Midnight Mavericks.
Joe Lansdale interview page autographed.
Anywho, I had to have Lansdale sign my copy of NESS that contains the recipe I created in homage to his novella. He was very excited to do so! Aside from NESS, I had an armload of other books he wrote that he also autographed, so check out the gallery above to see all of them.
Jeffrey J. Mariotte Autographs
In attendance in the audience for the Joe Lansdale/Kasey Lansdale signing event was Jeffrey Mariotte! He’s a long time friend of the Lansdales (read his Substack here), and he has had a plethora of books publish this late summer and early spring. So, I came prepared and brought some of this with me for Mariotte to sign.
First was my copy of Billy the Kid: Cheat the Hangman:
Cover of Billy the Kid: Cheat the Hangman.
Billy the Kid: Cheat the Hangman signed by Jeffrey Mariotte.
Next was my copy of Flesh of all Sorrows, which I did an in-depth review that can be read here.
Flesh of All Sorrows cover by Greg Chapman.
Flesh of all Sorrows signed by Jeffrey Mariotte.
If you’re curious, I have lots of other Mariotte signed books. Last year at the Willcox ECOF event, which he was the guest of honour at, he signed lots of my Star Trek comics and other books. Check out that gallery at the bottom of my ECOF diary.
Werewolf
Red Letter Media did their annual Halloween Best of the Worst episode and the first movie they discussed was Werewolf (1996). The movie was already made infamous due to being on MST3K.
Personal copy of Werewolf signed by Richard Lynch.
I have a non-MST3K version of the film! Well, I also have the MST3K version, but still. My copy is autographed by the late, great Richard Lynch! He was a guest at a Hollywood Collector show back in the day, and I, of course, had a pile of campy films for him to sign, which included Werewolf. Lynch passed away a few years later, which is a shame because he was always a great presence in otherwise low budget affairs (such as Werewolf).
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
New episodes of Michele Brittany and Travis Lakata’s vidcast, Ride the Stream, have been published online at YouTube.
The duo continue their discussion of the series Dark Winds with episode 6 of season 2:
Make sure to subscribe the Ride the StreamYouTube channel to see when new episodes drop. There is also a BlueSky social media as well.
New Fan2Fan Episodes
Brand new episodes of the Fan2Fan podcast are now online. It was October, spooky month, so seasonal themed episodes!
Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference. There is also the Fan2Fan Facebook page. Give them a follow!
T. A Simmons’ Scion of Torn
Four years ago I had the honour to interview T. A. Simmons, the author of the comic series adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ book I am a Barbarian (check out that interview here).
Cover of T. A. simmons’ “Scion of Torn”. Art by Benito Gallego.
Simmons is back with a new novel, Scion of Torn, which is a sequel to Burroughs’ Outlaw of Torn (which Simmons also adapted into a comic strip [see the ERB comics website on how to subscribe and read those]).
Super congrats on the new book! A kindle version of the story is readily available at Amazon.
Cozy in the Apocalypse
My friend Naomi Simone Borwein (author of Global Indigenous Horror and essayist for Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern) has a new book out! She’s a co-editor and contributor to Cozy in the Apocalypse published by Angry Gable Press.
Personal copy of Cavewoman – Natural Selection, issue 2. Cover art by Devon Massey.
The Story So Far
Meriem, the titular Cavewoman, has volunteered herself to be an experiment of Dr. Lansing, who wants to draw a sample of her blood to create a serum to vaccinate the town of Marshville from Jurassic pathogens and other prehistoric dangers. Dr. Lansing’s daughter, Mona, who has no confidence in snagging a boyfriend and has low self-esteem of her body, decides to steal the serum and inject herself with it. The serum turns her into a muscular bombshell like Meriem. Mona dons a superhero garb and performs good deeds around Marshville, while attracting the attention of the male populace. Dr. Lansing discovers that some of the serum is missing and secures what is left in a bank vault. Needing to continually consume the formula, Mona breaks into the bank and finds Meriem waiting for her. The two jungle girls begin to battle it out.
Plot
Laying on the ground, Meriem looks defeated at the hands of Mona. A rustling in the bushes by Bruce searching for the two ladies distracts Mona, giving time for Meriem, who was playing dead, to clock her in the chin and make off the satchel containing the serum. Mona gives chase, with Meriem leading her out of Marshville and away from the populace. Meriem plays cat and mouse with Mona in the jungle, stalling until the morning when the serum will wear off. The two ladies eventually go at each other, with Mona throwing a rock at Meriem’s head and Meriem retaliating by putting Mona in a headlock with her legs.
Meriem tries to restrain Mona from the satchel.
Mona passes out and then reawakens; the serum having worn off. She apologies for her actions, with Meriem saying it was not her fault, that a side effect of the serum was it would make folks injected with it crazy. Meriem offers to take Mona out for ice cream and even let her sit next to Bruce.
Commentary
“Natural Selection” issue two was published in September of 2012 and concludes the “Natural Selection” miniseries. The writing and artwork was done by Devon Massey. The story is a pursuit tale, with the majority of pages devoted to chase sequences of Mona trying to get the satchel of serum from Meriem. The issue is action heavy, not only with running sequences, but quite a few bouts of jungle girl on jungle girl fighting action: pinning bodies, cheap shots, grapples and throws, wrestling on the ground, and leg locks. The standard cover of “Natural Selection” #2 succinctly sums up the issue visually.
Meriem and Mona wrestle for the satchel that contains the serum.
The action centric-ness of this issue, with a huge emphasis on near naked bodies fighting each other, puts “Natural Selection” #2 in sword and sandal adjacent territory, except instead of a strongman Hercules/Maciste/Ursus/Samson/etc. strongman, there is a strongwoman. So far, in this Cavewoman retrospective, the focus of Meriem’s body has been in the cheesecake/pinup nature. While “Natural Selection” #2 does not shy away going for sexploitation panels, (there are many, many with either lady’s posterior in the air), the issue fully embraces the body as an extension of strength component that is critical to the peplum genre. The strongman’s body is a tool, and the only tool that can solve the problem at hand, be it erecting statues, turning a millstone, pulling a plow, or overthrowing a corrupt dictator (for more information on this concept of the strongman, see Michael G. Cornelius’ intro in Of Muscles and Men).
Meriem kicks Mona square on the chin.
In “Natural Selection” #2, Meriem’s body is the tool that solves the problem at hand. Only her speed, agility, and strength are capable to lure Mona out of Marshville so she does not harm the town’s citizens. She is able to keep Mona distracted by playing cat and mouse in the jungle trees so the serum can wear off. Only then can Meriem non-lethally subdue Mona and return the young scientist and the town back to normality. Meriem is not a peplum character, as she has no direct line to antiquity/mythology (but perhaps a bit of Amazon can be extrapolated in her character), but the way she is depicted and the way she uses her body is akin to a sword and sandal strongman character, thus she can be viewed under such a lens. To do so gives the Cavewoman series an extra dimension to it.
Meriem comforts Mona after the serum has worn off.
While the action sequences are great, the story proper of “Natural Selection” #2 drops the ball on the final page. Massey’s intent looks to wrap the two-issue miniseries in an extremely happy, no loose ends ending. Massey does this by absolving Mona of any transgressions by making it the serum’s fault for her acting in a hostile manner. The explanation is handwavy and maybe a little lazy. However, it could have been salvaged through an editorial decision: move the explanation from the end of the issue to the beginning. This creates stakes and risk for what is about to unfold. Have a flashback panel of Dr. Lansing near the issue’s beginning, briefing Meriem that Mona needs to be stopped, the serum is having adverse effects, and she can potentially hurt someone in the town. This establishes the motive and why Meriem is doing what she is doing through the issue. The current read of the issue is simply “stop Mona and get the serum back” but stating the risk up front “stop Mona and get the serum back because it is making her crazy and she could hurt someone” adds the much-needed danger component that would underscore the action in the issue. Having it at the end robs the issue of this potential.
Conclusion
“Natural Selection” #2 is a fun, action-centric conclusion to the mini story arc. The issue is full of double jungle girl action sequences, oftentimes diving into a peplum-adjacent realm. The issues maintains the series’ love for sexploitation by depicting both Meriem and Mona is a variety of suggestive poses, though it should be stated that issue one concluded with promises of nudity in this issue, which did not happen. The only fault of this issue is its ending, which in its effort to wrap everything up in a nice package, comes across as cheesy. With a bit of editorial action, the ending could have been reshaped into a story strengthening element. It is only a small downer in an otherwise fun jungle girl/superheroine-esque story in the Cavewoman series.
For more information on Cavewoman “Natural Selection” #2 check out the official product page at Amryl Entertainment:
In 2000 Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was released and become a titanic pop culture phenomenon that ushered in a new wave of sword and sandal films, the neo-pepla. In the years that followed, to capitalize on the rejuvenated genre, films such as Troy (2004), Alexander (2004), 300 (2006), Clash of the Titans (2010), Centurion (2010), The Eagle (2011), Immortals (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), and many others (including television shows such as Spartacus), were produced. Like any filmic cycle the genre would eventually run out of momentum and reach its periodic valley.
Twenty-four years later Scott attempted to repeat the success of Gladiator with Gladiator 2. It was not the powerhouse in either commercial or critical success when compared to the original. Two years later Gladiator 2 has already begun to fade away from cultural memory, having laid no groundwork to bring forth a new cycle of neo-pepla.
Poster for The Odyssey.
What Gladiator 2 failed to accomplish, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) is succeeding in spades. The Odysseycould possibly become the Ben-Hur (1959) for the 21st Century in terms of scope, grandiose, influence, impact, epic-ness, and spectacle.
In an A to B hero’s journey style, The Odyssey depicts Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) trek from Troy to his home in Ithaca with these major beats: encountering the cyclops who slays a few of his men, the armoured Laestrygonians who slay even more men, Circe (Samantha Morton) who turns his men into pigs and back again, a descent into Hades to council with the undead, sailing past the sirens, mooring on an island of sacred cattle, spending seven years with Calypso (Charlize Theron) on an island with his memories gone, and finally making it back to Ithaca where he proves his identity by stringing his bow and firing an arrow through a row of axes, defeating the suitors who have been attempting to court his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway). Odysseus’ adventures have been depicted numerous times in films and other media, with the most recent version being The Return (2024) starring Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus.
The story may have been told many times before, so what makes Nolan’s incarnation different and stand out?
Firstly, Nolan’s auteur elements are on full display in The Odyssey. The non-linear narrative structure he has used in prior films, such as his neo-noir Memento (2000), is applied to the Odyssey, and suit it quite well. Overtly, issues of memory loss/regaining memories are shared between Memento and The Odyssey. Subvertly, Nolan uses this tactic to take a revelation that occurs chronologically early in the narrative and place it near the film’s end to give the audience a climax and quasi-twist ending. For Memento, the twist is Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) purposely writing down that Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) is “John G”. For The Odyssey, the “twist” comes from changing what the story is about: from a “traditional” (though not traditional at the time) hero’s journey of getting from A to B and the encounters in between, to a story of why he is self sabotaging his journey to get back home. The Sirens call this out and Calypso even states that he was not ready to go home. These statements are at odds of what the film has shown the viewers so far, of Odysseus leading his men back to Ithaca on their boat. He has had some setbacks, but nothing overtly pointing to sabotage. Yet it is near the film’s end through Odysseus’ son Telemachus’ (Tom Holland) time spent with Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), that the truth of Odysseus as a character is revealed. Why he does what he does is learned before being overtly said by a disguised Odysseus to Penelope.
Odysseus’ truth comes at the beginning of the narrative has he conquers the city of Troy. He has what can be best equated to a Lovecraftian/cosmic horror moment of revelation. In cosmic horror, a character can sometimes peer beyond the view of reality to see the truth of how the universe works, and in the process of sublime madness, goes insane at trying to comprehend it. Odysseus has this moment of seeing the real truth of the world, of what sacking Troy means, what his actions bring to civilization. He is at the cusp of becoming a Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) from Apocalypse Now(1979) style character, but miraculously manages to avoid this fate. PTSD, sure, but Odysseus has seen something bigger than himself (caused by himself) and that is the albatross he is chained to through the movie, though the audience only learns this near the movie’s end. Nolan is passing off story A, but with his Memento-style rearranging, is really telling story B.
For the last segment of The Odyssey, when Odysseus has returned to Ithaca and is combatting the suitors, Nolan reaches in his auteur toolbelt and pulls from Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In that film, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale), has his back broken and is exiled to a prison in the Middle East. He escapes, makes his way back to Gotham, and engages in Batman-style action things. Odysseus, though not back broken, is certainly twenty years older than when he left Ithaca. Despite his age, upon his return he becomes a Batman-style super hero character, single handedly taking on a room of suitors, using his bow, arrows (sometimes as daggers), his fists, and whatever weapons that happen his way. He gets pummeled a bit, and has a few arrows protruding from his body, but he emerges victorious none-the-less.
But this sequence is much more than Nolan lifting from his own Batman. In by doing so, Odysseus becomes a strongman character (Hercules, Ursus, Samson, Maciste, etc.) that dominate the classic era of the genre during the late 50s to mid 60s. Matt Damon is not a strongman actor, and this incarnation of Odysseus is not a strongman character (leave that type casting to Dwayne Johnson as Hercules back in 2014), but this scene is a close enough simile to the likes of Steve Reeves, Mark Forest, Reg Park, Gordon Scott, and many others who single handedly fend off waves of soldiers and barbarians using nothing but their fists (and maybe a tree trunk) and their wits. Nolan may not have been consciously trying to homage classic pepla, but he wound up doing so, and in a refreshing way. The scene is over the top, but what Maciste movie from the early 60s isn’t?
Why does The Odyssey succeed while Gladiator 2 failed?
Gladiator 2 committed the cardinal sin by trying to replace or supersede its original rather than building off of it (see my review here). The original Gladiator was a pop culture juggernaut. Its hero, Maximus (Russell Crowe), is on his own odyssey, his journey from Germania back to his wife and child in Hispania. Gladiator 2 does not respect its own original text, rewrites Maximus as a father of a secret affair child and displaces his journey and subsequent rise through the gladiator ranks onto his son. This is a cynical approach, and probably expected from a director in his twilight years who has embraced his films as product rather than art. In essence, Gladiator 2 is a hollow remake of the first Gladiator film that contributes nothing new (to the story or to the sword and sandal genre).
The Odyssey gets a free pass compared to Gladiator 2 in that the story had not reached (until now) as mammoth pop culture artifact. The Odyssey (story) is certainly massively influential on all forms of western art and culture, but this comes with infinite adaptations, translations, performances, movies, comics, games, splinter stories, and so on. Gladiator 2 has to compare to Gladiator 1, a strict 1 to 1 relationship that audiences can easily weigh against. The Odysseycompares to something more nebulous, fluid, reshape-able, perhaps even subconscious. Because of this adaptability, within capable hands, TheOdyssey can become a variety of things. In Nolan’s hands, The Odyssey found a voice it had not happened upon before. It does not supercede any text before it and instead contributes to the “Matter of Homer”. It is a beautifully crafted film, done by an auteur who brings a level of prestige to his work. Something that Ridley Scott once had but has long since lost.
With the success of The Odyssey, (and, concurrently, with superhero movies in decline), perhaps a wave of a new cycle of sword and sandal films can finally happen. These movies are all about spectacle, and with Nolan raising the bar with shooting all on IMAX, there could be a fantastic series of pepla in the future.
Hercules and the Captive Women (1961, Vittorio Cottafavi) is a classic peplum from the golden age of Italian sword and sandal films of the late 50s to early 60s. Focusing on the more fantastique elements of the genre (that fight with Proteus!), the film received a second life and renewed longevity when it was riffed on a season four episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, joining the ranks of other pepla such as Hercules Unchained (1959, Pietro Francisci), Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964, Giacomo Gentilomo) who were also honoured on the series.
Aside from its appearance on MST3K, Hercules and the Captive Women has another unique facet to it: its availability in physical releases that sports a print/cut of the film in a decent condition. The peplum cycle contains a few hundred entries, but a vast majority of them have not seen re-released in an accessible fashion, and those that have are often released on subpar editions derived from generations of VHS recordings, cropped, stretched, degraded, blurry, and so on, but released by budget labels such as Brentwood and Alpha Video. These are epic movies, but the viewing experience for many of them is anything but. So, when a classic peplum title gets a release that has a quality image to it, that is a big deal!
Back in 2021 The Film Detective released a Blu-ray of Hercules and the Captive Women. This release was jam packed, not just with an HD version of the film, but also the MST3K version, a commentary, documentary, essay, and other supplemental features. The sleeve states the movie is a “4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative”. This sounds like a great thing!
The website PeplumTV did a review of The Film Detective Blu-ray of the film (which can be read here) and found the release to be disappointing regarding its image quality (especially with colours). The website did a vast number of comparisons between the Retromedia DVD, an Italian TV broadcast version, and the Blu-ray edition of the film, and visually, well, there are some huge differences.
Technical specification of a film is not my forte since I am more into the textual aspect of a movie, so I cannot really comment if The Film Detective version is inferior or superior, only that it is different (at least colour-wise). Since this edition purports to come from the original negative, I have to assume it captures Cottafavi’s original vision of the film as close as possible, which could mean the colours are actually correct (note: I have not dived into all the supplemental material on this release, so this matter may be overtly addressed). Or it could mean it is a botched restoration.
DVDBeaver, whose specialty is comparisons of physical releases of a film, doing not just frame comparisons but dive into hard technical subjects like bitrates, codecs, etc., also has a write up about The Film Detective release of Hercules and the Captive Women (which can be read here). Surprisingly, their write up does not do a frame comparison to other physical releases (but that is like their thing!) like the PeplumTV review does. They do provide lots of screenshots, praise the supplemental material, but do state that the film looks
“..abnormally faded. The source density appears compromised in the beginning but eventually holds up reasonably well. The overall 1080P is modest, mostly flat without an abundance of grain but some colors have depth (more in the second half – plenty of burnt orange) and it has instances of showing a pleasing image.”
This statement, coupled with PeplumTV’s write up, paints the picture that, though HD, this is a lackluster edition of the film.
The two Blu-rays of Hercules and the Captive Women.
Cut to five years later. Film Masters, who specializes in restored editions of classic films, though go the route of bare bones on supplements, release their edition of Hercules and the Captive Women. The cover simply states “restored in HD.” In my February news roundup at my website (link here), I briefly talk about picking up this new copy of Hercules and the Captive Women and thought about doing a comparison between it and The Film Detective version for fun. So, let’s do it! Let’s see what I can add to the dialogue about this film and its HD editions.
Firstly, I lack the technical prowess that DVDBeaver has, and like I mentioned before, film specs are not my forte. I want to make sure I make that overt as I put this write up here. My methodology for this:
I used a Pioneer BDR-XD08S Blu-ray player to read these discs.
I used MakeMKV (I’m at vesion 1.18.1) to import the movies onto my Mac.
Watched the movies using VLC (version 3.0.20).
Skimmed through the movies looking for scenes with different colours or lots of objects in the mise-en-scene. Used the snapshot function to take a picture of the frame.
I noted the time stamp, put the other movie in, fast forward to that time stamp as close as possible and used snapshot (so it is possible I may be a few milliseconds off between the frames).
Because my webhost has limits on image size, I opened up each image, resized each one so the longest side was 1000 px (note: I do this with all images I upload to my website). These snaps were not altered in any other way (such as using a cropping tool).
Of quick note:
The Film Detective Blu-ray had four files on it (three being the supplemental material) with the movie coming in at 19.18 gb.
The Film Masters version had only one file (the movie) which came in at 21.51 gb. The difference in file size could be attributed to compression?
Film Detective – 22 seconds.
Film Masters – 22 Seconds.
On the title card, the Film Masters edition looks slightly redder.
Film Detective – 5 minutes, 11 seconds.
Film Master – 5 minutes, 11 seconds.
Film Masters looks darker, but only by a little bit.
Film Detective – 12 minutes, 10 seconds.
Film Masters – 12 minutes, 10 seconds.
Again, not much of a difference save Film Masters appears darker, most noticeable in the hair.
Film Detective – 20 minutes, 29 seconds.
Film Masters – 29 minutes, 29 seconds.
Both versions have a very thin, vertical “scratch” near the top right of the frame. It looks equally pronounced in both. Though my timing skills are lackluster at capturing the exact frame, (side by side Hercules moves a bit), looking at the rock background and all the nooks and crannies, everything lines up. This tells me that both versions are at least cropped the very same and show the exact same information in each frame.
Film Detective – 33 minutes, 40 seconds.
Film Masters – 33 minutes, 40 seconds.
Again, only a subtle difference in the Film Masters being a tad bit darker, mostly noticeable in the background stone roof.
Film Detective – 44 minutes, 9 seconds.
Film Masters – 44 minutes, 9 seconds.
Unlike the title screen in which the red was “redder”, that is not the case here. Both frames looks equally orange-red, with Film Masters, again, being darker.
Film Detective – 69 minutes, 11 seconds.
Film Masters – 69 minutes, 11 seconds.
Last set of images, again, Film Masters looks darker, more apparent in this already dimly lit scene.
Overall, both The Film Detective and Film Masters version of Hercules and the Captive Women look comparable to each other. There is not a huge, glaring difference in colour between these two Blu-ray releases, unlike the PeplumTV article which shows radical differences between the editions it examines. The biggest difference of these two release is the Film Masters iteration looks darker. I am not sure why, perhaps The Film Detective version has contrast boosting? However, the title screen of the Film Masters edition has more pronounced reds, which overall, is a colour that has been orange-ified in both Blu-rays. With that in mind, that means the Film Masters version is probably closer to being the version with the most ideal presentation of the film between these two specific releases. In my opinion, both are fairly interchangeable with each other, and both convey the movie in a nice resolution. Aside from The Film Detective having more supplemental materials, either version of the film will do for a pleasing viewing experience.
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.
Gladiator II is the 2024 neo-peplum sequel to the iconic and influential Gladiator from 2000, both films directed by Ridley Scott. Taking place sixteen years after the events of Gladiator, Gladiator II sees Hanno (Paul Mescal), who is actually Lucius, the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) from Gladiator, a captured soldier from Numidia, follow in his father’s footsteps at becoming a skilled gladiator, seeking vengeance for the slaying of his wife, and becoming part of Roman political intrigue. The end product is a well-crafted neo-peplum film, with some great spectacle scenes, fantastic actors, thought suffers from lackluster writing that fails to support the new gladiator hero.
Gladiator II 4K Blu-ray.
How does one make a sequel to Gladiator when that film had a definite ending and the main protagonist, a pop and cult cultural icon, dies in the end? The route to go is to retcon/shoe-horn the character of Lucius to be the son of Maximus, and have this new character continue the story. This paternal hook was utilized numerous times during the classic age of sword and sandal in the 60s. Sergio Corbucci’s The Son of Spartacus (1962), capitalizes on Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960), and in the process becomes a sequel of sorts, with the story being carried on by Randus (Steve Reeves) the son of the legendary Spartacus (Kirk Douglas). The numerous Sons of Hercules retitled/edited pepla all become continuations to any number of Hercules films, if taken literally by their “son of” titles, creating a loose canon of sorts. Other examples of Italian pepla that feature a son of a historic (cinematic) hero include Il figlio di d’Artagnan ([The Son of d’Artagnan] Riccardo Freda, 1950), The Son of El Cid (Vittorio Cottafavi, 1964), and Son of Samson (Carlo Campogalliani, 1960), though this is a Maciste film, the title being mostly exploitative of the Samson name and figurative in nature. Gladiator II’s usage of a son character to continue the story is well within sword and sandal genre conventions.
The issue becomes that the son character (Lucius) is not his own character, but a stand in for Russell Crowe’s Maximus. Lucius story mimics that of his father (wife is killed, seeks vengeance, captured, becomes a gladiator, has visions of the River Styx (a substitute for the Elysian fields). Mescal’s speaking cadence mirrors Crowe’s, and the same mannerisms, such as running sand through his fingers, are copied over. Lucius is not the son of Maximus, he is a carbon copy. This facsimile could be contributed to cinematic/storytelling handwaving, after all he is the son of Maximus, so surely all of Lucius traits are hereditary. Having Lucius be the unknown son of Maximus also asks modern day viewers to question Maximus’ fidelity, as he has a wife and son he is completely devoted to as evident in the first Gladiator. Factoring in a previously unknown child creates a shadow over Maximus’ devotion.
This carbon copying of Maximus to Hanno/Lucius robs Lucius of the opportunity to have his own story, his own destiny. What little of his own agency is taken from him when the story is an hour and a half completed. Like Maximus, Lucius’ main motivation is to get revenge for the death of his wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen), who died by the arrows from invading general Acacius (Pedro Pascal). Macrinus (Denzel Washington), the owner of Hanno, makes many references to the rage that Hanno exhibits in his quest of vengeance, which is supposed to help anchor Hanno’s motiviation. Eventually Lucius comes head-to-head against Acacius in the arena where he learns that Acacius was trying to free him, that Acacius is the husband to his mother Lucilla, and that Hanno is the son of Maximus. Lucius is presented with a choice, a pretty big and epic choice that would shape his character and the story’s narrative: to kill Acacius to get his revenge, or to spare him. The choice is robbed from him as the twin emperors Greta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) order the Praetorian Guard to kill Acacius with their arrows.
The main motivating factor for Lucius’ character is now concluded, not by his own hand. However, there is still an hour of the movie left to go, so the question becomes “what to do with the character now” The story then switches to weaving Lucius into the toga and sandal aspect of the film, becoming involved in the intrigue to overthrow the emperor twins. Up until this point in the narrative the character has had no connection with or reason to care about the corrupt rulers of Rome, but the story forces the transition to make Lucius integral. At this moment Lucius ceases to be his own character in his entirety, fully becoming Maximus instead, complete with donning his armour and wielding his gladius, which were part of a shrine to the fallen hero.
Interestingly, there is one aspect that sets Hanno/Lucius apart from Maximus is the emphasis on the body. Peplum, especially the strongmen Hercules/Maciste/Samson/et al., have a laser focus on the male body, showing off muscles and their feats of strength. In the original Gladiator, Russell Crowe was in tip top shape, but he spent the movie fully clothed or armoured. Lucius, on the other hand, spends a bulk of the movie shirtless, be it in his prison cell or taking a bath and recuperating after a battle. Mescal is not a “strongman” in the traditional Reeves/Mark Forest/Schwarzenegger/The Rock/etc. fashion, but he is extremely fit, muscular, and agile. Gladiator II wants to sell the audience Mescal’s body, keeping with the focus of traditional 60s pepla. Of related interest, there is no nudity in Gladiator II and there are only a small handful of women characters (Lucilla, Arishat [both who get fridged]), and none of them are sexualized or wear anything revealing. It should be noted that May Calamawy was to be a substantial female character in the film, but her scenes where 99% cut from the film.
The cost to support this bare-minimum hero’s journey is seen in the supporting characters. Lucilla is only present to assisting in anchoring Gladiator II to the original Gladiator, as she spends most of her scenes on the verge of tears, watching everything unfold outside her control. She has virtually no bearing on the plot, which is an unfortunate underutilization of the character who should have been much more integral.
The character of Acacius suffers a similar fate as he only exists to drive the motivation of Lucius, and then he is out of the film. This is unfortunate as Acacius should have been one of the most complex characters in the film. His character is basically the equivalent to Maximus, an extremely proficient general, heralded as a hero. However, some people’s heroes are other people’s villains. The audience knows that Acacius is technically a “good guy”, the remorseful soldier who is really good at his job (conquering and subjugating other lands to Rome), but Lucius does not know this. This is the perfect setup to explore two characters at the same time and play with audience expectations, but the gods (and the story) do not will it.
It is these cracks in the characters that fail to uphold the story, and this is due to the writing. This is unfortunate because nearly all other aspects of the film are top notch. The performances of everyone are excellent (though Denzel Washington brings in a bit of anachronistic swagger that does steal the scenes, but also can take viewers out of the film a bit). Intentionally or not, there are many scenes in Gladiator II that seem over the top, bordering on fantasy, but act as terrific calls backs to classic pepla and their historic re/mis-creations. The naval battle scene in the arena, which has been flooded and filled with man-eating sharks, is historically based on the naumachiae, (though doubtful that the Romans captured sharks, transported them to Rome, and kept them contained in a SeaWorld of antiquity, but it adds tremendously to the spectacle), but flooded/flooding arena battles can be found in the likes of Atlantis, the Lost Continent (George Pal, 1961) where Demetrios (Anthony Hall) fights an ogre in a flooding arena. The final confrontation between Lucius and Macrinus in a stream outside Rome is similar to the final battle between Oleg (Victor Mature) and Burundai (Orson Welles) in The Tartars (Richard Thrope, 1961) who battle each other in the stream next to the Viking settlement. And, of course, the numerous slave and gladiator revolt films, such as The Magnificent Gladiator (Alfonso Brescia, 1964), The Revolt of the Slaves (Nunzio Malasomma, 1960) (of note, Acacius, with arrows protruding all from his body, has some visual similarities to Saint Sebastian, whose arrowed-ness is portrayed in The Revolt of the Slaves by actor Ettore Manni), the aforementioned Son of Spartacus, and others. Like the original Gladiator, Gladiator II takes classic tropes from the genres, gives them a new polish, and uses them to great effect.
Gladiator II is a terrific neo-peplum on its own right, but due to its writing and treatment of Hanno/Lucius, it fails to be a great sequel. Despite this, the movie is not without pop culture importance and greater cultural observations and questioning. When the original Gladiator came out in 2000, it not only ushered in a rejuvenated cycle of sword and sandal films (with the likes of 300 [Zach Snyder, 2007], Troy [Wolfgang Petersen, 2004], Alexander [Oliver Stone, 2004], etc.), it also coincided with eight years of far-right rule in America under the George W. Bush presidency. The sword and sandal genre is in the odd arena where it can critique/push back against fascism (such as when Hercules battles an evil usurper to an otherwise peaceful kingdom), or sometimes it can venture the other way (such as 300 and its associated jingoism). For every viewing of Tinto Brass’s Caligula (1979), there is a large portion of the audience who says “this Rome is horrible” and are rightfully repulsed, and yet there is a small population that says “this is pretty cool” and accepts the imagery and actions of ancient Rome as something positive.
Akin to the first Gladiator, Gladiator II was released on the eve of the second presidency of Donald Trump, who is currently speed rushing in an even bigger wave of fascism, xenophobia, and anti- LGBTQ+ policies. Will Gladiator IIusher in a new era of neo-pepla that can hopefully critique and push back the tide of fascism? At the end of the film, Lucius gives a short speech to the two armies outside Rome’s gates: “My grandfather Marcus Aurelius talked of a dream that would be Rome, an ideal, a city for the many and a home for those in need. A republic. That dream has been lost. But dare we rebuild that dream?” There’s a lot of nightmares going on right now, inside and outside the states. Gladiator II asks its audience to heed Lucius plea and dream big and better for all.
AncientTechno Rome. Veritas Decisor Titus Amaro and the Emperor’s Navigator are memory diving into the mind of The Lion of Jupiter, the terrorist son of the Greek Sergius Lauro who led a failed rebellion against the empire. Titus witnesses the memories of when the rebellion was squelched by Javelin Germanicus followed by the indoctrination ritual from the Cult of Mithra of bringing the Lion into their ranks.
Cover art for Rome Eternal #1.
Meanwhile the companions of the Lion of Jupiter, collectively called the Mithra Mysteries (Corax the Raven, Persus the Persian, Amalia the Virgin, Heliodromus the Sun Runner, and Miles the Soldier), initiate their plan rescue their leader and retrieve something else of value.
Commentary
Rome Eternal is a neo-peplum comic written by Homero Rios (Heavy Metal), with Diego Yapur (Bloodshot: Rising Spirit,Death Dealer) on art, Oscar Carreño (Wolverine: Xisle) on colours, and Shawn Lee (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Judge Dredd) doing editing. The first issue was published in November 2024 by Magma Comix. The comic takes place in an alternate history where ancient Rome did not fall but instead became an empire that is a mixture of antiquity and hi-tech, with floating chariots, laser spears, and the cyberpunk-esque ability to view someone’s memories. The juxtaposition of old and future in Rome Eternal is conceptually comparable to the Fallout universe but replace 50s atomic-era Americana with the SPQR.
Ostensibly, Rome Eternal is a superhero/specialist team story, with each member of the Mithra Mysteries bringing a unique talent or ability to the fold: Miles is a giant, brute of a man who wields a titanic hammer; Persus is akin to an agile, stealthy thief, Heliodromus shoots flames from his bracers, Amalia is a sniper, Corax is able to fly and hack into machines, and the Lion is the leader and mastermind. Since issue one of Rome Eternal has two narratives going at the same time, (the real-world narrative and the narrative of the memories of the Lion), each character is given two introductions: one via the memories and then via them showcasing their abilities and the other when they commence their assault. It is a unique take on character introduction.
As a sword and sandal story, Rome Eternal brings its own unique spin to the genre, akin to other neo-peplum comics such as Jonathan Hickman’s Pax Romana and Jean-David Morvan’s Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens. The Rome depicted in Rome Eternal is just as corrupt and decadent as any portrayal in a historic epic, but the addition of hi-tech really ups the brutalism in a way similar to the space marines in the Warhammer 40K universe, where armour and (chainsaw) swords clash with bolt guns and spaceships. It is jarring (in a good way) how one panel will look exactly like it is from an antiquity comic (such as Frank Miller’s 300) and the next the image will be replete with laser rifles and electro-spears.
Rome Eternal is a high concept idea, and writer Rios brings the singular components (techno ancient Roman X-men) while Yapur and Carreño bring the great visuals. The art of Rome Eternal is colorful, creative and detailed, and it has to be in order to portray the mixture of ancient architecture in tandem with cyberpunk technology. The armour and uniforms of all the character look both old and futuristic at the same time. There is a great amount of detail in the characters, but this is also one of those comics that is not afraid to explore the background art as that is the realm that will solidify the anachronistic setting the comic is establishing.
The arrival of Rome Eternal could not happen at a more appropriate and cyclical, time in pop culture and real-world history. In late 2000 Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was released, starting a revival of the sword and sandal genre with films like 300 (Zach Snyder, 2006), Troy (Wolfgang Petersen, 2004), Immortals (Tarsem Singh, 2011), The Eagle (Kevin Macdonald, 2011), and many more. A bulk of the peplum revival coincided with the presidency of George W. Bush and eight years of right-wing hegemony. Depending on how they are perceived, peplum texts can be a critique of fascism (Neil Marshall’s Centurion) or a glorification of it (such as the jingoism in 300). Fast-forward twenty-four years and Rome Eternal #1 is released, the same month as Gladiator II, and just at the eve of another wave of the rise of the right under Trump. Gladiator II attempted a course correction in its story and went more overt in calling out the evils of the empire. Rome Eternal looks to be echoing the same message, to rebel against fascism.
Will a renewed cycle of sword and sandal films, games, comics, and other texts arise again? Rome Eternal is looking to lead the pack and it will be great to see what the rest of the story will convey and commentate on.
For more information on Rome Eternal and its team, check out the following links:
Two episodes of Scholars from the Edge of Time have gone online in the last couple of week.
First, for the end of April, we did an episode where Michele talked about the Alexander the Great TV series while I talk about the Lovecraftian Choose Your Own Adventure video game, The Innsmouth Case. YouTube link is here.
Next, Michele and I resume our Bella Cortez film retrospective and we dive into the pulp/scifi/peplum film The Giant of Metropolis. Check it out here on YouTube, and anticipate a Peplum Ponderings on it later on.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
The Nylon Stories: Book 1
My friend, Miss Corsair Debonair (who you may recall I interviewed for Exotica Moderne issue #14), has ventured into writing, have her first erotic short story, “The Nylon Stories: Book 1,” published on Kindle.
I was honored to do a bit of beta reading and editing for her first publication, and super flattered and humbled to be mentioned in the acknowledgements.
The story can be bought from Amazon – here is the Kindle product page. If you’re into office/business erotica with am emphasis on stockings, this is totally your cuppa.
Awen’s This World and Its Spirits
The newest Awen album, This World And Its Spirits, is officially out! I’m feel super chuffed and honored to be mentioned in the thank yous in this exquisite release.
This physical, vinyl edition of the album can be bought at the Triskele website (limited to 100 copies, so act quick!). The digital edition of This World and Its Spirits can be purchased on BandCamp.
For those curious, many releases in Awen’s catalogue are still available, be it through Triskele or Bandcamp. If you’re interested in The Hollow in the Stone, I did a review on that album, so consider giving it a read and checking out that album as well. Also, many moons ago, I did a review of their Grim King of the Ghosts for Heathen Harvest. An archived copy can be read here, but I’ll see about republishing it and updating it to my website. Regardless, check that one out as well!
Newest Acquisitions
Pluck up two new movies for the peplum library.
First is The Slave and the Sorcerer. This was a Kickstarted endeavor to make an very 80s-homage sword and sorcery flick.
The Crowdfunding campaign has long since ended, but info about the film can still be found at the Kickstarter site.
Next, a film I am super, super excited to see, is She is Conann.
A feminist take on Conan the Barbarian, reimagined as a woman through different points in time? Yes, please! My sixth sense of that this film is going to be amazing is going off.
On Mount Olympus, Jupiter (Furio Meniconi) is irate at the current state of affairs of his children and other gods disobeying and doing their own things. Of specific concern is the goddess Venus (Annie Gorassini) who is absconding to Earth and using her beauty and charms to seduce the men who catch her attention. Jupiter and his wife Juno (Edda Ferronao) come to the conclusion that the only way to tame Venus is to have her married to a husband that can control her. Two suitors come to mind: Mars, the god of war (Roger Browne) and Vulcan, the god of fire (Iloosh Khoshabe).
While working in his forge, Vulcan is baited into a brawl with Mars. Jupiter intervenes and punishes them both. Mars has had enough of his controlling dad, so he and Venus escape to Earth with the help of Pluto (Gordon Mitchell) where they ally themselves with Milos, king of the Thracians (Omero Gargano). Mars proposes to Milos a plan to construct a giant tower to Mount Olympus where they can then invade and overthrow Jupiter.
Mars, Venus, and Milos discuss the tower.
Vulcan, in pursuit of the wayward duo, is stabbed by Pluto and left for dead on a beach on Earth. His unconscious body is happened upon by Aetna (Bella Cortez) and her siren companions, collectively known as the Daughters of Neptune. They pluck up Vulcan with the intent to take care of him, but their quest to do a good deed is short lived as they are all captured by lizard men and imprisoned. The daughters hatch an escape plan that involves having fellow prisoner Geo (Salvatore Furnari), use his short-stature to hide in a basket, and is carried out to the sea and dumped into the water. Geo plays a conch that was given to him by the Daughters which summons a Triton who takes him to Neptune (Amedeo Trilli) who is briefed on the situation.
Vulcan captured by the Lizard people.
Geo, with the aide of the Tritons, break back into the prison and free Vulcan and the Daughters of Neptune. Vulcan and Aetna make their way to Neptune’s underwater kingdom where Aetna does a belly dance for Vulcan. However her routine is interrupted by Mercury (Isarco Ravaioli) who arrives with the news of Mars’ plan to overthrow Jupiter. Concurrently, Milos’ soldiers capture all the now-freed prisoners and put them to work on Jupiter’s tower construction project.
Vulcan returns to land in order to stop Mars and forces Geo to guide him to Milos’ camp. Aetna, who is in love with Vulcan, wishes to accompany him, but Vulcan rebuffs so she follows the duo in secret. On her trek she is ambushed by a group of cavemen but is rescued by Vulcan and Geo. Together all three travel to Milos’ camp. En route, Aetna calls out Vulcan’s negative treatment of her, and Vulcan confesses he no longer yearns for Venus. The two embrace.
While scouting Milos’ camp, Aetna is captured by soldiers. Venus makes overt her jealousy of Aetna. Aetna is tortured and tied to a stake where she is to be executed by a wheeled contraption that has spears protruding forth. However, Vulcan and Geo are able to free the enslaved prisoners and they all attack Milos’ camp. Venus uses a whip to lash at a freed Aetna, but Aetna gets the upper hand, steals her whip and attacks back. Milos is killed by a spear through the heart by one of the prisoners. Vulcan and Mars finally face off against each other, with Vulcan wielding a giant club. As he is about to slay Mars, Jupiter intervenes: he forces Mars and Venus back to Olympus to be punished while Vulcan must stay on Earth with Aetna as long as he sees fit.
Victory over Mars and Milos’ men.
Commentary
Vulcan, Son of Jupiter is a 1962, classic Italian peplum, directed by Emimmo Salvi, who had prior written numerous sword and sandal and costume flicks, such as Goliath and the Barbarians (1959), David and Goliath (1960), The Seven Revenges (1961), and The Giant of Metropolis (1961). The movie showcases many classic sword and sandal tropes such as leaning heavily into both mythology and Antiquity (making it akin to films such as Jason and the Argonauts [1963]), featuring a Hercules-style protagonist, and having not one, but two prisoner/slave revolts sequences. What makes Vulcan, Son of Jupiter stand out in the peplum canon are its archetypal characters and how different they are portrayed, especially the two female characters of Venus and Aetna.
Vulcan, the titular hero of the film, is also the primary strongman character, acting as the movie’s Hercules/Maciste/Ursus/etc. At the beginning of the film Vulcan is shown visually muscular, but not particularly powerful. The spar he has in his forge with Mars depicts both gods on equal footing. When imprisoned, Vulcan is chained and has his arms secured to a horizontal pole. While other strongmen characters would be able to use their strength to break their bonds, Vulcan is much to weak after being easily being dispatched by Pluto to do so. It is only in the final latter half that Vulcan becomes a true strongman character by battling the cavemen with his fists, breaking the chains of Milos’ prisoners, and wielding a large club while fighting Mars.
Vulcan battles Mars with a club.
While Vulcan may be the hero, he is not particularly likable, a trait he has in common with the other deities of the film. To Geo and Aetna is is especially mean spirited. Regarding Geo, Vulcan laughs at him when he is unable to mount a horse, he carries him like a handbag, and is dismissive of his guiding abilities. To Aetna he treats her with indifference, which he is eventually called out on by Aetna whom he does not even apologize to. When Aetna is being attacked by the cavemen, it is Geo who leads the rescue attempt, not Vulcan.
Venus gazes into a mirror and at the audience.
Vulcan, Son of Jupiter tries hard to make the goddess Venus a villain and attempts to do so by relying on film noir archetypes by portraying her as a femme fatale. Venus is a seductress of men: she wants their adoration which gives her control over them. This is the extent of her goals though, she does not display any desires beyond having a man’s undivided attention and affection. This is in stark contrast to other peplum vamp characters, such as Princess Nellifer (Joan Collins) in Land of the Pharaohs (1955) who uses her skills to seduce Pharaoh Khufu (Jack Hawkins) for the specific goal to acquire his treasure.
Bare back “nudity” on Venus.
Viewed with progressive eyes Venus is not so villainous. She is a liberated woman and she can have sexual relations with whomever she wants for whatever reasons she wants. This attitude, of course, is in opposition of traditional expectations of women during the period, which is why her parents Jupiter and Juno seek to control her by marrying her off. This would effectively neutralize what agency Venus has.
All the other gods in the film, save Neptune, are portrayed as immature, childish, spoiled, and petulant. Just like real mythological gods! Jupiter attempts to stay in control of everyone, but comes off as ineffectual, narcissistic, and foolish. Neptune is the only deity not portrayed in this fashion, but this is because he is by himself in his undersea world. He does come across as rather addled though. In totality, all the gods and goddesses are depicted in a not-so-serious fashion, which adds a cartoonish element to the film.
Geo scouting to Milos’ camp.
Turning to the humans of the film, Geo is the comic relief character, comparable to Telemachus (Franco Giacobini) fromHercules in the Haunted World (1961). As a little person, Geo is involved in most the of physical gags of the film. Sometimes he is the recipient, such as when Vulcan carries him like a handbag. Other times he is the instigator, such as when he spits waters in the face of Neptune after being resuscitated, and when he makes onomatopoeia noises when clubbing foes when they are down. Aside from the last few seconds of the film when he runs off after Jupiter thunders his proclamations, Geo displays quite a bit of character development, going from cowardly to not. When first introduced he is afraid and wants to be left alone instead of helping the Daughters of Neptune. He opposes being the guide for Vulcan to Milos’ camp and is forced into the role. However by the movie’s end, Geo is involved in two instances of physical combat (once against the cavemen and the other against Milos’ soldiers), and even has a heroic instance of sneaking into Milos’ prison camp disguised as a bush.
Aetna at a pond before being captured by Milos’ soldiers.
Aetna is the love interest of Vulcan, the femme fragile to Venus’ femme fatale. Compared to other women characters of sword and sandal cinema, Aetna has a surprisingly amount of agency. She may get captured twice in the film, but she rises about the typical damsel: she and the other Daughters of Neptune rescue Vulcan, they plan the escape attempt from the prison, she goes on the adventure with Vulcan and Geo, and at the end of the film, she fights Venus, lashing at her with a whip. Aetna delivers on the kitten-with-a-whip action that was only promised, but not delivered, by the poster art of The Revolt of the Slaves (1960) which depicts Rhonda Fleming brandishing a whip while destruction surrounds her.
Aetna’s belly dance sequence as Vulcan looks on.
Though Venus is the seductress in Vulcan, Son of Jupiter, the film focuses on sexualizing Aetna. Aetna delivers the prerequisite belly dance sequence and numerous times the film focuses on her buxomness (especially noticeable in both the belly dance and when she is jogging after Vulcan and Geo who are on horseback). This specific body emphasis pushes Aetna’s actress, Bella Cortez, into the realm of the maggiorata fisica, placing her in the same camp as Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Anita Ekberg.
Vulcan, Son of Jupiter is a fun sword and sandal film. Vulcan may not be the most effective strongman character when compared to others (Hercules et. al.), but by the film’s end the character is performing in a spectacular fashion, swinging clubs and leading revolts. It is interesting to see the gods portrayed so immature, but that adds an extra lighthearted touch to the film. It is the women characters of Venus and Aetna who are the most stand out due to their subversive and progressive portrayals. Neither character is one dimensional, they bring an extra layer of nuance to what normally would have been a run-of-the-mill peplum.
Oleg (Victor Mature) and his army of Vikings pay a visit to Togrul (Folco Lulli) and his Tartar men at their camp in the steppes of eastern Europe/western Russia. Initially a friendly visit with Oleg bringing gifts of pelts, it turns turbulent when Togrul asks the Viking leader to join forces and attack the Slavs, a group of peoples the Vikings are friendly with. Oleg refuses. Angered at being rebuffed, Togrul attempts to kill Oleg, and a melee breaks out between the two forces. During the skirmish, Oleg axes Togrul and commands his men to retreat back to their Viking fort. In the process, Oleg’s brother, Eric (Luciano Marin), becomes smitten with Togrul’s daughter Samia (Bella Cortez) and kidnaps her.
DVD of The Tartars from the personal collection.
With Togrul slain, his brother, Burundai (Orson Welles), becomes Khan of the Tartars. Burundai has aspirations of great conquest of the West, starting with the obliteration of the Viking fort. Meanwhile at the Viking fort, Eric becomes more smitten with Samia and makes advances on her. He is initially rebuffed, but eventually Samia gives in. Oleg, fearing a Tartar attack, sends his wife Helga (Liana Orfei) away by boat back to Viking lands. En route her boat is attacked by the Tartars and she and her handmaidens are abducted.
Sword dance sequence.
Brought back to the Tartar castle, Burundai tortures one of the maidens for information about the Viking numbers and begins to lust after Helga. That night the Tartars host a lavish party with dancers wielding scimitars and mock-battling each other. During the feast Burundai poisons Helga’s drink. Incapacitated, she is taken to the Khan’s quarters where he rapes her.
Furious at his wife’s abduction, Oleg agrees to a hostage exchange at the Tartars’ castle: Samia for Helga. The meeting does not go well for the Vikings: a drugged Helga falls from the castle parapet, fatally injuring herself, and the group of Viking warriors are then attacked by the Tartars – Burundai having no use of having Samia back.
Because he is going against tradition and beliefs, Burundai’s advisor Ciu Lang (Arnoldo Foà) leaves him, only to be captured and beheaded by the Kahn. Meanwhile an enraged Oleg wants to execute Samia, but Eric intervenes and declares his love for her and proclaims that she is carrying his child. Oleg puts the duo before a court made of Viking leaders, each casting their votes via axe tossing. The final vote comes down to Oleg, but before he can do so the Viking settlement is attacked by the Tartars. Oleg releases Eric so they can all join in the battle. As the Vikings are greatly outnumbered, the Tartars breach their walls and storm their court yard. Oleg and Burundai battle it out one-on-one, with Oleg victorious after he drowns the Khan in the river. Oleg’s victory is short lived as a Tartar archer shoots him in the back. Oleg’s final act, as his fort is overran, is to wave goodbye to Eric and Samia as they flee from the siege on their boat.
Samia and Eric flee the overran Viking fort.
Commentary
The Tartars is a 1961 sword and sandal film directed by Richard Thorpe. A deviation from the Greco-Roman antiquity setting, The Tartars takes place in Eastern Europe in the early Medieval period. Like many low budget costume films of the period, The Tartars is multi-national in its production: filmed in Italy and Yugoslavia, helmed by an American (Thorpe), with American (Mature and Welles) and Italian (Orfei, Marin) actors, and an Italian crew. The film features many stalwarts of peplum cinema: Mature from Samson and Delilah (1949), The Robe (1953), The Egyptian (1954), and Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954); Orfei from Hercules in the Valley of Woe (1961), Damon and Pythias (1962), The Avenger (1962), Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963); Marin from Goliath and the Barbarians (1959), The Giants of Thessaly (1960), War Gods of Babylon (1962); Cortez from The Giant of Metropolis (1961), Vulcan Son of Jupiter (1962), The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba (1962); Foà from Barabbas (1961), Damon and Pythias, and War Gods of Babylon (these actors and actresses appear in a plethora of other historic epics, the examples here are limited for brevity’s sake). Thorpe is also no stranger to the genre having directed epics such as The Prodigal (1955) and Knights of the Round Table (1953).
Oleg and Helga embrace.
Despite being such a vanguard actor of pepla, Mature feels out of place in The Tartars. His slick backed hair is more fitting for a Roman character than a Viking and he lacks chemistry with Orfei who plays his wife Helga. His kissing scenes with her are comical rather than romantic. It is the twilight of Mature’s career and his enthusiasm may not all be there.
Burundai during the sword dance feast.
Welles, on the other hand, has dialed his over-the-topness to eleven. His character, Burundai, is realized via yellow face that borders on Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) levels of offence: Welles’ eyebrows are painted at 45 degree angles and he is constantly squinting. Despite the racist depiction, Welles owns the performance as he nails a warlord being creepy and lecherous, yet also extremely cunning. Welles must have been allowed to either improvise or rewrite his dialogue because there are many long, verbose sequences in the film that mirror what Welles was known for when doing talk show appearances.
Samia at the Viking fort.
Cortez’s Samia does not have much to work with in The Tartars. She plays the role of the damsel and is pretty much confined to the bit due the writing and lack of screen time. This is unfortunate because Cortez has a lot to offer. For example, in Vulcan Son of Jupiter (1962), she does get captured, but her character has much more agency: she talks, plans, banters, bellydances, battles the goddess Venus with a whip, and much more.
Eric forces himself onto Samia.
Samia only falls in love with Marin’s Eric because the script forces her to. There is zero chemistry between the two, after all Eric and the Vikings killed her father Togrul. Eric’s character is a product of 60s male sexism, exhibited by forcing himself onto Samia who eventually relents. If better realized, the relationship could be attributed to Stockholm Syndrome, yet The Tartars is trying to be earnest in that their romance is true.
Helga and her maidens captured by the Tartars.
The Tartars is notorious for bringing up plot points that it does not even follow through on. The movie begins with the Tartars asking the Vikings to band together to attack the Slavs. After being rebuffed, Oleg sends notice to the Slavs about the Tartars’ intention, yet nothing becomes of this. At the climatic battle at the end of the film one might expect the Slavs to show up and save the day, much like Henry the Red and his men in Army of Darkness (1992), but this never happens. Another plot point dropped is the abduction of Helga and her three handmaidens. Helga has a rescue attempt, but her three cohorts are never mentioned again and are forgotten by the Vikings.
The death of Oleg.
Despite the aforementioned criticisms, The Tartars is fascinating because it goes against every possible grain of the peplum genre. Almost all strongmen-centric pepla are lighthearted, with a Hercules-esque character performing heroics and going on adventures, beaming with optimism. The more serious toga and sandal films have the heroes/protagonists win at the movie’s end. The Tartars, however, is dour, dark, and bleak. The good guys – the Vikings – are annihilated at the film’s conclusion. Even though the main antagonist, Burundai, is slain, his men ultimately win: the Viking fort is burned, Oleg the leader killed, and only a handful of Vikings escape.
The Tartars openly embraces both consensual and nonconsensual sex, which is fairly avant-garde for a non-exploitation film of the era. Many pepla have simile scenes for sex, such as having a belly dancing sequence stand in for intercourse. In The Tartars, Oleg leads his wife Helga to a curtained area of their house before fading to black. Later in the film, Helga is abducted, drugged and then raped by Burundai, indicated by another cut away and fade to black moment.
Samia and Eric on trial.
Mature’s Oleg is the opposite of what to expect in a heroic protagonist: he is a terrible leader for the Vikings and their downfall can be partially attributed to his incompetence. For example, at the end of the film Oleg focuses his attention on bringing his brother Eric and Samia to trial rather than develop a stratagem to deal with the Tartars. It is during the court scene that the Tartars attack, catching the Vikings not fully ready to repel them.
Oleg and company at the prisoner exchange.
Another sequence of Oleg’s terrible leadership occurs earlier in the film during the prisoner exchange of Samia for Helga. Instead of suggesting a neutral location to rendezvous with the Tartars he agrees to meet with them right outside their castle gate, where they are, unsurprisingly, attacked and forced back to their fort. Overall, a poor leader, but it makes for an interesting portrayal of an extremely flawed character and central protagonist.
Burundai leads his men into battle against the Vikings.
While Oleg falters at being a leader, the villainous Burundai excels. At no point in the film does Burundai not hold all the cards in his hands when dealing with the Vikings. Oleg considers having Samia in captivity his ace up his sleeve, whileBurundai could care less about having her back, much to the chagrin of his advisor Ciu Lang who believes Samia is prophesied to marry a great Khan. This does lead to an interesting scenario: Ciu Lang believes Burundai to be the great next Khan and wants Samia back to marry him, but at the end of the film Samia flees with Eric, the interpretation being that Eric could be the next great Khan, or at least a great leader, though his character exhibits no traits of greatness in thenarrative.
The competency and the civilizedness of the Tartars is the opposite of what is typically showcased by villains in other pepla, especial other sword and sandal films that takes places in Eastern Europe/western Russia. Such a counter example can be found in Hercules Against the Mongols (1963), where the three sons of Genghis Khan and their men are shown to be more barbaric when compared to their disciplined counterparts in The Tartars.
The steppes of Eastern Europe where the Tartars are camped.
Aside from these cases of taking the peplum genre in different directions, The Tartars does have traditional genre traits that it proficiently executes. The setting of steppes of Eastern Europe/western Russia are awesome to behold and make great backdrops for the films horse and cavalry sequences. The Tartars bring an exotic, larger than life element to the film, with their lavish ornate castle and elaborate sword dance routine that is the film’s most standout sequence. While there are no strongmen characters to bring a larger-than-life element to the film, the Vikings try their hardest to do over-the-top actions to add extra spectacle to the film, such as calibrating their catapults by firing them at each other, and the aforementioned axe throwing to denote yay or nay in the trial sequence. The battle sequences that bookend the film are spectacular with horseback riding and swarms of swordplay.
Tartar archers during the climatic battle.
If there is a takeaway from The Tartars it is that there is not much of a difference between the titular Tartars and the Vikings. Both are fairly ruthless peoples that result to kidnapping women and adhere to internal codes of conduct and prophecies. The leaders of both, Oleg and Burundai, both die at the end: Oleg from his incompetence and Burundai probably from his over confidence due to his ambition – he was going to win the battle due to his overpowering strength in numbers, so there no reason to rush into battle, except for the cinematic reason to have a one-on-one duel with Oleg. While the movie falters with its writing and casting choices, it is overall fascinating and accomplishes expanding the sword and sandal boundaries with its darker tone and subject matter.
