Tag: Vanya

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News

News Roundup 2025-05-25

Personal / Website News

Vanya #02 Review

A brand new comic review is live at my website! I am slowly making my way through my backlog of comics, which includes quite a few comics published by Bad Bug.

Standard, non-nude cover of Vanya issue 2. Vanya is sending atop a T-rex head. The T-rex is roaring and Vanya is holding stone knives in both hands. Behind her are trees and cliffs.
Vanya issue two, cover A.

My review of issue two of Vanya is my most recent write up and it can be read right here. I’ve also submitted this to the Panthans journal, so stay tuned on that front.

Website Enhancements

There are two enchantments I’ve been working on for my website in order to increase ease of use and accessibility: Alt-Text and a Comics category.

Alt-Text

So, it turns out this entire time I’ve been doing Alt-Text wrong at my website. When composing a post, when I am adding a brand new photo to it, I just load the media directly to the post, which in turn adds it to the media library. Later on I go to my media library, add Alt-Text there, thinking the update cascades back to the posted images.

Turns out that is not how it works at all. Instead, I need to load a photo to the WordPress media area first, then add Alt-Text, then add the image to my post.

So, I am slowly working my way backwards to get this rectified and get proper Alt-Text on all my images. Go forward this should not be an issue since now I know how to properly do this. Apologies to any folks impacted by my lack of Alt-Text.

Comics Category

Secondly, I’ve added a new page category called “Comics.” I have an abundance of comic book reviews at my website and I’ve been classifying them as essays, which is not helpful. Creating a Comics tag should help classify the content much better. I have gone through all my comics-centric posts and changed their category, so we should be good to go forward on those.

ECOF 2025

In September of 2025 there will be an Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) event down in Willcox, AZ. This event is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Burroughs while also honoring him with a plaque in the town due to his stationing there with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the 1890s. (Note: another ERB convention was held in Willcox back in 2019 and an event recap of that can be read at ERBZine #7059).

Here is the flyer for the 2025 event:

The flyer shows desert mountains with three insert images: one of a young Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1896, one of the author Jeffrey J. Mariotte (who is the guest of honour), and one of the Willcox train depot in the 1880s. The flyer reads was follows: Edgar Rice Burroughs ERB Inc.'s Commemoration of ERB's 150th Birthday! 7th Cavalry Historical Monument Celebration Willcox, AZ, September 25-28, 2025. Formal Dedication on September 27th, 2025. Sponsored by the Suplher Springs Valley Historical Society and the Arizona Apache Deveils Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles.
Flyer for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ 2025.

Here is the press release:

RENOWNED AUTHOR EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS’ CAVALRY SERVICE TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN WILLCOX, AZ

“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential “Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy” Commemorated for His 150th Birthday.

WILLCOX, AZ – The renowned “Master of Adventure” Edgar Rice Burroughs started his adult life as a cavalryman at Arizona’s Fort Grant in May of 1896. This September, as part of the late author’s 150th birthday celebration, his cavalry service will be memorialized with a monument at the restored Southern Pacific train depot in Willcox, where he arrived on his way to Fort Grant (35 miles north).

The influential creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and The Land That Time Forgot series of stories wrote in his “Autobiography” that he specifically requested “to be sent to the worst post in the United States” and was then promptly assigned to Fort Grant in Arizona Territory, where his troop would spend some time hunting after the Apache Kid and other outlaws.

Many believe that Burroughs’ initial stay in Arizona influenced his first Martian story, Under the Moons of Mars, which begins with the first chapter titled “On the Arizona Hills.” The John Carter Martian stories would go on to influence generations of science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and would inspire many young people to become scientists, engineers, and astronauts. He would later author the books The War Chief and Apache Devil, both set in Arizona during the Apache Wars of the 1860s – 1880s.

This Willcox Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering will take place from September 25 to 28, 2025, with the 7th Cavalry Historical Monument formal dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon near the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.

The monument dedication at the Willcox train depot will include guest speakers and participation of local Buffalo Soldier reenactors. All other convention events will take place at the Elks Lodge #2131 in Willcox, and will include discussion panels, a “huckster” (vendor) room, Guest of Honor and speaker Jeffrey J. Mariotte (author of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. speakers, a Saturday night banquet/ dinner, a Tarzan movie screening, and other surprises.

These events are sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and the Apache Devils chapter of The Burroughs Bibliophiles. The celebration is open to the public for free (except for the dinner and movie), but full attendees can register for a fee that covers a goodie bag, a huckster table, and the Saturday dinner.

This is a must-attend event for fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and pop-culture historians alike. If you’d like to visit the place where it all began, don’t miss this very special celebration. (Note that some convention activities will require full event registration – the registration form is provided separately.)

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Willcox is offering a special daily room rate of $119 plus taxes for the nights of 25 to 27 September for attendees. The group name is “ECOF.” You can make reservations at this rate by calling the hotel at (520) 384-3333; rooms are limited. The address is 1251 N. Virginia Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643.

If you would like more information about the 2025 ECOF event, please call Frank Puncer at 520.281.1818, or email him at fwpuncer at gmail dot com.

Here is the registration from:

Registration Form for the 2025 Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ (v9)Download

Michele and I will be in attendance for this convention, so I’ve added it to the appearances section of my website as well. I may be doing a presentation on Tarzan as a peplum character in Tarzan and the Lost Empire. Hope to see yall there!

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.

Cover art of the Panthans Journal #332. It depicts a woman and a man with a hawk head, hunkered in a hole, firing laser pistols. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #332

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.

A continuation of the cover of #332. This cover shows the woman and the hawk man, defensively shooting laser pilots out of a hole in the ground, wile savage barbarians with bows and axes descend upon them. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #333

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.

Cover art of Panthans Journal #335, done by Mark Wheatley. It shows Tarzan leaping from a tree branch. All the colors are very dark blue, so it might be night time in the jungle.
Panthans Journal #335

“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.

Original can be read here.

Cover art for "Merry Creepsmas - The Red Book". It is red with a large X-mas tree that appears to have small, globby bodies as ornaments. The cover reads: Wicked Shadow Press Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book Christmas-Themed Horror Stories Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Merry Creepsmas – The Red Book

“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.

Cover art for the Burroughs Bulletin #109 by Dan Parsons. The top says "The Burroughs Bulletin New Series #109 Fall-Winter 2024". The art shows a T-rex chomping on a dude in a striped shirt. Below him are explorers with rifles. Behind him his a prehistoric sky, jungle, and a waterfall.
Burroughs Bulletin #109

“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts.

Invasion of the Bee Girls

Back in December of 2024 I shared two movies that actress Victoria Vetri had signed for me: When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (Val Guest, 1970) and Kings of the Sun (J. Lee Thompson, 1963). I had posted the movies to her (see her website on directions if you’d like to have her autograph an item of your’s) and was super gracious she took the time to sign them.

A few months later while at Zia’s Records, I found a Midnite Movies edition of Invasion of the Star Creatures (Bruno VeSota, 1972) and Invasion of the Bee Girls (Denis Sanders, 1973). I collect titles from this line of films (I have a lot) and Invasion of the Bee Girls has Ms. Vetri in it, so I had to pluck it up.

I swear, not a week or so later after plucking up the DVD, Kino Lorber released a Blu-ray of Invasion of the Bee Girls, which I promptly pre-ordered.

Ms. Vetri had signed my prior movies, I thought I would send her my newest titles to see if she could autograph them.

Picture of two versions of Invasion of the Bee Girls. On the left is a DVD from the MGM Midnight Movies Line. This DVD actually has 2 movies on it, "Invasion of the Star Creatures" and "Invasion of the Bee Girls". The cover art looks to be posters of both films. The bottom right, in silver pen, it is signed "Victoria Vetri 'Julie Zorn'" On the right is a blu-ray edition of the film put out by Kino. It has an art piece for a cover, it shows a 70s style woman standing above scenes from the film with honey comb behind her. The top left is signed "Victoria Vetri 'Julie Zorn' "
Invasion of the Bee Girls DVD and Bluray, signed by Victoria Vetri.

And she did! So, here are both copies of Invasion of the Bee Girls signed by Victoria Vetri – aren’t they awesome?

Bikini Drive-In and Bikini Carwash Company I & II

In the late 2000s I start a correspondence with Ed Wood regular Conrad Brooks, who signed many of my movies he was in, but also gifted my DVD burns of movies he was in.

One of those films he gifted me was Bikini Drive-In (Fred Olen Ray, 1995), which I wound find out years later, has a peplum homage scene in it with sword and sandal icon himself, Gordon Mitchell.

Recently I saw that MVD was putting out a Blu-ray release of Bikini Car Wars Company I (Ed Hansen, 1992) and II (Gary Dean Orona, 1993), and I confused the titles of the different movies and pre-ordered the MVD set, confusing it with the Fred Olen Ray film.

The Bikini Drive-In DVD (left side) is in a DVD case. It shows a woman in a purple yellow bikini sitting on the hood of a red car with a license plate that reads "Bikini". In silver pen it is signed "To Nick, Conrad Brooks". On the right is the MVD Bly-ray set of The Bikini Carwash Company 1 $ 2. It's purple with lots of bubbles. There's lots of women in bikinis sitting atop cars, sporting fluffy 80s hair.
Bikini Drive-In DVD-R autographed by Conrad Brooks next to the MVD Blu-ray set of The Bikini Car Wash Company 1 & 2.

Well, it arrived, and one cannot say “no” to too many bikini films, so here they are: my Conrad Brooks autographed DVD-r of Bikini Drive-In and the Blu-ray set of The Bikini Carwash Company 1 & 2. Time to marathon them all (and maybe do a short peplum ponderings article on Bikini Drive-In?)

Mitchell / RIP Joe Don Baker

Cult actor Joe Don Baker passed away on May 7th. I was first introduced to Baker as CIA Agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye (Martin Campbell, 1995), but got more familiar with his filmography seeing him appear in Final Justice (Greydon Clark, 1985) and Mitchell (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1975) on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

VHS copy of Mitchell. It depicts Baker hanging from a ladder next to a helicopter, and holding a lady with his other arm. In big, thick, black sharpie, is it signed Joe Don Baker.
Mitch VHS autographed by Joe Don Baker.

Many, many moons ago, on eBay I believe (??), somewhere (??) I happened upon this autographed VHS copy of Mitchell, with Baker’s autograph in big thick black sharpie. A cult curio, I had to pluck it up. RIP to the legendary star.

News from Friends

Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.

New Ride the Stream Episodes

Michele and Travis have some brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast online at YouTube. They dive into the next few episodes of Lost.

Here is their take on episode 20:

And their dialogue about episode 21:

New episodes drop every Friday on YouTube. Keep an eye on their YouTube channel, or give them a follow on Bluesky.

New Fan2Fan Episodes

Bernie and Pete have some new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online.

Michele joins as a guest in their episode about the 1979 Herzog/Kinski version of Nosferatu:

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) – Fan2Fan Podcast

Michele is also a guest in the discussion about the 2024 incarnation:

Nosferatu (2024) – Fan2Fan Podcast

Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference.

New Music from Philippe Gerber

Philippe Gerber, who has done the music for our H. P. Lovecast Podcast, has some brand new music that has just been published!

Cover art for Rebirth. It's mostly black, with multiple upside down thin crescents. Sort of looking at an elapse of an eclipse.
Cover art of Rebirth.

First, under Gerber’s own name, he has released a three track EP called Rebirth, which can be found at Bandcamp.

Cover Art of De Lumière et d'Obscurité. It's a black and white photo of an almost profile shot of a woman's face, with half of her face masked by her hair.
Cover art of De Lumière et d’Obscurité.

And next, under his John 3:16 moniker, he has published a collaboration album with Eisenlager (who sadly passed away last year) titled De Lumière et d’Obscurité. It, too, can be found at Bandcamp.

Categories
Comics

Hunter – Lover – Killer: Vanya 02

The Story So Far

Two hundred plus years in the future, mankind has expanded across space and time. Leading the humans’ expansion are the Astral Guard, elite warriors born out of surviving many months in the prehistoric past.

Standard, non-nude cover of Vanya issue 2. Vanya is sending atop a T-rex head. The T-rex is roaring and Vanya is holding stone knives in both hands. Behind her are trees and cliffs.
Vanya issue two, cover A.

Vanya Tepanov is eight months into her journey as a Time Guard to become an Astral Guard, spending her days surviving dinosaurs and other creatures from the far past. Vanya’s world is turned upside down after she encounters another Time Guard named Reed and her betrothed from her present, Serah.

Issue 02 Plot

Unbeknownst to Vanya, two months after she started her trials, the alien race of the Torridians commenced a surprise attack on humanity. In order to proceed with a counterattack, soldiers were trained and sent back to the past to fetch the Time Guards, with Serah sent to retrieve Vanya.

Despite the looming threat of the Torridians, Vanya and Serah intimately rekindle their romance, with Reed welcomed in. Sexual appetite satiated, the trio decide the best course of action is to proceed to an emergency armory that has a stockpile of weapons. Vanya and company are not the only ones with an interest in the armory as a tribe of savages have also set their eyes on the cache prize.   

Commentary

Neo-jungle girl Vanya’s adventures continue in the second issue of the planned twelve issue series with a dramatic increase in narrative stakes, the introduction of new characters and threats, a stronger sense of humor, and, of course, erotic content.

As with issue one, issue two of Vanya goes full speed at rapidly laying out the greater narrative context. The Torridians are introduced (but only their UFOs are shown), along with a tribe of barbarians led by the, pudgy, dino skull wearing Bone King, and more dinosaur encounters. In addition to the Bone King, one of his soldiers, Niya, is introduced. An attractive jungle-girl herself, it can probably be surmised she will become both a nemesis and a paramour of Vanya. With all of this going on the stakes in the Vanya universe must be dire, especially if the humans in the present are sending fresh meat into the past fetch the Time Guards who have not completed their own trainings quite yet.

The world of Vanya takes much inspiration from the works of Paul Verhoven regarding sex and violence: over the top and plentiful. Due to all three major characters having been without sex for many months, their pent-up lust for one another explodes across multiple pages, only interrupted with the arrival of a T-rex. In just a few panels the comic goes from erotic, to suspenseful, to humorous as the trio crack a pop culture joke about Jurassic Park being a documentary.

Two panels from issue two. The left panel shows the heads of Serah and Vanya. They each have 3 band-aids on their faces. Serah says "Don't move. They can't see movement." The right panel is a close up of Reed. He has two band-aids on his face. He replies with "I watched that Documentary once."
Jurassic Park reference.

Even more subtle in these rapid panels are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details, such as the T-Rex’s head being peppered by lodged arrows, indicating the king of dinosaurs has encountered something humanoid (savages? Cavemen? Other Time Guards?) before. Other humorous moments include Reed making a Jaws reference of “We are going to need a bigger bow” after witnessing a giant anaconda constrict a barbarian and when Reed mentions that “they will be fine” in one panel, followed by a sudden downpour the next. It is great timing and does not impede the overall atmosphere of the comic.

A peppering of pop culture references aside, the second issue of Vanya begins to show even more genre homages. While issue one solidified Vanya as a jungle girl homage, issue two teases additional pulp elements. For example, the spaceships of the Torridians take inspiration from 50s and 60s era circular UFOs from sci-fi comics and movies, yet they act as formidable as the alien crafts in Independence Day. Another genre throwback is with the Bone King and his lair (which looks akin to a volcanic lair high in the mountains) which fully embrace the spear and fang genre.

As is custom with many adult Kickstarter endeavors, Vanya #02 comes with a plethora of alternate covers, in both non-nude and nude varieties. Two standout covers are the Renato Camilo/Boyfiy Miah and the Pow Podrix/Jasen Smith covers. The Camilo/Miah cover is particularly flirty as it is detailed and colorful, giving an “inviting’ sense. The Podrix/Smith cover scales back the colors and goes more ominous in mood. The exploding volcano, approaching T-rex, and Vanya drawing her bow convey strong adventurous, Turok vibes.

Nude version of the Renato Camilo/Boyfiy Miah cover. Vanya is laying on her stomach, propped up her elbows, looking over her shoulder. She had red dreadlocks. She has a knife and fur boots, but no under garments.
Nude version of the Renato Camilo+Boyfiy Miah cover.

In addition, the Vanya #02 crowdfunding campaign met many of its stretch goals, which aside from the additional pages of sexual content (no doubt the extended ménage à trois between Vanya, Serah, and Reed), entails a handful of ephemera and swag. 

A magnet depicting a close up of Vanya, with a red feather in her hair and the setting sun and ocean behind her. To the right is a white, circular coast. Vanya is in the middle with the blue feather in her hair. She is wearing a ripped pink top, pink shorts, and pink roller skates. Behind her is a circular emblem that kind of looks like an Aztec calendar.
Vanya Magnet and Coaster.

For utility items, there is a square magnet by an uncredited artist that shows a close up of Vanya with a setting sun behind her. Along with this there is a round coaster that depicts Vanya in pink rollerblade and blowing bubble gum, taken from an alternate issue two cover done by Gregbo Watson and Gwenaelle Daligault. 

Two trading cards. Both show the exact same image except one is nude and the other isn't. Vanya is in a swamp fighting a large blue snake with black stripes. There are trees standing on their roots sticking out of the splashing water behind her.
Vanya trading cards.

Next there are two trading cards (one nude, one note) that depict Vanya in a swamp fighting a large blue and black snake. There is no credited artist, but the cards evoke some epic thrash metal.

Four square stickers, all are headshots of different Bad Bug leading ladies. Vanya is in a profile, holding three spears and brown dreadknots. June has long purple hair with cyberpunk gridlines behind her. Maggie is missing an eye and she is blowing the smoke out of a revolver. Nell is wearing a fishnet top and has sailor moon buns. She is winking.
Bad Bug leading lady stickers.

Next there are four square stickers, also with an uncredited artist, each showing a headshot of a lady character from different Bad Bug Comics: Vanya, Nell (Death Nell), June (HyperGeist), and Maggie (Dead End Moon)

Hypergiest art print. The colors are all blue and purple. June sits on her knees atop a bed. She is wearing latex boots with garters and a black corset. She has 2 LEDs in her purple, beehive hair. On the bed beside her is an empty wine glass and wine bottle
HyperGeist art print.

And finally, there is an art print (uncredited) of June from HyperGeist, sitting on a bed with a wine glass and bottle at her side.

Vanya #02 is a great continuation of what was started in the first issue. Bigger scope and more threats are introduced yet the comic does not feel bogged down. The comic has a laid-back attitude regarding sex and violence, but in its primal setting, it works. The increase in humor in issue two was not expected but it is quite welcome. 

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

Categories
News

News Roundup 2025-04-20

Personal / Website News

Comic Book Review: Vanya #01

New comic book review is up at my website!

I’ve got a backlog of indie comics from Kickstarter I want to get caught up on, including the erotic jungle girl comic Vanya.

The standard cover for the first issue of Vanya. Vanya is armed with a bow while a triceratops charges at her. There is a full moon in the sky.
Standard cover of Vanya issue 01.

Vanya is already on issue seven of a twelve issue run, so I’ve got a wee bit of catching up to do. You can read my review of issue one right here. These Vanya reviews will also be published in forthcoming issues of the National Capital Panthans Journal.

As I go through the comic book backlog/tbr pile, expect to see reviews for Vanya, Death Nell, Yor, Sectaurs, Born of Blood, SPQR, and Alicia Carter.

Citation News

It’s been a while, but here is some new citation news!

Book cover. It's tinted blue. It's a still from a film (not sure which), but it shows two ladies, with one shaking the hand of a gentleman in a suit.
Cover of Un Oceano Di Stile: Produzione E Consumo Di Made in Italy Negli Stati Uniti Del Dopoguerra.

My masters thesis, “Danza Macabra: The Reevaluation of Antonio Margheriti Through His Film Castle of Blood” is cited by an essay in the collection Un oceano di stile: Produzione e consumo di Made in Italy negli Stati Uniti del dopoguerra. I’m not sure which one, but if you know, let me know.

ECOF 2025

In September of 2025 there will be an Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) event down in Willcox, AZ. This event is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Burroughs while also honoring him with a plaque in the town due to his stationing with there the 7th U.S. Calvary in the 1890s. (Note: another ERB convention was held in Willcox back in 2019 and an event recap of that can be read at ERBZine #7059).

Here is a flyer for the 2025 event:

The flyer shows desert mountains with three insert images: one of a young Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1896, one of the author Jeffrey J. Mariotte (who is the guest of honour), and one of the Willcox train depot in the 1880s. The flyer reads was follows: Edgar Rice Burroughs ERB Inc.'s Commemoration of ERB's 150th Birthday! 7th Cavalry Historical Monument Celebration Willcox, AZ, September 25-28, 2025. Formal Dedication on September 27th, 2025. Sponsored by the Suplher Springs Valley Historical Society and the Arizona Apache Deveils Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles.
Flyer for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ 2025.

I’ll share more information about the event as I find out more on my website updates. Michele and I will be in attendance for this convention, so I’ve added it to the appearances section of my website as well. 

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.

Cover art of the Panthans Journal #332. It depicts a woman and a man with a hawk head, hunkered in a hole, firing laser pistols. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #332

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.

A continuation of the cover of #332. This cover shows the woman and the hawk man, defensively shooting laser pilots out of a hole in the ground, wile savage barbarians with bows and axes descend upon them. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #333

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.

Cover art of Panthans Journal #335, done by Mark Wheatley. It shows Tarzan leaping from a tree branch. All the colors are very dark blue, so it might be night time in the jungle.
Panthans Journal #335

“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.

Original can be read here.

Cover art for "Merry Creepsmas - The Red Book". It is red with a large X-mas tree that appears to have small, globby bodies as ornaments. The cover reads: Wicked Shadow Press Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book Christmas-Themed Horror Stories Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Merry Creepsmas – The Red Book

“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.

Cover art for the Burroughs Bulletin #109 by Dan Parsons. The top says "The Burroughs Bulletin New Series #109 Fall-Winter 2024". The art shows a T-rex chomping on a dude in a striped shirt. Below him are explorers with rifles. Behind him his a prehistoric sky, jungle, and a waterfall.
Burroughs Bulletin #109

“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Some fun things and shout outs from these past few weeks.

Game On Expo 2025

Game On Expo had its ten year anniversary earlier this month and Michele and I attended it on Sunday. It was our first time going to a fairly big-big pop culture-centric con since before Covid times. We had a lot of fun, and would definitely go again next year, and go for multiple days as we didn’t get to partake in many of the activities or panels. We mostly stuck with checking out the vendors and, of course, meeting some of the cool guests! I wanted to share the loot I took in to get autographed.

Autographed Loot

Note, some of the below images are actually slideshows. So make sure to click on the little arrows to cycle through.

Spy Hunter

First up being autographed is my Game Boy Advance copy of Spy Hunter / Super Sprint.

Brian F. Colin was one of old school video game designers who was a guest at the con. He is perhaps best known for creating the arcade classic Rampage, but also Arch Rivals and General Chaos.

One of the many games he worked on as an artist at Midway was Spy Hunter, another hugely successful arcade game that saw many ports.

  • The box for the Gameboy Advance version of Spy Hunter and Super Sprint (two different games). The cover depicts two screenshots, one from each game. In black ink it is signed "Nick, thanks for playing! Brian F. Colin".
    GBA version of Spy Hunter and Super Sprint autographed by Brian F. Colin.
  • The contents of the SpyHunter/Super Sprint Gameboy box. There is a small black cartridge, an instruction manual, and another manual of warnings.
    SpyHunter for the Gameboy Advance cartridge and instruction booklet.
  • Two stickers for the video game Rampage. One is circular and deceits a busty scientist woman. The other is square and depicts a King Kong-esque giant Gorilla holding a woman in a red dress. There is a city skyline behind them.
    Rampage stickers.

Back in the bid 2010s I was neck deep in Eurospy and espionage in popular culture (which would lead to my essay on Italian Eurospy films for Michele’s James Bond in Popular Culture book). I wound up finding a never opened, CIB copy of Spy Hunter / Super Sprint (not sure where, another con or maybe even eBay), so this has port of Spy Hunter has been in my collection for quite a while.

Colin was extremely happy to sign the box for the game. He remarked he had never seen this port before. He was super nice, friendly, and energetic to talk to. Scroll through the gallery above to see the contents of the GBA game, along with some Rampage stickers I bought from Colin.

Atari 50

The next old school game designer I met was Howard Scott Warshaw.

Warshaw worked at Atari in the early 80s, his first game being Yar’s Revenge. His last game was the infamous Atari release of E. T., which was the straw the broke the camel’s back, facilitating the great video game crash in the US in the 80s.

  • Atari 50 xbox game shows the Atari logo, but in gold, with screenshots of different games inside. It is signed "For Nick, HSW". Next to it is a copy of Once Upon Atari. The cover depicts a young Howard Scotty Warshaw with a keyboard in his lap, sitting at his work desk with a monitor showing the ET Atari game.
    Autographed Atari 50 Xbox game next to a copy of Once Upon Atari.
  • Front matter/interior title page. It says "Once Upon Atari: How I Made History by Killing an Industry". It is signed in blue ink "Dear Nick, Enjoy my journey! Yars truly, HSW"
    Front matter page of Once Upon Atari signed by Howard Scott Warshaw.

I’m not a real big Atari aficionado, I love the history of the company more than the games. However, a few years ago I plucked up Atari 50, which is basically 50% compilation of Atari games and 50% documentary/museum about the company. Part of its content was a handful of Atari Jaguar games, an extremely rare treat to play!

Warshaw’s Yar’s Revenge is on the compilation, along with interviews with him talking about creating the game and working at Atari. Super insightful.

Warshaw graciously signed my copy of Atari 50 and I bought a copy of his autobiography, Once Upon Atari, which he also signed (see sideshow above). As Reb Brown signs copies of Yor, the Hunter from the Future as “Yor’s Truly”, Warshaw signs his stuff “Yar’s Truly”. Love it.

Earth Defense Force 2025

“EDF! EDF!”

“They killed Tiny!”

Xbox 360 case for Earth Defense Force 2025. The cover depicts 4 soldiers shooting their guns and below them a giant spider, ant, and robot, with an exploding city behind them. In gold marker it is signed "To Nick! Erika Harlacher" surrounded by hearts and a spider.
Xbox version of Earth Defense Force 2025 signed by Erika Harlacher.

I have a lot of memories playing the three Earth Defense Force games on the Xbox: Earth Defense Force 2017, Earth Defense Force 2025, and Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. These game offered a split screen, couch co-op opportunity for Michele and I to play a video game together, and one that wasn’t too hard either. Pick up a gun and shoot all the giant ants, spiders, robots, and UFOs. Hella fun. So, I have lots of fond memories of these games and playing with Michele.

Voice actress extraordinaire Erika Harlacher was one of the many VO guests in attendance for the Game On Expo. I’m not 100% familiar with her work, she does a lot of anime, which I’ve been out of the loop of for 10-20 years. EDF proper does not have characters per se, just unnamed soldiers that are canon fodder for the insect hordes. Harlacher voices the flying Valkyrie soldiers, which is really cool. Means a lot to me to have this game signed by someone involved with it. And she drew a bug by her signature too!

Note: EDF 2025 originally came out in 2014, and 2025 seemed so far away back then. And now here we are, living in the future, living in 2025. Should I expect to see UFOs fill the skyline, dropping a legion of ants and spiders on the Earth?

Cyberpunk 2077

Awww yiss. Cyberpunk 2077!

I never played the Witcher games, but I knew they were good. I love the cyberpunk genre, though never played the Cyberpunk TTRPG. I was super excited for this game when it was released. When it came out, however, it was a big, buggy mess. So, I sat on getting it for a while. Then CD Projekt fixed the game and expanded on it with the Phantom Liberty DLC, and apparently really redeemed themselves. Now it was a good time to pluck up the game, and it was amazing.

Xbox case for Cyberpunk 2077 with Phantom Liberty DLC. In black marker it is signed "Hey Nick, love form Rogue - Jane Perry, xoxo".
Xbox version of Cyberpunk 2077 signed by Jane Perry.

Jane Perry was another voice actress in attendance at the con. Her work I am much more familiar with, having played the Hitman games and lots of other titles she’s been a part of: Robocop, 007 Legends, and others. In Cyberpunk 2077 she voices Rogue Amendiares, one of the important characters in the last half of the game. She was a love interest of Johnny Silverhand and was part of the assault on Arasaka Tower with him. She rules.

Return of Monkey Island

Finally, my boxset of Return to Monkey Island from Limited Run Games, signed by artist Dev Madan.

  • Cover of the Return to Monkey Island boxset autographed by Dev Madan in silver pen. It shows a close up of Guybrush Threepwood (mighty pirate) opening a pirate chest. Behind him LeChuck (a skeleton) greedily twiddles his fingers. There is a pirate ship shooting a skull (Murray) from a canon.
    Cover of the Return to Monkey Island boxset autographed by Dev Madan.
  • Contents of the Return to Monkey Island boxset. There is a CD soundtrack with a skeleton pirate playing a violin on the cover. Next it a small key with a glowing green jewel. Next to that is a fishing lure pin. Below that is a large envelope with a red wax seal. Lastly there is an xbox version of the game which depicted Guybrush Threepwood on the cover, with behind him being a pirate ship shooting a skull (Murray) from a canon and a pirate lady (Elaine) swinging in from a rope.
    Contents of the Return to Monkey Island boxset.

I’ve played the Monkey Island games since I was a wee wee wee kid on our old 486. The before times of having proper internet, it was a S T R U G G L E getting through that first game. One of my best friends, Kris, and I would crowd around the computer shouting out all ideas to solve the adventure game’s puzzles.

I wasn’t able to play Monkey Island 2 until around two decades later when it got a digital release on Xbox Live Arcade. I had a Big Box PC version of Curse of Monkey Island (and I still do, I think?), and my PS2 copy of Escape from Monkey Island which I bought and played when I was a broke college student. I grew up playing all the point and click adventure games from LucasArts and Sierra, and still have a soft spot for them.

I was excited when the newest, and it looks like last, Monkey Island game, Return to Monkey Island, got an ornate console release. It was a fun game, with a bittersweet ending. But, when I was looking at the guest list for Game On Expo and saw Dev Madan (an icon of point and click games), listed on it, I just had to have him sign Return to Monkey Island (which he did art for), a series that has been near and dear to me forever.

“I can’t use the skeleton arm with that!”

News from Friends

Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.

New Ride the Stream Episodes

Michele and Travis have some brand new episodes of their Ride the Stream vidcast online at YouTube. They dive into the next few episodes of Lost.

Here is their discussion of episode 15 from season 1:

And here is their discussion of episode 16:

New episodes drop every Friday on YouTube. Keep an eye on their YouTube channel, or give them a follow on Bluesky.

New Fan2Fan Episodes

Bernie and Pete have some new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online.

They have episodes online talking about the ill fated Roger Corman Fantastic Four film. Here is part one of their conversation:

Fantastic Four is Doomed Part 1 – Fan2Fan Podcast

And here is part two:

Fantastic Four is Doomed Part 2 – Fan2Fan Podcast

Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page.

The Chosen Cast Interview

Matt Page (author of 100 Bible Films and the dude behind the Bible Films Blog) recently did an interview with two cast members of the Biblical peplum TV series The Chosen: Shahar Isaac (Simon Peter) and Vanessa Benavente (Mother Mary). Check out the interview on Youtube:

Categories
Comics

She’s Got the Killer Instinct: Vanya Issue 01

The Story

In the far future of 2288 AD, mankind has mastered time, dimension, and space travel. Leading humanity’s front-line conquerors are the Astral Guard, fierce warriors who are battled hardened by spending a year surviving in the prehistoric past.

The standard cover for the first issue of Vanya. Vanya is armed with a bow while a triceratops charges at her. There is a full moon in the sky.
Standard cover of Vanya issue 01.

Vanya Tepanov is such a candidate for the Astral Guard, currently eight months into her year of living in four billion years in the past. Each day is a test of her skills, instinct, and luck, as she must deal with the likes of sabretooth tigers, Pteranodons, raptors, and even other Astral Guard trainees, dubbed Time Guards, that she is warned to stay away from. However, a chance encounter (and a night of passion) with a Time Guard named Reed jumpstarts Vanya’s newest escapade where the prehistoric past and the highly advanced future clash. 

Commentary

Vanya issue one is a crowdfunded comic book published by Bad Bug Media, the first in a planned twelve issue run. Kickstarted in August 2021 and shipped to backers in February 2022, Vanya is an ambitious, multi-genre adult comic. The Kickstarter campaign states that the series is for fans of Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, and that it is a “sci-fi twist on the jungle girl genre.” The first issue of Vanya is written by Mike Tener (who is also the editor in chief of Bad Bug), with art by J. C. Fabul (The Dragonfly) and Zoran Jovicic (Burlap), colours by Bryan Magnaye (Militia, Twin Worlds), and lettering by Aaron Locust (Death Nell, HyperGeist). 

With its multi-genre approach, Vanya is ambitious and high concept. The future scenes hint at both a Blade Runner colonial setting (replicants at off world colonies vs. Astral Guards conquering new planets) and a Starship Troopers style of fascism (levels of citizen ship). The time traveling aspect of Vanya looks to take inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s story “A Sound of Thunder” in that going to the past is business-like, matter-of-factly, mixing hunting/safari-ing and surviving. Lastly, the jungle girl aspect is greatly emphasized, combining the menacing and awe-nature that dinosaurs evoked in Jurassic Park, the agility and nimbleness jungle girls like Sheena exhibit, and the eroticism of Budd Root’s Cavewoman, but fully embracing the pornographic elements that the genre normally only hints at. This is a lot to juggle, but Vanya anchors itself with its focus on the prehistoric/jungle girl aspect of the comic.

A nude cover of Vanya issue 1. It depicts a naked Vanya emerging from the sea at night. Behind her, off in the distance, is a brontosaur.
Nude cover variant of Vanya issue #01.

Usually, the first issue of a new comic IP is unwieldy as it tries to accomplish too much (introduce characters, setting, plot, and so on) in too little space. Vanya is surprisingly quite concise in setting its game pieces: the one page pseudo-Star Wars opening text paints the big picture, while the comic proper does a succinct job at establish Vanya’s personality and goals (she wants to become an Astral Guard so her and her girl beau Serah can move to another world), establishes the risks, dangers, and day-to-day life in the prehistoric past (dodging tigers to fending off infections). As with the multiple genres, most comics would crumble under the weight of what Vanya is going for, but instead it pulls it all off effortless, at least in this debut issue.

Like the dinosaurs of the past, Vanya goes big, and its first issue is cleanly edited, drilled down to a concise story that could scatter in too many directions but does not. The action scenes are thrilling (taking down an entire Pteranodon and riding it into the ground), there is an air of intrigue that comes from unknown forces in the future, and the sex and nudity is integrated into the plot and not simply there to just be titillating. 

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out other reviews I’ve done of titles published by Bad Bug:

Categories
Comics

[S]extra Curricular Activities: Death Nell Issue One

Death Nell is an erotic horror comedy (in the Beetlejuice vein) comic published by Bad Bug Media in early 2023 after a successful Kickstarter campaign of their first issue in the summer of 2022. Issue one is written by Bill Stoddard with Cammry Lapka (Cat Tails, Black Market Heroine) doing art, Bruna Costa on colours, and Erek Foster (The Surgeon)providing lettering. 

Nell, her undead cat, and April.

The titular Nell is a twenty-two year old student at the Deus Mortem school for necromancers where she spends her time sleeping during class and fantasizing about her teacher, Professor Reinhart, instead of paying attention. At the suggestion of her best friend, April (who is a half troll), Nell visits the buxom school nurse (curse lifter?) Madame Flowers. It turns out that Nell’s sleeping issue is from exhaustion due to her insatiable desires despite a regime of self pleasuring. An alchemy spell later and the root cause is discovered: Nell is part Succubus and she needs to om nom nom on the sexual energies of others. Thankfully there happens to be a party coming up that promises lots of action…

Grave digging attire.

As a playful, lighter fare, Death Nell can be placed in a similar camp of monster-school stories such as Nicholas Doan and Gwendolyn Dreyer’s Monster Elementary, the Monster High media franchise, and even the prequel film of Monsters Inc., Monster University. Death Nell’s art reflects its comedic tone, as the colours are vibrant (the fun gothic colours of purple and black) and the characters realized in an anime/manga-inspired fashion (drool, bonks on heads, pursed lips, etc.). The women of Death Nell do adhere to a specific type of depiction: eye liner as big as bats and hips as thicc as gravestones. It’s a fun style that juggles sexy and cartoonish – Hot Topic patrons will definitely approve (and mimic!).

Madame Flowers.

Death Nell’s comedy falls in line with school sex comedies of the 80s and the 2000s. This can be both a blessing and a curse depending on perspective. Because she’s an attractive succubus, the faculty of Nell’s school begin to lust after her (the aforementioned Madame Flowers, the graveyard undertaker Edgar) with only professor Reinhart seemingly immune to her passive powers. In reality, this, of course, is a big no-no in classroom power dynamics, yet it is also an extremely common plot device in pornographic stories (“teacher, there has to be something I can do to pass this class!”). The tone of Death Nell is much too lighthearted to even approach levels like David Mamet’s Oleanna, but might find itself in “Penny Pax spends times in detention” territory. The nudity and sexual acts are presented in wanton abandon. 

NSFW version of the issue one cover with art by Lapka and Costa.

As is SOP with mature comic books made possible via crowdfunding, the first issue of Death Nell comes in a variety of alternative covers, with nude variants of each. The campaign to fund issue two of Death Nell (which ends February 15th) follows suit.

There was also additional, fun swag that came with copies of Death Nell issue one:

Art prints

Art Prints that have a crossover with Bag Bug’s other erotic series, Vanya.

And cards.

The first issue of Death Nell is fun-n-flirty, school sex comedy. Nell has to deal with typical college problems of being socially awkward and get good grades, while also finding out who she is as a person. Er, succubus. 

We’ve all been there. 

For more information on Death Nell, check out these links:

Also, consider checking out other reviews I’ve done of titles published by Bad Bug: