Fantasy Masterworks - How Many Have You Read?

I came across this the other day, and was quite intrigued by the idea.

We're still hard at work on the SF and Fantasy Materworks Reading Project and still showing how we stack up in the scheme of things. We did this with the Sci-Fi list of Masterworks first and not it is time to turn to the Fantasy set, which I was hoping to have done better at. What I've bolded are books read and italics means I own it, but it has been gathering dust. Hopefully in a year's time this list will look a lot more bolded.

I've done a bit better than Mad Hatter (though Jared has me beat), but hey, maybe the meme'll catch on.

More on Agnes the Barbarian

Lookie here!  As an update on the last Agnes post, which was graced with the presence of Jaime Lee Currier, the actress portraying the Heir of Conan herself, an anonymous tipster pointed out a post on SFChronicle.

New Conan Action Figure... in Disguise!

I saw this over at the Robert E. Howard Forums, and had to mention it here.

Ten-a-Penny Sword-and-Sorcery... Apparently.

Forsooth:

Finally, after such a glut of auteur cinema, let’s wallow in some trash with Solomon Kane (Entertainment In Video) a throwback to the sword and sorcery epics that were popular during the 80s (indeed the film is based on a character created by Robert E Howard, best known for bringing Conan The Barbarian to the printed page). James Purefoy is all hard-nosed and gravelly as the titular character,  a formerly murderous sea captain now looking for redemption. But when the Devil comes for his soul, a battle ensues that will see Kane attempt to save the world. It’s gloriously silly and whilst films like this are ten-a-penny nowadays there’s a certain pulpy nostalgia that makes it throwaway fun.

Said auteur cinema included the likes of Todd Solondz, Pia Marais, Eric Rohmer and Glauber Rocha.  The Solondz films I've seen are belligerent, childish nonsense and Rohmer's a pale shadow of Godard and Truffout (who I'm not really a fan of myself).  I have no idea who the other two are, so it would be boorish of me to assume they're pretentious, self-indulgent exercises in cinematic onanism... so I won't.

Feminism and the Women in Robert E. Howard's Fictional Worlds

A while back, I talked about Howard's feminism - or more specifically, a particular letter Howard wrote to Harold Preece.  This was inspired by Barbara Barrett & Amy Kerr's work on an ACA/PCA conference paper.  Now, the two Howardian Shield-Maidens have returned to those waters on REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, with an expanded version of their fantastic and well-received ACA/PCA conference paper, to be posted in multiple parts.

While the women in Howard’s real world had the vote and could own property, the attitude that women were inferior to men still prevailed throughout most of the world during his lifetime. Robert E. Howard’s fictional world was an exception.  In it he created women who fought bravely, skillfully and fearlessly beside men as well as against them.  In fact, each of Howard’s strong women lived the life she chose for herself and when necessary, she fought to maintain that way of living.  Long before the feminist definition of empowerment, Howard’s heroines, took control over the decisions and issues that shaped their lives.

One of the unavoidable conundrums of feminism in a male author is, while the idea is to offer forward ideals of equality and equal opportunities, an argument sounds much more compelling when made by a woman.  I guess it's due to perspective: after all, it'd be like an Englishman writing a history of Scotland, or a white man talking of modern urban black society.  They can be as learned as any person can be on the subject, but unless they actually are part of the demographic in question, there's always that niggling concern in the back of the mind: how can you really know what it's like?

Thus, because Barbara and Amy are women, the impression is that they are simply more qualified to speak on the feminist elements of Howard's fiction than a man could.  It would seem to contradict the essential point of feminism - that of equal opportunities, not female superiority - to value someone's opinion more simply because of their gender, but at least in this case, it makes sense.  It's the old astronomer/astronaut question: when you want to know about the moon, do you ask the one who's studied it from afar from 50 years, or the one who's actually been there?

What's Next for Dark Horse & Robert E. Howard... The Horror

Three pieces of news from Comic-Con.  One I'm nervous about, one I'm excited about, and one I... oy.

Solomon Kane DVD Review

The day has come, folks!

Solomon Kane, Redemption and White Supremacy

Or, "Just In Case You Thought I Was Being Overly Positive..."

More Mark Finn at Comic-Con

I feel compelled to post this:

RevolutionSF contributor Mark Finn, noted expert on Robert E. Howard and uber-geek, will be on hand at San Diego Comic-Con this year, despite a lack of Conan-centric activities.

"While it's true that there won't be a sneak preview of the upcoming Conan movie," said Finn, "on the other hand, Elvira will be signing autographs. Elvira. 'Nuff said."

Any regular RevSF readers who wish to meet the elusive Finn can stalk him at either the Dark Horse booth, or the APE comics booth, where he will be visiting frequently.

"If you want to see me in my true element, I'm hosting a Robert E. Howard lunch and toast at the Hilton Gaslamp restaurant, New Leaf, at noon, on Friday. All are welcome, and it's buy your own food and drinks."

Finn paused and then added, "Please, no furry underpants."

Finn will be intermittently tweeting from Comic-Con. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter at FinnsWake.

Mark, if you don't get an autograph or picture of yourself with the Mistress of the Dark, I'll be sorely disappointed.  Not least because, like Morgan Fairchild, Jane Seymour and Sigourney Weaver, she's looking amazingly youthful for a woman rapidly approaching her 60s.  I call it the Joan Collins effect.

Hmm, Cassandra Peterson as Zelata, maybe?  Atla?  How 'bout that kickass Westermarck matron?

Just in case you think I'm being overly negative... Part the Second

It's rare that I come across a review of something Howard-related that I have no problems with, but Stacy Dooks of Wild Gunmen has done just that.  What an eloquent, accurate, all-round-great overview.  In particular, this is quite possibly one of the best analogies regarding Howard's impact on the fantasy canon that I've ever read:

If you’re a fantasy fan and you’ve never read Howard, you’re the equivalent of a rock fan who’s never listened to Jimmy Hendrix.

That's it.  That is the analogy I've been looking for.  Howard is the Jimi Hendrix of fantasy.

The comparisons are there. Both artists' work was very popular while they were alive, but only became widely recognized as geniuses until after their deaths.  Both artists' work spanned beyond any one genre, producing pieces of frenzied mayhem, melodic power and technical brilliance, as well as amazing gentility.  Both artists' work have origins in what contemporaneous artists were doing but their sheer talent forged those disparate elements into something new, unique, and never recaptured. Howard took the historical milieu of Lamb & Mundy, the horror of Poe & Lovecraft, the adventure of Burroughs & Haggard and his own inimical talent and themes to create Sword-and-Sorcery; Hendrix took the extended solos of Eric Clapton, the amplified feedback of The Who, the blues stylistics of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and his own sense of style to create one of the formative sounds that would become Heavy Metal.

The pair's life is also corroborative.  Both have had episodes of their lives exaggerated and warped, usually by their critics, to give the impression of insanity or recklessness.  Heck, both even had iconic headgear (Howard with his cap, Hendrix with his headband).  I could even see the UK comparisons: Howard's only really popular in the UK for Conan and, recently, Solomon Kane, while Hendrix's only Top 40 tracks were "Voodoo Chile" and "All Along The Watchtower."

Two artists in different fields, who are yet comparable because of their impact, influence and power.  Thanks, Stacy: just what I was looking for.