The Incredible and Elite Hulk

I don't know what this week's been like for you, but my days have been flying past.  It could have something to do with us being away all last weekend.  (I'll share some of my adventures with you in the near future).  After a long day of work yesterday, I needed some Me time.  So I shut out the world, sank into the couch, and immersed myself in "Conan The Barbarian" Vol. 1 Issue #116.  In addition to enjoying a great story, I discovered this little gem.

While I've always enjoyed Hulk's adventures on TV, as well as in the cinema, I've never gotten around to buying one of his comic books.  That's life: it rips right along, and unless you make something a priority, you miss out.  Yet, look at him.  He's had a hard day, just like me.  He'd be perfectly within his rights to just relax in his easy chair, enjoy his crackling wood fire, sip tea from his delicate porcelain cup, and listen to Bach, Mozart, or whatever classical composer he's selected for the evening.  Instead, he's put down his book to share with me how, by subscribing to my favorite Marvel mags, I can save money, and ensure that I don't miss out on any adventures of my favorite heroes.  Again, he's doing this for me, even though I've never bought a single one of his mighty mags!

Hulk, you really are incredible.  Yes, definitely: sign me up!  I want to be neat and elite, just like you! 

Dragon Dave

Angus Fluptub's Masterwork

"Brain Suck" 
A dream about tomorrow
and perhaps about today

While perusing the Science Fiction themed exhibition at the Dunedin Fine Art Center in Florida, I stopped before this large-scale presentation. The display told only a portion of the artist's vision.  The rest, presumably, was included in accompanying sign.

I don't know if Angus Fluptub is a real artist or not.  I'm not sure if this is a real exhibit or if the museum staff is fiddling with my mind.  Either way, it's an interesting example of how Science Fiction, more than any other genre, captures the imagination of the young, and encourages one to dream the most fantastic dreams.  

I'm not sure if the presentation constitutes art, but it made me look twice, and think about how the display speaks to the story.  That's what art does, doesn't it?

If you agree, give Angus a hand.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
Dunedin Fine Art Center

Roy Thomas on Conan and Dogs

In 1934, “The Magic Carpet Magazine” published "The Shadow of the Vulture" by Robert E. Howard.  This historical story was set in the early 16^th Century, and concerned events such as the Battle of Mohacs and the Siege of Vienna.  Principle characters included the real life Suleiman the Magnificent, and a character born of Howard’s imagination: a fierce, red-haired, female warrior named Sonya.

In 1973, Marvel Comics writer Roy Thomas adapted the story for Issue 23 of his recently birthed series, “Conan The Barbarian.”  In Thomas’ version, Conan is pursued by Prince Yezdigerd, and aided by a fierce female warrior called Red Sonja. 

Four issues later, the editors published a reader's letter, in which he complained he was “getting dog-gone tired of the doggerel.”  He stated that Roy Thomas’ version of “The Shadow of the Vulture” uses the term dog “14 times in 22 pages.”  Conan calls an officer a dog, who in turn calls his own men dogs.”  Red Sonja joins in, calling “her own men and the Turanians dogs.”  Eventually, Conan even calls a dog--you guessed it—a dog. 

According to the editors, “Roy…feels he overdid the canine bit only slightly, since Robert E. Howard made that Conan’s favorite epithet for people of whom he was inordinately un-fond…and one of the loudest, most clangorous cries of Conanophiles the world over is for us to be true to the spirit and text of the great REH.”

I won't quibble with the first statement (at least not right now), but let's consider the second half of Roy Thomas' claim.  He’s converting a 16^th Century Historical into a Fantasy set in the Hyborian Age (in excess of 10,000 B.C.)  He’s taking a story from a world in which magic doesn’t exist, and transferring it into one that does.  He’s changing characters and situations for his own purposes, in order to create a new story.  Thomas isn't mashing together stories and concepts from different sources, such as Jane Austen and Zombies.  Nevertheless, this seems akin to a comic book writer taking a Tarzan story, transferring it into the characters and world of John Carter of Mars, and claiming he is trying to stay true to the spirit and text of the great Edgar Rice Burroughs! 

I love what Roy Thomas did with his Conan comics, and I love how he made Red Sonya an ongoing character.  I have to wonder if some of the long-running success of Conan in comic books is because, in those early issues, Roy Thomas drew inspiration from Robert E. Howard stories.  Still, in this matter, I think Roy Thomas was being a real sly dog.  

Obviously--unlike Conan--I'm using the term to refer to someone of whom I am “inordinately” fond.

Dragon Dave

The Beatrix Potter Gallery

For an author, there’s always the temptation to publish your own writing, and today’s technology makes that process easy.  Just write your novel or memoir, go to a company’s website, and in a few hours or days, your ebook can be available for sale on Amazon.com.  Some self-published authors even make it big, as Christopher Paolini demonstrated when his dragon novel Eragon was picked up by a major publisher, and became an international bestseller.   Another author who self-published her first novel was Beatrix Potter.

Looking for some great Beatrix Potter merchandise?
Try this place.

During last year’s trip to England, we visited Hawkshead in the Lake District.   This village consists of a few short streets, with most of the businesses tailored to tourism.  Gift shops offered a variety of Beatrix Potter souvenirs and books (in addition to the bookstore).  William Heelis, who married Beatrix Potter after she moved to the Lake District, once had his law office in Hawkshead, and this building now houses the Beatrix Potter Gallery.  

Interested in learning about the author and her stories?
Try this place.

The theme of the Gallery changes annually.  Last year, it focused on Beatrix Potter’s first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  Before Frederick Warne & Sons published her children’s book with color illustrations, Miss Potter self-published the book with pen and ink drawings.  We toured the small (tiny, really) rooms downstairs, then climbed the narrow stairway, bending to avoid the wooden beams in the low ceiling, and watching our feet on the uneven steps.  Upstairs, we were given two versions of her first story, so we could compare the self-published work to the version that we have all come to know and love.  It was interesting to notice how much more refined the drawings were in the Frederick Warne & Sons' version.  I also found interesting which pages, both text and illustrations, didn’t make it into the later, official edition.  As we made this comparison, we enjoyed the full sensory experience, making use of the headsets that hung from the ceiling, and followed along as the narrator read the official story.  Before we left, we toured each upstairs room, in which framed, full size illustrations from the story hung on the walls.

Just watch your step (and your head) inside.
As the sign above the door warns,
"Bend or Bump."

I remember reading Beatrix Potter as a child.  From watching the movie about her life, “Miss Potter,” I can understand the long-standing and far-reaching allure of her books.  Comparing the two versions of The Tale of Peter Rabbit demonstrated the significant role a publisher plays in an author’s life.  Any company can format, reproduce, and make copies of a book available for sale.  Editors at a publishing house, who fall in love with an author’s work, and desperately want it to succeed, can insist on edits and alterations to the material.  Their suggestions (or mandates) may not always be right, but in this case, I found Frederick Warne & Sons' version superior to the self-published version.

I’m glad I got to read them both, and make that comparison.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

The Beatrix Potter Gallery

Rambling Around Rothay Park

Seemingly everywhere we travel, locals say the same thing.  “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.”  Weather can be precocious, and in England, we never know quite what to expect.  For our trip last year, we prepared for cold and rain, and this proved wise, as you can see from my posts on Holmfirth and Yorkshire.  But a few days proved so warm and pleasant that walking around in jeans sapped my energy.  As I hadn’t packed any walking shorts, I spent my day in Ambleside wearing workout shorts.  If anyone noticed my gym attire, they didn’t remark on it.

The center of an ancient circle.

We picnicked beneath tall trees with intertwining branches.  We ate our sandwiches and Quavers, the latter like cheese-flavored pork rinds, yet light in taste and in calories.  After the frantic, condensed activity of Ambleside’s town center, we savored the relative quiet, and drank in the verdant fields and lush hillsides.  We walked around a recreation of an ancient stone circle, and photographed a boy playing catch with his dog in a stream.  We walked part of a hiking trail, envying those who lived nearby.  How could you ever tire of such a view?

Before we left, we spoke with an older couple that had traveled up for the day from their home in Blackpool.  Even though they lived in a famous tourism center, they seemed to regard it as just another big city.  Like us, they were glad they had chosen to visit the Lake District on such a warm and pleasant day.  The husband even offered me some sage advice.   “There’s a saying in England,” he said.  “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, and it will change.” 

There’s only one problem with his assertion.  What if I like the weather, and I don’t want it to change?

Dragon Dave

P.S.  There’s so much more to see around Ambleside, that our photographs don’t do the area justice.  For more views, try the link below.

Related Internet Links

More views of Ambleside

The Responsibilities of a Supreme Dalek

Supreme Dalek: "Report, soldier."
Red Dalek: "I'm reading The Travels of Marco Polo, sir."
Supreme Dalek: "What can you learn from a thirteenth century travelogue?"
Red Dalek: "Well, there's some terrific stories about--"
Supreme Dalek: "Daleks do not read for enjoyment!  
Don't you remember my lecture about not wasting time on Fiction?"
Pocket Dalek: "You mean, like when you caught Pinkie reading Pride And Prejudice?"
Supreme Dalek: "Please, don't remind me.  Reading Fiction is almost as bad as playing games of chance, which is why you're still on report."
Pocket Dalek: "Yes, sir.  Sorry, sir."
Red Dalek: "Sir, Marco Polo delivers detailed field reports on kingdoms we could visit, if the Mistress ever builds us a time machine."
Supreme Dalek: Good thinking, soldier.  I'll expect a list of likely targets for conquest tomorrow morning.  Now come along, Pocket."

Red Dalek: "So, are we still on for tonight?"

Pocket Dalek: "Shhh.  You want him to catch us again?"

Red Dalek: "Relax.  He's scheduled to give Denim another lecture on The Evil of the Doctor tonight at 8pm."

Pocket Dalek: All right, I'll bring the cards.  You just make sure you've got plenty of money."

Red Dalek: "Oh, and bring along some of those English cookies, okay?"

Pocket Dalek: "They're called Jammie Dodgers.  And their biscuits, not cookies!"

That evening:

Denim Dalek: I'm sorry, sir, but I still don't understand.  You say that Fiction is a time-waster, and the Doctor is our greatest foe.  So why are we reading another story about him?"

Supreme Dalek: "Just open the magazine, Denim."

Denim Dalek: "But--"

Supreme Dalek: "Quiet!  It's been a long day!  Now I just want to relax and read!"

Denim Dalek: "Um, right, sir.  Sorry, sir."

Dragon Dave

Dr. McCoy and the Lone Ranger

Before Deforest Kelley played Dr. McCoy in "Star Trek," he pursued a busy career in both film and TV.  He was particularly known for his villains, and his roles in Westerns.

In the middle decades of the twentieth century, Westerns were popular on radio, TV, movies, and in literature.  It’s easy to see their allure.  Not only do they capture the pioneering spirit, but they also pit man against a forbidding environment, facing unknown dangers.  Westerns were about survival against the odds, and building something out of nothing.  In many ways, such stories served as the prototype of Science Fiction, the genre that eventually overtook them.  We still dream of battling unknown foes, and taming wild animals and forbidding landscapes, only now on alien worlds.

"What do you say we just mosey on inside for a Mint Julep."

Given Johnny Depp’s involvement, I’ve been looking forward to seeing the upcoming big screen adaptation of “The Lone Ranger.”  I noticed the 1950s TV show on my channel lineup, and decided to watch a few episodes.  In one episode, a group of bad guys capture a stage coach and shoot everyone aboard.  Discovering that the travelers were bank executives, the bad guys change clothes, and drive the stage coach into town.  Everyone at the bank, and even the local sheriff, allow the men to use their documents to steal money from the bank.  When the Lone Ranger, intent on bringing the men to justice, rides into town, the sheriff equates his mask with that of a robber’s, and puts him in jail.  Tonto, using his broken English, gains the help of a local to rescue his friend, and the two ride off to capture the murderers. 

When the Lone Ranger and Tonto capture the baddies, the sheriff needs some convincing before he’ll see past the appropriated documents and believe this masked stranger and his Indian pal. 

The show had nearly ended before I realized the actor playing the sheriff was Deforest Kelley.  The episode was filmed in 1950, fifteen years before he would assume the mantle of Dr. Leonard McCoy, a role that gave him lasting recognition, but also typecast him and effectively ended his acting career.  Kelley’s sheriff was less nuanced than in Dr. McCoy in "Star Trek:" he seemed to alternate between suspicion and approval, with nothing in between.  But his portrayal fit the role so completely that took me that long to identify him.  His performance reveals how completely he poured himself into McCoy, once the more complex character was offered to him. 

"Dammit, Lone Ranger, I'm a doctor, not a...wait,
I am a lawman, ain't I?"

I wish Deforest Kelley could have starred in TV shows and movies after “Star Trek.”  I know he drew solace in how many kids that grew up watching “Star Trek” entered the medical profession.  Given how many times he starred in Westerns, I wonder how many young boys might have been inspired to become cowboys, and work on farms and ranches.

"Hi-yo, U. S. S. Enterprise!  Away!"

Dragon Dave

P.S.  If you have cable or satellite TV, check to see if you have COZI TV.  In addition to "The Lone Ranger," they offer a lot of other great shows from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s.