The Humans, a 2015 comic by Keenan Marshall Keller and Tom Neely, finds a recipe for far-out action by combining grimy vintage biker pulp with Planet of the Apes fantasy. Prepare yourself for drugged-out gladiator fights, raunchy ape sexytimes, and surprisingly deep commentary on PTSD.
What is ape-world Vietnam like? How does this comic avoid the pitfalls of nostalgia? Can you name all the squares in biker movie bingo? Find out all this and more in this month's mini episode of Bad Books for Bad People!
"Bell Witch partnered with Director Taylor Bednarz to create this feature-length music video to accompany the Mirror Reaper album. The film is a video collage comprised of dozens of archival films. Each of these clips are woven together with the album to build a patient, heavy, and haunting narrative. Listen to the full 83 minute album, Mirror Reaper, while being taken into the state of a lucid dream." Check it out:
It
isn’t unusual for the characters in heroic fiction to engage in
dialog or acts of storytelling that reveals something important about
their pasts or gives the reader further access to their personalities.
The system below gives a mechanical incentive for scenes of
revelatory characterization:
During
a period of natural downtime, a player may nominate themselves to
roleplay an interlude scene.
That
player must draw a single card from a standard deck. The value and
suit of the card drawn determines the essential content of the
interlude, as per the Interlude Table.
The
player will then tell a story based on that theme in the voice of
their character. The story should reveal something about the
character’s backstory or give the other players a greater sense of
who that character is, their motivations, their hopes and fears,
etc.
After
a player completes an interlude scene, their character immediately
gains inspiration.
The next time an interlude scene is invoked, a different player must nominate themselves.
Interlude
Table
Clubs
Diamonds
Hearts
Spades
Ace
Realization
First
day on the job
Blossoming
romance
New
insight
Two
Cunning
plan
Patience
rewarded
Dangerous
attraction
False
impression
Three
Skilled
leadership
Teamwork
leading to success
Celebration
Failure
to express an idea
Four
Goal
achieved
Victim
of greed
Solitude
Recovery
from injury
Five
Competition
Victim
of theft
Tragic
loss
Hollow
victory
Six
Glorious
victory
Spending
a vast sum
Childhood
nostalgia
Long
journey
Seven
Last-ditch
defense
Changing
your path
Treasured
daydream
Practiced
deceit
Eight
Short
journey
The
devil in the details
Leaving
someone behind
Feeling
trapped
Nine
Prolonged
battle
Self-reliance
Sexual
satisfaction
Guilty
nightmare
Ten
Burden
of duty
Inheritance
Familial
happiness
Martyrdom
Jack
Quick
temper
Hard
work
Falling
in love
Fiery
rebellion
Queen
Utter
chaos
Maternal
instinct
Emotional
dependence
Sharp
intellect
King
Artistry
Rags
to riches
Wise
diplomacy
Self-reflection
*** NOTE: This system is an adaptation of the interludes from Savage Worlds Deluxe, but I have significantly expanded the table found in those rules.
The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison is considered to be a classic of the fantasy genre, rediscovered during the 1960s as the canon of modern fantasy was developed in a post-Tolkien world. Drawing its influences from classic epics of the Nordic, Celtic, and Greek cultures, the novel tracks the culture clash between the noble and straight-dealing denizens of Demonland and their treacherous enemies in Witchland. It also has characters with names like Goldry Bluzsco, La Fireez, Spitfire, and Cargo, so strap yourselves in for some real high fantasy nonsense.
What will Kate and Jack make of the numerous old timey ballads and poems within the book's pages? Which characters does it seem like the author wanted to make kisses on? Who in their right mind would publish a ravenously pro-war novel four years after the close of World War I? What do Electric Wizard, decadent literature, and McDonaldLand have to do with any of this? Listen to the latest episode of Bad Books for Bad People and find out the answers to these questions and more.
There are a lot of ways to waste time on Youtube, but there are also a few channels that are really worth sitting down and paying attention to. Here are two I'd recommend if the subject matter appeals to you:
Cartoonist Kayfabe
Cartoonists Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg sit down with an old issue of Wizard Magazine, flip through the pages, and give their commentary. I'm not even all that interested in capes comics, the main focus of Wizard's end of the comics industry, but the enthusiasm and knowledge Piskor and Rugg bring to the table makes this a fascinating channel. They bring multiple perspectives to the analysis: they reminisce about being young comics fans during the era, bring the knowledge that comes with being artists themselves, and the insider knowledge of being professionals working in the industry. And they're not afraid to cut a promo on some knuckleheads when necessary. They've got big plans for the channel; look for them to diversify the portfolio with interviews and expanded content in the weeks to come.
Global Overkill
Global Overkill is a recurring segment of the Canadian heavy metal channel Banger TV. Global Overkill is a deep dive on niche metal scenes around the world. So far, the series has delved into Quebec Tech Death, Australian Prog Metal, Icelandic Black Metal, Finnish Doom Metal, Lebanese Extreme Metal, Russian Heavy Metal, French Avant Garde Black Metal, South African Slam & Brutal Metal, Chilean Blackened Death Metal, Japanese Metal Girl Groups, Indonesian Grindcore, Brazilian Death Metal, and Chinese Folk Metal. Unfortunately, Global Overkill is on hiatus right now, but those previous episodes will keep you busy for a long time if you're into searching out wild new sounds from every corner of the globe.
