Messages

That is sweet. Incredibly sweet.

Refreshing to hear something so innocent. I'm smiling.

I'm sure each of us has a deep dark secret we can't let members of the 'real world' in on - what with the ridicule, derision and exasperated head-shaking that will come down upon us. But here, no big deal right? What are your guilty pleasures?

Comics: I sneak and read my wife's Buffy comics. Even she should not know this.

Books: I have read the Dragonlance Chronicles more time in my life (4) than I have the Lord of the Rings (3).

Television: Buffy again. Wife got me hooked. And Moonlight. I am so ashamed.

Music: I like AFI. What is wrong with me? I like AFI (runs off to listen to Septic Flesh or Behemoth).

I now leave it to you folks...let us in on what really makes you tick.

Yes there have been a few ;augh-out-louders. I feel like a pretentious bastard now with my last few entries... .

TS - I am rereading the Demon Killer, and this arc has some similarities to several Bran Mak Morn stories. When I say influence, I mean like how Lovecraft was influenced by Machen, Blackwood and Dunsay - yet no one questions how original Lovecraft's voice was. TS, search the internet for the story WOrms of the Earth.

Mike - The Del Ray books are quite affordable and have all the Conan stories in three volumes...look for the volume with Beyond Black River, my favorite Conan yarn. Brilliantly written!

I'm sorry if it sounded as though I was suggesting that Pat Mills had ripped anyone off - far from it, as I consider him to have quite an original voice!

I was wondering about the influence, that's all.

We've got our two daughters' rooms done up with Ikea stuff, and at one time had planned to do maybe the living room, but...

Since being here in the UK, and knowing it's not a permanent stay, we've been hitting the antiques barns and auction house pretty hard, and have done our entire house (minus the girls rooms, though they both have Victorian dressers) in antiques. Antiquing is quite addicting, plus NO ONE in the States will have anything near as nice. And if they do, they will have paid out the arse for it!

PM'd you sir!

Hullo Hell Trekker! There are a few of us Yanks floating around here, so good to see yet one more!

No film yet, TS...but if you like Slaine, you may well want to check out Bran Mak Morn, or the Conan stories (much different than the films/comics). You can purchase the entire Bran Mak Morn series for a reasonable price on Amazon.

If you check your copy of Zarjaz 07 it has all the details in the interview I did with the man himself.

Bolt, if it's no problem - and you score another interview with Mills - could you please ask him if he is aware or influenced likes or dislikes the writings of Robert E. Howard? I've been wondering about this for some time...! Many thanks in advance!

I'm going to try to make this...not sure though, since I've committed to Hi-Ex.

To me Mills tries to root his stuff more in the actual nature of the "myths" than Howard.

That's not entirely true...REH wrote literally hundreds of stories, and many of them were very historically accurate. But the Sword & Sorcery stuff paid the bills (he even laments in a letter that he could write more historical stories, but needed the money the S&S yarns provided), went to the better pulps of the day. It also doesn't hurt that he's become known as sort of the inventor of Sword & Sorcery, although that title can certainly be argued.

And I'm positive Mills is aware of REH; even Tolkien, who supposedly despised most "modern-day" fantasy enjoyed the Conan stories.

Wow Uncle Fester - another fantastic entry! Love the music-themed stuff you put out!

What King Trout said and then some - love the black and white ink washes, just a nice throwback to them olden days. Lovin' it.

Howard's 'Barbarism vs. Civilization' is the prevalent theme running through most of his works - Mills, to my mind, seems to go for the 'coolness' factor (not that this is a fault) although the Nemesis story arcs do contain a pretty well-drawn theme or anti-theme. REH just managed both; his stories read a strictly bad-ass fun yarns or as adventure stroies with deeper meaning.

I do think as far as Bran Mac Morn and Slaine are concerned, REH trumps Mills in spades as far as the 'tragic hero-king' goes...