What fantasy series do you want to see onscreen?

With the third and final Hobbit movie closing the book on the Peter Jackson-era of Tolkien movies this month, io9 recently postulated (rightly) that this opens up opportunity for studios to begin anew with big fantasy films.

True, there have been films in the genre, but nothing comes close to the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter films that kept viewers coming back. Those two franchises brought fantasy films out of the "it's just a genre film" and fully into the mainstream spectrum. Soon we had Narnia, and a host of gritty fairytale films.

So what's your favorite fantasy book or comic that you'd like to see onscreen? I can think of a few I've been hoping to see:

Chronicles of Prydain

I've long wanted to see a solid effort at bringing Lloyd Alexander's series to film. For me, it hits the sweet spot of youth-oriented tales that build up to a more epic ending (call it the Harry Potter path for lack of a better term).

From the Dell series (I had the boxed set in the 80s)

The earlier Disney effort of The Black Cauldron was visually well executed, but seemed to be ahead of it's time. Many critics said it was "too dark" for children when it was released. I doubt that argument would hold as much weight today. A more grown-up live action version would be ideal.

Animated N.C. Wyeth

This would be a monumental project, but I'd love to see a way for a more painterly-style of animated films to bring classic stories to life. I've long loved N.C. Wyeth's dreamy illustrations of fantasy, pirate, and even western myths. I'm not an art expert, but I do enjoy the high-degree of technical skill he employed to bring his fantastical subjects to life. Here's what I posted to the io9 article:

 

His work on The Boy's King Arthur, Treasure Island and various other tales are among my very favorite illustrations. I could see those each becoming a film or using them as inspiration for a totally unique and original story.

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld

I've spoken about my fondness for this series before---and that hasn't waned. Amethyst is sort of a mixture of Wonder-Woman-meets-Shazam. She's a warrior princes with some magic abilities, with a well-conceived world built on gemstone houses (like Game of Thrones).

The 80s comic series was really great, and the revival a year or two past now under the Sword of Sorcery title was likewise well executed. I really enjoyed the art by Aaron Lopresti.

I'd love to see this become a reality by the time my daughter is old enough to appreciate it. I'm guessing this isn't on DC or Warner Bros. "hot property" lists to develop. Look how long it took them to get Wonder Woman into a live action film! They did do a plucky little series of shorts in an anime style that were quite charming:



But I'm still hoping for something more substantial. Amethyst seems to strike a chord with parents in general. I met a guy at comic convention a few years ago that named his own daughter in honor of the eponymous princess!

Both the original Princess of Gemworld and the later Sword of Sorcery runs are available in collected editions.

So what would you like to see?

How about an Erol Otus animated feature? Or maybe you'd like Discworld to finally get a shot at the big screen?

VIDEO: Dragon Strike board game VHS

I was visiting my FLGS, the Source earlier today and saw an old copy of Dragon Strike on the shelf. A quick perusal of the box reminded me that this was one of (sadly) many games in the 90s that came with VHS tapes.

I've never played the game, but I've acquired several pieces, from second hand shops including these little dudes. In any case, the game's video cassette looks absolutely hilarious by today's standards--in all it's dripping-with-90s-angst-sarcastic glory. And what's with the "floating head" narrator in the turtle neck? Looks like this would make for a fun Saturday night game!

Here now for your enjoyment, is the video:

Final chapter of Clandestinauts web comic comes to a close...

Minneapolis-based comic artist and dungeoneering raconteur Tim Sievert announced earlier this week that his beloved Clandestinauts web comic would be wrapping up this week. If you've not read it, or it's predecessor The Intrepideers mini comic (which I believe was only in print) you're in for a treat. Update: I was able to track down Intrepideers online, thanks mwschmeer!

Clandestinauts is about as wild, wooly, weird, and bawdy as it gets when it comes to killing monsters and taking their stuff. It began as a tale of made-up adventures using the PCs from his circle of friends' D&D group.

I've crossed paths with Tim over the last several years and picked up the print copies when available. Tim's truly a great guy and one of the most original young illustrators working in indie comics today. I'm excited for him to be finishing an epic adventure that's run since 2010.

I'm also looking forward to his upcoming project (which I can't recall if he's made widely public yet, but you likely could figure it out if you visit his website). It's been another labor of love, years in the making and all I can say is bring it on Tim!

Stop by his site and get caught up for the big finale which is coming this Thursday!



Post also posted to Exonauts.

FREE: Encyclopedia of Fantasy now online!

Yes, that's right, there's an Encyclopedia of Fantasy that's both free and searchable. Your worldbuilding and reference citing and just got a lot easier! So did wasting massive amounts of time on the interwebs!

Get started!

Via io9

Marvel's ALMOST H.P. Lovecraft comics, circa '72

Did you know that emeritus Marvel Comics writer and multiverse virtuoso Roy Thomas (Conan, Avengers, X-men, etc.) once proposed a horror series based off H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos back in the 1970s (a.k.a, the coolest era of Marvel comics)?

It's true! Sean Howe, author of the astoundingly awesome and thrillingly, thouroughly researched Marvel Comics: The Untold Story posted this treatment by Thomas to his Tumblr:

Click to enlarge:

Howe says:

Here’s another glimpse at what might have been: A 1972 Roy Thomas memo proposes, among a handful of launches and title changes, a series “hosted” (a la EC’s Crypt Keeper) by the Doctor Strange villain Nightmare.
And what’s this? An anthology comic called THE MACABRE WORLD OF H.P. LOVECRAFT?!? A few months later, an issue of Journey into Mystery would feature an adaptation of Lovecraft’s “The Haunter of the Dark,” but no series ever materialized.

Oh, what might have been!

New trailer for The Hobbit!

This looks really exciting!

Trailer #2

Cool 3D-printable dungeon crawler

So here's a cool thing that couldn't exist until the 21st century--a dungeon crawl tile game you can print out of resin. Here's what you get to make a complete game:

-6 delvers (Warrior, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf, Thief, and Priestess.)

-10 dwellers (2 Skittering Fiends, 2 Restless Spirits, 2 Hogboglins, 2 Shambling Corpses, 1 Cave Gronk, and 1 Ancient Guardian)

-40 dungeon tiles (print the tile set twice)

-6 door markers

-13 counters (6 Treasure counters, 6 Hazard counters, and 1 Stairs counter)

-12 six-sided dice (6 red Offense dice and 6 blue Defense dice) (These weren't printed, though I suppose you could)

All you need is a 3D printer. So if you've got one--or you're handy with that hacker/maker stuff-- then you've got yourself an endlessly printable dungeon!

Check out the full set-up. Props to Boing Boing for finding this little treasure.

Rotating planets ring for that special Space Warlock...

This is a real ring made from meteorite and gemstones in the shape of the 8 planets and Pluto (heh!). The inside ring with inset gems rotates around the outside gold ring. No word on it's ability to open astral portals or conjure subspace monsters to do your bidding.

Pricing starts at $3,600 (so I hope you mastered that turning-lead-into-gold spell).

Via Boing Boing

What maps inspired you as a kid?

The Awl has a great post Maps We Wandered Into as Kids that explores fantasy maps that inspired readers growing up. I had many, but one that totally blew my brain was the one from Time Bandits.

Part cosmic blueprint, part wormhole transit schedule--it's got to be one of the coolest movie props of all time. If only it were real. Oh wait, it IS real! Or rather you can get your own reproduction.

What about you? Have any favorite cartographs from books, comics, movies, or just plain geography (Google?) that have inspired you?


Via Boing Boing, which has links to another great map post you should check out.

Also: ever try googling directions to Mordor? ;)

Sendak and Tolkien: "The Hobbit" that never was

Image: Maurice Sendak/Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University, via LA Times

There's been much ado about dwarves recently with the latest image to come out of Peter Jackson's version of the Hobbit. I stumbled upon this amazing article from the LA Times (back in March) on an abandoned project by beloved children's book author/illustrator Maurice Sendak and Lord of the Rings himself. From the article:

If you look closely, you will discover a master at work in the art of subtlety: Notice the heavy crosshatching used to weigh down a world-weary Gandalf contrasted with the open, airy line work that renders the jovial Bilbo. These depictions speak in an artistic conversation that has been ongoing for centuries, yet they are immediate and approachable by the child of today.

As Sendak noted passages for possible illustration and sketched in the margins of his copy of the book, the publisher prepared the art samples for Tolkien’s approval. The editor mislabeled the samples, however, identifying the wood-elves as “hobbits,” as Sendak recalled to Maguire. This blunder nettled Tolkien. His reply was that Sendak had not read the book closely and did not know what a hobbit was. Consequently, Tolkien did not approve the drawings. Sendak was furious.

Read the rest of the article to get the full story.

I find this fascinating and heartbreaking all at once. Sendak's art is vibrant and original and his interpretation may have defined fantasy for a generation had it made it to publication. Sadly, where the wild things are not is Middle Earth.

What do you think?

Three great projects you should know about!

I'm always impressed by creative passion projects in the geekscape. Here's a few links to a few wonderful efforts...

Yog-Blogsoth!
Some of you are already aware of Michael Bukowski and his quest to illustrate every single monstrosity in the Lovecraftian pantheon. But just in case you were itching for some weird horror beasties in your next game and needed inspiration, have a gander. Hat tip to Boing Boing.


Kids Dungeon Adventure!

Here's another fun one by Ben Garvey who's created a dungeon-crawling game using blocks and paper minis for his pre-schoolers to learn the art of the delve. He's also got a great blog named for the game called Kids Dungeon Adventure. Wired did a fine article on it back in March. FTA:

The game’s adventure framework, which is heavy on reward and achievement, is well thought out and allows plenty of room for creativity. Garvey has some wonderful suggestions for treasure and how it affects gameplay. The monsters on the cards he has created are very kid appropriate and, with a little Photoshop work, could be customized to reflect your home and family.

Though not a wargame, it has at least ancestral ties perhaps to H.G. Wells' Floor Games. I think there's a minimal cost associated with the game, but it might be enough to give you ideas of your own.

UPDATE: here's a few other case studies about getting kids interested in RPGs: Simplifying D&D (You know, for kids?) and How to Introduce a Kid to D&D Before He Goes Into Surgery both great articles from Wired's Geekdad blog.

Age of Fable Dungeon Generator!
Finally, if you're looking to stock a dungeon in a hurry, here's a nicely done auto-generator for a campaign (?) called Age of Fable. I can't recall where I found this (somebody remind me in the comments if it was you) but it's got some great resources for pen+paper games. Not only can you generate maps, but also stock and stats plus adventure hooks. Comes in two flavors: one for Tunnels & Trolls and another Labyrinth Lord/Mutant Future. Find additional resources as well.

Enjoy!

YouTube Fantasy Theater: "Journey Quest"

I'm a big fan of the new trend in YouTube videos for wacky/fun, fantasy/sci-fi series--the more gonzo/zany, the better since live-action fantasy can rarely be done with a straight face. Favorites like Spellfury and Multinauts come to mind (there's another one that escapes me at the moment....). Add to these, the latest addition in the comedy/fantasy genre: JourneyQuest, about Perf, a cowardly wizard in a yellow pointy hat and his adventuring companions.

The website, as polished as it is, is surprisingly sparse on story info, but the episodes are under 10 minutes long, so it shouldn't take long to get the gist of it.

Enjoy!

• Official website: http://www.journey-quest.com/
• All episodes on YouTube

Finally here: Swords & Wizardry Whitebox Set!

I'm way over due on this, but I finally received my Swords and Wizardry White Box a little over a week ago. Due to a mix up with the mail it didn't come, but then John, who's a stellar guy BTW, sent a new one and it arrived in good order.

As you can see it's PACKED with great stuff, including some character sheets, the primer guide, and even has an adventure module. The only thing not shown here is the pencil it came with, which, believe it or not, I thought was a great touch!

I've not seen the side box art shown too much on other sites, so I figured I'd show what a wonderful job the artist did. I already have some fantastic minis I'll make part of the set and I plan throwing a copy of Doug Easterly's Savage Swords of Athanor in there too.

Thanks again to Brave Halfling for making this available, I'm looking forward to digging in!

Frank Frazetta is gone

Famed fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta has passed away. Here is a small selection of my favorite Frazetta pieces. Show one of yours on a post today in honor of one of the great ones.

We'll miss you Frank.

Stat these beasts, stat!

The Shared Worlds writing camp faculty had an idea: get a cadre of contemporary sci-fi writers to imagine a collection completely new creatures and have the kids at the camp illustrate and elaborate on them! From the website:

Some of the beasts are strange, even creepy, like Cory Doctorow's Hyperman or Gail Carringer's Wax Automaton.  Others are terrifying like James O’Neal’s Crocostrictor. Some are small and furry, like Zoran Zivkovic's hamshees, Kathe Koja's Nyha, and Lev Grossman's Seeing Hare, while still others are lumbering behemoths or underwater wyrms.  And, of course, some are humorous, like Ekaterina Sedia's Mountain Reverse Hippo or Will Hindmarch's Cattywampus.

So have a look and see what inspires you. See the link below for the full story and a table-of-contents listing of the creatures. Stat-up a beastie or six--or illustrate one yourself--and then post it to your blog and spread the word! 

The full story: http://www.wofford.edu/sharedWorlds/sharedworldsbestiary.html

RPG Mash Up: Masters of the Universe + Jack Kirby x Marvel Superheroes = WIN

A recent post by Jeff Rients got my cylinders re-firing on an old idea I've had to work up a Masters of the Universe campaign using the Marvel Superheroes RPG. I think there's great overlap here: the system is infinitely flexible and great at supporting both superhuman abilities, technology, and magic.

D&D and it's immediate derivatives (clones, etc.) would do okay, but the FASERIP system is an excellent complement to the kinds of characters, feats, and frivolity generated out of comics and the Marvel system "feels" right for He-man and co. I also think that the Universal Table--arguably the heart of the FASERIP system-- would make an great fit for MotU, especially when it comes to handling combat.

Now here's where it gets weird: Jeff's post was about Jack Kirby's (not worthy! not worthy!) Fourth World being run with 4E rules (Stay focused! We're not talkin' 4E here!).

It turns out that--apart from the obvious Conan/Sword & Planet references--Kirby's Fourth World was one of the inspirations behind MotU! At least--it was for the 1987 film. There's also a good case that several of the MotU characters are damn-near direct analogs from FW. Now it get's sticky when you assume that the entire MotU franchise was in fact a He-man muscle on a FW skeleton, as some have asserted and yet others have refuted. But the visuals--if not the characterizations--were greatly influenced and inspired by Kirby, and I think the assessment is still a fair one.

For my own campaign, I pictured Kirby-esque visuals blended with a few other ideas even before I knew this connection existed. I guess it's not that far a stretch given the melting-pot-like environment of 80s fantasy--but it was definitely a welcome surprise! To be honest, it's not like I'd want the Mattel characters as PCs, but I'd jump at the opportunity to develop the setting and ability to make up new characters that could go toe-to-toe with MotU contemporaries. And yet, I'm not looking to make it cartoony. Ya dig?

Okay, so now my brain is cooking and--oh, I've got zero time to run with this idea as I'm getting ready to fly to Toronto next week for work. Gah! Why do all the good ideas bubble up to the surface when you're busy?!

Comic maestro Bruce Timm did the He-man images for the MotU 80s mini-comic, Kirby is a hero of his..

When combat is boiled down to initiative

It just takes the fun out of everything!

Harryhausen films to storm the theater again!

Ray Harryhausen is perhaps one of my favorite directors and his films are being featured this March at the Trylon Microcinema in Minneapolis. I'm so freakin' excited about this my head is about to 'asplode!

I grew up on a steady diet of peanut-butter-and-jam-wonderbread fantasy delivered courtesy of Mr. Harryhausen's verdant imagination and penchant for lavish special effects. But there's definitely some of missed and I've not seen ANY of them in a theater. The line up includes:

Friday, March 5 - Jason and the Argonauts
Saturday, March 6 - Jason and the Argonauts
Sunday, March 7 - Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers

Friday, March 12 - Mysterious Island
Saturday, March 13 - Mysterious Island
Sunday, March 14 - It Came From Beneath the Sea

Friday, March 19 - First Men in the Moon

Saturday, March 20 - First Men in the Moon
Sunday, March 21 - 20 Million Miles to Earth

Friday, March 26 - The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Saturday, March 27 - The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Sunday, March 28 - THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD!!!!!

I think they're really trying to tell us something with that last weekend. I own all the Sinbad films and Jason and the Argonauts in a fantasy box set. Must...get...sci-fi...set.....

Anyway, I've seen (and enjoyed) Mysterious Island which includes a brilliant and very memorable portrayal of Captain Nemo by Herbert Lom (who's still alive, BTW!). But I'm definitely psyched for First Men in the Moon and 20 Million Miles to Earth as I've not seen those at all.
Fair warning: you may not see much of me in March!

What a great way to get warmed up for the upcoming Clash of the Titans remake, which I've already decided I'm on board with.

*There's a present waiting for you if you click the last 7VoS link. ;)

Crystar: Crystal Warrior

Star of comics and action figures alike, Crystar was with us for all-too-short a time. I hope to see him resurface again. Plus he had a kick-ass side kick named Warbow, who was green, mean (had an eye patch) and crossbow.

That guy's almost cooler than the hero! Almost....

If there's a cosmology that badly needs to be retro-cloned into an RPG it's Crystar. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you exhibits A-F:

Previous testimony:
Geek Orthodox, also
Rotten Tomatoes
Plaid Stallions
Comic series episode guide 
Action figure series , also
UPDATE: Complete overview of Crystar's world, Crystalium

I rest my case.

P.S. Isn't he do for a re-make in general right about now?

P.P.S. This post has nothing to do with recently winning a Crystar action figure on eBay. Nope.

Learning My Dungeon Alphabet!

IT'S HERE!!!

I'd pre-ordered Michael Curtis' wild and woolly Dungeon Alphabet from Goodman Games back in December and it arrived this morning. I can't tell you how un-be-liev-ably cool it is--so I'll just show you! I don't want to get into any trouble with images, so I'll keep these small, but rest assured it's worth MORE than the measly $9.99 I paid for it (plus shipping).

Inside cover spread...

It's filled with all kinds of old-school goodness (it's system neutral) and even has a few pages on injecting weird elements into your games. Here's the alpha-letter rundown:
A is for Altars
B is for Books
C is for Caves
D is for Doors
E is for Echos
F is for Fungi
G is for Gold
H is for Hallways
I is for Inscriptions
J  is for Jewels
K is for Kobolds
L is for Levers
M is for Magic
N is for No Stone is Left Unturned
O is for Oozes
P is for Pools
Q is for Questions
R is for Rooms
S is for Statues
T is for Traps
U is for Undead
V is for Vermin
W is for Weird
X is for Xenophobia
Y is for Yellow
Z is for Zowie!

All of the letters are chocked full of great ideas in the form of random tables. Just about every page has an illustration in the OSR spirit, as well it should--it boasts an incredible line-up of OE D&D artists, including Erol Otus, Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Jim Roslof (among others).

A is for Altar....

Z is for Zowie...

I especially appreciate the W is for Weird and Z is for Zowie letters, which are direct descendants of modules like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (these aren't my words, they're straight outta' the book). Anyway, this has to be one of the best OSR products out there and you don't have to be a fan of the OSR to use this book. That said, those who are playing OE or retro-clones will full appreciate what a wonderful product Michael, Goodman, and the illustrators have created.

So the real question here is--why haven't you picked up yours yet?! :)