Supernatural: Rite of Passage

Written by: John Passarella
Published by: Titan Books
Page Count: 392
ISBN-10: 1781161119
ISBN-13: 978-1781161111

Where to buy: Titan Books, Amazon, and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:

Thirty years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. Following the tragedy, their father taught the boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners of America… and how to kill it.

Laurel Hill, New Jersey is beginning to look like one of the unluckiest places on Earth when a series of mishaps hit the town. But Sam and Dean suspect it’s more than just bad luck. Along with Bobby Singer, the brothers soon realize that a powerful Japanese demon is encouraging the chaos. But the demon has bigger plans and they are going to need to make their own luck to stop it.

A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

Today, Heather Royston gives us a review of another tie-in novel for the popular TV series Supernatural. Without further ado, I’ll turn this over to Heather.

Signed in human blood,
Sean Lee Levin

Since this is my second review of a Supernatural spin off novel, I won’t rehash the state of my fandom and such. I will reiterate that the previous volume did indeed whet my appetite for this book, and has made me excited to watch the show again. I had very high hopes that John Passarella would add to that excitement as I started his book.

Rite of Passage takes place near the middle of Season Seven and begins with a well-dressed man, Tora, arriving in the town of Laurel Hill, New Jersey. Immediately Tora begins somehow causing horrible accidents everywhere he goes. A crew of roofers falls off a house and dies on impact, one after the other. A man pruning a tree falls off his ladder and slices into his leg with his chainsaw and bleeds to death. Pleased with himself, Tora continues on his journey through town. We then leave Laurel Hill to find the Winchesters in upstate New York hunting harpies with Bobby Singer. From there the brothers get wind of the string of accidents in New Jersey, pack up and head out. Bobby calls another hunter, one he can’t quite call friend, and asks for a place to stay while they are in town investigating. We are also introduced to three teenage boys who seemingly have nothing to do with the accidents or each other. Things escalate very quickly and our heroes find themselves running out of time to stop the devastation.

This book didn’t read so much like an episode as it did a novel, and honestly I think that was a good thing. John Pasarella wrote a huge story with many intricate parts to it, and it just wouldn’t have worked in that format. This one gave me much more insight into the characters than I usually would have gotten, and I felt far closer to them than I would have had this been an episode. It was rather refreshing to know more about what was going on from more points of view than just Sam and Dean. The voices of the main characters were captured perfectly, of course, and the book even ended on a typical moment from the show that made me chuckle.

Final Thoughts:
Rite of Passage was exactly what I wanted: more than an episode and nothing less than excellent. It was a whole new version of the show that I immersed myself in and was rather sad to leave. However, I also learned that this author has written another Supernatural novel that takes place in an earlier season. I am now grabbing my car keys and heading to the nearest bookstore to find it. I give Supernatural: Rite of Passage by John Passarella 5 out of 5 tentacles.

Heather Royston – Assistant Editor/Reviewer

Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear

Written by: Terry Dowling
Published by: Ticonderoga Publications
Page Count: 366
ISBN-10: 0980628822
ISBN-13: 978-0980628821

Where to buy: Ticonderoga Publications, Amazon, and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:
WINNER OF THE 2007 INTERNATIONAL HORROR GUILD AWARD FOR BEST COLLECTION

FIRST AUSTRALIAN PUBLICATION

The everyday and ordinary show an unexpected malignant side in this collection of 18 uniquely disturbing tales of the fantastic. Dowling grounds his tales in mundane situations, then pulls back slowly to reveal (as the narrator of “Scaring the Train” calls them) “those moments of incidental framing reality where every commonplace surprises you.” In “Cheat Light,” a roll of film left in a pawnshop camera reveals images of an otherworldly origin. “Clownette” tells of a peculiar blotch on a hotel wall that proves to be something much worse than the harmless mildew stain it’s mistaken for. “Maze Man,” whose protagonist is trapped in an invisible maze that only he cannot penetrate, is one of several stories in which architecture motifs suggest alternate realities encroaching on our own. This is Dowling’s first U.S. collection after several in his native Australia, and the selection of stories new and old makes for one of the year’s more satisfying dark fantasy reads.

–PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

Today, I will be covering Terry Dowling’s first-rate collection Basic Black. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the book!

Signed in human blood,
Sean Lee Levin

Collections of short stories or novellas are often a mixed bag, with some stories being great, others mediocre, and some not worth the paper they’re printed on. I am pleased to say that Basic Black maintains high quality throughout its 300+ pages. Australian author Terry Dowling has compiled eighteen creepy, mysterious, and colorful stories that span more than 20 years of his illustrious career (this edition was published in 2006, and two of the stories were originally published in 1985.) All of them are excellent, and make me want to seek out more of his work.

While all the stories are firmly in the horror genre, some have elements of other genres as well. “Downloading” features a private investigator, and therefore could be considered a mystery as well. “The Ichneumon and the Dormeuse” has science fiction elements. It’s worth noting that “Downloading” is one of a few stories in here featuring Dowling’s recurring character Dr. Daniel Truswell. The stories featuring “Dr. Dan” are some of the best in the collection (particularly the grotesque “Jenny Come to Play,” which I think Tod Browning would enjoy,) and of all of Dowling’s other work, the other Dr. Dan stories are the ones I’d like to read most.

Final Thoughts:
One of the best parts of being involved with this site is that I am exposed to cool books I may never have discovered otherwise. Basic Black is no exception, and it has certainly made me want to read more of Mr. Dowling’s writing. His stories are imaginative and suspenseful, and are perfect for the short-story format. Bravo to Mr. Dowling for this terrific anthology, and I hope he continues to be successful in his career. I give this awesome collection five out five tentacles.

Sean Levin – Assistant Editor/Reviewer/Reporter

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Long time no type. My schedule has cleared some so be expecting to hear a lot more from SNS in the coming weeks. Thanks to Heather and Sean for holding down the fort for me. Now for the news…

It’s that time of year again! Vote for your favorite inker over at the Inkwell Awards.

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

(New Bedford, MA/USA—April 14, 2013) The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to educating and promoting the art of inking, invites the public to vote for the industry’s best of the past year. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwell Awards’  homepage from April 15 through April 30. Voting is open to everyone, whether fans or professional peers. The winners will be announced at the live awards ceremony at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC June 7-9.

The only noteworthy change this year will be that while the ballot will still list the nominees for the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award, the public will not be able to vote in that category. Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards (AKA “The Inkwells”), said, “Due to reader/fan turnover every few years, we’ve found the public can often be unfamiliar with many of the master artists from a decade or more ago. Thus, the award inadvertently becomes a ‘popularity contest’ with the voter ultimately choosing only familiar names from recent/favorite work, not from a culmination of the artist’s career accomplishments. We decided to have the internal and separate Hall of Fame Nomination Committee (made up of the core committee, former committee members, ambassadors, contributors and existing Hall of Fame award recipients) that chose the original nominees to then vote for the two deserving winners.

“We’re so excited for this event, where everyone’s hard work will pay off and the best of the best ink artists and their work will be recognized,” Almond continued. “Inkers have their own fans and followers, and often go unsung or glossed over in traditional awards events. Ours caters specifically to ink artists and allows several to be recognized and appreciated in various categories.”

Ballots and instructions can be viewed at The Inkwells’ web site beginning on tax day, April 15. A direct link will additionally be posted on their Facebook group page, where people may also ask any questions.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its fifth year, the organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

Wormwood #16

Edited by: Mark Valentine
Published by:: Tartarus Press
Page Count: 92
ISSN: 1744-2834

Where to buy: Tartarus Press and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:
The Other Side of Edwardian Fiction: Two Forgotten Fantasy Novels of 1911 by George M. Johnson
Lone Ghost in the Shadows: Charles Allston Collins and The Compensation House by Tim Foley
Carl Jacobi: Portrait in Moonlight by John Howard
H.T.W. Bousfield: A Neglected Writer of Popular Fiction by James Doig
Miss Opimiam by William Charlton
A Note on Vincent O’Sullivan by Ray Cavanaugh
The Man with the Poisoned Heart: The Life and Works of William Walker Hamilton by Paul Newman
Under Review by Reggie Oliver
Late Reviews by Douglas A. Anderson
Camera Obscura by Mark Valentine

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

Just over two weeks ago, I reviewed the fifteenth issue of Tartarus Press’ magazine Wormwood: Literature of the fantastic, supernatural and decadent. Today I’ll be looking at the sixteenth issue of this fine periodical. Enjoy!

Signed in human blood,
Sean Lee Levin

Wormwood Number 16 is just as excellent as the issue preceding it, and further bolsters my admiration for the work of the fine folks at Tartarus Press. Even better, while I was unfamiliar with most of the authors discussed in Number 15, this one had many I do know of, if only by reputation in most cases. The articles, once again, were all meticulously researched, and I appreciated the reproduction of cover art for several of the works discussed.

George M. Johnson‘s contribution to this issue is “The Other Side of Edwardian Fiction: Two Forgotten Fantasy Novels of 1911.” The two novels discussed are The Centaur by Algernon Blackwood and The Wonder by J.D. Beresford. The Centaur is a work of fantasy, while The Wonder is science fiction of a sort. Although I have read and enjoyed some of Blackwood’s short stories, I have to confess that The Wonder sounds the more interesting of the two novels Johnson describes. Tim Foley’s “Lone Ghost in the Shadows: Charles Allston Collins and The Compensation House” is an interesting look at the life of the author, brother of Wilkie Collins and son-in-law of Charles Dickens, as well as his one supernatural novel. John Howard’s “Carl Jacobi: Portrait in Moonlight” deals with an author of weird tales (who in fact contributed to the pulp magazine Weird Tales) whose career spanned nearly fifty years. James Doig’s “H.T.W. Bousfield: A Neglected Writer of Popular Fiction” primarily talks about Bousfield‘s life, but also gives short descriptions of his fantastic fiction, as well as reprinting an allegedly autobiographical encounter with the inexplicable that Bousfield recounted in Pearson’s Magazine in August 1919. William Charlton provides the most unique contribution to this issue with “Miss Opimiam,” which quotes extensively from Thomas Love Peacock‘s novel Gryll Grange as the descendants of the book’s main characters debate the merits of the views on science expressed by one character, a vicar and forebear of the title character of Charlton’s piece. Ray Cavanaugh’s “A Note on Vincent O’Sullivan” discusses two non-fiction works by O’Sullivan, a contemporary and friend of Oscar Wilde and other literary lights. Paul Newman’s “The Man with the Poisoned Heart: The Life and Works of William Walker Hamilton” primarily discusses Hamilton’s novels All the Little Animals (which intrigues me) and A Dragon’s Tale (which sounds rather surreal.) Three excellent review columns follow: Reggie Oliver’s “Under Review,” which includes among an interesting range of titles a massive tome collecting the bulk of Aleister Crowley‘s short fiction (excluding his stories about occult detective Simon Iff, some of which I have already read;) “Late Reviews” by Douglas A. Anderson, a laudable set of reviews of fantastic fiction from decades past; and “Camera Obscura” by editor Mark Valentine, which lists recent worthwhile books the reader may have missed.

Final Thoughts:
Tartarus Press has greatly impressed me in the past and continues to do so. As with the issue preceding it, Mark Valentine has assembled a talented group of researchers who do a great job of getting the reader interested in the authors they discuss, many of whom are little-known to the general public. I will be reviewing at least the two issues following this one in the near future, but if the fifteenth and sixteenth issues are any indication, I’m sure I’ll love them. This excellent magazine gets an enthusiastic five out of five tentacles from me.

Sean Levin – Assistant Editor/Reviewer/Reporter

Supernatural: Fresh Meat

Written by: Alice Henderson
Published by: Titan Books
Page Count: 355
ISBN-10: 1781161127
ISBN-13: 978-1781161128

Where to buy: Titan Books, Amazon, Amazon (kindle), and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:
After Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious supernatural force as young children, their father taught them how to hunt and destroy the paranormal evil that exists in the dark corners of America. Following their father’s demonic death, they discovered that they are descended from a long line of hunters and chose to continue their mission.
A rash of strange deaths in the Tahoe National Forest bring Sam, Dean and Bobby to the Sierra Nevada mountains to hunt a monster with a taste for human flesh. Soon walking corpses, bodies with missing organs, and attacks by a mysterious flying creature lead the trio to a cunning and deadly foe which can assume a human form and will do anything to survive. When a blizzard strikes the area, and not knowing who they can trust, they must battle not only the monster, but also the elements to survive.
A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

Today, Heather Royston brings us a review of Supernatural: Fresh Meat, a tie-in novel for the popular television series. Take it away, Heather!

Signed in human blood,
Sean Lee Levin

My husband and I have been watching Supernatural since midway through season three. It did not take us long to get caught up and we have been avid watchers since. When I received not one but two books based on the series I was very intrigued. I’ve never read books based on a television series before and hadn’t really thought about it. I decided to start with Fresh Meat, since the subject matter (the eating of human flesh) is something that fascinates my twisted mind.

This “episode” if you will, takes place close to the beginning of season seven. Much like the series the book starts out with a prologue, giving us the set up for where and what is happening. This time, it’s a flashback to the Donner Party tragedy in 1846. A smaller group branched off and tried to go for help but was trapped in the mountains by a snow storm. Things turned for the worse and when they had eaten everything they could to stay alive, including their own boots, the aptly named “Forlorn Hope” group turned to eating each other. We see this through the eyes of one member of the party, and get a small taste of his descent into madness. From there we flash forward to the present time where we find our heroes, Sam and Dean Winchester battling an angry ghost. During their post-victory dinner Sam finds an article about hikers going missing near Lake Tahoe and theorizes a wendigo may be stalking the woods there. They immediately call their closest friend and father figure, Bobby Singer and they agree to meet up and hunt it down together. Things escalate from there in a big way. The story has a twist or two, and managed to surprise even me with the conclusion.

The writer, Alice Henderson, sure did do her research. She knew all the signature moves the show has and worked them in very well. The characters quipped and quoted at each other quite naturally and I really did feel as if I was “watching” a new episode of the show. The placement in continuity fit well, though the characters dwelling on the big problems of that particular season did feel rather forced, like the thoughts were just dumped in there so we would know exactly when this took place. Other than a few overuses of cliched phrases (by page 62 she had used “the cold settled into his bones” three times, and I counted at least one more later on in the book,) the prose flowed wonderfully, and she knew exactly when to break from one scene to the next and transition from character to character. You could feel exactly when the suspense was high enough to have a commercial break.

Final Thoughts:
Overall I found this book to be highly enjoyable, actually more enjoyable than some of the episodes that have aired in the last year or so. I’m pretty excited to read the next book (you’ll be hearing all about that one soon enough!) and I’m fairly sure I’m going to be picking up more of these. I tip my hat to Alice Henderson for a job well done, and I award Supernatural: Fresh Meat four out of five Tentacles.

Heather Royston – Assistant Editor/Reviewer

Wormwood Number 15

Edited by: Mark Valentine
Published by:: Tartarus Press
Page Count: 92
ISSN: 1744-2834

Where to buy: Tartarus Press and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:
Stephan Zechowski: A Pilgrim of the Infinite by Brian Banks & Marta Mazur
Wilfred Rowland Mary Childe by Jonathan Wood
Gerard de Nerval: Exotic Voyager, Hashish Dreamer, Accursed Suicidalist by Adam Daly
Arthur Johnson: Another Sense of the Past by Robert Eldridge
Threshold in the First Half of the Tenth Chapter of Lucius Shepard’s Viator by Adam Golaski
Under Review by Reggie Oliver
Late Reviews by Douglas A. Anderson
Camera Obscura

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

The subject of this review is the fifteenth issue of the periodical Wormwood: Literature of the Fantastic, Supernatural and Decadent, ably edited by Mark Valentine. Without any further ado, I will give you my thoughts on this fascinating magazine!

As our readers know, we here at She Never Slept are great fans of Tartarus Press. Early last year, I myself gave a fairly glowing review of one of their releases, Tim Lees’ excellent novel Frankenstein’s Prescription. Therefore, I was looking forward to reading and reviewing this issue of their magazine Wormwood. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly, and may compile a reading list in the near future based on some of the works covered therein.

Brian Banks and Marta Mazur get the issue off to a strong start with “Stephan ?echowski: A Pilgrim of the Infinite,” examining the life and career of a Polish artist whose work reproduced here I find beautiful and fascinating. Sadly, there does not appear to be much information on him online which is available in English, but Wikipedia’s Polish version has a decent page on him, though many of you may need Google Chrome or something similar to translate it. Jonathan Wood follows with “Wilfred Rowland Mary Childe,” examining a poet (and, in two cases, prose writer) who flourished in the first half of the 20th Century. I enjoyed the excerpts from his poetry and prose reproduced, though I’m more a fan of the latter literary form than the former. I also can’t help but wonder, though the article does not say such, if his parents were fans of another English poet, Robert Browning. Adam Daly contributes “Gerard de Nerval: Exotic Voyager, Hashish Dreamer, Accursed Suicidalist.” In terms of biography and output, de Nerval is the author covered in this issue who most interests me, and the excerpts from his poetry and prose are very good indeed. Robert Eldridge’s “Arthur Johnson: Another Sense of the Past” looks at a virtually forgotten author whose readers included the Reverend Montague Summers. While the article itself is very well-written and interesting, Eldridge himself admits that Johnson has his faults as a writer, and the excerpts from the latter’s work failed to grab me. Adam Golaski’s article, “Threshold in the First Half of the Tenth Chapter of Lucius Shepard’s Viator” is one of the few articles dealing with an author whom I have heard of prior to reading this issue, though I have not read any of Shepard’s work myself. This is one of the more eclectic articles in the issue, and quite possibly my favorite. I will certainly try to acquire a copy of Shepard’s novel. Two excellent review columns follow, “Under Review” by Reggie Oliver and “Late Reviews” by Douglas A. Anderson. Both are written from the standpoints of people who are well-versed in the kind of literature alluded into the periodical’s subtitle, and each of the books covered in both sound quite interesting. Finally, editor Mark Valentine provides “Camera Obscura,” which draws the reader’s attention to interesting new books he or she may have missed. All three books are intriguing, particularly so (for myself, at any rate) Peter Pan’s First XI, which discusses J.M. Barrie’s cricket team, composed of such literary giants as Arthur Conan Doyle and P.G. Wodehouse.

Final Thoughts:
Wormwood is a literate, well-written magazine by a talented group of experts on fantastic literature, very thoroughly researched and delving into writers who the general public may not have been aware of. It has certainly suggested to me some authors whose work I should seek out. I will be covering further issues of this magazine in the near-future, which I am confident will be up to the same high standard as this one. As I have once before, I doff my hat to the fine folks at Tartarus Press for a high-quality production. I gladly give this issue 5 out of 5 tentacles.

Sean Levin – Assistant Editor/Reviewer/Reporter

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

A little raven dropped me a line about this fabulous new book with art by the talented Liv Rainey-Smith! Hopefully we can get our claws on a copy. Check out the trailer. Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

Adventures in Otherwhen

Written by: Teel James Glenn
Published by:: BooksForABuck.com
Page Count: 160
ISBN-10: 1602152284
ISBN-13: 978-1602152281

Where to buy: BooksForABuck.com SCIENCE FICTION CENTRAL, Amazon, Amazon (kindle), and other fine book retailers.

Publisher’s Comments:
According to some theories of quantum physics, the real universe doesn’t make choices, it takes every path. Somewhere out there, there’s a you who chose another spouse, who became a serial killer or a rock star. Somewhere, there’s a version of the universe where dinosaurs still rule, and another where your parents hated each other on first sight and never connected. Somewhere, Adolf Hitler had a change of heart in prison and somewhere there are cops who work to keep the leaves of reality from conflicting, prevent one version of you from murdering another and taking his place. Author Teel James Glenn approaches the alternate universe theory from the standpoint of the pulp fiction author. His version of a time-cop rides Slepnir, Odin’s 8-legged horse and is stuck with a Chimp as a sidekick at a magic convention. Adolf Hitler turned from politics to become an adventure writer and heads to Egypt with Robert E. Howard (who somehow left Cross Plains, Texas). Add in a Skullmask story, a story featuring the intrepid newspaper reporter Moxie of Maxi and Moxie fame, a steampunk story of transformation, warbots and romance, and a medieval tale of magic and betrayal and you have a fun collection of pulp adventure set in a universe of maybes and what-ifs. Teel James Glenn was voted Best Pulp Fiction Author of the year for 2012: in Adventures in Otherwhen he shows off his skill. Adventures is classic pulp–with strong men, females ranging from femme-fatale to the girl next door (with some who manage both), evil Nazis, an homage to Pulp’s beginnings, and a couple of tie-in stories to Glenn’s series.

Greetings to ill and sun-dried,

Today’s goodie is a review of Teel James Glenn’s Adventures in Otherwhen, a fun mash-up of the pulp and alternate history genres. Let’s hop to it!

As a huge fan of both classic pulp and New Pulp fiction, and a not-as-devout fan, but still a fan nonetheless, of alternate universe fiction, I was pleased to be given the chance to read this collection of pulp stories with an AU twist. Teel James Glenn has assembled six inventive tales that span many genres and blend them together in interesting new ways. All the stories are excellent, but my particular favorites are “Hairy Khetar and the Philosophers’ Stones” (to quote Brodie Bruce, “Now there’s a concept I can’t get enough of, a man and his monkey”) and “The Crusader from Cross Plains,” which teams Texan pulp writer Bob Howard with a German in the same line of work, one who was considerably more infamous in our reality.

If I have a complaint about this book, and it is a small one, it is that it could have done with tighter editing in some places. I noticed a number of typos, most of the type that a grammar or spell checker would not catch. While it was somewhat noticeable in many places, it did not detract from my enjoyment of Mr. Glenn’s clever, eclectic writing. It’s certainly not the first book I’ve read and enjoyed despite such errors.

Final Thoughts:
Adventures in Otherwhen is an incredibly entertaining hybrid of two genres I enjoy greatly. I had been interested in reading Mr. Glenn’s work even before reading this book, and I intend to read more of his work, particularly as some of the characters featured here appear in other books by him. I give this delightful work 4 out of 5 tentacles.

Sean Levin – Assistant Editor/Reviewer/Reporter

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Lovecraftian’s around the world, do you hear the call of Cthulhu? Check out this Kickstarter and become a supporter now! Want to know more? I will leave things in the capable tentacles of the HPLFF.  Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

Portland, OR – February 22, 2013— The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival® & CthulhuCon returns to the Hollywood Theatre May 3-5th to celebrate 18 years of Cosmic Horror with new gaming events, a local filmmaker competition, and Guest of Honor Sandy Petersen, the creator of the Call of Cthulhu® role playing game.

To raise funds for key upfront expenses, the festival is offering the community an interactive role in the event through a new Kickstarter campaign which runs until March 13th.

Highlights of the festival’s Kickstarter campaign, include a role in a live radio play staged by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, a chance to judge the Best Short Film, participation in a Call of Cthulhu® scenario run by Sandy Petersen, a new woodblock print created by local Portland artist Liv Rainey-Smith, whose work has appeared on the IFC show “Portlandia,” VIP and deluxe 3-day festival packages, and an executive producer role which puts your name in lights on the marquee!

The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival® & CthulhuCon will also host the “Lovecraft Under The Gun” 72-hour film competition to increase awareness of Portland-area independent film. Local filmmakers race to complete a short film, from scripting through post-production, in only three days. The festival audience will choose the winning film after a special screening on the main stage. Open to all local filmmakers, teams can pre-register now.

Since 1996, the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival® has been a Portland institution, celebrating film, literature, and art influenced by the master of Cosmic Horror, H. P. Lovecraft. The festival has grown to three nights and two days of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction showcasing independent short and feature films, author readings, panel discussions, and live events on all three screens of the historic Hollywood Theatre.

The Festival opens at 6 pm on Friday, May 3rd with an evening program, and continues through the weekend with afternoon and evening shows on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are currently available through the Kickstarter campaign >>here<<< and will go on sale in early March through the Hollywood Theatre website and box office. Advance weekend passes are $55. Advance single night passes for Friday are $15, Saturday $25, Sunday $25. Prices will be higher at the door.

For more information, please visit www.hplfilmfestival.com
facebook.com/hplfilmfestival
twitter: @HPLFF_PDX

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

It’s time for all of our comic fans to perk their ears. Here is the latest from the Inkwell Awards! Enjoy, my fiends.

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

(New Bedford, MA/USA–February 21, 2013) The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to educating and promoting the art of inking, will be displaying the results of its third Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge in a series of fund-raising online auctions beginning Saturday, February 23.

Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards (AKA “The Inkwells”) said “Joe Sinnott is our Hall of Fame namesake and recipient, Special Ambassador and a living representation of what the art form of inking is really about with a decades-spanning career of work to prove it. This inking challenge has become an essential platform for us to educate and teach, while raising much-needed funds for operations.”

To best illustrate what inkers bring to the form, Sinnott penciled drawings of Marvel mainstays the Thing and the Silver Surfer, which were then sent in blue-line form to various inkers around the USA and elsewhere. The ink artists were invited to “take their shot” at inking “Joltin’ Joe” at their leisure, whether staying more or less faithful to the original lines or reinterpreting and creating something different but equally special. The Thing image was a “breakdown”, an industry term for a looser sketch, as opposed to Joe’s usual “tight pencils” of the Silver Surfer art. A breakdown requires the ink artist to add more drawing to the work, to finish the art in ink, thus adding more diversity and challenge to the event.

The original art is being auctioned off at The Inkwells’ eBay store and will later be collected into book form. All pieces for this challenge are personally signed by Joe Sinnott himself, making the artwork even more desirable.

The list of ink artists contributing is equally impressive: Trevor Von Eeden, Joe Rubenstein, Rusty Gilligan, Keith Williams, Ken Branch, Neil Vokes, Rick Hoberg, Kent Archer, Mark McKenna, Mark Stegbauer, Johnny B. Gerardy, Ed Murr, Jim Tournas, Michael W. Kellar, Mike Pascale, Jack Purcell, John Floyd, Gerry Acerno, Charles Barnett III, Tom Schloendorn, Noah Barrett and Bob Wiacek all lent their skills and have pieces in the auctions. (Many other top-flight professionals have competed in previous challenges. The list changes each time.)

“This originally began in 2011,” added Almond, “based on a similar challenge given by Steve Morger at his Big Wow Comicfest in San Jose, California. First we had Joe draw Marvel’s Namor and Dr. Doom. The second challenge had Thor and Captain America. Now with The Thing and Silver Surfer, the inkers had a chance to flex their skills with earthly details or aim for the stars. Some even created mock comic-book covers, splash pages with credits and color pieces. The diversity is amazing and really illustrates what good inking can add to even great pencils.”

Joe Sinnott commented, “I must say that after embellishing the likes of Kirby, Buscema, Romita, Steranko, Colan, Kane, Perez, Byrne, Frenz and so many other greats for the past 50 plus years, I’m on cloud 9 that my pencils are being rendered by the elite of the inkers profession.”

Sinnott added, “To have [these artists] work on my pencils makes me proud to have been selected by Bob for this great assignment. I can’t say it enough, they’re all great and I appreciate their contributions to The Inkwell Awards.”

All the art, from last year up to the current pieces, can be seen at The Inkwell’s ComicArtFans gallery. The first wave of inked blue-line pieces from the latest Sinnott Challenge will be on the eBay auction block beginning Saturday, February 23 at the Ebay Inkwell Awards store The following week, on March 2nd, the inking advocacy group will set up auctions to benefit their annual Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund to the (Joe) Kubert School. Auctions for the second and final Inking Challenge wave will go up on March 9.

The Inkwell Awards web site also offers Sinnott Inking Challenge book collections of previous art donations with regular and signed and limited editions available for monetary donations to the organization. The first edition has an Intro by Terry Austin and cover by Joe Sinnott. The new 2nd collection has an Intro by Joe’s son Mark with a front cover by Josef Rubenstein and back cover by J. David Spurlock and Jose Villarrubia. While supplies last, there’s also a limited “Printer Defect Collectors Edition”, unsigned and signed by Joe Sinnott. Art from the third challenge will be collected later this year. Fans and pros are encouraged to check the Inkwell Awards’ Web Store for prices and availability on these editions and other merchandise at  the Inkwell Awards Store.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its fifth year, the organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.