World of Antra News Feed

GROGNARDIA is Good

Thu, 3 Nov 2011 12:52:09 -0700

As part of my ongoing effort to be able to properly critique a manuscript I'm working on, I've had to do a great deal of research, in order to more precisely state my responses.

One of the best things to come out of my flailing about for communicable definitions was the discovery of the Pulp Fantasy Library entries at GROGNARDIA.COM. This was a truly worthwhile find, if, like myself, you spent a particularly period of time soaking up what these days have come to be known as old school materials.

In those pre-modern times, one's access to fantastic subject matter required a good bit of ferreting out--so almost everyone with any interest shared a very large number of authors and titles between them--very unlike today, when the amount of material has ballooned to the point where any given 'fan' is likely to be following an IP with which any other given may not be at all familiar.

That's why this particular site is so special--the resident host of Grognardia dates from that period, which means the materials under discussion are materials with which I am familiar. Now, our takes and tastes in those materials do differ--but it was an utter delight to find myself reading an entry in the Pulp Fantasy Library, and then realize I had the story in question at hand in my library.

It was very much fun to read the review and be able to follow along by reading the story, to better understand the reviewer's points, and to achieve a better understanding of the subject of what constitutes, old school, as well.

Highly recommended.

Gygax Memorial

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:15:15 -0700

Some progress has occurred on getting a statue erected to Gary Gygax in Lake Geneva, WI. The city has voted to donate land for the project, \"not to exceed 10 x 10\", in Donian Park. You can contribute (bronze casting is not inexpensive) at the website for the Fund.

Food for the Mind

Thu, 19 May 2011 08:16:10 -0700

This essay provides me much food for thought this morning and I suspect, for many days to come. I share greatly the author's impression that something went horribly wrong as he describes, but hadn't put my finger so close to the origin of where the creativity I feasted on in those years have gone. Naked Went the Gamer. His postulation that what went missing was the eros in art is a sharp one. Updated 6/3/11: Wow, I'm still thinking about this a week later. I am absolutely contemporaneous with his listing of materials and this is really reframing history I experienced personally in unexpected ways.

Starship Warden

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:29:27 -0800

Jim Ward, a name familiar to those who can claim the title grognard, could use some help. I know him because he wrote the original Gamma World, which fired my imagination like few other things at a tender age. To this day, I still pull out my original copy, and point to the picture of the Non-Viable Character when I need to illustrate how not to do things. I loved that setting... and also his many contributions to Dragon Magazine and the Forgotten Realms over the years. He also wrote the original Pool of Radiance for the Forgotten Realms novel series (with Jane Cooper Hong), which to my mind is just about the perfect archetypal D&D adventure... having read dozens, if not hundreds, of successive Forgotten Realms books, this was the volume which set the standard and model for all that would follow... introducing Alias of Westgate, who would feature in many successive volumes. Metamorphosis Alpha, Spellfire, and Dragon Ball Z... the list goes on and on. Jim Ward is an historically important guy, someone whose efforts sustained and built the whole industry which became gaming as we know it, going forward. And he's apparently quite ill, with the mounting medical costs which come along with same. An account has been set up to help cover his costs, and if any of the above means anything to you, please visit the donation page at Friends of Starship Warden The Bail Out the Warden Fund has been physically established at: Bail Out the Warden Fund The Associated Bank of Elkhorn 850 N. Wisconsin St. Elkhorn, WI 53121

So Good

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:08:27 -0700

Chris Claremont used to be the Perfect Writer. I think that mantle has been passed to Allan Heinberg now. It took two decades, and lots of people took a stab at it, but this was it for me. Progress, I mean, along so many axis. Young Avengers: Sidekicks Jim Cheung's art is also top-flight--man can tell a story visually, people. Practically a lost art these days. Sigh. SO GOOD.

Colleen Doran Makes Pretty Pictures

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:19:15 -0700

Colleen Doran is a lovely lady with a long history in the comics industry. You should visit her blogs for her creation A Distant Soil and her personal site, which has her beautiful sketches for LoTR chase cards up. Pretty, pretty art.

An Era Ends...

Mon, 10 May 2010 15:06:33 -0700

Frank Frazetta died this morning. The most singular artist I've ever known is gone. If there has ever been a measure for the power of art, he set the high bound of that scale. Immediate, visceral, power sprang from his brush like no other before or since. Words fail me, only tears will provide solace today.