THE NEXT LEVEL

Meet writers and artists of popular science fiction and fantasy at the 2009 SoonerCon expo this weekend at the Biltmore Hotel, 401 S Meridian.

Writer Dave Wolverton, aka David Farland, is the guest of honor. Wolverton is the author of the “Star Wars” novel “The Courtship of Princess Leia.” As Farland, he has written the “The Runelords” series, including the New York Times best-seller “Wizardborn.” Wolverton is a Guinness World Record holder for the largest single-author book signing, signing 1,845 copies of the science-fiction novel “A Very Strange Trip.”

Wolverton designed and scripted video games at Saffire studios. According to his Web site at www.davidfarland.net, he helped design the storyline, monsters, and weapons for “StarCraft’s Broodwar,” and wrote the story and script for “Xena: the Talisman of Fate.”

The artist guest of honor is Brad Foster, whose art has been published in more than 3,000 publications, including Amazing Stories and Highlights for Children.

Film fans can view selections from the International BareBones Film Festival, held each April in Muskogee. The Best of BareBones will screen films at SoonerCon today and Saturday, hosted by ShIronbutterfly Ray. Several filmmakers will be available for questions about their films.

This year’s theme is “Slideways in Time” and focuses on time travel and alternate histories. Tickets are $20 per day or $40 for the entire weekend. SoonerCon runs today through Sunday.

“It’s going to be high-energy,” said Leonard Bishop, executive director of SoonerCon 2009. “We’ve got 60-plus professional writers and artists; there will be multiple tracks of panel discussions and demos going on.”

Among the demos will be stage combat, belly dance, and performance art. There will also be charity auctions and evening activities.

For more information about SoonerCon, call (405) 694-1555 or visit www.soonercon.com.

- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

WORD BALLOONS

Superman meets Batman in the new novel from writer Kevin J. Anderson, “Enemies and Allies.” Anderson sets the first meeting of the two in the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War.

“It seemed unlikely to set a story in the modern day, and say that Batman and Superman have never heard of each other before,” Anderson said in a phone interview with The Oklahoman. “It felt more in keeping with the spirit of the universe if we set it back in a more nostalgic time. And of course the ’50s is the time we all remember from George Reeves as Clark Kent and Superman, and Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and that was the flavor I wanted to pick up on.”

In “Enemies and Allies,” Bruce Wayne’s Wayne Industries is at the forefront of many technological breakthroughs. But he’s being spied on by another industrialist, Lex Luthor, who wants to stoke Cold War tensions to build his own military-industrial empire.

“Set in the Cold War universe with Bruce Wayne as the big industrialist as well, Lex Luthor just seemed like the natural foil for both Bruce Wayne and Wayne Industries, and Clark Kent and Superman,” Anderson said.

Meanwhile, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen, reporters for the Daily Planet, are sent to look into a possible flying saucer crash.

“We did the story in stages,” Anderson said. “One was doing Batman and Superman and deciding to set it in the ’50s. And in the ’50s, the primary thing is the Cold War, and everybody was afraid that the Russians were going to launch nuclear missiles at us, and everybody was doing disaster drills. The movies at the theater, they’re … all these wonderful flying saucer paranoia pictures.”

Ultimately, the 1950s setting became interwoven completely with the story.

“It became not just window dressing, but the ’50s setting and everybody’s attitudes about the Cold War, the paranoia about flying saucers, and all of these details became integral to the plot rather than just little backdrops,” Anderson said.

Another new release from Anderson is “Terra Incognita: The Edge of the World,” a fantasy novel featuring high-seas adventure. Additionally, a CD from ProgRock Records tying into the book’s release has lyrics by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, with music by Erik Norlander (keyboardist for Asia Featuring John Payne).

“This idea’s been in my head for a long time, because I think a lot of the people who listen to that kind of music also listen to the kind of books that I write,” Anderson said. “It’s a crossover rock CD and fantasy novel.”

More about Kevin Anderson’s “Enemies and Allies” and “Terra Incognita” can be found at his Web site, www.wordfire.com.

- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Marvel Comics continues its adaptation of Raymond E. Feist’s novels with the 5-issue miniseries “Riftwar.”  The release states: “The fan favorite team behind Magician Apprentice reunites and delivers an even more compelling tale of bravery and peril. The Castle Crydee has never faced an enemy as threatening as the one they face now. Meanwhile, Pug journeys deep into the heart of the enemy’s camp in what can only be described as a suicide mission! This first issue has all the makings of a shocking series that will change the landscape of Midkemia forever!”

Comedy Central mixes medieval action with satirical slapstick in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Sean Maguire (”Meet the Spartans”) plays the titular hero, described in the show’s promo as “the son of a blacksmith and a stay-at-home mom.” It parodies medieval quest fiction like “Lord of the Rings” and “Robin Hood,” as Krod leads a band of resistance fighters against an evil overlord.

Maguire initially passed on “Krod,” feeling it would hew too closely to areas he’d already covered as Leonidas in “Meet the Spartans.” But his manager convinced him to give it another look.

“It’s very clever, it’s very funny,” Maguire said in a recent phone interview. “It’s not a spoof; it’s far more satirical and far cleverer humor than a silly fun romp like ‘Spartans’ was.”

In fact, Maguire said you could compare “Krod Mandoon” to a workplace comedy – the workplace just happens to be in a medieval realm.

“Krod is pretty much like the team leader, and he’s got the sales department, the accounts department, the whatever department, and he’s just trying to keep them all together and get the shipment out,” Maguire said. “But they’re just such a bumbling bunch of fools it makes his job twice as difficult.”

So how about that “Flaming Sword of Fire”? It’s a practical effect, Maguire said, meaning the sword was literally alight in his hand.

“It did require some guys with a Bunsen burner to come and light it, and I had a tube running down my arm, and a gas canister somewhere out of shot,” he said. “Consequently I had a quite a hot arm many a filming day.”

He wasn’t the only one to take a beating while filming “Krod.” India de Beaufort, the actress who portrays the pagan warrior Aneka, said she took her share of bumps, some serious, as well.

“I had a bad injury, I fell when I was learning to tumble,” she said. “The next day I got head-butted in the face and got a fat lip … after that I was much happier to let my stunt double do all the gymnastics.”

Aneka’s aggressive sexuality at times puts her in conflict with Krod, who loves her but doesn’t always understand her traditions.

“She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone,” de Beaufort said. “She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.”

The rest of Krod’s merry men in the pilot are played by Kevin Hart, Steve Spiers and Marques Ray; the evil Chancellor Dongalor is played by Matt Lucas.

“Working with those people on a daily basis, it was so hard to keep a straight face,” de Beaufort said. “It was so difficult, but it was so enjoyable at the same time.”

Comedy Central has placed a six-episode order for “Krod Mandoon,” and if the show is successful, the motley band of heroes will be back for more.

“I just hope people don’t write it off,” Maguire said. “It is silly, and it can be slapsticky, but there’s also a lot of merit in the writing, and some really great performances.”

- By Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman

See more pictures from “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire” after the break.

Krod Mandoon	Thurs Apr 9, 10p/9c
Krod Mandoon Series Preview
comedycentral.com
Matt Lucas Kevin Hart Sean Maguire

Two more video previews for the upcoming series “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.” Look for interviews with series stars Sean Maguire and India de Beaufort in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.

I just got off the phone with India de Beaufort, who plays the alluring pagan warrior Aneka in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts on Comedy Central on April 9. “Krod Mandoon” is a satire on a “Conan” type world, as the warrior Krod (Sean Maguire) leads a group of resistance fighters against Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas) in an ancient realm.
Look for a full article about the series in an upcoming issue of The Oklahoman, but I thought I’d give Nerdage readers an early excerpt of my interview with India.

MATT PRICE: Aneka’s a Xena-type character with a much more graphic sexual edge. How do you approach playing the character?
INDIA DE BEAUFORT: I had a lot of fun playing the role. I found it really freeing to play this kind of feisty, sassy character. There are definitely, I’d say, things about her that I can relate to; there are certain things about her that were lessons to me, things that I took from her and learned from her; and there were elements of her that I probably couldn’t relate to. But it’s nice to get your teeth stuck into something like that and have fun with it. It was just very important to me that even though she is sexually free, I wouldn’t want her really to ever be thought of as a slut, or any kind of degrading names. Because for me, I kind of find her as someone who, she feels justified in her actions. She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone. She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.

KULL #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

Arvid Nelson, the writer of the alternate-history murder mystery “Rex Mundi,” has been tabbed by Dark Horse to helm “Kull,” the third comic-book series based on the Robert E. Howard properties.

Kull, a warrior-king, has named himself ruler of Valusia, a formerly great kingdom now living in dreams of its past. To unite the kingdom under his rule, Kull must lay siege to the Iron Fortress, and its ruler, Count Areyas.

The Iron Fortress will be difficult to subdue – and even moreso if Areyas releases the monster, Etrigor.

The art of Will Conrad (”Serenity,” “Conan”) ably captures the fantasy setting. Conrad’s depiction of action, and his storytelling, are top-notch. 

Howard’s original “Conan” story was in fact a reworking of a rejected “Kull” tale, so naturally the characters have similarities.  But Nelson’s portrayal of Kull is layered, with a more thoughtful and philosophical approach than Conan.  This “Kull” storyline will adapt the Robert E. Howard story “The Shadow Kingdom.”

The covers are by Andy Brase and Joe Kubert, and while both are good, I preferred the Brase cover on this issue.

I haven’t read any of the previous “Kull” comics from other publishers, or the original stories themselves.  But as of the first issue, “Kull” is my favorite of the current batch of Robert E. Howard comics.

 -  Matt Price

The adventurer Robin Hood gets a mystical slant in “Robin of Sherwood,” the 1980s version of the legend.

Michael Praed stars as Robin of Loxley, chosen by the supernatural “Herne the Hunter” to protect the forests and aid the weak. Loxley gathers his band of Merry Men, including Scarlet (Ray Winstone. “Sexy Beast”) and Little John (Clive Mantle).

They fight the oppression of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace, “Brideshead Revisted”) and Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie).

The film was shot on location in English castles, adding to the authenticity. The haircut of Praed and the music of Irish band Clannad probably date the programs, today, but they still stand up as one of the best interpretations of the legend.

“Robin of Sherwood” covers two of the main variants of the “Robin Hood” tale — Robert of Huntingdon, a nobleman, replaces Loxley as Robin Hood after Praed left the show. Thus, the Robin Hood of the series was in turn, a commoner and a displaced nobleman. In another interesting twist, Huntingdon was played by Jason Connery, son of Sean Connery, who himself played Robin Hood in 1976’s “Robin and Marian.”

— Matthew Price

(From the Sept. 26 The Oklahoman)

Robert Rodriguez is on hand to produce “Red Sonja,” starring Rose McGowan.  Superhero Hype talked to McGowand and Rodriguez about the film:
Rose McGowan: Well, I thought “Red Sonja” was incredibly badass. The studio brought me the script. I got really excited about it. I’d been getting such boring scripts and after doing Cherry in “Planet Terror,” I was really in a quite a deep depression — I’m not going to lie — at least workwise. I came home and said, “I really want to do this movie. It’s kind of great. Look at these comic books, you ever heard of this person? This is insane!” And then…
Robert Rodriguez: I had been into “Conan” since I was twelve. “Savage Sword of Conan” was the first comic I had gotten. There was lots of Red Sonja in that. Robert E. Howard, who I’m a fan of, was from Texas. I used to collect his books and just knew all about it so I was very surprised when she brought the comic script and offer. I said, “If you want to do that, that’s a great project to do!” That’s like a fantasy project for somebody who grew up with this.

While I’m certain the picture I’ve included here would be enough for the woman who called to complain to me the last time I wrote about Red Sonja, I’m not even stopping there.  Click past the cut for one of the least subtle promotional posters I’ve ever seen.

– Matt Price

Gaiman writes:
An apologetic note to say that I’ve just learned that for various reasons (none of which was really anyone’s fault) the Tulsa Oklahoma event on June the 28th has had to be cancelled. (And, I am assured, all tickets will be refunded.)

I definitely want to come to Tulsa — there are Lafferty archives to see, after all, and old friends to eat with — so I think its been more postponed than cancelled, although it’ll probably be in a slightly different form when next it happens.

This is too bad — I know several people were looking forward to the well-known “Sandman” author’s appearance — but there is some hope that a future trip is in order.

– Matt Price

From Friday’s The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

The swashbuckling Adrian Paul has played Duncan McLeod, the immortal Highlander, through six seasons of television and a threatrical release.

In “Highlander: The Source,” now available on DVD, Paul reprises his role as Duncan McLeod as McLeod joins a group of immortals seeking the source of their immortality.

Paul said he thinks “Highlander” taps into a long-held human wish.

“I think everybody would like to live forever,” Paul said in a recent phone interview just after a day of filming the thriller “Nine Miles Down” in Budapest.

“It’s a nice dream to think we can live through the years and live longer than we actually do.” “Highlander” also appeals to those who are interested in history, Paul said, as the story of the immortals plays across the centuries. And the themes of the show, and films, are universal.

“You’re dealing with romance, love, hate, bigotry, and everybody understands those things across cultures in that respect,” Paul said.

Paul spent 18 years studying martial arts and swordplay, and the athletic Paul played semi-professional soccer as a young man. He’s studied the short sword, the long sword, and the staff, among others.

“Even though it’s sped up in ‘The Source’ in places, it was all me doing it,” Paul said. “It’s something I enjoy delving into.”

After finding success as a model, Paul broke into acting with a role in “The Colbys.” After appearing in films and off-Broadway, Paul guest-starred in “Murder, She Wrote” and “Beauty and the Beast” before joining the cast of “War of the Worlds.” Following that was “Highlander: The Series.”

Paul first brought Duncan MacLeod to motion pictures with “Highlander: Endgame,” where he met Christopher Lambert’s Connor MacLeod, his kinsman from the first “Highlander” pictures.

After “The Source,” “Highlander” could continue in future motion picture projects. On the horizon is a “Highlander” video game, set for release this fall.

“Highlander has a life of its own, and whether I’m attached to it or not, it will probably go ahead in one form or another,” Paul said.

Paul stays very busy as an actor, producer and director, and he’s attempting to add writer to his resume.

“I have a script that’s going to be financed, and I’m going to try to produce some stuff, too,” he said, adding that a mix of different responsibilities keeps him from being bored.

“Writing’s a challenge,” Paul said. “I’ve learned a lot about writing over the years. I’ve learned a lot about story elements, and how to do certain pacing in a script at certain times, and the act breaks and that sort of stuff, so it has a flow. And I understand that much better than I did 10 years ago when I first started trying to write.”

Paul won’t consider himself a writer until he has an official credit, though he has unofficially worked on some projects over the years.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I’m a writer,’ and they haven’t had anything published … so, I’m not a writer yet.”

Gygax adapted miniature war gaming to a fantasy setting, when he and Dave Arneson created “Dungeons & Dragons” in 1974.  In a 2004 interview with GameSpy, Gygax said his main inspirations were fantasy writers Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague DeCamp and Fritz Lieber. 

Gygax was four times named “Game Inventor of the Year” by the U.K.-based Games Day and founded GenCon, the long-running hobby convention, in 1968.  He helped to create nine other games and was a producer on the “Dungeons & Dragons” cartoon series.

“Dungeons & Dragons” was in the news in the 1980s as some groups blamed the game for suicides and linked it with the occult.

“I mean, there wasn’t a shred of evidence or veracity in any of those claims,” Gygax told GameSpy. “I knew it, and a lot of people told me that, including mothers of two of the children who had committed suicide.”

In the GameSpy interview, Gygax told the interviewer how he hoped to be remembered:

“I would like the world to remember me as the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else.”

– Matt Price

From Oni:

This spring Oni Press is picking up the sword and shield and heading out for adventure with NORTH WORLD, BOOK 1: THE EPIC OF CONRAD, a new original graphic novel series from cartoonist and webcomicker Lars Brown! Part LORD OF THE RINGS and part GROSS POINTE BLANK, NORTH WORLD is a fantasy epic that has already enjoyed critical success as a webcomic (www.north-world.com) and now joins such Internet stalwarts as MEGATOKYO, PVP, PENNY ARCADE, and PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP in moving to print with an already established audience in tow.

“NORTH WORLD is one of those books that just felt right for us,” said editor James Lucas Jones. “Lars’ sensibilities, both in terms of artistic style and storytelling, fit in line wonderfully with our own and while he’s tackling a genre that people don’t immediately associate with Oni Press, he’s exploring it in a way that is right up our alley.” 

North World really isn’t that different from our own… the biggest difference is the presence of mythical monsters, talking bears, arcane arts, and, of course, the heroes who stand ready to defend the innocent and helpless from these extraordinary threats! Conrad is one such hero and he’s about to experience something scarier than any of the mighty beasts he’s faced down — his ex-girlfriend’s wedding!

NORTH WORLD adds to the impressive catalog of OniGNs—original graphic novels from veteran comic publisher Oni Press that explore a variety of themes and genres. It joins books from critically acclaimed creators like Bryan Lee O’Malley, Vasilis Lolos, Ande Parks, and Rick Spears & Chuck BB. 

“With an already-established fan-base from his NORTH WORLD webcomic and a unique take on the ’swords & sorcery’ genre,” added Jones, “We’re confident that NORTH WORLD will appeal to both mainstream comic fans as well as the more casual sequential art readers looking for something both fun and different.”

NORTH WORLD, BOOK 1: THE EPIC OF CONRAD is a 152 page black-and-white graphic novel for $11.95. The digest-sized volume that’s rated “T for Teen”. It ships to comic book stores this March.

I got really into these books in high school and early college, but then I got frustrated with waiting for them to come out.  I always figured I’d go back to them when they were finished.   Since Jordan’s death, I’ve been interested in going back and reading them.  Maybe if I got started now, I’d finish by 2009.