Re-Enter Fu-Manchu!

Re-Enter Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer was first published in 1957, the first of the Fu-Manchu novels to not be serialized before being collected.

This story, appearing a full decade after the last starring "The Devil Doctor" was first published by Gold Medal Books as a paperback with a lush and provocative cover by Bayre Phillips.

The story alas is not a particularly strong one, and for the simple reason that we are presented the story from the perspective of Brian Merrick, who turns out to be one of the dullest adventure protagonists it's possible imagine. He's a self-absorbed son of privilege who approaches his duties with the seriousness of an afternoon tennis match and spends a good deal of the narrative hot and bothered that he's so ill-used by his master Sir Dennis Nayland Smith.

The mystery set in the heyday of the Cold War is not a very palpable one, and the danger seems oddly remote. The blood and thunder which activates most pulp yarns is almost completely absent from this story which progresses along with little in the way of true feeling. For one thing, Fu-Manchu is entirely too present in the story, appearing almost from the beginning and not operating in the shadows as he most often does.

The romance which often overtakes the heroes of these stories seems lackluster and staid having little if any erotic component. There is little in the way of the exotic evident to tickle the nose of a Fu-Manchu fan. In fact I cannot think of a single detail in this story which I'd label as truly fantastic, other than perhaps Fu-Manchu's revival through his infamous elixir very early in the story.

It does pick up some steam a bit in the final third, but it's a while to get to that point. Sax Rohmer was writing these for the checks at this point it seems and while I cannot blame him for that, I likewise cannot really recommend this one to anyone not interested in reading all of the canon.

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I Call Bullwinkle!

What a day for American politics!

On the Conservative Right side of the equation we had the cynical announcement by professional huckster Donald Trump that he is running for President of the United States. He will likely stop running sooner than later, and he will never become president, but for a few glorious days he will be the center of attention in a world in which he imagines he deserves to be the center of attention.

His campaign is a con job pure and simple, a ruse to raise his profile yet higher and make a little scratch or scratch his ego or both. Those who take him seriously (or pretend to) are participating in the obvious ruse, and are likewise helping to point up the sham which politics in this country have become in many respects.

Likewise on the Progressive Left side of the political equation we had the noxious display of Rachel Dolezal, the woman who for several years now has pretended to be African-American and had become president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). We have listened to all manner of claptrap from mopes on the left trying to parse out the deep-seated reasons a white woman might pretend to be black in America and coming up with a wide array of complex pseudo-psychological and quasi-sociological explanations.

Interviews with Dolezal likewise seem to want to understand her plight rather than expose her readily apparent con. The fact that she once upon a time sued Brown University because they discriminated against her because she was white blatantly points up the lie that she now imagines herself to be black and has done since she was five years old (she says). She's bogus, it's not difficult to understand, and should be pretty easy to say.

The twisting and turning on both sides of the political spectrum yesterday was weirdly entertaining as hucksters of all stripes tried to make both these abominable displays work for their immediate political interests. Whether one is giving credence to the proven flim-flam man Trump, or trying to evolve alongside the demonstrated con artist Dolezal, a lot of "news" vendors sold their credibility yesterday for pennies on the dollar. But perhaps I overestimate the value of their stock.

In both cases there are folks all too willing to be hoodwinked, whether the confidence artist is a rabble-rousing tycoon looking to move a bit more snake oil before the sun sets forever on his sideshow, or a pernicious and proven liar who is seeking fame and glory and admiration in the ranks of the professional grievance community.

Hokey Smoke!

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Signal From Space!

I sat down recently and read again Will Eisner's raucous noir saga Signal from Space (which goes also by the title of Life on Another Planet - I much prefer the former title). This story is one of Eisner's more muscular pieces, a story which has very little of the small world daily life material he focused on in his later career, but a wild science fiction yarn which reads like sci-fi blended sweetly with a  no-nonsense crime drama.

Our hero is named James Bludd and he's hired by the C.I.A. when a purported signal from a intelligent life in the depths of space triggers all sorts of action from foreign powers, the now-defunct U.S.S.R. least among them. This is a vivid satire very much plugged into the headlines of the late 70's. Eisner's commentary on such world events as the reign of the noxious Idi Amin and the rise of deadly cults among the desperate is potent.

Highly recommended. 

Here are the issues in which it first appeared. While the story never rates a cover mention, I never pass up a chance to showcase some of Will Eisner's rich artwork.
 

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Christopher Lee R.I.P.

The death of Sir Christopher Lee does not come as any great surprise, but it certainly does evoke great sadness. At ninety-three he still possessed a commanding presence on the big screen as evidenced by his appearance in the most recent movie trilogy derived from Tolkien's work. This work was an especially effective turn because of Lee's devotion to the Middle Earth material, which he reportedly read annually.

But as good as his Saruman is, it will always be (at least for me), his turns as Count Dracula in the many Hammer movies he worked in which define his career, either fairly or unfairly. Lee brought a ferocity to that role which forever redefined how people related to Bram Stoker's count. Other actors come and go, but aside from Lee and Lugosi, no others have defined the role of the undead Count.

Not unlike his generational peer Clint Eastwood, Lee was dominant on the big screen for the simple reason he was often taller than his colleagues and his gaze was mesmerizing, even when he wasn't trying to entrance you. Good looking enough for all practical purposes, his face was always rich with character which spoke of experiences that untold still informed his presentations. Whatever was going on in any given scene, there was a good chance your eyes were on Lee.

Even the worst schlock, and he was in some schlock for sure, is made better by his presence. Even a movie as poorly concocted as Captain America II: Death Too Soon is pretty much only watchable because of Christopher Lee's presence. His commanding voice gave resonance to even the most vapid lines.

 Many will mention his turn as Scaramanga, the James Bond villain and "Man with the Golden Gun". That movie unfortunately has a number of silly elements, and wastes Lee's possibilities in many respects, but overall it still rises above the pack of the Roger Moore Bond flicks. I've read that he lost out on the original Bond villain role of Dr.No, and that's a great shame; he'd have been magnificent.

Also of note is his addition to the Star Wars saga as Count Dooku, one of the select acolytes of the dark side of the enigmatic Force. His role is relatively meager (for Lee) but significant and it adds heft to the trilogy which many malign out of all proportion to its sins.

 There are so many grand characters Lee portrayed that it's difficult to recall them all immediately. The Creature of Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Kharis the Mummy, Francisco Scaramanga, Rasputin, Fu Manchu, Lord Summerisle, and so many others.

Now Lee has passed, and has joined his colleague and friend Peter Cushing with whom he made over twenty films. Here is an article which details some of the amazing facts about Lee's vivid and long life.

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Living In Fear!

I forget how long ago it was that I learned that Les Daniels, the author of many a tome on comic books including the seminal volume Comix: A History of Comic Books in America, had written a similar book recounting the development of terror in popular culture. I do know that I was very pleased to stumble across a copy of Living In Fear: A History of Horror in the Mass Media at a local bookseller. While the book was more well-thumbed than I usually buy, I knew that this one is hard to get so I made off with it.

Now at long last I've given it a solid reading straight through and I sadly find it an uneven reading experience. Daniels is expansive in his definition of terror or horror as it is often called. He begins with the ancient myths and works his way steadily through history, counting all manner of monsters from all sorts of sources as influences. He's doubtless correct, but sometimes he's so inclusive it's difficult to get a feel for the parameters he has established for the book.

A sense of that begins to develop with the discussion of the Gothic horrors of vintage writers such as Robert Walpole, Edmund Lewis and others. When we finally get to Mary Wollstencraft Shelley and her seminal novel Frankenstein, the influences are firmly established is broad. Daniels goes on to focus on important American writers such as Poe and Lovecraft. 

Then he turns his attention to films with obvious focus on the epic Warner Brothers classic monster flicks along with just about every other significant "horror" film you've ever heard of. He brings this 1970's analysis of the genre right up to the then present day talking about such efforts as The Night Stalker and The Exorcist.

Also Daniels offers up samples of horror stories from across the centuries with tales by Poe, Lovecraft, Bierce, and Machen among others. There's even a vintage EC Comic story by Jack Davis included.

Daniels is sweeping in his coverage, and in spots allows himself to drill down in some detail, but mostly this book becomes a catalog of important and or famous horror stories and films a fan should want to see. That's not unimportant in a book which pre-dates the internet with its avalanche of information on the genre, but it was not what I expected really. I anticipated more analysis, more insight and there is some, but just not as much as I'd have preferred.

That said, this is still a book I'm glad I found and read. 

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Wonder Woman For President!

Here are three Wonder Woman covers produced for Ms. magazine. The first one was produced way back in 1972 by Murphy Anderson. The second is from 1997 and uses the Anderson artwork in a new way. The third from 2012 is by Michael Allred. It is perhaps ironic that none of these (I cannot identify the new art on the 1997 issue) is produced by a woman, especially the most recent one.

In researching this artwork I stumbled across this website maintained by Pete Marston, the son of William Moulton Marston, the psychologist who created Wonder Woman so many decades ago. And here is a 2014 The New Yorker article by Jill Lepore about the creation and history of the character.

As for a woman becoming president, it's taken way too long for that to happen. Maybe this next election will solve that situation. Hillary Clinton is far from a "Wonder Woman" but she is certainly competent and qualified for the position. But it's a long time until the election and as we saw last time, a lot can happen. For some perspective on how far we've come (or perhaps haven't) check out this Gloria Steinem article from that very first issue of Ms. 

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The Diana Prince Adventures - Part Two!

Diana Prince, formerly known as "Wonder Woman" continues her new life as a mere human being in this volume of comics from 1969 and 1970. By this time Mike Sekowsky was not only drawing the adventures, he was both writing and editing the series.

Diana begins her newest life by helping out a pretty young waif who has fallen with a gang of Carnaby Street wannabes called "Them". This battle has some severe consequences for Diana who loses her botique to fire and has to begin again. I-Ching returns from Paradise Island to again partner with Diana and they confront a modern witch named Morgana who suffers from some fascinating psychological problems.

Diana then crosses over into Lois Lane's territory with a rather humdrum story by Robert Kanigher and above average art by Irv Novick about her finding a relationship with Superman which of course makes Lois jealous. The whole thing has a rather outlandish ending, not really in keeping with the new tone of the Wonder Woman series. A little better is the Brave and Bold team up with Batman, done by Mike Sekowsky which puts Diana in the midst of a motor race which has deadly consequences.

When we get back to Diana's adventures proper we find a neat three-parter (of sorts) which brings back an old enemy and forces Diana to travel after I-Ching back to his homeland of China where a whole new adventure, one with strong political consequences is waiting. There's a nifty sense of continuity in the stories at this time which present a Diana Prince who is at once strong and oddly vulnerable.

Sekowsky assisted by Dick Giordano continues to deliver strong artwork, ideal for the stories told in these issues. For the record, the cover for this collection came from a later issue, a reprint.

More to come next week.

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