Comics and More Fun Freebies

A ton of online horror and sci-fi comic book stories as well as a few other cool items.


[Art from "Flash Gordon and the Space Pirates" in comics below]




Fiction
• At Paizo: "The Irregulars - Chapter Four: Out with a Bang" by Neal F. Litherland. Fantasy.
     "They moved silent as breath through the empty tunnels, tucking charges into crevices and butting them against wooden support beams. The devil's scent of saltpeter made the caverns smell like Hell, ready to burn with a single, ragged spark. Fairy lights danced in the deeper darkness where the Lieutenant and Trilaina licked wicks and set fuses, making certain everything was perfect."

• At Tor.Com: "The Ink Readers of Doi Saket" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt.
     "People send their dreams and wishes floating down the Mae Ping River with the hope that those dreams will be captured, read and come true. It is a surprise what some wish for and why. One can never know what’s inside someone’s heart—what they really truly want, and those dreams sometimes reveal our true selves."

Flash Fiction

• At Daily Science Fiction: "What Merfolk Must Know" by Kat Otis.
• At Nature: "The Epistolary History" by Alex Shvartsman, Science Fiction.
• At 365 Tomorrows: "Frontier Justice" by Bob Newbell. Science Fiction.

Audio Fiction
• At Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Episode 15 - The Beasts of Tarzan" Adventure.
      "Chapter XV – 'Down the Ugambi' - Jane Clayton, fleeing Rokoff, is making her way back to the Ugambi River. Hot on her trail is Rokoff. Tarzan is following Rokoff."

Comics

• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Prison Planet" Sci-Fi (1952)
• At Atomic Kommie Comics: Space Patrol "Stranded on the Sands of Mars" Sci-Fi. (1940)
• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Planet Which Had Everything--Almost!" Sci-Fi. (1968).
• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "City of Primitive Man" Sci-Fi. (1952).
• At Atomic Kommie Comics: "Flash Gordon and the Space Pirates" Part ONE, TWO, and THREE
• At Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Eye for Eye, Fang for Fang" Horror. (1977).
• At Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "The Sentry" Horror. (1975).
• At The Horrors of It All: "The Wolf Howls For You / Curse of the Kolukoffs" Horror. (1972/1973)
• At The Horrors of It All: "Dimension IV" Horror. (1953)
• At The Horrors of It All: "Creatures of the Bomb!" Horror. (1953)
• At The Horrors of It All: "Terror on TV!"  Horror.
• At Pappy's Golden Age: "Day of Reckoning!/Fanged and Fiendish" Sci-Fi. Horror. (195x) 
• At Pappy's Golden Age: "War Gods of the Deep" (1965)
• At Pappy's Golden Age: "The Lost World" Sci-Fi.  (1941)
• At Seduction of the Innocent: "World that Was" Sci-Fi. (1955)

Other Genres

• Fiction at The New Yorker: "Mexican Manifesto" by Roberto Bolaño.
• Flash Fiction at Every Day Fiction: "For Two" by Paige Zubel.

Two Free Magazines, Free Comics, Reviews, Etc.

Two cool magazines today as well as other good fiction (including audio and flash). Quite a bit of good reading altogether. Several cool comics, including a complete, online graphic novel. My take on three recent fantasy adaptations ["Like anyone cares" Lt. Bob]. And More. Today's illustration is for A Game of Thrones, briefly reviewed below.







Issue #21 of Apex Magazine is now available free online with.
Fiction
“The Eater” by Michael J. Deluca.
"Not like the Eater, who walks among us bouncing and gangly like a marsh bird with a broken leg, grey but full of life, showing us those things he may show whose place the Speaker’s words will take."

“Biba Jibun” by Eugie Foster.
"Papa said that Mama left because she was one of the obake, the spirit folk. She tricked him into marrying her when he was a rich man and could buy her French perfume and trinkets from Cartier’s."

“The Button Bin” by Mike Allen.
"Yet why would he worry? In a throwback town like this, with every house from a 1950s-era postcard, crime remains distant, alien, a single murder strange as an apocalypse."

“Ghosts of New York” by Jennifer Pelland.
"Poets and sages like to say that there is clarity in certain death. That a calm resignation settles over the nearly deceased, and they embrace the inevitability of the end of life with dignity and grace."


Issue #151 of Aphelion is up with "D.A.V.E." by Dean Giles, "Genesis" by Ché Francis Monro, "Debtor" by Noah Zachary, "Sacred Logs and Crocodiles" by Walter G. Esselman, "Rapid Transit" by E. S. Strout, "swodahS" by J. E. Deegan, "Liam's Bridge" by Mary Brunini McArdle, "Death with French Bread" by Chris Sharp, "Finding Our Voices" by Richard Tornello, "In Their Eyes" by Ian Cordingley, and "Pretty Little Foxes" by Lester Curtis.




@Book View Cafe: "Arroyo de Oro" by Pati Nagle (1999/2009).
"By time I got there it was almost 11:30. I left the field office as soon as the call came in, but downtown Albuquerque is a long way from "Arroyo de Oro." That's what they call the strip. It runs right up the Sandia Reservation on the north edge of town, and it rivals Las Vegas for glitz."







Serial Fiction
@Paizo.com: The conclusion of "Two Pieces of Tarnished Silver" by Erik Mona - Chapter Two: Breaking Fast.
"'You seem to know a lot about us,' Aebos said warily, rubbing his meaty hands clean on a bit of shirt stolen from one of the dead crewmen at the top of the stairs. 'But we don't know anything about you.'"

Classic SF
@Munseys and Project Gutenberg: "Deepfreeze" by Robert Donald Locke, from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy (Jan. 1953).

"Life and the future belong to the strong—so Dollard laughed as he fled Earth and Mankind's death agony. But the last laugh was yet to come...."











@SFFaudio: "Warrior Race" by Robert Sheckley. "Destroying the spirit of the enemy is the goal of war and the aliens had the best way!" Available there in an MP3 download, in a pdf scan of the original story from Galaxy Magazine, and with a link to the story at Project Gutenberg. Thorough as always.











@Daily Science Fiction: "Writing on the Wall" by Vaughan Stanger.
@Every Day Fiction: "Answers" by C.L. Holland.
@365 tomorrows: "Pilgrimage" by Roi R. Czechvala.
@Eschatology: "A Visitor to Zennor" by Les Merton.
@The New Flesh: "Wild Ride" by Laura Eno.
@Aphelion [Poetry]

• Report On The Recent Excavations At Norwich by David Barber.
• Wondrous Gobbledygook by Richard H. Fay.
• Gumshoe by Thomas Reynolds.
• I’m Sorry, But… by Stuart Sharp.
• Last Man by Chris Wood.
• Life's A Party by Richard Tornello.
• Out There by Brian S. Lingard.
• The Arousal Indicator by Mike Wilson.
• White Pinnacle of Pain by Robin B. Lipinsk.
  

@Secret Sanctum of Captain Video: The conclusion of the Time Machine. SF / Classic.





@Diversions of the Groovy Kind: Jason Monarch #1 (1979) B&W Sci-Fi.





@The Comic Book Catacombs: Dr. Voodoo in "Quest For the Golden Flask:Part II" from Whiz Comics #18 (June 1941). Well illustrated adventure.




@Parishi's Vision: Flash Gordon in "Plant Attack" and "Death Trap" Space Opera Sci-Fi.








@Digital Comics Museum: Eerie Tales #1 (Nov. 1959) B&W horror / suspense magazine.








Online Comic
"The Phoenix Requiem" by Sarah Ellerton, a complete online (800 page!) graphic novel. [or start at the beginning] "The Phoenix Requiem is a Victorian-inspired supernatural fantasy story about faith, love, death, and the things we believe in." Very well drawn. [via TopWebComics.com]


Dave's Views
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One (blu-ray). The beginning of the end. The film does nearly as good a job as possible in adapting the material, though the first half of the seventh book is far from the strongest material in the series.

Good: Captures the mood of the book. Engrossing. Very good cinematography.

Bad: S . . . l . . . o . . . w. The film, like most of the latter HP films, is better if you've read the book. They cut out the scene of Dudley saying goodbye (and the version in the extras is only a dress rehearsal).

Grade: B+

A Game of Thrones on HBO is a solid adaptation of George R. R. Martin's material. After two episodes, the series is off to a good start. All the strengths (and weaknesses) of the novel are here.

Good: Acting, reasonably faithful to the story, cinematography.

Bad: You already need a scorecard for all the characters and it's only going to get worse, much worse. My there's a lot a skin here.

Grade: A-

Camelot on Starz is, at least in theory, a retelling of the various Arthurian legends. Thus far, however, it seems to be more about finding excuses for nudity and sex scenes. Oh, and there's a sword named after a girl Merlin killed.

Good: Very good acting. Beautiful scenery, costumes, props, etc.

Bad: Miscasting (Jamie Campbell Bower as King Arthur? Really?), Arthur and Guinevere come off far worse than in any classic version of the myths, odd changes (The whole Excalibur storyline is a strange interpolation at best), and enough gratuitous sex that no one would be surprised if Misty Mundae guest starred.

It may get better, but after three episodes it seems a waste of all the acting talent. Grade C-


"Please argue with Dave. He gets so arrogant when he thinks people agree with him! And he's usually wrong. Except about to much gratuitous nudity. Keep your clothes on! Humans are ugly enough dressed." Lt. Bob.





Other Coolness
@Apex Magazine: “An Introductory Guide to the Nebula Awards” by Michael A. Burstein.
@SF Signal: Podcast #46 Interview with Daniel Abraham.
@Online Degree “10 Most Believable Natural Disaster Movies”

StarShipSofa, Dunesteef, Werewolves, and Flash Gordon - and that's Just the Free Audio

I hate this annoying card. Nothing against the game that spawned in, nor its players, but it has made Google Alerts practically useless for me. That aside, QD has some solid links today, with hopefully something for everyone.







Fiction
At Lightspeed Magazine: "Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okorafor.
"There was a stream where I had been fetching water. A flow station was built nearby and now the stream was rank and filthy, with an oily film that reflected rainbows"

Online HERE.



At Dark Valentine Magazine: "River Fever" by Jamie Mason.
“The body, man, the body! Do you have to … leave it sitting in the corridor like that? Can’t you put it somewhere else? My God, that’s got to be … unsanitary!”

Part one is HERE and part two is HERE.

And "Wild-Caught" by Katherine Tomlinson.
"He was new and wasn’t authorized to handle the “special shipments.” To him, one case of canned salmon was pretty much like all the others, so he shelved the 14.75 ounce cans of Segey Sea Company’s “Fancy Sockeye Red Salmon” right next to the Chicken of the Sea."

Online HERE.

Hub has up its 136th issue with "The Walker" by Adam Christopher, an interview with James O’Barr, and reviews.
"When I looked back I could still see him, the walker, in the farmer’s field below. I had stopped at this, the halfway point on my trek towards the summit of the hill, but to my dismay — although not my surprise — he had not."

In PDF and ePub downloads HERE.


Classic SF
New at Munseys: "A Mixture of Genius" by Arnold Castle from If: Worlds of Science Fiction (June 1958).
Who, but the imaginative young, shall inherit the stars?

In e-book downloads at Munseys HERE and Project Gutenberg HERE.


Serial Fiction
At Paizo: "The Walkers from the Crypt" part three "Bones of the Fallen" by Howard Andrew Jones.
"Elyana withdrew a lantern from her saddlebag and Arcil used a cantrip to light it. With the wizard holding the lamp aloft, she did her best to calm the horses, distracting them with grain and securing their lead lines to some rusting sconces so that the animals would not wander off."

Online HERE.


At Ray Gun Revival: Thieves’ Honor Episode 13: "Walking Through Walls" by Keanan Brand.
"These are the adventures of space mariner Captain Kristoff, formerly of the colonial navy but now a pirate more given to smuggling and salvage than theft, and prone to reluctant good deeds and harboring strays. After all, his crew is made up of strays—and criminals"

Online HERE.


Flash Fiction
@Daily Science Fiction: "J is for Junk" by by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, and Greg van Eekhout.
@Every Day Fiction: "Dear Lisa" by Bruce Holland Rogers.
@365 tomorrows: "The Wrong Question" by Jordan Whicker.
@The Daily Cabal: "The Unlucky Bot" by David Kopaska-Merkel.

Audio Fiction
At StarShipSofa: Episode180 featuring main fiction "The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara" by Christopher Kastensmidt, an interview with Larry Santoro, and more.

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.


At The Dunesteef: "Out Of The Storm" by Rick Kennett, voice acting by Cameron Horsburgh, Simon Dooley, Patrick Dwyer, Dylan Boyd, Ben Maclain, and Julian Ramundi.
"They found the H.M.A.S. Barrinji damaged and abandoned floating out of a storm that had sunk three other ships. The Barrinji really should have sunk as well, but for some reason, she’s a lucky ship. Perhaps too lucky."

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.


An unusual one at LibriVox: The Book of Werewolves: Being an Account of a Terrible Superstition by Sabine Baring-Gould, read by many readers.
"A survey of the myths and legends concerning lycanthropy from ancient times to the Victorian Era." Could be interesting.



In ogg and MP3 downloads HERE.



At Crosseyed Cyclops: "The Official Adventures of Flash Gordon" Starring Buster Crabbe, produced by Leo the Lion Records in 1966. It's a couple of cool vintage stories: "Prisoner of Ming" and "City Under the Earth"
In zipped MP3 download HERE (more Leo the Lion children's records are here)




Gaming
At RPGDriveThru: "Chronicles of Arax" - Solo Adventure Game.
"Chronicles of Arax is a game where you, the reader, takes on the role of a Hero in the world of Arax. It is your job to fight against evil and injustice, to undertake various Quests to further the goals of good, and hopefully get some fame and loot in the bargain!"


In PDF download HERE (free membership required).




At ix: "Revised Humanspace Empires Playtest Draft" A Tékumel inspired "science fantasy campaign setting [that] also stems from pulp sci-fi of the first half of the 20th century, likely the same sources that originally influenced Professor Barker. I’m thinking rayguns, needle shaped spaceships, odd headgear, and alien monsters."


In PDF download HERE. [via Hill Cantons]



Small but cool, gaming freebies.
@A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons & Dragons: [New Magic Item] Mala of the Hexad.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [New Spell] Circle of Sacrifice.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [New Spell] Inspire Companions.


Comics
At Pappy's Golden Age Blogzine: "Cat's Death" drawn by Joe Kubert, from Strange Terrors #7, (1953).


Online HERE.




At The Comic Book Catacombs: Jann of the Jungle in “The Killers of the Swamps” (June 1957) . Love the old breathing through a reed trick - much harder than it looks.


Online HERE.

Flash Gordon Comic Strip and More

Another cool eclectic collection of freebies from the web today. QD is back, though posting is likely to be irregular and many format changes are likely. Don't be afraid to say what you would like to see more or less of --- comment moderation is for the *&^!#@ <(%$)-? spammers, not to discourage posting.

Comic Strips
At Seattle P-I the long-running Flash Gordon comic strip. Since 1934, this classic space opera has graced the pages of Sunday papers. Unlike at the King Features site, it's free HERE.



Online Fiction
The two most recent stories online at Daily Science Fiction

"Memory Bugs" by Alter S. Reiss.
"So, this is your place," said Susan, looking around. I smiled, looked at her, and hoped that I hadn't left anything inappropriate anywhere visible. "Pretty much," I said. "It's kinda small, but with the rent---"

"Gathering Glory" by Steve Stanton.
"Destiny drove him forward like a taskmaster from the bus, up the grand entranceway into the ballroom at the Civic Centre, past the sign-in table where he received his laminates and loot bag, onward to his publisher's booth in a back corner. There it was: the fabled anthology, bright with colour but creepy enough to grab his attention. He picked up a copy to examine it closely, saw his name on the cover, third from the top, felt a surge of satisfaction. His first sale as an author. 'Do you like science fiction?'"

Site found via Escape Pod and Sf Signal

Audio Fiction
At Podcastle "To Ride Beyond the Wide World’s End," by Caitlin Brennan. Read by Steve Anderson.

“Those verses of yours,” old Coel said as the fire died and the hall subsided into a sort of rollicking quiet, “they’re clever. Especially your description of that son of a swine down the valley–how did you know he’s wall-eyed and has a distinct left hook to his private member?”

Streaming and in MP3 download HERE.

Gaming
The Artifact is "is a game. A science fiction role-playing game. The game starts out with a two hundred and four page book that is available for download for free and as a printed book. Two, The Artifact (in the game) is a enormous manufactured planetoid that has only been recently discovered (in 2085). It is both dangerous and full of promise, it is populated by people that are familiar, but full of mystery."

This free pen and paper looks very interesting, but you don't have to take my guess, you can read a very thorough review at The Free RPG Blog.

Comic Books
Some cool horror in black and white, but definitely not for children or the easily disturbed.

At Hairy Green Eyeball 3, some Creepy comics from 1964.


Online HERE.





At The Horrors of It All, some even more disturbing tales than usual.



Online HERE.



Other, likely less disturbing, comics are online at Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine, Diversions of the Groovy Kind, and other cool blogs in the blogroll to the right.