Goodman Games

I was reading Lone Sloane / Delirius by Phillipe Druillet this morning and thought, 'WOAH, this is packed w/ great ideas drenched w/ the flavor of Appendix N!'. Druillet's work was a staple of the sci-fi fantasy magazine, Heavy Metal, in the 70's. While his work is primarily sci-fi, it could easily be ported to a fantasy setting.

http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/lonesloane.html

Moebius is another writer/artist whose work was featured in Heavy Metal through the 70's and I think his ideas could be adapted easily as well.

I'll post more as comics, authors and artists come to mind.

The Savage Sword of Conan the Dark Horse Conan, Kull, Red Sonya comics are cool. DC's Demon Knights is also nice.

I would add Northlanders, though this may be a bit off the mark. There is some magic, but really it's the "demon within all men" that Northlanders does a good job of bringing out. The idea that in that culture (viking in this case, but can be extrapolated to any pre-modern culture) there is rarely a safe harbor.

Good choices. Savage Sword sparked my interest in fantasy / sword and sorcery. I've recently started to revisit the magazine from the beginning.

Northlanders is really intense. The few issues I've read remind me of R E Howard's stories in Tigers of the Sea.

I forgot to include Prince Valient in my initial post. I started reading the first volume of the collected series yesterday and was blown away. The first 30 pages or so lay the groundwork for a stunning adventure. I'm looking forward to finishing the whole series.

Ravenheart87 wrote:The Savage Sword of Conan the Dark Horse Conan, Kull, Red Sonya comics are cool.

And all based off of Robert E Howard, perhaps my favorite author of all time and a real leader in Appendix N stories! Good choices.

The first Cerebus collection is great for some Appendix N parody. Elrod of Melvinbone, Bran MacMuffin...good stuff.

As if I didn't already have too much to read, you've just made me want to go reread Cerebus!

Orc Stain, while not Appendix N, will probably tickle your fancy if you're looking for pulp stories. I will warn you though, there are some gruesome scenes throughout.

Vanguard wrote:Orc Stain, while not Appendix N, will probably tickle your fancy if you're looking for pulp stories. I will warn you though, there are some gruesome scenes throughout.

I LOVE Orc Stain.

Skull Kickers is good too, though not very Apdx N, very D&D. There's character sheets of the main characters in the back of one issue.

You should all be reading Hellboy, too. If you haven't looked into it and only saw the movies, forget everything you know. This is definitely Appendix N stuff, and Mike Mignola draws on a huge range of people for inspiration.

Comics Code Authority-free fantasy stories from Eerie, Creepy, Heavy Metal, and Epic Illustrated. There are also some good underground comic titles if you dig deep enough. I think the best stuff peaks out in the late 70s and early 80s, as DND really hit its cultural critical mass around that point.

I highly recommend everybody check out Alex Robinson's Lower Regions:

http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/lower-regions/596

There's a 9-page preview on the catalog page. The whole thing is comparable -- tons of diabolical, imaginative fun as Marla the Barbarian slashes her way through a gruesome menagerie of monstrosities.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. If you are only familiar with the movie, this GREATLY expands the plot in scope and story-telling. Tremendous art, weird mind powers, giant bug monsters, ancient high-tech wizardry buried in the overgrown ruins of the Sea of Corruption, a toxic jungle of gigantic fungi.

I have to chime in behind the abacus ape's suggestion of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind. One of the very best comics ever and loaded with ideas in it. One of the biggest inspirations for me to start drawing as a kid.

pmullen

Great topic of conversation! I will check out some of the comics mentioned here. I have to also throw out one other suggestion:

Xenozoic Tales. Most recently reprinted as Xenozoic from Flesk Publications (see http://www.fleskpublications.com/public ... -xenozoic/ ). Yes, this is the series that became the Cadillacs and Dinosaurs TV cartoon. The original material by Mark Schultz is inspirational. (And he himself names Burroughs and Robert E. Howard among his own inspirations for the series.)

Is anyone reading Brandon Graham's current series Prophet? It really has a great 70's Heavy Metal magazine science fantasy feel. Appendix N as it gets.

Randall wrote:Is anyone reading Brandon Graham's current series Prophet? It really has a great 70's Heavy Metal magazine science fantasy feel. Appendix N as it gets.

Agreed! I've been following it since it started. Well, re-started. Very 1970's "weird sci-fi."

I think Thor from the early '70s had a real Appendix N feel.

jeff wrote:I think Thor from the early '70s had a real Appendix N feel.

Absolutely. Doctor Strange too.

WOW...Prophet. I checked out an issue and man that's AWESOME! Art has a total Moebius Vibe. Pacing is pure Druilett. Reference points from the 60's through early 70s abound. Reminds me a bit of Jodorowsky and Pierre Bolle's original Planet of the Apes novel (which the 1968 movie was only loosely based on). Kinda feels a bit like the movie, Fantastic Planet, too.
Love it! Thanks for the tip.

Brandon Graham is wicked talented. I'm delighted to see him on a higher profile comic after his years paying dues in the indies.

headspice wrote: Love it! Thanks for the tip.

You're welcome! It's my pleasure to turn people on to weird comics. You're making me want to read the Planet Of The Apes novel...

Bilgewriggler wrote:Brandon Graham is wicked talented. I'm delighted to see him on a higher profile comic after his years paying dues in the indies.

Prophet was the first thing I read by him and it made me go and check out King City which is also great.

Randall wrote:

Bilgewriggler wrote:Brandon Graham is wicked talented. I'm delighted to see him on a higher profile comic after his years paying dues in the indies.

Prophet was the first thing I read by him and it made me go and check out King City which is also great.

I've got to look into both of those, then.

1950's EC comics...
Tales from the Crypt
Vault of Horror
Haunt of Fear
Weird Fantasy
Weird Science
....

You dont get better than that.
EC was the only comics company that Gygax actually named.
Not to say the others didnt have their influence, but this pre code EC stuff is GOLD!!

goodmangames wrote:

Randall wrote:Is anyone reading Brandon Graham's current series Prophet? It really has a great 70's Heavy Metal magazine science fantasy feel. Appendix N as it gets.

Agreed! I've been following it since it started. Well, re-started. Very 1970's "weird sci-fi."

I just finished the compilation of the first six issues, and I can't speak highly enough of this series. Graham throws out amazing, bizarre ideas right and left, and the scope of the story keeps getting larger and larger. Fantastic.