Setting Folklore

I was on vacation last week and visited Antwerp where I saw the Brabofontein in the Grote Markt. It depicts events related to the legendary founding of Antwerp, where Roman soldier Silvius Brabo defeated Druon Antigonus, who had been demanding tribute to use a bridge over the River Scheldt. Brabo's killing of the giant provides the folk etymology of the origin of the name Antwerp as Brabo did to Druon what the giant had done to unfortunates who couldn't pay his toll: he cut off his hand and threw it across the river. Hence, the name Antwerp is supposed to come from handwerpen (throwing hands).

Anyway, the legend and the statue caused me to consider why isn't there more of this sort of folklore and folk etymology in settings? I sort of did some of this with the City and Weird Adventures (see "Thraug's Head", and perhaps "Saint Joan of the City" and "Short People, Big Worm"--admittedly, these blur the lines because they are depicted as relating history, not folklore, but I think they serve a similar purpose in their fancifulness and mostly not direct applicability to adventuring), but I haven't really done much of that in other settings.

I feel like little details like this both make places feel more real, but also potentially provide springboards for adventure because in fantasy worlds, even the strangest details might well be true. I suppose some people might think this sort of thing is excessive or maybe even unhelpful because it might confuse player's about what's true and what isn't, but I would argue a ruthless economy of setting details, limiting them to only things relevant to adventuring/dungeoncrawling and the need for every one of those details to be literally true or at least definitively falsifiable loses an aspect that differentiates rpgs from other sorts of games, that is, the ability to truly explore an imagined world.

Wednesday Comics: DC, July 1984 (week 3)

Join me as I read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on April 19, 1984.

Green Lantern #178: Thanks to the mysterious Monitor's actions as a go-between, Jason Bloch is introduced to the Demolition Team in a great two-page spread. He sends them to destroy Ferris Aircraft, then tries to call them off when he finds out Green Lantern is out of his coma and could mop the floor with them. The Monitor refuses to help him out, but the agent of Con-Trol who's been listening in decides to do Bloch a solid, without Bloch knowing.

Just as the Demolition Team attacks, Jordan is called away by the Guardians. He has to go save an alien planet that appears about to explode--exactly the sort of mission the great Tomar-Re failed at with the destruction of Krypton. As Jordan is puzzling out what to do, Carol and friends make a brave, but likely futile stand against the Demolition Team, only to have a third force enter the fight: the black and silver clad Predator!

Themed villain teams are definitely an 80s thing, but the Demolition Team is a weird one for those. Despite their construction worker-oriented theme, none of them actually have a background in construction/demolition. They all have various other specialties loosely related to what they use their equipment for. So why'd they pick the theme? 

Batman and the Outsiders #12: I was suspicious last issue, but I didn't want to comment until I was sure: Aparo doesn't know what a katana looks like. The Japanese swords in this issue and the last often look like fanciful, broad-bladed scimitars, sometimes even held with the curve the wrong way. 

Anyway, in the story continued from last issue, Katana reveals her whole, tragic backstory, and the Outsiders take on the warriors forced to work for the Yakuza since being freed from the blade.  At the Yakuza base, the resurrected souls are defeated and returned to the sword and Takeo, Katana's criminal brother-in-law, is also killed in a duel with Katana. With the battle over, the Outsiders return home, only to discover on the flight back that Batman has been poisoned by a dart and is dying.

Infinity, Inc. #4: The Thomases and Ordway/Machlan take some time to reveal the origins of Jade, Obsidian, and Northwind as the three fly to Feithera to have Solomon Grundy imprisoned there. In a bold move that hopefully he didn't get full page-rate for, Thomas incorporates the first appearance of Feithera from Flash Comics #71 in the form of a reprint. After all that, the three meet up with the other Infinitors and learning that five members of the JSA have been found dead, apparently drowned.

Saga of Swamp Thing #26: I wouldn't call this a misstep exactly, but this issue certainly isn't on the level of what we've gotten from Moore before, primarily because it is almost entirely setup. It reads fine in the trade (which is how I've always read it before) but as a standalone issue it is obvious that Swampie and Abbie spend most of the issue just running or gaping accompanied by Jason Blood's semi-sinister narration. Besides narrating, Jason spends the issue just getting ready to fight the evil. Only the kids in the home and Matt Cable do anything definitive. The kids are starting to be prey for the Monkey King and the kid Paul clues Abbie in to how it works. Matt gets drunk and wrecks his car. Despite my gripes about this one, the ending promises a big confrontation next issue.

New Talent Showcase #7: The cover feature is a new one called "Mirrage" (extra "r" intended) by Tillman and Shoemaker about a guy who got super-powers from living on a farm whose water was contaminated with toxic waste. He apparently can become intangible and also forces toxins out of his system to sicken others. The other new ongoing is actually a return of "Class of 2164" by Klein and Showmaker, which now appears to be envisioned as an anthology of future stories. This is the best story of the issue with good art and a story about interplanetary travel via solar sails that's pretty hard sci-fi for comics.

There's a couple of shorts that seem like inventory stories left over from the anthology books of a few years earlier. One by Weaver/Grindberg involves a video game that apparently provides a conduit for near mystical contact with an alien species of unclear intent, and the old man who doesn't understand why he wasn't chosen in his youth. The other by Newell and Orzechowski/Alexander involves a future where a human being competing in an athletic competition with androids is a novelty and a triumph for the human race. It's a story that doesn't go anywhere beyond its premise.

Dragonknights comes to its end and is sort of underwhelming. Likewise, the comic strip throwback "The Mini (Mis)Adventures of Nick O. Tyme" continues to be tedious, though I do sort of admire the intent.

Sgt. Rock #390: This title has had some cool stories, but Kanigher's tendency to rely on "war is heck" (Comics Code approved) as the theme for them all, and his reliance on gimmicky stories gives us instead stuff like Rock apparently getting saved by the obligatory new guy who in this case appears to be the ghost of the Unknown Soldier--not the DC character as far as I can tell but the guy in the tomb. 

The backup story with art by Auck, is also typical Kanigher fare of the Weird War Tales variety with two warriors on a battlefield continuing their struggle through many conflicts and generations.

Supergirl #21: Kupperberg and Barreto continue the story from this month's Superman. When Supergirl is attacked out of nowhere by alien spacecraft, which turn out to be the cult known as the Seeders). She tracks them to Metropolis, where Superman is fighting the Kryptonite Man. The Seeders are a third side in the conflict, as their commander, Lord Sed, has lost a hand in battle with the Kryptonite Man and is out for revenge. Superman tries to convince the Kryptonite Man that they aren't responsible for Krypton's destruction, but to no avail. Supergirl and Superman battle both Seeders and Kryptonite Man, but the latter two parties eventually destroy each other, with Kryptonite Man perhaps sacrificing himself to save the Earth in the end.

Warlord #83: I reviewed the main story here. In the Barren Earth backup by Cohn and Randall, Jinal hears a bit about Barasha's time among the people of the sky city, but it doesn't give her anything in the way of real answers. Meanwhile, she and her friends are being surveilled by a group of robed figures with advanced technology who view Jinal as a potential threat.

Wednesday Comics: DC, July 1984 (week 2)

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm reviewing the comics released on the week of April 12, 1984. 

Omega Men #16: Cavalieri and Nino deliver the last of the fill-in issues before the new, regular creative team arrives. On Euphorix, the warrior in training Katydid rashly follows her teacher Skokiaan to the moon of Tallgrass. Skokiaan was sent there on a mission by Primus to check out reports of Branx activity but has failed to return. When Katydid arrives, she is captured by warriors and imprisoned in the Killing House, a parasite entity designed by the Psions. There she must fight the other captives, including her teacher. Katydid defeats her with a power surge that shorts out the Killing House's symbiotic nerve center. Now free of the House's control, the warriors make peace with one another and decide to set up an outpost on Tallgrass.

The cover says this is a "very special" issue. I don't know if that's the case, but it's an interesting side-story.

Tales of the Teen Titans #44: Wolfman and Perez/DeCarlo present part 3 of "The Judas Contract." Adeline Kane reveals to Dick Grayson the origin of her ex-husband, Slade Wilson, who was a top soldier until an experimental drug left him incapacitated for a time but ultimately gave him super-powers. He because an assassin for hire, an occupation that endangered his family, resulting in an injury to his son Joshua that left him mute.

After hearing her story, Grayson agrees to her help in rescuing the Titans and taking the Terminator down. First, though, he needs a new superhero ID. He decides on Nightwing as an homage to both Batman and Superman--and maybe because that's a costume he had on hand, for some reason. Joshua reveals his super's get-up and his codename of Jericho. He's a mutant with the power to take control of people's bodies.  The two fly off in the T-Jet on the trail of the Terminator and Terra.

Batman #373: Moench and Colan/Alcala bring back the Scarecrow who we last saw in Detective Comics #526. Moench has to do a bit of retconning as Detective 503 had left Crane mentally incapacitated, so in this story he's out for revenge against the villains that basically brough him along as a sort of prop in 526. Scarecrow's got a new device that emits waves (electromagnetic? sonic? It's unclear.) that activates fear centers in the brain. 

When he fails to get to the Joker thanks to the actions of Batman and Robin, he decides he'll have to take out Batman first. He lures Batman into a trap at the Gotham Zoo. Jason, who was already having nightmares causes his school performance to suffer before the Scarecrow shows up, disobeys Batman and goes investigating on his own and finds the Scarecrow's lair--and the Scarecrow himself!

Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon and the reformed Bullock have finally come to good terms, but Gotham is still a corrupt system. Mayor Hill has cut a deal have Doctor Fang released from prison in exchange for a hit on Bullock.

Arak Son of Thunder #35: The Thomases and Randall/DeZuniga bring Arak and his companions to Damaskos where Alsind hopes to rejoin his family. As they approach the city, Arak sees a giant flaming sword in the sky above. Nobody else sees it, though. After a scuffle with Alsind's uncle's guards, the family is reunited, and they sit down to a meal. Alsind's uncle, Abu, enlists Arak to find the sword he saw in his vision, which is said to grant power to the man who wields it.

The Wandering Jew shows up. He gives some backstory on the sword (it's Gabriel's) and issues a warning regarding its dangers, but then he gets a spear in the back as assassins burst into the room. Arak and fight back and the survivors flee. Arak notices that they are serpent men! 

This is an interesting issue marred a bit by the really phoned in depiction of Damaskos and its culture. It's like the laziest sword & sandals, low budget version of 1001 Arabian Nights.

There's another "Young Arak" backup with art by Forton where Arak attends ritual with his shaman grandfather around the death of a young woman. Arak decides he will be a warrior, not a shaman, but his grandfather suggests he may not have a choice in the matter.

Flash #335: Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin pick up right where last issue left off with the Pied Piper's manipulation having made the Flash look dangerous and violent on TV. The next phase of the Piper's plan involves the mayor of Central City vilifying the Flash on television, but the mayor's loyalty to the Flash proves too powerful for the Piper's conditioning to overcome. So, the Piper sends the Mayor to kill himself in a plane crash, and the Flash has to save him. In another plot, men hired by a voice on a tape recorder set off a bomb, causing an avalanche onto Peter Farley's house where Cecile Horton is staying.

G.I. Combat #267: This issue is notable for a story with art by Giffen, as advertised in the masthead on the cover. Giffen's crowded, many-paneled layouts are certainly very different from what readers of this title are used to. The Kanigher story, however, is more inline with expectations. A G.I. gets his fortune told, revealing he will die on the street of the Griffin. As he heads into an Italian valley to destroy a dam, that seems unlikely, until the area drained by the dam's destruction reveals a long-submerged Roman settlement and an ancient street were the soldier's body comes to rest.

The Haunted Tank story involves Stuart's Raiders getting captured and forced to act as scouts for a German contingent trying to cut a path for panzers through a mountain. Jeb tricks them and the Nazis get killed in their own trap. Then there's a story about a fictional woman aviator who is captured by the Japanese trying to solo fly around the world and is captive in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb is dropped. It says it's written by "Jan Laurie" but that's Kanigher.

The remaining story is set in Vietnam and appears to be an attempt to start another series as it's branded as being about "Bullett's Bravos," Marine's in Bravo Company. It deals about with the psychological toll the war taking, revealing the coporal's nightmares and paranoia about the Vietnamese citizenry. In the end, though, it's mostly about how Kanigher presents the death of celebrity Benny Berger (who I'm sure is a stand in for someone) as the real tragedy. He dies under fire with Bravo and leaves Sgt. Bullett weeping.

Star Trek #6: Ironically. the Sutton/Amendola cover of this sixth issue prefigures a scene in Star Trek VI. Barr's story is again very on-brand for Star Trek and has a number of call-backs to TOS episodes: Kirk and crew must transport ambassador Fox to Babel for a peace conference with the Klingons. However, the shape-shifting agent of an Orion terrorist group has already infiltrated Enterprise with the goal of disrupting the conference. The twist is that the agent is Fox's own daughter! Overall, a solid, Trekian issue. It's done-in-one nature, I think, makes it work a little better than the Organian/Excaliban stuff in the preceding issues.

Superman #397: A rather Hulkish, green brute of an alien shows up on Earth looking for revenge against the last survivor of Krypton. He purports to be of an ancient Kryptonian species from before the colonization by the "human" Kryptonians. He's absorbed large amounts of Green Kryptonite radiation, and he believes Superman's people to be responsible for Krypton's destruction and is looking for revenge. There's another group of aliens, though, pursuing the Kryptonite Man for some reason.

This is a very Marvel seeming story from Kupperberg. Some of that feel is no doubt due to the greater amount of physical violence in the issue, and the way it's dynamically portrayed by Barreto, but I think the core concepts of unrevealed secrets from Kryptons history, a misguided villain with an understandable grievance, that unfortunately, no peaceful accommodation may be possible seems very much the stuff of the Marvel Bronze Age. 

A continuity tidbit: Superman tells the Kryptonite Man that Krypton was destroyed by natural processes, but this contradicts Superman #205 (1968) which says the villain Black Zero was responsible.

Weird Revisited: Robot Dungeon

The original version of this post appeared in March of 2015...

I've written previously about a world where the dungeoneering was an done by androids who were the remnant of human civilization (all that's here). Well, there's another way to get dungeons crawling with robots, and that's by having a future, post-apocalyptic world that's been overrun by them. Instead of apes, or fairies, or vampires, let the robots take over something like Screamers (and the Philip K. Dick story it's based on "The Second Variety"), Terminator, or Magnus: Robot-Fighter. Unlike those examples though, human civilization can have been pushed back to pseudo-Medieval levels.

Say the robots have moved mostly underground, leaving humans to limp along on a damaged surface world. The underground bases of the robots would be a lot like dungeons. Robots would have made various robotic or bio-robotic guardians--monsters, of sorts. Maybe the robots are even aliens? A post-sentient, techno-organic swarm that landed and buried itself into the earth, spreading underground like roots, building robotic creatures in a myriad of forms as it went. You'd have a whole underground ecology of robots. Add "magic" (really psionic powers in disguise) and you've got a fantasy world, or close enough.

For a real fantasy world, assume that the alien robotic swarm invaded a fairly D&Dish world (except with maybe less conflict to begin with).

Wednesday Comics: Vigilantes & Warlords

Last week, in my Wednesday Comics post, I accidentally left off one comic, the issue of Vigilante from April 5, 1984:

Vigilante #8: Wolfman brings his Electrocutioner vigilante over from Batman #331, presumably so he can continue to clarify Vigilante's previously murky stance on where he draws the line regarding killing. We are also treated to a renewed examples of criminals getting off on pesky technicalities like illegal searches as Adrian Chase's friends try to convince him to become a judge.  There's the issue of a mysterious microchip that the Controller is after. There's a nice sequence in the beginning where Vigilante is pursued by a guy in a mini-copter that really showcases the talents of Andru/DeCarlo.

In other news perhaps of interest to longterm readers of this blog...

We finally have a solicitation for the Warlord Omnibus. It supposedly only has a price of $75.00, which seems low given the page count (1040 pages).

In any case, it's supposed to include 1st Issue Special #8, Warlord #1-50, and Amazing World of DC Comics #12. For a volume 2 (if there is one) that leaves the non-backup stories from Warlord #52-71 (#51 is a reprint), Warlord Annual #1, Warlord (1992 limited series) #1-6, and Warlord (2009) #1-16 for a total of around 1005 pages in that one, by my count.

Arduin Got It

I don't know much of anything about Dave Hargrave or his inspirations for Arduin but the art and content suggest Hargrave's inspirations (or at least his artists inspirations) were much closer to mine and my friends' early influences than the likes of Gygax, Arneson, or Barker. 

I had read a few works off Appendix N in the first couple of years I played (some Howard, some Lieber. Tolkien) but it would probably be well into the 90s before fantasy comic books, art by Frazetta, Vallejo, and Whelan, etc., and animation weren't bigger influences that literary fantasy.

The things I see in Greyhawk now that I think were informed by Gygax's interest in historical wargaming would have been over my head when I first encountered it, and were not something I would have sought to add to a setting. Barker's world has a bit of Sword & Planet vibe but would have felt too bound by propriety and protocol. Greenwood's Realms seem geared toward trilogy novel so of play, but Tolkien's was the only trilogy I was interested in at that point. Hargrave, on the other hand, had insect people like Bug from Micronauts and Amazon warriors of the sort that were all over comics and seem de rigueur for fantasy worlds.

I can't say that (beyond the art) I've ever been particularly interested in Arduin. I came to it too late. Had I discovered it around age 12-13, it might have been a different story.

[Greyhawk] The Wild Coast

In the waning days of the Great Kingdom, folk who were faced with debts they could not pay or disagreements with the legal authorities that might see them imprisoned or facing the hangman often found it convenient to flee narrow area of flatwood, sandhill, and wetland along the Northwest edge of Wooly Bay. There, they would be, if not welcomed, at least accepted into the independent community that had grown up among the several, squabbling towns. The region had an infamous reputation and was known as the Wild Coast.

Primarily, the Wild Coast served as a safe haven for brigands and outlaws from the woodlands west and smugglers and pirates from Wooly Bay to the east. Trade went on between the groups without fear of Dyvers' or Greyhawk's tax agents. The towns grew up to crater to the needs of these clientele but also drew others in search of freedom: escaped serfs and slaves, political dissidents, fringe religionists, and more than a few nonhumans. 

The freedom of the Wild Coast was just as often manifest as lawlessness. Existence was precarious when local powers shift quickly and much of the population is transitory. Humanoids raided up from Pomarj and monsters driven out of other areas sometimes found this sparsely populated region ideal.

It seems like Gygax wanted the Wild Coast to evoke a bit of the American "Wild West." I drew inspiration from a number of places: the Romagna during the late Middle Ages/early modern period, Barataria Bay in the early 19th Century. Mostly, it's just a fantasy region though.