Strange Ruminations #1: Our Into the Weird Newsletter Debuts

This is the very first edition of Strange Ruminations: Into The Weird's Official Newsletter! Prepare to embark on a trek through the bizarre and the fantastical, where every Friday, your blogger of the bizarre Herm (that's me) will venture into the labyrinth of comic book curiosities, the mystifying realms of sci-fi, and the enchanting worlds of fantasy in books, films, and the streaming realm.

Whether you're a seasoned wayfarer in these genres or a curious newcomer, the newsletter promises to be your trusty guide to the weird, the wacky, and the wundabar.

So what can you expect? Well, how about a kaleidoscope of stories and updates from the ever-expanding universe of speculative fiction, film, comics, and art. I'll bring you the latest news, tantalizing tidbits, and thought-provoking insights of all the properties that float my boat—all wrapped up in a signature quirky style of strangeness.

After our News Roundup, expect some featured art, a Random Bronze Age comic book from my childhood that I'll unpack, a weekly panel of weirdness, The Book Nook of Doom where I discuss what I've been reading, and some recommendations to keep you riveted.

Just think of ITW as your weekly dose of the extraordinary, where the boundaries of reality are just a suggestion and imagination reigns supreme.

And so, fellow Weirdos, are you ready to let your curiosity lead the way? Let's peel back the layers of popular culture's most peculiar offerings, and take your first tentative psychotropic step... INTO THE WEIRD.

Recent News Roundup

Deadpool & Wolverine: Box Office Juggernauts

Move over, Avengers—there's a new duo in town, and they're slashing their way to the top of the box office charts! Yes, folks, Deadpool & Wolverine has raked in a cool $440.1 million domestically and $484.5 million internationally. It's the highest-grossing Disney-distributed MCU film since Endgame, and it's set to cross the $1 billion mark faster than you can say "snikt." This R-rated romp is breaking records and hearts, proving once again that a little bit of snark and adamantium go a long way in Hollywood.

Iron Fist's 50th Anniversary: A Punch into the Past

Breaking news from the mystical land of K’un-Lun! Marvel is celebrating half a century of Iron Fist with a special anniversary issue. Expect tales that span the eons, from 10,000,000 B.C.E. to present day, featuring Wolverine, the Daughters of the Dragon, and more. It's a comic so packed with action, Danny Rand might just punch through the pages and into your living room. Just be sure to have plenty of snacks on hand—Iron Fists are known to have an insatiable hunger for justice and dumplings.

Daredevil: Born Again—Back in the Red

Hold onto your billy clubs, because Daredevil: Born Again is making a comeback, and the teaser has leaked faster than you can say "legal liability." With appearances from White Tiger, The Punisher, and even Ms. Marvel's papa, this revival promises more drama than a courtroom showdown. Rumor has it that Matt Murdock's love life is as complicated as ever, so expect tension, action, and maybe even a few awkward dinner dates with Wilson Fisk.

Borderlands: A Sci-Fi Adventure with a Twist (of Lemon)

In a universe where bounty hunters and quirky characters roam free, Borderlands is making waves with its Mad Max-inspired world and comic book flair. Cate Blanchett stars as Lilith, a bounty hunter with a heart of gold and a wardrobe of questionable taste. The film starts strong with its visual pizzazz and offbeat humor but loses steam faster than a leaky spaceship. Director Eli Roth tries his hand at sci-fi, but let's just say this one's more "borderline" than "blockbuster."

Skeleton Crew: Lost in Space and Loving It

Coming soon to a galaxy near you: Skeleton Crew, a Disney+ original that follows the interstellar escapades of four kids who find themselves lost in space. As they navigate this strange galaxy, they'll discover that the real treasure isn't the map to their home planet—it's the quirky friends they make along the way. Scheduled to premiere on December 3, 2024, this one's sure to be a cosmic hit with kids, and maybe some adults too. Hell, anything would be an improvement over The Acolyte, right? (I'm kidding, it wasn't that bad).

Featured Artist of the Week: Johan Egerkrans

Today we feature the eerie, enchanting worlds of Johan Egerkrans, Sweden's modern-day master of mythological illustration. This artistic virtuoso has been breathing life into ancient tales and forgotten creatures for over two decades, armed with nothing but his imagination and a well-worn pencil.

Born in 1978, Egerkrans cut his teeth in the realm of video games, leaving his mark on cult classics like ''Star Stable' and the infamously weird Drake of the 99 Dragons.' But it was his 2013 debut book, 'Vaesen', that catapulted him into the spotlight. This tome of Scandinavian folklore creatures became an instant hit, captivating readers with its haunting beauty and meticulous attention to detail.

Egerkrans' style is a bewitching cocktail of influences. Picture the whimsy of early 20th-century illustrators like Arthur Rackham, shaken (not stirred) with the gritty edge of 90s comic book art. The result? Visuals that are equal parts ethereal and unsettling, leaving viewers both awestruck and slightly unnerved.

His portfolio reads like a who's who of Norse mythology. From the all-seeing Odin to the mischievous Loki, Egerkrans has given face to the pantheon of Norse gods. But he doesn't stop there. Vampires, dragons, and even dinosaurs have all fallen under his artistic spell.

Today, Egerkrans' work graces everything from award-winning tabletop RPGs to reimagined covers of Tolkien classics. His books, with their linen bindings and debossed covers, are more than just reading material—they're artifacts of modern mythology.

The Comics that Made Me: Conan the Barbarian #131 (November, 1981)

This issue was the first Conan comic I bought of the spinner rack, and it blew my puny little mind out the back of my skull. By then I had seen the John Milieus Conan film, and was actively hunting for any comics featuring the gigantic Cimmerian. Lucky for me that I found this one in the wild; an issue written by Bruce Jones and pencilled by Gil Kane, with inks by Ernie Chan. To this day it is still one of my favorite Conan stories ever.

Issue Minutiae

Cover: Gil Kane draws Conan reflected or trapped in the ruby of a Lovecraftian looking ring with a menacing Sorcerer looming in the background.

Story: The Ring of Rhax

Synopsis:

Our story kicks off as Conan, acting as a brigand, ambushes a rich Brythunian merchant in the hills of Cimmeria, and relieves him of his goods. During the robbery, the merchant shows Conan an expensive-looking ring with magical properties. When Conan takes the ring from the merchant, it violently attaches itself to his finger, and cannot be removed.

The merchant laughs and berates Conan, saying that he is now doomed because he has the cursed ring and that the merchant is free of the ring's blood curse which will result in the barbarian’s death come nightfall.

When Conan tries to pull the ring off his finger, it won’t budge. The merchant mounts his horse and rides away laughing, and Conan loses it and flings curses at his tormentor, shouting: “Gibbering baboon! May Set strike you from your saddle!”

To Conan’s astonishment, a magical bolt descends from the heavens and strikes the merchant, turning him into a dead baboon, still wearing his expensive attire. According to the merchant, Conan will die when the sun sets if he can't get the ring off. Conan then proceeds through the wilderness riding the merchant's horse and is attacked by another brigand who, after a furious scrap, takes the ring from him after Conan slipped in a river bed and cracked his Cimmerian noggin on a rock.

When he regains consciousness, Conan witnesses a monstrous shape flying through the sky. This Hell-Thing proceeds to decapitate the brigand who took the ring from Conan.

Before Conan can process what happened, a blood-crazed group of marauding Picts descend upon him, and though he manages to kill dozens of them, they eventually overwhelm him, mortally wounding the great Cimmerian. When he reaches out in death and touches the ring on the finger of the dead brigand, it transfers itself to his finger, and all of his wounds are healed, while a magical force vaporizes his enemies in a massive blast.

Seeking wisdom from sages, Conan meets a gypsy who tells him the history of the ring. It turns out that a King named Jukas long ago asked his court sorcerer Rhax to make the magical ring to force his young and beautiful wife to stay faithful to him. The ring betrayed the king, causing the death of his wife and her lover, and then also the death of the king when he touched her dead hand, and the ring attached itself to his finger. Rhax was hounded by the king's subjects for this apparent regicide and supposedly killed.

After hearing the tale, Conan travels to a tavern, gets drunk, and goes to bed with a sultry maid. When he wakes up, the ring is gone, having transferred itself to the girl's finger. Conan now has to figure out a way to save her life before night falls, and whatever demon the ring summons turns up to kill his bed companion.

At his wit’s end, Conan heads back to the old gypsy and forces him to tell him everything else that he might have withheld from him, on pain if death. The fearful gypsy points him toward Rhax’s castle, a massive Chthonic-looking temple where Rhax, who never actually died, sits on a giant throne surrounded by monolithic statues.

Conan demands that Rhax remove the ring or he will kill the sorcerer. Rhax refuses and displays his vast magical power. He almost kills Conan by blasting a giant pit into the earth, but during the battle night falls and the demon arrives to take the life of the girl. Conan transfers the ring to his finger and proceeds to fight the demon.

As Rhax attacks the girl, she elbows him in the face and he falls into the very same pit that he created. He's hanging from the ledge when Conan offers to help him up if he would help them fight the demon, but as he touches Conan's hand, the ring jumps from Conan's finger to the sorcerer's hand, resulting in him screaming in fear and pain and falling backward into the pit, followed by the kill-crazed demon.

Conan and the girl, free of the ring and its curse, proceed back towards the nearest town, and Conan suggests that they get to know each other better. The girl ends our tale by saying, "But please, barbarian, no engagement rings." By Crom, I’m sure you weirdos would agree with me: it’s a grade-A issue.

The Art: Gil Kane and Ernie Chan deliver a masterclass in comic book illustration and inking that'll make you drool over every page. The action scenes are dynamic, the muscles are gleaming, and the ladies are all very fetching..., well, except for the old crones in the market scenes...

The Story: Bruce Jones brings us a rollicking standalone tale that is vintage Conan and is sure to make Robert E. Howard smile.

Recommendations:

Here’s a bit of the films, books, podcasts, and other media offerings that have been tickling my fancy of late. You might dig them too!

Films:

Out of Darkness

'Out of Darkness' tossed me into a primal world of fear and survival, set 45,000 years ago in the Upper Paleolithic era. This atmospheric thriller follows six early humans as they arrive on unknown shores, seeking a better life. But their hopes quickly turn to terror when a mysterious predator begins stalking them in the darkness.

Director Andrew Cumming crafts a visceral experience that drags us kicking and screaming into humanity's prehistoric past. The film's invented "Tola" language and stunning Scottish Highlands locations create an immersive, alien world. As night falls and danger closes in, the group's desperation becomes palpable.

What sets Out of Darkness apart is its clever subversion of horror tropes. Just when you think you know where it's going, the film pulls the rug out from under you with a thought-provoking twist. It's less about jump scares and more about exploring primal human fears and the roots of conflict between different peoples.

The cast delivers raw, physical performances that convey volumes without relying on dialogue. Safia Oakley-Green is a standout as the fierce young Beyah. Adam Janota Bzowski's percussive score ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable levels.

While not for everyone, Out of Darkness offers a unique and haunting take on prehistoric horror. It's a stark reminder that the things that terrified our ancestors still lurk in our collective subconscious today.

Fiction:

Starfish by Peter Watts

"Starfish" hurls us into the crushing depths of the Pacific, where a ragtag crew of misfits and trauma survivors have been transformed into deep-sea cyborgs. Peter Watts' debut novel is a haunting exploration of humanity's limits, both physical and psychological.

At the heart of this sci-fi horror masterpiece is Lenie Clarke, a woman running from her past who finds an unexpected home in the abyss. As she and her fellow "rifters" tend to a geothermal power station, they discover that the real monsters aren't lurking in the darkness outside – they're the demons they've brought with them from the surface.

Watts' prose is as sharp and unforgiving as the ocean floor his characters inhabit. He weaves hard science and psychological insight into a tapestry of dread that will leave you gasping for air. The author's background in marine biology lends authenticity to the alien world he's created, making the impossible feel terrifyingly plausible.

What sets "Starfish" apart is its unflinching look at trauma and adaptation. These aren't your typical heroic astronauts – they're broken people thrust into an environment that paradoxically allows them to heal.

As the plot escalates the tension, you'll find yourself rooting for characters who, in any other story, might be the villains.

Note: This isn't a book for the faint of heart. Watts pulls no punches, dragging you through the psychological muck of his characters' minds. But for those willing to take the plunge, "Starfish" offers a rewarding and thought-provoking journey into the depths of both the ocean and the human psyche.

Shows:

The Umbrella Academy S4 (Netflix)

The Umbrella Academy kicks off its final season with a bang, dropping us into a world where our favorite dysfunctional superhero family has been living powerless for six years. "The Unbearable Tragedy of Getting What You Want" reintroduces us to the Hargreeves siblings as they navigate mundane lives, from Luther's hilarious stint as a stripper to Klaus's germaphobic sobriety.

But the show's signature blend of quirky humor and high-stakes drama quickly resurfaces when Viktor gets kidnapped, forcing the family to reunite. The episode masterfully balances nostalgia with fresh intrigue, introducing mysterious new villains in the delightfully sinister Jean and Gene Thibedeau.

What truly shines is the cast's chemistry, which crackles with renewed energy. Their banter feels sharper than ever, laced with six years of unspoken history. As the siblings grapple with the possibility of regaining their powers, the episode sets up tantalizing questions about identity and destiny.

With its mix of heartfelt moments, laugh-out-loud gags, and a cliffhanger ending that'll have you reaching for the next episode, The Umbrella Academy proves it hasn't lost its superpowered touch.

Podcast:

The Colors of the Dark Podcast

"Colors of the Dark" is a horror fan's dream come true, serving up a delectable feast of frights that'll make your skin crawl and your mind reel. Hosts Dr. Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane are the perfect partners in crime, their chemistry crackling like a haunted house's faulty wiring as they dive deep into the genre's darkest corners.

What distinguishes this podcast is its ability to balance academic insight with gut-busting humor. One minute you're learning about the sociopolitical underpinnings of 80s slashers, the next you're howling at Rebekah's spot-on impression of a B-movie villain. It's like attending a horror masterclass taught by your funniest friends. The duo's passion for the macabre is infectious, whether they're dissecting obscure giallo films or interviewing genre legends. Their recommendations have led me down more rabbit holes than Alice, each one filled with cinematic nightmares I never knew I needed.

Weird Panel of the Week

Until Next Time

As we draw the curtain on this week's exploration of spine-tingling tales and captivating narratives, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all you delightful weirdos who make this journey worthwhile. Your curiosity and passion for the macabre, the mysterious, and the downright strange are what keep this little corner of the internet alive and kicking.

Remember, you're never alone, whether you're wandering through haunted comic book alleys or diving into the cinematic shadows of prehistoric fears. We're all here, huddled together under the flickering light of our shared love for the eerie and the extraordinary.

So, until next time, keep those lights dimmed and your imagination wide open. More tales of wonder await you next Friday, packed with the same bizarre charm and chilling intrigue you've come to love.

Stay weird, my friends, and see you in the next issue of Strange Ruminations.