Gamora

Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Gamora: Guardian of the Galaxy by Jim Starlin and J Scott Campbell.

This collection of 1970s Marvel comics is misleadingly titled in order to capitalize on the worthy success of the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise. Contrary to the subtitle, the actual “Guardians of the Galaxy” team does not feature anywhere in this book. It does include Gamora in a set of her earliest appearances, but only as a supporting character. The narrative continuity of these stories is quite remote from the one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That aside, the book is great fun. It collects a single story-line spanning eight issues across four titles, to supply the account of Adam Warlock’s conflict with the Magus and then Thanos. Throughout, the comics are a violation of the Marvel division-of-labor formula, with Jim Starlin as composer of both text and images. He is accordingly credited with such duties as “insanity,” “everything else,” and “other manual labor.” In the first comic of the arc, his writing credit is given with the anagram pseudonym “Sam Jiltrin.” Starlin’s work on these comics specifically is a signal instance of the Marvel pivot in the seventies towards space opera and cosmic melodrama.

Starlin’s art is unexceptional for Marvel fare of its period, and his dialogue is sometimes clunky, but the plotting is weird as can be, and worth the read, even if it is being peddled under false pretenses. Fans of the Zoe Saldana Gamora as re-imagined by James Gunn will likely get little gratification here. She is introduced as “the most dangerous woman in the galaxy,” but we never really find out why. [via]

Because of course the only way pretending is any good is if you never say right out that that’s what you’re doing.

Edward Eager, Half Magic

Hermetic Library album call for 2017 submissions

Today I am announcing the 2017 call for submissions for Magick, Music and Ritual 13, the next anthology album of tracks by artists inspired by or who incorporate ritual and magick in their work. These anthology albums help promote artists to the audience of the Hermetic Library and beyond. These albums raise awareness about the connection between ritual, music and magick. And, they are a mass of awesome fun.

Magick, Music and Ritual 13 will be the one and only album release for 2017 from the Anthology Project. The deadline for submissions to the 2017 anthology album is September 30th, 2017. Be sure to stay tuned to the blog and the pages for the Hermetic Library anthology project for reminders and updates along the way.

Call for Submissions for Magick Music and Ritual 13

 

Deadline for submissions is September 30th, 2017. Release is planned around the anniversary of the Hermetic Library’s birth on Dec 3rd, 1996.

Be sure to read through the terms and conditions for artist submissions to an anthology album (which includes some new and more specific information about acceptable file formats), and after that if you have any questions, comments or wish to contribute to this project; contact the librarian.

Please consider joining the Hermetic Library in promoting your work by contributing to this benefit anthology album project. All proceeds from album sales will support the library to help cover hosting costs, materials acquisitions, and other expenses.

 

Check out all the previously released anthology albums, help spread the word about the Hermetic Library anthology project, and let those you think may be interested know about this new opportunity to participate.

 

Cover Artwork and Design

If you would like to make a proposal for the artwork and design of this anthology, please get in touch! Take a gander at all the other covers and consider joining the illustrious artists who have participated with their work on those anthologies.

Bonus Download Submissions

If you are creating something else, and would like to be included in the anthology download as a bonus, let me know. I’m open to bonus artwork, essay, articles and … well, anything that can be included in a digital download!

Odd Order anthology

Please also consider the Odd Order anthology, currently in its 2nd year, which is also being announced today with the same deadline. Odd Order Albums are annual compilations of tracks by artists inspired by or who incorporate geekery and nerdy mishegoss in their work, an anthology album of tracks by artists inspired by technology and geek culture. These benefit anthology albums help Rigaroga and Odd Order promote artists to the audience of the not only the Odd Order, but also the Hermetic Library and beyond.

 

Also, the best way to add anthology releases and this upcoming Hermetic Library album to your personal music collection is through the Patron campaign at Patreon. Patrons will each be offered a gratis download code for the 2017 release in addition to all the other patronage rewards they may receive, and that ends up being the most cost effective way to get these albums. Consider becoming a Patron today!

Volkhavaar

Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Volkhavaar by Tanith Lee.

Volkhavaar is a splendid little fantasy: a dense, rhythmic tale that barely manages to keep itself in the field of prose, rather than poetry. Pace the jacket copy, I didn’t feel like I was reading a story of “a world far removed from those we know.” It keeps to a highly “traditional,” almost folkloric style throughout, and its plot often runs counter to the sort of expectations programmed by Disney fairy tales. The supernatural elements are drawn in a powerful and believable way. The book is so tightly composed that I wouldn’t be surprised if its twenty-two short chapters were deliberately keyed to the Tarot trumps. [via]

I think many writers are notoriously conservative and superstitious about their work methods, with rituals and incantations and other rubbish we won’t mention, apart, obviously, from the enormous amount of time spent staring out of the window.

Linda Grant, I Murdered My Library