Yesterday I saw a tweet by David Malki expressing surprise over the existence of a codified literary genre called “Bizarro Fiction”. That lead me to a Guardian article on the subject which, while interesting in its own right, was immediately relegated to an inactive browser tab when I saw these words: “Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland”. That’s the title of a book by Carlton Mellick III, whose body of work (the most NSFW Amazon search result page ever) makes it abundantly clear that he’s one of the genre’s most prodigious authors. Despite my love of werewolf horror and all the spilled entrails that comes with it, I am a gentle man of delicate sensibilities, so there’s not a single title in that list that I would purposely read… other than Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland. That book is now required reading despite (or because of?) its astoundingly, deliberately trashy premise and pedigree. Dig on this synopsis from Amazon:

They call themselves the Warriors, their enemies call them the Bitches. They are a gang of man-eating, motorcycle-riding, war-hungry werewolf women, and they are the rulers of the wasteland.

A century after the fall of civilization, only one city remains standing. It is a self-contained utopian society protected by a three-hundred-foot-high steel wall. The citizens of this city live safe, peaceful lives, completely ignorant to the savagery that takes place beyond the walls. They are content and happy, blindly following the rules of the fascist fast food corporation that acts as their government. But when Daniel Togg, a four-armed bootlegger from the dark side of town, is cast out of the walled city, he soon learns why the state of the outside world has been kept secret. The wasteland is a chaotic battleground filled with giant wolves, mutant men, and an army of furry biker women who are slowly transforming into animals. Trapped on the wrong side of a war zone, Daniel Togg makes new friends and new enemies, while uncovering the mysteries of the people living in the wasteland and how they came to be there.

Sold. Did I mention it’s illustrated? It’s illustrated. I will read this book, and I will report back here with my findings. For werewolves. For science. Wish me luck!

The Werewolf’s Guide to Life belongs right next to the Bible in every werewolf’s (or werewolf’s spouse’s) nightstand. Its subtitle “A Manual for the Newly Bitten” accurately represents what lies between its covers: not a tepid modernization of werewolf myths peppered with pseudo-scientific explanations, but rather a no-nonsense (yet oddly humorous) instructional guide for newly-initiated werewolves.

At 236 illustrated pages, it’s clear that authors Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers were thinking hard about the daily challenges of being a werewolf long before the publishing world hitched its wagon to the recent monster fad. The book begins with a stark command instructing those who have just been bitten to skip ahead to the chapters that are most immediately relevant to their situation: namely, those that identify the signs of an impending transformation and how to avoid killing others (or being killed yourself) during your first Moon.

Most of the book adheres to this thoughtful textbook-like structure. It’s organized into three parts comprised of chapters that build on previously-discussed topics, but the text and sidebars encourage a lot of skipping ahead to areas where a topic of particular interest (or immediate relevance) is covered in greater detail. If you’re reading about the supplies you’ll need to have available in your enclosure during a Moon, you’ll learn you’d better have “lots of raw, red meat” available to slake your wolf-self’s hunger. But wait, the conscientious werewolf-to-be might wonder, how much meat is enough? You can take the potentially fatal guesswork out of the equation by skipping ahead to Chapter 11 (“Diet and Livestock”), which contains an elaborate table describing a point system for finding the right balance of live meat, dead meat and vegetable-based filler to keep you satisfied during your bestial evenings.

Read more…

Then you need to read the first issue of Image’s new comic Skullkickers when it comes out in September. Writer Jim Zubkavich and artist Edwin Huang have teamed up to create a fantasy-comedy comic series that sounds like it’s inspired by a lot of excellent sources. From the official site’s “About” page:

Two mercenaries are entangled in a high-class assassination plot and nothing — not werewolves, skeletons or black magic — will stop them from getting paid. If you love tabletop fantasy RPGs, buddy stories involving a big guy and a dwarf, or movies like ARMY OF DARKNESS, SKULLKICKERS is the book for you!

The premise sounds fun in a hack & slash “where’s the Mountain Dew?” sort of way, but the preview pages (see below) got my undivided attention. Look at that werewolf’s gut! What’s he got in there, Grandma?

Check out skullkickers.com for more details, including a handy form you can take to your local comic shop to reserve a copy. If you want more, here’s a nice little Newsarama interview with Jim Zubkavich. SPLORK!

I’m trying not to post about books I haven’t read, but “Werewolves of Montpellier” by Jason (yep, just “Jason”) keeps popping up on my radar, so I looked it up on the Fantagraphics site. And now I want it.

Sven, a semi-aimless Scandinavian artist who has ended up in Montpellier, France on a futile romantic pursuit, enjoys nocturnal raids into other people’s homes, disguised as a werewolf. The way he figures it, the disguise will give him an extra few moments’ advantage vis-à-vis any startled home owner if things get ugly…but he hasn’t taken into account the existence of a society of real Montpellier-based werewolves who do not take kindly to this new pretender.

Based on reviews, this sounds really good. The art reminds me of Chris Ware or Chris Onstad, and I’m a fan of deadpan, sardonic humour. Do want! Get it on Amazon or visit www.fantagraphics.com/werewolves.

Hat tip: Craig J. Clark

For the past two years, July has been Werewolf Month at Monster Librarian, and this year is no different. Here is the low down on Monster Librarian’s third annual Werewolf Month offering:

This year on top of featuring new reviews of werewolf fiction we are hosting new werewolf short stories and interviews. We start off with Colleen Wanglund reviewing “Animal Behavior and other Tales of Lycanthropy” by Keith Gouviea. Michele Lee interviews Silver Kiss author Naomi Clark. We are pleased to be hosting two tales of lycanthropy: Mind, Body, and Soul by Keith Gouviea and Men in the Moon by Michele Lee. Stay tuned for more updates as part of Werewolf Month.

Also if you are interested in other horror book reviews we are also running our Hazy Days of Horror book review project.  This summer we are partnering with HorrorWorld, Hellnotes, and Horror Fiction Review to bring you reviews of horror titles available for your summer reading.

I got an email from Joshua Boulet the other day; he wanted to tell me about a 115-page graphic novel he spent 5 years creating. It’s called “The Wrong Night in Texas” and is available directly from the man himself for $10 + $5 shipping. Over the course of the 10-page preview I saw a tornado, a naked guy covered in carved-in pentagrams, a well-executed three-and-a-half page transformation scene and the most gruesomely excellent eyeball-removal ever (“SLAP”). I’m going to try to obtain a copy so I can check out the other 105 pages, but I have a good feeling about it, especially after looking at some of Joshua’s other endeavours.

It’s all right there in the headline! According to Variety, “Spoke Lane Entertainment and Mike the Pike Prods. have acquired film rights to George R.R. Martin’s werewolf novella ‘The Skin Trade.’” Here’s the premise:

Martin’s story is based on a female private investigator on the trail of a serial killer linked to an underground werewolf clan ruling the remains of a vibrant city devastated by a recession.

The novella was first published alongside work by Stephen King and Dan Simmons in a short horror anthology called Night Visions 5. It seems to be out of print, but there are some used copies available on Amazon. I’ve read a little Martin, but not enough to know how I feel about this. I suppose I’m cautiously optimistic. Martin readers, should I be stoked?

It’s by Alex Cox. It’s four panels long. I might have printed the last panel and stuck it on the wall. Maybe. Probably.

Bloody Disgusting has got the scoop on “Hack/Slash” creator Tim Seeley’s new comic franchise (and soon to be film), “Wild Game”. Here’s the premise:

In a world where Werewolves were long ago hunted nearly to extinction by humans and thought only to be urban legends, the few remaining packs live among us in secret. But, the beast can’t be caged forever. Once a year: runaways, homeless people, anyone who won’t be missed… are captured and brought to a secluded private destination to be hunted for game by the last living Werewolves on earth.

Visit the Bloody Disgusting article for some exclusive art from the comic. I’m on the fence about Pasquale Qualano‘s artwork (what’s that female werewolf doing next to that tree?) but Bloody Disgusting thinks it’s going to be the next “30 Days of Night” but with werewolves. We’ll see!

According to this little Variety snippet, DreamWorks Animation is producing an adaptation of A. Lee Martinez’s novel Gil’s All Fright Diner. If you haven’t heard of the book (I hadn’t, but then, there’s a lot I don’t hear about), here’s what you need to know:

Something Evil (that’s with a capital E) is stalking Gil’s All Night Diner in Martinez’s terrific debut, a comic horror-fantasy novel. Heading the delightfully eccentric cast are buddies Earl (aka the Earl of Vampires) and Duke (aka the Duke of Werewolves), who are looking for a place to eat as they drive through Rockwood, a small desert community besieged by cosmically weird stuff. Soon after stopping at Gil’s Diner, the pair help Loretta, the formidable owner-operator, fend off a zombie attack. Determined to do the right thing, the two supernatural misfits take on further challenges, such as trying to prevent Tammy (aka Mistress Lilith, Queen of the Night) and her loyal but dumb boyfriend, Chad, from ending the world.

The screenplay is being adapted by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (who also wrote Kung Fu Panda for DreamWorks) and the film will be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (it’s been 11 years– I think we can forgive him for Wild Wild West now). With the right character design and an adherence to what sounds like a dark Douglas Adams style of humour, this could be pretty good. Have any of you read the book? What’d you think?