As I’ve previously mentioned on Werewolf News, artist Scott C. and his ongoing series of Great Showdowns are the sources of, like, 75% of my Internet-delivered smiles. Today’s Showdown is an “old timey jammer” that perfectly (and literally) illustrates Scott’s knack for capturing epic film confrontations in the most agreeable way possible.
Author: Angela Quinton
Angela Quinton is a writer, designer and web developer from Canada. She's also a colossal werewolf nerd who wrote her first werewolf story on her mom's typewriter at age 11. When not writing code or geeking out over werewolf stuff, Angela runs trails, spots trains, and throws rocks at the Pacific Ocean. She lives near Vancouver, Canada, with their lovely and tolerant wife, three feline malcontents and an increasingly terrible dachshund.
HOWL Con 2012, the PDX-based werewolf convention my mom won’t let me attend
Werewolf News readers know I get excited about things easily, but I didn’t want to say anything about HOWL Con until I’d done a little research. I love the idea of getting together with other werewolf fans in a convention setting where the most pressing question on my mind is “when should I get in line for the werewolf makeup booth?”, not “when was that fursuit last dry-cleaned?”. My first chance to live that dream disappeared earlier this year when WerewolfCon imploded under the weight of poor marketing and worse management, so I was a little standoffish when Twitter user @howlcon2012pdx followed me last week. Now that I’ve had a phone conversation with its organizer and done a little homework, I’m happy to report that HOWL Con seems to have its stuff together.
First, the facts: HOWL Con happens Friday October 12th through Sunday the 14th at the Monarch Hotel & Conference Center in Portland, Oregon. Yes, that’s this October. Saturday passes are $20, Sunday is $15, or get both days covered for $30. Friday seems to be an evening-only meet and greet, which costs $5 (or free for weekend pass-holders). Pricing is the same whether you register in advance or purchase at the door, although groups of eight or more can email admin@howlcon.com to arrange a discounted group rate. Once you’re in, here’s what you can expect:
Meet Rhiannon Held, author of Silver and the forthcoming Tarnished, representatives from the Wolf Haven International wolf sanctuary, fiction & role-playing game author/editor Satyros Phil Brucato, shamanic author & artist Lupa, medievalist Rev. Dr. Phillip Bernhardt-House (“the man with a Ph.D. in Celtic werewolves”), and other lycanthropic luminaries.
Programming will cover werewolves in legend, fiction, the media, and the culture at large. We will also be exploring the lives and minds of wolves, real-live canis lupus–that’s right, you run a high risk of both having fun and learning something. Activities will include:
- panels & presentations by writers, artists, folklorists, scientists, and others with expertise & passion to share,
- entertainment including live music, dancing, short films, and dramatic storytelling,
- dealers, an art show, gaming, a costumed Werewolf Wild Hunt, and more!
So what makes HOWL Con likely to succeed where its predecessor failed? Organizer Stephen Couchman was kind enough to take my phone call and set my mind at ease. Here’s what I learned.
- Experienced organizer. Stephen is a Portland-area resident with experience organizing conventions – he’s run steampunk convention GEAR Con for two years now, and its success is promising – he has plans to move 2013’s event to a much larger venue.
- Financially sound. HOWL Con isn’t selling sponsorships because it doesn’t need to. WerewolfCon needed to sell thousands of dollars of sponsorships in order to get off the ground, which is one of the reasons it failed, but HOWL Con is already a done deal. It’s “happening for sure”, Stephen said. There are even plans to donate some of the proceeds to area wolf sanctuaries.
- Culturally inclusive. I think its itinerary is a little lacking in the horror / monster department, but it’s not totally buried in the hippy-dippy “cuddlewolf” zone, either. Stephen says this year’s con is “year zero” – planting seeds that will grow into future participation from increasingly diverse panels, vendors and performers. Sounds like something the SRA might get involved in.
Overall, this sounds like something I’d definitely attend – it’s a small investment, it’s relatively close to me, and the guy running it has experience doing conventions. Unfortunately, it happens to be scheduled right in the middle of my parents’ yearly visit from Halifax. I’d consider bringing them along, but my folks are such gentle souls that HOWL Con might as well be a Gwar concert. For that reason alone, I’m sitting this convention out, but I’ll be watching its development with interest, and I hope to be a part of it next year.
Check out the werewolf & lycan collections on YourProps.com
Tandye sent me a link to a search results listing of all the werewolf stuff listed on YourProps.com, and I am coveting the hell out of a few entries.
Oz Werewolf Animatronic Head from “Buffy”
Complete screen-used werewolf costume from “Never Cry Werewolf”
Brigitte’s partially-transformed hand from “Ginger Snaps 2”
A similar search for “lycan” yields more noteworthy items, including a dead prop lycan, multiple lycan heads, and ghoulish (but practical!) lycan fingertips.
It makes me happy to know this stuff is all out there somewhere!
Ebay bans “Werewolf Potion” sales, disappointing nobody
photo via snarkattack
As reported by TechCrunch and Slate, perpetual Internet garage sale Ebay will discontinue the Spells & Potions category as part of its 2012 Fall Seller Update. Starting today, no new auctions are permitted in that category (among others), effectively ending the Internet’s trade in little vials of essential oils and food colouring. Among the ersatz conjurations you won’t be able to purchase anymore are potions and incantations promising a real-life (for real and true!) case of lycanthropy, like this one for POWERFUL MAGIC SPELL OF WEREWOLF TRANSFORMATION lycan shapeshift vampire haunted. What a shame.
When asked by Slate to explain its decision, the Ebay PR robot dispensed this non-judgemental pellet:
We want customers to have great experiences on eBay, and we regularly review categories and update policies to deliver the best shopping and selling experience possible. Based on our long-standing policy restricting the sale of intangible items on eBay, we are discontinuing a small number of categories within the Metaphysical category, as transactions in these categories can be difficult to verify and resolve. We believe this update will enhance the experience on eBay and benefit our customers.
Let me summarize that for you: “We’re tired of mediating arguments between snake oil peddlars and fools who have just been parted from their money.”
As someone who has opinions about deliberate charlatanism (and who is open about the unreality of his own “paranormal” wares), I think this is a great move by a company I don’t normally like. Not everyone agrees, though – especially those Ebay sellers who are now scrambling for ways to monetize a guest bedroom full of eyedropper bottles and laser-printed labels. A petition urging Ebay to retract the ban has popped up in the Human Rights (!?) section of GoPetition. I’m not sure how many signatures it’s got, but the number’s probably pretty small, since the “sign petition” button buried at the bottom of a whargarbl stack containing sentences like this:
I am saddened and deeply concerned that eBay’s new policy may appear to some as a form of religious or ideological discrimination against occult and esoteric metaphysical beliefs.
I too am saddened that some people might interpret Ebay’s policy of minimizing bullshit as “religious or ideological discrimination”. I would totally drink a potion to become a werewolf, and I’m not positing or discounting the existence of any particular metaphysical or supernatural phenomenon, but if such things are real, they’re not likely to be forces you can bottle up and sell on Ebay for $25 plus shipping.
Live-Tweeted Quasi-Review of “Anathema” issue 2: No sophomore slump for Deering or Mooneyham
The second issue of Rachel Deering’s classic werewolf horror comic Anathema is out, and just as with the first issue, I’ve captured my first read-through as a series of off-the-cuff tweets. Is this a review? Kind of. Is it silly to live-tweet the reading of a comic book? Yes. Did I capture those tweets and re-post them here for your edification and enjoyment? You know it. Does issue 2 live up to the promise of the “cocked and loaded gun” that was issue 1? Read on to find out (spoiler alert: it absolutely lives up to that promise)!
Cover: Wow, Mercy’s got some REACH with those arms. Great composition, and the colours are perfect.
Page 1: This is how you write an opening crawl, Lucasfilm. Also, I know whose eyes thooooose are!
Page 2: Shoulda worn your running shoes, lady.
Page 3: Boy, these colours. It’s like a 60’s horror film, in a GOOD way. Points to that raven for flying out over the cliff for extra height.
Page 4: At least one of these guys is a Kickstarter supporter who paid to be “killed” in this book. Awesome! I love that shadowy Mercy profile.
Page 4, continued: Mercy’s been monologuing for 3 pages, and far from being distracting, it’s a nicely paced parallel to the action.
Page 5: One page, two reactions. 1) FUCK YOU, BIRD 2) The art in the 7th panel makes me want to put Mercy in my pocket.
Page 6: A lot happening on one page, here. It plays well. Not feeling the “jump” lines in the second panel, though. Wonder who hit the roof 1st?
Page 7: Nice beat in the action. Mercy’s crouch makes me want to give her a back rub. I like that her inability to speak isolates her here.
Page 8: Daniel, instead of fucking around with axes & chasing werewolves, maybe go get some Bactine? Or, like, hug your daughter?
Page 9: Holy cow, dude, *relax*. Pick your battles. Mercy’s battle-damage poses are comical+awesome, and that second panel is HEAVY METAL.
Page 10: There’s a fork in the road of Mercy’s character development here. I wonder which way she’ll go.
Page 11: “MISTAKES WERE MADE”
Page 12: I’m not sure if those are leaves or floating ash from the fires in town, but they are a really cunning visual transition detail.
Page 13: Mercy obviously studied at the Underworld school of werewolf wall-climbing. Even in issue 1 she was pulling gecko moves.
Page 14: Nothing good has ever happened in here.
Page 15: So, I was wrong about those eyes earlier. Good to know. Good to know. Also, my new favourite onomatopoeic is “klek”.
Page 15, continued: That question mark in panel 5 gets its own tweet, because it is perfect.
Page 16: OH GOD get your water wings, Mercy
Page 17: Those are… pendulous. Also, Mercy’s really gonna need that back rub now.
Page 18: I love the energy in the lines! Nice character design, too. A LOT of fire came out of that cauldron, boy.
Page 19: More climbing! I think the foreground of the first panel is making a… *point*… of foreshadowing the solution. Great colours, ugly foe!
Page 20: Lovely perspective on that leap! Also, my perception of the foreshadowing on the previous page was… sharp.
Page 21: That looks like the crystal gem apple that Tree Trunks was after in Adventure Time, & we all know what happened to HER. Careful, now.
Page 22: “Yes, bird, I did it.” The writing in this issue SLAYS. And 80% of it is captioned thoughts to which only Mercy & the reader are privy.
Page 23: Those were leaves earlier. Again, gorgeous classic horror movie colours. Of COURSE the **** from earlier is ********* *****. WHAT NEXT?
Verdict: Issue 2 is “The Legend of Korra” to issue 1’s “The Last Airbender”: same heart, soul & style, new setting, pace & thrills.
Deering’s writing is clear and deftly handles the protagonist’s inability to speak. Mooneyham’s art remains strong, coaxing a lot of expression out of Mercy’s lupine form, and new-to-the-series colourist Ian Herring’s work casts the whole book in an exquisite Hammer Horror haze of firelight oranges. I’m no expert on comics as an art form, but I can recognize when the talents of a creative team match their enthusiasm, and that’s exactly what’s happening here.
Anathema‘s second issue is a worthy follow-up to the excellent premiere issue. I highly recommend you pick up a copy from Deering’s store, and let me know what you think – about this issue, the series so far, or the bold claim I make in the Werewolf News ad contained in this issue.
Retro YouTube Gem: Marie Osmond & Jeff Conaway freak the hell out in this werewolf skit
This Marie Osmond and Jeff Conaway skit originally aired on the December 12, 1980 episode of The Marie Show, which means (according to the latest Werewolf News analytics report) you probably weren’t even alive yet. Technically, either was I, but that doesn’t keep me from enjoying the all-out bat-shit crazy contained in this four minutes. Marie’s full-on drooling by 2:20, which seems pretty intense for 1980’s TV. Check it out.
Hat tip: @Werewolf_Guide (who almost certainly does not approve) and @dwlaraway.
Wolf-Girls Blog Tour: Sarah Peacock on her story “Exiled”
As part of the ongoing Wolf-Girls Blog Tour, I’m pleased to introduce Sarah Peacock, author of “Exiled” – a tense tale of the violence and isolation that accompanies certain kinds of self-discovery. You can find Sarah’s story in the recently-published Wolf-Girls anthology. I asked Sarah if she would share with us some details pertaining to her writing process, the influence her background in archeology had on her story, and the specific nature of her protagonist’s lycanthropic transformation.
Exiled – Sarah Peacock
The basis of the story ‘Exiled’ began as a scribbled note in my journal during research for a novel I was writing. The novel is partly set in the iron Age and I was doing some research on iron age customs and traditions – I wanted to get a feel for how the characters would think and act, what their philosophy would be, and I happened to find an 11th Century Latin poem – ‘De Mirabulis Hiberniae’ that mentioned how those outlawed from the tribe would assume the form of a wolf. About the same time, I also came across the idea of the exiled ‘Cú Glas’ , which translates as grey wolf, in the stories of Cu Chulainn. The story essentially developed from that idea.
I originally trained in Archaeology and Pre-History – I have a degree in the subject – and although I didn’t end up working in that field it still influences my writing a lot. I naturally look to anthropology, folklore and history for inspiration. My all time favourite writers use the British landscape – it’s history and folklore in their work – writers such as Alan Garner and Robert Holdstock and this influences my writing in the same way. I love their sense of timelessness, of very human centred, character led stories set against a rugged landscape that is full of the traces of its ancestors. This doesn’t come out quite as much in this story but it seems to be an undercurrent in a lot of my other writing. I’m writing a set of four short stories at the moment that I’m publishing on my blog www.sarah-peacock.com that are very much inspired by this, centred around the ideas of air, water, earth and fire.
I’m a little obsessed, with certain themes and the theme of not belonging, of being different, is one of those themes. With the werewolf being a female I also got to explore what it is like to be a woman and be expected to take certain roles, behave in a certain way, and what happens if you don’t. As a teenager Cassie begins to develop her own voice, stand up for herself, refusing to fit in with the small minded expectations that the people around her have. Her anger is unleashed and so she becomes an outsider. Women, especially, aren’t supposed to get angry and, of course, women aren’t supposed to become werewolves so I quite enjoyed writing that in, along with giving her the ASBO.
Reading it now, I can see the influences behind it. I really love Martin Millar’s stuff and particularly enjoyed ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ and I’m also a big fan of Jeff Noon’s writing such as ‘Vurt’ so I suppose that’s where the squatting and drugs and counter culture comes in. To be honest, I haven’t really read a huge amount of werewolf fiction – I’ve read a little of kelly Armstrong’s writing and recently read Glenn Duncan’s ‘The Last Werewolf’ which I think was beautifully written.
I realise that the way Cassie transforms into a werewolf isn’t massively clear. She’s not bitten or catches a virus or anything similar so it’s not the traditional route to transformation. The transformation happens because she is different. It’s a change from within, transformed by her anger and alienation. She is exiled so becomes the grey wolf, but perhaps the potential for turning was there already – it’s ambiguous as to whether she is angry and ultimately kills because she has the nature of a werewolf or becomes a wolf as a result of her actions. I quite like that ambiguity.
I knew what the ending would be before I finished the story. I usually start writing with pages of scribbled notes and ideas and the dots get joined as I write. I’m a bit looser with short story writing and don’t plan in detail as much as I do with novel length stuff – the sheer volume of words involved in novels terrifies me so I like to plan the arc of the novel in some detail to make sure I don’t rush through the writing of the thing, and it helps with the scary middle bits. With short stories I always feel I can relax a little and play a bit more although looking back through my journal I see that I had the idea of her running off to join a group of like minded exiles, somewhere remote at the end and envisioned a scene where the exiles watch the city night unfurl before them. I don’t think I put that in in the end but I still like the idea. Re-reading the story I realise I’m still quite interested in what happens to Cassie and the other exiles so I might experiment with writing a follow up story and see where that leads.
Many thanks to Sarah for sharing her time and words with us, and for providing some additional insight into a story that – in spite of its rain-soaked grittiness – made me want to go back and visit England. You can (and should) read “Exiled” by getting a copy of Wolf-Girls, published by Hic Dragones, and stuffed with many more splendid werewolf stories (including one by me). You can read more of Sarah’s writing on her web site.
Skittles invites you to touch a baby werewolf
Tandye found this. I am simultaneously flabbergasted, delighted, a teensy bit uncomfortable, and feeling strangely compelled to buy some Skittles.
I work in the web office of a fairly offbeat company, and our web marketing team is in love with Skittles’ approach to branding and marketing. I have to admit, the unapologetic weirdness appeals to my sensibilities as well.
Watch “Monstrous Nature”, a short film by Jason Cuadrado
Monstrous Nature is a short film in which a nun wakes from an abduction to find herself handcuffed to a self-professed serial killer who is counting on her to “deliver” him from his murderous impulses. Trapped deep in the woods, and with “the time” rapidly approaching, Sister Angela has to decide if prayer is enough to save Paul, or if something more worldly is required.
This tense 15 minutes is written and directed by Jason Cuadrado, and it made for some very enjoyable lunchtime viewing here in the office (although there are a few shots near the end that turned me off my chili).
Camillia Sanes Monet and Gary Perez both turn in strong performances – I found Perez’s reluctant but ruthless killer particularly charming. The editing gets a little choppy during the climax, but the effects were gross-out good. You don’t have to take my word for it, though – Cuadrado has made the whole thing available via Vimeo. Watch & enjoy!
“City Under The Moon” (my favourite werewolf novel) is free for Kindle this weekend
Let’s not mess around here. I haven’t written a review of it yet (insert shameface), but Hugh Sterbakov‘s book City Under The Moon is my favourite werewolf novel (seriously, no hyperbole), and for the next two days, you can get it for free on your Kindle (and if you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it on the Kindle app on your computer or mobile device).
I’ll save the gory details of my love affair for the forthcoming review. Suffice it to say, Hugh can write scary, funny and biology-textbook-technical with equal talent, and his take on werewolves checks every box on my list. Literally. I have a list, and all the boxes are checked.
City Under The Moon kicks ass. Go see for yourself.