Trails of Tarnation!

Once again Emporium reader Shonokin has given me the heads up on a very cool new nugget of Weird Western gold. Its a webseries called Trails of Tarnation.

TRAILS OF TARNATION is a twelve-part serial western following the exploits of Derek and Jeff, two cowboys on the run from the corrupt Sheriff Maynard Lumbar.

Full of cheesy sets, bad dubbing, subversive humor, and a look that makes it feel like a bad 60s or 70s Sunday morning TV program, Trails of Tarnation is all kinds of awesome.

The show was created by Nicholas Gurewitch who used to do a Webcomic series called Perry Bible Fellowship. I've been hearing a lot of PBF recently but unfortunately the series has ended and the only way to read the comics is by search engine, but you most definitely should!

They have a Facebook Page thats full of behind the scenes pictures, a podcast link, and an interview about the show.

Heres the first episode, and then afterwards you shuld go to their website and give them some love, it looks like this show is going to be pretty incredible!

Black Coffee: Trails of Tarnation - Chapter 1 from New Picture Agencies on Vimeo.

2 Years of the Weird West Emporium!

2 Years ago today I started this website! You know how people say that they can't believe so much time has passed in regards to something? Well that is absolutely true here, I cant believe its been two years. Seriously.

Originally this site had been a personal blog, except I only had one post (About my friend breaking her collar bone in Roller Derby) that I had done about a year previously...and then it just sat and, as blogs sometimes tend to do, it didn't go anywhere.

Then one day I was scouring the internet for a good website about The Weird West. I came across at least one, Steampunk Central which I had been to before. It was from Steampunk Central that I had first heard of the Legend TV series. At the time I re-found it however, the site was closed down, shuttered up, just a bunch of broken links.

Everything else I found online were either pictures, or reviews of Weird West/Western Steampunk media. A few of the movies on these lists got me on the road to the Weird West. Movies like Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and The Valley of Gwangi were some of my first exposure to the genre:



...and of course Wild Wild West:



....but those lists weren't what I was looking for. I was looking for something more comprehensive. Something like Paul Green's Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns except online. So I decided to start the website on my own.

I just reached 50 followers! I wanted to thank each and every one of you for finding my little website interesting enough to bookmark and revisit on occasion. I know the Emporium has been a little quiet lately, unfortunately real life tends to get in the way sometimes, but I'm not going anywhere and the Emporium isn't closing anytime soon (You'll be the first to know if it ever does). Expect some new posts soon. There will be one tomorrow and then maybe one or two next week, but Ill try to keep the posting on my normal non-semi-regular schedule.

Until then however here's to many more years of Weird West Emporium goodness, and Yippee ki-yay, Mamma Jamma!

The Buntline Special and Rango reviews!

While I haven't gotten around to reading Mike Resnick's The Buntline Special, one of the Emporium's readers, Penelopecat, has and unfortunately, according to her, It isn't all that good. The basic problems seem to be the lack of tension in the story and the lack of intriguing characters. Also people tend to get out of situations FAR to easily. It sounds like it lacks focus and even that Resnick doesn't exactly know what Western Steampunk is, or he does but doesn't know how to write it well.

Ashe Armstrong may also be reviewing The Buntline Special when he is able so stay tuned for that, but until then here is Penelopecat's Blogger Page Sinister Urge to read her review.


Its too bad you can judge a book by it's cover, because if you could The Buntline Special would be GREAT...but alas....

There has also been some early reviews of the new animated film Rango. I'm still on the fence on whether its a Weird Western, and Ive heard on both sides for and against. Some reviews have stated that the main bad guy, a rattlesnake character named Rattlesnake Jake has a mechanical pistol on his tail in place of a rattle. Also I was informed by "Anonymous" that:

There are a lot of weird things in Rango, and yes, that includes science fiction references (spot the Star Trek one if you can...) and supernatural elements. Can't say no more, but I figure you guys won't be disappointed...

"Anonymous" says that THIS review at Aint it Cool is very accurate to the film. It is from someone who saw an early screening in Phoenix. There is also a fairly spoiler filled review over at Wegotthiscovered.com if you don't mind that sort of stuff.

Regardless, it looks like its going to be a fun film, and Ill do a review after it comes out. Until then however, check out these quick videos about the recording process Gore Verbinski had the actors go through for Rango. Its actually quite entertaining. I wouldn't mind seeing the live action footage cut together as an extra on the DVD!





Rango opens on March 4th

The Backwater Gospel...WOW!

This film was brought to my attention by one of the Emporium's readers Shonokin, and then later on Facebook by Mr. Gris Grimly. It is called The Backwater Gospel and, my goodness, its REALLY good!

The official synopsis from their website is this:

A drought ridden, dead beat society, isolated in the dust storm plagued parts of 1930's rural America, is paid a visit by the undertaker, an event that always has foretold the immediate coming of death. The Sunday sermon is well on the way, firmly led by the brimstone preaching town minister.

The tramp in the town, the only person not in church, spots the undertaker at a distance and interrupts the sermon to tell the news. A cold draught passes through the church and in desperation the congregation leaves, much to the displeasure of the minister.

At home behind locked doors and barred windows the townsfolk await death, pinned to the floor by fear and anxiety.

But death never comes...

Its true that this film takes place in the 1930's but it is absolutely a Western. From the stark landscapes to the rickety shanty town buildings, the only thing that betrays its time period is the broken down automobile that one of the character uses for shelter. This is Western through and through. and a good one.

The animation style is really strange. It looks somewhat stop motion-like, but more often looks likes CGI. The character's skins are cracked and stained, the preacher's lips are thick and almost look like wood with his deeply lined face. One character even seems to have a wooden nose.

And the story is top notch. As the threat of the Undertaker's arrival looms, the deeply religious town is thrown into the grip of hysteria and things go bad....really REALLY bad.

Their official website states that The Backwater Gospel is the bachelor projects of eight students at The Animation Workshop. It's an animated short about a small, isolated community in the Dust Bowl of the 1930's, a minister hell-bent on ruling his flock and an undertaker who always precedes death.

You can also see a plethera of character designs, animation tests, and concept sketches at their SITE. I wouldn't have guessed that this was a bachelor project, everything from the voice work to the animation and design is incredibly professional.

This film deserves 5 out of 5 Bloody Spurs. Fantastic job all around!

The Backwater Gospel from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

WITCHFINDER: LOST AND GONE FOREVER

I LOVE Mike Mignola. He has an amazing way of making the things in his comics just....cool, and cool in a "First time you read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and wanted a Nautilus of your own"-type of cool). When I first read Hellboy I wasn't expecting the dive into mythology, Cryptozoology, and the Occult that the stories took, but was extremely pleased when they did. Amazing Screw-on head is a high point of Steampunk in comics, with equal parts horror, adventure, a little Romance, with a very generous helping of surreal mixed into the pot...everything that makes Steampunk great.

Alas, I haven't read The Witchfinder yet. Not the mini series showcased here, the one that came before it, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels:

Mike Mignola teams up with artist Ben Stenbeck (B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man) for a look into one of the Hellboy universe's greatest enigmas: nineteenth-century occult investigator Edward Grey! In one of Grey's first cases as an agent of the queen, he goes from the sparkling echelons of Victorian London to its dark underbelly, facing occult conspiracies, a rampaging monster, and the city's most infamous secret society: the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra.

It sounded cool, but it isn't a Weird Western. However if Mike Mignola had had his hands on it, it was bound to be good. Then I head about the sequel, and my head went through the roof. Edward Grey follows the Heliopic Brotherhood to the Old West!

In the hellish frontiers of the American Wild West, nineteenth--century occult investigator Edward Grey hunts down a fiendish member of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. What he finds is a town harboring bloodthirsty criminals and terrible supernatural horrors!

Wow, that sounds REALLY cool, I'm sold. Mignola doing an Old West occult story with a kick ass British Occult Investigator? Sounds amazing.

Mike Mignola and John Acula did the story, while the great John Severin did the artwork (with Mignola doing the some of the covers) It was released this past Wednesday (February 2nd) and its costs $2.99

Also, CBR: The Comic Book Resource site has posted a 6 page preview which you can see HERE.

As soon as I'm able to get my hands on a copy, Ill give you guys a review!

Cool New Cowboys and Aliens Super Bowl Spot!

Now, I'm not much of a Super Bowl/Football/sports watcher, but if anything got me excited for the big game it was the promise of some cool new trailers. Most importantly, (among others) Cowboys and Aliens!

Its basically a 30 sec television spot, with only a few new shots (like Daniel Craig jumping onto the wing of an aliens spacecraft, which reminds me of The Valley of Gwangi for some reason), but it still looks great. If you didn't check out the big game, here is the trailer in all its glory. You can also check out the official Website HERE if you haven't already.

Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter Review!

Ashe Armstrong returns with a review of Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter!

Greetings once again, Emporium readers. It's Ashe and I'm back with another review. A solo read this time around. I bought and promptly devoured Edward Erdelac's Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter. And since Mark's a busy guy, I offered to once again lend a hand with a review. That being said, shall we?

If you're not already familiar with the book, well, you could scroll down to Mark's Christmas post but I'll save you the trouble. Merkabah Rider is about a Jewish man from a mystic order who can travel the planes of existence. That's all I'll say as far as details of the story goes because, quite honestly, finding out the details of the order and the things that take place as you read them is just plain fun. The book is made up of four stories which each take place in a different locale as our protagonist, The Rider, travels the southwestern portion of the US.

The first story is a right proper hook, believe me (they all are, really though). The Rider wanders into a dirty little town that's showing some rather angry teeth towards anyone of the Jewish persuasion. We find out why. In the adjacent area is a place called “Little Jerusalem.” In this place, children have started to go missing. The Rider aims to find out why.

Now, as I said, this first one is a good hook because it gives you a taste of everything these stories are about. The Rider is established as a driven man with a steel core but very unusual. And without giving too much away, we're very quickly shown just how unusual he really is. I really don't want to show much more because I enjoyed myself so much seeing what was happening in this fantastic setting.

The second story is set in Mexico in a sleepy desert town. As if that weren't western enough, here comes the weird: a voodoo man and a strange sandstorm. The third story of the Rider's travels involves an unstoppable gunman, a Christian preacher and a mountain town. And rounding things out is a fantastic end cap that shows just how human the Rider really is, even in his dealings with demons and greedy bandits. It also sets up perfectly for the sequel, The Mensch With No Name.

Erdelac's writing reminds me of Robert E. Howard's. Quite a compliment, by my standards. It's fluid, it gives good description and the pace when the action picks up keeps you reading. His phrasings are a bit more modern than Howard's, not that that's a bad thing. There's a smattering of Lovecraft in there and in fact, if you're like me and love Howard's and Lovecraft's stories, you will utterly adore this book. Fans of Lovecraft will get as excited as I did, I think. Erdelac's knowledge of Jewish mysticism and mythology is utterly fantastic as well and he weaves in Jewish words wonderfully. They are a bit jarring at first if you're unfamiliar with their pronunciations or meanings but the latter part is remedied with an included glossary in the back.

Mr. Erdelac has done a phenomenal job here and give us all not just a genuinely amazing weird west story, but a great story period. He makes beautiful use of the religious aspects used. The use of mythology and religion reminded me a bit of Mike Mignola's writing for Hellboy too. And I know I've left some of the story details pretty bare here (and I'm aware that you can find a bit more details around the Emporium of the Amazon page) but I wanted to make it clear how fun these stories are. I don't want to ruin any details ahead of time. The surprises are fantastic and you will absolutely be hooked.

My only real complaint about the book is the actual physical book itself. It's a little small in the width so you have to pull it open a little wider sometimes to read the words that are near the spine. It's minor but another six of an inch would've helped this problem. Still, it's an independent company so it's totally understandable. I'm sure that Mr. Erdelac, like I would no doubt feel, was thrilled to get the book published.

So, to sum up, it's weird, it's western, it's fun, it's exciting, it's dark, it's amazing. Buy it, devour it, enjoy it, thank me later. And do Mr. Erdelac a favor and just buy both books because trust me when I say, you're going to want them both.