My Early Education – Before Appendix N

Some gamers discover D&D, then begin exploring the games’ source material and the wealth of fantasy and science fiction, which so many creative minds have given us. For others, including myself, fantasy and science fiction came first. I owe my father for that one.

My father was, and still is, an avid collector of books, magazines, films and media of all sorts. He’s incredibly eclectic. Looking through his library, you’ll find almost every genre of fiction you can think of. He does have his favorites, though. Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror have always been well represented upon his shelves. Fortunately for me, he was never so fussy about his stuff, that he wouldn’t share these riches with his son.

So, by the time I turned 13 or so, much of my free time was spent reading my father’s collection of books and magazines.

There were the comic books, of course. Every issue of every title published by Marvel and quite a bit of DC, as well as releases from direct sales only publishers.

Grimjack by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman was one of my favorites.  Grimjack debuted as a back-up comic in the Starslayer series at about the same time as I was beginning to play AD&D. The tales were set in the pan-dimensional city of Cynosure. Some dimensions are more or less permanently in phase with the city, others intersect irregularly, or only at certain periods. About 25 years before the stories in the comic books take place, Hell briefly came into phase with the city and the “Demon Wars” began. The citizens eventually found a way to defeat the demons and force Hell out of phase with the city.

Technology works in some sections of Cynosure.  Magic works in some. As Grimjack  was fond of saying, “Swords work everywhere.” Grimjack was an aging, badass mercenary, plying his trade in the toughest, most far out setting in the multi-verse. He had a few allies. Like Blacjacmac, an outlaw Mercenary. Outlawed, because he refused to pay the city’s Merc Tax. Blacjacmac’s girlfriend, Goddess, was literally a goddess in her home dimension.

I’ve been thinking, here lately, that Cynosure would make a great setting for a game. It would take quite a bit of work to do it right. But it’s doable.

“I bust people out of prison, hunt down vampires, fight alien gods -- all the fun jobs people are too squeamish or too polite to do themselves. Call me a mercenary. Call me an assassin. Call me a villain. I am all that and more.”

Someone has put some notes on the web, about their Gurps campaign, set in Cynosure. Those interested, may find it here. Of course, Timothy Truman did some work for TSR, back in the day. The first time I saw N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God, I said “Hey. I know this guy’s art! That’s Timothy Truman!”

Then, there was Epic Illustrated, Marvel’s Adult Fantasy Magazine. The first issue appeared in Spring of 1980, placing it firmly in the Early Phase of my Education. I still remember my father bringing home the first issue and thinking “Oh, it’s like Heavy Metal.” I quickly grew to prefer Marvel’s mag, which featured stories like Jim Starlin’s Metamorphosis Odyssey, the tale of the Wizard Aknaton’s mad plan to rid the galaxy of the Zygotean menace! The series ran from issues 1 – 9 and spawned two graphic novels.

The first of these, The Price, introduces Syzygy Darklock and tells the story of his search for his brothers’ murderer and subsequent accumulation of vast magical power. And The Price he had to pay for it. We see here a recurring theme, with Starlin and wizards. His practitioners of magic, driven by the horrors they’ve seen and the further atrocities they wish to avoid, have a rather deep-seated, to the point of insanity, belief that The End Justifies the Means.

The second one, Dreadstar, shows us what happened to one of the main characters of the Metamorphosis Odyssey, Vanth Dreadstar and how he meets the aforementioned Syzygy. This was the lead in to the comic book, Dreadstar, one of  my absolute favorites. Until, that is, it Jumped the Shark. Starlin drastically changed the main character, turning him into a Superhero, complete with a Costume for god’s sake and took the story in an entirely different, rather boring, direction. I think another author ended up taking it over. I had quit reading it, by then. It’s as if Starlin deliberately set out to fuck it up. Maybe he did. But I’ll always love the Pre-Superhero Dreadstar/Metamorphosis Odyssey tales.

Epic Illustrated also featured other tasty morsels. Like adaptations of Michael Moorcock’s The Dreaming City and While The Gods Laugh, by Roy Thomas and P. Craig Russell. And Marada The She-Wolf by Chris Claremont and John Bolton.

Great stories, great illustrations and a notable amount of artistic nudity! What’s wasn’t there for a young teenage boy to love?

There were other cool magazines, as well. Eerie, Creepy and of course, Vampirella! A heady mix of horror, B&W illustration, titillation, and Frank Frazetta covers. My father had the complete run, or damn near it, of all these magazines at one point. He sold them, along with most of his other comic books, about ten years ago. Regardless, my appreciation for horror can be traced back to Warren Publishing and their trilogy of horror mags.

There was one other B&W magazine, which I loved and would spend hours, upon hours, reading. Like the Warren titles, this one also offered some racy illustrations, but  Swords & Sorcery were what these stories were about. High adventure, violence, blood and gore. I’m talking, of course, about The Savage Sword of Conan, Marvel Comics’ romp through the Hyborian Age.

Featuring adaptations of the de Camp editions of Howard’s Conan, as well as original tales, this magazine was one of my favorites. It and the color comic book edition of Conan, were my first exposure to the Cimmerian. I also enjoyed the old King Conan comic book.

Omnibus editions of The Savage Sword of Conan are being published and I aim to start collecting them. I’d love to re-read the series.

Of course, it wasn’t all just comic books. My father had quite a collection of novels, as well. Including the entire de Camp Conan series! It was many years, before I enjoyed the opportunity to read Howard, without L. Sprague de Camp getting in the way. But at least the Conan series was available in some edition! I took these to school with me every day, reading Conan, while I should have been paying attention in class and studying.

It was around the time that I was working my way through the Ace Conan series, that I met some new friends and began playing AD&D. Thanks to Appendix N, I would soon begin hunting up authors, which weren’t in my father’s collection. Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, et al.

I certainly enjoy the talented authors and wondrous books, which I’ve discovered over the years. But my fondest reading memories, are of sitting in a chair in my father’s room, digging through his shelves and boxes and discovering treasure after treasure, tome after tome, filled with adventure, magic, sex and wonder.