Cover Contest 10/7 - 10/13: Thunderbolt & Lightening, Very, Very Frightening Me

[kjn]

Yah mainly I remember talking horses being part of the Norse myths.

I've read different retellings of Norse mythology, be interested if you had a recommendation.

Not sure there are any talking horses that I remember, unless you count Loki.

I'm not that well-read on English retellings of Norse mythology (I usually read them in Swedish, or try to muddle through the original poems until I give up). Stephen Grundy did a really good and historically based version of the Volsunga saga with Rhinegold, but it was a long time since I read that, and it is rather dense.

Sadly, Peter Madsen's Valhalla (wikipedia) isn't available in English translation. It's a really fun and irreverant take on the Norse myths in comics format. You can find various samples at the link.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

IKR lol. Ya know, we let Dick's costume with the green underoos and boots rock WAAAYYYY to long. I mean from his inception through all the way to at least the early 90s. Sure alot of cats fight crime with their thigh meat out but that old school Robin look is kind of jarring now. Hell, I remember Jason Todd's debut and he wore the same **** and nobody batted an eye and Perez made the Titans huge prior to that. I don't think Tim Drake ever did, I feel he had the boy combat jeggings out the gate. Poor Dick even got killed in the near speedos and boots. Denny O'Neil might not have had to push that story in lieu of a pair of tights.

The bare legs for Robins ended with Jason, from Tim through to Damian they all sported the tights. Oh, yeah, when the DC Universe got Flashpointed, Dick was wearing tights.

[Scott Taylor]

I'll look into all of those you guys recommended. The only English version I've seen is by Thorarinn Gunnarsson from the 1980s, Song of the Dwarves and Revenge of the Valkyrie. Its an English retelling of the story of the Rhinegold. Otherwise, in the past I have muddled through the various sagas.

[Kirby101]

Surprised we didn't see this one. (my second choice)


The one cover from Kraven's Last Hunt posted was a badly recolored foreign edition.

[Shalla Bal]

Thank you everyone for the congrats and special thanks to Zelena, ed2962, babyblob and Scott Taylor for the votes (and thanks IM for the hon. mention).

I'll be back shortly with a new theme, so watch for it!

A frog-themed contest is way overdue…

Hmm...not a bad idea...

[foxley]

Congratulations to Shalla bal for a marvelous cover which did a mighty job of showing the dark, stormy night. I love the townsperson with the lantern in the background. We do learn from this cover that although Wanda is extremely powerful, she has yet to master the use of the simple buttons on her coat.

Here we go again. Peak of the week, what has the captain learned, and talking about myself in the third person. I was struck by the Peanuts strip and Snoopy's oft-quoted start for his novel. The start was considered a very poor beginning to a story, and yet, here we are, celebrating the covers showing dark stormy nights effective starting the story. And if you don't think covers start stories, read Watchment again. I mean the individual issues, not any collected reprint editions (or 'graphic novel'). That irony can be pretty ironic sometimes. The captain's a math major; they didn't need to be able to properly define irony more than BSing threir way through a HS English essay.

And thanks to Riv86672 for the much appreciated vote. Scott Taylor gets an Honorable Mention thanks for remembering the frogs.

Just for the accuracy, I feel compelled to point out that Snoopy--arguably the greatest wordsmith of the 20th century--did not actually coin "It was a dark and stormy night".

That honour belongs to Edward Bulwer-Lytton: often regarded as one of the worst novelists of all time. It is the opening line of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford and reads in full:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

The sardonic Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, held annually since 1982, claims to seek the "opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels" is named in his 'honour'.

(However, Bulwer-Lytton may be as awful as his reputation suggests. As well as "It was a dark and stormy night, he also coined the phrases "the pen is mightier than the sword", "the almighty dollar", and "dweller on the threshold".)

[CaptCleghorn]

Just for the accuracy, I feel compelled to point out that Snoopy--arguably the greatest wordsmith of the 20th century--did not actually coin "It was a dark and stormy night".

That honour belongs to Edward Bulwer-Lytton: often regarded as one of the worst novelists of all time. It is the opening line of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford and reads in full:


The sardonic Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, held annually since 1982, claims to seek the "opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels" is named in his 'honour'.

(However, Bulwer-Lytton may be as awful as his reputation suggests. As well as "It was a dark and stormy night, he also coined the phrases "the pen is mightier than the sword", "the almighty dollar", and "dweller on the threshold".)

The math major is happy to learn more about writers. I had heard of the contest, but was unaware of its origins and the probable (IMHO) use of the line as an Easter Egg from Schulz commenting on Snoopy's writing. There may very well be much said and written about that connection. The captain continues to learn.