#grimdark magazine

[rrcraft-and-lore]

Grimdark Magazine Issue 38 is here!!

This issue deserves so much thanks, most of all to Beth Tabler and Adrian of GDM for making it happen, and personally, I want to thank them for choosing my story as inspiration for the cover and featuring Punjabi Sikhs - which is huge.

For those who don't know, my family background is Sikh, and it's a religious minority that doesn't often feature in fiction, and I've never seen Sikh coded characters on the cover of anything sff in the West personally. In Reed Lions you'll find a band of brothers on the march, Sikh coded by names like: Harpreet, Buppi (nickname for Bulpindher), Many(short for Maninder - a Sikh friend of mine I tuckerized), and others.

The story pays nods to the sacrifice of Sikh soldiers in history and wars - like those used as cannon fodder in Africa and other wars.

At it's core: it's a story of positive masculinity and male brotherhood, duty, sacrifice, PTSD/depression, and the tolls/tragedy of war.

I want thank the members of my discord for all their support and this one is dedicated to them, and to Boe Kelley for the gift of a gaming keyboard I specifically wrote this on.

I'd like to thank Mihir, Shazzie and all the others who've taken time out to read, review, and share this. And of course the deepest thanks as well to the contributors with whom I get to share this lovely TOC and for giving their BRILLIANT stories, which you can get here.

[lex1nat0r]

So Grimdark Magazine posted an essay entitled "Defining Grimdark Fantasy and SF: Moving to an Inclusive Future". Given my own recent postings I figured I'd comment.

I am okay with GdM defining grimdark as

(noun) a bleak story with a glimmer of hope told in a hostile setting featuring morally gray characters; (adjective) (of speculative fiction) characterized by a bleak story with a glimmer of hope, hostile setting, and morally gray characters.

The article quotes Aaron S. Jones:

“The darker the darkness is, the more powerful even the smallest ray of light becomes as it penetrates that darkness. And that’s what grimdark is. These stories are filled with a darkness that is soul-crushing and tormenting but then it offers a glimmer of light that keeps us going.”

And that I agree with wholeheartedly. The hope is important, but so is the darkness it's contrasted against. My two personal criteria for grimdark remain Doom and Bastards. Doom being the ambient misery present in the story, and Bastards meaning the morally gray characters ideally working against each other. Both combine to create the darkness that the hope contests with. I can't really articulate why I don't include Hope as a criterion in my personal scale. I suppose it's measured inversely by Doom - too much Hope means there's not enough Doom. Too much Doom... I don't know if that's possible. There's always room for some Hope, right?

[beneathathousandskies]

Short Story Review: The Last Wardog - Michael R. Fletcher

Hello! Let’s keep this ball rolling, with a new feature that I’ve been wanting to do for a while and that is reading and reviewing short stories. I’ve reviewed anthologies before, but I always feel they lose out on a little appreciation when read as a whole – so I think going forward I will break it down into smaller reviews for each story as it’s own thing (unless it’s a collection by the same…

[gollancz]

https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-the-pattern-of-the-world-by-j-t-greathouse/

The Pattern of the World is a character-focused, magic-potential-showcasing, cinematic and tragic well-written fantasy drama.

[echolitmag]

Submit to our "Folklore and Fairytales" submission call at echolitmag.com! Give us your goth, gay retellings, reimaginings of your underrated faves, and so much more!

[canmom]

Two more Exordia interviews with Seth (via @eyeofanaxis), some great answers here both funny and serious. Shoutout to Grimdark magazine for using they pronouns.

The violence question in the first interview is particularly interesting - laying out a bunch of creative spec-bio off the cuff and then spelling out one of the themes in Seth's work that I find most compelling...

Underlying all this is a broader theme in my work, the question of whether violence is ultimately the Right Strategy in the universe—whether it’s possible to build a system which is cooperative, equitably helpful to all its contributors, resistant to outside attacks and proof against internal corruption and collapse. I really hope that is possible. I am not afraid of entropy but I am afraid of conquest and cancer, the two great threats to organized positive-sum systems.

...but I think the part people will find funniest is where they reveal it all started as a Bionicle fanfiction.

When I was in high school I wrote a Lego Bionicle fanfiction where the Bionicle world was invaded by aliens, and one of the aliens defected to the Lego side to help them fight back against her people. I thought she was a pretty cool character, because I was fifteen, so everything seemed pretty cool.

Second interview is mostly lighter, but has some all too real shit re the SFF 'community'.

Also James C Scott gets a nod! I really gotta read Seeing Like A State.

[yuukakazamisweedstash]

About Sanae

Alright, so Sanae Kochiya

Is known to have been a geek as a human in the outside world (referencing pop culture often in multiple of her appearances)

Has very specifically been shown to be into science-related fiction (her interest in aliens in UFO, her absolute joy at being able to go to the moon, her Soku story involving her thinking that Hisotensoku is a giant robot)

Is a noted eccentric

Used to read "occult magazines" when she was young around the turn of the century (Vs. Patchouli win dialogue, Soku) These things we know about her factually

We also know that in the outside world (our world)

American comic books have a niche in Japan (they are not sold in all book stores and the more fashionable shops that sell them sell them in English for the art [Justin Sevakis w/ ANN, 2018])

Most Japanese people who read comics read comics from the Big 2 (Marvel, DC)

At some point, American comics were serialized in Japanese magazines (Justin Sevakis w/ ANN, 2018)

There was a huge boom in extreme/grimdark themes and tropes in 90s American comics

Spider-Man antagonist Michael Morbius had a solo run starting in 1992

Thus, we can infer

Sanae, as an eccentric and a nerd, has probably read some American comics

Sanae would have been reading comics from the Big 2

Sanae, who read magazines in the 90s, could have read those comics in the 90s (if not through magazines, then through collected editions)

Sanae would probably lean more into Marvel, as Marvel is heavy on sci-fi elements

Sanae would be in the middle of the era of 90s grimdark

Leaning more Marvel, Sanae would definitely had read Spider-Man if she read western comics

What I'm saying is, there is a non-zero chance that Sanae Kochiya has read Morbius, The Living Vampire (1992). Now, her opinions of Morbius, at least in my opinion, depends on when she started reading/what issues she read, but that doesn't change the fact that the chance that she has knowledge of Morbius exists.

[ankh-morporkianpostalworker]

Just started reading Gideon the Ninth and I gotta say I'm loving it.

Having a main character who openly despises the Warhammer 40K-ass grimdark world she inhabits is great, and really undercuts the dark tone in a funny way.

I also like that the text immediately establishes that Gideon is lesbian (through, of all things, the "adult magazines" the text says she goes out of her way to take with her, the most Joleyne Cujo-ass thing I've ever fucking heard) and none of the people around her seem to really give a shit - they hate her cuz they think she's an obnoxious prick. To be fair, she kinda is from their perspective.

And then there's the fact that Gideon and Harrow (idk if that's how you spell it, I'm listening to the audiobook and I'm not gonna Google it for fear of spoilers) speak to each other like grimdark Mean Girls, their burning hatred for each other existing on the opposite end of the Codependent Character Spectrum from Locke and Jean.

Really enjoying this - after the ending of Wheel of Time, it's nice to have fun with a story again.

Update: The Tags showed me how to spell Harrow's name.

[1driedpersimmon]

Someone in a JP server told me an early draft of Heavensward between Ishikawa&Oda had Haurchefant in a wheelchair unable to serve as a knight as a permanent consequence of the... "I WILL DO THE RECKLESS THING IN A CHIVALRIC WAY BECAUSE MY IDENTITY IS KNIGHT" (EXPLODES)

Sacrificing his vocation/duty for the WoL and having to figure out what his deal is outside that is so crazy. Under those circumstances he has to interact with his family and navigate that mess himself instead of too late through us, which is a lot more compelling tbh

Yoshida apparently played Dark Souls(!?) and decided to cut off Ishikawa's characters early to add a more grimdark feeling to the game. She didn't have much say & her and Oda were like "continually removing party members doesn't really make the player want to return, we had something else charted out", but the plot point got shuffled

There was a Korean magazine article and an interview with Ishikawa corroborating some of this, but I couldn't make out a lot of it-- what I know already drives me insane. You understand

MANNNNNN…….. if there’s one thing I dislike most is just… killing off characters without properly fleshing them out… or not having enough time to do so… OR JUST DOING IT BECAUSE YOU DONT WANT TO/KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

[moniquill]

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706010/to-shape-a-dragons-breath-by-moniquill-blackgoose/

“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is an early contender for the best fantasy novel of 2023. It’s one of those books that you have to thrust into the hands of everyone you know, just so you’ll have people to talk about it with. An Indigenous girl, Anequs, finds an egg, which hatches to produce a dragon that’s bonded to her — but according to the laws of the Anglish, who’ve colonized this alternate version of North America, Anequs must go to a special school to learn to control her baby dragon. If she fails her classes, her dragon, Kasaqua, will be slaughtered. What follows is reminiscent of R.F. Kuang’s “Babel”: Anequs is one of two Indigenous people at an elite school full of colonizers, who expect her to assimilate to their more “civilized” mores — but Anequs resists any suggestion that her own people’s knowledge or culture is inferior. Blackgoose’s worldbuilding is rich and fascinating, from the Norse-inspired Anglish culture, to the complex layers of Anequs’s society on Naquipaug island, to the alchemical properties of dragons’ exhalations. But what makes “Dragon’s Breath” such an absorbing read is Anequs herself: clever, resourceful, generous and uncompromising in the face of colonial condescension. This novel has garden parties and classroom scenes that are more suspenseful than most books’ epic battles.”

—The Washington Post

“[To Shape A Dragon’s Breath] has strong The Traitor Baru Cormorant vibes… it will reshape epic fantasy itself, in addition to the breath of a dragon.”

—LitHub

“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come.”

—BuzzFeed

“Tender, thrilling and brimming with fire, this indigenous dragon story is one of the more exciting books I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently.”

—In Between Drafts

“Throughout the book, Blackgoose digs up the older roots of fantasy and plants new life with original ideas… a daring, entirely hot, take on dragonriders and worldbuilding… To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is one blazing epic gulp of a fantastic tale. Queer, anticolonialist, and full of dragons. Moniquill Blackgoose’s writing is easy to love: cutthroat, smooth, and reminds me of a story being told over an open fire.”

—Grimdark Magazine

“This is a classic fantasy at its finest, in which a young, underestimated outcast is introduced to a magical boarding school and all the friendships, drama, prejudice, and romance that immersion entails. The indigenous quest to maintain culture and identity within a paralyzingly restrictive imperialism determined to stamp out natives and their beliefs, and Anequs’ stubborn will to remain herself, create a fresh take on this setup and make this a must-read high-fantasy series. Blackgoose's focus on how storytelling and myth influence our culture and worldviews is also compelling. The relationships are exciting, the queer and polyamorous representation appealing, and it’s easy to fall hard for Anequs, her world, and her love for her dragon.”

—Booklist, STARRED review

“Dragons are never out of style, but To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is set to explore them in a way that feels incredibly fresh and intriguing in this indigenous-inspired fantasy novel.”

—Fansided

“Moniquill Blackgoose combines dragon mythology with sharp commentary on colonization and the struggles of indigenous populations in "To Shape a Dragon's Breath."

—PopSugar

“The fantasy and wonder of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath started immediately. But it didn’t feel like I was thrown into the story; more like I was joining characters and a world that existed without me. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath didn’t feel like there was an on-ramp to the world or culture. It would have been difficult in many books, but Blackgoose crafted a deep culture, society, and world that felt engaging to follow.”

—Lightspeed Magazine

“Blackgoose blends Indigenous history with fantastical beasts, taking themes of inequality and social agency in new directions. An excellent crossover novel for adults and young adults alike.”

—Library Journal

“Between the social commentary (couched in the fantasy world setting), the action, and detailed world-building, there’s a lot to love. It’s an engrossing story/world, and having the Indigenous perspective makes it hit all the harder.”

—Cinelinx

“To Shape a Dragon’s Breath has so many things going for it. It centers on a queer, poly, Indigenous character, dragon-riding and a boarding school setting. With a focus on dismantling colonialism and taking back heritage, what more could you ask for in a young adult fantasy?”

—Geek Girl Authority

“Incredible.”

—BookRiot

“Brilliant.”

—The Nerd Daily

“A fantastic world with wonderful characters, dragons, and places to explore.”

—Girl Who Reads

NATIONAL PRINT

Washington Post—review—5/8

Locus—review—May 2023 issue

Booklist—STARRED review—4/15

Lightspeed Magazine—review—December 2022 issue

Library Journal—what to read in 2023—2/7

Library Journal—review—1/30

Publishers Weekly—forthcoming books by indigenous authors—1/20

Booklist—series starters spotlight—1/1

Library Journal—SFF preview 2023—11/1

ONLINE

Cinelinx—5 new books—5/9

Geek Girl Authority—new books roundup—5/9

BookRiot—new releases today—5/9

Girl Who Reads—8 new Fantasy Novels—5/9

BuzzFeed—most anticipated of spring—3/14

PopSugar—new fantasy to read in May—4/25

Fangirlish—10 LGBTQ books coming out in May—5/7

Grimdark Magazine—review—2/3

The Lesbrary—sapphic May books—5/6

Fansided—new SFF in May—5/6

Fantasy Book Café—most anticipated books of May—5/7

The Nerd daily—new May books—5/4

Ms Magazine—best new May books—5/3

io9—new May books—5/1

Tor.com—new fantasy in May—5/1

In Between Drafts—best of May—5/1

BookRiot—best of May—5/1

LitHub—Dragons, Decolonization, and More: May’s best SFF—5/1

Distractify—best of May—4/26

American Booksellers Association—Q&A—4/26

Yahoo—best of spring—3/14

Ms Magazine—most anticipated books of 2023—1/25

Reads Rainbow—most anticipated—1/25

Tor.com—most anticipated—1/18

PopSugar—most anticipated books of 2023—1/25

Geek Girl Authority—most anticipated—1/2

BookRiot—SFF debuts to watch for—12/29

Lightspeed Mag—review—12/8

LOCAL MEDIA

Arlington Magazine—best new books of May—5/1

Galesburg Public Library Blog—review—5/8

[chalkrevelations]

So, I'm just going to say it: Bible does not look hot in those Elle shots. He looks like a cry for help and like he needs about three months off, doing nothing but resting.

Given some of his other recent material, I was wondering when heroin chic was going to be back in fashion, but I guess Elle's going to go the victim of violence route instead. Maybe the full spread will provide some context that makes their supposed "Rocky" vibe plausible (doubtful), but I'm not seeing that kind of energy in what we've seen so far. This shoot isn't a guy who's got back up no matter how many times he was hit. This is a guy who's been dragged up by a goon on either side, so somebody else could take another swing at him. They've also missed - or avoided, depending on intention - the St Sebastian style eroticization often given to brutalized male bodies, because desaturated grimdark might be edgy, but it's antithetical to the surface beauty that shines against the surrounding brutality and creates the implicit conflict necessary for that vibe. This is the flat grey of a dreary winter day. Or a mugshot. Or depression.

Needless to say - or maybe not so needless - this shoot is also in questionable taste, given developments Bible's been adjacent to in recent months, and I ... am avoiding thinking about what kind of insinuations Elle might be playing around with, like a 4-year-old with a loaded gun. I also have to wonder how potentially triggering some of these photos of Bible looking like an ad for a domestic violence hotline might be for some people.

I would be extremely interested to know the extent of Bible's input on this concept, if any. But honestly, if I wanted to see him looking miserable and beaten down, I could just look at that candid of him sleeping in the van he posted recently to IG, looking like he'd been dragged out of a swamp. That wasn't hot, either, and I certainly don't need it glossy between the pages of a magazine in an attempt to flog fashion.

I'm not immune to the appeal of Bible playing sadboy hours. I'm certainly not immune to the appeal of him looking roughed-up, given my reaction to the Unique spread back in the day. This isn't that. It's either a poorly thought-out, badly designed, uncreative, badly lit shoot on what barely qualifies as a set that wastes Bible's talent and would have been deadass boring if they hadn't gone for shock value - and he deserves better than those kinds of cheap tricks. Or, if I give it the extreme benefit of the doubt, because not all fashion shoots are actually about looking attractive and some are pretentious enough to have a Vision, it's trying to say something (with varying levels of success) - something very different from "look how hot I am in these cool clothes."

In neither case is it hot.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

The Doors of Midnight (from @torbooks and @gollancz) virtual tour kicks off tomorrow!

June 27 & 28 - We've got @FantasyBookCrit dropping a Q&A and The 8 Dragonslayer Myths You Didn't Know About - Listicle

June 29 - Liver interview with @KaysHiddenShelf at 12pm ET.

July 1 - Ch. 1 Excerpt - FanFiAddict, Before We Go Blog, SFF Insiders & Fantasy Book Critic

July 10 - The Essential Hero's Toolkit - Listicle on FanFiAddict

July 11 - Tales from the Bridge Podcast

July 13 - JCM Berne live interview at 3pm ET

July 17 - Text Q&A on JamReads

July 19 - Storyline Sessions Podcast

July 20 - Page Chewing Podcast live interview at 7pm ET

July 24 - People Behind the Pages w/ Nicholas W. Fuller live interview at 9pm ET

July 25 - Text Q&A on SFF Insiders

July 26 - 5 Famous Temptresses Across Myths - Listicle on SFF Insiders

July 30 - Julianna Caro video interview

July 31 - Bald&Balding live interview at 7pm ET

August 2 - A History of Impenetrable Heroes - Essay on Grimdark Magazine

August 5 - Text Q&A on Fiction Fans Podcast Blog

August 6 - Late Night Talk with Stephen Aryan (the Age of Darkness, and the Age of Dread trilogies, The Judas Blossom)

August 7 - Under the Radar SFF Podcast

August 8 - Text Q&A on Before We Go Blog

August 9 5 Comparative Tales of Lovers Lost - Listicle on Before We Go Blog

August 11 - The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Fanatic's Podcast

August 13 - OWWR Pod and Launch Party Livestread feat. Jim Butcher and Michael Mammy on FanFiAddict (Youtube) and SFF Insiders (Twitter/X) at 7pm ET

August 19 - Lisa does Life & Not So Secret Bookaholic live interview at 2pm ET

August 21 - BellTube live interview at 9pm

Want to buy something special:

If you're in the US and would like a signed hardcovers, @Loyaltybooks is running a signed book pre order campaign!

If you're still not convinced, see what other authors have said about The First Binding and The Doors of Midnight!

[lex1nat0r]

Grimdark Magazine #39

I’ve been subscribed to Grimdark Magazine for years but my actual reading has been spotty at best. As someone with Opinions on “grimdark” I want to fix that, and so I’ll try keeping up with the new issues by putting down my thoughts here. This is my third time doing this on tumblr.

To be clear: this is mainly kvetching about genre(/aesthetics?). And also: not weighing in on whether any given story should be included in a “grimdark” magazine. I’m just fucking about, really.

Just looking at the short stories themselves unless I come across a review for a book I’ve actually read or an interview with an author I already know.

Actually starting out with something to say about one of the essays this time: "Grimdark is a State of Mind" by Krysle Matar. I like this, this is good. Relevant paragraph:

"Grimdark as a genre holds space for the depths of human depravity, sure, but also for the stubborn assertation that none of us are beyond hope. It gathers to it the traumatized, the broken, desperate, the wretched masses. It is built on big questions, some of them ugly, but all of them important. If heroes can only be unfailingly good, where do we, the tragically imperfect, turn to be seen and understood?"

This gets it, I think.

"Dead Reckoning Part II" by Christian Cameron

GRIMDARKNESS RATING: Close encounter.

A spaceship is pursued by an alien ship.

If there's a Dead Reckoning Part I, I've not read it. This is too technical, I think, to work as grimdark. There's a tension in the story, but not the atmosphere of misery I want from grimdark. It's good space opera, I'd read a book of this, but no grimdark.

Then there's a small materials science lecture with the essay "The Quest for Transparent Aluminium: Materials Science in Science Fiction" by John Mauro. Wouldn't mind seeing more stuff like that.

"Waiting for the Witnesses" by Gautam Bhatia

GRIMDARKNESS RATING: Cooperating witness.

Five people arrive on an obsidian plane to await the arrival of the Witnesses.

Shoutout to this one off the bat for being one of the few published works I've seen to have a character with xe/xir pronouns. In terms of grimdarkness this is a tricky one. The world-at-large is explicitly doing pretty well - there's no doom on the horizon. But it does have a post-apocalyptic atmosphere and the sense that it's all somewhat fragile. Bastards it's got, at least. And given the required sacrifice of the hopeful but ambiguous ending, I think it lands comfortably over the line for me.

"The Skin of Aquila Cadens" by Chris Panatier

GRIMDARKNESS RATING: In bloom.

A woman attempts to terraform an exoplanet into a new home for humanity.

Grimdark. Earth is, at best, a shithole. The protagonist is many lightyears away anyway and has nothing to come back to given the time dilation. A very lonely short story - the woman is the only human character there. Under an alien sun, on a mission that may be Doomed from the start - a mission that has already made Bastards of everyone involved. Solidly in the black (grey? note to self: work on this color scale for grimdark).

"Observer" by Eric Malikyte

GRIMDARKNESS RATING: Witnessed.

A soldier and an AI drone doing counterterrorism.

Also solidly grimdark. The government sucks, several places have already been nuked, there's some kind of climate disaster. Solidly hits my criteria. Not much to say about this one, really.

GRIMDARK MAGAZINE #39 OVERALL GRIMDARKNESS RATING:

GRIM: YES

DARK: LIKE SPACE

[thehorrortree]

Submission Window: November 1st - December 17th, 2023 Payment:£20 per accepted story Theme: Self-contained unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories of between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Fanatical is currently OPEN for submissions. We are looking for unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories of between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Please only submit one story at a time and don't submit if it's already submitted somewhere else. All stories should be self-contained, no "to be continued". Recurring characters across multiple stories will be considered, as long as each story is a solid read in its own right. If you've already been published in an issue of Fanatical you are free to submit again, but we may hold your submission over so as not to publish the same author in back to back issues. Fanatical will pay £20 per accepted story, paid upon publication. We pay via Paypal. Upon acceptance, authors retain rights to the story but we ask they don't publish/submit it anywhere else before it is published in Fanatical. These stories should be inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. Though Fanatical may take it's name from the concept of fan fiction, we're not looking to get sued here. A story about an adventuring party consisting of a dwarf, an elf, a human and a halfling going into a dungeon to fight a dragon is fine. A story specifically set in a copyright protected world of Dungeons & Dragons, with reference to its locations and characters is not. A story about a genetically engineered super-soldier in power armour fighting aliens in the far future is fine. A story about a Space Marine fighting Xenos in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000 is not. Rest assured the editors at Fanatical will work with you to ensure your stories meet our criteria in this regard. Authors should be able to clearly point to the editors which game inspired their story as it will be included in the Suggested Playing section included in each issue. We appreciate that some might be able to stretch the definition of "inspired by" but please don't try and hammer a square peg into a round hole. Submission deadlines and format Fanatical is open to submissions all year around. We will be operating on a rolling deadline basis. If you submit after the deadline for a particular issue, your submission will be considered for the next issue. If we receive a number of good submissions, we may ask to hold your story over until the next issue. Issue 2 (September/October) - releasing August 28, submissions now closed. Issue 3 (November/December) - releasing October 28, submissions now closed. Issue 4 (January/February) - releasing December 28, submission window September 1 - October 31. Issue 5 (March/April) - releasing February 28, submission window November 1 - December 17. Submissions should be submitted in the form of a Word document, size 12 Times New Roman, double spaced, standard margins with pages numbered. Please include your name (and pen name if applicable), contact email, brief writer's bio (no more than 100 words), what game inspired the submission and word count. Please see the example below. As long as it's close to this format, you should be fine. Submissions can be sent to the following email: fanaticalmag@gmail.com Via: Fanatical Magazine.

[silverjetsystm]

What's up, gamers. Every so often, I get asked for MK comic recommendations. I'll include links to a couple of really good reading guides from the subreddit (that I had Zero hand in making) and toss my two cents below. Not that it'll buy you anything.

TL;DR: See reddit below, be sure to check out the Excel master list of appearances. Most of the quality runs has been printed in omnibus, Epic Collection, trade paperback, Marvel app. You know.

If those links don't work, go to the r/MoonKnight subreddit and check out the Reading Suggestions and Collected Editions in the menu.

Below the cut, I give a sort of non-spoiler walkthrough and talk about what's in print .

Cory's Reading List [Edited 6 August 2024]

I read everything on the below list. I have my opinions. If I tell you not to read something, it's because I don't like it. But I'm also some Jewish singlet/non DID/OSDD guy on the internet.

Here are some articles written by a system who is a fan of the Moon Knight System.

Okay, finally, the list

Werewolf by Night (1975) #32-33. First appearance of Moon Knight and Frenchie.

Marvel Spotlight (1971) #28-29. First appearance of Steven, Jake, Marlene, Gena, Gena's sons, and Crawley.

Hulk Magazine #13-15, #17-18, #20-21 (they're the backup stories, so if you're 'online' search and read by Hulk, scroll halfway through the issue)

Marvel Preview (1975) #21. Marc solves the murder of a former colleague.

Moon Knight (1980) #1-38. First solo written mostly by Moench and drawn by Sienkiewicz. "But Cory, why are we reading all these old comics?" Because while different words are used now, the writers of the first run do really well at making Marc, Steven, and Jake a system. Iconic rogues are introduced. Marc's first backstory in #37 and #38 is the perfect backstory, imo.

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu (1985) is not the best but #6 is great. So, read #1 so you know what the plot is and #6.

West Coast Avengers (1985-1994) goes here. The first time Khonshu is more than just some weird statue. Also includes Tigra and Marc kissing. MK is in issues #21-41, which is collected in 3 different Epic Collections and at least one is out of print because someone in Marvel hates me specifically /jk. The Epic Collections are titled: Lost in Space-Time, Tales To Astonish (out of print), and Vision Quest.

Marvel Fanfare (1987) #30. "Real to Reel" is one of my favorite issues of all time. Gorgeous art. Marlene and Steven/Marc have clumsy but meaningful discussions around mental health and identities. Man versus nature. Yes, one of the bigger "the editor forgot Steven doesn't go by 'Steve'" moments.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989-1994) is 60 issues and it gets borderline unreadable about halfway through. Steven and Jake are occasionally referred to but not present. :< That being said, the first half has some great stuff. The Trial of Marc Spector (#15-18) and Scarlet Redemption (#26-31) arcs are the standouts. So honestly, read a few stories from it, get tired, and know he dies at the end. Then read

Resurrection War (1998) and High Strangers (1999) - two separate mini-series by Moench because they killed his boy. Treats the back half of MS:MK as potentially a dream. The brief return of Steven and Jake.

MK (2006) is 30 grimdark issues. The first 13 issues are usually all I can stomach. Marc gets injured, kills Bushman in an extremely violent way, and has substance use issues. He also lashes out/pushes away his original cast. The run is ableist.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2009-2010): The most Marc acting Jake Lockley in existence, coming back from a stint in Mexico at the end of MK 2006. Some retcons. It's. Fine.

Secret Avengers (2010) #19 is one of the only issues with decent MK. First sighting of Mr. Knight. Too bad it's by Ellis. The rest of Secret Avengers is ableist or he's not really there.

Shadowland: MK is a 3 issue event tie-in. Does some retcons I like but also our favorite can't stay dead brother is back. Content warning for miscarriage.

MK (2011) by Bendis. Don't read it. Steven and Jake are replaced by Cap, Wolverine, and Spider-Man. Why isn't addressed.

MK (2014): Marc's back from LA. Introducing Mr. Knight. The best issues are the one shot type stories. #5 "Scarlet" is also one of my favorite issues of the character featuring Mr. Knight versus an abandoned building full of goons to rescue one kidnapped girl. The connected plot isn't the best. Content warning for ableism and medical abuse. But. Do you like black and white suit? Marc punching ghosts? Bird skull Khonshu? Tell Shavley thanks. This run is mostly out of print on account that the first writer, Ellis, sexually coerced people.

MK (2016): Lemire and Smallwood. The dream team. If you can only get one run in print, this is the one I recommend. It works best as a standalone story; the plot does some glossing and retcons around the System's backstory and there's plenty of room for different interpretations of what 'really' is happening. This is also the run Leyna from the article series above reviews.

MK (2017): The Bemis run. Websites attach it to the Lemire run. It's not. Stop reading 2016 when issue #188 appears. It's incredibly antisemetic and ableist.

Avengers (2018) #31-38. Written by Aaron. Age of Khonshu only is relevant for what Marc does now and his mental state. It's. Fine?

MK (2021) wrapped at 30 issues in December 2023.❤️ MacKay gets it right the vast majority of the time. The art (inks and colors) are some of my favorite work alongside Sienkiewicz, Lemire, and Shavley. Like Lemire, MacKay ties in classic points with new directions.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2024) continued MK 2021 with the same creative team from January to September 2024.

Blood Hunt (2024) was the summer event written by MacKay. 5 main issues with tie-ins to Vengeance 2024. It's sort of important to read the main event issues but Vengeance does expand the Mission parts. I'm biased but this is also one of my favorite comic events (and I hate comic events).

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu (2024) begins in October as a continuation of MK 2021 and Vengeance 2024. Same creative team. #0 was released July 2024 as a strikefile narrated by Khonshu on each of the key players and onboarding new readers into what's coming next.

Print Options:

Omnibus is a heavy, oversized, hardback and contains a lot more issues. They also can have some weird 'new car' printing smell and paper texture. Epic Collections are standard sized, softback that has more issues than a Trade Paper Back (TPB). Make sure you read the back of the volumes so you don't buy repeats. Unless you're into that. Weigh pros and cons. What do you value/can afford? And the physical weight of the omnibus.

As of Spring 2024, there are currently 5 omnibuses with another on the way.

MK OMNIBUS: Volume 1 (1975-1980) - MK's first appearance, the backups from Hulk magazine, half of the 1980 run.

MK OMNIBUS: Volume 2 (1980-1985) - other half of 1980 run, MK: Fist of Khonshu

MS: MK OMNIBUS Volume 1 (1989-1994) - #1-34 (out of the 60 issues), some Spidey, some Castle.

MS: MK OMNIBUS Volume 2 (1989-1994) - #35-60 and both of Moench's mini-series (Resurrection Wars and High Strangers) and 3 issues of Black Panther. Do I recommend this omnibus? Not really. After the first story in this omni (and even it is stretching it), it really does fall off that cliff. I got it because I wanted it on my shelf. Moench and Black Panther stuff helps soften the sting.

MK by Huston, Benson, & Hurwitz OMNIBUS (2006-2010) - all 30 issues of 2006's run and Vengeance of MK 2009, and Shadowland.

MacKay's 2021-2023 run will be published as an omnibus in October 2024 without Vengeance 2024.

There are currently 6 (going on 7) Epic Collections for the pre-ehhhh... 2006 stuff. Everything after 2006 and Vengeance 2009 is far more accessible in Trades (paper or hardback) or single-volume for certain runs.

MK Epic Collection: Bad Moon Rising - early adventures pre-1980 and the first 4 issues of 1980.

MK: Countdown to Dark: the Hulk backups and Marvel Preview #21.

MK Epic Collection: Shadows of the Moon - MK (1980) #5-23

MK Epic Collection: Final Rest - MK (1980) #24-38

MK Epic Collection: Butcher's Moon - tie-ins, solo issues, and MS: MK (1989) #1-7.

MK Epic Collection: Death Watch. Collects MS: MK #39-51, Divided we fall, and some other tie-ins. Yes, we do jump ahead from #7 to #39.

MK Epic Collection: The Trial of Marc Spector fills in some of Death Watch's gap with MS: MK #8-25 and that Punisher annual. It comes out in October 2024 as well.

For Lemire's run, there is a one volume softcover collection called Moon Knight by Lemire & Smallwood: The Complete Collection. This is the one you want.

Happy reading!!

[eigwayne]

D&D Youtube Channels I’ve Been Watching

So a couple weeks ago I got the urge to pick up D&D again. I don’t have a group right now, plus it’s winter here and I just don’t want to put on pants to go out after work, so I’m trying to teach myself Fifth Edition. And to help with that, I’ve been watching some D&D Youtubers. Mostly advice and video essays, so far.

First are a couple old school players’ channels. They’re both veteran players and DMs, with years of experience with D&D and other TTRPGs. I’m not in the right age bracket but they do still remind me of people I used to play with sometimes and that’s delightful.

Matthew Colville: professional game designer (video and taletop). Seems like a great guy to play with. Has a lot of really great videogames about how to do things and why they are the way they are. You will learn sooooo much watching him! Talks so fast sometimes but you get used to it.

Dungeon Craft: has designed adventures for TSR/WOTC’s Dungeon magazine. Plays up his old school, grimdark, high death count DM style- but makes it sound fun to try.

And here are a couple that I think of as “new school”- they’re youthful and socially conscious in a very Millenial/Gen Z kind of way. They have been playing and DMing for a couple years and their YT makes them seem more roleplaying and narrative-focused than dungeondelving.

Ginny Di: Comes across as peppy and sweet. Includes positivity and things to help integrate your aesthetics. A feel-good advice and resources channel. I think she has some of those in-character roleplay practice videos but I’m not into that so I haven’t checked them out.

Bob World Builder: Leans into the “fun” aspect of playing TTRPGs. Includes tips and idea for running certain adventures. Actually attempted some real world stat calculations which was fun and informative.

And today I came across another channel that seems like a good in-between.

Halfling Hobbies: Mentioned years of experience but seems to lean on the more post-2e mindset, a less number-crunchy experience with more narrative focus. DM tip style is familiar to my own from what I’ve seen so far so that was amusing to see~.

I’ll add links in a reblog. Have a favorite D&D channel? Feel free to comment!