Cowboys, Samurai and Tentacles
Weird West Samurai
Honored samurai, ruthless ronin, wayward vagabonds, shadowy ninja and helpless villagers... welcome.
Opening Volley
The Weird West. Cowboys and tentacles. The clash of Eldritch horrors and Native spiritualism. These are just a few of the elements that can be found in the pages of fiction reaching as far back as the 30s, with the term itself apparently arising from Weird Western Tales in ‘72. Well-known authors such as Robert E. Howard to Joe R. Lansdale have penned countless tales, taking readers into dark, gritty realms across dusty, lonely trails with only the open sky above and the brush below for company. It’s a solitary ride against the cold and the darkness that creates the tense foreboding and overwhelming sense of impending doom. There no cavalry, no backup, no agency to pick up should the protagonist fall.
Main Event
It is there that samuraipunk shares much with Weird Westerns — duty in the face of certain death, honor in the , lost loves, and far too many teeth. While samuraipunk stories such as “The RuiNin” are set in the far future, there is no dearth of storylines of samurai delving into dark realms to fight great evils. In film, Legend of Eight Samurai and Samurai Reincarnation combined traditional samurai/ninja adventure stories and historical figures and chambara swordplay with demons and vengeful spirits, while a recent tabletop hit Nobunaga’s Black Castle set the world of Mork Borg in Japan to defeat Nobunaga Oda’s resurrected demon armies (see older Samuraipunk post for details), and let’s not forget the popular Onimusha video game series (with again, it’s reference to Oda).
The two genres share so much that they are cousins, if not half-siblings, appealing to a wider audience, from Western fans and horror fans to samurai fans and history buffs. There’s just so much to love about these two genres. To that end, when I received word that Story Bundle was featuring a Weird West bundle this month, I couldn’t resist picking it up. Though not familiar with the authors, I’m always a sucker for deals like this.
That said, I know not everyone is always willing to take the leap on these kinds of deals. If you’re new to the genre and not sure you want to invest upwards of $20 for the complete bundle, consider this indie gem — Dark Rivers: A Novel of the Weird West — at just $1.99 for the ebook version. As I’ve read it, I can personally recommend it. Dark and foreboding from start to finish.
We never meet without parting
Next issue... Interview with Atom Cyber, French artist whose work is reminiscent of Sorayama, Heavy Metal and Epic Illustrated.
Until then!
Made in DNA
Huh, I was just watching the trailer for Samurai Reincarnation - synchronicity!
(Eureka just announced a Blu-ray release - won't say I'm not tempted.)