Posts Tagged "George R. R. Martin"

I Doubt You Could Even Imagine It: Early Thoughts on Elden Ring

The announcement of any From Software game always brings with it rumours, speculation, and analysis. So it is now with the announcement of Elden Ring—a collaborative effort between Dark Souls creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki, and A Song of Ice and Fire author, George R. R. Martin.

Although so little is yet available about the game—just the trailer (below) and two interviews—I can’t help but add my own speculations to the mix. As it is, I’ve been a fan of the Soulsborne games since Demon’s Souls, and to me it seems like Elden Ring is going to be a culmination of all of Miyazaki’s work since that title’s release. So I have quite a few ideas about what From Software is planning with this new IP.  Read more… ›

Borne from the Soul: Storytelling in Dark Souls

Borne from the Soul: Storytelling in Dark Souls

J. R. R. Tolkien once wrote in a letter to a fan, “Part of the attraction of The L. R. [Lord of the Rings] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed” (The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien; letter #247, bottom pg 333).

It’s for this same reason, I believe, George R. R. Martin insists on not presenting a factual history of his Song of Ice and Fire series (The World of Ice and Fire being told from the perspective of a character in that world; vulture.com/2014/11/George-rr-martin-new-book.html). It’s partly why, in my opinion, the second trilogy of Star Wars films was so unsuccessful (aside from the obvious storytelling faults). The rumours I heard about the Clone Wars had built up a story in my imagination greater than anything George Lucas could have presented to me.

Sometimes that little bit of unknown information can be infinitely more enticing than the fully revealed truth. It’s what makes history so intriguing. We can never know all of the answers for a certainty. It’s this precise device which draws players into the stories of the Dark Souls games and their related titles (collectively called the Soulsborne series), and it’s the way the stories are presented which creates such an immersive experience for the player. Read more… ›

B & D

J. M. DeSantis blog post

It’d been two years since I had been to Baltimore for the Comic-Con, and I was looking forward to going back. I have a number of fans that travel for the show, and I’ve always really enjoyed doing it. There’s a unique atmosphere at the show, as it’s large enough to be considered a large convention yet there’s a sense familiarity usually found only at smaller shows. It’s always been one of my favourites, and it holds the distinction of being both the first show I ever travelled for (beyond the New York-New Jersey area) and the show where I met my publisher, Bill Campbell (Rosarium Publishing), two years ago. That said, it’s also now the first show I ever missed a year of attending and then returned to, and for that reason, I was a bit nervous as to how the show would go for me.

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Five Years Ago…

Goddess_Sand_banner

It was five years ago this month (July 2011) that I began preparing for my second New York Comic Con appearance. I had decided beforehand to dedicate the entire summer to getting new work ready. This included new prints, my first (and, to date, only) sketchbook (for sale, that is) and a collapsible banner to draw people to my table. Amongst the pieces I created that summer were an unused cover idea I had wanted to submit to Planet Lovecraft Magazine (before it closed its doors) of Cthulhu sitting in an armchair in Victorian attire, reading a copy of the magazine and an acrylic painting of a nameless Indian female warrior. Read more… ›