Win Scott Eckert

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Win Scott Eckert is an author and editor, best known for his work on the literary-crossover Wold Newton Universe, created by author Philip José Farmer, but much expanded-upon subsequently by Eckert and others. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a Juris Doctorate.

Contents

[edit] Creation of the "Wold Newton Universe"

Win Scott Eckert first read Philip José Farmer's "fictional biography" Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, and become hooked by the concept of the Wold Newton family. In 1997, he coined the term "Wold Newton Universe" on his website, An Expansion of Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe[1]. This was the first site attempting to expand Farmer's concept of an inter-linked history for a number of key literary characters.

Tarzan Alive (Bison Books rev. ed. (2006)) by Philip Jose Farmer. Foreword by Eckert; Introduction by Mike Resnick. Art by Jean-Paul Goude.
Tarzan Alive (Bison Books rev. ed. (2006)) by Philip Jose Farmer. Foreword by Eckert; Introduction by Mike Resnick. Art by Jean-Paul Goude.

Farmer's original concept of the Wold Newton family was of a literary merging between novels, a crossover between multiple works, linking standout fictional characters into a deliberate family and coherent chronology. Farmer's two fictional "biographies" of the fictional characters Tarzan (Tarzan Alive)(Right) and Clark Savage, Jr. (Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life) proposed that actual meteorite which landed in Wold Newton, Yorkshire, England, on December 13, 1795 caused a genetic mutation in the occupants of a passing coach.

"The radiation caused a genetic mutation in those present, which endowed many of their descendants with extremely high intelligence and strength, as well as an exceptional capacity and drive to perform good, or, as the case may be, evil deeds".[1]

Their (fictional) descendants, therefore, became the stallwarts of fantastic fiction. Farmer's initial family trees include such luminaries (and their ancestors and descendants) as Sherlock Holmes, Lord Greystoke, A.J. Raffles, (Conan Doyle's)Professor Challenger, Sir Percy Blakeney, (Poe's) C. Auguste Dupin, Lord Peter Wimsey, Bulldog Drummond and Nero Wolfe;[2] James Bond, Mr Moto, Philip Marlowe, Kilgore Trout, Sam Spade, Professor Moriarty (A.K.A. Captain Nemo), Phileas Fogg, Wells' Time Traveller and Fu Manchu.[3]

Eckert, and others, expanded upon Farmer's concept of the Wold Newton Family, using the family trees as a central device to expand the fictional universe that the family inhabits, by documenting crossovers between said fictional characters in various media. Thus, the original core, related Wold Newton Family became a Universe, no longer tied to being the relatives, descendants and ancestors of those present at the 1795 Wold Newton meteor strike. (Eckert also expanded the 'main' family tree in 2002.[2])

The logical presumption from the family trees was that most - if not all - fictional characters could be said to share the same universe. Farmer himself penned a number of crossover fiction stories and novels set in what is now termed the Wold Newton Universe[3], largely based around the three central pillars of Tarzan, Holmes and Savage, but also incorporating (among others) Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos into the universe. Subsequently, the early history of the WNU has been expanded forwards and backwards in time to incorporate the very early history of Conan (through the works of Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Roy Thomas and others), right through to the far-future exploits of the many characters in the Star Trek universe.

Eckert (and others)'s tireless work in bringing together diverse articles and references by, and from works by, such individuals as Alan Moore, William S. Baring-Gould, Michael Moorcock, Kim Newman, John Pearson and Jess Nevins have allowed the original idea to flourish beyond all expectations. With the blessing and approval of P.J. Farmer, the primary Wold Newton website[4] features details on various fictional biographies (including those of Biggles and John Steed); details on Farmer's own contributions to the WNU and a comprehensive chronology of the WNU from "Prehistory" to the future.[4][5][6]

[edit] The "LXG" lawsuit

See also: Larry Cohen

Eckert served as an expert consultant on "crossovers involving characters from pulp fiction and Victorian literature"[7] for the unfortunate lawsuit brought against Twentieth Century Fox over their similarities between their flawed adaptation of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's Wold Newtonian comics masterpiece The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and an earlier screenplay entitled Cast of Characters.[8] (Famously, this lawsuit proved to be another nail in the coffin of Alan Moore's disillusionment with the film industry - not least since many of the similarities between the two screenplays were not present in Moore's original work, and yet part of the allegation was directed squarely at him.)[9]

[edit] Books

Art by John Picacio
Art by John Picacio

Eckert is editor of - and contributor to - the 2005 MonkeyBrain-published work Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe (originally titled: Creative Mythography: An Expansion of Philip José Farmer’s Wold Newton Universe[10]), collecting Farmer's little-seen stories and essays which expand upon the Wold Newtonian concept, alongside "contributions from Farmer’s successors—scholars, writers, and pop-culture historians—who bring even more fictional characters into the fold".[11] (Contributors include Eckert himself, Rick Lai, Jess Nevins, Mark K. Brown and Brad Mengel.[12])

Myths for the Modern Age was a 2007 Locus Award finalist for best non-fiction work.

He has written pulp tales for a yearly anthology of Wold-Newtonish stories edited by Jean Marc and Randy Lofficier, Tales of the Shadowmen volumes 1-4 (Black Coat Press, 2005-2008), mostly centered on the adventures of Doc Ardan, a French version of Doc Savage. He has also written stories for Lance Star - Sky Ranger (Wild Cat Books, 2006) and the up-coming The Avenger Chronicles and Captain Midnight: Declassified (both from Moonstone Books, 2008). He is a regular contributor of Wold Newton essays and stories to the pro-zine dedicated to and authorized by Farmer, Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer(published by Michael Croteau, webmaster of the Official Philip José Farmer Home Page).

In 2006, he wrote the forward to Bison Books' new edition of Philip José Farmer's original Wold Newtonian work Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke (Bison Books, 2006).

Eckert's "Crossover Chronology" of the WNU, detailing in large part the full history of the Wold Newton Universe, largely (although not entirely) through the use of literary/film/TV crossovers between members of the core Wold Newton family and other fictional individuals is due to be published in book form, greatly expanded, by MonkeyBrain Books in 2009 as Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World.

[edit] Bibliography

Non-Fiction Books

  • Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer’s Wold Newton Universe, editor and author, MonkeyBrain Books, November 2005.
    • "Introduction: Myths for the Modern Age: Farmer’s Wold Newton Family and Shared Universe" in Myths for the Modern Age (2005)
    • "Who's Going to Take Over the World When I'm Gone?: A Look at the Genealogies of Wold Newton Family Super-Villains and Their Nemeses" in Myths for the Modern Age (2005)
  • Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World, MonkeyBrain Books, 2009 (forthcoming).

Short Fiction

Essays & Articles

  • "A Reply to 'The Wold Newton Theory Alternative Universe'" in ThrillerUK No. 19, July 2004.
  • Creative Mythography: "A Nova of Genetic Splendor." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 1, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, July 2005.
  • "The Black Forest and the Wold Newton Universe." in The Black Forest 2: Castle of Shadows, Image Comics, September 2005.
  • Creative Mythography: "Six Degrees of Philip José Farmer." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 2, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, October 2005.
  • Creative Mythography: "How He Avoided Publicity, Part II." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 3, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, January 2006.
  • "Foreword" to Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke by Philip José Farmer (Bison Frontiers of Imagination, April 2006)
  • Creative Mythography: "Ouroboros, Part I." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 4, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, April 2006.
  • Creative Mythography: "Ouroboros, Part II." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 5, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, July 2006.
  • Creative Mythography: "Doc Wildman: Out of Time." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 6, Christopher Paul Carey, editor, October 2006.
  • "How I Discovered Doc Savage." in How I Discovered Doc Savage, Jay Ryan and Courtney Rogers, editors (Solace of Fortitude Publications, 2006).
  • "Introduction" to "The Rebels Unthawed" in Up from the Bottomless Pit and Other Stories by Philip José Farmer (Subterranean Press, 2007) ISBN 1-596-06128-6
  • Creative Mythography: "This Peoria Earth." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 10, Paul Spiteri, editor, October 2007.
  • Creative Mythography: "Trunks and Branches: The Wold Newton Family." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 11, Paul Spiteri, editor, January 2008.
  • Creative Mythography: "The Farmerian Holmes." in Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer No. 12, Paul Spiteri, editor, April 2008.

Podcasts & Panels

[edit] References

  1. ^ Win Scott Eckert's Wold Newton Universe website. Accessed January 18, 2008
  2. ^ Farmer's Tarzan Family Tree, from Tarzan Alive. Accessed January 18, 2008
  3. ^ Farmer's Doc Savage Family Tree, from Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life. Accessed January 18, 2008
  4. ^ Fictional Biographies. Accessed January 18, 2008
  5. ^ A Listing of Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton works. Accessed January 18, 2008
  6. ^ Navigating the WNU Website, including a Full Chronology. Accessed January 18, 2008
  7. ^ WSE Biography. Accessed January 18, 2008
  8. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. Connery Flick Sparks $100 Mil Lawsuit, People Magazine, Thurs. September 25, 2003. Accessed January 18, 2008
  9. ^ Johnston, Rich Lying in the Gutters: "MOORE SLAMS V FOR VENDETTA MOVIE, PULLS LoEG FROM DC COMICS" Vol. 2 #1, Monday May 23, 2005. Accessed January 18, 2008
  10. ^ Chris Roberson, interviewed at Emerald City. Accessed on the 21st January, 2008
  11. ^ Information on Myths for the Modern Age. Accessed January 18, 2008
  12. ^ The Wold Newton Chronicles Online articles by Brown, Mengel, Eckert and others. Accessed January 18, 2008

[edit] External links