THIS IS THE SECOND WEIRDEST STAR WARS BOOK EVER
October 6, 2013 11:08 AM Subscribe
What are some exceptionally weird tie-in novels and comics? I'm looking for books which are especially weird as a result of not fitting the tone or form of the source material, or of the usual tie-in product. Preferably in fantasy, sci-fi, & horror.
Inspired by this recent post about Doctor Who's Faction Paradox's Book of the War, I now seek more recommendations for genuinely weird tie-in novels and comics.
For example, the Planescape novel Pages of Pain takes this detailed, wide-ranging setting, and then develops a strange, laser-like focus on the retelling of a particular myth. The fact that there are so few Planescape novels only makes it weirder.
Jim Woodring's Aliens: Labyrinth is about 10% as strange as Woodring's Frank stuff, which is very weird indeed. I recall someone walking a xenomorph like a dog, as well as a twist ending which adds to the Alien franchise a whole new way of being disgusting.
An honorable mention goes to Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which is a sequel in a different genre than the original movie.
Inspired by this recent post about Doctor Who's Faction Paradox's Book of the War, I now seek more recommendations for genuinely weird tie-in novels and comics.
For example, the Planescape novel Pages of Pain takes this detailed, wide-ranging setting, and then develops a strange, laser-like focus on the retelling of a particular myth. The fact that there are so few Planescape novels only makes it weirder.
Jim Woodring's Aliens: Labyrinth is about 10% as strange as Woodring's Frank stuff, which is very weird indeed. I recall someone walking a xenomorph like a dog, as well as a twist ending which adds to the Alien franchise a whole new way of being disgusting.
An honorable mention goes to Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which is a sequel in a different genre than the original movie.
Best answer: There's a Star Trek TNG / X-men crossover novel.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 11:58 AM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sevenyearlurk at 11:58 AM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Tony Millionaire of Maakies [NSFW] made a Star Wars comic about Jar Jar Binks and his father, the dignified and competent George R. Binks. Because it's Tony Millionaire, it's all about beautifully rendered sailing ships and sea monsters and people gungans yelling at each other.
posted by moonmilk at 12:13 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by moonmilk at 12:13 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Mr T visits a pioneer sodhouse in Nebraska. Mr Kitty's Stupid Comics page (warning: time-sink!) has a few more baffling tie-ins in its extensive catalogue, mainly in the "Idiot Box" and "Movie Magic" sections.
posted by pont at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2013
posted by pont at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2013
Best answer: Skippy the Jedi Droid
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:20 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:20 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think it's widely held that The Crystal Star is the first weirdest Star Wars book ever. IIRC, Luke almost gets eaten by a blob of golden goo who is also a cult leader.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 12:34 PM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by goodbyewaffles at 12:34 PM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: How much for Just the Planet? is a comic Star Trek novel, with Mr. Wizard parodies, SF author cameos, and a Gilbert & Sullivan soundtrack. The weirdest thing is that it's an official tie-in.
posted by jb at 1:05 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by jb at 1:05 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Best answer: There's a Star Wars EU book that, on its cover, has Han Solo punching a blinged-up giant weasel in the chops.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:24 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Sebmojo at 2:24 PM on October 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Best answer: The activity and colouring books for David Lynch's Dune were extremely rad.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 2:40 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 2:40 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This kind of thing is very common in anime. The horror anime Soultaker spawned an OVA called Nurse Witch Komugi which is a fan service comedy about a magical girl.
Triangle Heart was originally a sequence of three hentai games. For the second and third, they decided to make anime OVA's. On the third one's OVA, they included an omake which was a short piece that looked like a teaser for a new series. It wasn't originally intended as such; it was a joke.
The main character in the third Triangle Heart game was named Kyouya and he had a little sister named Nanoha, who was in grade school and wasn't a major part in the story. The joke omake had her as a magical girl.
Well, for whatever reason, someone decided to make that into a series, and it's become a major franchise, with three series now and two movies (and a third one planned). It's far more successful than Triangle Heart ever was.
That kind of thing (strange spinoffs) has become so common in anime that it isn't really noteworthy any longer.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:33 PM on October 6, 2013
Triangle Heart was originally a sequence of three hentai games. For the second and third, they decided to make anime OVA's. On the third one's OVA, they included an omake which was a short piece that looked like a teaser for a new series. It wasn't originally intended as such; it was a joke.
The main character in the third Triangle Heart game was named Kyouya and he had a little sister named Nanoha, who was in grade school and wasn't a major part in the story. The joke omake had her as a magical girl.
Well, for whatever reason, someone decided to make that into a series, and it's become a major franchise, with three series now and two movies (and a third one planned). It's far more successful than Triangle Heart ever was.
That kind of thing (strange spinoffs) has become so common in anime that it isn't really noteworthy any longer.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:33 PM on October 6, 2013
Best answer: One of my high school friends wrote Death Troopers, a horror novel set in the Star Wars universe.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:47 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by brianogilvie at 7:47 PM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Not a novel or comic, but the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is loved and hated for being so different in tone from the usual Star Wars. Unlike Star Wars' usual family-friendly, sprightly adventurers taking down a great force theme, KotOR II is dark, depressing, vague and with an almost post-apocalyptic tone to it. It deconstructs the Force, and is generally heavy on metaphysics and philosophy (compared to the rest of Star Wars). It has been described by some (including I think one of the writers) as essentially, the Anti-Star Wars.
posted by Senza Volto at 12:25 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by Senza Volto at 12:25 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: How Much For Just The Planet was already mentioned (and rightfully so), but allow me to also include Ishmael, where Spock ends up losing his memory and going back in time to guest in a Here Come the Brides crossover.
posted by Katemonkey at 8:16 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by Katemonkey at 8:16 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: Some early Star Trek comicsby Gold Key were made by Italian writers and artists who had never seen the show. I think they had just been given the names of the characters and the basics, but the situations, characters and terminology are all wacky.
posted by steinsaltz at 9:20 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by steinsaltz at 9:20 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: The mid-90's Doom novels were delightfully bizarre: the first book is a fairly standard novelization of the game, but the rest of the series has the Doom Guy returning to Earth from Mars, teaming up with Mormon paramilitaries, and following the "demonic invasion" to its source: an intergalactic war between opposing philosophies of literary criticism.
I swear I am not making any of this up.
posted by Zozo at 11:11 AM on October 7, 2013
I swear I am not making any of this up.
posted by Zozo at 11:11 AM on October 7, 2013
« Older How much meat does a non-meat eater need? | Looking for a window into the mind of old time... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:19 AM on October 6, 2013 [5 favorites]