Planetary and the Wold Newton family tree

[Shellhead]

It's increasingly obvious that Warren Ellis is a fan of Philip Jose Farmer, especially his ideas involving the Wold Newton family tree. Simply put, Farmer has rationalized a common origin for a variety of heroic and villainous characters from literature and pulp fiction: a radioactive meteor landed in Wold Newton, England in 1795, causing favorable genetic mutations in residents of the area. Their descendants have often been endowed with great strength and intelligence, along with an innate tendency towards great acts of either good or evil.

Farmer has identified the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Nemo (aka Professor Moriarty), Allan Quatermain, Fu Manchu, Doc Savage, the Shadow, Tarzan, and even James Bond as members of the Wold Newton mutant family.

Here's a link to the Doc Savage section of the Wold Newton family tree, one of several at Farmer's site:

http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/savage_tree.gif

In the context of Planetary, it seems that the Century Babies are likely to have a direct connection to Wold Newton, even though the setting of Planetary is somewhat variant to the mainstream literary universe of Farmer's Wold Newton writings.

[Kid Seven]

I'd never heard of that before, but it's really interesting. I like the way that Ellis has integrated everyone into this tapestry, including Authority and Monarchy. It makes for a very cohesive read and study.

[Tobias March]

There are sites out there that also draw a connection between Farmer and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But Ellis' debt is closer (Holmes, Tarzan etc are common to both). I'm having trouble finding any of Jose Farmer's books out there, but there's a host of material online about Wold Newton stuff.

[lonewolf23k]

Schroeder's Speculations (http://www.novanotes.com/specul.htm) is a website with articles that extend the Wold Newton setting into the superhero comics world, starting with Superman, who apparantly would be the same person as Hugo Dranner of Philip Wylie's "Gladiator" novel.

[Aaron King]

I'm pretty sure that Farmer didn't think that Nemo and Moriarty were the same people. Someone else made that hypothesis... if I remember correctly.

[Gordon Smith]

I'm pretty sure that Farmer didn't think that Nemo and Moriarty were the same people. Someone else made that hypothesis... if I remember correctly.

I believe that Farmer first advanced the 'Captain Nemo is really Professor Moriarty!' theory in an obscure novel he wrote back in the 1970's, The Other Log of Phileas Fogg.

[Aaron King]

Damn that Farmer and his numerous obscure books. I thought he just had the Tarzan and Savage bios.

[Kirayoshi]

You wouldn't happen to have a list of Farmer's books in the Wold-Newton universe, would you? I've heard about this premise before, and would like to find these books, either at my local library or on some used or rare book websites. Considering that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was, IMO, the single-best comic book concept to come along in the last ten years, this looks right up my alley.

[Paradox]

The only two I knew about were Tarzan Alive! and Doc Savage: His Apocolyptic Life, and I've been into Wold-Newton for ages. Apparantly not long enough, though. I never even heard of The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, but be damned sure I'll be looking.

[Greg Hatcher]

Okay. These are the ones I'm sure of, in addition to the Farmer books already mentioned:

Mother Was a Lovely Beast. Anthology of "feral human" stories, featuring "An Interview With Lord Greystoke" by Farmer.
The Adventure Of The Peerless Peer. Out-of-print paperback teaming Tarzen and Sherlock Holmes, with cameos by G-8 and the Shadow, and tying in to H. Rider Haggard as well.
The Book Of Philip Jose Farmer features the short story "Skinburn," starring private eye Kent Lane (the son of the Shadow and Margo Lane.)
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Farmer using the pen name Kilgore Trout, references several of the family relationships postulated in Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life as well as being a first-class Vonnegut parody.
Tarzan and The Dark Heart of Time is a straight pastiche.
A Feast Unknown and Lord Of The Trees/The Mad Goblin some people count, and some people don't. They are books featuring analogues of Tarzan and Doc Savage.
Escape From Loki is Farmer's Doc novel chronicling how Doc met the Five in World War I.
The World of Tiers books are incorporated into Wold Newton continuity according to Farmer in the Doc Savage bio.

That's all I can think of at the moment. It really is a subgenre for Farmer, more even than Riverworld.

[Shellhead]

A Feast Unknown and Lord Of The Trees/The Mad Goblin some people count, and some people don't. They are books featuring analogues of Tarzan and Doc Savage.


I should warn everybody here about A Feast Unknown. Unless you are extremely open-minded or completely amoral, you will probably find some of the scenes in this book extremely offensive. And the imagery will sear itself into your unwilling brain.

[Paradox]

Greg Hatcher gives us a list:

Okay. These are the ones I'm sure of, in addition to the Farmer books already mentioned:

Mother Was a Lovely Beast. Anthology of "feral human" stories, featuring "An Interview With Lord Greystoke" by Farmer.
The Adventure Of The Peerless Peer. Out-of-print paperback teaming Tarzen and Sherlock Holmes, with cameos by G-8 and the Shadow, and tying in to H. Rider Haggard as well.
The Book Of Philip Jose Farmer features the short story "Skinburn," starring private eye Kent Lane (the son of the Shadow and Margo Lane.)
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Farmer using the pen name Kilgore Trout, references several of the family relationships postulated in Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life as well as being a first-class Vonnegut parody.
Tarzan and The Dark Heart of Time is a straight pastiche.
A Feast Unknown and Lord Of The Trees/The Mad Goblin some people count, and some people don't. They are books featuring analogues of Tarzan and Doc Savage.
Escape From Loki is Farmer's Doc novel chronicling how Doc met the Five in World War I.
The World of Tiers books are incorporated into Wold Newton continuity according to Farmer in the Doc Savage bio.

That's all I can think of at the moment. It really is a subgenre for Farmer, more even than Riverworld.

:eek:

Wow. I...I had no idea (although I have read Venus on the Half-Shell decades ago). Guess that's why they made you the Books mod. Thanks, Greg!

Shellhead chimes in:

I should warn everybody here about A Feast Unknown. Unless you are extremely open-minded or completely amoral, you will probably find some of the scenes in this book extremely offensive. And the imagery will sear itself into your unwilling brain.

Well, how about my willing one? :p

Now I want to read it more than ever!

[Gordon Smith]

You wouldn't happen to have a list of Farmer's books in the Wold-Newton universe, would you?

Greg listed most of the relevant titles, but see here ( http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp3.htm) for the full list. I find "After King Kong Fell' to be particularly entertaining.

[Gordon Smith]

I should warn everybody here about A Feast Unknown. Unless you are extremely open-minded or completely amoral, you will probably find some of the scenes in this book extremely offensive. And the imagery will sear itself into your unwilling brain.

That's putting it mildly. It was a good thing that was one book my mother never thought to take a look through, or there would have been hell to pay.

[Greg Hatcher]

I'm not actually the Books mod, 'dox; I'm the TV/Film mod. I just read a lot.

[Shellhead]

Well, how about my willing one? :p

Now I want to read it more than ever!

I look forward to reading your review of it here or in the Books forum.

[Scorpion13]

I found a great Wold Newton site that connects Planetary to the WN universe right here. (http://ratmmjess.tripod.com/wold6.html)

[jessnevins]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.