Robin Spriggs's long-awaited full-length collection of prose poetry, Diary of a Gentleman Diabolist, will be published by Anomalous Books sometime in 2010. Details regarding the content and theme of this book are sketchy at this time; but as soon as we receive any solid information, we will share it with you here in the newsroom. So check back often.

CAPES & COWLS: THE SUPERHERO BOARD GAME

In a bold display of publishing derring-do,Jazz Lieberman ofWyrd House Press has announced that he will launch his illuminated (comic book) treatments of Robin Spriggs's Capes & Cowls: The Chronicles of Wyrd™ with a full-blown adventure board game called, you guessed it, Capes & Cowls: The Superhero Board Game .

"I know it sounds a little crazy," said Lieberman, whose publishing house's past offerings have focused exclusively on fiction, poetry, and occult esoterica. "But given the scope of the Capes & Cowls™ universe, with its host of colorful characters and strange--or rather, Wyrd--world view, a game seemed like the best way to initiate new readers and start things off with a bang."

But further digging revealed yet another reason for the publisher's "crazy" decision.  "Okay," said Lieberman, "you got me. We [Lieberman and Spriggs] were at a coffee shop, discussing the direction of the project [comic book series], when Robin offhandedly mentioned something about a game. 'What game?' I asked. 'The one on my dining-room table,' he said. At first I thought he was just yanking my chain, but when he took me to his house and showed me the goods, man, did I find out different. Turns out, the guy had created this entire cool-as-hell game system, set in the world of Wyrd, complete with character cards, super powers, figures, customizable game board, and a big book of playable adventures--in short, the whole Wyrd shebang. And the art [by Kelly O'Neal and Robin Spriggs himself] was freakin' incredible--a killer combo of golden-, silver-, and bronze-age aesthetics, but with stylistic idiosyncrasies that really made it sing. To be honest, I would have been crazy not to publish it. I mean, not only was it brilliant, it was practically already done."

And faster than a speeding bullet, Lieberman was not only seeing the game, but playing it for himself. "Yeah," he said. "Robin sat me down, racked up a quick adventure, and bam, just like that, I was right in the middle of a comic book. And, man, was it a blast. We're talking four-color fun from frame to frame--garish costumes, alter egos, and smack-talking fights to the finish. For the span of an hour, I was twelve years old again, and if that's not a good thing, I don't know what is. I guess  you could say it was love at first fight."

"Evidently," Lieberman continued, "he [Spriggs] and some of his associates  had been playing a polished homemade version of the game for well over a decade. It was nuts, keeping a thing like that to himself. Nuh-uh, I said, we're going public with this thing. And you, Herr Professor, will like it!"

Apparently, Spriggs did like it, because the game is now slated for a 2006 release, before the comics themselves. "To tell the truth," said Lieberman, "the game and the comics are pretty much one and the same. There's a lot of cross-pollination between the two. In fact, we'll be treating the game as sort of an alternative-format prologue to the comics that will follow. We'll probably even end up billing it as issue #1."

Lieberman pressed his point home by describing the game itself as "an open-ended saga in a box, a collaborative story kit that allows the players to take their favorite costumed Wyrdos, plunk them down in a four-color setting, stir in a challenging scenario, and spend the next hour or so slugging it out in super-heroic bliss."

When pressed for details about the physical composition of the game, Lieberman said, "I don't want to give away too much at this point. So let's just call it an adventure board game with a healthy doses of strategy and role-playing thrown in for good measure. It even utilizes a unique battleboard mechanic that directly influences the outcome of each character action. But best of all, it's quick and easy enough for kids to get into, yet challenging and atmospheric enough to engage experienced adult gamers."

So there you have it, Wyrdlings--Capes & Cowls: The Superhero Board Game. Stay tuned here for more details. Same Wyrd Time. Same Wyrd Channel.

CAPES & COWLS, WYRD CITY,  and all related characters, images, slogans, and indicia are trademarks of  ROBIN SPRIGGS.  Copyright © 1999 - 2006. Used under license by WYRD HOUSE and HEKAN, LLC. All rights reserved.

Robin Spriggs will be a featured guest at this year's Dragon*Con, the world's largest Sci-fi/Fantasy/Pop Culture Convention. The event will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, September 1-4. Spriggs will be on hand to discuss his experiences as an author and actor, sign copies of his critically acclaimed Wondrous Strange: Tales of the Uncanny, and to give fans a sneak peek at his much-anticipated Capes & Cowls: The Superhero Board Game.Other guests at Dragon*Con 2006 include Joss Whedon, Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, Richard Hatch, and the inimitable Forrest J. Ackerman. Be there or be woefully unhip.

SPRIGGS AND LOVECRAFT SPELL DOUBLE TROUBLE

Robin Spriggs's latest tale, "The Sigil," awaits your erudite perusal in the winter issue (#8) of Lovecraft's WeirdMysteries.Lurking in the plot of this diabolical yarn is a message of grave importance to those for whom it is intended. Ignore it at your own peril or purchase it posthaste fromShocklinesor Project Pulp.

Weird scribe Robin Spriggs will be at the Coffee Shop of Horrors in Gainesville, GA, to sign copies of his latest book, Wondrous Strange: Tales of the Uncanny. If you like your coffee creepy and your stories extra strange, here's your chance to bag them both in one sweet swoop. Be there or be highly unfortunate!

*Update: The signing, originally scheduled for June 12, 2004, has been postponed until July. When a specific date has been set, it will be posted in the House of Nine pressroom.

The publishing rights to Capes & Cowls: The Wyrd City Chronicles ™, the long-running but sporadically published underground serial byRobin Spriggs, formerly held by Micro Pulps and a number of other independent presses, were recently purchased by the wise and industrious powers that be at Wyrd House Press.

"It was the perfect fit," said Wyrd House CEO Jazz Lieberman. "Wyrd City, Wryd House--I mean, come on, who am I to tussle with fate?"

Under the direction of the new publisher, the erstwhile mostly-text serial will be presented in graphic (comic book) digest format. Spriggs, of course, will plot and script the stories, while sharing the art duties with the House of Nine's own remarkable Ms. Kelly O.

Note: If you are interested in acquiring the old all-text issues of Capes & Cowls ™, you may have to pry them from the cold, dead hands of stubborn collectors. That, or try eBay. Whichever strikes you as more fun and/or less costly.

DISCLAIMER: Though this site exists with the permission of Robin Spriggs, in whose name it was established, it should by no means be considered his official on-line presence. All blame, criticism, and praise for its existence and contents should be directed at yours truly, Amarantha Pharr, a proud member of the "real-world" House of Nine and a great admirer of its aforementioned founder. In short, all materials herein, unless otherwise noted, are © 2001 - 2009  Amarantha Pharr,  and may not be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved.