Tal, Scott, (or is it Wyvern?)
Here you go, the first, official Press Release of Gor...Feel free to do with it as you will - post it, laminate it, put it on your website, wallpaper a small Irish village with copies of it.
I know a lot of the information contained herein is stuff you and other fans of the series will be well acquainted with, but this release is intended primarily for newspapers, magazines and the like from which to extract blurbs for their own publications. Please forgive me if any of it seems to insult your knowledge.:) Hope this answers some of the questions floating around out there, and I'll keep you updated as we go...
Have yourself a good weekend,
Marrus, Creative Director, among other things, Gor Magazine
Press Release - Gor Magazine - For Immediate Release -
Vision Entertainment, a New York-based Publishing Group, has procured the exclusive rights to develop an illustrated, 64-page, full digitally colored graphic magazine based on the immensely popular series, Gor. The author, John Norman, is an active consultant for the magazine, which will also feature new, never-before-seen stories of this amazingly detailed fantasy world.
For Vision's graphic adaptation of the novels, each original book will be illustrated over the course of 4 to 6 graphic magazines, which will then be distributed to the international magazine market in a similar fashion to Heavy Metal. All the magazines comprising each novel will ultimately be reprinted in a glossy, hardcover format for sale to the book market through Vision's Book Division. The first book to be adapted will be the 22nd in the series, Dancer of Gor, in which a lovely, shy librarian is abducted by Gorean slave traders and turned into a helpless pleasure slave on Gor. The first issue of Gor Magazine is expected to hit newsstands everywhere in early 1998.
Description of the Story Line
GOR is an artificial world, the travelling-planet of an ancient race known by Mankind only as the "Priest-Kings", large, insect-like creatures possessed of vast intellect and curiosity, living in great nests far beneath the surface of their world. Situated on the opposite side of the sun in Earth's orbit, GOR is also known as "the counter-earth". For thousands of years since the Priest-Kings brought their world into this solar system, they had been making occasional visitations to Earth, known as the "Voyages of Acquisition", during which they have abducted tens of thousands of humans over the millenia, bringing them to the surface of their world as a social experiment, letting them share the surface with the other flora and fauna they had collected upon other worlds. Subsequently, there is an exotic collection of creatures on the world, many of which have been pressed into service by Gor's ingenious inhabitants. They have trained the enormous, dinosaurian Thalarions as draft animals or for cavalry mounts, while fierce, hawk-like Tarns are ridden through the skies by wild warriors. Gorean culture, society and psychology have been heavily influenced by such peoples as the Babylonians, Vikings, and Greco-Romans, and therefore the world is beautifully rich and barbaric in it's practices and customs.
Society on Gor is caste based, with all people born to play a specific role, although provisions for changing one's caste are available. Different castes include Scribes, Physicians, Warriors, and Merchants, to name a few, each of which has specific colors and garb ascribed to it. Most caste members are very proud of their position, for regardless of perceived rank, if one belongs to a caste, one is better than a casteless free person, who is still of an infinitely higher standing than the most unfortunate on the social totem pole, the slave.
Slavery occupies an interesting position in Gorean society. One can be born, bred, or kidnapped into slavery. These men and women are not even allowed mastery over their own bodies, and their entire lives depend on the whims of their masters and mistresses. More sensitive and attractive slaves may be specifically trained to solely satisfy the desires of free people.
Sales Expectations and Advertising Plans
The magazine will initially be put out quarterly, to be increased to a monthly schedule within a year of release. Initial sales are estimated at 75,000 to 100,000 per issue, as the Gor novels have a large readership base, the latest in the series selling in the 300,000+ copy per book range. During the time the Gor series was with DAW books, approximately six million books were sold in the US alone. The series has been translated into ten languages, and has been the subject of two feature films.
Additionally, Vision has secured the rights to John Norman's long awated new novel, the eagerly awaited 26th book in the Gorean Epic, Witness of Gor. In addition to this brand new novel, Vision's book division will also be reprinting books 20-26 of the series. These last six books were the most popular in terms of sales with Gor's considerable fan base, and they will arrive sequentially on the Book Market scene on the heels of both Gor Magazine and the new novel, Witness of Gor. The reprints will be published on a bimonthly basis, and each will be pushed with a wave of heavy advertising through such venues as Heavy Metal, Wizard, CBG, Outlaw Biker, the Sci-Fi Channel, newspapers, and the Internet. John Norman is even now busily engaged in writing Book 27 in the series.
Website
Vision is putting up a huge, interactive Web site, which will be ready to launch in early 1998. Among other things, the site will introduce existing fans of the series to the magazine, draw potential new readers into the site by links or rings, take subscriptions, sell a line of merchandise (collars, cuffs, clothing, jewelry, etc.), update fans on upcoming Conventions, Gorean events and special offers, provide information on the artists and writers of Gor Magazine, show graphic teasers of upcoming art, and promote raffles and contests.
Participants in these contests have the opportunity to win signed, limited editions of the books and magazines, appear as a character in the magazine, receive original artwork, or even enjoy a free afternoon lunch with John Norman himself.
Team Gor
Gor magazine's staff is unique in that all artists work on the project in-house, ensuring continuity of visual styles and an intense dedication to the original novels. No phase of the project proceeds without the full approval of John Norman, from a character's likeness to the texture of the coat of a six-legged, ravenous sleen. Scripted adaptations of the novels have been written by CJ Henderson. Pencillers include Mike Lilly, Greg Follender, and Rich Kelly. Kathryn Bolinger and Rich Perotta are responsible for inks. Digital painting is done by Imbue Productions. Tom Ziolkowski handles all lettering and graphic recompositing. J.Marrus oversees all staff, production, editing and creative direction. Darrell Benvenuto is the publisher and owner of Vision Entertainment.
Future Plans
In order to ultimately release Gor Magazine on a bimonthly basis, an additional art team will be hired, and as they will also be in-house, Vision will be expanding in the months to come. Regardless of the relocation of offices, all inquiries can be directed to Vision Entertainment, PO Box 9, Flushing, New York, 11358.
Tal, Scott,
I've been busy putting together Vison's first press release for the Gor project. I figured you'd be interested in taking a look at it. This may not be the final version, but I just got off the phone with Mr. Norman to check my facts, and he thinks I'm on top of it.
Hope this answers some more questions, and have a good weekend,
Marrus
Press Release
Vision Entertainment has procured the exclusive rights to develop an illustrated, 64-page, full digitally colored graphic magazine based on the immensely popular series, Gor. The author, John Norman is an active consultant for the magazine, which will also feature new, never-before-seen stories of this amazingly detailed fantasy world. Gor will hit international newsstands everywhere early in 1998.
Gor Magazine tells the tales of Earth's planetary shadow sister, which exists exactly opposite Earth's orbit on the other side of the sun. An alien race, the Priest-Kings, have created a technologically limited world, which they have populated with humans and animals stolen from Earth and other planets throughout the galaxy. Gor's culture and psychology have been heavily influenced by such peoples as the Babylonians, Vikings, and Greco-Romans, and therefore, the world is brutal and beautiful, where men are all-powerful masters, and women find their true freedom in ecstatic, loving slavery.
The magazine will initially be put out quarterly, to be increased to a monthly schedule within a year of release. Initial sales are estimated at 75,000 to 100,000 per issue, as the Gor novels on first printing had a large readership base, selling in the 300,000+ range. During the time the Gor series was with DAW books, approximately six million books were sold in the US alone. The series has been translated into ten languages, and has been the subject of two feature films.
Additionally, Vision has secured the rights to John Norman's first novel in nine years, the eagerly awaited 26th book, Witness of Gor. In addition to this brand new novel, Vision will also be reprinting books 20-25 of the series. These last six books were the most popular with a considerable fan base, each selling over 300,000 copies, and they will arrive sequentially on the heels of both Gor Magazine and the new novel, Witness of Gor. The reprints will be published on a bi-monthly basis, and each will be pushed with a wave of heavy advertising through such venues as Heavy Metal, Wizard, CBG, newspapers, and the Internet. John Norman is currently writing Book 27 in the series.