ALL PULP

WELCOME TO MY PARLOR, SAID THE SPIDER TO OPERATOR 5!

2012-02-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Spider & Operator 5 ™ Argosy Communications. Artwork © Dan Brereton.

New Pulp Author, Martin Powell shared the news of a team up he’s writing featuring pulp heroes The Spider and Operator 5.

"Well, I thought I was done with THE SPIDER," Powell said. "Until I was approached a few days ago to write a historic first-time-ever team-up prose novella of THE SPIDER with OPERATOR 5. This will be featured in Moonstone's upcoming OPERATOR 5 anthology, along with other thrill-a-second adventures from some of the finest pulp authors today. I'm dedicating my tale to the memory of the late Howard Hopkins, a great friend and brilliant writer, who surely would have been included in this volume. This one is for you, pal."

You can learn more about Martin Powell at http://martinpowell221bcom.blogspot.com/
You can learn more about Moonstone Books at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/.

FIGHT FICTIONEERS MAGAZINE … FREE 1ST BIG ISSUE!

2012-02-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

New Pulp Author Paul Bishop, one of the writers of the Fight Card series, shared the following news with All Pulp.

The premiere issue of Fight Fictioneers Magazine is available now. Jam packed with articles, interviews, and reviews from the universe of the Fight Card series and all things fight fiction.

Request your free copy now from: fightcardseries@gmail.com

To learn more about the Fight Card series, please visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fight-Card-Series/191703910910659

PULP AUTHORS TO BE FEATURED ON RADIO SHOW!

2012-02-24T19:44:00.001-08:00

Up and coming Pulp Authors Lee Houston Jr. and Nancy Hansen each one a staff writer and editor for Pro Se Productions, will be on local radio station WILI AM's Wayne Norman morning show next Tuesday February 28th. They will be talking about their books and writing, and all sorts of things pertaining to New Pulp. Best part of this is, those shows get archived so even if you are out of the listening area (Connecticut) , the show can be heard via a link provided following the show.

Here's the station info, scroll down in the blue box on the right and you will see the listing: http://www.wili.com/am/index.htm

Hansen's latest work is 'Tales of the Vagabond Bards' and currently available at Amazon and at www.prosepulp.com. Be on the lookout for Houston's next novel, 'Alpha' coming from Pro Se in May!

New Pulp’s Table Talk: Questions From Readers IV

2012-02-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

New Pulp's Table Talk returns. This week the three New Pulp authors talk about whatever questions happen to teleport through the quantum pockets of their nebulous imaginations. This week, Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock dig into the mailbag and respond to more questions from you, the readers.

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Questions From Readers IV is now available at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/ or at the direct link: http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2012/02/table-talk-questions-from-readers-iv.html

Join the conversation. Leave us a comment on the blog and let us know your thoughts on this topic. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Have a question you want the Table Talk Trio to answer? Send it to newpulpfiction@gmail.com with "Table Talk Question" in the subject line. Also, let us know if you want attribution for the question, or you'd rather remain anonymous. Please, keep the questions pertinent to the creation of New Pulp and/or writing speculative fiction in general. We'll get the questions worked into future columns.

Follow the Table Talk Trio on Twitter @BarryReesePulp @BobbyNash @MikeABullock and Facebook.

PULP OBSCURA PUBLISHERS VISIT EARTH STATION ONE

2012-02-22T20:07:00.001-08:00

New Pulpster's Van Allen Plexico, Tommy Hancock, and Matthew Moring join Bobby Nash, Mike Faber, and Mike Gordon on the Earth Station One podcast.

Earth Station One Episode 99: And So It Begins

This week, Bobby Nash takes command and we travel to deep space to visit the station known as the "last, best hope for peace." The name of the place is Babylon 5! Writer Van Allen Plexico joins the crew to discuss this landmark series. We also strap Tommy Hancock and Matthew Moring to the Geek Seat and they reveal the new line of books from Pulp Obscura. Plus, Scott Viguie reports on Gallifrey One!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: And So It Begins at http://www.esopodcast.com/.
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/earth-station-one-episode-99-and-so-it-begins/

Table of Contents
0:00:00 Intro / Welcome
0:03:47 Rants & Raves
0:32:56 Pulp Obsura Guys in the Geek Seat
1:05:45 Babylon 5
2:17:36 Khan Report
2:27:26 Gallifrey One w/ Scott Viguie
2:47:29 Shout Outs
2:54:43 Show Close

Khan! Report
Feb 24-26 AnachroCon (Atlanta, GA)
Feb 24-26 GalaxyFest (Colorado Springs, CO)
Feb 24-26 Image Comics Expo (Oakland, CA)
Feb 25-26 London Super Comic Convention
Mar 9-11 Days of the Dead: Atlanta
Mar 10-11 Metropolis Supercon
Mar 16-18 MomoCon (Atlanta, GA)
Mar 16-18 WonderCon (Anaheim, CA)
Mar 18 Joelanta (Atlanta, GA)
Mar 23-25 Mad Monster Party (Charlotte, NC)
Mar 30-Apr 1 Emerald City Comicon
Apr 6-8 Marcon (Columbus, OH)

If you would like to leave feedback or a comment on the show please call the ESO feedback line at (404)963-9057 (remember long distance charges may apply) or feel free to email us @ esopodcast@gmail.com
Download this podcast from Itunes or Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Next on Earth Station One...

Next week, Earth Station One turns 100. That’s right. ESO reaches episode 100 and we’ve invited some of our friends to stop by the station for a night of fun, friendship, and discussions of all things geeky. Special guests Mark Maddox, Anthony Taylor, Peter Cutler, and Doctor Q join Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, and Bobby Nash for a 100^th episode celebration.

We would love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite memories from the first 100 episodes? Let us know at http://www.esopodcast.com/, at the ESO Facebook Group, email us at esopodcast@gmail.com, or call us at 404-963-9057 with your list. We might just read yours on the show. Or just call us up and say hi.

The ESO Crew
http://www.esopodcast.com/

PRO SE’S LATEST-‘GLOBAL STAR’-HITS THE STANDS!

2012-02-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

PRO SE’S LATEST-‘GLOBAL STAR’-HITS THE STANDS!

THE TABLOID WHERE ALL NEWS IS THE TRUTH!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher of New Pulp, proudly announces its latest release, a three story collection crafted by a Trio of Top Talents, all about a Supermarket Tabloid where all the Stories within its pages are true! GLOBAL STAR delivers tongue in cheek pulpy goodness, satirical wit, and more weirdness than you can shake an alien cabana boy at, all thanks to the wonderful storytelling skills of R. A. Jones, Mel Odom, and Michael Vance.

Want to fly headlong into Alien Abductions? Ready to hunt Mysterious Monsters in the Bowels of Your City? Curious about what Elvis has been up to since He Got Laid Off? Find the Story Behind the Stories, the Truth too True To Print in the GLOBAL STAR! Jones, Vance, and Odom relate the exploits of the finest editors, colorful reporters, and raucous staffers working on the world's one tabloid where every word is true! Follow these pen and paper pushers as they go anywhere, do anything, and stop at nothing to bring you the news that makes the Global Star the greatest newspaper on-and off- Earth! Get the whole story in this tongue in cheek satire riddled New Pulp funfest from Pro Se- GLOBAL STAR Is the paper for the best news you’d never believe!

GLOBAL STAR, with fantastic cover and interior design by Sean E. Ali, is available via Amazon as well as Pro Se’s own site (www.prosepulp.com) for $12.00 in print and can be snatched up from Amazon for the Kindle, Barnes and Noble for the Nook, and in various and sundry digital formats from www.smashwords.com for $2.99! Don’t wait for the werewolves to babysit your babies born with bowling balls in their stomachs! Read all about that and more now in GLOBAL STAR, the latest book from Pro Se Productions!

For Author information and interviews or any further press release information, please contact proseproductions@earthlink.net and find Pro Se at www.prosepulp.com!

PULP ARK 2012 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WINNER ANNOUNCED

2012-02-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

As first announced on PULPED (www.pulped.libsyn.com) today, the Pulp Ark Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient for 2012 has been selected. Tommy Hancock, partner in Pro Se Productions, the sponsor of PULP ARK, the Official New Pulp Convention as well as the founder and organizer of Pulp Ark, reported to PULPED! host Ron Fortier that the selection process for the Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 2011, had been completed and a recipient named.

Although 11 other Pulp Ark Awards that will be given at Pulp Ark 2012 were selected by public nomination and then voting of those who nominated, the process for selecting the Lifetime Achievement winner was different. Ten people considered to be involved in the New Pulp Movement significantly at this point were invited to participate on the Lifetime Achievement Selection Committee. Each of these Committee members were given an opportunity to nominate three people for the Award. The top three from these nominations were then placed on a ballot and the Committee voted from that ballot. The members of the Committee included, Hancock, Barry Reese, Derrick Ferguson, Ron Fortier, Bobby Nash, Art Sippo, Van Plexico, Matt Moring, Michael Brown, and Joe Gentile.

To qualify for the recognition, a person must have been heavily involved in Pulp in some capacity significantly for at least ten years and had a known impact on Pulp. According to Hancock, the recipient of this year's Pulp Ark Lifetime Achievement Award is Howard Hopkins.

Known for his ability to work in multiple genres as well as his absolute love for all things Pulp, Howard first came to the notice of many Pulp fans as the publisher of Golden Perils, one of the first and premier Pulp fanzines. Hopkins' publishing career involved many stories in many genres and included him working not only as a writer, but as a Pulp historian and an Editor.

This award will be given posthumously as Hopkins passed away suddenly on January 12, 2012. "This recognition," Hancock acknowledged, "is well deserved. Nominated last year, Howard was the fifth highest nominated in 2011 for the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. One needs simply to look at the voluminous list of fiction as well as non fiction and editing Howard did to see that this award is the least that he is worthy of. Many of us have learned how to better our craft because of Howard. And we will continue to learn from him for years to come."

The award will be given to Howard's wife, Dominique, on her husband's behalf. The Awards Ceremony will be held during Pulp Ark 2012 on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

For further information on this award or Pulp Ark, contact Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net or go to www.pulpark.blogspot.com

Following is a Bibliography of Howard Hopkins' work-

Author of 40+ horror/western/comics fiction books, numerous published short stories, including stories in The Spider Chronicles with John Jakes, The Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes & Captain Midnight. Co-editor of The Avenger Chronicles.

	Publishing History Robert Hale, Ltd.: Western Novels Blood on the Saddle, The Comanche’s Ghost, Blood Pass, Wanted, Ghost-town Duel, The Gallows Ghost, The Widow Maker, Guns of the Past, Palomita, The Last Draw, The Deadly Doves, The Devil’s Peacemaker, The West Wolf, The Phantom Marshal, Bandolero, Pirate Pass, The Silver-Mine Spook, Ladigan, Vengeance Pass, Johnny Dead, Poison Pass, Ripper Pass, Nightmare Pass, Hell Pass, Haunted Pass, Desolation Pass, Blood Creek, The Devil’s Rider, Coyote Deadly, Dead Man Riding, The Killing Kind, Hell on Hoofs, Twilight Trail Ulverscroft/F.A. Thorpe: Western Novels Blood on the Saddle, The Comanche’s Ghost, Blood Pass, Wanted, The Gallows Ghost, The Widow Maker, Guns of the Past, Palomita, The last Draw, The Deadly Doves, The Devil’s Peacemaker, The West Wolf, The Phantom Marshal, Bandolero, Pirate Pass, The Silver-Mine Spook, Ladigan, Johnny Dead, Poison Pass, Nightmare Pass, Hell Pass, Haunted Pass, Desolation Pass, Blood Creek, The Devil’s Rider, Coyote Deadly, Dead Man Riding Dancing Willow Press: Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons Atlantic Bridge Publications: Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons Golden Perils Press: Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons, The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon, The Nightmare Club #3: The Willow Witch, The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes, The Chloe Files #2: Sliver of Darkness Non-fiction: The Gray Nemesis, Shadowed Pages, The Black Bat History, Secret Agent X History, 40 issues of Golden Perils Magazine (editor/writer, 20 print/20 electronic) Students of the Unusual: (Comic book anthology) “Strangler” Moonstone Books: The Spider Chronicles #1: “Death Reign of the zombie Queen” The Spider Chronicles #2: “Scourge of the Giggling Ghouls” The Avenger Chronicles: (Co-editor) “The Original Man of Steel,” “The Heart of the Crucible” & “The Blast Devil” The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files (Co-editor) “The Flames of Tragedy,” “Vengeance, Inc.,” “Nellie,” “Mac,” “Cole” The Avenger: Tales from Bleek Street: “Smitty,” “Josh,” “Rosabel” The Captain Midnight Chronicles: “Witch of the Waning Moon” The Green Hornet Chronicles: “Flight of the Yellowjacket” The Green Hornet Casebook: “Sting of the Yellowjacket” Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook: (Editor) “The Haunted Manor” “A Study in Awareness” Honey West Anthology (Editor) The Golden Amazon: Three short stories, two comic scripts, one novel (Ripper, Burning Bright) The Lone Ranger: Novel (Vendetta) Comic book script: “Threesome” with Nancy Holder The Spider: Four widescreen graphic novel adaptations: The Iron Man War, Judgement Knight, The Bat Man War, Satan’s Seven Samurai The Spider: Widescreen comic book: The Strange Case of The Spider and Mr. Hyde Books/Magazines for various publishers: Weird Western Tales: “Night of the Crimson Moon” Beat to a Pulp: “Ghost of a Chance” The Holiday Mixer Anthology: “Slay Ride” Where Legends Ride: “The Ballad of Jesse Barnett” A Fistful of Legends: “Billy” As well as: 15+ Short stories for various horror publications. 50+ non-fiction articles for various publications.

Publishing History

Robert Hale, Ltd.: Western Novels
Blood on the Saddle, The Comanche’s Ghost, Blood Pass, Wanted, Ghost-town Duel, The Gallows Ghost, The Widow Maker, Guns of the Past, Palomita, The Last Draw, The Deadly Doves, The Devil’s Peacemaker, The West Wolf, The Phantom Marshal, Bandolero, Pirate Pass, The Silver-Mine Spook, Ladigan, Vengeance Pass, Johnny Dead, Poison Pass, Ripper Pass, Nightmare Pass, Hell Pass, Haunted Pass, Desolation Pass, Blood Creek, The Devil’s Rider, Coyote Deadly, Dead Man Riding, The Killing Kind, Hell on Hoofs, Twilight Trail

Ulverscroft/F.A. Thorpe: Western Novels
Blood on the Saddle, The Comanche’s Ghost, Blood Pass, Wanted, The Gallows Ghost, The Widow Maker, Guns of the Past, Palomita, The last Draw, The Deadly Doves, The Devil’s Peacemaker, The West Wolf, The Phantom Marshal, Bandolero, Pirate Pass, The Silver-Mine Spook, Ladigan, Johnny Dead, Poison Pass, Nightmare Pass, Hell Pass, Haunted Pass, Desolation Pass, Blood Creek, The Devil’s Rider, Coyote Deadly, Dead Man Riding

Dancing Willow Press:
Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons

Atlantic Bridge Publications:
Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons

Golden Perils Press:
Night Demons, Grimm, Dark Harbors, The Nightmare Club#1: The Headless Paperboy, Pistolero, The Dark Riders, Night Demons, The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon, The Nightmare Club #3: The Willow Witch, The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes, The Chloe Files #2: Sliver of Darkness

Non-fiction: The Gray Nemesis, Shadowed Pages, The Black Bat History, Secret Agent X History, 40 issues of Golden Perils Magazine (editor/writer, 20 print/20 electronic)

Students of the Unusual: (Comic book anthology) “Strangler”

Moonstone Books:

The Spider Chronicles #1: “Death Reign of the zombie Queen”
The Spider Chronicles #2: “Scourge of the Giggling Ghouls”
The Avenger Chronicles: (Co-editor) “The Original Man of Steel,” “The Heart of the Crucible” & “The Blast Devil”
The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files (Co-editor) “The Flames of Tragedy,” “Vengeance, Inc.,” “Nellie,” “Mac,” “Cole”
The Avenger: Tales from Bleek Street: “Smitty,” “Josh,” “Rosabel”
The Captain Midnight Chronicles: “Witch of the Waning Moon”
The Green Hornet Chronicles: “Flight of the Yellowjacket”
The Green Hornet Casebook: “Sting of the Yellowjacket”
Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook: (Editor) “The Haunted Manor” “A Study in Awareness”
Honey West Anthology (Editor)
The Golden Amazon: Three short stories, two comic scripts, one novel (Ripper, Burning Bright)
The Lone Ranger: Novel (Vendetta)
Comic book script: “Threesome” with Nancy Holder
The Spider: Four widescreen graphic novel adaptations: The Iron Man War, Judgement Knight, The Bat Man War, Satan’s Seven Samurai
The Spider: Widescreen comic book: The Strange Case of The Spider and Mr. Hyde

Books/Magazines for various publishers:

Weird Western Tales: “Night of the Crimson Moon”
Beat to a Pulp: “Ghost of a Chance”
The Holiday Mixer Anthology: “Slay Ride”
Where Legends Ride: “The Ballad of Jesse Barnett”
A Fistful of Legends: “Billy”

As well as:
15+ Short stories for various horror publications.
50+ non-fiction articles for various publications.

PULP EMPIRE DEBUTS 'HEROES OF MARS'!

2012-02-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

Heroes of Mars is now available from Pulp Empire!

Pulp Empire’s newest anthology is now available in print and ebook editions!

Heroes of Mars tells five new stories set on the savage world of Mars! Great new tales by Geoff Gander, Evan Dicken, Mark Brandon Allen, Travis Hiltz and J.M. Stewart, plus an essay by Teel James Glenn!

Print copies are now available for a mere $11.00 from Createspace!

E-book editions are also available from Amazon (for Kindle), Smashwords andBarnes & Noble (for Nook) at only $2.99!

An Amazon print edition will be available later in the week! Stay tuned to the site for details!

DOC WILDE RETURNS!

2012-02-20T10:28:00.001-08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Return of Doc Wilde!!!

Feb19by Tim Byrd

In a young adult book market crowded with the depressing and the dour, Tim Byrd’s Doc Wilde swings in on a jungle vine to raise the flag high for adventure. Infused with pace, fun, and all the two-fisted action a reader could ask for, Wilde lovingly riffs on situations straight out of the old pulps, even while making them fresh for a new generation.
— Zack Stentz, screenwriter, Thor, X-Men: First Class

In 2009, Penguin/Putnam released my book Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, an adventure novel for all ages, my homage to the great pulp adventure stories of the thirties and forties. I conceived it as the first of a series, but Putnam waited to see how it was received before committing to more books.
The reviews were great, and the sales very good. As a result, Putnam asked for two more books. But, as regular readers of this blog know, I went through some rough times that delayed completion of the second book, and in the time since Frogs was released there has been a great deal of change in publishing. Thanks to digital distribution, the rapid rise of ebooks, and print on demand, the options for authors are much better than they used to be.
So, today, I’m excited to announce that Doc Wilde is going indy.

Written in fast-paced, intelligent prose laced with humor and literary allusions ranging from Dante to Dr. Seuss, the story has all of the fun of old-fashioned pulp adventures. A tale ‘terrifying and dark, of indescribable horrors and eldritch mysteries,’ this is sure to be Wilde-ly popular, and readers will anxiously await future installments. —Kirkus Reviews

Putnam treated me well enough, but I was largely underwhelmed with my experiences with them. The money was relatively lousy (and usually delivered months after it was contractually supposed to be), they did no promotion, and I thought they failed to take advantage of important opportunities. At no point did I get the idea that my input was valued, except insofar as delivering a printable text was concerned. And they allowed the hardback to sell through its print run and fall out of print before even scheduling a paperback printing, meaning the book’s effective shelf life and opportunity to find new readers was less than two years. In other words, I was treated like most authors are treated by the Big 6.
The thing is, I want to make a living at this, and unless the series really took wing, I was never going to do that under standard publishing terms. Everybody in publishing makes a good living, with benefits, except the folks who write the books. Going independent is a gamble, but honestly, if it doesn’t work, I’m not out much income, and if it does (and I expect it will) I’ll at least be able to keep the roof over my head.
So this is the year of Doc Wilde.

Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is an adventure yarn in the old tradition. It gets that reading is an intellectual activity, and that an adventure, to be really good, has to engage the reader’s brain. I love a smart book!
—Daniel Pinkwater, author of The Neddiad and The Yggyssey

The fact that Putnam allowed Frogs to fall out of print turned out to be a great thing, because it allowed me to retrieve the rights and I can start the series anew, the way I want to. There were things I wanted to do with the books that I wasn’t getting to do with Putnam, and now I can.
One of those things is working with Gary Chaloner. As I’ve written before, well before I finished writing Frogs, I tried to find the perfect artist to depict the Wildes, and Gary was my choice. Not only was he a gifted graphic storyteller with a distinctive style, he was also a huge fan of pulp adventure and had an instinctive understanding (and love) of the material. Together we decided to produce lavishly illustrated books, and he put a lot of time into honing his designs to match my vision of the characters. (To see some of his early designs, go here.)

The Wildes à la Chaloner

When I signed with Putnam, they completely disregarded my wishes. The resulting book had a really nice cover, but I never got so much as an email consultation from the artist and I have a few minor issues with some of its details. There were no lovely illustrations inside. Instead, there were some goofy typographical effects that (I felt) distracted the reader and made the book look like it was meant solely for very young readers, rather than for young and old as I intended.
Well, Gary’s back on board, and we’re doing the books the way we originally envisioned.
Here’s the plan:
Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom will be released in its new edition in June, in both ebook and paper. It will offer my preferred edit of the novel, along with a new short Doc Wilde adventure, and (like future books) will have a new cover and be fully illustrated by maestro Gary Chaloner.
In the next few weeks, I’ll be putting together a Kickstarter project so folks can help us with the relaunch and get assorted boons ranging from being named in the acknowledgments to autographed limited editions and other exclusives.
Then, in August or September, the long-awaited second adventure will finally appear, Doc Wilde and The Mad Skull, in which the Wildes face a mind-blowing mystery and a truly bizarre villain. Book 3, to be named soon, will follow in November.
Had I remained with Putnam, by year’s end there would have possibly been a paperback of Frogs of Doom, and The Mad Skull might have seen print some time next year, though more likely it would have been in 2014. Doing things this way, you get the first three books by Christmas, with more to follow next year.
This is all very exciting for me. Going indy will allow me not only to produce nicer books, not only to make more money (at less cost to readers), but to have a more organic and personal relationship with fans. It’s a great time to be a writer.
Stay tuned for more news, including the details of the Kickstarter project…

A true delight…Tim Byrd has taken Doc Savage, added in a pinch of Robert E. Howard, a liberal dose of H.P. Lovecraft, and mixed it all together in a well done, enchanting pastiche of the pulps that will appeal to the adult audience as well as the young adult readers. It is an over the top at times, rip roaring adventure that returns us to the days of yesteryear and leaves us wanting more.
—Barry Hunter, The Baryon Review

(Note: At the time I post this, Putnam’s ebook version of Frogs of Doom is still available online. The wheels of publishing grind slowly, and they haven’t yet gotten around to removing it as they’re supposed to. If you’re interested in the book, I encourage you to wait for the new version later this year. It will be a much better edition, will cost you less, and I’ll benefit a lot more from the sale.)

FORTIER TAKES ON THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY!

2012-02-17T05:17:00.000-08:00

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY

By Barry Reese

Pro Se Productions

230 Pages

As much as most writers enjoy creating new series characters, eventually many of them, after writing the adventures of the same cast multiple times, start to feel the burden of familiarity. Add to the fact that each new volume often builds upon the fictional cast from allies to recurring villains so that eventually the poor writer is saddled with a huge ensemble that he or she feels compelled to include in each new story. These moments of repetitive angst seemed to be evident in Reese’s last volume of his Rook series. For the uninitiated, the Rook is a masked vigilante created by Reese years ago as his entry into the new pulp community and was an instant success among fans; this reviewer included.

Still, by the sixth volume of that character’s exploits, the sheen of newness had faded and the Rook stories started becoming more about the supporting cast rather than the central hero. Like Arthur Conan Doyle’s ultimate dissatisfaction with his own creation, Sherlock Holmes, Reese somehow seemed to be struggling to keep the Rook afloat. It was clearly time for him to move on to something new and with this collection, he has done just that in a most triumphant way.

Lazarus Gray is Reese’s new hero and is an homage to the classic Avenger series, wherein we have our mysterious leading man aided and abetted by a team of loyal assitants; in this case a trio. Together they are known as Assistance Unlimited. Although Gray’s creation was part of a shared world that included two other heroes, Reese clearly found his old muse with these new characters and has produced some of his best, most energetic and enjoyable fiction to date. These stories move at a breakneck speed and are filled with memorable characters and well delivered action to match anything done in the days of the old pulps.

At the beginning of the volume, we meet an amnesiac washed ashore on the beach of Sovereign City with a strange medallion around his name on which is embossed the words Lazarus Gray. Within minutes of awakening, an assassin dressed as a police officer attempts to kill him, but Gray is more than a match for him and is the victor. Perplexed at his background, he assumes the name on the medallion and sets about creating a new life for himself as a champion of the underdog, the lost and impoverished while at the same time investigating his own unknown past.

Along the way he acquires three unique followers: Morgan Watts, a one time crook, Samantha Grace, a blonde debutante with both brains and beauty and Eun Jiwon, a Korean martial artists. All three are fiercely loyal to each other and Gray for various reasons and always eager to go into battle with him. Reese’s ability to define this trio and breathe life into them is deft and although they do represent classic iconic pulp figures, he also injects original personal touches that set them apart in a truly refreshing way.

Having been a fan of the Rook series from the start, I had come to expect a certain level of quality from Reese. That this collection totally blew those expectations out of the water was one of the best surprises this reviewer has had in a long while. “The Adventures of Lazarus Gray” is by far the best work Barry Reese has ever produced and I predict will soon build an even larger fandom than that of his Rook tales.

One point does require mentioning and that is the last story in this volume appears in print for the second time. It was first printed in “The Rook – Volume Six” and is a team up between the two heroes. I have no problem with the publisher reprinting the story, but a notice of such should have been made in the book’s indicia. Which brings about a minor goof because this story was clearly written before the others, although chronologically it appears last. In this book Gray discovers his true identity as being one Richard Winthrop, yet in “Darkness, Spreading Its Wings of Black” we are told he was Richard Davenport.

Finally let me add this book is a gorgeously designed package with a wonderful cover by graphic artist Anthony Castrillo and superb interior illustrations by George Sellas. So what are you waiting for? Go pick up “The Adventures of Lazarus Gray,” you’ll be happy you did. You can thank me later.

LATEST PAGE OF FLYING GLORY CELEBRATING A DECADE IN FLIGHT LIVE NOW!

2012-02-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

This is so shocking... Molly and Wallace discover more secrets of Flying Glory and her friends and they gain further glimpses in to the future of our heroine in the latest page of "Reverberations" our 10th Anniversary issue.
Follow the story and read all 14 issues on our website: http://www.flying-glory.com
You can also follow us on Twitter: @FlyingGlory

STEEL CITY NOIR

2012-02-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

Art: Dave Stokes

Writer, Vito Delsante's new noir pulp story, Tonight Down By The River debuts at http://welcometotripcity.com/2012/02/tonight-down-by-the-river/

In Tonight, Down By The River, a rendevouz leads to murder.

Art: Dave Stokes

She wasn’t afraid.

It wasn’t their first date and while she was as nervous as she always was when they met, she wasn’t scared.

She just didn’t want to get caught.

She arrived at their favorite meeting place early, a small bar called Hemingway’s on Forbes Avenue, and she slid into their favorite booth. She didn’t dress conservatively on purpose, choosing a low-cut blouse over the business attire she was more comfortable wearing. The blouse clung to her curves, accentuating her tiny hips and her enhanced bust. The skirt was tight and gave the semblance of a shape where one didn’t exist naturally.

About Trip City:
TRIP CITY is a Brooklyn-filtered, multimedia, literary arts salon that launched November 1st, 2011. Curated by and featuring exclusive content from Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, Bored to Death), Seth Kushner (The Brooklynites, CulturePOP), Chris Miskiewicz (Everywhere), and Jeffrey Burandt aka Jef UK (Americans UK), with a fellowship of regular contributors featuring; Joe Infurnari (MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues, Marathon), Nick Bertozzi (The Salon, Lewis & Clark), Jennifer Hayden (Underwire), Nick Abadzis (Laika), Jen Ferguson (Art in Chaos), Ron Scalzo (Bald Freak Music), Sandra Beasley (Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life , I Was The Jukebox), Dan Goldman (Shooting War, Red Light Properties), Jeff Newelt (Heeb Magazine, The Pekar Project), Jonathan Vankin (The World’s Greatest Conspiracies), Amy Finkel (Furever), Kevin Colden (Fishtown), and The Perv Whisperer (The Perv Whisperer).

Welcome to Trip City.

Trip City" © Dean Haspiel. All materials are © their respective creators.

Some material on the Trip City website may contain adult subject matter and may not be appropriate for children.

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Turning the Table

2012-02-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

Those of you who follow this column know we run a regular "Questions from the Reader" segment every few weeks. Well, the guys like the interaction so much (let's face it, sitting in an office with nothing but you and your imaginary friends can make a writer very lonely) they decided to try a new spin on it.

This week, Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock decided to turn the tables on you, the reader, and pose questions for you to answer. Please pick one (or more) question(s) and respond in the comment field at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2012/02/table-talk-turning-table.html. When responding, please let the guys know to which question you're replying so as to avoid confusing them more than life in general already has.

Question #1 (Bobby Nash): There has been a lot of discussion lately on the appeal of pulp and new pulp to modern audiences? What makes you, the reader, want to pick up a classic pulp or new pulp book? Is it characters, publisher, creators, cover art, or something else? What are you looking for in your pulp tales?

Question #2 (Mike Bullock): What do you prefer reading, existing characters in all new stories, or all new characters in new adventures? Or, a mixture of both? Please explain why.

Question #3 (Barry Reese): Are there any genres you feel are currently being neglected in New Pulp? If so, what would you like to see and in what format?

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Turning the Table is now available at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/ or at the direct link: http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2012/02/table-talk-turning-table.html

Join the conversation. Leave us a comment on the blog and let us know your thoughts on this topic. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Have a question you want the Table Talk Trio to answer? Send it to newpulpfiction@gmail.com with "Table Talk Question" in the subject line. Also, let us know if you want attribution for the question, or you'd rather remain anonymous. Please, keep the questions pertinent to the creation of New Pulp and/or writing speculative fiction in general. We'll get the questions worked into future columns.

Follow the Table Talk Trio on Twitter @BarryReesePulp @BobbyNash @MikeABullock and Facebook.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO LAURIE R. KING'S 'BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS'

2012-02-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

Laurie R. King

Bantam Books (Random House)

It seems every company, large and small, comic and print, audio and video, so on and so forth, has a Holmes product these days. Most of them deal with Sherlock directly, but many also veer off into Watson’s life, Mycroft’s adventures, and Moriarty’s machinations. And amongst those varied adventures of truly the World’s Greatest Detective, many are good, but very few stand out as works that both honor what came originally and bring a whole new life to the concept.

Laurie R. King is known for doing just that probably as well as anyone has.

‘Beekeeping for Beginners’ gives readers the first meeting between Mary Russell, King’s very own character inserted into the life of, at the opening of this story, an extremely despondent Holmes. Both new readers and long time followers of King’s Russell/Holmes series will find this story to be a true delight. Questioning his very place in the world with the War to End All Wars in swing and seemingly the time for one such as him past, Holmes comes to a decision at the opening of this tale that, had a young brash girl not happened along, would have made for an extremely short story.

What ensues after this rather spirited trip away from the melancholy is both a great adventure that revives Holmes and a fantastic character study that adds flesh to Mary Russell. The pacing is brisk and the characterization crisp and quick as well. Russell makes a formidable partner for Holmes, able to verbally spar with him, but also willing to learn and play student to the master. What comes after this opening segue in the series makes perfect sense with this glimpse into their first meeting.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT- Some people bemoan when people go back and give ‘origins’. In this case, King did nothing but add another great piece of literature to her already wonderful collection of tales.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO BPRD: BEING HUMAN!

2012-02-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

BPRD: BEING HUMAN

Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Scott Allie, et al

Dark Horse Comics

I’m a Hellboy Fan. Probably not as well read as most, but a fan nonetheless. Hellboy is a kind of visual Pulp that excites the senses for a variety of Pulp fans-Horror, mystery, fantasy, adventure, and on and on and on. Although the quality of stories has varied at times, one thing remains true. A Hellboy related Tale is never ever without weirdness and adventure. Never.

The same holds true for the stories found in ‘BPRD: Being Human.’ There’s haunted woods, zombie plantation owners, werewolves, spirit eating demons, and that’s just the bad guys. Although Hellboy makes an appearance, this collection focuses on other members of the BPRD and each story ties very strongly into the title of the collection.

This book is about the aspects of humanity that some members of the BPRD feel like they don’t have, others feel like they don’t deserve them, and still others are desperate to have some sense of humanity. In that, the book hits home. Each story, there are four, clearly illustrates just how human the strange beings that work with or alongside the BPRD actually are and how maybe the humans around them could take lessons.

The art is stunning as usual. Creepy, under your skin, making you study the shadows to see what might jump out at you. Overall, the collection is solid. The werewolf story is probably my favorite as it conveys its point amongst a ton of action in a very few pages. The Roger the Homunculus story started off strong, but didn’t really have a resolution that lived up to the beginning. The other two stories were usual fare from the Hellboy realm, which means they were pretty solid.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT- The book made its point. And did it with spooky art and fairly strong storytelling.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT....SLIGHTLY...TO 'CALLER ID'

2012-02-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

CALLER ID

Rachelle J. Christensen

Cedar Fort

Sometimes the four lines describing something that has a cool cover are enough to pull someone into reading a book. And sometimes, even for a fan of almost any even slightly Pulp hinting piece of prose like me, that handful of lines turns out to be the best part of the experience.

‘Caller ID’ is a story of a young lady who accidentally stumbles upon evidence of something going on out of the ordinary around her idyllic, wealthy home and lifestyle. Literally into a marijuana field and accidentally onto a name on a Caller ID screen that is supposed to be the first step into the harrowing adventure ahead.

Kidnapped and held prisoner, our young heroine works fervently to piece the mystery around her together and to escape. Meanwhile, her family brings in the FBI, including Agent Jason Edwards, who makes it his singular mission to rescue her and sort out all the details.

‘Caller ID’ has moments of suspense. It has several scenes that can be described as tense and action filled. There’s also an undercurrent of mystery and a countercurrent, it seems, of romance. The author handles words well and there’s quite a bit of potential within this book, but it doesn’t ever make up its mind what sort of book it is. Even if it is a suspense romance as its been billed, it doesn’t even clearly define itself that way. The book opens with a promising build up of the heroine, then focus shifts to the possible villains, then back to her, then to the Agent and at that point, the narrative completely loses focus. The resolution is telegraphed far too soon and that’s even not tied up well as there’s a last minute twist that lacks credulity.

TWO OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-‘Caller ID’ could have been high octane, tense, and still developed a romance between clearly defined characters. Instead it just sort of rambled without really going anywhere exciting.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO 'WHAT IT WAS'!

2012-02-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT- Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

WHAT IT WAS

George Pelecanos

Little, Brown and Company

There are a few tricks to building a character that can maintain and entertain the full length of a novel. Those and a few other skills come into play when developing a lead that will headline a series of books. That sort of character requires layers, history, motivation, and secrets. And best of all, handling by an author who knows when to show what cards and plays them with at just the right pace.

“What It Was” is the latest novel by George Pelecanos featuring Derek Strange, his well known former Washington DC cop turned Private Investigator. With Strange today framing nearly the whole novel as if telling a story, Pelecanos takes the reader back to DC in 1972. Strange has left the Police department and has recently started his private career. He takes on a case that on the surface involves retrieving a ring stolen during the murder of a drug addict. At the same time, Frank Vaughn, Strange’s mentor and former partner in the Department, draws the case of pursuing the murderer of the junkie, a favorite informant of Vaughn’s. All of this is stirred by Red Fury, a mad villain who essentially starts a killing spree with the addict and has no fear of being killed, no respect for anything except his own needs, and every intent to add buckets to his growing bloody legend.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book if you came to it looking for Pelecanos at the top of his game. This is a fantastic noir pulpy type crime tale, giving equal focus to the work of the men both committing crimes and those tracking them down. The action unfolds believably and almost cinematically on a canvas that is 1972. The attention paid to the music, the cars, the clothes, and the way people in that era paid the utmost attention to all the above, weaving them into their lives as much as the food they ate, the hearts they broke, and the people they killed.

Pelecanos wastes no time with cardboard cutouts. From the three leads of Strange, Fury, and Vaughn, all the way down to bit parts, he fleshes out every single character, bringing flesh and blood to them with wonderfully chosen words and excellently executed turns of phrase. Also, he stamps this story with real life. No one gets out unscathed. The heroes are tarnished, the villains aren’t vanquished at every turn, and yet people go on, live, and grow, wounds, scars and all.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT- ‘What IT Was’ is raw, real, and unforgiving. A fantastic piece of crime fiction. Down, dirty, and determined.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO THE DEBUT OF PI NICHOLAS COLT!

2012-02-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

TIPPIN' HANCOCK'S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp By Tommy Hancock

POCKET 47

By Jude Hardin

OceanView Publishing

One of the best liked, most lampooned, often replicated, sometimes screwed up, extremely action packed, twisty and turny sub-genres of Pulp is the Private Eye tale. Everything from Hard Boiled to Cozy to Armchair to Science Fiction to Western to on and on ad nauseum, the PI story has endured many a different take and new coat of paint and withstood rather well. But sometimes the best way to treat a PI is straight ahead and direct, even if it’s a tale clothed in modern trappings. There’s never anything better than a two fisted, guns blazing gonna do what he’s gotta do gumshoe. And it’s even better when characterization rides alongside the plot like Tonto following The Lone Ranger.

That is ‘Pocket 47’.

Jude Hardin introduces PI Nicholas Colt in this novel and Colt comes in with a ton of tragic baggage and a moral code akin to Chandler’s Marlowe and Parker’s Spenser. A former top selling blues guitarist in a band, Colt’s life took a horrible turn when a plane crash claimed his band and his wife and daughter, leaving him as the only survivor a different man. Years later, Colt lives in an Airstream trailer in Florida, fishes when he wants to, doesn’t play the guitar, and works as a private eye with a reputation for working runaway cases.

A client enters into Colt’s life as the novel opens, a young nurse desperate to find her fifteen year old sister who she had rescued from foster care and who has now ran away. What starts as a typical case of tracking the girl to her favorite haunts and hiding spots takes a turn when Colt finds her and she claims someone is trying to kill her. What ensues is murder, kidnapping, fist fights, good and bad cops, a religious white supremacist leading an army of zealots, and most of all secrets. Secrets surrounding the runaway. Secrets that engulf almost everyone Colt meets along the way. And most of all, secrets that may very well tie into the most horrible event in Nicholas’ Colt’s life.

In ‘Pocket 47’, Hardin makes everything count and matter. Including the cryptic title. Colt is a solid entry into the hard boiled PI school, even though he may wear shorts and spend long days fishing. He has a serious set of rules, so serious he often quotes them and lives by them, a tried and true proof that he’s cast in a classic light. But he’s also not Superman. The plane crash in his past, Colt encounters enough problems in his present life to send most men spiraling into a bottle never to float to the top again. But he barrels on, putting clues together in a solid whydunit, and taking on the police, pimps, wealthy doctors, and a Nazi like religious group to boot.

The only problem I had with ‘Pocket 47’ and it’s one that is minor overall, is that it really could have been two books. There’s a point in the tale where for the most part all seems resolved and it could easily be the end of the tale and yet it’s not. By the end of the book, it’s obvious how it all ties together, but it did get slightly disjointed before it roared on to its more than satisfying ending.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT- ‘Pocket 47’ is a welcome addition to my PI shelf and Nicholas Colt is definitely a character that needs to play his way into another novel….or five.

Philip Marlowe, The Green Lama, The Spider, Jack Benny, Doug Klauba and More! From Radio Archives

2012-02-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2012

NEW Radio Set: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 4

“Get this and get it straight: crime is a sucker’s road, and those who travel it end up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave...”

Those words opened each episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr in the title role. Although Marlowe had pounded the airwaves prior to this show’s debut in 1948, no one had yet to bring the right power, the right strength, and the right mood to the character. Not until Gerald Mohr lent his voice to author Raymond Chandler’s best known creation, a voice that Chandler, not too happy with other interpretations of his now classic Private Eye, admitted “packed personality.”

Marlowe, clearly cast in the hard-boiled mold of gumshoes and flatfoots originally created in the Pulps by Dashiell Hammett, brought a whole new dimension to the archetype. Tough as nails and hard to kill, Philip Marlowe was also in many ways a modern day knight. This identification of Marlowe as an updated errant hero wandering a dark world saving the lost and fighting off dragons not only continued throughout Chandler’s works, but remains today to be the primary way the character is described by reviewers, fans, and critics.

Even in the face of goons with guns, molls with malice and murder, and a city convoluted with corruption, Marlowe had standards he would follow. This added a great amount of depth to the character and would require an actor with the skills to convey that depth, to show the complexities of a man like Marlowe fighting the evils he’d find on Los Angeles’ mean streets with just his voice. In 1948, Gerald Mohr became that man.

Truly one of the most distinctive voices of old time radio, Mohr’s resonant baritone lent itself well to parts that evoked mood and energy. This nuance is clearly evident in “The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.” Mohr plays Marlowe with all the edge and grit detective fans expect to hear from their heroes. But Mohr also brings a palpable sense of danger smoking just under the surface. Every time Marlowe opens his mouth, Mohr’s delivery is such that listeners have no idea if Marlowe is going to talk or shoot his way out of whatever corner he’s willingly walking into.

This already fantastic collection of Classic Detective shows also comes with incredible new artwork! Pulp Artists extraordinaire Doug Klauba brings Marlowe to visual life with a thrilling scene showing Chandler’s modern day knight in gun blazing action! A print of this great piece can be yours in one of the newest additions to the Pulp Book Store, The Art of Doug Klauba! Get this artwork as a poster in the new store featuring the varied and awesome work of Douglas C Klauba!

Enjoy the energy and danger that Gerald Mohr brings to “The Adventures of Philip Marlowe” in this fourth volume from Radio Archives! Five Hours on Audio CD for only $14.98.

NEW Radio Set: Claudia, Volume 8

In 1947, a new soap opera debuted in syndication - a drama that was far different than the storm-and-strife ridden weepers that occupied most of the daytime radio schedule. "Claudia" told the tale of Claudia and David Naughton, newlyweds, just beginning their married life. Young, enthusiastic, and very much in love, they weren't suffering from any medical maladies, suspicions of infidelity, or dealing with ungrateful children. Instead, they were simply facing the many challenges of any new marriage - finding an apartment, getting used to each other's quirks, and learning to live together as husband and wife. 

Heard today, "Claudia" remains wonderful entertainment, notable for both its light-hearted tone and the believable interplay between its characters. Claudia, a bit younger than her years, is often impulsive, sometimes irresponsible, usually perky, and just a bit flighty. Her father had died when she was still a young girl and, as an only child, had been raised by her widowed mother. As a newlywed who married when she was just eighteen, she occasionally ponders whether she is still a "mama-baby," tied to her mother's apron strings and relying too much on Mama's continuing support and advice. As she matures, she becomes a unique mixture of enthusiasm, incompetence and over-confidence -- deeply in love with her somewhat older husband David, but frequently naive and too likely to trust in her insecurities rather than her instincts.

One of the sad things about radio show preservation is the fact that so many long-running series exist today only in fragments - a broadcast here and a broadcast there, rather than long continuous runs of a particular program. This is particularly the case when it comes to soap operas, where it is difficult to get into a storyline when often so few consecutive episodes exist. Happily, that is not the case with "Claudia"; Radio Archives has been able to locate and preserve the entire eighteen-month run of the series - 390 episodes in all - with no missing shows, allowing you to enjoy the complete series on a day-by-day basis. This eighth collection continues the joys and trials of Claudia and David as they adapt to married life together dealing with many of the same ups and downs their listeners both then and now encounter. And "Claudia Volume 8" can be yours from Radio Archives for $17.98 on Audio CDs!

Radio Reviews - WJSV-A DAY IN RADIO HISTORY

by Tommy Hancock

Every time I pick something from Radio Archive’s extensive catalog of old time radio offerings to review, I feel like I’m choosing a little piece of history, an artifact from a past that simultaneously seems simpler and more glamorous than our present. This time around, though, I selected a whole day’s worth of history, a slice of life from the day when everyone waited to hear the latest adventures of Amos n’ Andy, sat on the edge of their seats to learn what had become of Pretty Kitty Kelly or the latest on the Affairs of Helen Trent, or to hum along to the music of Louis Prima and his Orchestra. And I do mean from the day. September 21, 1939 to be exact.

WJSV- A Day in Radio History is just what the title says. This true piece of radio history resulted from discussions between staff at WJSV and the National Archives about the importance of preservation of radio programming being presented live at the time. In pursuit of saving at least a hint of what a radio broadcast day was like in that era, recordings were made of a broadcast day at Washington station WJSV and then later put in the annals of the Archives.

It is almost impossible to put into words the experience that is this collection. This 20 CD set literally contains the entire day of September 21, 1939 as broadcast over WJSV. From sign on at 5:58 AM to sign off at 1 AM, every minute of WJSV’s broadcast day is presented at the highest quality in the order that listeners originally heard it 73 years ago.

The breadth of programming is one of the stunning aspects of this. Much like local television stations today, WJSV’s schedule was extremely varied, from serials to news programs to human interest shows to popular comedies and dramas and so on. Similarities in programming also are interesting. We have talent shows ad nauseum today, but listeners of the past were not without them as well. Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour presented acts interested in making the big time, much like contestants on “American Idol” and other shows of its kind. Soap operas, waning in today’s hurry up and wait television market, were the cream of the crop in 1939, with several examples offered in this collection.

History is contained in this set, too. A transcript of a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt, news from all over the world delivered throughout the day, and a sampling of the music of the era, live remotes of big bands from all over the United States. Not to mention rare radio shows that pepper the roster of programs presented by WJSV in the course of its day.

WJSV- A Day in Radio History is a 19-hour set. This may seem daunting to some listeners, but know that it is set up in a way that you can skip to the tracks you’re interested in hearing. This collection is a true gem for people interested in the 1930s, in history, or for creators who need a taste of that period for their work. It’s also an undeniable fantastic tool for researchers interested in not only what a radio station of the era might have played, but also a peek into the technical aspect of how broadcasting was done. All in all, this marvelous collection is well worth having.

The price has been reduced to $39.98 from the previous price of $56.98 and featuring new stunning artwork, WJSV-A Day in History is now presented in a new 20 CD storage case and will make a perfect addition to any collection. Restored to the best audio quality possible, this set is both a significant slice of history and a package that has something for every type of Old Time Radio fan, be they casual or avid.

NEW Audiobook: The Green Lama

A more unlikely multi-media success than the jade-robed Buddhist monk who fought crime under the nom de guerre ofThe Green Lama would be hard to imagine.

Conceived in 1939 at the behest of the editors of Munsey Publications to compete with the juggernaut that The Shadow had become in print, on radio and in film, The Green Lama was the creation of writer Kendall Foster Crossen, who was asked to think up a hero who could lure mystery-minded readers away from The Shadow’s loyal legion of followers. Inspired by a Columbia University student named Theos Casimir Barnard, who had journeyed to far-off Tibet to plumb the occult mysteries of Lamaism, Crossen concocted millionaire Jethro Dumont, who did the same.

It was an outlandish concept. While The Shadow possessed the power to cloud men’s minds after his time in the East, The Green Lama relied on other, even weirder, powers—including the ability to become radioactive and electrically shock opponents into submission! He carried a traditional scarf, which he employed to bind and befuddle opponents and possessed a knowledge of vulnerable nerve centers which he put to good use in hand-and-hand combat. Being a practicing Buddhist, it would not do to pack a pair of .45 automatics a la The Shadow!

Writing as Richard Foster, Crossen produced The Case of the Crimson Hand, which was published in the April, 1940 Double Detective under the equally colorful title, The Green Lama. That first installment raised the magazine’s circulation several notches. Amazingly, the Lama was a hit. Thirteen additional stories followed over the next four years, with provocative titles like The Case of the Hollywood Ghost and Babies for Sale. Assistants ranging from ordinary Manhattanites to a professional magician came and went with every adventure, which often involved emerging super-criminals and Fifth Column menaces.

RadioArchives.com has selected The Green Lama to be the first 2012 release in its acclaimed Will Murray Pulp Classics line of audiobooks. His first case and its sequel, Croesus of Murder, are presented in one set, voiced by the talented Michael McConnohie. Thus, the hero of a dozen different incarnations has found a new world to conquer! You’ll never encounter another hero anything like him. Om Mani Padme Hum! The Green Lama knows! Will Murray’s Audio Pulp Classics #5 The Green Lama is available now!

The Green Lama, by Kendell Foster Crossen, first appeared in the April 1940 issue of Double-Detective magazine. Copyright © 1940 by The Red Star News Company. Copyright renewed © 1968 and assigned to Argosy Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “The Green Lama” is a trademark controlled by Argosy Communications, Inc. Produced by arrangement with Argosy Communications, Inc.

Audiobook Reviews - The Spider - Prince of Red Looters

One of the most interesting experiences a fan of any character from the printed medium can have is that first time he or she sees or hears someone portraying their favorite character. We all have in our heads how our treasured heroes will look if we ever see them on the screen, who should play them, and also how they’ll sound. The more we read a particular canon of stories, the more those voices start coming to life in our heads, right down to the way the villain will snarl his words or the leading lady will coo in the ear of our masked avenger. I am no different. As a matter of fact, I’m probably the hardest judge on movies and audio performances of characters I absolutely loved to read about. I go into new projects that add voices to stories I have thrilled to in the past with at the least trepidation, if not downright cynicism.

Boy, I love it when someone puts together a package that proves me wrong.

The Spider: Prince of the Red Looters, a Will Murray’s Pulp Classic Audiobook produced by Roger Rittner Productions takes one of the most intriguing, over the top protagonists from classic Pulp fiction and brings him and the carnage and chaos around him to full bloody, violent, justice seeking life.

Pulp Fans are of course familiar with the Spider, Norvell Page’s Master of Men. Secretly millionaire criminologist Richard Wentworth, The Spider was perhaps the most violent pursuer of Right the Pulps ever had. He performed his duty of seeking justice and punishing the guilty with the veracity of a rabid dog. And his enemies matched him step for step, often littering the streets of New York with body after body in story after story. Capturing the frenetic pacing of these stories and especially the wildly mad, nearly insane personality of The Spider, teetering often it seemed at the very edge of his own abyss, would be no easy chore for any Production company or crew of actors. I’m glad to say that Producer/Director Roger Rittner and company took on Prince of Red Looters and the result is simply amazing.

Featuring the first appearance of The Spider’s nemesis The Fly, this enhanced audiobook explodes into stunning dialogue, fantastic sound effects, and a rousing musical score almost instantly. The voice talents of Nick Santa Maria as narrator and all the male parts and Robin Riker as Nita Van Sloan nailed the characters in both tone and delivery. Regardless if Santa Maria is firing off silky missives as The Fly, delivering staccato threats of death to the evil as The Spider, or playing one of many mooks, thugs, and passers by, his turns of voice give this the semblance of a full cast production. Add the sultry dulcet voice of Robin Riker as Nita, a great compliment to Santa Maria’s take on the Spider, and you have the best voices to bring Page’s fevered adventures to audio.

As far as other aspects of this audiobook, Roger Rittner does a wonderful job, top notch throughout the book, of maintaining the pacing of the original Pulp tale. And the ways he does this are myriad, including the use of great music, the inclusion of sound effects, and the speed and clip and which the narration and dialogue are delivered. All of this blends together into a sort of perfect storm for an audiobook and makes The Spider: Prince of the Red Looters a definite shining light in the already awesome line of Will Murray’s Pulp Classics! And you too can swing along with The Spider today by buying The Spider: Prince of the Red Looters for only $19.98 on Audio CDs.

NEW eBooks: The Spider #27 and #33

Bringing the best of Classic Pulp to Fans today, Radio Archives presents Will Murray’s Pulp Classic’s line of top notch Pulp Fiction eBooks! And you will now be able to find eBooks on RadioArchives.com as one of the buttons on the left! Looking for the best in eBooks! Click the button and you’ll go right to Will Murray’s Pulp Classics!

New to Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, two new eBooks featuring the epic exploits of America’s best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men!

Richard Wentworth — the dread Spider, nemesis of the Underworld, lone wolf anti-crime crusader who always fights in that grim no-man’s land between Law and lawless — returns in vintage pulp tales of the Spider, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.

These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and feature the original full color cover. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics line of eBooks are of the highest quality and feature the great Pulp Fiction stories of the 1930s-1950s.

The Spider #27 Emperor of the Yellow Death

Three times that night death struck at Richard Wentworth before he learned his foeman’s name — the yellow-skinned Wang Ba! Wentworth — who, as the relentless Spider, is the scourge of the Underworld — wagers his skill and bravery against the sly treachery of the Orient, with the lives of a hundred thousand Americans depending on the evil coquetry of a dangerously beautiful woman!

The Spider #33 Legions of Madness

Never had Richard Wentworth — he who is the scourge of the Underworld in his guise of the Spider — faced such tremendous odds or been so alone in the strife! And the Master of Madness, chief of a powerful, fiendish syndicate, was spreading his germs of mania unchecked. Who could rescue America from screaming, murderous frenzy when the Spider, harried by Law and lawless, himself half-doubted his own skill and bravery?

As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written “Meet the Spider” especially for this series of eBooks.

All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you purchase this eBook from RadioArchives.com you receive all three formats in one ZIP file: PDF for PC or Mac computer; Mobi for Kindle; and ePub for iPad/IPhone, Android, Sony eReader, and Nook. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook novels to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.

Fight alongside the Master of Men as the Spider takes on Evil in these two latest Ebooks from Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, only $2.99 each! And remember, click the eBooks button on the left of the homepage for the best digital offerings anywhere from Radio Archives!

Special eBook Announcement! As of today, all Radio Archives eBooks are available at the Kindle Store.

NEW to The Pulp Book Store!

The Art of Douglas C Klauba

The Pulp Book Store now features the work of an artist considered to be one of the modern masters of Pulp and Classic Action Adventure Art. Doug Klauba, known for his work on covers for companies such as Moonstone, Radio Archives, and more, has brought fan favorite characters, such as Johnny Dollar, Philip Marlowe, and others to life with his fantastic paintings! And now you can own prints of some of Doug’s best work and even purchase original art from this modern Pulp Artist!

The Art of Doug Klauba will first feature posters of paintings of three of Classic Radio’s best known, greatest detective heroes! 12 X 18” posters of Johnny Dollar from “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar,” Dan Holiday from “Box Thirteen”, and Philip Marlowe from “The Adventures of Philip Marlowe” are available for $19.98 each! Done in a style reminiscent of classic Pulp Magazine covers and painted movie posters, these prints will make a perfect addition to any Radio, Pulp, or Detective Fan’s wall and collection! Thrill to the visual excitement that is The Art of Doug Klauba! Now available in the Pulp Book Store!

The International Jack Benny Fan Club

Dedicated to keeping the memory and work of one of History’s greatest comedic talents alive, The International Jack Benny Fan Club (IJBFC) joins the Pulp Book Store! The IJBFC offers 39 Forever Volume 3, a book written by Laura Leff and Martin Gostonian! Just released, this third volume covers Jack Benny’s television career from his debut in 1950 until his self-titled series ended in 1965! Each show is written up with full indexes of cast members, cities, musical artists, skits, and songs included.

This 826 page volume is a wonderful resource for Benny fans, but also anyone interested in the Golden Age of Television. It outlines how the show went from being Benny’s transition from radio to the top of the ratings and shows why Benny’s legacy has endured! The IJBFC brings a definite classic performer and this definitive work on his awesome career to the right place by becoming a part of The Pulp Book Store!

Three New Replicas From Girasol!

Well known for the quality Pulp Replicas, authentic reproductions of original Pulp Magazines, Girasol Collectables adds three new Replicas to the Pulp Book Store!

Thrill to the gun blazing justice seeking adventures of the Master of men in The Spider #77 featuring ‘Hell’s Sale Manager!’ Originally printed in February 1940, this replica is now available for $35.00!

Also, discover exotic locales, femme fatales, and more in the Replica of Spicy Adventures #11, originally published in August 1935, for $25.00!

Finally encounter strange events, terrifying creatures, and the unknown in Weird Tales #18. First printed in March 1925, this wonderful Replica is only $35.00!

Girasol Collectables produces the finest in Pulp Reproductions! And you can find their Replicas as well as other products in the Pulp Book Store!

The Shadow, Volume 57

The Knight of Darkness battles evil supercriminals in two action-packed pulp novels by Walter Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, in a never-reprinted 1932 epic, The Shadow seeks to unmask The Five Chameleons, master villains whose uncanny ability to blend with their surroundings rivals his own. Then, the Dark Avenger feels the savage sting of The Wasp in his first confrontation with one of his deadliest foes. This double-novel reprints the classic cover paintings by George Rozen and Graves Gladney and the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Earl Mayan, with historical articles by Will Murray. Get it now for $14.95!

Doc Savage, Volume 55

The pulp era’s greatest superman returns in two classic pulp thrillers by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc and Patricia Savage enter an Arctic abyss where dinosaurs and prehistoric humans survive, and race against Japanese agents to uncover the secret of The Time Terror that could change the outcome of the war. Then, a series of crimes committed by “graduates” of the Man of Bronze’s Crime College threaten to destroy Doc’s reputation. What is the sinister secret of The Talking Devil? This special collectors edition showcases both color pulp covers by Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eight Doc Savage novels. Yours for only $14.95!

The Whisperer, Volume 5

The double life of Police Commissioner James Gordon is explored in a pair of two-fisted thrillers that inspired classic Batman stories! First, The Whisperer goes undercover to close down a “School for Murder” that prepares teenagers for criminal careers! Then, Wildcat Gordon investigates corruption in the trucking industry in “Murder on the Line.” BONUS: an adventure of Norgil the Magician by The Shadow’s Maxwell Grant! This historic collector’s item showcases both original color pulp covers by Spider artist John Newton Howitt, classic interior illustrations by Paul Orban and golden-age great Creig Flessel, and historical commentary by Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. Now at Radio Archives for $14.95!

The Spider, Volume 22 - 1935 & 1940 Variant Cover Editions

Pulp fiction's legendary Master of Men returns in two classic novels from the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction, written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in "Overlord of the Damned" (October 1935), the Boss unleashes horrible death with his demonic acid guns... with a vat of the same deadly corrosive reserved for those who talk too much! With his beloved Nita van Sloan a hostage to a terrible doom, the Spider faces the soul-tearing prospect of planting the Spider seal on his friend Stanley Kirkpatrick, Commissioner of Police! Then, in "Dictator's Death Merchants!" (July 1940), The jaws of death gape open when El Crocodilo feasts! With uncanny skill, he forestalls even the Spider's best attempts to trap him. Striking without mercy, this menace from the past rises anew by demolishing a banking institution each night, in a mad scheme to take control of nothing less than all of America's finances! This volume is available in two editions and features the original artwork from the October 1935 or the July 1940 edition of "The Spider" magazine. Both versions feature reformatted text and original interior illustrations to accompany each story. Available now for $14.95!

The Best Deals In The Pulp Book Store - The Treasure Chest!

Looking for more than Love this February? How about the best deals in the Pulp Book Store! Check out the specials being offered by these companies!

Knightraven Studios

The greatest Minds of the 19th Century go to battle with the most evil forces known to man! Buy Modern Marvels: Viktoriana by Wayne Reinagel and get 5% off the regular price for the entire month of February!

Pulpwork Press

The Lord of the Vampires Returns and you can get him for 20% off original price. Dracula Lives by Joshua Reynolds is a page turning chill ride and can be yours at a steal!

Pro Se Productions

Puttin’ The Monthly Back into Pulp, Pro Se Productions offers the finest in modern Pulp Magazines! For the month of February, pick up any or all of the first three issues of Pro Se Presents at an amazing 25% off each copy!

Just click on the Treasure Chest on the Pulp Book Store Page for these great offers! From everyone from the avid Pulp Fan to the casual reader, the Treasure Chest offers great deals on wonderful products from The Pulp Book Store!

Review of "Shadow Over Alcatraz" from The Shadow, Volume 16

By John Olsen

Shadow Over Alcatraz was published in the December 1, 1938 issue of The Shadow Magazine. Yes, Alcatraz - The Rock! This is the repository of America’s most dangerous criminals, a concentrated population of the world’s most sinister masterminds. Where better to find lieutenants for the most devious mastermind of all time! Alcatraz, where America’s most hidden mastercriminal will recruit his evil henchmen for a plot to create a world-wide crime spree.

It all starts in Denver, Colorado, where eccentric old inventor Harvey Lanyon is demonstrating his latest invention. He calls himself “The Rainmaker” because he’s created a machine that will end droughts. Or so he thinks. But the invention is a failure; all it does is create a fog. And what good is fog? None, except to that hidden mastermind known as Zanigew. Zanigew has sinister plans for the fog machine. So he sets out to capture Harvey Lanyon and appropriate Lanyon’s invention.

So exactly who is Zanigew and what is he up to? Can even The Shadow stop this cunning genius of crime? Zanigew plans crime such as has never before been known; an empire of evil that will stretch throughout the world! It will take the power of The Shadow to stop him. And it will make an adventure that ranks among the very best among the 325 Shadow magazine stories published. It’s one you won’t want to miss.

Assisting The Shadow in this story are Harry Vincent and F.B.I. agent Vic Marquette. Also appearing in smaller roles are Burbank and pilot Miles Crofton. The Shadow appears only as himself, Kent Allard. There’s no sign of his famous disguises here.

The Shadow does appear in disguise, once, as an unnamed adventurous Easterner who bears little resemblance to Kent Allard. We are told that when he removes the putty-like makeup on his face, the gaunt countenance of Kent Allard emerges. No mention of the “horror face” beneath the makeup that was mentioned in early Shadow novels. Perhaps there was a little judicious plastic surgery performed in the intervening years?

It’s good to see The Shadow’s autogiro make an appearance in this story. It plays a pivotal part in the climax to the story. This is the “new, improved” autogiro that is completely wingless, capable of making a speed of one hundred and twenty miles an hour. Generally, autogiros were considered to have wings, so this must have been closer to the modern helicopter than an autogiro.

And one final note. Did you know that The Shadow can squeeze through steel bars only seven inches apart? It’s not easy, but he accomplishes it in this story. Maybe he can dislocate some joints, somewhat like escape-artist Harry Houdidi was reputed to do. Get out a ruler and look at seven inches. That’s not much space. I’m surprised he could get his head through! Unless... (no, let’s not go there.)

This is one of the classic Shadow stories. It’s one of the top rated stories.   And it along with another Shadow tale is in The Shadow Volume 16 for $12.95 from Radio Archives!

Comments From Our Customers!

Lon Levy:
Thank you! Please continue until the entire run of THE SPIDER has been released as eBooks. (I don't have room for any more of the paper editions!)

Allan Smith from England:

Well Tom, I for one am with you all the way, as your products are A1 CLASS items as far as I am concerned. Items, as usual, are a delight. i look forward to sitting, reading and listening for a couple of weeks ahead with great pleasure. thank you once again from windy, wet and cold England.

If you'd like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We'd love to hear from you!

The products you've read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you'll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it's the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you'll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.

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DEATHWALKER DEBUTS FROM AIRSHIP 27!

2012-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE

TOUCHED BY DEATH

Airship 27 Productions announces the release a brand new fantasy novel by noted comic book writer, R.A. Jones; “Deathwalker.” Jones is best remembered for his early work for Malibu Comics where he created the adult action series, “Scimitar” along with artist Rob Davis. Now he turns his imagination to a different kind of hero, this one inspired by a certain Robert E. Howard barbarian.

While on his vision quest, the young Cheyenne brave High Bird encounters the spirit of Death. The powerful wraith recruits the boy as his new agent in the world and High Bird returns to his tribe altered forever as Deathwalker. When the Cheyenne become the target of a vengeful Pawnee Shaman, Stands Alone, only Deathwalker can stand between this evil sorcerer and the total destruction of his people.

Writer R.A. Jones has woven a new and exciting fantasy set against the background of authentic Native American lore and culture. He dares to imagine what this wild untamed land would have become had there been no conquests by outside civilizations beyond the great waters. Here is an old world re-envisioned in a bold new action packed adventure worthy of pulp writers such as Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Featuring stunning cover art by Laura Givens with interior illustrations by Michael Neno.

Airship27 is proud to present R.A. Jones’ DEATHWALKER, another original and quality title in the New Pulp movement.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction For A New Generation!

+++

Available at three sites on-line.

Airship 27 Hangar

(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/airship27hangar.html)

From Amazon –

(http://www.amazon.com/Deathwalker-R-Jones/dp/0615597521/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328910046&sr=1-10)

And Soon From –

(http://indyplanet.com/store/)

PULP OBSCURA ADDS TWO CLASSIC CHARACTERS FROM PULP'S GREATEST CREATOR!

2012-02-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

Pro Se Productions, an up and coming Publisher in the New Pulp field and known for original characters, announces today an exciting addition to its first foray into classic Pulp characters, the PULP OBSCURA line.

As previously announced, Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press, the premier producer of Pulp Reprints as well as the Publisher of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage written by Will Murray, will be producing collections of New Pulp tales based on characters that Altus is reprinting. These characters will not necessarily be the better-known Pulp characters, but rather largely unknown and forgotten heroes and villains from Pulp’s Golden Era. Although many of these characters, such as Richard Knight, the aviator hero featured in the first PULP OBSCURA volume from Pro Se, are currently in the Public Domain, Pro Se reveals today that not only will there be volumes of PULP OBSCURA involving characters requiring permission and licensing to use, but the two characters currently in question were created by possibly the best known and respected Classic Pulp Author ever.

“Pro Se is absolutely proud,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor-in-Chief of Pro Se Productions stated, “to be able to say that with the sanction of the representative of the heirs of Norma Dent, PULP OBSCURA will include collections featuring brand new tales written by modern writers of two heroes created and originally written by Lester Dent.”

Later in 2012, Altus Press has plans to reprint the original stories written by Lester Dent of two of his characters, both falling into the ‘gadget detective’ category, a particular niche that Dent often wrote in and one that definitely carried over into his Doc Savage stories. These two characters, Foster Fade, the Crime Spectacularist and Lynn Lash will appear in Altus reprint editions and will also appear in anthologies of New Pulp tales featuring the characters as companion volumes to the Altus reprints.

“I can’t really express,” Hancock said, “how absolutely cool it is to be able to be a part of bringing two classic Dent characters back to life in a sense. Although some Pulp Fans, particularly Dent devotees, are aware of Fade and Lash, they are largely unknown characters to many readers today. To be able to not only have their original adventures in print again with Altus Press, but to also be producing and creating brand new stories to continue where Mr. Dent left off and to bring awareness to not just these characters, but to the wonderful variety of characters that still live from the Pulp Age as well as the lesser known work of Dent himself, its simply astounding for me to even be associated with it.”

Although definite dates for publishing have not been established, Hancock stated that recruiting the writers for the first two anthologies, one featuring each character, would begin immediately and would follow the same standard applied to previous PULP OBSCURA titles. Anyone interested in having the opportunity to propose a tale for either THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FOSTER FADE, THE CRIME SPECTACULARIST VOLUME ONE or THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LYNN LASH VOLUME ONE simply needs to email Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net. Those interested will then, according to Hancock, be given an opportunity to make proposals in the coming days.

“Thanks,” Hancock stated, “to Matt Moring from Altus Press for coming to Pro Se and wanting to bring new life to all these classic characters that have sat dormant far too long. And much appreciation to Will Murray and the Dent heirs for allowing Pro Se and the writers we’ll gather to be a part of something the man many of us consider the best Pulp creator ever started.”

PRO SE PRESENTS-THE PODCAST!

2012-02-09T12:29:00.001-08:00

Press Release

Pro Se Productions, a noted New Pulp Publisher, debuts its very own podcast featuring the creators behind the magic and mayhem that is Pro Se. This initial episode, hosted by Pro Se Partner and Editor-in-Chief Tommy Hancock, features four of the six writers involved in the debut volume of Pro Se’s latest line of New Pulp Novels, Pulp Obscura! Ian Watson, Adam Lance Garcia, Barry Reese, and Frank Schildiner join Hancock in discussing their tales and take in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT, a volume of new stories featuring an obscure Pulp character. This volume, as with other Pulp Obscura titles, act as companions to volumes of reprints of the featured character printed by Altus Press! Enjoy the information, the discussion, the hilarity, and more that makes this project and Pro Se Productions! And tune in EVERY THURSDAY for a new episode of PRO SE PRESENTS!

REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST-THE NOVEL DEBUTS!

2012-02-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

February 8, 2012 (Fullerton, CA) -

REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST, the second novel by author Kevin Paul Shaw Broden, charted as high as #70 in the Hardboiled Detective Fiction list for Amazon UK on the day it was released. It remained in the top 100 for several hours.

In the novel, a vigilante stalks the streets of the 1930's Manhattan, and Margaret Randolph is terrified that he will break into her home. Even though her husband Donald tries to reassure her that it won't happen, the mystery man known as the Masked Ghost steps in from a stormy night and dies at her feet. What is the secret of the Masked Ghost? Why did he come to the penthouse home of the Randolphs? Do they go to the police, or must they solve his murder on their own? Must this young couple be forced to bring about the… REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST? Written in the style of the pulp novels of the 1930s, REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST is the tale of a man obsessed and what that obsession does to his family. Originally released in serialized blog form, this compiled edition includes new interior black and white illustrations along with a never before published SCARLET SPIRIT backup tale.

Kevin's first novel CLOCKWORK GENIE - a blend of fantasy, romance, and murder mystery - is still available.

REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST can be found at the following:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/zg3PcN

Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/xhWpgy

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/xDv5pX

REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST is soon to be available at most other online distributors.

New Pulp’s Table Talk Is Back! And They Brought Character Storms With Them.

2012-02-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Table Talk. Sorry we're late, we got here as soon as we could. This week, Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock discuss doubts, storms, characters, and lost inspiration.

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Character Storms is now available at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/ or at the direct link: http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2012/02/table-talk-character-storms.html

Join the conversation. Leave us a comment on the blog and let us know your thoughts on this topic. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Have a question you want the Table Talk Trio to answer? Send it to newpulpfiction@gmail.com with "Table Talk Question" in the subject line. Also, let us know if you want attribution for the question, or you'd rather remain anonymous. Please, keep the questions pertinent to the creation of New Pulp and/or writing speculative fiction in general. We'll get the questions worked into future columns.

Follow the Table Talk Trio on Twitter. @BarryReesePulp @BobbyNash @MikeABullock

FORTIER TAKES ON AGENT PENDERGAST IN COLD VENGEANCE!

2012-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

COLD VENGEANCE

By Preston & Child

Grand Central Publishing

448 pages

One of my favorite new pulp series on the market today is the Special Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I’ve stated many times in past reviews, if Clive Cussler’s hero Dirk Pitt is truly a modern take on Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, then Pendergast is as close to a real life Shadow as we are ever going to get. What makes Aloysius Pendergast so unique is his expertise in both modern sciences and arcane mystical practices. First introduced in the book “Relic” the gaunt looking agent with the silver tinted eyes became an instant hit with action-thriller fans and rightly so.

Over the years and in his multiple, totally mesmerizing adventures, the authors have parceled out stingy pieces of the character’s past life; most of which have dealt with his youthful days growing up in New Orleans. Now the pair has launched a truly masterful trilogy which delves into the one of Agent Pendergast’s most intimate and heart-wrenching experiences, the tragic death of his lovely wife Helen. With their opening volume, “Fever Dream,” we learned that her tragic death, while on their honeymoon safari in Africa, was in fact a coldly executed murder. By the end of that book Pendergast and several allies, including New York Detective D’Agosta, had run afoul of a deadly group of pharmaceutical doctors hiding on a foreboding island in the middle of the Louisiana bayous. In a climatic finale, Pendergast learned the man responsible for his wife’s death was in fact her own brother, Dr. Judson Esterhazy.

As “Cold Vengeance” begins, Esterhazy, aware Pendergast suspects him, attempts to assassinate him while on a hunting trip in the forsaken moors of the Scottish highlands.

But killing Pendergast is never easy and in the end the villain must flee, but not before revealing to the F.B.I. agent that the entire death of his wife was a ruse and that she is still very much alive.

Thus begins the cat and mouse chase that propels us through this second chapter. Not only is Pendergast after Esterhazy, but he also launches an obsessive quest to find Helen. As both paths continue to frustrate him, what he is unaware of is Esterhazy’s own desperation has brought him to an immutable conclusion; the only way to stop Pendergast is to cease running and lure him into a trap. The frantic Esterhazy seeks the assistance of a shadow organization that has in fact been the manipulators of the past events and possesses a diabolic secret whose routes lie in the ruins of Nazis Germany.

Reading these books are addictive, so be forewarned should you pick one up. You’ll soon be like this reviewer, hooked for the duration. “Cold Vengeance” is a riveting masterpiece of suspense skillfully balanced with pulse-pounding action galore. The only negative point is how fast one arrives at the cliff-hanger ending, which is pure torture. The third and final chapter of this saga is entitled “Two Graves” and for this reviewer it just can’t get here fast enough.

It's My Birthday...

2012-02-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

..but you guys are the ones who get the present. For one day only, February 8th, you can get an original Dillon adventure for free. That's right, I said free and I meant free. The background behind DILLON AND THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS can be found here and it'll explain why you're getting a Christmas story in February.

Or you could just skip all that yakkity yak and bounce on over to Smashwords and just download the story for your Kindle, your Nook, your computer, your whatever. You can find it here

I did mention it was free, right?

Halloween Returns!

2012-02-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

New Pulp Author Martin Powell sent us the following announcement.
---

Okay. I'm spilling the news. Wild Cat Books has given me their official nod to announce that my THE HALLOWEEN LEGION will return in a brand new prose novel set for release before October 31, 2012.

A fresh new idea galloped into my brain yesterday while I was taking Trudaloo the beagle for her walk and by the time we got back home I'd thought the whole thing through. I can't wait to start writing ...the new book.

So, along with the graphic novel, already in progress, to be published by Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics, my little group of Trick 'R Treatin' weirdos will be returning in THE HALLOWEEN LEGION Book Two, "The Night of the Living Fossil", from Wild Cat Books. I'm very thrilled that the cover and interior chapter headings will be illustrated by the multi-talented Ver Curtiss.

And don't forget, my critically-acclaimed THE HALLOWEEN LEGION Book One has been nominated for three Pulp Ark Awards, including Best Novel, Best Author, and a much-deserved Best Cover nomination for the amazing Danny Kelly.

Available in print and Kindle editions. Order yours before the next full moon!

http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Legion-1-Martin-Powell/dp/0983953201/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/THE-HALLOWEEN-LEGION-ebook/dp/B005U8345K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1318238625&sr=1-1
---

The Halloween Legion ™ Martin Powell. Logo by Ver Curtiss.

ROUND TWO-Andrew Salmon Guest Reviews FELONY FISTS!

2012-02-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

AN UPPERCUT ABOVE THE REST

A Review of Paul Bishop’s FELONY FISTS

by Andrew Salmon

Back in the day, sports pulps, including boxing pulps, were as common as Westerns or Romance magazines on newsstands everywhere. People thrilled to action-packed, fist-flying tales of fictional sports heroes in action. And anyone who knows their pulp history might tell you that those days are over.

Well, they haven’t read Paul Bishop’s Felony Fists!

Move over James Ellroy, there’s a new kid roaming the dark alleys of 1950s Los Angeles. Part of the Fight Card line from Fight Card Productions, Bishop’s Felony Fists, published under the byline Jack Tunney, tells the story of Patrick “Felony” Flynn a hardnosed police officer with the LAPD and boxer. Flynn can’t resist a good scrap and is trying to parlay his impressive arrest record into an invitation to the Hat Squad – the elite crew of detectives keeping La-La Land’s streets clean. So when Chief Parker wants to put a crimp in Mickey Cohen’s plans to take over the fight game, he turns to the best boxer on the squad. Flynn’s task is no piece of cake. He has to beat Cohen’s title contender and beat him soundly.

What follows is one delicious slice of bygone Los Angeles. Felony Fists is a winner on every level. The book is lean, mean and authentic and it’s one no fan of hardboiled fiction will want to miss. The boxing scenes are visceral, bloody and you feel like you’ve gone toe to toe with Flynn’s opponents by the time you’re through. Throw in some fine police work, corruption, intrigue, blackmail and deception and Felony Fists lays out an irresistible buffet.

Paul Bishop is the real deal, folks. If you’re a pulp fan, boxing fan or just love a hard-hitting, down and dirty mean streets pot-boiler, then Bishop has your poison. Without doubt one of the best New Pulp releases of 2011. This was my first Bishop work and it won’t be my last. I give Felony Fists my highest recommendation. Do not miss it!

FORTIER TAKES ON DOC VOODOO!

2012-02-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

DOC VOODOO
Aces & Eights

By Dale Lucas

Beating Windward Press

201 pages

Last year well known fantasy author Charles Saunders delighted the new pulp community by releasing his novel DAMBALLA, making it the very first pulp novel set in the 1930s to feature an African American hero. Just this week that same book has been nominated for the Pulp Factory Awards of 2011 for Best Pulp Novel.

Of course good ideas often emerge simultaneously amongst multiple creators and this was the case here. While DAMBALLA was making its big splash from its widely respected new pulp publisher, Airship 27 Productions, another hard hitting new pulp thriller was debuting from a little known outfit called Beating Windward Press. This one also featured an African American avenger operating in Harlem, only this one was set in 1926, the heart of the Roaring Twenties. Written by California based Dale Lucas, “Doc Voodoo” shares several iconic similarities with Damballa to be sure, yet there are also enough differences to define each hero as unique and original in the world of pulpdom.

The hero is a World War One veteran of the famous Harlem Hellfighters 369^th Infantry Division named Booker Dubois Butler Corveaux, a practicing M.D. known in his community as Doc Dub Corveaux. Raised in Haiti and having traveled the globe during his service years, Doc Corveaux is well versed in the Voodoo Religion and has become the physical agent of three powerful entities who, when possessing his physical body, imbue it with supernatural abilities that make him virtually indestructible. Thus in this state, he dons the garb of the Cemetery Man, black clothes, twin .45 automatics, magical clay bombs, a top hat and white painted face to resemble a skull. This frightening entity has assumed the mantle of Harlem’s protector and as we learn in this first book, she needs one desperately.

Two rival gangs are battle for control of the streets and the action is focused on a tough minded woman known as Queen Bee attempting to open a posh speakeasy called Aces & Eights. Her opponent is a sadistic gang lord called Papa House who will do anything to ruin her plans even if it means unleashing a terrifying magic to corrupt the entire neighborhood and bring about untold suffering and misery. Into this vicious contest comes the Cemetery Man, guns blazing, determined to thwart that black magic and save the innocent souls caught in the crossfire.

Dale Lucas is a superb writer with an eye for period detail. His research is meticulous and he knows New York from one end to the other, painting a virtual setting that is truly authentic for its period. His command of slang and mood of the times pulls the reader into a world in flux, a world caught between the past horrors of the first world conflict and the heady exuberance of a social order challenging the mores of the future.

And like any classic pulp tale, the pacing is fast, the characters brilliantly etched and the action non-stop. This is a true page-turner that will have you cheering with each new gun battle, from this new pulp hero’s first appearance to his last. And Lucas wisely leaves the finale open ended for many more sequels, all of which we eagerly await.

“Aces & Eights” is as good a pulp actioner as any other there on the market today. It’s one and only flaw is its packaging. Most new pulp publishers are aware of the demands of the genre in regards to marketing. True, one cannot judge the contents of a book by its cover, but then again, one can’t sell a good book with a bad cover. “Aces & Eights” isn’t so much a bad cover as a non-existent one. The tiny image of a white skull and a little color design manipulation do not make a great pulp cover. I would argue this book would have won lots more attention had it sported a traditional pulp painted front, visually debuting Doc Voodoo in full regalia, guns firing away. So please, Dale Lucas, if you do indeed have more of his wonderful adventures in store for us, give your packaging the extra attention it really deserves.

FORTIER TAKES ON FELONY FISTS!

2012-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

FIGHT CARD : FELONY FISTS

By Paul Bishop

(http://www.bishsbeat.blogspot.com/)

128 pages

Punch. Block. Counterpunch. Duck. Uppercut. Jab. Haymaker. Clinch. The staccato machine-gun lingo of boxing that taps across the brain like a dance choreographed by battling gladiators. It is a ballet of flying fists, controlled mayhem performed by all manner of combatants with something to win, prove or defend. Of the entire classic pulp sports genre, the boxing magazines were by far the most popular and prolific. Now a group of today’s finest new pulp scribes have come together to recreate the blood, seat and tears of those canvas arenas in a series of short novellas under the guiding hand of accomplished novelist, Paul Bishop.

Bishop has an extensive resume from his long career as a police officer then detective for the Los Angeles police department, television and movie scribe and finally mystery/crime novelist. Recently he’s gotten into the new pulp movement and it’s clear by this tale just how much he loves the old school boxing tales. This story has the atmosphere and feel of an old Warner Brothers black and white flick from the 40s & 50s and one can easily envision actors like Spencer Tracy and John Garfield in the roles of his characters. It is that evocative of the time and setting; L.A. in 1954.

Patrick “Felony” Flynn is a young cop on the force who is also an amateur boxer, having been taught by a tough-minded Catholic priest in the Chicago orphanage he and his brother were raised in. Coming out of WWII and the Navy, where he continued his pugilistic ways, he swaps one blue uniform for another in getting back to civilian life. His goal is to eventually become a detective and member of the famous anti-mob unit led by Chief Parker and called “The Hat Squat.”

Through a series of fateful events stemming from his boxing prowess, Flynn is recruited by Chief Parker to help stymie mobster Mickey Cohen’s plans to infiltrate the boxing world via his heavy-weight fighter, Solomon King. If King can whip Archie Moore, the reigning champion, then Cohen will have established a foothold in the city as well as the sports community. Something Parker obsessively vows to stop at any cost; including making Flynn a detective in his elite team providing he becomes a professional boxer and takes defeats King. No small tasks any way you slice it up.

What follows is a thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced, knowledgeable yarn that was a pure joy to read start to finish. Bishop never misses a beat; again, knowing his melody by heart and relishing every single sentence, paragraph and chapter like a superbly orchestrated fight strategy. “Fight Card: Felony Fists” is a sensational opening to what this reviewer expects is going to be a truly amazing series that will revitalize a classic pulp genre in a bold new way readers are going to love. Me, I’m in his corner all the way.

MOONSTONE AND NEMO PUBLISHING BRING CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT AND COMMANDER X TOGETHER!

2012-02-03T10:39:00.001-08:00

New Captain Midnight Comic Book Coming in 2012

Take to the Skies with Captain Midnight and Commander X: New Comic Book on the Horizon from Moonstone Books and Nemo Publishing

At the end of this year, Nemo Publishing and Moonstone Books will publish a cross-over one shot comic book featuring the legendary Captain Midnight and Commander X from Nemo Publishing’s “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli” graphic novel series. This 28 page, full-color book will be written by longtime DC Comics writer and editor Brian Augustyn. Artwork and co-plotting will be by Jay Piscopo, author and illustrator of “Capt’n Eli.”

"When real life casts long shadows over us and time seems to be running out, that's the time to look to the skies for the antidote to modern worries,” said Augustyn. “I couldn't be happier to be working with Moonstone, Nemo, and my great friend Jay Piscopo on this thrilling and timely project.”

This new book will feature guest stars from other Moonstone books, including Airboy and the Air Fighters, and will pay homage to the great heroes of yesteryear, particularly aviation heroes.

“I’m a huge fan of Captain Midnight and what Moonstone has done with the character. I see this as an opportunity to introduce new fans to this once very popular hero from American pop culture,” said Piscopo. “Working with a friend and a creator I admire so much and to team up with Moonstone is a dream come true.”

Captain Midnight is relevant today because he existed in a time similar to our own when the United States was in the midst of economic upheaval and the world was at war.

Augustyn noted “Captain Midnight has been a multimedia legend for 70 years and remains as vital today as when he first took wing. As ever, Cap delivers sky-high adventure and heroism in the classic style. Commander X is completely in sync with those ideals and will be the perfect partner in crime-fighting. Featuring the Air Fighters only makes it all that much more thrilling.”

Piscopo think it’s perfect timing to reawaken these WWII era characters and see what made them strong and interesting. “These characters stood for ideals; particularly the ideals of freedom, equality and fighting against fascism. The superhero genre blossomed during WWII because this is what they stood for.”

More about Moonstone Books: Moonstone publishes fine and distinct comic books, graphic novels, and prose featuring classic and new heroes in thrilling tales of adventure, mystery, and horror including wayward thriller-adventure heroes like Kolchak the Night Stalker, Buckaroo Banzai, Captain Action, The Green Hornet, The Avenger, The Spider, The Saint, The Justice Machine, Domino Lady, Zorro, The Phantom, Operator 5, G-8, The Green Lama, Honey West, Sherlock Holmes, Airboy, Zeroids, Secret Agent X, The Phantom Detective, and more. www.moonstonebooks.com

More about Brian Augustyn: Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He got his start in the industry in 1984 as an editor for Tru Studios’ “Trollords.” He then edited “Syphons” and “Speed Racer” for NOW Comics. In 1987, he joined DC Comics, starting out as a co-editor on “Action Comics” during its period as a weekly title. He then went on to edit “The Flash,” “Justice League” and the “Impact Comics” line of titles. Augustyn was recognized for his work in the industry with the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Editor in 1994.

More about Jay Piscopo and Nemo Publishing: Piscopo is the author and illustrator of Nemo Publishing’s “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli” graphic novel series and “The Sea Ghost #1: The Sea Ghost in the Machine” comic book. Captain Midnight and Commander X are similar and unique in that they both were created as a vehicle for advertising a product. In the case of Captain Midnight, it was Ovaltine in the 1940s. Commander X is part of the Capt'n Eli universe of characters tied to the Capt’n Eli’s line of hand-crafted sodas from Portland Maine. Capt’n Eli is the namesake of real-life World War II veteran Eli Forsley who was also the inspiration for Capt’n Eli’s soda. Read the story behind the story at this link. On the web atwww.captneli.com and www.theseaghost.com.

GREEN HORNET: STILL AT LARGE READY FOR PRE-ORDER!

2012-02-02T19:24:00.001-08:00

FROM WIN SCOTT ECKERT-

THE GREEN HORNET: STILL AT LARGE pre-order and final covers

The third volume of short stories from Moonstone

Books about the 1960s Green Hornet and Kato

continues to move forward.

I revealed the final art for the limited edition

hardcover byRubén Procopio several months

ago, and now I'm pleased to also show off the

trade softcover by Douglas Klauba! (I'm also

thrilled that I was able to purchase this

painting from Mr. Klauba, and it will hang

proudly in my basement Cave of Geek. :-)

The Green Hornet: Still at Large is edited by Joe

Gentile, Win Scott Eckert, and Matthew Baugh, and

will be available either June 30, or July 17, 2012, depending on which

listing you believe. :-)

Amazon - limited edition hardcover

Amazon - trade softcover (link coming soon)

B&N - limited edition hardcover

B&N - trade softcover

Check out that discount on B&N! Get your

pre-orders in now!

New Documentary on first Tarzan Movie! And More!

2012-02-02T14:40:00.001-08:00

Tarzan Swings Again in Louisiana

New film documents Louisiana’s first blockbuster production, 1918’s “Tarzan of the Apes.”
January 18, 2012 ~ Bossier City, LA- Believe it or not, Tarzan turns 100 years old this year.

In August of 1917 an eclectic band of filmmakers, actors and circus acrobats fought malaria, unbearable heat and the swamp of the Louisiana Atchafalaya River Basin to bring to the silver screen the best-selling book “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was an instant hit with audiences, considered one of the top six motion pictures of the silent era, and one of the first 10 films to earn over one million dollars at the box office. The film was shot in Morgan City, Louisiana.

The character of Tarzan turns 100 years old this year. In celebration of that milestone, Bossier City’s Al Bohl and his daughter, filmmaker Allison Bohl now of Lafayette have teamed up to produce a feature-length documentary entitled, “Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle.”

“My interest was first peaked when I was told many years ago that after making the movie the monkeys and apes refused to get back in the cages, so they left them,” said Bohl. “After research, I found out that the making of the film was as amazing as the movie itself.”

Over a period of four years, Al and his daughter combed through hundreds of photos and documents and videotaped up to seventy hours of interviews and locations. They interviewed scholars, authors, historians, fans, experts in merchandise, actors, an expert in primates, the curator of the Burroughs’ collection and the family of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Their travels in Louisiana included Morgan City, New Orleans, Patterson and Baton Rouge. They also gathered interviews in Los Angeles and Tarzana, California. More footage was taped in Ohio, Kentucky and Chicago, Illinois.

Bohl said, “Besides the ape question, our documentary investigates many things such as the claims of the killing of a lion on screen, the use of African Americans as natives and the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs who many feel is the father or grandfather of American science fiction.”

In addition, the Bohls re-edited the original “Tarzan of the Apes” silent film and added an entirely new orchestral musical score written by Kermit Poling of Shreveport.

The documentary and new version of the silent Tarzan film will be premiered on April 13 and 14, 2012 in Morgan City during the first Tarzan Festival in the character’s history. For more information on the festival contact: www.cajuncoast.com.

The Louisiana State Museum in Patterson, LA opens a year-long exhibition entitled “Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle.” It features a wide variety of Tarzan memorabilia from the last one hundred years.

“Tarzan continues to be famous on an international scale,” said Bohl, “I believe people will be absolutely amazed by the very large display of Tarzan books and merchandise in this exhibition.” One item of note is an actual painting done by the chimpanzee that died recently who was believed to be the oldest living “Cheetah” from the Tarzan movies. For more information about the exhibition contact:: www.louisianatravel.com/louisiana-state-museum-patterson.

Howard Hopkins Remembered

2012-02-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

A RETROSPECTIVE FOR HOWARD HOPKINS

This piece was arranged immediately following the announcement of the passing of Howard Hopkins, noted Pulp Writer/Editor. It is published now as those participating have all completed their thoughts and remembrances.

From Tommy Hancock

My friendship with Howard Hopkins, and I can definitely refer to it as that, was one of emails, keyboards, and computer screens. I'd only seen Howard in the occasional image on his Facebook page, most notably that pic of him leaned against a tree. But it was also a friendship founded on mutuality. We were both writers, we had a massive jones for Pulp and genre fiction in general, and we were both fairly active in pursuing that love for that sort of thing in our own ways. From my side, there was also a basis of reverence in a sense. That may sound corny, but it's true. There have been a handful of writers I've looked up to for a long time, long before I was published or a publisher myself. Authors who I recognized were working in New Pulp before it even had that name attached directly to it. It was a short list initially, mind you one that has grown over time, but of the few names that were on that initial list, Howard Hopkins was one.

As sudden as Howard's passing was, his effect on me and, as I've learned, other writers and I think in the long run on the field of Pulp fiction in general, has been a gradual, ever growin

g positive one. Whether or not he was tackling a known character from the vast library of Pulp and literature, editing the work of others putting their own brand on what has come before, or crafting all new tales to terrify, tantalize, and tease from his own expansive imagination, Howard always brought something extra to what he did.

There was a vitality, a strength, an ever present energy to Howard's work, to even his email interactions. You could sense it, it was this palpable wave of excitement, of happiness to be digging his way into this work that wasn't just a job, but more of a life's work for

him. Our first long extensive correspondence began a few months ago as I was considering stepping up my efforts in the Western genre and, if you didn't know this already, one of the strongest modern voices in that field as far as I'm concerned is Howard Hopkins. As he outlined for me his thoughts on how I could accomplish that and gave me tips and hints, he also did something else that I'm not even sure he was aware of. These emails, some of them simply a few lines in response to my queries, read to me like adventures all their own. The very sense of Howard's true passion for the craft of writing and genre work bled through in each and every word. Even though he was looking at moving away from that corner of genre a bit and really wanting to put his effort into his other work, such as the Chloe Files, I still saw the burning need to write, the childlike giddiness of being a part of this field, that Howard had. He poured into his work, into his editing, into his Facebook statuses even.

And that doesn't even touch the actual work itself. If you've never read a Howard Hopkins tale, you'll find in it all the staples of whatever genre he decided to work in, but there's more. Howard is in everything he wrote. And I don't just mean the way that it's assumed writers write from their own experiences and we pour a little bit of ourselves into the narrative. It's that energy again, that exuberance, that unbridled love for what he crafted, it's in everything I've ever read that Howard wrote and it's the reason I kept reading things by Howard after the first one I'd ever read.

Some will think this retrospective is late, that it should have been done as most others were in the days just after Howard's passing. I don't apologize for that, it is coming when it was right for it to come for me. Others may see this as maudlin or 'too much' from someone who admittedly only knew Howard via the internet and from reading his books. To them, I'll say this-What better way to know a writer than through that which he believed he was born to write?

Howard is fondly missed and will continue to be a presence in the Pulp world, as his wife has pledged to continue his work. I actually have a small part in that as I'm the editor on a collection that will contain one of the last pieces Howard submitted for publication. In times like this, we often say that an artist's work will continue to live even after he has passed. How long that work has life, however, depends on how much life its creator gave it at the moment of its birth. Based on that, Howard Hopkins will be around long after the rest of us are gone.

From Martin Powell-

I still cannot bring myself to talk, or write, much about this. It is a profound, unexpected tragedy. Howard and I had known each other for several years and he was like a brother to me. We shared our ups and downs, and our thrills and frustrations. I last spoke with him Wednesday evening, a day before he died. How horrible. How unfair. Howard was a tireless professional and a genuine gentleman. It was a privilege to be his friend. He was one of those rarest of men, a real "good guy", as loyal and true as the heroes he so vividly brought to life on the page. I'll never stop missing him.
Martin Powell

TIME'S LAST GIFT BONUS MATERIAL ANNOUNCED!

2012-02-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

From Chris Carey:

"I'm very excited to announce that I'll be contributing a new, heavily Wold Newton-flavored afterword to Titan Books' new edition of Time's Last Gift, Philip José Farmer's classic novel of time travel. The Titan edition will also include a timeline by Wold Newton scholars Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power detailing pertinent events in the long, long life of the book's protagonist, John Gribardsun. I'm viewing the books in this new Wold Newton series as the definitive editions of these classic Farmerian works, so I'm encouraging folks who want to see more books like this down the line to preorder them or pick them up as soon as they're published.

Check out Win's update about his and Dennis Power's Time's Last Gift timeline here.

This novel is of particular interest to me because it's positioned as the prequel to the Khokarsa series (collected in the forthcoming Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa, due out this April from Subterranean Press). If you don't know how the books are connected, you'll just have wait and find out by reading Time's Last Gift and my afterword.

The bonus pieces for the new Titan edition, due out this June, are as follows:

Afterword: "John Gribardsun and the Prehistoric Wold Newton Family" by Christopher Paul Carey

"Gribardsun through the Ages: A Chronology of Major Events Pertinent to Time’s Last Gift" by Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power

The new edition of Time's Last Gift can be preordered now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From Win Scott Eckert:

In addition to Chris' fine afterword, the new edition includes a piece which Wold Newton fans won't want to miss: "Gribardsun through the Ages: A Chronology of Major Events Pertinent to Time’s Last Gift" by Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power.

Time's Last Gift, first published in 1972, and revised in 1977, is one of Philip José Farmer's finest novels, telling the tale of the mysterious time traveler John Gribardsun. It also serves as a prequel to Mr. Farmer's series of books featuring the land of Khokarsa in Ancient Africa (Hadon of Ancient Opar, Flight to Opar, and the forthcoming The Song of Kwasin).

Time's Last Gift is currently scheduled for release in June 2012, and is available for pre-order at major outlets such as Amazonand Barnes & Noble. Editions include trade paperback and digital (Kindle & Nook).

The book is second in Titan Books' ongoing series of Wold Newton novels. More titles will follow, so keep following Mr. Farmer's official website, and Facebook (Philip José Farmer | Win Scott Eckert) for more information.

Both Chris' afterword and our timeline are exclusive to this edition:

Afterword: "John Gribardsun and the Prehistoric Wold Newton Family" by Christopher Paul Carey
"Gribardsun through the Ages: A Chronology of Major Events Pertinent to Time’s Last Gift" by Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power

So hop over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and place your pre-order now!

PRO SE PRESENTS #6-YOGUL, KITTY, MANTICORE, ALOHA, AND THE RAPIER!

2012-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

Pro Se Presents #6 Kicks off the Year with 'The Hand of Yogul' From James Palmer and continues on with supernatural mystery from Ken Janssens, masked avenging from PJ Lozito, and the introduction of a brand new character by brand new writer Ashley Mangin! Also, A Comic written by Don Thomas-The Origin of the Rapier! All of this and more this month in Pro Se Presents #6! Puttin' the Monthly Back into Pulp! And Coming Soon to Amazon!!!

CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/3787209

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Chatting About Character

2012-02-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Table Talk, a discussion between New Pulp authors Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock. This week, the guys tackle issues of character and character creation.

New Pulp’s Table Talk - Chatting About Character is now available at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/ or at the direct link: http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2012/02/table-talk-chatting-about-character.html

Join the conversation. Leave us a comment on the blog and let us know your thoughts on this topic. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Have a question you want the Table Talk Trio to answer? Send it to newpulpfiction@gmail.com with "Table Talk Question" in the subject line. Also, let us know if you want attribution for the question, or you'd rather remain anonymous. Please, keep the questions pertinent to the creation of New Pulp and/or writing speculative fiction in general. We'll get the questions worked into future columns ASAP.

Follow the Table Talk Trio on Twitter. @BarryReesePulp @BobbyNash @MikeABullock

PULP OBSCURA BEGINS! FIRST VOLUME DEBUTS!

2012-01-30T19:26:00.000-08:00

Press Release-For Immediate Release

FIRST VOLUME FROM PULP OBSCURA DEBUTS-

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT!

January 30, 2012

Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher in the New Pulp Movement, announces today the release of the first collection from its PULP OBSCURA line. Pro Se, in conjunction with Altus Press, noted Publisher of Pulp reprints as well as the home of Will Murray’s new Doc Savage novels, developed the PULP OBSCURA line to spotlight characters from the classic days of Pulp Fiction that are considered unknown or rare in the modern era.

“This concept,” stated Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se, “is really the brainchild of Altus Press’ founder and publisher, Matt Moring. He saw the potential in many of the characters he plans to reprint the original adventures of via Altus Press to be used in new stories by modern day writers. The characters he and I discussed are in the Public Domain and therefore free writers to tackle and publishers to print. Out of that rose PULP OBSCURA, a name I’d come up with a year or so ago out of my own thoughts of one day focusing on rare characters that most people, even the hardcore Pulp fans, don’t know exist.”

The first PULP OBSCURA volume is THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT. The title character originally appeared in FLYING ACES Magazine in the 1930s and was written by Donald E. Keyhoe, an author known later in his career for his writing on UFOs. Appearing in numerous tales into the 1940s, Knight was considered a flying detective type, an agent of the government who used the cover of millionaire flyboy to investigate plots, usually those involving things such as lost valleys or other oddities, against America.

As stated on the book itself-

From the past flies new tales of one of Pulp’s forgotten heroes! Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press presents the first volume in its PULP OBSCURA line! Bringing adventures and heroes lost in yesterday blazing to life in new pulp tales today! Six high flying, wild and weird adventures from I.A. Watson, Barry Reese, Frank Schildiner, Joshua Reynolds, Terry Alexander, and Adam Lance Garcia!

Come fly with this hero of the airways as he battles threats to America from the common to the extraordinary! The first new stories since 1942!

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT is available now from Pro Se Press as a Kick Off Special for PULP OBSCURA. Altus Press’ volume which this New Pulp book is a companion to, THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT, VOLUME ONE, will be out within days. In the future, Hancock explained, Altus’ reprint volume and Pro Se’s New Pulp companion volume will be released on the same day. “We did this,” Hancock said, “as a special gift to those who have been following the development of PULP OBSCURA and readers eager to see what we’re doing. There’s been a lot of buzz about this project, which we all greatly appreciate, and we wanted to reward that.”

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT features a spectacular cover by Mike Fyles and the cover design work of Sean Ali. Interior Format and Design is the work of Matt Moring and the ebook design is by Russ Anderson. THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT is now available via Pro Se’s Createspace store at https://www.createspace.com/3783368 and will be available via Amazon in print within the week, $12.00 in print. It is also available for $2.99 for the Kindle on Amazon and in various formats at www.smashwords.com and coming soon to Barnes & Noble for the Nook.

This first release from PULP OBSCURA is featured in the following trailer-

PULP OBSCURA-Bringing Heroes Lost in Yesterday Blazing to Life in New Pulp Tales Today!

Pro Se Press- www.prosepulp.com

Altus Press- www.altuspress.com

TRAILER DEBUTS FOR TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS!

2012-01-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

Pro Se Productions released a trailer spotlighting the latest release from the New Pulp Publisher! Want a sneak peek at what awaits you between the covers of Nancy Hansen's latest collection from Pro Se? Interested in the first book from the latest author focused imprint, HANSEN'S WAY? Then Hansen and Pro Se invite you to check out this trailer featuring the art of David Russell and share with the world that everyone should learn of the "Tales of the Vagabond Bards!'

THE SPIDER GOES EBOOK! ALL OF ALTUS NOW AVAILABLE! DRAMA AND THE GREEN LAMA AND MORE!

2012-01-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2012

NEW Radio Set: Claudia, Volume 7

Soap Operas in the heyday of Radio were very similar to one another. For the most part, their content was predictable, but deeply engrossing. Soap operas played on the apparent human need for intrigue, insider knowledge, gossip, and the satisfaction that comes from knowing that, no matter how tedious or dull or awful your life is, someone out there has it much worse than you do.

But, in 1947, a new soap opera debuted that was far different - far more quiet and gentle and down-to-earth - than its strife-ridden forbears. This show brought listeners more than the ‘tune in tomorrow’ hooks its peers produced. Listeners tuned in day after day for the interesting, fully developed characters, the light-hearted banter between them, and the familiarity of their day-to-day situations. This soap opera, probably more of a light drama in modern terms, is “Claudia.”

“Claudia” told the tale of Claudia and David Naughton, newlyweds, just beginning their married life. Young, enthusiastic, and very much in love, they weren’t suffering from any medical maladies or suspicions of infidelity. Instead, they were simply facing the many challenges of any new marriage - finding an apartment, getting used to each other’s quirks, and learning to live together on a daily basis. Claudia, a bit younger than her years, is often impulsive, sometimes irresponsible, usually perky, and just a bit flighty. As she matures, she becomes a unique mixture of enthusiasm, incompetence and over-confidence -- deeply in love with her somewhat older husband David but frequently naive and too likely to trust her insecurities rather than her instincts.
Heard today, “Claudia” remains wonderful entertainment, notable for both its lighthearted tone and the believable interplay between its characters. In a feat that is rare where old time radio is concerned, Radio Archives has been able to locate and preserve the entire eighteen-month run of “Claudia” - 390 episodes in all - with no missing shows, allowing you to enjoy the complete series on a day-by-day basis. This collection offers 24 episodes of “Claudia” and marks the midway point of the remaining volumes. Claudia, Volume 7 and the series as a whole are a real treasure for radio enthusiasts to enjoy for many years to come and are available today from Radio Archives! Six hours on Audio CDs for $17.98.

Radio Reviews - The Adventures of Maisie, Volume 1

by Tommy Hancock

Old Time Radio is responsible for at least the longevity of so many character types that the public have enjoyed for decades and still today. One of those is the brassy Brooklyn dame who while seeming ditzy to some, actually brings a bit of her own wisdom of the world to every predicament she finds herself in, of which there are many. If you haven't guessed it, I've just described one Maisie Revere, often out of work entertainer and just as often consistent entertainment as the heroine of The Adventures of Maisie.

Portrayed by Ann Sothern, MGM starlet and the originator of the Maisie role in a series of high grade B movies for the studio, Maisie came to life on the radio waves in 1949. Although this is actually the second series to feature the character, it's the only series of which any episodes are known to exist.

From the cracker jack opening of Maisie's heels clicking, a man asking her "Hiya babe! Say, how 'bout-" and a slap and Maisie saying, "Does that answer your question, buddy?" the stage is set in each episode for Sothern to play brassy and funny to the hilt. And she does this with a style and a sort of rough grace that adds credence to the character. Maisie sounds and moves within each episode as you would expect a girl from Brooklyn who finds herself in non-Brooklyn type situations constantly to sound and move. And although, by her own account, Maisie may not be the highest limb on the tree intellectually, her view of the world around her and how those she encounters mistakenly see things is simultaneously hilarious, refreshing, and enlightening.

On so many levels, "The Adventures of Maisie" is most definitely a comedy, leaning heavily toward screwball in a few of the episodes on this collection. But something else manifests from the crucible of mixing Sothern's acting and dead on voice with the skill of the writers and the quirky plots of this show. Whether Maisie is having to work off rent as a hotel clerk and mistakenly rents a room to phony royalty or pretends to be a lady herself and almost nabs her a Lord all her own or rooks a snobby diva out of her stylish clothes by convincing her she's a near dowager, there is something that comes out of each episode more than guffaws and giggles.

Played with that street rough, yet simplistic delivery Sothern brings to the role, Maisie Revere delivers quite a bit of Brooklyn spun philosophy as she stumbles in and out of trouble. You don't have to listen hard to hear her ideas on rich people, authority, and even her own place in the crazy world she lives in. This adds a distinct appeal to the show as a whole, making it not only a solid old time radio comedy, but also something with a bit of insightful veritas to it as well.

The Adventures of Maisie, Volume 1 is definitely a comedy worth having in your collection and one that is one step above the 'lighter fare' of its audio peers. Available today from Radio Archives, 10 hours of Maisie on Audio CDs for $29.98.

NEW Cover Artwork

Radio Archives always strives to be the best and continually improve our products. We embarked on a massive project two years ago to update the artwork for the 200 Old Time Radio CD sets available.

This project is now complete and all orders are now shipping with the newest artwork. Take a look at the Covers which we upgraded this week.

Radio Archives wants to share its excitement with YOU! From now until February 29th, 2012, you can add any of the new artwork for Radio Archives sets you already own to your collection for absolutely FREE with your next order! Add to the experience of the programs you already enjoy with these creative pieces of art!

The process to upgrade your Radio Archives covers is simple! First, search the Radio Archives website to find the set you own. Then copy the Product Description. As an example, the Product Description would look like this:

Mystery Is My Hobby - 10 hours [Audio CDs] #RA132

You then paste the Product Descriptions of all the sets you want updated into the comments section of your next order. The artwork will be sent free of charge along with your order!

This offer expires on February 29th and artwork can only be provided for products currently offered on RadioArchives.com. Radio Archives appreciates your business and wants you to have the newest Cover Artwork so that you have the best quality product, both inside and out!

NEW Audiobook: The Green Lama

A more unlikely multi-media success than the jade-robed Buddhist monk who fought crime under the nom de guerre of The Green Lama would be hard to imagine.

Audiobook Reviews - Doc Savage: Python Isle

by Derrick Ferguson

Being both a Doc Savage fan from way back (I bought my first Doc Savage Bantam paperback back in the 1970’s) as well as a fan of Old Time Radio I was more than eager to check out the audiobook PYTHON ISLE. And I was not disappointed. Channeling the spirit of Lester Dent/Kenneth Robeson, Will Murray wonderfully captures the relentless sprint of headlong excitement that I feel is essential to a Doc Savage adventure.

PYTHON ISLE is based on an actual outline written by Lester Dent back in the 1930’s but rejected for reasons that are explained by Will Murray himself in one of two extra interviews where he explains how he found the outline and turned it into a finished novel. It’s an added bonus to an already entertaining package.

Like the best of any Doc Savage adventure, PYTHON ISLE begins with a situation that immediately promises this is going to be a humdinger of a supersaga. A gang of ruthless diamond smugglers catches sight of a plane crash landing into the water near their ship. At first fearing it’s the law, they quickly mount a rescue upon seeing that the plane has been repaired with gold plating. There are only two passengers aboard. A man carrying a bamboo tube sealed at both ends and an astoundingly beautiful woman who speaks no language anybody can understand. Both are dressed in clothes that haven’t been worn since Biblical times. The man has but a single objective in mind: find Doc Savage. And we need no more to get the adventure started.

As always, my opinion of an audiobook depends mainly on the voice I’m listening to. If the voice is boring and puts me to sleep, what difference does it make how terrific the story is? I’m delighted to say the voice of Michael McConnohie is anything but boring. He doesn’t just read the story, he performs it and I’m simply flabbergasted by the diversity and range of his voice. In passages where there are two or three different characters talking it actually sounds as if there are distinct and separate voices talking to each other. In addition, his straight reading of description sounds more like the narration of a genuine old time radio drama than just a reading of the text. It’s wonderful to listen to.

So should you listen to PYTHON ISLE? Absolutely. If you’re a Doc Savage fan there's no way that you cannot have this in your collection. And if you have a friend you want to turn onto Doc Savage, pulp adventure or audiobooks, this is an excellent way to do so.

NEW Product Line: Pulp eBooks

A growing leader in providing Pulp Fiction in a variety of forms to modern fans, Radio Archives adds one more line to its ever growing number of Pulp Products! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, already known for fantastic audio book versions of Classic Pulp tales now also features eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classic eBook line will spotlight original Pulp characters in their original tales from the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction! This exciting new line debuts with four stories of Norvell Page’s Master of Men himself - The Spider!

Thanks to the modern technology of digital publishing and eBooks, collectors and fans can experience stories from the original Pulps of the early 20th Century in an easy, affordable fashion. Referred to by some as ‘today’s pulp,’ eBooks are similar to Pulp magazines in the sense that digital eBooks, like their Pulp counterparts were, can be easily and inexpensively produced and sold to customers! Add to that the absolute top quality production that Radio Archives brings to this project and Will Murray’s Pulp Classic eBooks are a must have for every fan from the novice to the hardcore Pulp Collector!

Will Murray’s Pulp Classic eBooks are available now for only $2.99! And not only do you get the eBook for that fantastic price, but you get it in THREE different formats. With the ever evolving technology of today, Radio Archives recognizes that readers may have different devices that read different eBook files and may change devices as well. To this end, each Will Murray Pulp Classic eBook will be delivered to you as a .mobi file, an .epub file, and a PDF, making the eBook readable on The Kindle, iPad, The Nook, and most e-readers, computers, and smart phones!

The four titles kicking off the eBook line feature The Spider, the vengeful vigilante from the past that lives as a Pulp icon today! Each eBook contains the tale as originally written when it appeared as well as an introduction from Will Murray to acquaint readers with the character they’re going to encounter as well as original cover art!

The Spider #4 City of Flaming Shadows January 1934

The Spider #19 Slaves of the Crime Master April 1935

The Spider #20 Reign of the Death Fiddler May 1935

The Spider #35 Satan’s Sightless Legion August 1936

New Spider titles will be released every two weeks, as well as surprises yet to come!

With the addition of The Spider eBooks, The Pulp Book Store is quickly becoming the best place to find everything Spider. From audio books by Radio Archives to exquisite Pulp reprints and replicas from Girasol Collectables and new tales of the Spider from Moonstone Books, The Master of Men is alive and well in The Pulp Book Store!

Stay tuned, Pulp fans, for the best in Pulp eBooks from Will Murray’s Pulp Classics and Radio Archives!

New In The Pulp Bookstore!

NEW Doc Savage Book: Horror in Gold

Horror in Gold, a brand new Doc Savage novel written by prolific pulp veteran Will Murray, has been released by Altus Press. Set in 1936 Manhattan, the story opens with an inexplicable wave of human detonations that brings legendary scientist-adventurer Doc Savage into the investigation to confront a strange new type of terrorism.

Murray, who won acclaim for his tenure ghostwriting Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s Destroyer action-adventure series and his works of original fiction and pop culture history, knows his subject well.

The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage is a continuation of the well-received novels he wrote for Bantam Books back in the 1990s, which he worked on with Doc Savage’s creator and original writer, the late Lester Dent.

These new posthumous collaborations will be published under the familiar pen name of Kenneth Robeson.

“Horror in Gold is a CSI-style Doc Savage story,” Murray said. “Most of the action takes place in and around Doc’s skyscraper headquarters, which we see in more detail than ever before. With ordinary Gothamites falling victim to the most grisly murder method ever recorded, Doc spends a lot of time in the city morgue and in his super-scientific laboratory assembling the pieces of the puzzle. In between, the action never stops, as Doc and his men race to prevent an escalating tragedy—culminating in an explosive climax around a dormant Alaskan volcano which shouldn’t be rumbling to life, but is!”

The author hasn’t strayed far from Dent for the basis of this new tale.

“This story is based on an unused Doc Savage plot Lester Dent wrote in 1935, but was considered too visceral to be published in the pages of Doc Savage Magazine back then. To live up to its potential, I wrote the most jaw-dropping opening chapter of my 50-novel career. I introduce one of the most vicious super-criminals in pulp history, The Alchemist, and a half-forgotten member of the original Doc Savage cast returns after an absence of almost 80 years,” he said. Buy this NEW 330 page Doc Savage novel in trade paperback today for only $24.95. The cover is a beautiful Doc Savage oil painting by the talented Joe DeVito.

31 New Titles From Altus Press!

With the addition of 31 new titles from Altus Press, the prolific Pulp reprint publisher’s entire catalogue is now available from the Pulp Book Store.

One of the leaders in Pulp today, Altus Press provides the reading public with top of the line reprints as well as professionally designed collections, comprehensive Pulp academic works, and new material, including The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage written by author Will Murray.

From new adventures of Doc Savage to reprints of classic Pulp characters like the Black Bat and even more obscure creations such as Armless O’Neill and Senorita Scorpion, Altus Press has something to offer every Pulp reader!

Altus Press answers the needs of a growing fan base for Pulp, readers finding something in these classic stories that appeal to modern sensibilities. The company takes its overall mission very seriously-to produce the best quality product possible. And every single title, close to 100 top of the line collections, novels, and other works, from Altus Press is now featured in the Pulp Book Store!

The Shadow, Volume 57

Doc Savage, Volume 55

The Whisperer, Volume 5

The Spider, Volume 22 - 1935 & 1940 Variant Cover Editions

The Best Deals In The Pulp Book Store - The Treasure Chest!

On the hunt for quality Pulp Fiction, both classic and new? In search of great prices? Then dig into the Treasure Chest, exclusively featuring products for the Pulp Book Store! Just click on the Treasure Chest on the Pulp Book Store Page and you’ll find fantastic monthly discounts on an everchanging variety of items from our various stores! From everyone from the avid Pulp Fan to the casual reader, the Treasure Chest offers great deals on wonderful products from The Pulp Book Store!

Review of "Brand of the Werewolf" from Doc Savage, Volume 13

By Dr Art Sippo

Doc Savage and his crew travel to Canada to visit his only known living relatives: his Uncle Alex Savage and his cousin Patricia.

On the train, Doc receives a message from his uncle telling him to stay away. He leaves the cabin to investigate leaving his crew there. While he is gone, his men are stricken with unexplained unconsciousness. When Doc returns to the cabin he finds them and emblazoned on the wall is a hideous face that is a cross between a man and a wolf. The Brand of the Werewolf!

When they arrive at the Savage ranch they discover that Alex Savage has been murdered after the alleged message had been sent. The ranch is under attack by local thugs and mysterious forces that the local people attribute to the loup-garou a half-man/half-wolf monster. He moves among the inhabitance with impunity using his powers to subdue them and then kill them at will.

Meanwhile Patricia Savage has taken charge of the ranch. She is also guarding a mysterious Ivory cube that belonged to her father which the thugs have been trying to steal from her father and now from her. Pat is a tall striking woman with bronze colored hair like her cousin’s, who is mentally and physically strong enough to fight to defend her property. But as her superstitious ranch hands desert her, she cannot hold out against the enemies ranged against her.

Enter Doc Savage and his crew of adventurers. Now the odds are more even, but can even they defy the power of the Werewolf? With his entire physical and mental prowess, can Doc Savage defeat a supernatural monster?

This was the story that introduced Patricia Savage as a recurring character in the Doc Savage series. It was the most popular story in the original Bantam reprints form the 1960s and remains a fan favorite. This is a classic story from the golden age of the 1930s. And it along with another Doc Savage classic can be yours in Doc Savage Volume 13 for $12.95 from Radio Archives!

Comments From Our Customers!

Joseph (Joe) Cierniak

I have ordered from RadioArchives in the past and have nothing but praise the for merchandise's quality and great customer service response. Ah, you guys do business just as it was done in my younger days. It was called trust. I'm not against (positive ) change but how many companies out there today would ship an item(s) and trust the purchaser to pay the bill. Not many. Thanks again. Received my order in today's mail for Volume 2 of Suspense. Wow, what service!

Jim McCuaig:

Great quality, folks - a pleasure to be able to hear these shows like they sounded when they were new.

Tom C. Miller:

Just wanted to thank you for the prompt shipping of my last order. Your record time in attempting to ship same day as ordered is much appreciated..

If you'd like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We'd love to hear from you!

ALL PULP INTERVIEWS PULP FANTASY AUTHOR NANCY HANSEN ON LATEST BOOK AND IMPRINT!

2012-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

ALL PULP: Nancy, share some background with our readers, both personal and professionally.

NANCY HANSEN: I’ve been an avid reader since a very young age. Writing was always something I was good at; I was that lone kid in the classroom who actually looked forward to the essay questions on the test. When my sons were young and I was a stay-at-home mom, I took that opportunity to explore a lot of creative endeavors in arts and crafts areas. I eventually settled on writing because it worked the best with my busy home life. Once I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, I never looked back.

I took a couple of writing correspondence courses over those years, and put the insight and instructions to good use. Along the way, I taught myself to use a computer, and once we finally got internet (we’re rural) I started looking for like-minded souls. I spent the better part of 5 years as a volunteer moderator for first a big software company’s gardening and landscaping forums, and then Prodigy Internet’s Books and Writing Bulletin Board. In the first forum set I learned quickly how to explain complex ideas and instructions within the context of a limited space, and with the second position honed my writing skills while learning from the pros and helping a lot of new writers get started. From that latter experience came some long lasting friendships with other writers that remain to this day, as well as a lot of the story material I am mining now. I wrote a lot of poetry back then also, and managed to win a couple of local awards. So I was living the writing life, though the mainstream publishing field was always a dead end for me.

I have a very diverse household with three generations under one roof, and it gets hectic. Now that my sons are adults, I have more time to pursue writing. Because of that, most of my professionally published work has happened in the last couple of years. I’m another one of those overnight success stories that only took 20+ years in the making…

AP: THE TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS, your latest release, is a short story collection. What can you share about the characters and tales found within its pages?

NH: The initial story, The Arcane Codex, was the first and it was based on a vivid dream I had. My dreams tend to be in color and very cinematic, like movie trailers, and they even have background music. I did what you’re supposed to do if you’re a serious writer; I sat up in bed, and jotted it all down. It was just the very beginning of a tale, but it was enough to build upon. Later on, I decided to set it in that familiar sword & sorcery fantasy world I had created years ago where many of my stories—including my novel FORTUNE’S PAWN—take place. Since music was part of the dream, the idea of roving bards as teachers and keepers of the history of their land became appealing, and I just ran with it. Little by little I’ve been fleshing our their part of the overarching world, giving each bard a tale of his or her own, with a common thread binding them all. That’s what this book is, an introduction to the world of these restlessly footloose musicians, poets, singers, and keepers of the lore. Within those pages you will find three distinct stories about the adventures of three different bards.

AP: This is also the debut of your own author based imprint via Pro Se-Hansen's Way. First, tell us how it feels to have such a body of work that you've been given your own imprint?

NH: There are times when it is mindboggling, and I’m surprised I can keep the details straight. I keep wondering if the well will run dry, but I never seem to run out of ideas. It does help to have some series diversity amongst the stories so that if X doesn’t seem appealing, or I’m stuck for an idea, I can go write something for Y or Z.

Over the years I have kept writing down story concepts and shoving them in files, with the idea I would sit down someday and flesh them all out. Some were actually finished tales, others no more than a few sentences. I remember when I first hooked up with Pro Se back in the spring of 2010, I told Tommy Hancock I had lot of mothballed stories I could write up and send him, and he said bring it on! I don’t think he was expecting 21 short stories from me that year! LOL He was a very good sport about it, and encouraged me to keep sending them in. Many of them were set in that same world, just different places and characters.

When I was approached about having my own imprint—which is an honor for someone who previous to 2010 was an unknown writer—I immediately thought about all those Terran World short stories, and bringing them in under one banner. I have 5 different series amongst those right now; each series with its own unique setting and recurring characters, and there have been some crossover characters and settings between them. It just makes more sense to keep them under one flagship imprint than scattering them hither and yon in other publications. I have other series that I write outside this world setting that will still be appearing elsewhere, as well as full length novels and other projects. So I’m going to be quite busy!

AP: What is the direction or guiding mission of Hansen's Way? What do you hope to do with the imprint?

NH: The main thing for now is getting these 5 story lines off the ground and establishing characters and settings, and hopefully a loyal following of readers. What I hope to do down the road is interest other authors in contributing stories that fit within the concepts of each separate series title and the overall Terran World. For the present time I have enough backlog of work that I can fill anthologies fairly easily. When the time comes that I can’t keep up, and I feel enough reading material is out there that interested writers should have a good grasp of how to handle these series, I’ll send out the call for submissions. It’ll be a while though! I have not yet plumbed the depths of my files.
AP: You're fairly a newcomer to Pulp. What about Pulp appeals to you, a fantasy writer.

NH: I am relatively new to both pulp writing and the published work, though I have been a big Robert E. Howard fan for many years. I didn’t really know anything about pulp per se, just that I loved Howard’s breathless pacing and direct approach to getting a story told. I’ve always been an avid fan of the epic/heroic swashbuckling adventure fantasy—could never get enough of that. It’s the kind of thing that works so well for pulp, which is big on action and heroes. If it’s got magic and swordplay, mythological creatures and a big otherworldly backdrop, I’m in!

Now that I’ve written on both sides of the line, I can say that the fundamental difference between mainstream fantasy and pulp fantasy is that pacing. The mainstream books tend to be very long, with convoluted plots and some sort of hero’s quest involved. Pulp is generally shorter, more straightforward, and a simpler plot that is easily satisfied in 200 pages or less. Both share a tendency for recurring characters in series stories, and that ‘larger than life’ hero opposing some arch villainous force over the course of the story.

Now that I’ve had a chance to write to a pulp audience, I find I prefer that quick pacing with shorter intervals between action scenes. Even reading mainstream fantasy now, I get impatient when the story plods through some long introspective moments. I don’t mind those sections as long as the action doesn’t bog down while our heroine is discovering her destiny. Keep that bow twanging during the breathless chase across the tundra while you’re soul searching and it makes for a far more exciting read, and you still get the point across.

AP: Readers of Fantasy and/or Pulp, what will they find that they love in TALES OF THE VAGABOND BARDS?

NH: In all my fantasy writing these days, I tread a tightrope between what I know the mainstream fantasy readers are looking for and what the pulp world expects. I don’t want to alienate either camp, because at the end of the day, all I want to do is tell a good story well. With the Vagabond Bards, which are not necessarily a fighting group, it’s been a real test of skill to make the stories appeal to the mainstream fantasy reader, who will have certain expectation; and yet maintain that headlong excitement throughout that pulp fans crave. Mainstream fans want a complex world setting with plenty of details and characters they can relate to and cheer along. Pulp readers want a wild ride with lots of action and adventure. So since I already have that big world behind all this, it comes down to characters and plot.

What this book has is three unique and separate tales of three different bards doing what they do best—using their talents and knowledge to help and educate the folks around them. I think what really shines in these is the characters themselves, and their dedication to what they do, and to each other. Each bard has a distinct personality, some claim to fame, and a background history, and yet they are brought together by a common cause. The three adventures are very different and not at all tame: a desperate attempt to secure a handwritten book of history before it is confiscated, a frantic search for a talented young boy before something happens to him that will alter his life forever, and a rather comical and poignant ‘rescue’ attempt for a local thief by the man who loves her and the bard who gets dragged into the whole sordid mess. If you love good old fashioned adventures in a world where magic and religion are often at odds, you’re not going to want to miss this book.
AP: What are your future plans for the Bards?

NH: Definitely more tales! I’ve barely begun to plumb their depths yet. I’ve brought in some new bard characters along the way that are begging for their own stories. What works well about these is that because they are not your typical fantasy action hero out swinging a sword or flinging spells, there is room for all ages and abilities to have a starring role. For instance, within this book, I have mentioned both a senior female bard and a young boy who will be joining them in the not distant future, and both could easily be featured in their own adventure stories. I see no reason why I can’t use a blind or disabled character, someone with a checkered past (done that once already in fact), bards with varying ethnic or gender identities, or addiction issues (ditto, though it’s outlined in another series). That’s one thing that is fun about these characters; they open a lot of possibilities.

I’ve already mentioned the idea of bringing in other writers to the imprint at some point, and it’s very likely that the Vagabond Bards series is going to be the first place that happens. I think the whole nature of having a rotating cast works very well for that. This is the one series under the imprint where other writers would have a good opportunity to create a brand new character. I’m really looking forward to seeing what others can come up with when we get that far.
AP: If you had to point out one thing about your writing that you hope readers take away from reading one of your books, what would that be?

NH: Actually, I have a couple of goals…

First of all, I like to make the point that everyday people can still do extraordinary things. Throughout my writing, many of my heroic characters don’t fit the mold of ‘superb physical specimen’ that you see quite often in pulp. Some of them have nagging emotional issues, less than ideal appearance, there are various vices mentioned—and a few are downright flawed. I do that on purpose, because I want these characters to resonate with readers, so that instead of seeing someone whose looks and personality are superhuman and unattainable, they remind you of someone you know, and can feel comfortable with. So when the character does rise to the occasion, you’re right there with them, wrapped up in that situation, cheering her or him on.

I want my villains to have real motivation, something that while it might be skewed thinking, is understandable. That’s how it is in the real world. We’re judged on our deeds today, but our background plays a long way into what we’ve become. Don’t worry, these scoundrels are nasty and you’re going to want to see them get their due, but it’s understood there is more reason to their madness than this is someone who is pure evil incarnate.

Most important of all, I want to tell some rousing good tales. While a story can uplift, enlighten, and make you think, it should also be entertaining. That’s the most important part of fiction writing as far as I’m concerned. I want you to shut that cover at the end of a book feeling good about what you read, and a little sad that it’s over. If I can accomplish that, then I’ve done what I set out to do: write the kind of stories I love to read.

PRO SE ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK AND IMPRINT-PULP FANTASY DONE 'HANSEN'S WAY'!

2012-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

Pro Se Productions

Press Release for Immediate Release-

FANTASY DONE ‘HANSEN’S WAY’-NEW IMPRINT AND NEW BOOK FROM PRO SE!

Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher in the New Pulp Movement, announced its latest release today! A three story collection entitled ‘Tales of the Vagabond Bards’ written by Nancy Hansen is now available. Hansen, a prolific author in Pulp Fantasy, follows up her first novel, “Fortune’s Pawn” with this trio of tales set in the same world as the novel, but looking at events through a different set of eyes.

According to Pro Se, “In a time of upheaval, where magick and religion often collide, those who keep the old ways are increasingly shunned and ridiculed. The Vagabond Bards, a dedicated group of musicians, singers, actors, poets, and teachers of the unwritten oral folklore of the Terran Worlds, are finding themselves coming under pressure to disband or face probable imprisonment—even death. For generations these roving men and women have spread throughout the population, dedicating their lives to educating and assisting their fellow Humans while recording and preserving their knowledge and experiences, making sure the tales of the past are kept alive throughout the mostly illiterate masses. Sworn to Understand, Love, and Keep the Truth, they now face strong opposition from the upstart religion of Helios the Sun God, whose belief is sweeping the countryside, rewriting history and changing views of the past in the most alarming manner. These are the tales of those heroic troubadours, who fight for justice not with weapons, but with words.”

This exciting collection of fantasy fiction from one of New Pulp’s brightest stars in the genre not only debuts a whole new cast of characters and tales from Hansen, but is also the first volume in Pro Se’s latest author focused imprint-Hansen’s Way!

There are times when it is mindboggling,” commented Hansen concerning her work leading to her own imprint, “and I’m surprised I can keep the details straight. When I was approached about having my own imprint—which is an honor for someone who previous to 2010 was an unknown writer—I immediately thought about all those Terran World (the home of the Vagabond Bards) short stories, and bringing them in under one banner. I have 5 different series amongst those right now; each series with its own unique setting and recurring characters, and there have been some crossover characters and settings between them. It just makes more sense to keep them under one flagship imprint than scattering them hither and yon in other publications.”

“Nancy is a hit,” stated Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se, “both with the company and readers eager to follow her work. “Fortune’s Pawn” had a great showing as a debut novel and Nancy has so many stories bubbling and ready to boil over, stories that appeal to all sorts of readers-Pulp fans, fantasy followers, and more! And now they can all easily find her work by following ‘Hansen’s Way.’”

Hansen’s Way is the latest Pro Se imprint. Following the announcement mid 2010 of Reese Unlimited, the first Pro Se imprint, Hansen’s Way is the second Author Focused Imprint from the publisher. “When an author,” Hancock commented, “presents not only with a large, but a solid body of work, such as the imaginative worlds of fantasy whirling around in Nancy’s mind, it makes sense to put them in a package, in a sense. Especially when the stories hit a vein with fans as Nancy’s obviously have.”

“Tales of the Vagabond Bards” is available via Amazon as well as via Pro Se Pulp’s CreateSpace store (https://www.createspace.com/3778916) in print and will be available via Smashwords and Amazon as an ebook within the next week!

For more information on this title or any Pro Se publication, email Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net and check out Pro Se at www.prosepulp.com!

ILLUSTRATING THE EARTH’S CORE!

2012-01-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sequential Pulp Comics shared this beautifully elegant preview page by artist Tim Burgard for the Martin Powell penned graphic novel, TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE. The graphic novel is licensed and authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and published by Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics.

Look for TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE coming in 2012 as part of the 100th Anniversary celebration of pulpdom’s favorite Ape-Man.

You can learn more about Sequential Pulp Comics at http://www.sequentialpulpcomics.com/
You can learn more about Dark Horse Comics at http://www.darkhorse.com/

ECKERT TO PROVIDE BONUSES TO TITAN'S 'OTHER LOG OF PHILEAS FOGG' RELEASE!

2012-01-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Frpm Win Scott Eckert-

I'm very pleased to announce that I'll be contributing two bonus pieces to theTitan Books reissue of Philip JoséFarmer's "secret history" novel The Other Log of Phileas Fogg.

Other Log reveals the hidden events behind Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. First published in 1973, the book is considered to be one of the first examples of elder steampunk.

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg is currently scheduled for release in May 2012, and is available for pre-order at major outlets such as Amazon andBarnes & Noble. Editions include trade paperback and digital (Kindle & Nook).

Other Log kicks off Titan's series of Wold Newton novels, to be followed by Time's Last Gift in June 2012. More titles will follow, so stay tuned to Mr. Farmer's official website, and Facebook (Philip Jose Farmer | Win Scott Eckert) for more information.

As for the bonus materials, the new edition will contain the following pieces, exclusive to this edition:

a new afterword entitled "Only a Coincidence: Phileas Fogg, PhilipJosé Farmer, and the Wold Newton Family"
a timeline entitled "A Chronology of Major Events Pertinent to The Other Log of Phileas Fogg"

So get over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and get your pre-order in now!

PULP 2.0 PRESS BRINGS YOU A THRILLOGY OF TITANIC TALES!

2012-01-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Cover Art: Douglas Klauba

PRESS RELEASE:

You want a bargain? You got it: 3 brilliant novels by the Master of Adventure himself, Edgar Rice Burroughs - A PRINCESS OF MARS, TARZAN and THE MUCKER. Featuring cover and interior illustrations by none other than Doug Klauba (http://www.douglasklauba.com/). All for the low, low price of ONLY 99¢ on your Kindle or Nook. Coming to you soon. Read it before the new movie, JOHN CARTER hits theaters.

For more on Pulp 2.0 Press, please visit http://pulp2ohpress.com/