Monthly Archive: September 2012

FORTIER TAKES ON ‘DINOSAUR JAZZ’!

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

DINOSAUR JAZZ
By Michael Panush
Curiosity Press Book
316 pages

Saying I liked this book would be one of the grossest understatements ever to come from my pen. “Dinosaur Jazz,” by Michael Panush has leaped into the top three of my favorite pulp novels thus far this year. Yes, dear readers, it is that good, as I’m about to explain.

The back story goes like this. At the turn of the 20th Century, a massive island is discovered in the Pacific Ocean teaming with real dinosaurs. Not only dinos, but wooly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers share this savage land together; creatures from different epochs. There is also a race of barbaric humans the early explorers of the island call Ape Men. The island also contains half a dozen strange ruins completely alien to the world’s leading archeologist. Called Archeron Island, it is the setting for Panush’s tale of high adventure.

The narrative kicks off several years after the end of World War One. By this time colonists from around the world, especially Great Britain, have established cities along the island coast line and under the auspices of the League of Nation, an international administration sees to the day-to-day governing of this amazing land. Still there are gangsters and smugglers who have made a lucrative business from all the natural riches Archeron offers. The protagonist is Sir Edwin Crowe, a dino guide/hunter and the son of the island’s discoverer, Lord Horatio Crowe. Sir Edwin and his step-brother, an Ape Man named James and raised by Lord Crowe after his parents died, are content with their lives. Edwin had fought in the Great War and his haunted by the memories of those days.

Their idyllic existence is unexpectedly turned upside down when a ruthless American industrialist, Selwyn Slade, arrives on Archeron leading an army of mercenaries and a coterie of lawyers. Slade wishes to buy all the land upon which the mysterious ruins rests and will do anything to possess them. Then a rampaging army of Russian Cossacks and Mongols led by a sadistic former British General named Ironside appear in the jungles and randomly begin attacking some Ape Men villages while at the same time arming others with modern weapons and urging them to warfare.

Suddenly the land Sir Edwin calls home is about to erupt into battlefield that will leave it bloodied and scarred forever unless he can discover the truth behind Slade’s bizarre scheme and prove his connections to warlord Ironside. From the swank jazz clubs of Victoria City to the frozen wastelands of the Aspholdel Heights, Sir Edwin, James and their colorful band of allies will battle desperately to uncover the truth and sacrifice all to save the most amazing island in the world.

Rampaging dinosaurs, sexy torch singers, airships, Tommy Guns, cavemen, pirates and a oriental Dragon Lady; “Dinosaur Jazz” has everything a pulp fancier could want and it’s all mixed brilliantly into a tale that is both original and marvelously entertaining. It is the epitome of what New Pulp Fiction is all about and Michael Panush is a superior writing force to be reckoned with. Enough of my prattling, if you love pulp fiction, “Dinosaur Jazz” is required readying. Do not miss it.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: “Sherlock!”

Saturday Morning Cartoons: “Sherlock!”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N90ezHF-GI[/youtube]

I think just the concept will make some people I know very very happy, certainly happier than the concept of Elementary is making them.

And you know, you just need the actors to do voices. Certainly Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman can fit that into their schedules, right? After all, if Cumberbatch can muscle his way into an episode of The Simpsons, and there’s going to be a manga version of Sherlock coming this October, we’re already three quarters of the way there…

Marc Alan Fishman: Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Has Already Been Canceled!

OK, no it hasn’t. But I bet I sure got your attention. Let’s have a quiet chat here, nerds, shall we?

Joss Whedon, Emperor of the Nerds, has ascended to the top of the mountain in Hollywood. Who knew all it took was a couple billion bucks behind the largest franchise film in history to get there? With that being said, Disney / ABC / Marvel has officially dropped the proverbial “dump-truck of money” at Joss’ gilded doorstep. And with it comes his triumphant return to television. And every geek in America (and parts of Europe and Asia, I suppose) holds its breath in anticipation.

The S.H.I.E.L.D show, as we’ve gleaned from what few words have graced us from St. Serenity, will take place in the Marvel Movieverse, but will not be sequel to The Avengers. Aside from that? Well, there’s not much else being said. So what are we to do? Speculate of course! Consider this my open air wish list for the show itself. What it could be, and what it shouldn’t.

First and foremost? I want continuity. I want the show to play in not just New York. I want weekends in Wakanda, layovers in Latveria, as well as trysts in the Triskelion. Marvel has a rich tapestry to explore, and a series that gets too many kicks in a single environment ends up becoming predictable. I’d like to think of the helicarrier as our Serenity, and the 616 provides us a new and cool place to explore every week.

And while we’re on that topic, who, prey-tell, should be doing the exploring? If I had my way, I’d free Colbie Smulders from How I Met Your Mother (which I truly love) in lieu of a permanent station as the show anchor. Whedon is known for his strong portrayal of female characters. Sadly, the movie was too pumped full of testosterone to really have much for Maria Hill or Black Widow to do beyond get a little scuffed, and pouty. I say play to your strengths, Master Joss. Maria Hill would not only be recognizable to the masses, but she (Ms. Smulders) has the depth and chops to carry a show on her shoulders with ease. And beside her? Well, I want all the S.H.I.E.L.D. stalwarts. Dust off Falcon, Quartermaine, and the offspring of Dum Dum Dugan (since I believe he was in the Cap movie and is quite not-amongst-the-living).

And what good guy is good without a bad guy to combat? Marvel’s bench is deep with cool villains perfect for the silver screen. Obviously no spy-based show in the 616 would be worth its’ salt without the perfunctory associations of ne’er-do-wells: Hydra, AIM, the Hand, etc. Heck, bonus points if they incorporate “The Ten Rings” from the Iron Man franchise. But aside from the machinations of large criminal organizations comes a bevvy of singular baddies that S.H.I.E.L.D. could be responsible for removing from the picture. Who here wouldn’t giggle a little if they saw the Purple Man, Baron Zemo, or dare I suggest the Hood making their way onto the teevees? No one, that’s who.

And would it be too much to ask for an occasional cameo? Yes, we know that all the Avengers are going to have full dance cards for a while. But nothing, and I mean nothing keeps fans (casual and crazy) coming back for more than the off chance the real Dr. Banner, Dr. Stark, or Captain America shows up to shoot the breeze. And if not for our “actual” movie stars, maybe a secondary cameo from Dr. Selvig, General Ross, or Agent Coul – err… never mind. The point remains the same. After five-plus feeder movies? There’s a metric ton of characters in the toybox that will help keep the show fresh.

And if I have only one wish fulfilled for this show-to-be… it’s all in the presentation. Smallville started strong, but quickly degraded into predictable schlock. The tendency for all TV (dramas and sci-fi shows alike) is to become machines of procedure. S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t bode well if it quickly becomes “case of the week.” Same could be said if it goes the direction of Lost or Heroes… and becomes obsessed with serialization. The key is, was, and will always be balance. Have an overarching storyline peppered with great single episodes to chew on. With an ensemble cast in place, this will all fall in line.

Ultimately, Whedon’s return to the medium that has raised him up as much as it’s let him down stands to be a great reckoning for our king-nerd. Where Firefly and Dollhouse were quickly dispatched due to poor schedule placements and too-small-of-a-fanbase-to-keep-it-on-the-air, S.H.I.E.L.D. stands the most promise to succeed if only for it’s parent franchise feeding the masses now hungry for more Marvel. You know, all those people who loved the movie(s) but were way too afraid of going to a comic shop to read about their new favorite characters. So long as the show can walk the line between “cool spy adventures” and “snarky fan-service”, and Marvel backs the show up with continually successful movies… the sky is the limit. And in that sky? A gleaming CGI set for the Triskelion.

Marc Alan Fishman and fellow ComicMixers Emily S. Whitten, Mike Gold, Glenn Hauman and Adriane Nash will be at the Baltimore Comic-Con today and tomorrow, mostly hanging around his Unshaven Comics booths, selling his wares to the unwary, and screaming obscenities at nearby Yankees fans. Drop by and say hello.

SUNDAY: John Ostrander and George Bernard Shaw, Shakespeare, Del Close, and Stan Lee.

 

Review – Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt

Review – Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt

Peter Cannon Thunderbolt is back and Dynamite delivers it with style with a new number one that came out this week.

Dynamite has done a great job with taking old pulp concepts like Lord Of The Jungle and bringing them back with a new look and style, yet remaining true to the concept. Peter Cannon is no exception.

Issue one opens with the Thunderbolt battling a dragon. Experiments with nuclear testing caused a dragon to appear in the sky. It was subdued (for the moment) by the Thunderbolt and led countries to talks about nuclear disarmament. We flash forward two years later and Peter is looking miserable as he prepares to be interviewed on another talk show. The thunderbolt identity is known to the world. Peter did this to stop people from being hounded by reporters – now finds himself facing the challenges of celebrity and fame. Things didn’t go quite as expected and Peter seems to be searching for a way to overcome the distractions in his life.

Along the way, new and old acquaintances to the previous thunderbolt series make their appearances, foreshadowing future issues to come. The conclusion is unexpected and in a good way. Steve Darnall and Alex Ross managed to capture a lot of the qualities that made the character so intriguing, and manage to build an intriguing mystery to keep you coming back for more. Jonathan Lau’s Thunderbolt is impressive, but I think my favorite panel in the issue is peter, alone in his dressing, head down and drowned in shadow. In conveyed his personal happiness better than anything else in the whole issue. It’s the little storytelling things that make or break a good book and that little panel was a nice touch. A credit should also be shared with Vinicius Andrade for that as well.

Beyond the main story, Mark Waid introduces Pete Morisi Thunderbolt story never before published. A little bit of that Charlton fanboy in me squeed at reading this retelling of Peter Cannon’s origin. Who better to tell it then Morisi himself?

Originally, this story was going to be published for DC Comics in the Secret Origin’s anthology that Mark Waid was editing at the time. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the story never was published until now. In it you meet Peter Cannon, and get a great re-telling of his origin. You see him train and master the ancient scrolls to become the Thunderbolt. The hooded one, the man studying the scrolls before Peter was chosen for them, also appears and begins to become a thorn in Peter’s life, from his trials to the main plot of the first story.
Using his telepathy, the hooded one manipulates Lucifer Barnes into hatching a dinosaur egg and sets it loose in the city. As the thunderbolt, Cannon foils the plot and vows never ever to be that man again…until next time.

The final thing in here that’s kind of neat is the essay in the back written by Steve Darnall called Pete’s Dragon, which talks about the influences for the main story in the book which is a fascinating read.

You’d be very hard pressed to find a book this week worth the money paid for then with this. Two comic stories – including a Peter Morisi comic, a promising first issue and one of the amazing four covers for the book, all in all a great comic worth reading.

The Point Radio: First Look: New Seasons Of HAVEN & SONS OF ANARCHY


Fall TV is set to kick off in days, and we’ve got exclusive looks at two returning series. HAVEN starts season three on SyFy and the cast talks about why this is the biggest yet. And the red hot SONS OF ANARCHY roars back to FX, but after that explosive season last year, where can they go from here? Will anybody get out alive? Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal and the rest of the cast weigh in.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube Channel!

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THE TOTAL PULP EXPERIENCE! WILL MURRAY’S PULP CLASSICS! AND MORE FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

 
September 7, 2012
 

 

Radio Archives is very proud to announce that we have Upgraded all of our Pulp eBooks, and you can upgrade the eBooks you have purchased from Radio Archives for FREE.
 
For the last four months a team of 35 people working around the clock under the leadership of John Olsen have upgraded every one of the Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks.
 
What did we do? We made the eBooks look better by polishing the formatting, making the graphics crisper, and a new Table of Contents when you open the book just like in a pulp magazine. Other improvements include putting the front cover at the beginning of the book.
 
As part of the upgrade every eBook has been proof-read several times so you can enjoy these wonderful pulp stories as they were written.
 
We made it easier to purchase by eliminating the zipfile. Buy a Will Murray’s Pulp Classic from your iPad or other mobile reading device, and be reading within seconds. There is no need for a desktop computer.
 
When you see the Radio Archives brand on a product, you can be assured of its excellence.
 
What is the Total Pulp Experience? Look for the Total Pulp Experience graphic on the cover of all the Popular Publication pulp eBooks where we have added every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine including the letter column. Radio Archives is all about preservation. What better way to preserve these great pulp Magazines than by reprinting everything? We know you wouldn’t want to read an incomplete book.
 

“We’ve decided,” stated Will Murray, “that from now on, most Will Murray Pulp Classics eBook will contain every story, editorial feature and even the letter columns from the original pulp magazine. Previously, if we reprinted the lead novel from the October, 1934 issue of The Spider that was all you gotthat juicy story. Going forward, we’re giving you the back-of-the-book short stories too. We do leave out the ads.”
 
Murray explains this in terms of the stories the line has already become known for putting in eBook format. “This means that with the Spider eBooks, you’ll also receive the popular Doc Turner stories by Arthur Leo Zagat and Emile Tepperman’s Masked Marksman backup series. Since both pulpsters also ghosted the lead Spider novels, this makes sense. On Operator #5, we’ll be including Zagat’s Red Finger stories where applicable.”
 

Reasons for this change are numerous, including providing more stories and bringing great, lesser known stories and characters back to a pulp-hungry public after decades. Murray noted, “With the growing interest in pulp eBooks, RadioArchives.com is simply doing what it has always done, going back to its Old Time Radio roots: Innovate. Improving the product is something Radio Archives has always striven to do. The new Total Pulp Experience eBooks means that the customer will get everything worthwhile that can be culled from a given magazine. That’s the appeal. Of course, our anthologies like “The Moon Pool and Other Wonders” are a different deal.”
 
Bringing the Total Pulp Experience to Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks by including the additional stories from the original Pulps will give readers a better sense and experience for what it was like to read a complete magazine right off the rack.
 
For those of you who have purchased eBooks already in the smaller size will not be left behind. Customers who have purchased the previous eBooks will be able to upgrade to the new versions at no additional cost. “The exciting part for me,” said Will Murray, “is that Radio Archives automatically upgrades my Will Murray Pulp Classics eBooks as it converts them. Every customer will receive the same courtesy at no cost. There will be no orphaned customers at Will Murray’s Pulp Classics!”
 
Will further said “This was Tom Brown’s brainstorm. I give him full credit. It’s part of his vision to remain current through constant innovation and the need to stay on top of the ever-evolving technology. The same thinking that inspired Tom to offer our original versions in multiple formats so that customers did not have to repurchase any eBook should he change devices, or the devices themselves change, compelled him decide to implement this idea. No purchaser suggested it. No one complained over the lack of short stories in The Spider. But Tom decided that their absence needed to be rectified. Me, I just stay out of his way.”
 
If you have already purchased Will Murray’s Pulp Classic Ebooks all you need to do is send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com and we will send you instructions on how to upgrade. You will be able to upgrade all of your eBooks in just a few short days from now. Send your email today and be among the first to be upgraded.
 
Fantastic characters and great stories from Pulp’s Golden Age have had new life as a part of Will Murray’s Pulp Classics. Now readers can enjoy even more of the authentic feel of the Classic Pulps thanks to The Total Pulp Experience!
 
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store, the Barnes and Noble Nook store, and RadioArchives.com.

 
 

Receive an exciting original Spider adventure for FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
 
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect opportunity to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
 
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
 

See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
 

Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of  the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!

 

 

The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and more, Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!

 

A horde of shaggy-browed, blood-hungry madmen with uncouth, primitive weapons, with unlimited vitality and bottomless ferocity, are hewing a path of terror and destruction through the very centers of civilized America — organized and directed by a passion-mad, money-lusting arch-criminal whose devilish cunning has trapped even the Spider, Master of Men, sole champion of outraged humanity, in a net from which, apparently, there is no escape. Who but Richard Wentworth is to pick up the cudgels in defense of mankind — of civilization? Who else can wage successful war against the most malevolent, the most resourceful criminal brain that ever set itself to gut the heart of a nation! Total Pulp Reprint. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
 

A shrill scream pierced the quiet night as the mighty Plutonic breasted the glassy waves. As if at a signal, countless passengers, young and old, men and women, were seized by an epidemic of frantic self-destruction. By water, fire, steel and lead they tried eagerly to hurl themselves into oblivion — into the greedy arms of Anubis, grim Egyptian deity of death! Richard Wentworth, who defended humanity in the guise of the dread Spider, recognized the suicide-mania immediately as an extremely cunning attack by the master-brains of the international underworld. Yet when his fellow men needed his protection more than ever before, the Spider lay gravely wounded, ruthlessly harried by Law and Criminal, while his beloved Nita, fortified by her courageous love, went forth to prove she was indeed the Spider’s mate! Total Pulp Reprint. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks.

 

By plague and fire, bribery and chicanery, terrorism and extortion, the insane dictator Ursus Young has established himself as the supreme ruler of America. Who is left with sufficient strength to thwart him? Already he has scattered far and wide the organization of which Operator 5, America’s Secret Service Ace, forms so important a part. Against such tremendous, dictatorial power Jimmy Christopher finds himself battling with a desperation such as he has never felt before… Total Pulp Reprint. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks.

 
Curt Newton, Joan Randall and the Futuremen cruise into a strange world peopled with weird, pallid inhabitants, on the quest of a lost satellite which was mysteriously plucked from the sky! Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. With his Futuremen, Grag the giant robot, Otho, the shape-shifting android and Simon Wright, the Living Brain, he patrols the solar system in the fastest space ship ever constructed, the Comet, pursuing human monsters and alien threats to Earth and her neighbor planets. The exploits of Captain Future, Wizard of Science, originally appeared in the pages of Captain Future and Startling Stories magazines back in the days before NASA’s manned space program. Captain Future returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.

 

Out of the teeming turbulent East had come Dr. Yen Sin — saffron-skinned wizard of crime — bringing to the Capital of the West all the ancient Devil’s-lore at his command — and a horde of Asian Hell-born to help him spawn it. But Michael Traile — The Man Who Never Slept — had crammed into his own keen brain the means to cope with the sinister doctor. For he knew even the secrets of the Dragon’s Shadow and how to penetrate the yellow murder fog that had descended on the capital to mingle its blood-wisps with the mist from the Potomac. Total Pulp Reprint. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. One of the Bonus stories is written by Arch Oboler
 

All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store and the Barnes and Noble Nook store! and RadioArchives.com!
 
 

 

The end of World War II brought much change in the world and in American Society. As the middle class gained more money, Suburbia grew and the face of the United States changed, entertainment changed right along with it. A prime example of radio reflecting 1950s life can be heard on Father Knows Best, Volume 5 from Radio Archives.
 
In its initial incarnation, Father Knows Best was not much different than similar situation comedies of the period. However, by 1949, it became something quite unique for the period, a solid, well-written portrayal of typical Midwestern family life with a surprising emphasis on well-shaded characters, rather than outlandish situations, to bring out the humorous side of suburban life.
 
Played by Robert Young, the title character of Jim Anderson is a successful insurance salesman living in Springfield with his wife Margaret and their three children: Betty, Bud, and Kathy. Thanks to excellent writing and the outstanding acting talents of the principals, these hilarious slices of everyday life rise above the norm to make Father Knows Best one of the highlight series of late-era network radio entertainment.
 
Heard today, Father Knows Best still hilariously reflects the interpersonal relationships of a typical American family. Regardless if it’s the 1950s or the 21st Century, certain aspects of raising a family never change and remain hilariously consistent. Peek into the past and find a bit of yourself in Father Knows Best, Volume 5 from Radio Archives! Ten hours, twenty shows are available now for only $29.98 on Audio CDs or $14.98 for the Digital Download.
 
The interest in Digital Downloads has always been good but for the last 4 weeks it has been the preferred version for 80% of our customers, more than double the rate before. Because of your great response, Digital Downloads of any of our Old Time Radio sets will be priced at 50% off the regular Audio CD price through the end of the year.
 
You can continue to get the same sparkling high quality audio content as our compact disc collections at a reduced price, Delivery immediately upon payment, and the ability to play them on your phone, computer, or portable device! Purchase the audio collections you love and enjoy them in a whole new way!
 

Rapid Fire Radio
A Column by Tommy Hancock
 

Reviews!
In an era of reality TV, it’s fantastic to take a listen back to a time when Game Shows were original and both entertained and challenged the audience! Information Please, Volume 1 from Radio Archives presents a classic radio Game show that truly reversed a formula already old hat by game show standards! Instead of quizzing audience members or contest winners, regular citizens sent in questions and a panel of experts had to answer the queries from John Q. Public! Funny, interesting, and fresh and new nearly every episode, Information Please, Volume 1 is a hoot to listen to! Find out how much fun Information Please, Volume 1 is for only $29.98 for Audio CDs or $14.98 for the Digital Download version.
 
Tommy Dorsey. Count Basie. Vaughn Monroe. Les Brown. Names that Big Band fans will never forget, but also four of the brilliant pioneers of one of the most fantastic periods of America’s musical history. The Best of the Big Bands, Volume 1 features performances by this legendary conductors and orchestras as well as several others! Like lightning in a bottle, this collection recaptures a time when the music America moved to was played in large nightclubs and dance halls and filled with brass and bravado! Dance your way back to a simpler, grander time with The Best of the Big Bands, Volume 1 only $29.98 for ten Audio CDs.
 

Television had nothing on Radio as far as Reality shows. Night Watch, Volume 1 from Radio Archives is a collection of real on the scene action as a police recorder rode each week with a California officer on his nightly patrol. Night Watch captures the stark reality of police work in the 1950s and honestly, lets modern listeners realize that not a lot has changed in over 60 years. No punches are pulled with this ‘as it happens’ crime show as the action of the night in each episode is broadcast as it happened, making listeners feel very much as if they are there. Ride along with Night Watch, Volume 1 from Radio Archives for only $29.98 for ten Audio CDs.
 
Although his comedic star rose mostly due to TV, classic funnyman Milton Berle brought his audacious personality and unique humor to radio. Often a guest on many shows, Berle actually landed his own program, The Milton Berle Show, collected as a ten hour set by Radio Archives! Each week, Berle satirically saluted some aspect of American life and culture. Nothing was safe from this brilliant performer’s razor wit. Making light of such august institutions as farmers and railroads, Berle also picked on lighter subjects that were in the public eye, such as Good Health, Public Service, and even the medium he was played on – radio. For guffaws and giggles as well as wonderfully witty commentary on times gone by, The Milton Berle Show is a great bet! Only $29.98 for Audio CDs or $14.98 for the Download version.

 

 
Read by Doug Stone
 

One of the most bizarre pulp magazines ever published was titled The Octopus.
 
Released in 1939 by Popular Publications, it turned the formula of The Spider on its head. Instead of centering on a fearless avenger of crime, it focused on the master criminal himself!
 
His true identity unknown, The Octopus is a denizen of the underworld, bent on bringing America’s greatest city to its knees through a campaign of terror and horror never before seen.
 
Writers Norvell W. Page of Spider fame, backed by Edith and Eljir Jakobsson produced this weird epic under the name of Randolph Craig. Evidently they were attempting to duplicate the success of The Spider—with a weird twist. But there was more to The Octopus than an archfiend who dressed like a cuttlefish. Just as no pulp series can last long without a worthy villain, they understood that without a formidable foe, The Octopus would flop. So they created a hero with three identities. Jeffrey Fairchild is a wealthy medico. By day, he masquerades as kindly old Dr. Skull, treater of the sick in New York’s East Side slums. But at night, he dons a more sinister guise and becomes the sworn foe of all crime—The Skull Killer! Branding his kills on the forehead like the Spider, The Skull Killer takes on The Octopus and his purple-eyed minions in the wildly over-the-top story, The City Condemned to Hell.
 
Backing up this masterpiece of weird menace are three novelettes torn from the pages of the only issue of The Octopus ever published. This audiobook is narrated by the talented brothers of Doug Stone and Glen Stone.

 

 
Fantastic tales of action and adventure come alive in an exciting modern way thanks to Will Murray’s Pulp Classics line of Audiobooks from Radio Archives! Heroes that stir the imagination and Villains that chill the soul made Pulp Magazines extremely popular in the early 20th Century and fans today can thrill to those same wonderfully written, wild stories as performed by the leading names in Audiobooks today!
 
The Master of Men deals his own brand of justice in the Spider, enhanced audiobooks crafted by producer Roger Rittner. Featuring the excellent voice of Nick Santa Maria, the stories of one of Pulp’s greatest characters erupt with new energy. Combine that with the wonderful talent of Robin Riker as Nita Van Sloan and wrap it all up in sound effects and a full musical score, and the Spider is a great Audiobook for any Pulp Fan!
 
From Hero to Madman, Will Murray’s Pulp Classics covers every base! Doctor Death, possibly one of the strangest, most imaginative creations to come out of the Pulp Era, spreads his malignant evil to a modern audience, thanks to the talented Joey D’Auria. As Jimmy Holm and his Secret Twelve attempt to defeat the strange scientist, Doctor Death wreaks havoc as he wills! With D’Auria’s voice giving the twisted doctor life, Doctor Death is definitely a great Audio Adventure!
 
Classic characters of Yesterday come blazing into Today thanks to Will Murray’s Pulp Classic Audiobooks! The Black Bat swings in guns blazing, courtesy of Michael McConnohie! Voiced by Richard Epcar, Dan Fowler: G-Man, takes criminals head on! The Octopus spreads his tentacles of terror in the first Audiobook to feature the Bonus short stories from the original magazine as performed by brothers Doug and Glen Stone! Operator Five, The Three Planeteers, Secret Agent X, and so many more classic Pulp characters and tales make Will Murray’s Pulp Classic Audiobooks a must have!
 
Even Pulp’s greatest hero makes his Audiobook home at Radio Archives! Doc Savage, as written by Will Murray himself, thunders through tale after tale, thinking and fighting his way through the worst evils imagined. Thanks to the extremely talented Michael McConnohie, these enhanced audiobook adventures, beautifully produced by Roger Rittner, sound very nearly like full cast productions. The Man of Bronze and his terrific team of aides are larger than life in Will Murray’s Doc Savage Audiobooks!
 
 

 

The Master of Darkness investigates baffling mysteries in two classic pulp novels by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, The Shadow must unravel the baffling mystery of “The Ribbon Clues” to stop a serial killer and unearth hidden millions! Then, to unmask a diabolical supercrook, The Shadow follows a bizarre trail of murder that leads from San Francisco to Chicago and Manhattan as “Death Rides the Skyway” in an thrill-packed tale of industrial sabotage and deadly greed. This instant collector’s item showcases both classic pulp covers by George Rozen and the original interior illustrations by legendary artist Tom Lovell, with historical commentary by Will Murray. Buy it today for $14.95.
 

The pulp era’s greatest superman returns in two titanic tales by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, the unbelievable sight of “The Man Who Fell Up” sets Doc and Pat Savage on the trail of the Man of Bronze’s missing aides and a super-weapon that could change the course of World War II. Then, the FBI wrongly links Doc Savage and his aides to brutal outbreaks of mindless insanity! Can the Man of Bronze elude the G-Men long enough to solve the incredible mystery of “The Three Wild Men”? This double-novel collector’s edition features both original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of ten Doc Savage novels. Buy it today for $14.95.
 

One of the top crime-fighters from the golden age of pulp fiction, The Spider returns in two thrill-packed adventures written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in “Laboratory Of The Damned” (1936), Poisoned! Struck down by a deadly assault from a mad murderer, the Spider finds his friend Stanley Kirkpatrick, Commissioner of Police, doomed to a stupor of living death. Nor is he the only victim… also stricken with the dread malady is Richard Wentworth’s fiancee, Nita van Sloan! The Spider battles both the Law and the Underworld to survive! Then, in “Hell’s Sales Manager” (1940), The Brand wields a weird new weapon that sucks everything in its path into a vortex of destruction! How can even the Master of Men fight an enemy that seems to simply vanish? While this reign of terror goes unchecked, the Spider finds his every effort hampered by a human bloodhound assigned to track down and eliminate him. These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. Available now for $14.95!
 

Altus Press is proud to announce the release of the third volume in its acclaimed Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series, written by Will Murray and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson.
 
Set in the Fall of 1936, The Infernal Buddha tells the epic story of Doc Savage’s desperate quest to control the Buddha of Ice, a relic of unknown origin—and what may become the most dangerous object on Earth!
 
When a mummy arrives at Doc Savage’s New York headquarters wearing the clothes of his missing assistant, engineer Renny Renwick, Doc, Monk, and Ham rush to Singapore where they get on the trail of a swashbuckling pirate who calls himself the Scourge of the South China Sea, in whose hands a piece of the infernal Buddha has fallen. The trail leads to Pirate Island, the fate of Renny, and a mysterious box containing a terrible, unstoppable power.
 
But that is only the beginning of the quest into which the Man of Bronze plunges—one that will take him to the upper reaches of the Yellow Sea and a series a wild ocean battles against the vicious factions fighting for control on the infernal Buddha.
 
Before it is all over, every human life on Earth will tremble on the brink of eternity, and Doc Savage will face his greatest test.
 
“This may be my wildest Doc novel to date,” says author Will Murray. “The Infernal Buddha is a fantasy epic full of corsairs, criminals and other culprits. The menace is planetary. The threat, extinction. Doc Savage has a reputation for saving the world. This time he does it on the greatest scale possible. I began this book back in 1992, working from an opening situation Lester Dent started in 1935. Together, we have produced a true Doc Savage epic. And it only took about 75 years….”
 
The Infernal Buddha features a startling cover painted by Joe DeVito, depicting Doc Savage as the Buccaneer of Bronze! This cover was painted from a still taken in 1964 of legendary model Steve Holland, and is a variant pose shot for famed illustrator James Bama’s classic cover to The Man of Bronze. There has never been a Doc cover like it! Buy it today for only $24.95 from Radio Archives.
 
 

By Dr. Art Sippo

 
As Doc Savage arrives at London’s Croydon airport, a shooting occurs. A thin white man is wounded and cries out for someone named Sen Gat. As Doc comes to his aid, the wounded man throws him a small package and asks him to keep it safe. Inside the package is a strange black waxy stick. From that point on, Doc and his men are under assault by the oriental mastermind Sen Gat and his cronies who are trying to steal that black stick. There are actually several of them and Sen Gat wants them all. The battle rages in London and the body count rises. Doc and his men meet the lovely and resourceful Lucile Copeland whose father Calvin Copeland was lost on an expedition to Indochina seeking the legendary monster known as “The Thousand-Headed Man.” Lucile believes that Sen Gat knows where her father is and that he too is seeking the “Thousand-Headed Man.” Somehow the black sticks are part of the key to this mystery.
 
Doc and his men accompany Miss Copeland on an airplane expedition to the depths of Indochina following a chain of horribly carved pagodas all leading to the mysterious lair of the Thousand Headed Man. Along the way, they encounter the scions of an ancient lost cult millennia old and its strange rustling weapon that can incapacitate or kill. At the same time Sen Gat and his band of criminals are in pursuit using the deadly weapons of modern times. Caught between the forces of Aulden and contemporary evil, can Doc Savage and his men survive let alone prevail?
 
“The Thousand-Headed Man” was originally published in July 1934. It has remained one of the perennial favorites in the Doc Savage canon. The story includes exotic locales, a wily oriental villain, lost civilizations, mysterious means of death, and a central mystery the solution of which is the denouement of the story. All the things that make up the true pulp adventure novel we all know and love are here along with the skillful writing of Lester Dent at his best.
 
It is no wonder that “The Thousand-Headed Man” had been chosen in 1966 to be the first story adapted in a series of Doc Savage movies that would have starred Chuck Connors. Mr. Connors actually went on the late night Johnny Carson show to announce the planned series. There was even a comic book from Gold-Key based on this story as a tie in to the movie. Sadly the film never came to pass. But the story was adapted into a radio play that was broadcast on NPR in the late 1980s the recording of which is currently available from Radio Archives.
 
Thrill now to ‘The Thousand Headed Man”, including the color cover and the internal artwork, as well as another full length Doc tale. Get Doc Savage Volume 20 for only $12.95 from Radio Archives!
 

Comments From Our Customers!
 
Paul Gray writes:
Many thanks for the prompt attention in refunding the duplicate payment I made for the download for Mutual Radio Theater vol. 2 recently. Since then I have downloaded three more sets from you. All this is great stuff and the quality is superb as per usual. In future I will be concentrating on downloads instead of CDs – the saving in cost is a tremendous help — and there is no need to find a lot of extra shelf space.
 
Robert Graff writes:
I recently purchased your download editions of several shows including your set of the Mercury Theater on the Air. I was highly impressed by the quality of these shows, especially Mercury Theater as I’ve only ever heard fair to poor sounding copies of those shows. Also, one request I would love to make assuming that it’s possible, would be a collection of remastered episodes of Flash Gordon. The copies that have been available and floating around for years have been, in my opinion, barely listenable do the poor sound quality and this is a series that I think would greatly benefit from your work.
 

Barney McCasland writes:
I’ve listened to The Octopus “The City Condemned to Hell”, and I have to admit it was more entertaining than I remembered, due, I suspect, in no small part to Doug Stone’s reading. I enjoyed Doug and Glen Stone’s readings of the three bonus short stories.

 

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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Klaus Janson returns to Daredevil– along with Bendis, Mack, Sienkiewicz, and Maleev

Klaus Janson returns to Daredevil– along with Bendis, Mack, Sienkiewicz, and Maleev

Finally, after being announced almost five years ago, we have a preview.

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Daredevil: End of Days #1, from the creative tour de force of Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz and Alex Maleev! When Matt Murdock’s greatest secret remains a mystery – there is only one man who can uncover it, investigative reporter Ben Urich! Witness the end of the Man Without Fear this October in Daredevil: End Of Days #1!

DAREDEVIL: END OF DAYS #1 (AUG120637)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & DAVID MACK
Art by KLAUS JANSON, DAVID MACK, ALEX MALEEV & BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
FOC – 9/17/12, ON-SALE 10/10/12

Diamond announces August 2012 Best Sellers

Avengers Vs. X-Men #9 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in August 2012, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

DC Entertainment was August’s leading publisher in Retail Dollars, leading Marvel Comics 33.32% to 32.42%. Meanwhile, Marvel Comics edged DC Entertainment on the Unit Market Share for the month, 37.18% to 37.12%.

For the second month in a row, Geoff Johns and Gary Franks’ [[[Batman: Earth One]]], the original graphic novel that reimagines the early days of Batman, was the best-selling graphic novel to retailers.

Based on Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s best-selling Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, Square-Enix’s Batman: Arkham Asylum Play Arts ~Kai~: Harley Quinn Action Figure was the best-selling toy product to comic book specialty retailers in August.

Earth’s most powerful heroes join the HeroClix campaign with the DC HeroClix: Justice League Expansion from WizKids/NECA, the best-selling games product to comic book specialty retailers in August.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER

DOLLAR

SHARE

UNIT

SHARE

DC COMICS

33.32%

37.12%

MARVEL COMICS

32.42%

37.18%

IDW PUBLISHING

5.88%

4.64%

IMAGE COMICS

5.75%

5.37%

DARK HORSE COMICS

4.92%

3.89%

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

3.19%

3.16%

EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD

1.83%

0.40%

BOOM! STUDIOS

1.52%

1.48%

VIZ MEDIA

0.96%

0.41%

ARCHIE COMICS

0.85%

0.82%

OTHER NON-TOP 10

9.35%

5.52%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

 

DOLLARS

UNITS

AUGUST 2012 VS. JULY 2012

COMICS

6.49%

6.38%

GRAPHIC NOVELS

22.13%

19.48%

TOTAL COMICS/GN

11.23%

7.43%

AUGUST 2012 VS. AUGUST 2011

COMICS

19.27%

14.22%

GRAPHIC NOVELS

14.95%

24.74%

TOTAL COMICS/GN

17.80%

15.09%

YEAR-TO-DATE 2012 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2011

COMICS

20.51%

17.97%

GRAPHIC NOVELS

14.13%

12.78%

TOTAL COMICS/GN

18.41%

17.54%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK

DESCRIPTION

PRICE

ITEM CODE

VENDOR

1

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #9

$3.99

JUN120592-M MAR

2

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #10

$3.99

JUN120599-M MAR

3

BATMAN #12

$3.99

JUN120177-M DC

4

JUSTICE LEAGUE #12

$3.99

JUN120142-M DC

5

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692

$5.99

JUN120622-M MAR

6

BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH #1 (MR) [*]

$3.99

JUN120129-M DC

7

AVX VS #5

$3.99

JUN120590-M MAR

8

BEFORE WATCHMEN: DR. MANHATTAN #1 (MR) [*]

$3.99

JUN120134-M DC

9

GREEN LANTERN #12

$2.99

JUN120196-M DC

10

DETECTIVE COMICS #12

$3.99

JUN120181-M DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK

DESCRIPTION

PRICE

ITEM CODE

VENDOR

1

BATMAN: EARTH ONE HC

$22.99

MAR120234 DC

2

THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP

$9.99

JUL068351 IMA

3

SWAMP THING VOL. 1: RAISE THEM BONES TP

$14.99

MAY120280 DC

4

SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS VOL. 1: SUPERMAN MEN OF STEEL HC

$24.99

APR120245 DC

5

BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS HC

$24.99

JAN120300 DC

6

HULK SEASON ONE PREMIERE HC

$24.99

MAY120746 MAR

7

SCOTT PILGRIM VOLUME 1 COLOR HC

$24.99

MAY121234 ONI

8

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: SITH HUNTERS TP

$7.99

APR120041 DAR

9

THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP

$14.99

SEP088204 IMA

10

FEAR ITSELF TP

$29.99

JUN120721 MAR

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK

DESCRIPTION

ITEM CODE

VENDOR

1

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE JAN128132 SQU

2

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: ARMORED BATMAN ACTION FIGURE JAN128131 SQU

3

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES RETRO COLLECTOR FIGURES APR121769 PLA

4

MARVEL SELECT: AVENGERS MOVIE ENEMY FIGURE JAN121705 DST

5

ALICE: THE MADNESS RETURNS SELECT FIGURE JAN121700 DST

6

BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE: DARWYN COOKE APR120307 DC

7

AVENGERS MOVIE: IRON MAN MK VII ARTFX STATUE MAR121684 KOT

8

BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE: DICK GRAYSON BY JOCK MAY120346 DC

9

FORBIDDEN PLANET: ROBBY THE ROBOT 12-INCH FIGURE FEB121668 X P

10

MARVEL UNIVERSE ACTION FIGURES JUN121848 HAS

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK

DESCRIPTION

ITEM CODE

VENDOR

1

DC HEROCLIX: JUSTICE LEAGUE APR121984 NEC

2

MARVEL HEROCLIX: CHAOS WAR BOOSTER BRICK APR121987 NEC

3

DOCTOR WHO ACTION BOARD GAME OCT101791 DIA

4

DC HEROCLIX: JUSTICE LEAGUE FAST FORCES 6-PACK APR121985 NEC

5

WONDERLAND BOARD GAME APR121345 ZEN

6

THE WALKING DEAD TV BOARD GAME JUL112137 CRY

7

THE WALKING DEAD COMIC BOARD GAME JUL112185 Z-M

8

MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2013 CORE SET EVENT DECK APR121978 WIZ

9

MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2013 CORE SET BOOSTERS APR121977 WIZ

10

PATHFINDER BATTLES: RISE OF THE RUNELORDS BOOSTER BRICK MAY128110 NEC

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.

Martha Thomases Goes Gangnam Style

Martha Thomases Goes Gangnam Style

My Twitter feed informed me today that my current obsession, the music video to “Gangnam Style” by Korean pop singer Psy, has passed 100 million hits on YouTube. The cool kids love it. The masses love it.

Even Batman loves it.

So I was taken aback when a friend of mine went on a Facebook rant complaining about it. He’s Korean-American, and he not only hated the video, but everyone who liked it. If I’m understanding him correctly, he thought it was over-produced, hook-heavy, and reflected badly on the Korean music scene.

I felt as if I was being inadvertently racist. The things he slammed were the things I loved. Too many cuts? Impossible. Ridiculous imagery? That’s my favorite part. I have no idea what they’re saying, but I love the way they’re saying it.

Also, I love the guy in the yellow suit.

Is my affection for this video a sign of racism? In my experience, the easiest way to spot a racist is to listen for the phrase “I am not a racist.” I’m not going to fall into that trap. And I’ve had an interest in Asian culture at least since college, when a class in Chinese Literature in translation introduced me to a new way of thinking and a new way to see the world.

I’ve loved Japanese comics since before they were cool (or at least, the beginning of when they were cool). They displayed a depth and breadth of subject matter and passion that was missing from American comics at the time, whether focusing on politics, adventure or cats.

Still, I’m not very knowledgeable about Korea. And it’s certainly racist to lump together all Asian societies as if they are the same.

I’ve struggled with this conundrum before. In the 1990s, the film Bamboozled made me question whether my love of tap dancing was racist. I remember talking to Dwayne McDuffie about it, and he said, “I think Spike Lee likes tap dancing, too.”

Does that let me off the hook?

If you think I’m being too politically correct, consider how it must feel to be on the receiving end. I had that experience when I saw the fantastic French animated film, The Triplets of Belleville. There is a part of the film when the main characters get to the United States, and everyone here is incredibly obese. I wanted to raise my hand and say “We’re not all like that.”

I imagine that my friend feels the same way when he watches Psy. I wouldn’t enjoy it if all of American pop music was judged by Taylor Swift. And I don’t even hate Taylor Swift.

It would help if there was, generally, more diversity in our popular culture. If straight white male was not the default assumption, the exceptions to straight white male wouldn’t be startling. And the people who make these assumptions know they have a problem.

Those of us in comics are among the worst offenders. It’s still front-page news when a flagship character is African-American.

Let’s work together to fix this. But first, I have to work on my pony moves.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman Returns!

 

Announcing our new Comic Store Locator!

In the spirit of giving back to the comics community and helping retailers, ComicMix now has a Comic Store Locator!

We’ll be displaying store descriptions, hours, a website address, an email address, and tags for each store in our database, with easy searching so that you can find stores near you, wherever in the world you might be, and then provide you with easy directions via Google Maps. We’re even building in hooks so that people can find your store if you stock hard to find items like mini-comics.

Of course, for this to work well, we’ll need retailers to include stores in our database, and we invite them to so do. And if you’re a fan of your local store, please tell them to put their store info in, so we can send them even more customers. And if you’re a publisher, tell your retailers too, and make sure they include your company as a tag to make it easier for them to find your books!