On this week’s episode of The White Rocket Podcast, New Pulp Author/Publisher Van Allen Plexico is joined by New Pulp best-selling author Jeff Deischer for part 2 of the series on “Superheroes in Novels and Beyond.” Van and Jeff discuss his new novel, THE GOLDEN AGE, which brings the classic Better/Nedor characters such as the Black Terror roaring into the New Pulp/novel realm. They discuss what makes pulp pulp, and what happens when you throw superheroic characters into that style of storytelling.
‘Tis the season to be geeky! The Earth Station One podcast crew offers suggestions on what to get for the geek in your life this holiday season. Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, William Faber, Dan Carroll, Phantom Troublemaker, David Keep, and New Pulp Author Bobby Nash offer gift ideas to help keep the Grinch away. See what pulpy gifts the ESO crew want in their stocking this year.
Plus, actress/model/natural therapist Virginia Hey, from fan-favorites like Farscape, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and The Living Daylights (ESO’s first Bond Girl interview!) spends some naughty and nice time in The Geek Seat. We also review the latest episode of The Walking Dead. There’s also just enough time for some Shout Outs. Ho! Ho! ESO!
You can listen to Earth Station One Episode 139 here.
Moonstone, a leading Publisher of New Pulp and Heroic Fiction, announces the debut of unabridged audiobook versions of two of its best titles written by a fan favorite author and featuring characters familiar to fans of genre fiction everywhere! In conjunction with Dynamic Ram Audio Productions, a company bringing several New Pulp companies’ works into audiobooks, Moonstone released “PARTNERS IN CRIME” written by CJ Henderson with Joe Gentile and read by Fiona Thraille and “KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER: A BLACK & EVIL TRUTH” also written by CJ Henderson and read by Mark Kalita.
In Partners in Crime by CJ Henderson and Joe Gentile, the Past meets the Future to defeat an unspeakable evil! Europe, 1945, the final days of World War II. A sinister plan to defeat the Allies using black sorcery is thwarted, only to be resurrected again in a form more terrible than ever before! Now, over six turbulent decades, across multiple continents, and through the darkest alternate dimensions, a force of unimaginable power is poised to subjugate all mankind! Bound by time, a band of heroes will rise! Their names are legend; their exploits are known around the world: Kolchak: the Nightstalker, Boston Blackie, Johnny Dollar, Lai Wan, Candy Matson, Pat Novak, Blackshirt, Mr. Keen, and Jack Hagee. Now, this amazing group will find themselves pitted against a power that transcends time and space… an evil so corrupt that the fate of humanity may hang in the balance! Listen as these classic characters of Television, Novels, and Radio explode into being as read by Fiona Thraille. Download Partners in Crime for only $9.99, over 7 hours of mystery and intrigue at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/fionathraille.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker A Black & Evil Truth by CJ Henderson stars everyone’s favorite reporter of the weird and strange, Karl Kolchak, in his most bizarre adventure yet. Carl Kolchak was just your average reporter until the day he put two and two together and came up with evil. A reluctant paranormal investigator, Kolchak couldn’t stop tripping over the unusual even if he wanted to. And for all of his efforts of seeking the truth… unemployment and ridicule have followed him like the plague. Someone, or something, is tearing people up into little pieces in small town West Virginia. It’s up to Kolchak to wade through the bloody science jigsaw puzzle, while watching his back against an unseen foe! It’s a cat and mouse game, as he battles a maelstrom of terror that everyone around him gets sucked into. Chills and thrills abound in this Adventure Horror tale thrillingly voiced by Mark Kalita. Over 7 Hours of Kolchak for only $9.99! Download Kolchak the Nightstalker: A Black & Evil Truth from Moonstone and Dynamic Ram at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/markkalita.
Titles are and will be soon available to multiple online providers of Audiobooks!
Put yourself in the action, adventure, horror, and terror of two of Moonstone’s most popular novels by downloading and listening to the Audiobooks today!
DC and Marvel revamp their characters a lot. A lot. They’ll give suits and names to new people, give them back to the originals again, come up with interpretations so far afield of the original that there’s nothing left but the name. And they all fail or succeed at varying degrees. While it may not actually be the case, Aquaman is generally considered to be the most-rebooted character in DC Comics. There were so many versions of him that he was declared “radioactive”, and left to lay fallow for many years until Geoff Johns had the time to come back to him and start him anew, largely by going back to basics. Not exactly ignoring everything that’s come before, but by creating a good enough current version that people were willing to forgive and forget the past.
After a bit of thought, I came to the conclusion that the most rebooted character in Marvel Comics is The Hulk. Not in the sense of a new origin or person in the suit, so to speak, but in the vibe between the character and his alter-ego. The battle for control between Bruce Banner and The Hulk has been there since day one. But the winner in the game, and the playing field on which the battle has taken place, has changed more often than Katy Perry after her third encore. The Hulk has been made intelligent, made less intelligent, been shot off into space, made MORE intelligent, been separated from Bruce Banner, been re-integrated, and any number of permutations of those scenarios in between. Some have lasted years, like Peter David’s awesome run, and some, like John Byrne’s, barely got out of the gate. Most recently, we’re gained three more Hulks of varying genders, hues and textures, the original Green guy has been separated from Banner (again, see above list), and Banner was some sort of Dr. Moreauesque madman that The Hulk was out to kill. In honesty, it’s gotten so incomprehensible that I had to walk away from it all and just wait for the inevitable turn of the wheel.
And turn it has.
DC took the plunge a year ago and rebooted everything, giving them a chance to wipe the slate clean for any character that wasn’t working at what they thought at their full ability, and subtly leave alone the stuff that was (i.e., Batman and Green Lantern). And largely, it’s been a success. Marvel, all the while swearing it isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to DC’s relative win, has chosen to drink from the same hole. They’re restarting their books, with new titles, numbering and creative teams (save for Dan Slott remaining on Spider-Man, for which we are all rightly thankful). The new books do not reboot the characters in the brute-force way that DC has, but with each new creative team comes the opportunity to take the characters in A Bold New Direction.
Mark Waid, who has recently shown great style and grace on Daredevil, has been handed the reins to The Hulk in his new title, The Indestructible Hulk. Like all the new titles, it features a new hook to hang the character on. Banner and Hulk are one again, And Banner has taken a new tack in the battle – management, as opposed to containment or cure. So he resolves to do as much as he can to make amends for The Hulk’s actions while he’s in charge, and when he’s not, places himself in trust of people who can point The Hulk in the right direction so he can at least smash things that need smashing. Both of these strategies are achieved by both turning himself in to, and applying for a job with, SHIELD. He makes the case for both by presenting an invention that can purify the atmosphere and eliminate airborne diseases, and by taking out The Mad Thinker virtually single-handed – I’ll leave it to you to determine which alter-ego does which.
It’s a neat idea that goes in new directions. Like Hank Pym and Peter Parker, most writers forget that Bruce Banner is a top-level scientist, one of the greatest minds in the world. But, as he says in the book, he’s largely courted not for his brains but his body. In the past, Banner’s role has largely been that of plot-device. When he’s not his own hapless sidekick that gets in trouble at the worst moments, he’s the guy who creates a device at the last moment to control The Hulk, or at least try to. Both Pym and Parker have gotten more of a chance to let their genius shine brighter, and so far it’s stuck. Giving Banner a chance to do the same is a good idea.
I have worries, or more correctly, facets of the same worry. Namely, the book is eternally named after the muscular side of the pairing, and I’ll be curious to see how long readers will read about a scientist before they demand they Get To The Fucking Monkey. Waid has done an astounding job at character work in his career, and it’s that talent that will be needed to make the readers care as much about the brains as they do about the brawn. The first issue goes a long way towards that goal – Hulk appears less than Banner does, and Banner’s scenes in a small town diner do more to drive the plot than the Hulk pager do. Banner talks a good game, but his words could just as easily be interpreted as those of an addict trying to explain how he’s got it all figured out, this time it’ll work, he can cope with his issues.
And that sort of leads into the other facet of my worry. Like Aquaman, Hulk has been re-imagined SO many times, it’s hard for me to imagine a take that will last. It seems almost as if Waid has taken that into consideration here. Anything, ANYTHING that Banner tries to do with The Hulk is one tantrum away from falling apart. This seems like a very good idea, and Waid’s writing makes me want it to last. But too often in comics is the desire, both by the readers and the company, for a character to return to first position. So as much as I like the new improved Hank Pym, I fear that another writer is going to revert him to the bitch-slapping paranoid. So too here – I dread the day that Banner’s best-laid plans go astray once again. This is a good enough take that I WANT it to succeed, though I know that it will be decided by a power over which Banner has no control: the readership.
While we’re all busy celebrating the 49th anniversary of Doctor Who and the 50th anniversary of both Spider-Man and the James Bond movies, the daddy of heroic fantasy characters quietly turned 76 way back in February. Or, depending upon how you look at it, he turned 476.
The Phantom was the very first masked, costumed hero in comics, debuting in the pages of the many Hearst papers February 17, 1936. He wore a dark outfit – when the feature added a Sunday page, an unthinking engraver made the costume purple for some unknown reason and the color stuck. He fought piracy and other crimes and handed down his clothes, his weapons, his Skull Cave, his fortune and, most important, his legacy to his son. The current guy – most have been named Kit Walker – is the 21st. This cool concept predated Doctor Who by a generation.
One would think the locals were pretty stupid to believe this dude has been the same guy all these many years. Indeed, given the fact that the base for the Phantom’s stories is in Africa (originally, it was sort of India-ish), one might even think this concept was kind of racist. Creator Lee Falk’s liberal street-cred was impeccable and he built the myth on local folk-lore and the unimpeachable fact that criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot.
As time progressed we saw African civilization modernize as we continued to see its treasures and its history plundered by contemporary pirates and opportunist Europeans. Nonetheless, about 30 years ago I was having a conversation with the features editor of the Chicago Tribune who expressed astonishment that The Phantom polled highest among its black male readership. I told him he wasn’t reading the strip very closely.
What’s remarkable – astonishing, really – is the fact that The Phantom remains in the newspapers to this very day. This is a feat unmatched by Terry and The Pirates, Little Orphan Annie, Li’l Abner, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, and just about every other continuity newspaper comic strip except Dick Tracy and Mandrake The Magician.
I should point out that Mandrake the Magician was created by Lee Falk as well… two years before The Phantom.
The original artist was Ray Moore; subsequent talent on the strip and on the comic books reads like a Who’s Who of comics: Carmine Infantino, Bill Lignante, Sy Barry, Joe Orlando, Luke McDonnell, Dave Gibbons, Dick Giordano, Don Newton, Jim Aparo, Alex Saviuk, Graham Nolan, Alex Ross, Paul Ryan, Eduardo Barreto, and Terry Beatty… to name but a few. Writers include Peter David, Mark Verheiden, Scott Beatty, Tom DeFalco, and Tony Bedard. Tony DePaul has been writing the strip for the past twelve years; he’s also written many of the comic book adventures as well. Nearly every major American comic book publisher had a turn in creating new adventures, and it remains a top-seller in Australia, Sweden, India and many other nations.
Currently, the dailies are being drawn by Paul Ryan and Terry Beatty – perhaps best known for his work on Ms. Tree – is the Sunday artist. Terry had the awesome responsibility of stepping into Eduardo Barreto’s shoes after Ed’s sudden death last year. He’s doing quite an admirable job.
I continue to be amazed by The Phantom’s enduring appeal. If your local paper isn’t carrying the feature (assuming you still have a local paper) you can read it at King Features’ excellent Daily Ink site, where they carry all of the current KFS strips, including Mandrake, as well as reprints of many of their classics, including The Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Buz Sawyer, and about a zillion others. It costs $19.99 a year to subscribe to the whole thing, and I doubt you can spend the same amount on a better mix of comics material.
Every time we read a costumed hero comic of any sort, we owe a debt of gratitude to Lee Falk, an amazingly gifted and singularly interesting man.
A total of 6 ebook titles featuring work by Bobby Nash are now aviliable at Barnes and Noble UK’s on-line retail website. Now, Barnes and Noble UK customers can purchases Bobby’s novels (Evil Ways, Deadly Games!, and Earthstrike Agenda), novellas (Samaritan), and comic books (Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” and Real Magicalism, both with artist James Burns). Learn more about these titles at www.bobbynash.com, http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com, and at B&N UK.
Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to announce the release of its 15th title of the year, a rousing new space opera; THREE AGAINST THE STARS by Chicago based writer Joe Bonadonna. Best known for his sword and sorcery fantasies, Bonadonna now steps into a whole new arena to deliver a truly fast paced futurist pulp adventure.
On the distant alien planet of Rhajnara a conspiracy created by the facist Khandra Regime is set into motion to overthrow the rightful Rhajni Republic and instigate a policy of ethnic-cleansing. The conspirators are cunning and it seems nothing in the universe can derail their mad apocalyptic scheme.
Nothing that is but three rambunctious Space Marines from the Third Regiment Company E of the United States Space Marines assigned to Rhajnara with the Terran Expeditionary Force. Sergeants Fernado Cortez, Seamus O’Hara and Claudia Akira are the most unlikely trio ever to don jarhead camouflage and become military heroes. To their superiors they are wild, reckless and incessant troublemakers always in the thick of things. Yet their courage, loyalty and devotion to duty prove them to be the toughest Devil Dogs in the Corp.
Now, with the aid of a Medical Corpsman named Makki Doon, a young Felisian native proto-feline humanoid, these three futuristic musketeers are about to become the one factor capable of exposing the traitorous Khandra coup. But to do so they will have to put their lives on the line one more time and risk all to save the day facing off against incredible odds. To save an empire they will truly become…THREE AGAINST THE STARS.
“This is old school space opera,” cheered Airship 27 Productions’ Managing Editor, Ron Fortier. “From Buck Rogers to the Space Patrol, the classic elements in this book make for a fun read from start to finish.” The book features interior illustrations by the popular Pedro Cruz with a dynamic cover by Laura Givens and is designed by Art Director, Rob Davis. “In the end, Joe Bonadonna delivers an action packed space opera fans of Edmond Hamilton and E.E. “Doc” Smith will not soon forget.”
AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction For A New Generation!
On November 27, 47 North released Dead Man Vol 4 (Freaks Must Die, Slaves to Evil, The Midnight Special) by authors Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin, Joel Goldman, Lisa Klink, and Phoef Sutton.
After dying in a freak accident, Matt Cahill inexplicably “wakes up” three months later with the disturbing ability to see things—terrible things—that others cannot. Drafted as a warrior in the battle between good and evil, Matt will stop at nothing to destroy the malevolent Mr. Dark. In The Dead Man Volume 4, a trio of sinister new stories tracks the reluctant hero on his nightmarish quest.
On a quest to find a kidnapped child, Matt discovers an underworld of people with uncanny powers living in the shadows of New York City, trying to elude a ruthless force that’s vowed that the Freaks Must Die. Matt must run a deadly race against time to save the child, and the entire “freak” community, from bloody annihilation.
Matt goes to a town where all the cops are corrupt Slaves to Evil, terrorizing everyone and allowing crime to run rampant…but before he can battle them, he’s shot by a gun-toting teenager out to avenge Matt’s killing of her brother. Now Matt is trapped between hordes of deranged, killer cops and an innocent girl hell-bent on revenge.
The re-release of a cheesy 1970s zombie flick is sparking horrific bloodshed whenever it’s screened…and Matt Cahill is determined to stop it. His quest takes him to a grindhouse theatre in L.A., where a screening of The Midnight Special begins a night of unmitigated terror that will either put an end to Mr. Dark’s reign of evil…or mark a blood-soaked new beginning.
The Book Cave’s Panel Fest Episode 13 is live. This episode features the ‘A Tribute to Howard Hopkins and David Burton’ panel from PulpFest 2012, which celebrates both late pulpsters and their enduring works.
The November TV Ratings Sweeps are over and for the first time in a while, NBC climbed to the top. Critics are saying that the win was due to several of the network’s new shows, including the comedy GO ON. We talk to the creators and cast about just how a show about death became so funny, plus Chevy Chase finally bolts from COMMUNITY and David Tennant back on DOCTOR WHO??
