Author: Tommy Hancock

SPORTS PULP, SPIDER PULP AND OF COURSE AIRSHIP 27 FROM FORTIER FOR 2012!

  • News
  • December 30, 2011

In his latest flight log for Airship 27 Productions, Publisher and New Pulp leader Ron Fortier discusses what he has coming on the Pulp front personally, including a couple of Sports Anthologies and more, as well as dropping hints about what is on the docket for Airship as well!  Read the entire post at www.airship27.com and find out exactly who and what this fantastic image is!

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES!

  • News
  • December 29, 2011

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

THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Grand Central Publishing
2002

Yes, I admit it.  Head hung low, eyes cast down, I have to confess the truth.  Some of you may want to relieve me of my fedora after you hear this.

I only just this past year read a Preston and Child Agent Pendergast book.   To heap horror onto misstep, I didn’t start with the first book.  I actually quite literally started in the middle.

Okay, the hard part and gnashing of teeth aside, let’s get to it.  Preston and Child are well known in the New Pulp world, both for their individual work and their combined novels.  By far, their most popular character is that of Agent Pendergast, an FBI agent with more connections than Tootsie has pops and skills that most definitely put one in mind of past Pulp heroes.  First introduced in a less than lead role in RELIC, Pendergast captured public imagination so strongly that he moved into the first position in following novels, which are now in the double digits as far as how many there are.

Many people recognize the Pulpiness of Pendergast, comparing him to The Shadow in several instances.  Although that similarity is apparent to me, I don’t know that I actually see him as more one archetype than the other when you talk Pulp Heroes.  But regardless if you think he’s walking in Lamont Cranston’s footsteps or not, make no doubt about it.  Pendergast is one of the best representations of a New Pulp hero available to the reading public today.

In CABINET, an archaeological discovery is made in New York City, a discovery that reveals murders done in the name of perverted science over 100 years before.   A museum archaeologist and her newspaper reporter boyfriend, one who apparently has a past history with Pendergast, end up thrown into the middle of this mystery with the elusive, secretive agent.  What mystery?  Well, it’s two fold really-What happened in the late 1800s that caused so many people to be murdered, then hidden away underground?  And who is mimicking those murders all over again to nearly the exactest detail in the modern era?

There’s so much and really just a little to say about this book.  The plot is tight, well paced, enough twists and turns to keep anyone intrigued and at the same time so well handled that no one gets lost.   The characters pop off the page, Pendergast and everyone else.  The dialogue is crisp and reads as if it was being heard.  The reality of the relationships amongst the characters is stark and strong, particularly breathing life into one particular policeman that, when he interacts with Pendergast especially, comes fully alive.

THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES has no slow points, does not lag, and is replete with three dimensional characters, down to the least used of them all.  No cardboard characterization was used in the making of this manuscript.    The climax, the part of the book where most of this genre fail if they’re going to, is riveting and completely creepy.  

I came late to Agent Pendergast, it’s true.   But now that I’m here, I’m along for the ride from here on out.

FIVE OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-In the top ten of my best reads of 2011.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO HARD-BOILED SURF PULP FICTION!

  • News
  • December 29, 2011
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

HARD-BOILED SURF PULP FICTION #1

By Various Authors

Pacific-Noir Pulp Press

2011

Pulp is known for being full of various genres and especially for mixing and mingling them, even before the now popular term ‘mash-up’ was in use.  If you’re a fan of Pulp, Classic, New, or both, even a little bit, then you of course know what I’m referring to.  Western, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Crime, and so forth and yadda to the fourth power.   And the lines between all of those and other genres have been blurred multiple times by various Pulp types and to varying degrees of success. 

Now there is Surf Pulp.  And Hard Boiled Surf Pulp at that.

This first issue magazine from Pacific-Noir Pulp Press features six stories that blend surfing, a sport and pastime that has just as avid, if not more so, adherents and followers as Pulp does, and Pulp style storytelling.  Now, wait. I know what you’re thinking, that is, if you’ve had the exposure to surfing I have.   But don’t worry, this is not a collection of tales featuring Beach Boys type bands solving mysteries or Frankie and Annette finding lost treasures on Party Beach.  As a matter of fact, the mixing of Pulp and Surf is not fifty/fifty in every story, sometimes one outweighs the other more and I find that a good thing in mixed genre collections.  

Having said that though, something else that is mixed about HARD-BOILED SURF PULP FICTION #1 is my reaction.   As a whole, it’s a fun little read, running about 97 pages.  The book design is done well and the interior art is eye catching and overall does what art should do, effectively accompanies the story and adds to the reading experience.  So, presentation wise, this book is definitely a winner.

As far as the stories go, that’s where I get a little divided.  Six tales in the book and three of them I really liked and three of them left me wanting.  The lead story, THE BIG DEEP, is a private eye tale, my personal favorite type of tale, featuring PI Sam Sand, a surfer himself, on the trail of missing waves.  Interesting concept and the mystery starts out fairly solid, but then sort of gets very muddled in the middle and by the time we get to the resolution, it’s solved and everything works out, but it’s unclear how it got that way.  I really like the characterization in this story, especially Sam Sand himself, so would like to see more, but for an initial run, this one, though with good points, didn’t really ring my bell.

SORCEROR OF SIARGAO and CHIMERA are the other two that fall on the lesser side of mixed feelings.  Both are sort of quest tales, people seeking things, some abstract, some concrete, in their lives and in one way or another using the waves and surfing to do so.  And although they are different reads in a variety of ways, they both suffer from the same thing with me-murky storytelling and not a clear definition soon enough in the tales of where they’re heading to keep me hooked and interested.

Now, the other three tales in this thin tome definitely get my hopes up about future volumes.  SURFING ‘ROOTS’ is a futuristic tale of space pilots who surf strange landscapes when they get the chance, but it’s more than that.  It’s a cool other worldly tale of buddies who get into fun and out of trouble together and definitely shows the camaraderie that is so apparent in the popular culture notion of what surfing is.  Plus, the action is well paced and the setting is definitely a star in the tale.

TIGALAND is as far on the other side of the spectrum from ‘ROOTS’ as one can get, but is an A-1 Pulp tale.  Gritty, hard hitting, no holds barred Crime Pulp, this story delivers on a whole lot of levels, including engaging characters, from the two leads through the supporting cast, and a jerky sort of riding along with the story sort of pacing that works really well.

My favorite story in this book was a surprise as I expected it to be the PI tale.  RECKLESS SURFING looks at a period in the not so far future where the surf waves are patrolled by surf cops and the laws are very strict and almost basically too strict for real surfing to go on.  A really interesting character is introduced and carries this story well, that being a former surfer turned water cop, Sergeant Nelson of the Surf Enforcement Patrol.  The story is about a young surfer who gets himself in a spot with other surfers that draws the attention of Nelson.  Nelson identifies the young surfer as a good kid and basically points out what is the beginning of a relationship that will lead to adventure, crime, and hopefully good waves.   This is a very promising start to a great tale and is only the first part.  I really enjoyed the intensity that seemed to ripple throughout this particular tale, enough to tease and keep you interested, but not too much.  Yet.

So three out of six top tales, three out of six that needed a little something more.  Will I be back for future volumes and other works from Pacific-Noir Pulp Press? Sure, if they’ll have me.   This is definitely the start of something that I think has a lot of potential.

THREE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-Enough to bring me back for a second round.

COMIC VETERAN BRIAN AUGUSTYN DEBUTS ‘MR. GABRIEL’ IN COMMANDER XMAS SPECIAL!

  • News
  • December 23, 2011

This year, Jay Piscopo and his company Nemo Publishing have released yet another COMMANDER XMAS SPECIAL featuring great takes on Piscopo’s character by various writers and artists!  Also in this issue, a new comic and character is introduced by well known Comics Veteran Brian Augustyn!   Read on about Brian’s great new pulp character, MR. GABRIEL!

ALL PULP: First, thanks for joining All Pulp today, Brian.  Share a little about yourself, both professionally and personally.

BRIAN AUGUSTYN: Thanks for having me. Let’s see, I was born in Chicago, where I grew up and caught the comics bug in the 1960s.   Never lost the bug, either. Discovered mystery and science-fiction paperbacks too–and grew up a full media fanatic.  I did a bit of the fanzine scene, and so on, did my own crude comics, and experimented with story and story telling.

In the 80s I was part of the independent comics boom (following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), working friends Paul Fricke and Scott Baederstadt on a book called Trollords. Had a lot of fun there and that led me to DC in 1987, where I worked as

an editor for almost ten years. Edited Flash, Wonder Woman, The Justice League franchise and a lot more. Started writing for them too, eventually producing “Gotham By Gaslight, the first of what DC began calling “Elseworlds,” alternative takes on the major heroes–finding, hopefully, fresh perspectives and fun comics.

I went freelance in 96 and have written, Flash, JLA Year One (both with Mark Waid), and Crimson, and Out There, both with Humberto Ramos for Wildstorm/Cliffhanger.

I’ve written several hundred comics, some YA novels, story books, game scenarios and mortgage checks since then.

I’m married, have two almost grown daughters and live in Arizona at the moment.

AP:  You’re involved in the Commander Xmas online book that Nemo Publishing and

Jay Piscopo are known for around this time every year.   You’re introducing an original character.  Tell us about Mr. Gabriel.  Who is he, what’s his mission/purpose, etc.?

BA: Mr. Gabriel might be a supernatural/celestial being, though he seems to be human in every way. Let’s just say that he gets things done and saves people in mysterious ways. His mission is to help those in need or distress. In my mind, he shows up when most needed–though how he knows is part of his mystery. He’s known in New York, so people in trouble do seek him out, including the NYPD. Gabriel does not carry a gun, and probably won’t engage in fisticuffs very often, but is capable, diligent, and pretty unstoppable when he starts work. He’s a tall, solid, handsome guy in a Mitchum-esque

way, and favors white suits, fedoras and trench coats.

AP:   And the story he appears in in the Xmas special, what can you share about that?
BA: It’s Christmas Eve 1935, a young couple is visiting NYC and are mysteriously attacked. The husband is shot, the wife goes missing and an enormous blizzard shuts the city down. The clock is ticking because the woman is pregnant, due to deliver at any moment, and the plummeting temps and blinding snow put her and the baby in terrific danger. But, Mr. Gabriel is on the case and has a soft spot for baby’s born on Christmas.

AP:   What appeals to you about the pulp type characters?  Mr. Gabriel is obviously in that camp, but what about that sort of story appeals to you as both a writer and a fan?

BA:  In general, I have been a fan of pulp style fiction since discovering the paperback reprints of Doc Savage in the 60s. I love genre fiction, from detective stories, space opera sci-fi, even westerns. I like high action stories with large, colorful characters. Obviously, that’s what I’ve done for 30 years in comics, and now I’m happily stretching my prose muscles. Some of the most popular modern genre fiction from Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code novels, to Lee Child’s Reacher series, Preston & Child’s Pendergast novels, and so on and on, prove that fan interest in this kind of material is high.

AP:   Christmas stories are interesting creatures, every genre has one.  What about a Pulp Christmas story you think  makes it stand out from other Christmas stories?
BA: Good question. I think Christmas stories are sentimental by necessity and pulp-style writing allows free reign to writing emotion that more “serious” fiction might avoid. I want the reader to be thrilled, wowed and maybe choke up a little even.

 

AP:   Why would a modern audience want to read Mr. Gabriel?  What appeal does a

character set in the past have for readers today?

BA: Nostalgia for a simpler time? Fondness for potboiler thrillers? A search for heroes? A good way to escape into a fun place for a while?

Probably all of the above and much more. I promise that reader a thoughtful, caring and resilient hero solving problems with wit, determination and maybe some magic.

 

AP:   What are the future plans for Mr. Gabriel?  Any other Pulpy projects you’re working on?

BA:  I have plotted a Mr. Gabriel novel, which I plan to start writing soon. The amazing Jay Piscopo has been very encouraging and supportive in pointing me in this direction. It’s like I’m rediscovering my craft all over again.

I want to start writing a lot more prose (genre) fiction, so I’m also planning some stories with other heroes and settings as well. Not sure where I’ll place any of that, but I am excited to write them all the same.

 

AP:  Brian, thanks so much for your time!  Merry Christmas!

BA:  Thank you Tommy. Hope you enjoy the special. Merry Christmas!

FORTIER TAKES ON ‘HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE!’

  • News
  • December 23, 2011

 ALL PULP REVIEWS-by Ron Fortier

HUGH MONN –Private Detective
By Lee Houston, Jr.
Pro Se Press
176 pages
Genre blending has always been a staple of pulp fiction and there have been many sci-fi based private eye creations over the years.  Writer Lee Houston Jr. isn’t breaking any new ground with this collection. What he is doing is adding to it with a truly sympathetic character in Hugh Monn, a human residing on the planet of Frontera.  For background, we are told that there was an intergalactic war between isolationists who opposed species interaction and the allied worlds who favored it both for moral and economic reasons.  The isolationists lost although remnants survive in bands of outlawed terrorists.  Monn is a battle weary veteran of the campaign having fought with the allies.  Now he’s settled down in his one man private investigations business and the eight cases in this volume have him mixing with various humanoid species also inhabiting the city island of Galveston 2. Each is well done and adds in creating a fascinating supporting cast.
“Dineena’s Dilemna,” in which a disinherited son attempts to frame his cousin for the murder of his own mother.  Alas, private detective Hugh Moon is on the case and spots enough clues to free his client and bring the murderous heir to justice.
In “Shortages” Monn is hired by a docking outfit to solve the theft of merchandise from a highly secured storage facility. It looks like an inside job and evidence implicates one of the alien employees unless Monn can figure out how the thieves are working their operations.
In “Law and Order,” Monn is retained by a Felinoid lawyer named Mau to help clear her client from an armed robbery charge.  The problem is the store’s video tapes clearly show the defendant committing the crime. Monn has to prove that even the eyes can be deceived by digital chicanery.
With “The Siege,” Houston gives us his version of the move “Die Hard,” with Monn going up against a group of ant-like terrorist secretly taking over a major business tower at the heart of the island where he resides. Super rifle in hand, the gutsy private eye takes on this squad of trained commandos single handed.
“Where Can I Get A Witness?”  Monn is hired to subpoena an elusive witness in a motor vehicle accident case.  In the process he stumbles over the case of a popular female singer who mysteriously vanished decades earlier. What’s the connection between that disappearance and the old man becomes the puzzle he must solve before someone dies.
Then a paternity issue results in a kidnapping and ends with Monn trapping an embezzler who became too greedy, all in the story, “For The Benefit Of Master Tyke.”  This one gives us more of the detective’s character and sensitivity as he tries to keep a family from falling apart.  While “At What Price Gloria?” Monn helps an old acquaintance from an earlier case outwit foreign blackmailers and foil an assassination plot.
Finally the book ends with our hero attempting to spend, “A Day At The Beach,” only to end up solving a brutal murder with the help of a few other beach goers.
What is particularly refreshing in these tales is that Houston wisely opts not to make his hero a hard-boiled, typically cynical type.  Hugh Monn is a genuinely nice guy who likes people and aliens alike and is sincere in trying to make his world a better place for all to live in.  He’s a good guy I liked meeting and hope to see him again real soon.

THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL DEBUTS TODAY FROM PRO SE!

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  • December 22, 2011

PRO SE’S SOVEREIGN CITY PROJECT EXPLODES WITH THE LATEST CHAPTER-
THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL BY DERRICK FERGUSON
Press Release-For Immediate Release and Available for Cross Posting and Sharing
Pro Se Productions, a leading New Pulp Company that Puts the Monthly Back into Pulp, proudly announced today the release of its latest book as well as the next chapter in Pro Se’s SOVEREIGN CITY PROJECT.
From noted New Pulp Author Derrick Ferguson, creator of the popular characters Dillon and Diamondback among others, comes THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL!  A man shrouded in mystery, McCall is a known adventurer and owner and proprietor of The Heart of Fortune, a luxury gambling ship that finds itself docked off the shores of Sovereign City.   But McCall has come to Sovereign with a purpose, one that soon turns into action, adventure, and mayhem for he and his companions.  Traveling with heroes in their own right, McCall brings his unique brand of investigation and justice to a city that wants neither! 
Follow McCall and his aides as they confront the darker side of lust when they meet ‘The Scarlet Courtesan of Sovereign City.’
Instant death and insanity will lay claim to an entire city unless Fortune McCall survives ‘The Day of the Silent Death!’
McCall meets a woman who challenges him to his very core.  While trying to save her missing husband, Fortune comes face to face with ‘The Magic of Madness!’
Money, Money, Everyone Wants the Money!  A mad chase through Sovereign ensues as Fortune hunts to find ‘The Gold of Box 850!’
“This collection,” stated Editor-in-Chief Tommy Hancock, “shows two things.  First off, it shows what great creators Pro Se is working with and how wonderfully solid a concept the Sovereign City Project is.  Secondly and most important, it is just one more example of how Derrick Ferguson is one of the modern masters of this sort of writing, being able to shift from intense mystery to wonderful characterization, from masculine pulp to humorous screwball comedy type scenes, and all in the space of one story.  Derrick makes words flow better than most around today and he shows that best in THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL!’
Featuring fantastic cover art by David L. Russell based on a concept by Peter Cooper, this volume features amazing interior effects and design by Sean E. Ali!  THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL are waiting for you!
THE ADVENTURES OF FORTUNE MCCALL

Available at www.amazon.com or through Pro Se’s site-www.prosepulp.com and soon in all online retailers!  And Coming Soon in Ebook Format!

Paperback: 158 pages

            Publisher: Pro Se Press

            ISBN-10: 1468112562

            ISBN-13: 978-1468112566

LATEST PAGES OF FLYING GLORY GO LIVE!

  • News
  • December 21, 2011
“How long did you know?” Cassie asks as Elsie carries her while flying over Los Angeles, seeking where Debra is being hidden. We find out why these two women don’t get along well, but must work together to save Flying Glory. Find out what they have to say to one another in this page of Reverberations, our 10th Anniversary issue of FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY: http://www.flying-glory.com
“What will make her come to my office?”… Dr. Molly Payne wonders as more revelations are revealed.  Is it a dark future for Flying Glory? Get a glimpse in the latest page of FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY.
Looking forward to seeing you all again on January 8th, 2012.

BOOK TELLS THE STORY AND MUSIC BEHIND WEBCOMIC!

  • News
  • December 20, 2011
BOOK FOR WEBCOMIC FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY

GATHERS TEN YEARS OF LYRICS AND HISTORY

 

 (Glendale, CA) – FLYING GLORY FLASHBACK: CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF THE LYRICS, WORDS, AND HISTORY BEHIND THE WEBCOMIC FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY, a book that features the complete words for all of the lyrics featured within the storyline along with the history of the webcomic’s evolution, is now available in multiple ebook formats along with a print edition in time for the holiday season. For a decade, the webcomic FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY continues to feature the adventures of super powered teen Debra Clay, known as Flying Glory, and her backing band the Hounds of Glory. She’s mentored by her grandmother Elsie Stokes, who served as Flying Glory during World War II. The webcomic launched in the summer of 2001 with a four page short, soon followed by a twenty nine page first issue. Artwork is drawn by Kevin Paul Shaw Broden, who co-writes the adventures with Shannon Muir. Currently, each issue is twenty-four pages in length and generally posted as one page weekly in black and white. As of June 2011, the tenth anniversary of the webcomic, the website features roughly 350 comic story pages. In addition, “Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory” appeared in print for the first time this year as part of a charity cookbook by TGT Media (http://webcomiccookbook.org/order/) entitled “Webcomics: What’s Cooking?” that raises funds to feed the hungry, and for which the complete lyrics for “What’s Cooking Tonight?” used in that piece are part of FLYING GLORY FLASHBACK.

Now for the first time, every “song” from within the comic as well as special features such as the print appearance appears complete and with one text-only volume, accompanied with introductions to each section explaining the creative development behind the storylines from each period. In addition, readers get a rare opportunity to read material written by Shannon Muir before the inception of the concept as well as material from the not yet produced FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY Christmas story. The book includes a special introduction by artist, co-writer and FLYING GLORY creator Kevin Paul Shaw Broden.

Broden and Muir also have shared writing credits on several episodes of the Japanese animated series MIDNIGHT HORROR SCHOOL; he contributed illustrations to her textbooks GARDNER’S GUIDE TO WRITING AND PRODUCING ANIMATION and GARDNER’S GUIDE TO PITCHING AND SELLING ANIMATION. Muir’s worked in production on several animated television series for such major studios as Sony, Nickelodeon, and SD Entertainment. Muir’s other indie self-published novels include the paranormal focused HALF TRUTH AND FULL LYE originally completed as part of National Novel Writing Month 2011, along with her other women’s fiction/romance novels TOUCH THE STARS and THE HEART’S DUTY, and her short story/poetry anthologies SEARCH FOR A WOMAN and THE END OF INNOCENCE’S ROAD.

“I’ve always loved music, and even spent some time as radio DJ in college,” explains Muir. “But I’ve never been able to play a musical instrument. Getting to use my poetry experience as a writer to create the ‘songs’ that bring extra effect and poignancy to the stories we do in the FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY webcomic, is absolutely amazing. I always look forward to the visuals Kevin comes up with to go with my words, which are always written first based on the plot script, with an exception or two. Occasionally Kevin’s handed me a page, and I’ve said to him that I know song words that go there. I’ll tell him what they are and he’s agreed every time. It’s been an incredible ten years and I’m glad to share more insights of that journey with everyone. I hope there will be many more.”

FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY’s 36 page celebratory issue 14, “Reverberations,” began on June 26, 2011 and will be running weekly (breaking for holidays) until approximately June 2012 at http://www.flying-glory.com. FLYING GLORY FLASHBACK is currently available on Amazon for Kindle, the iBookstore, Smashwords for all other platforms including NOOK as of press time, and in print through Lulu and also for sale on Amazon. The ebook version retails for $3.99 and the print version for $9.99, with purchases helping to subsidize webhosting costs.

AUTHOR CONTACT E-MAIL FOR INTERVIEWS, ETC.: shanemuir@aol.com

PRO SE ENTERS THE E-BOOK BUSINESS!

  • News
  • December 19, 2011

Pro Se Productions announces today that while still putting the Monthly Into Pulp as it has since publishing its first work in August 2010, it now makes its extensive library available in E-book format!  Leading off with veteran Pulp Author Barry Reese’s THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY, Pro Se plans to not only make its current catalog available in coming weeks and months via the Kindle, Nook, and in other digital formats, but it also intends to make its upcoming 2012 calendar available via ebook as well.

“Yes,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Press reports, “This process has taken a while and there’s a few reasons for that.  We originally offered PDFs of our titles and those actually were quite successful, but the requests for Kindle, Nook, and more versions digitally have poured in since day one.  Our biggest hold up was having the staff to produce quality e-books.  We now have that in the person of Russ Anderson, a Pulp author and a vital part of Pulpwork Press as well.  Russ is already at work converting our current books into digital formats, hoping to complete at least one a week for the foreseeable future.”

THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY, the first book entry into Pro Se’s Sovereign City Project features a hero who awakens on the city’s shores with no idea who he is.  Taking the name Lazarus Gray, he forms a team of adventurers to battle the crime, corruption, and evil rampant in Sovereign City.  And its now available for the Kindle here at Amazon and in a variety of formats here at Smashwords!  Hancock states that it will be available from Barnes and Noble for the Nook within the week!

Stay tuned for further announcements as Pro Se enters the digital age with E-Books-Pulp Style!

A BIG NOSE, A JADE OGRE, PULPWORK, PRO SE, AND BOB & RAY-ALL FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • December 16, 2011

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

 
December 16, 2011
 
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NEW Radio Set: The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3

He butchered the English language. He sang as if he gargled with gravel. He dropped pearls of wisdom disguised as one-liners. And he had a nose that got everywhere ten minutes before he did. All of this and a genuine love for his craft and the people who enjoyed it made Jimmy Durante a star in the Golden Age of Radio and makes The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 a must have for fans today.

 
Nicknamed “Schnozzola” for his oversized nose, Jimmy Durante first came to prominence as a teenager, playing New York’s restaurant and nightclub. Bitten by the show-biz bug, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade and soon joined a musical comedy trio that wowed nightclub audiences with its boisterous unpredictability, Durante’s aggressive interaction with the musicians, and his penchant for destroying pianos in mock frustration took the group into Vaudeville and onto Broadway, where Durante became a star.
 
Jimmy continued his Broadway success in a string of popular shows and revues throughout the 1930s. But he didn’t limit himself solely to the Great White Way. On the radio, Durante’s broad delivery, overwhelming personality, and penchant for mangling his words only increased his popularity with laugh-hungry Depression-era audiences. In 1943, Durante relocated to Hollywood, where he was signed to headline a CBS series titled “The Camel Caravan”. Initially co-starred with Garry Moore, the mismatched duo instantly clicked as a team, ratings went through the roof, and Durante’s patented brand of language mangling and outraged interaction with the orchestra introduced him to radio audiences all over again.
 
When Moore left the show in the fall of 1947, Jimmy Durante signed a contract to host a new series on NBC for the Rexall Drug Company. The Jimmy Durante Show proved just as popular as its predecessor.
 
The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 consists of five hours of what makes Durante a legendary character. His tirades with the orchestra and whatever star crosses his path, his gruff, yet playful singing voice, his deliberate degradation of English verbiage, and of course his own jokes about his very own nose endear him to fans, old and new. Also, Durante is a statesman, philosophizing in pithy one-line comments on the world, on society, but most of all on how we should all get along. Taken directly from original master recordings and fully restored for sparkling audio fidelity, The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 is proof that Jimmy Durante can still leave ‘em laughing! Find out for yourself by getting this great collection for $14.98 on Audio CDs and $9.98 as a digital download!

 
 

“Personal Notice: Danger’s my stock-in-trade. If the job is too tough for you to handle, you’ve got a job for me, George Valentine.”
 
Have a High Adventure Holiday with the all purpose hero himself! Let George Do It, Volume 1 for only 99 Cents! Follow George and his Girl Friday Brooksie through all the harrowing twists and turns of each and every startling, fantastic case!
 
Swing into action with George in 10 hours of wonderfully restored audio CDs for only 99 Cents with a $35.00 Order! Just add Let George Do It, Volume 1 to your shopping cart, and then add $35.00 or more worth of additional merchandise to your cart as well. Before checking out, be sure to enter the coupon code BONUS to Let George Do It for just 99 Cents.
 
 
With Christmas approaching faster than eight reindeer pulling a sled, The Treasure Chest is the best place to find last minute gift ideas at fantastic prices. For this most special of Holidays, every DVD in the Treasure Chest is now discounted 70%! Classic Movies, Timeless Television, and More! Something for everyone on your list can be found in The Treasure Chest and at a remarkable 70% off!
 

Up, Up, and Away with classic serial super heroics! The complete 1948 and 1950 Superman Theatrical Serials on 4 DVDS! Classic Crooning From Hollywood’s Golden Age with Bing Crosby: The Screen Legends Collection!
 
Ride the Range with the likes of The Cisco Kid and Zorro, each one featured in his own 3 DVD set! Laugh at the antics of Harold Lloyd and Burns And Allen, all taking center stage in their own DVDs! Thrill to the original classic King Kong! Fly off into adventure with Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow! Sing under the Western Sky with Roy Rogers in three of his classic films! Guffaw at the Country Comedy of Lum and Abner in three movies! Enjoy the hilarity of one of History’s Greatest comics as Jack Benny is featured in two different sets!
 
Inventory of these DVDs are getting low. This is the last week they will be available as we are removing the remaining DVDs from the website after Christmas.
 
Great DVDs! Unbelievable Prices! And all at Christmastime! The Treasure Chest is full of Holiday Gift Ideas for You!
 

 

Like your Action Fast Paced? Happy about Horror and Suspense? Needing that extra tickle that only Comedy can Provide? Enjoy Music and Variety from a bygone Era? And want that and more this Christmas? Then Radio Archives is just the place for you! Restored to the highest audio quality possible, the best in Old Time Radio is available here, like these awesome collections.
 
Ride the High Seas with History’s Greatest Privateer! Fight Pirates, hunt for treasure, and write history alongside one of the most legendary seafarers ever! Get on Board with Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1. Seven hours on audio CDs $20.98 or as a Digital Download for $13.98!
 

 
Remember Archie and Jughead? Betty and Veronica? And all the Gang in Riverdale? Yep, that’s right, those fantastic characters from Archie Comics took stage front and center in their own Radio show, The Adventures of Archie Andrews! Go along with Archie and the Gang as they get in and out of hilarity each episode in this 7 hour collection, available on audio CDs for $20.98 or as a Digital Download for $13.98!
 
Great Mysteries, Witty Humor, and a Fantastic Singing Voice to beat! This and more you’ll find in Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Volume 1. Starring Dick Powell, this classic radio detective program set the standards for many of the shows to follow, both on radio and television, and features the earliest work from the fantastic Blake Edwards! And this clever criminal catching can be yours, 10 hours of a Singing Sleuth for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 as a digital download!
 

 
Thrill to one of the greatest and most controversial performers ever, putting his vision out for the audience to hear with The Mercury Theatre on the Air! This 10-hour collection is Orson Welles at his creative pinnacle, doing adaptations of classic works his way and providing us with some of the best audio drama ever! And it can be yours for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 for the Digital Download!
 
Six Guns! Guitars! Knee slapping Cowboy Comedy! All this and more can be found on All Star Western Theatre! A perfect mix of everything audiences loved about Saturday Matinees comes together in this classic Cowboy variety program! Saddle up for 10 hours of All Star Western Theatre for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 as a Digital Download!
 

 
Suspense! Adventure! Pulse Pounding Action! And Twists You don’t see coming! And all of that in fifteen minute doses! That’s what you get on The Unexpected, Volume 1. Featuring some of the greatest stars of classic radio, The Unexpected, Volume 1 puts the listener right into the thick of the action and just when you think you know where it’s headed, it takes a turn to The Unexpected! Thrill to this one of a kind suspense program, 5 hours on audio CDs for $14.98 and Digital Download for $9.98!
 
Want to get a taste of what Classic Radio was like all in one Collection? If so, then The Classic Collection is for you! In addition to thirty full-length original broadcasts, you’ll also hear a series of insightful interviews with many of the people who created and starred in some of the best-loved shows of all time. Twenty full hours of delightful entertainment on audio CD for $39.98!
 
“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…” The immortal opening of one of the most popular and best produced detective dramas of Radio’s Golden Age! Join Raymond Chandler’s modern day Knight on the mean streets of Los Angeles in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 1! 10 hours of Crime Solving at its best for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 for Digital Download!

 

 
 

 

The RadioArchives.com audiobook of Will Murray’s monumental Doc Savage adventure The Jade Ogre is sure to delight fans of audio adventure this holiday season … and into the New Year.

 

“The Jade Ogre makes a wonderful listening experience,” Producer/Director Roger Rittner says. “Will has packed a cast of colorful characters, plus mystery, intrigue, action, adventure, and a bit of mysticism into an heroic tale. It’s an epic adventure to be savored.”

 

Based on an outline by Lester Dent, the massive The Jade Ogre tells the story of one of Doc Savage’s most exciting and exotic adventures.

 

Accompanied by his aides Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, his cousin Pat Savage, and a cast of unique characters, Doc races to unlock the secret of the Jade Ogre, a fantastic Oriental villain who unleashes death in the form of disembodied flying arms, capable of disintegrating its victims in a flash of fire. But the lethal flying arms are merely the cover for a more deadly menace – the mysterious Jade Fever, which strikes down its victims with a deadly virus that turns its victims green as jade.

 

“The Jade Ogre will carry the listener from the fog-shrouded streets of the Chinatown of 1935 San Francisco, to the crumbling ruins of Cambodia, as the armless and ruthless Jade Ogre attempts to blackmail the world with his lethal Jade Fever,” author Will Murray says in his liner notes.

 

Narrator Michael McConnohie essays every role in the story with unerring vocal impressions that give life to Murray’s distinctive characters.

 

In addition to the 36-chapter story, the 12-CD set includes two bonus audio features: a continuation of Will Murray’s discussion of the creation of Doc Savage, and his memory of creating The Jade Ogre from Lester Dent’s notes, plus how Pat Savage has contributed to the Doc Savage canon.

 

The Jade Ogre is available now from RadioArchives.com at $37.98 for the deluxe 12-CD set, or $25.98 for instant digital download.

 

 

Just in time for that last-minute holiday gift, RadioArchives.com brings to audiobooks Secret Agent “X”, the man of many identities.

 

A nameless mystery man with a wartime past in the Intelligence service, declared dead by the Department of Justice, and backed by a shadowy group of powerful philanthropists, Secret Agent “X” infiltrates the Underworld to crush crime in all of its hideous manifestations.

 

The Torture Trust, the audio version of the very first Secret Agent “X” adventure, introduces the mysterious nemesis of the most nefarious criminals the pulp writers could dream up. In it, Secret Agent “X” pits all his secretive skill and devious daring against a criminal triad that wields face-destroying acid as an instrument of blackmail.

 

Read by noted voiceover actor Dave Mallow, The Torture Trust is a danger-a-minute audio introduction to this fondly remembered pulp avenger of the 1930s.

 

The Torture Trust, the latest entry in RadioArchives.com’s Will Murray’s Pulp Classics series, will provide thrills and chills to pulp and audiobook fans alike.

 

The deluxe five-CD set of The Torture Trust is just $14.98. The instant download version is just $9.98.

 

The Spider Offers A Unique Listening Experience

 

For over-the-top thrills, you can’t beat Prince of the Red Looters, the first audiobook from RadioArchives.com featuring the pulp hero, The Spider.

 

“With extensive sound effects and complete period music score, Prince of the Red Looters is an almost ‘cinematic’ experience for listeners,’ says Producer/Director Roger Rittner. “Customers are telling us it’s like a movie playing in your mind.”

 

Narrating Norvel Page’s propulsive prose, stage and screen stars Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker give life to the sword fights, escapes, insurmountable odds, nail-biting suspense, and unexpected twists in Prince of the Red Looters.

 

Prince of the Red Looters is available in a 6-CD deluxe set at just $19.98, or as an instant digital download at just $14.98.

 

More Audio Adventures Ideal for Holiday Giving

 

Listeners continue to discover and delight in Python Isle. In Booklist, the 100-year-old journal of the American Library Association, Kaite Mediatore Stover says that Python Isle, the first Doc Savage audiobook from Radio Archives.com, “takes listeners on a breathless, roller-coaster adventure ride. Michael McConnohie’s masterful pacing keeps the tension and suspense tighter than a python’s grip, and a superb blend of sound effects and music enhance the mood, lending the production a cinematic feel.”

 

The full-cast NPR series The Adventures of Doc Savage presents special adaptations of “Fear Cay” and “The Thousand-Headed Man” by Roger Rittner and Will Murray. Featuring a full cast of voice actors, extensive sound effects, and period music score, The Adventures of Doc Savage is non-stop action in 13 exciting installments.

 

A super-criminal emerges in White Eyes, the second Doc Savage audiobook from RadioArchives.com. From his skyscraper headquarters high above the streets of New York City to the sugarcane fields of Cuba, Doc Savage races to crush gangland’s latest uncrowned king. White Eyes features dramatic narration by Richard Epcar, cover art by Joe DeVito, plus fantastic extras.

 

The first Black Bat audiobook, Brand of the Black Bat, is a stirring story of crime and corruption, and of a courageous avenger determined to track down the vicious gangster who robbed him of his brilliant career, all the while thwarting Captain MacGrath of the N.Y.P.D., who suspects Quinn and the Black Bat are one and the same. Michael McConnohie reads this fantastic tale.

 

RadioArchives.com resurrects the wild and wonderful Doctor Death, one of the rare unabashedly supernatural pulp series. Equal parts Doctor Frankenstein and Albert Einstein, with a dash of Fu Manchu, Doctor Death’s supreme goal in life was to crush civilization. His first fatal foray into reversing mankind’s fortunes, 12 Must Die, is now available in an audiobook read by television and anime star Joey D’Auria.

 

 

 
 

Pulp Fans know how their favorite writers work magic with the English Language.  The Pulp Book Store is now proud to feature the works of two men who influenced radio, television, movies, and even modern day Pulp writers with their subtle manipulations of the Language, bringing humor and philosophy out of every day situations into the every day lives of Americans.  Now a part of The Pulp Book Store: Bob and Ray!
 
Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding, legendary American humorists, were loved by fans and by fellow humorists, comedians and broadcasters. Every humorist and comedian from 1946 to the present was influenced by Bob & Ray, including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, George Carlin, Al Franken, Garrison Keillor and Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote: “Their jokes turn out to be universal…because much of life presents itself as the same dilemma: how to seem lusty and purposeful when less than nothing is going on.”
 
Bob & Ray’s 40-year career began at WHDH, Boston. Bob was a disc jockey, and Ray a newscaster. When the Red Sox games were delayed on account of rain, they began to amuse each other to fill the time. Soon they had a daily show of their own, “Matinee with Bob & Ray,” an improvised, madcap exercise in controlled chaos. Over their long career, they created more than a hundred characters, all played by Bob or Ray. Wally Ballou, the hapless journalist, Mary McGoon, whose recipe for frozen ginger ale salad prefigures Martha Stewart; Biff Burns in the sports room, Webley Webster, Barry Campbell, a third rate actor with an ego the size of the universe, Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife whose pals travel the world in search of goofy adventure.
 
Their humor is subtle, dry, intelligent and clean. Bob & Ray have a keen ear for language, how it is used and misused by the con artists, hucksters and hustlers who populate radio and television. Their humor is timeless. Bob & Ray ‘s satire of soap operas, game shows, radio shrinks and other self-appointed “experts,” and commercials, is as pertinent today as it was in 1946. 
 

Bob And Ray were wizards of comic timing and practiced linguistic legerdemain like no other pair before or since!  If you enjoy your humor the way you enjoy your Pulp, clever and delivered subtly and sharply, then the Pulp Book Store now has what You’re looking for!  Bob And Ray!
 

 

Tired of giving the same old ties and gift boxes of sausage and cheese for Christmas? Bored with shopping the usual places, browsing the same sites day in and day out? Then stop! Radio Archives has just the place for you to shop and fill every need on your Christmas list with unique collectibles and fantastic books and more! The Pulp Book Store!

Pulp Fiction, thought by many to be an artifact of the past, a lost treasure of days gone by, is alive and well, both the classic tales and New Pulp stories! And the best Tales and Providers of Pulp can be found right here at The Pulp Book Store!

 
The Pulp Book Store provides both Pulp enthusiasts and those who are simply curious a one-stop opportunity to browse and shop the best the Pulp market in all its many facets has to offer every single day!
 
Pulp Fiction, even though its heyday was in the early 20th Century, has been popular as long as it has existed and continues to excite readers today. Often fast paced, action packed, and full of fantastical ideas, over the top characters, and imaginative adventures, Pulp can be about cowboys, aliens, ancient gods, two-fisted detectives, bigger than life gangsters, femme fatales, and so many other sorts of characters as it reaches into nearly every genre imaginable.
 
Pulp is also all about variety. Not only are there classic and new pulp stories, but nearly every genre has stories within it that are clearly pulp. Be it science fiction, hard boiled crime, rootin’ tootin’ westerns and so many others, Pulp discriminates against no genre. This, along with the resurgence of Pulp publishers and its popularity, is why Radio Archives has established the Pulp Book Store.
 
“The concept’s easy,” according to Pulp Book Store Manager, Tommy Hancock. “The convenience for the consumer is amazing. If someone is a fan of a particular company, they usually just go to that publisher’s site and nowhere else and that’s fine. But, speaking as a fan myself, most of us enjoy Pulp stuff from a variety of sources. With The Pulp Book Store, I can go and find several companies providing and promoting books I want. Each company in The Pulp Book Store has its own ‘store within a store’ designed as they want it to draw attention to their wares.”
 
If you’re interested in Pulp Classics, then the Pulp Book Store features the best in Pulp Reprint Publishers. Ride along with the well remembered classic Pulp heroes as they fight wrong and make right! Or, if your interest leans more toward more obscure characters, you’ll find those too in some of the great replicas and reprints produced by leading publishers in the Pulp world, all right here at The Pulp Book Store!
 
Looking for something new? Pulpy tales written by modern writers and using either original characters or simply new stories about existing characters, are growing in popularity. Pulp icons blaze new trails in original adventures, such as Will Murray’s all new Doc Savage novels. A pantheon of modern original heroes step front and center to keep up the good fight as well. New tales in a classic style keep Pulp Fiction current and alive and can be found here at the Pulp Book Store!
 
And it’s not simply about books! Pulp has reached its adventurous tentacles into other mediums as well, including posters and audio drama! And you’ll find examples of that as well in various stores here at The Pulp Book Store!
 
If you purchase several products from several publishers, everything is shipped to you in the same box. Our Flat Rate ground postage means that no matter how many companies you buy from, you pay only one small amount for postage and you pay for everything together. Possibly the best news, Place your order by 7:30pm Eastern Time and your order is mailed the same day. Unbelievable but true.
 
“If Pulp is a part of your life or not, then browse the Pulp Book Store and enjoy,” says Hancock. “If you end up there out of curiosity or by accident, then please look around. We’re sure there is something offered by our many Publishers that will intrigue you. Regardless, Pulp is here to stay. The Pulp Book Store is the one stop shop for the Best in Classic and New Pulp today!
 
Christmas Discounts From The Pulp Book Store To You!
 
As their gift to you, several Publishers in the Pulp Book Store are offering limited time only discounts to you this Holiday Season! From Now through December 30th, take advantage of the Christmas Specials from the Best Providers of Pulp Today!
 
Whether or not you’re looking for modern action adventure, new tales of heroes stranded on lost worlds, or a brand new take on the return of the Lord of the Vampires, You’ll find that and more in the Pulpwork Press store! And, as a special Holiday offer, Pulpwork Press is offering a 20 % discount on ALL merchandise in its store! Through December 30, 2011, thrill to the New Pulp adventures of Dillon, Dracula, The Gantlet Brothers, the Dire Planet and so much more at 20 % Off!
 
Masked men! Sword Wielding Women! Private Eyes from the Future! Psychotic heroes from the Past! Pro Se Press puts the Monthly Back into Pulp with its regular production of new books as well as its magazine, Pro Se Presents, each month! And, just in time for Christmas, Pro Se offers 20% off of ALL titles currently in the Pulp Book Store! Titles like The Rook, The Adventures of Lazarus Gray, Fortune’s Pawn, YesterYear and more at a 20% Discount! From Pro Se Press to You, Happy Holidays!
 
Not only can you find the Best in Pulp Today, but from now until December 30, 2011, You can find it at a great price here in The Pulp Book Store!

 

 

The Man of Bronze battles the supernatural in classic pulp thrillers by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage follows his stolen dirigible to a magic island and discovers the lost city of Ost, in an expanded novel with never-before-published text from Lester Dent’s original manuscript. Then, Renny Renwick awakens in the body of a fugitive gangster after encountering a strange impish man. What is the bizarre connection between the One-Eyed Mystic, a stolen military secret and a Nazi plot? This classic pulp reprint features the original color pulp covers by Robert G. Harris and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eight Doc Savage novels.
 
The Shadow’s true identity takes center stage in two classic pulp novels that inspired the classic 1940 Shadow movie serial. First, explorer Kent Allard is invited to join The Green Hoods, a hooded secret society whose true purpose is an enigma. Then, airplanes carrying wealthy passengers disappear over the Rockies, setting The Shadow on the trail of the criminal mastermind called Silver Skull. PLUS “Prelude to Terror,” a 1939 radio classic. This instant collector’s item showcases both classic pulp covers by George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Edd Cartier and commentary by popular-culture historians Ed Hulse and Will Murray.

 

Review of “Crooks Go Straight” from The Shadow, Volume 11

By John Olsen

“Crooks Go Straight” was originally published in the March 1, 1935 issue of The Shadow Magazine. This story follows the reformed lives of two ex-crooks, Steve Zurk, a bank robber, and Jack Targon, a swinder. But both have recently been pardoned by the governor, and are now free men.
 
Aboard the Eastern Limited, headed for New York, Zurk and Targon discuss their past lives and their bright future. Both are determined to go straight and make a success of their lives. In the compartment next door, The Shadow listens to their conversation via a small wire. Although his usual task was to harry men of crime, The Shadow had more than once aided ex-crooks to go straight. And this was one of those times.
 
And so, two ex-convicts begin their new lives. Crooks have gone straight. Or have they? There are sudden murders. Robberies. And signs point to one of the two. Or perhaps, both! Only The Shadow can solve the mystery. Only The Shadow can uncover the true mastermind behind the scheme. Only The Shadow can clear the innocent and unmask the guilty.
 
This story features Cliff Marsland, Hawkeye and Harry Vincent in major roles, with Clyde Burke and Burbank taking minor ones. Police Commissioner Ralph Weston and Detective Joe Cardona appear to represent the law. And The Shadow appears in his disguise as Lamont Cranston. Moe Shrevnitz appears briefly, and is described as a reserve agent of The Shadow. I always considered Moe to be a full-time agent, but keep in mind that his was an early tale of The Shadow.
 
The story features that strange vial (spelled phial, here) of purplish liquid which restores The Shadow’s strength after being injured in a two-story fall. It’s been used in other stories, and always intrigues me because of its vague power. We’re never told exactly what it is, but its effect is immediate. Are we talking about some illicit narcotic, here? Somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised.
 
“Crooks Go Straight” and one other Shadow classic can be yours today in The Shadow, Volume 11 for $12.95 here at Radio Archives!
 

Comments From Our Customers!
 

John  Skelton:
I really enjoy your old time radio products and your great service. These old time radio programs are very enjoyable to listen to as you know.
 

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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