Author: Tommy Hancock

NEW DOC AUDIO BOOK, MORE PULP BOOK GOODNESS, HARRY LIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ALL AT RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • November 25, 2011
November 25, 2011

The Treasure Chest overflows at Christmastime! It’s busting at the seams with DVDs! Radio Archives has put all of our DVDs in the chest and priced at a 50% discount! Just in time for the Holidays!
 
Dig deep into our Treasure Chest Today! Many of these great DVDs will sell out quickly at this tremendous discount! When they’re gone, they’re gone! Thrill to vintage movies starring classic Hollywood stars! Enjoy classic Television Programs! Give the gift of memories of yesteryear this Holiday Season!
 
 
We have two very special items in the Treasure Chest waiting for you!
 
‘A Classic Christmas’ with Ed Sullivan on DVD for only 99 cents and the Famous Guest Stars two hour CD set for only Ten Cents. There’s enough of these two products for everyone to enjoy them this Holiday Season.
 
Merry Christmas from Radio Archives!
 

NEW Radio Set: The Lives of Harry Lime, Volume 4

Zither music. A gun shot. And a haunting baritone voice. “That was the shot that killed Harry Lime. He died in a sewer beneath Vienna, as those of you know who saw the movie “The Third Man”. Yes, that was the end of Harry Lime – but it was not the beginning. Harry Lime had many lives – and I can recount all of them. How do I know? Very simple: because my name is Harry Lime.” This opening, considered one of the classic introductions of old time radio, along with the exquisite talent of Orson Welles makes The Lives of Harry Lime one of the richest, most intriguing programs ever produced in Radio’s heyday.
 
Orson Welles played Harry Lime in the 1949 film The Third Man and in The Lives of Harry Lime. Welles had a unique and distinctive talent for radio; he had learned a great deal about dramatic production during his time as “The Shadow” in the 1930s and while creating and starring in “The Mercury Theatre on the Air” and “The Campbell Playhouse” and he brought many of radio’s production techniques to his films.
 
The character of Harry Lime is a somewhat difficult one to describe. Lime is a rogue, a scoundrel, and an opportunist – an amoral character whose main interest in life is making money and living well, no matter what underhanded activity is required. A criminal? Yes. A thief? Most certainly. And, of course, a man who is not to be trusted under any circumstances. But, for all of this, Harry Lime is a fascinating character that listeners have always found undeniably attractive – an anti-hero whose life, in some ways, bears a close resemblance to that of Welles himself, who was not above a bit of chicanery or performing a disappearing act to avoid responsibility. Harry is, above all, a survivor – and, to his credit, he has a habit of taking advantage of those who would readily be taking advantage of him if they had the chance.
 
In this final volume from Radio Archives, all of the nuances in the programs can be heard in sparkling high fidelity sound – an important consideration for a program chock full of plot details, overlapping conversations, and multi-layered sound patterns. The Lives of Harry Lime, Volume 4 is the perfect closing chapter for a classic program that deserves exactly what it gave listeners-the best of everything. The five hour collection is $14.98 for the Audio CD version and $9.98 for the Digital Download version!
 
by Tommy Hancock
 

Christmas is a time of many things. A time of remembering. A joyous celebration for children. And most definitely a time of tradition. Radio Archives brings you a timeless tale that is fondly remembered, speaks to children of all ages, and is a part of Christmas tradition in families all over the world. Looking for a Christmas adventure to enjoy with your family? Then look no further than Radio Archives’ The Complete Cinnamon Bear.
 
A 26 episode adventure that originally played six nights a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas, The Cinnamon Bear relates the adventures of Judy and Jimmy, The Barton Twins, in Maybeland, a world they discover while hunting for decorations in their attic. On a hunt for the silver star to top their tree, the twins meet Paddy O’Cinnamon, the ‘Cinnamon Bear’. With shoe-button eyes and a growl that would make any bear envious, Paddy guides Judy and Jimmy through the fantastical realm of Maybeland in pursuit of their silver star. Along the way they confront the Crazy Quilt Dragon who has stolen the star as well as characters like Fe Fo The Giant, Captain Tin Top, Mr. Presto, and of course Santa Claus himself.
 
The Cinnamon Bear appeals to listeners of all ages. For some it will spark nostalgia of a simpler time, for others it carries hints of tales and stories they read as children, and for all, The Cinnamon Bear is an excellent example of what can be done with a good story in an audio format. Some of the best voices of the period participated in this program and that, combined with the wonderful musical score and the sparkling audio quality to which its been restored makes The Cinnamon Bear a must have. It’s available now for $20.98 on Audio CDs and $13.98 as a digital download.
 

 
And if you’re already a Cinnamon Bear fan and looking for great serials to add to your Christmastime collection, then Radio Archives has two other fantastic shows to offer! Jump Jump and the Ice Queen follows the adventures of an orphan named Tim determined to find Santa and make sure that he visits the orphanage. Lost in the woods, Tim encounters a three inch tall elf named Jump Jump, very appropriate indeed. The two set out on a quest to find Santa and save Christmas! Also available is Jonathan Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon. Elves on a moonbeam enter six year old Jonathan’s room, causing his teddy bear Guz to give chase. Jonathan follows right up the moonbeam after them and straight into a mission to save Santa Claus, held captive in the land of Squeebobble. Teaming up with the Man in the Moon and others, Jonathan races through one wild land after another trying to rescue Santa and save Christmas! Each collection is $17.98 on Audio CDs and $11.98 as a digital download.
 
Christmas is also of course a time of giving! Here’s a handful of Audio gems that would make great presents for your favorite audio fan!
 

Thrill to ten fantastic hours of the hard boiled adventures of ‘America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator,” in Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Volume 1 for $29.98 on Audio CDs and $19.98 for digital download!
 
Enjoy quality family entertainment and a slice of small town life with Dr. Christian only $17.98 on Audio CDs and $11.98 for digital download!
 
Cheer for a classic Comic strip character as he fights his way to success in and out of the boxing ring! Pick up Joe Palooka on CD for $14.98 or as a digital download for $9.98!
 
Ride into Yesteryear with one of the West’s best known heroes-It’s O’Henry’s frontier Robin Hood in The Cisco Kid, Volume 1! On CD for $29.98 and Digital download for $19.98!
 
Blast off this Holiday Season with classic Sci Fi Camp! Listen to great galactic adventures on The Planet Man, Volume 1, on CD for $29.98 and Digital download for $19.98!
 
Pack all these great Audio classics and more onto your sleigh this Christmas from Radio Archives!
 
 
 

The Jade Ogre Is Doc Savage’s Epic Adventure
 
Will Murray’s monumental Doc Savage adventure The Jade Ogre is now available in a 12-hour audiobook from RadioArchives.com.
 
Based on an outline by Lester Dent, The Jade Ogre tells the story of one of Doc Savage’s most exciting and exotic adventures. Accompanied by his five aides, 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.
 
“In this tale of mistaken identity, Oriental mysticism, and high adventure, Doc faces one of his most formidable and mysterious foes,” says Producer/Director Roger Rittner. “More than 11 hours in length, this tale never flags in excitement, mystery, and thrills.”
 
As Will Murray says in his liner notes, “The Jade Ogre is my greatest pulp epic – a wild quest into the darkest heart of Asia to track a malevolent monster.”
 
Narrated by Michael McConnohie – whose previous Doc Savage audiobook, Python Isle, was an instant hit with listeners – Michael 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.
 
Listen to a sample of The Jade Ogre. 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.
 
 

Listeners are enthusiastic about Prince of the Red Looters, the first audiobook from RadioArchives.com featuring the pulp hero, The Spider.
 
Bobb Lynes writes:
“Listening to The Spider on audio is as close as you can get to the movie serial version … and you don’t have to use your eyes! Your production is as good as the serials, but with pulp ‘blood n’ guts’ thrown in.”
 
Eric Troup writes:
“The narration is perfect for the over-the-top style of The Spider. Nick Santa Maria sweeps you along in an adrenaline-filled, nonstop wave of action and suspense that simply does not let up until the end of the book. Robin Riker’s performance complements the narrative well.
 
“The sound effects made the production even more immersive, making me feel like I was watching a narrated movie. And the music! It put the final touch on my ‘movie-going’ experience. It sounded for all the world as if the sound were bouncing off the back wall of a theater. By the third chapter, I was popping popcorn and grabbing myself a soda, with my earbuds jammed into my ears all the while.
 
“This story has it all – sword fights, escapes, insurmountable odds, nail-biting suspense, unexpected twists, a superb villain, and so much more. This is an audiobook – as well as a great Spider story – that you simply can’t afford to miss!”
 
Prince of the Red Looters is available in an 6-CD deluxe set at just $19.98, or as a digital download at just $14.98.
 

 
Fans are flocking to RadioArchives.com to tune into to the audio tales of Doc Savage!

The full-cast NPR series The Adventures of Doc Savage continues to garner accolades from Doc fans as well as those just discovering the greatest adventure hero of the 1930s. With a full cast of voice actors, and special scripting by Roger Rittner and Will Murray, The Adventures of Doc Savage is non-stop action in 13 exciting installments.

 
In Python Isle, Doc Savage and his iron comrades race to untangle a weird puzzle so deep that the only clues can be found in the Bible! Written by Will Murray and produced and directed by Roger Rittner, Python Isle features dramatic narration by Michael McConnohie, cover art by Joe DeVito, and more!
 
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!
 
 
Need a unique gift for the Adventure fan in your life? Looking for that surprise for that special someone who loves tales of Heroes and Villains? Want to put a bow on the best Mystery, Horror, Sci Fi Pulp available? Then you’re in the right place. The Pulp Book Store is your Christmas Connection for fantastic Classic and New Pulp books and other products!
 


Girasol Collectables Inc. is one of the world’s largest reprinters of classic 1920s through 1940s pulp fiction. There are more than 300 different issues available in their Pulp Replica line, plus their quarterly Spider Pulp Doubles trade paperbacks, in addition to several thousand pages of classic material in various hardcover collections available under their imprint. The primary goal is to produce high quality facsimile page reproductions, scanned directly from the original pages, with no editing or reset text. The Pulp Replica series is assembled pulp-style, on off-white paper, offering not only a complete reprint of the full magazine, but a sense of the original format as well. While other reprints often call themselves replicas, the Girasol line is the only one assembled pulp-style, the others are trade paperback format. The wraparound covers and spine are carefully retouched to be as close to ‘new’ as possible. The only thing missing is the flaking paper and the smell! They are also one of the few pulp reprint publishers who adhere rigidly to their self-imposed schedules, providing regular output consistently.
 
Girasol began as an offshoot of the pulp collection of brothers Leigh and Neil Mechem. Pulp collectors since the late 1970s, the Mechems decided to expand into buying and selling original pulps on a wider basis in the late 1990s, incorporating the company in 2003. The name is taken from one of their favorite characters, the Shadow, who wears a ring with a Girasol gem; the stone is a type of fire-opal, which changes hue in different lights, and is an identifying feature of the character. The Replica line began in the late 1990s with occasional offerings, which soon went to a twice-a-month schedule, then to three-a-month, which it continues today. Leigh and Neil are involved in all aspects of producing the Replicas, which involve considerable digital work, as well as hand-assembly of the final product. The original concept, which is still their mandate, is to offer high quality facsimile versions of classic issues that are otherwise unaffordable or unobtainable to many collectors, and to continue the spirit of the classic magazines into current times.
 
One of the great things about the vintage material is the understanding writers and artists had of the nature of the heroic; while there are certainly followers of flawed and anti- heroes, the pulps offer excitement and adventure with inspiring, clear-cut characters who follow their chosen path admirably. Pulp cover art also continues to be impactful and dynamic, in spite of the changes in styles and mediums over the years. Current pop culture devotees are appreciating not only the place the original magazines hold historically, but also their influence on comic books and movies. With their emphasis on short format, fast-paced, exciting reading, the pulps are ideal for readers looking for immediate thrills.
 
Among the Mechem brothers’ personal favorites is the Spider, and they have been particularly excited to tackle bringing this great hero to new audiences through the Pulp Replica line, as well as the Spider Doubles trade paperbacks series. The Replicas offer the originals in chronological order, from #1 on up, with 12 new issues each year. January 2012 will see the start of 1940, with issue #76. The Mechems are looking forward to having the complete run of 118 original issues available in Replica form in a few short years’ time. No other major pulp character has ever been completely reprinted in a facsimile edition. The brothers are also especially pleased to have made available the early years of Weird Tales magazine, which was a major influence on horror and weird fantasy as it is today; the 1923, 1924 and 1925 issues are all but impossible to obtain in original form.
 
Girasol Collectables has been concentrating in recent years mostly on maintaining top quality reprints for fans of not only the original pulp material, but the format and style of the physical magazines themselves. Leigh and Neil hope that the Replicas will not only provide existing collectors and enthusiasts with items for their collections, but will also introduce newcomers to a better understanding of these vintage classics via a convenient but faithful reprint medium.
 
 
Sanctum Press unleashes two new Reprint Volumes of Pulp’s Greatest Heroes into the Pulp Book Store!
 
DOC SAVAGE Volume 53!
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 Volume 55!
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.
 
Knightraven Studios brings Epic Pulps to the Book Store
 
Radio Archives is proud to welcome Knightraven Studios and Wayne Reinagel to the Pulp Book Store!
 
Pulp Heroes – More Than Mortal
Pulp Heroes – Khan Dynasty
Modern Marvels – Viktoriana
 
 
Review of “The Murder Master” from Doc Savage, Volume 15

By Dr. Art Sippo

The Red Spider is an authentic lost Doc Savage novel that had not been printed in any magazine. It was rediscovered by Will Murray in the late 1970s among Lester Dent’s papers. The original title was “In Hell, Madonna” which was a quote from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Scene Five: “I think his soul is in Hell, madonna.”
 
It is 1949, and the world is buzzing with this question: “Do the Russians have the atomic bomb?” Doc Savage is sent on a secret mission to the heart of the Soviet Union to discover the answer. He is flown in by a supersonic aircraft and does a high altitude parachute jump into the heart of Mother Russia. Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks are already there under deep cover. The plan is to infiltrate the heart of the Kremlin and discover the truth.
 
Doc and his aides must make their way through hostile territory where the secret police hold the populace in thrall and everyone is considered a spy until proven innocent. The Bronze man battles with both his wits and fists to carry out his mission.
 
During this adventure he meets a host of intriguing characters: Zardnov, the Russian spymaster, Seryi Mitroff, a beautiful female Russian agent whom Doc Savage starts to fall for, the mysterious Frunzoff who holds all of Russia’s secrets and Josef Stalin, the mad dictator of the Soviet Union whom Doc Savage confronts face to face. This is a cold war spy novel that presaged the work of Ian Fleming, John le Carre, and Len Deighton. Don’t miss it! Available now for $12.95 from Radio Archives!
 
Comments From Our Customers!
 
Fred Bacon:
Great quality and great programs. At 76 I have many fine memories of what is called Old Time Radio. I heard my dad tell my mom, years ago…”I know he has that radio on under his blankets”
 
Jim Gaudet:
Now that you are carrying the Altus books, among others, I plan to make a series of very large orders. Let me offer my congratulations on your audio productions! They are terrific. Also, congratulations on your expanded line of pulp reprints! I was requesting this back at the start of this year, and apparently I am not the only one doing so. I have been buying Shadow, Doc Savage, and Spider reprints from you for about a year now, and look forward to enjoying your expanded selection. Many thanks! And Happy Thanksgiving!
 
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.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.
 

  • News
  • November 23, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
THE SAGA CONTINUES
Airship 27 Productions & Cornerstone Book Publishers are happy to announce the release of I.A. Watson’s second book in his new retelling of the classic Robin Hood legend.
In book one of this series, “Robin Hood, King of Sherwood,” award winning author Ian Watson introduced the classic outlaw hero from British lore in a fresh and exciting new way. We learned of a carefree youth suddenly cast into the role of hero to save his people from the cruel and sadistic tyranny of Prince John, left to rule over the kingdom while his brother, Richard the Lionhearted traveled to the Holy Lands to fight in the Third Crusade.
Suffering under unbearable taxation, the people suffered daily until the brash young outlaw, Robin of Loxley, at the goading of a lovely young maid, stepped forth to challenge this illegal oppression and restore true justice to the land.  In this second chapter his daring robberies of the jaded gentry have stirred the ire of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his allies. A devious plot is hatched in the guise of an archery contest to lure the daring Robin Hood within the city limits and there trap him.  Once more Ian Watson spins a tale of action and adventure steeped in rich historical lore as he relates perhaps the most reckless of the Robin’s famed exploits.  Can the King of Sherwood, aided by his loyal and of rogues, claim the prized Golden Arrow or will the walls of Nottingham become his tomb.
Robin Hood, Arrow of Justice is another rollicking grand adventure that continues this innovative and wonderful retelling of a truly classic legend loved by millions.  This volume once again spotlights a gorgeous painted cover by Pulp Factory Award Winning recipient Mike Manley, with interior illustrations and designs by Art Director Rob Davis.  Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to return to Sherwood Forest in;
Robin Hood; Arrow of Justice
This is the tenth release of 2011 for the popular pulp production outfit and their 43rd catalog title.  “It’s been a remarkable year,” said Editor Ron Fortier, “and we’re thrilled to be ending in on such a high note.” 
Airship 27 Productions;  Pulps For a New Generation!
ISBN: 1-613420-27-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-61342-027-0
Produced by Airship 27
Published by Cornerstone Book Publishers
Release date: 12/07/2011
Retail Price: $16.95
$3 digital PDF Available Now.
(http://homepage.mac.com/robmdavis/Airship27Hangar/index.html)

NEW RELEASES FROM IPULPFICTION.COM!

  • News
  • November 20, 2011
Coming this Week on iPulpFiction.com
[ Week of Nov. 20 – 26]

From the FEB. 1942 issue of Super Science Stories

THE HUNTED ONES by John E. Harry

He had sworn to destroy an alien world—and himself with it. But one day under a battle-filled sky he discovered the strength of a conquered people’s creed; “There will be death but no retreat. And in the end there must he victory!”
[ Publisher: Black Mask Magazine – 14,600 words – $1 ]

——————————————



From the Nov. 1945 issue of All-Story Love

HEART IN THE CLOUDS by Dorothy Brodine

Had Vincent a right to speak of the future when each kiss he shared with Chris might be the last? Is a heart ever safe in a flyer’s care?

[ Publisher: Black Mask Magazine – 7,800 words – 75¢ ]






Secret Agent X: Ruins of Lost Souls by H. Jarrod Courtemanche

Deep in the Jungles of Cambodia, Japanese soldiers unearth a deadly threat from the past. Can Agent X stop them from unleashing it on the world?

[ Publisher: Airship 27 – 15,100 words – $1 ]

PIRATES, PRIVATE EYES, PULP VILLAINS, AND PULP PUBLISHERS! THIS AND MORE FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • November 18, 2011
November 18, 2011

NEW Radio Set: Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 2

History And The High Seas Collide! If you’re looking for a good pulpy audio serial, the recipe is simple. Equal parts High Seas intrigue, colorful, exciting characters, and pulse pounding tales of pirates and buccaneers. Mix these together with the skills of a man who many consider a penultimate voice actor and a production genius behind the scenes. The result is a 52 episode Australian series in 1947 that can now be heard again in fifteen minute punches of action and adventure in Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 2!
 
Afloat with Henry Morgan followed the adventures of the title character, a real life privateer for the Queen of England employed and licensed to fight the Spanish Armada. His mission, starting around 1655, quite simply was to fight Spanish fleets, scuttle and sink their crafts, and take whatever booty there might be on the ships he managed to attack as payment for his dedication to the English crown. For obvious reasons, Morgan is often portrayed as more pirate than English seaman.
 
The magical part, though, according to many, of this classic program was the man behind it. Well-known Australian radio personality George Edwards produced Afloat with Henry Morgan. The man behind other Australian series, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Corsican Brothers, and Son of Porthos, Edwards lent not only his production skills to Afloat, but shared his amazing vocal talents as well. Known as “The Man with a Thousand Voices,” Edwards parlayed his ability to sound like a young child, any male he wanted to, nearly any nationality necessary, and even older women into a legendary career as a radio actor. The skill to do sometimes twelve different voices in a single episode definitely fit the needs of Afloat with Henry Morgan.
 
This program stands out due primarily to the intense pacing of the stories themselves as well as the historical component, the high quality production values, and the talented voice acting of Edwards and the rest of the cast.
 
The final 24 episodes of this cliffhanger non-stop serial are presented in Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 2! Restored to the finest sparkling quality possible, this collection brings you 6 hours of history, mystery, hard men, courageous women, and sea battles galore! Thrill as Morgan becomes involved in the theft of an Aztec artifact, plots are hatched and betrayed, raids are planned and double crossed, and a plethora of characters, many voiced by George Edwards, all come together to take you Afloat with Henry Morgan in this second volume of this classic show brought to you by Radio Archives! Available now on Audio CDs for $17.98 and digital download for $11.98!
 
by Tommy Hancock
 

Ask fans of Private Eye mysteries for a list of ‘classic operators’ and you’ll get a handful of names. There will be some, depending on the fan, that society at large may not recognize, but the standards will be there. Spade. Archer. Hammer. Wolfe. Shayne. Who? The last one? Shayne. Michael Shayne. Not familiar? Then do I have a way to introduce you to one of the best examples of the popular Private Investigator mystery genre, who is also sadly largely forgotten.
 
Introduced in a novel in 1939, Michael Shayne was the creation of author Davis Dresser. Ask a fan, however, who wrote Michael Shayne and you’ll be told that his creator was Brett Halliday, from his first adventure to his last in the mid 1980s. Halliday began life as Dresser’s pen name when he wrote Shayne tales and became a house name when Dresser moved on, opening up the chance for a multitude of writers to put Shayne through his paces.
 
The Michael Shayne you’ll encounter in The New Adventures of Michael Shayne, Volume 1 is by far my favorite interpretation of him and very close to the way later authors wrote the highly likable rough-hewn character. Largely the brainchild of Director William Rousseau, this audio version of Mike’s escapades, the second time Shayne came to radio, found our hero hawking his skills in New Orleans. Described in each episode as “that reckless, red-headed Irishman,” Shayne was portrayed by Jeff Chandler. An excellent actor who would become known for his stoic heroic presence in films, Chandler lends a wild abandon, a dangerous youthful sardonic edge to the character. Chandler’s strong sucker punch of a baritone keeps the listener engaged as Shayne weaves through the dark streets of the Big Easy.
 
There’s a roughness to not only Chandler’s portrayal, but to the entire show itself. I’m not necessarily referring to production quality, it’s top notch, but more to the attitude, the spirit of the program. Each show opens with Shayne narrating some suspenseful moment where he’s either about to be shot, stabbed, or somehow violently dispatched from this world and then, right after terse credits, rolls into the beginning of the case. There’s little time taken to set the scene, the assumption being the listener has some concept of New Orleans as well as some idea of the type of character Shayne is from the opening. The rhythm of each episode is hard and hammering, like the rat-a-tat of a Tommy gun. If you’re looking for sophistication and character and tension building in your program, this isn’t the show for you. This is delivered just like a sap to the back of the head. Quick, sudden, and a knock out every time.
 
The New Adventures of Michael Shayne, Volume 1 is not only the perfect introduction to a classic PI character, but it’s also a great gateway into the pulp mystery/crime side of OTR. Few better examples exist of fast paced, plot driven programs that are both clever and in your face simultaneously. Chandler as Shayne will not only be the voice you hear in your head if you ever pick up a tale of Halliday’s. It may very well be the voice you hear any time you read a hardboiled gumshoe from now on. See what I mean by getting The New Adventures of Michael Shayne, Volume 1 from Radio Archives today, $20.98 for 7 Audio CDs containing 14 episodes or $13.98 for digital download!
 
 
 

The history of the thriller is populated by striking supervillains—Doctor Nikola, Professor Moriarity, Fantomas, and perhaps the most diabolical of all, Doctor Fu Manchu. A variation on these evil geniuses was the Mad Scientist. And no fictional scientist was madder than the man who called himself Doctor Death.
 
The creation of a newspaperman and pulp writer named Harold Ward writing under the obscure pen name of Zorro, Doctor Death was the star of his own bizarre pulp magazine back in 1935. He was equal parts Doctor Frankenstein and Albert Einstein, with a dash of Fu Manchu and a dram of wormwood. In reality, a Yale psychologist with the improbable name of Rance Mandarin, Doctor Death was a scientist who wandered over to the dark side, consorting with demons, elementals, zombies, disinterred mummies, other unclean denizens of Hell.
 
His supreme goal in life was to crush civilization. Apparently, Mandarin practiced a strange brand of necromancy because he believed that the Almighty had commanded him to force modern man to abandon automation, quit the factories, cease inventing, and revert to a pre-industrial state. In the depths of the great Depression of the 1930s, this may have struck the American reading public as the height of horror.
 
A frightened nation responded to this challenge by organizing the Secret Twelve, a band of the top U. S. civil and business leaders, whose number included the President of the United States and the nation’s top gang leader! It was quite a group. The heroic head of that organization was the remarkable Jimmy Holm, a millionaire criminologist and occultist who joined New York’s Finest as a detective. Working under Inspector John Ricks, and sometimes allied with Mandarin’s mysterious assistant, the exotic Nina Fererra, Holm battled Doctor Death from Manhattan to Egypt and into the very bowels of Hell itself.
 
The series is one of the rare unabashedly supernatural series the pulps ever produced. When Jimmy Holm confronts the undead minions of Doctor Death, the mummies and zombies are the real deal. The explanation for that is very simple: Harold Ward was a frequent contributor to the legendary Weird Tales magazine…and that’s why Doctor Death is a classic of its type.
 
RadioArchives.com is resurrecting this wild and wonderful series by presenting Doctor Death’s first fatal foray into reversing mankind’s fortunes, 12 Must Die, in a audiobook voiced by the talented Joey D’Auria. Get yours today for $14.98 for Audio CDs and $9.98 for the Digital Download!
 
 

Radio Archives is the only place to find fast paced, high octane audio adventures of Pulp’s Greatest Heroes! Fans are flocking toRadioArchives.com to tune into to Audiobook tales of Doc Savage, The Spider, and more!
 
For over eighty years, the name Doc Savage has meant thrills and excitement to millions of readers worldwide. Now, the Man of Bronze comes to vivid life in a series of Audiobook adventures from Radio Archives!
 
In “Python Isle”, Doc Savage and his iron comrades race to untangle a weird puzzle so deep that the only clues can be found in the Bible!
 
Written by Will Murray and produced and directed by Roger Rittner,“Python Isle” features dramatic narration by Michael McConnohie, cover art by Joe DeVito, and more!
 
A new supercriminal emerges in “White Eyes”, the second Doc Savage audiobook from Radio Archives! 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!
 
Also written by Murray and produced and directed by Rittner, “White Eyes” features dramatic narration by Richard Epcar, cover art by Joe DeVito, plus fantastic extras!
 
Other characters also fight their way through evil and injustice making their way to Audibooks! In Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, classic heroes like The Spider and The Black Bat lead off the charge by appearing in the first audiobooks of this new line! These and other great creations have meant thrills and excitement to millions of readers worldwide. Now, these timeless heroes are brought to vivid life in a new series of audiobook adventures from RadioArchives.com and feature the talents of some of the most well-respected readers in the audiobook industry.
 
Hear the greatest Pulp you’ve ever read! Get a Radio Archives Pulp Audiobook today!
 
 
Like your action classic, full of hard-boiled heroes, dames, and scientists and their mad monsters? Do you prefer new adventures and exploits of masked men and women, bad guys and gals, and weather machines, six shooters, and death rays? Or do you like both and so much more! Then welcome to The Pulp Book Store! From classic Pulp reprints to New Pulp tales by modern writers, you can find the top publishers today right here in The Pulp Book Store!
With the advent of Pulp Publishers of all varieties in the last several years, some within the Pulp field have called this current trend a ‘Pulp Renaissance’ or at the very least a ‘Resurgence.’ This is due in part to fans of Pulp who also happen to be writers, creators, designers, and much more taking hold of their interest in this often overlooked art form and producing quality work. One of the leaders in this, providing the reading public with top of the line reprints as well as professionally designed collections and comprehensive Pulp academic works, is Altus Press.
 


“Altus Press,” according to its owner and publisher Matt Moring, “is a small-press publisher, primarily of pulp-related material. We typically focus on material published between 1920-55, though we do publish new material written in the pulp tradition featuring classic characters; Lost Race stories from the1880s-1920s; and pulp history books.” One of the most notable aspects of Altus Press’ current lineup is that the company is the Publisher of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage as written by Author Will Murray. This line of new Doc Savage novels is the only new work licensed and sanctioned by the owners of the character, meaning Altus is currently the sole publisher of new Doc Savage material.
 
Five years ago, Moring took both his longtime love of Pulps and improvements in modern technology and, putting them together, began Altus. Circa 2005, print on demand technology–as well as several solid distribution methods–became available in an affordable way,” explained Moring. “As a designer who had worked in publishing for several years, I jumped at the opportunity to present forgotten material back into print. There’s a wealth of material out there that deserves to be presented in a fresh, polished, modern way.”
 
 
“I know, Matt continued, “how difficult it is for interested readers to track much of this material down. Our mission is to present complete series, uncut and in as an affordable package as possible. We’ve over 100 titles either available or nearly complete, with many more on the way.”
 
Moring also feels that Altus answers the needs of a growing fan base for Pulp, readers finding something in these classic stories that appeal to modern sensibilities. Moring stated, ” My feeling is there is so much of current popular culture that is based upon the foundations of the pulps: the characters, plots, pacing, etc. And due to advances in cheap reading (print on demand publishing and the popularity of tablets), there seems to be an upswing in interest in these old stories. Just because they’re decades old doesn’t mean they’re not solidly-written, entertaining tales.”
 
Most of all, Matt Moring takes his work and the overall mission of Altus Press very seriously, to produce the best quality possible. “There are some nice-looking pulp reprints out there, but we really strive to make the best product for your buck. This may mean getting new introductions written, historical notes, restoring cut passages from the copy, restoring the artwork, and the like. And we’re constantly revisiting our older titles: polishing up things as typos become apparent, tightening book layouts, etc. We’re appreciative of our customers and we put our best effort into each title.”
 
 
Even though he is Publisher at Altus, Matt is also, probably first and foremost a fan. And like most fans who end up in the business producing what they love, he has his favorites from the Altus catalogue. “In the pulp history category, I’d say The Phantom Detective Companion, as the overall package turned out to be such a solid overview of the character. For new material, I’d say Doc Savage: The Desert Demons turned out very well. As for classic pulp material–and this is a tough one–I’d say When the Death-Bat Flies: The Detective Stories of Norvell Page would probably be tops. It’s 800 pages long, contains 33 complete stories, and clocks in at nearly half a million words. You can’t go wrong with it if you’re a fan of detective stories or The Spider.”
 
Altus Press, a leader in Pulp Fiction Reprints and History and pioneer of the Pulp Renaissance, offers its massive, top quality books in The Pulp Book Store! Come see what you’ve been missing!
 
 
Striving to bring you the most and best Pulp available today, the Pulp Book Store is glad to announce the addition of new product and new stores to its lineup!
 
Known for excellent reproductions and great attention to detail, Girasol Collectables has added over 300 Pulp Replicas to their storefront! These fantastic books are authentic replicas of original pulp magazines, just as they appeared on newsstands when they were first issued. These editions are exact replicas of the original magazines, designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp was like when it was first issued. Thrill to authentically presented adventures of characters like The Spider and Operator 5 and read classic Pulp titles like Black Mask and Weird Tales! Exquisitely reproduced, these new replicas, more than 300 of them, are available now from Girasol Collectables and the Pulp Book Store!
 
The Pulp Book Store would also like to welcome three new publishers and their Pulp products to its ranks as well!
 
adds its excellent Pulp inspired works to the Pulp Book Store.
The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 1: Protean Dimensions
The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 2: Of Dust and Soul
 
offers these great Books and Magazines in the Pulp Book Store.
Yesteryear by Tommy Hancock
The Rook Volume Six by Barry Reese
Fortune’s Pawn by Nancy A. Hansen
Creeping Dawn by Chuck Miller
Hugh Monn, Private Detective by Lee Houston, Jr
The Adventures of Lazarus Gray by Barry Reese
Pro Se Presents #1 by Various Authors
Pro Se Presents #2 by Various Authors
Pro Se Presents #3 by Wayne Reinagel
 
brings its catalog of impressive titles and authors to the Pulp Book Store.
Into the Dire Planet by Joel Jenkins
Dire Planet by Joel Jenkins
Pirates of Mirrorland by Joel Jenkins
Four Bullets for Dillon by Derrick Ferguson
Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell by Derrick Ferguson
Dracula Lives! By Josh Reynolds
The Nuclear Suitcase by Joel Jenkins
The Sea Witch by Joel Jenkins
Exiles of the Dire Planet by Joel Jenkins
Through the Groaning Earth by Joel Jenkins
 
Adding Product and Publishers constantly to bring you the best Pulp has to offer! Welcome to the Pulp Book Store!
 
 
By John Olsen
THE MURDER MASTER was originally published in the February 15, 1938 issue of The Shadow Magazine. He broadcast over a little-known radio station in New York. But he broadcast for an elite audience, among which was New York Police Commissioner Ralph Weston. His message was simple. Men would die during his broadcast. He knew the names, the times, the places and the methods. He was… the Murder Master!
 
As it happens, The Shadow had also been listening to the broadcast of The Murder Master. And while the broadcast was in progress, The Shadow had headed for the obscure radio station, WQJ. And so it was that The Shadow entered the broadcast building not knowing that his own name had been just uttered by the sinister Murder Master.
 
So far, this story has been a fast paced whirlwind of action and excitement, and we aren’t even past chapter four, yet. And it gets even better. This 1938 story is a slam-bang pulp adventure that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Most of the story involves The Shadow in his usual cloaked guise of black. He makes a few other appearances as Kent Allard, his true identity. That was all explained in the pulps just six months earlier in “The Shadow Unmasks.” There’s no mention of Lamont Cranston. Apparently that angle was being played down at this point in time.
 
The Shadow receives a bit of assistance from his ever-faithful contact man Burbank, as well as underworld aides Cliff Marsland and Hawkeye. Other recurring characters are Commissioner Ralph Weston and Inspector Joe Cardona. It’s a pretty streamlined cast, but there’s no real need for more. Also, A few gadgets appear in this story. The Shadow’s amazing rubber discs that he uses as suction cups to scale smooth walls are mentioned.. And there’s a hidden recording device that The Shadow uses to record the voice of the unseen Murder Master.
 
For fans of old radio shows, this pulp story holds special interest. There’s the visit to the radio station and the broadcast booths. And let’s not forget the stacks of electrical transcriptions containing possibly an untold wealth of wonderful recordings. Author Walter Gibson had originally intended this story to be entitled “The Radio Crimes.” And it was a most appropriate title, because it all begins with a strange radio broadcast over station WQJ. And it includes an interesting visit to the radio station by The Shadow. But editors at Street & Smith decided, for some unknown reason, that “The Murder Master” was a more appropriate title. I think Gibson’s original instincts were more accurate.
 
This is another of those Shadow pulp novels that gets my hearty recommendation. As with so many of the stories from this era, it’s an enjoyable romp that will thrill you and chill you. Follow The Shadow on the trail of the Murder Master. You won’t regret it. Add it to your shopping cart today for $12.95 from Radio Archives!
 
 
Deal of the Day

High quality Audio, Pulp, and Classic DVDs! And at a fantastic price! That’s the Radio Archives Deal of the Day! The Deal of the Day is actually several great deals at all times. No limits! Simply Great Products at Unbelievable Prices!
 
Look for the yellow ‘Deal Of The Day’ price tag on the right side of the home page and click it for a great deal every Single Day from RadioArchives.com!
 
 
 
Comments From Our Customers!
 
Curtis Cobb:
I got Desert Demons yesterday and I’m already half way through the book. It is excellent! Thank you for the very Speedy shipment, I really appreciate it. Thanks to everyone at Radio Archives.
 
James Davis:
Thank you for the Doc Savage audiobooks!!!
 
Audiobooks/eBooks@suite101 Review:
Calling All Cars Volume 1 is available as a 10 Compact Disc set or alternatively a download direct from Radio Archives. Lasting for approximately, 10 hours, the episodes have an excellent reproduction on CD Players or alternatively to listen to on your personal iPod or MP3 player.
 
Barney McCasland:
These audio pulps are really great, and sounds like there are some very cool ones coming up. Keep the great audio pulps coming!
 
Steve Sher:
Of the companies from which I have ordered radio shows, Radio Archives reproductions and mastering have been the best by far! Given how old some of the shows are, many of them sound as if they were broadcast today. Last night, after arriving home after a very long day, at 12:45AM, I sat in my car, in the garage, because I needed to finish the last chapter of Johnny Dollar on the last disc of Volume 2. So, I sat in the car for the next 15 minutes, listening intently. The garage security guard came over to check out my car. When I rolled down the window, he was distracted from his inquiry by the show. Never having heard anything like this (he’s about 25), he stood and listened for the last 10 minutes, asking me for the contact information. So, you might get an order from him. Good night.
 
If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email toService@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 atRadioArchives.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 atRadioArchives.com.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.
 

FORTIER TAKES ON HARDLUCK HANNIGAN’S LATEST!

  • News
  • November 17, 2011
ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
The Fantastic Adventures of HARDLUCK HANNIGAN-The Golden Scorpion
By Bill Craig
Cover by Laura Givens
Ever since starting this column, I’ve reviewed many small independent books but all of them were in one fashion or another associated with either a publishing group or writers’ organization. They all had ISBN numbers, a website or link as to where their books could be purchased. Bill Craig’s offering here has neither, no ISBN, no website address and no page numbering. I can’t even tell you how many pages there are in this great little book.  This book exemplifies self-publishing to the maximum understanding of that process.  This book was written, assembled and printed by Bill Craig. Happily, I’m informed that all of Craig’s books are available at Amazon.
Despite the book’s amateurish production values, Craig is really a very competent writer who excels at fast paced action.  He is most assuredly a new pulp writer worthy of your attention and one of the most prolific working today.  The Hardluck Hannigan series is only one of several he has invented and continues to pump out at a rather remarkable rate.  Understand, Craig’s purple prose is masculine and he wastes no time jumping into each book’s plot with little fanfare as to who these characters are or where they’ve been up to this point in their lives.
The Golden Scorpion opens with Michael Hardluck Hannigan in Cairo having just completed an adventure in Africa.  At the bequest of his Russian buddy, Gregor Shotsky, they go to meet an unscrupulous dealer in antiquities who has information on the whereabouts of an ancient mystical artifact known as the Golden Scorpion.  The Golden Scorpion supposedly is a powerful arcane weapon of some kind said to be buried deep in the sands of the Sahara.  Within minutes of meeting this fellow, Hannigan and Gregor are attacked by Tureg warriors, the merchant is killed and they escape with their lives and a new ally, a lovely American secret agent named Chas Ridings.
As I said before, the action never lets up and all too quickly we learn Hannigan is being pursued by a secret cult of dessert warriors, a Chinese master criminal and members of the Illuminati based in England.  A great deal of Craig’s writing is reminiscent of Lester Dent’s classic Doc Savage stories in that Hannigan seems to be always accompanied by an eclectic group of aides made up of assassins, soldiers of fortune and brilliant scientists answering the siren song of adventure.  Throughout their madcap race across the burning sands, battling both human and inhuman foes, Hannigan and company press on while Craig occasionally drops information concerning their previous exploits that led to their current predicament.  It is both frustrating and intriguing at the same time.
The Golden Scorpion is a quick read that left me wanting a whole lot more.  If you haven’t heard of Bill Craig before, then you need to remedy that. He’s a damn awesome pulp writer who knows how to spin a yarn.

CLASSIC AND NEW PULP JOIN FORCES!

  • News
  • November 17, 2011
Two Pulp Publishers join forces to bring Fans more and more of the stories they love!  Altus Press, the foremost publisher in quality Pulp reprints as well as the Publisher of THE WILD ADVENTURES OF DOC SAVAGE and Pro Se Productions, one of the leading companies in the New Pulp Movement announce today a cooperative effort and imprint to provide even more Pulp Fiction, both classic and New, to diehard fans of Pulp or simply exciting adventure fiction!

Beginning in February, Altus Press and Pro Se Productions will work in conjunction to produce related products. When Altus Press publishes specially selected titles featuring rare and largely forgotten Pulp characters’ original stories, Pro Se will bring together the best writers of New Pulp today and simultaneously release a collection of newly written tales starring the same character. This stunning partnership will showcase both the classic adventures of some of pulp’s lost treasures while simultaneously allowing New Pulp’s finest to bring those characters back to life.


“For a long time, I thought there was a good opportunity to simultaneously release classic pulp reprints and a companion volume of new stories featuring that same character. These are solid, well-rounded characters who have tons of untapped potential. I’m glad to see there are plans afoot to take advantage of this and utilize two companies’ joint promotions towards a common complimentary product,” notes Altus Press’ Publisher Matt Moring.


This is,” said Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “an honor and privilege for both me personally and Pro Se.   Working with Matt and Altus Press to provide complimentary material to the great work he is already doing is simply a good move forward for Pro Se.  And I am such a fan of the obscure, lesser known, even totally forgotten characters of Pulp that this project is already one of my favorites and it’s just a few days old.”


Beginning with the first cooperative publication in February, Pro Se will initiate a new imprint.  PULP OBSCURA will be the title of the line and will feature a logo and other graphics highlighting the relationship between Pro Se and Altus Press.  Both companies will provide various forms of cross promotion as well for the complimentary releases.


“Pro Se,” Hancock commented, “has largely stayed out of the Public Domain market as far as New Pulp goes because many publishers are doing the better known characters and doing them well.  We’ve been looking for something different, something that makes Pro Se distinctive in this field.  PULP OBSCURA, shining the talent of writers and creators on the little or completely unknown heroes and villains of Classic Pulp, makes that distinction.”


Pro Se Press will publish a New Pulp collection each time Altus Press produces a new reprint collection that both companies consider appropriate for the PULP OBSCURA treatment.  Pro Se, with the encouragement of Altus Press, will also be exploring Altus Press’ catalog and be publishing New Pulp collections of previously published reprints that will have no future volumes.


The first PULP OBSCURA related project will be THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT VOLUME ONE written by Donald E. Keyhoe to be released from Altus Press in February. Best known for writing the adventures of Philip Strange, UFO legend Donald E. Keyhoe also wrote another long-running aerial hero for the pages of FLYING ACES: Richard Knight. This collection will include the first four stories from this series, tales that mix in elements of lost races, dinosaurs and more!


Also in February, Pro Se will simultaneously release THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT VOLUME ONE as the debut title in its Pulp Obscura line.   Based on the stories included in Altus Press’ volume, six writers will write Knight as he wings into all new dangers, startling mysteries, and discoveries that may very well change the world!


The writers featured in this first collection are-

Terry Alexander – A member of multiple writers groups. Primarily a horror writer, Published in several anthologies from Static Movement, Open Casket Press, Living Dead Press, Knightwatch Press, May December Publications, Paper Cut Publishing, Moonstone Books and Mini Komix.


Barry Reese-Award winning New Pulp Author known for his characters THE ROOK and LAZARUS GRAY as well as being one of the most talented and prolific writers in New Pulp today.  Published by Marvel Comics, Wild Cat Books, Airship 27 Productions, Moonstone, Pro Se, and more.  Also Author of GREEN HORNET and AVENGER tales published by Moonstone


Adam L. Garcia-Author of the Award winning GREEN LAMA UNBOUND and other works centered around the Lama, including short stories, more novels, and audio scripts.  Also Author and Creator of other characters, including DOCK DOYLE.


Ian Watson-Award winning Author, known thus far for his work primarily with Airship 27 Productions.  Writer of tales in SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE and GIDEON CAIN.  Also Author of the well received critically acclaimed novel ROBIN HOOD-KING OF SHERWOOD.


Frank Schildiner-Pulp Author known for work with Airship 27 on characters such as THE BLACK BAT, RAVENWOOD, and SECRET AGENT X and with Black Coat Press on such concepts as THE TOFF and JEAN KARIVEN as well as stories for Nemo Publishing.  Currently developing a novel for Pro Se Productions.


Joshua Reynolds- Author known for multiple works, including stories centered around classic Pulp character JIM ANTHONY for Airship 27 and DRACULA for his own PulpWork Press.  Also an Author for The Black Library as well having been published by Pro Se Press, Innsmouth Press, and countless others.  Considered one of the fastest, most consistent and prolific Authors in the New Pulp field.


Other PULP OBSCURA collections are currently in the works and any writers or artists interested in being a part of these projects can email Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net for submission details. Both Moring and Hancock cite a massive list of works coming in the near future starring Classic Pulp Characters in both Reprints and New Pulp Collections. “I’m excited to see just how new Authors take to these characters and what they come up with. There are so many forgotten characters that the possibilities are endless,” Moring comments.


For more information on Altus Press, go to www.altuspress.com.  To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prosepulp.com.

NEW PULP GETS IN THE RING WITH ‘FIGHT CARD’ FROM BISHOP AND ODOM!

  • News
  • November 16, 2011
ON THE FIGHT CARD!
A Special All Pulp Report and Release from Paul Bishop (www.bishsbeat.blogspot.com)
I’ve been a pulp fanatic for as long as I can remember, but not just for the hero pulps.  The aviation pulps and the western pulps also caught my imagination along with the sports pulps . . . Wait? Sports pulps?
Yes!  Sports pulps!  While hero, adventure, weird menace, western, and aviation pulps are still hot collecting commodities, the sports pulps, like the romance pulps are mostly forgotten.
In my typical walking to the beat of a different drummer way, the sports pulps have become my passion.  Street and Smiths Sport Story Magazine, Sports Novels, Fifteen Sports Stories, Dime Sports, and Thrilling Sports were among the best of the many sports pulps that proliferated between the late ‘20s and the mid ‘50s.
Baseball, track, and basketball strories dominated the early years of sports pulps.  As football caught the American imagination, it too became a fertile source for the sports pulps. Horseracing, hockey, car racing also had their popular place in the sports pulps. Eventually, as the sports pulps proliferated, stories of almost any sporting contest – from log rolling to canoeing to powerboat racing – found their way between the pages.  Even stories of soccer, rugby, and cricket can be found if one looks hard enough.
Pride of place in my collection of sports pulps, however, goes to Fight Stories Magazine.  During the pulp era, boxing was even more popular than baseball both in the actual arena of sports and in the fictional creation of endless fisticuff dust-ups.  There remains something elemental about one man pitted against another that continues to capture the imagination. 
The history of fight fiction both on the page and on film is crowded with tales both filled with the desperation of noir and the triumph of the underdog.  Even today, as mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting becomes popular, fight films and fiction have accepted the transition and continue to tell stories of fighters.
Started in 1928, Fight Stories Magazine – subtitled, Fact And Fiction Of The Ring – was the first of the sports pulps dedicated to a single athletic endeavor.  While most of it’s fiction took place in the pro ring, there was also room for tales set in military outposts, carnivals, and anywhere else two men could find room to square off.
Reading Fight Stories Magazine today is still a joy.  Both the fiction and non-fiction pieces were a cut above the rest of the pack and hold up better than most pulp tales.  In particular, the retro-fight examinations and fighter profiles by Jack Kofeod could be reprinted word for word today in any fight interest zine; and fisticuff tales from the likes of Robert E. Howard (most often featuring his slugger Sailor Steve Costigan) remain brilliant storytelling.
So, imagine my delight last year when I came across a gem of a new novella, Smoker, by Mel Odom when cruising the virtual boxing fiction titles for my Kindle.  Smoker was a cool fight tale, set in the ‘50s, with a supernatural twist – but it read like it could have been the lead tale in Fight Stories Magazine or Knockout Magazine – the other all boxing stories pulp.
Mel Odom is a prolific writer, but while I was familiar with his work, our paths had somehow not crossed over the years on the conference / organization / convention circuits.  Undaunted by this, I tracked Mel down by email.  Before long we were yacking on the phone like we’d known each other for years.
We had tons of stuff in common from comic books to favorite authors to television shows, but we we’re in total sync with our love of the tough guys who populated the pages of Fight Stories Magazine and the many other boxing stories from the sports pulps.
While we agreed we liked modern bozxing tales, we lamented the fact nobody was writing fight stories anymore like those from the pulps: two-fisted tales zipping along with lots of ring action and heroes fighting for more than just a championship or a monetary purse.
One thing led to another, as things do when writers talk, and we decided we were the perfect guys to write those tales.  We also believed we could reach our niche audience by through using the new e-publishing platforms, which have reinvented the publishing market and have made the 25,000 word pulp style novellete, an endangered speicies, viable again.
Thus our Fight Card series was born – two-fisted pulp-style tales to thrill and chill . . .
We decided to set the tales in the ‘50s because it was an era we both loved and felt comfortable writing about.  We wanted to emulate the tales from back in the day by striking the same tone and atmosphere existing then.
While Mel’s writing style and mine are different, we embraced this as a way to distiguish each of the novels. We decided to make the main characters from each of our efforts brothers.  Mel’s character, Mickey Flynn, is a merchant marine sailor who’s tough as nails. My character is Mickey’s younger brother Patrick Flynn, an LAPD detective on Chief Parker’s infamous Hat Squad. The brothers grew up in an orphanage in Chicago where they were taught the “sweet science” by Father Tim, a tough ex-cop turned fighting priest.
We were surprised, when we talked about the project with other writers, by their response – they wanted in on the action.  They remembered and loved these stories as much as we did and couldn’t wait to put on their virtual gloves and get in the ring with us – apparently there are going to be a lot of orphans trained by Father Tim at Our Lady Of the Glass Jaw, the nickname of the orphange.  As a result, we have some top notch tales from top notch writers scheduled to appear over the coming months.
        
Fight Card debuted this past weekend with the publication of Felony Fists from me and The Cutman from Mel.  In an effort to unify the series on the various e-platforms, we have published the novels under the pseudonym Jack Tunney as an homage to Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney – two of the great heavyweight champions.
Next up in December is Eric Beetner’s Split Decision, a gem of a noir tale that would have been snapped up as a Gold Medal original back in the day.
Mel and I had a blast with our first entries in the series, and we’re already planning the next round for our characters.
If you like tough guys, boxing, noir, crime stories, and pulps, we know you’ll find something to enjoy in these tales.

NEW PULP AT WIZARD CON AUSTIN!

  • News
  • November 11, 2011

New Pulp Authors at Wizard World Austin This Weekend!

Wizard World Austin, premiere pop culture convention for the state of Texas is
happening this weekend, Friday November 11th through Sunday the 13th.

On hand to represent the New Pulp
movement are authors Alan J. Porter and Mike
Bullock, both with tables in the creator section,
better known as Artist Alley.

Alan J. Porter is best known for his work
on JAMES BOND: The History of the Illustrated 007
and BATMAN: The Unofficial Collectors Guide
as well as the creator of the New Pulp character The 
Raven. Alan is currently writing the New Pulp column
Pulp Perusals that runs monthly on
www.newpulpfiction.com.

New Pulp fans and others interested in meeting
Alan can do so by going to table #1809.

Mike Bullock is best known in Pulp circles as
the longest tenured comic book writer of The Phantom.
Bullock wrote over forty original Phantom stories for
Moonstone Books, edited dozens more and helped
guide The Ghost Who Walks as the Phantom Group
Editor for Moonstone for much of the last decade.

Currently, Bullock is writing the exploits of the
Black Bat, Captain Future, Death Angel, The 
Runemaster and Xander: Guardian of Worlds. In
addition to his pulp work, Bullock is the creator and
writer behind the all-ages hit series Lions, Tigers and 
Bears, as well as Timothy and the Transgalactic Towel.
Bullock is participating in the Wizard World Kids
Adventure Passport program on Sunday as well. You
can find Bullock at table #1709 in the front section
of Artist’s Alley.

For more information on Wizard World Austin,
navigate to:
http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/home-tx.html

FORTIER TAKES ON VIKTORIANA!

  • News
  • November 10, 2011
ALL PULP PULP FICTION REVIEWS
By Ron Fortier
MODERN  MARVELS –Viktoriana
By Wayne Reinagel
Knight Raven Studios
440 pages
Several years ago, writer Wayne Reinagle burst upon the pulp fiction world with a self published tome that was the pulp equivalent of “Gone With the Wind.”  PULP HEROES – MORE THAN MORTAL was a giant white elephant of a clunker that was not well written and appeared to be stitched together by a fan boy who was irrevocably addicted to the classic pulp heroes of the 1930s & 40s.  Still, as badly exceuted as that book was, the poor mechanics could not disguise the genuine love and enthusiasm Reinagel possessed for these iconic heroes and how much fun he had playing with them.  You see, the audacity of the man is he put practically every single major ( & minor ) pulp hero in that one giant volume.  Here were Doc Savage, the Shadow, the Spider, the Avenger etc.etc., albeit all with new names to avoid legal repercussions from the rights holders, though readers knew exactly who each was.  Despite its literary flaws, the book is also important in that it was the beginning of Reinagel’s super saga that would invariably use every major literary hero and villain from both the 19th and 20th Centuries spread across an historical roadmap of herculean breath and girth.
Somewhere in all this Reinagel came to an unexplainable decision in regards to his pulp magnus opus; he’d inadvertently begun it in the middle.  After the subsequent release of MORE THAN MORTALS, he was plagued with plot threads that could only be rationalized by going backwards in time, rather than forward.  Thus the second book in the trilogy was actually the first chronologically: PULP HEROES – KHAN DYNASTY. It went back decades to give us the origins of the people who would ultimately sire the pulp heroes of the Great Depression.  Asserting his genuine talent, Reinagel’s prose is much improved with this book though it still suffered the same affliction as its predecessor; massive dumps of historical data were dropped helter skelter through the narrative even in the middle of some balls-out action sequences.  Again, Reinagel is not a man of moderations, he wants to give his readers ( & himself ) more and more.  Some times to the detriment of his tale.  Still KHAN DYNASTY was a major improvement and contained the portent of better things to come.
This reviewer is very happy to declare that literary promise has at long last been realized in Reinagel’s third book, MODERN MARVELS – VIKTORIANA.  Clocking in at an impressive 440 pages, it adds proof that the guy simply cannot write a short piece but it also loudly proclaims his arrival as a sophisticated storyteller.  This is the work of a craftsman who judiciously balances both action and characterizations and even though there are still many researched historical facts, they are kept concise and only used when propelling the action forward.  That this is the writer’s fastest paced, most colorful and grandiose book is blatantly obvious from the first page to last.
Once again, the author propels us backward to lay the foundation of heroic fiction in a brilliant twist that is pure nectar of the gods to any reader who grew up enjoying the fantastic literature of the 19th Century.  The heroes of this volume are the writers who produced those amazing works all of us encountered along the road to maturity and adulthood; the English classics with a few mongrel relatives thrown in for good measure.
The plot is simple enough.  The planet’s are about to align in a unique positioning only witnessed every thousand years and two insidious fiends, Varney the Vampire and his stooge, a teenage Aleister Crowley, plan to use the stellar phenomenon to their own twisted ends.  They wish to open a hole to another dimension; one filled with demons eager to crossover and destroy the earth.  But to do so, Varney requires nine special magical tablets or else his insane plot will fail.
Guarding those arcane items are the most famous and courageous souls of their times; H.R. Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Nikola Tesla, and an aged Edgar Allen Poe accompanied by a teenage magician named Harry Houdini. They are led by an enigmatic, seemingly immortal beauty, Mary Shelly.   Now if that isn’t a Who’s Who list of the most influential writers in English Literature during the late 19th Century, then I’d be at a loss to compile another.  The exuberant bravado of Reinagel is his fearlessness in employing this stellar cast and bringing them to wonderful life in his glorious adventure.  Their interaction amongst themselves, the romance between Haggard and the ever dangerous lovely Miss Shelley, the good-old-boys camaraderie between Doyle and Stoker is simply endearing and believable.
Wayne Reinagel clearly possesses one of the grandest imaginations ever unleashed on the printed page. His dreams and his fiction know no bounds when after adventure of the highest order and he delivers it beyond measure in this book.  Every one of his books is an experience with so many surprises in store for the reader but none have so entertained and delighted this reviewer as MODERN MARVELS VIKTORIANA.  Mark my words, pulp fans, your lives will be enriched for the better after reading this pure pulp odyssey by a truly one of a kind maser storyteller.  Bravo, Wayne Reinagel, bravo!

TALES OF YESTERYEAR DEBUTS AT IPULPFICTION.COM! FIRST STORY FREE!

  • News
  • November 6, 2011

Pro Se Productions and Tommy Hancock announce today that the first story in Hancock’s iPulpFiction.com series ‘Tales of YesterYear’, drawn from the same set of characters spotlighted in Hancock’s debut novel ‘YesterYear’, is now available at iPulpFiction.com.  The first story, THE FIRST YESTERDAY, spotlighting an overview of the universe of the story as well as the origin of the first Hero, is available for absolutely FREE! Go to www.iPulpFiction.com and log in or register for a free account and then browse the shelves for the Tales of YesterYear cover and click the image!  Download THE FIRST YESTERDAY for free from Tommy Hancock and Pro Se Productions!

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