ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES
All 88 Episodes of the Fan-Favorite Series – Not Seen Since Their Family Channel Airing in the Early `90s – Finally Arrive in an Extras Laden Collection, Featuring The Original, Swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks Film, The Mark of Zorro, Chapter 1 of the 1939 Theatrical Serial, Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Never-Before-Seen Footage from the TV Series and Much, Much More!IN STORES JANUARY 25
NEW YORK, NY — “Out of the night a hero must rise with courage that even a mask can’t disguise!” So begins the celebrated adventures of Zorro — swordsman, scientist and relentless defender of the oppressed. Beginning in 1919, with the publication of Johnston McCulley’s story, “The Curse of Capistrano”, the legend of Zorro was further cemented a year later when Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford produced The Mark of Zorro — with Fairbanks as the title character — as the inaugural film for United Artists. Since then, the swashbuckling hero has inspired more than 40 films and nearly a dozen TV series – one of which has been eagerly awaited by legions of fans for years. And, this January, the wait ends as A&E Home Entertainment unleashes ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES in a heroic collector’s set!
Filmed entirely in Madrid, Spain, ZORRO aired on The Family Channel for four seasons, from 1990-1993, and, for the very first time, this spectacular DVD MegaSet™ collects all 88 episodes from the classic ’90s series that brought Zorro to life for a whole new generation of fans. The legend of Zorro begins in the early 1800’s, when Los Angeles was a dusty pueblo, the farthest colonial outpost of the Spanish empire. This wild and untamed land was governed by the Alcalde, a corrupt mayor whose word was law and whose law was absolute. Young and dashing Don Diego de la Vega (Duncan Regehr, Monster Squad), pretending to care only for science and study, secretly creates a bold alter-ego: Zorro — the Fox. And aided by his mute servant Felipe, inspired by the faith of the beautiful tavern-keeper Victoria, and carried into battle by the mighty steed Toronado, the masked crusader thwarts the Alcalde’s plots at every turn. With his trademark whip and sword, he is everywhere and nowhere, quick to defend the innocent and attack the guilty. And he always leaves his trademark symbol ‘Z,’ — the mark of Zorro!
Renowned for swashbuckling, edge-of-your-seat adventure as well as its top-notch cast, ZORRO featured Regehr and Emmy® winner Henry Darrow (“The High Chapparal”, “Santa Barbara”) as Zorro’s father, Don Alejandro de la Vega, as well as guest stars such as Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) , Pete Postlethwaite (Amistad, The Usual Suspects), Doug McClure (The Land That Time Forgot), Adam West (“Batman”), Warwick Davis (Willow), Andre the Giant, Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”), Jesse Ventura and many more!
Aside from the 88 remastered episodes on 14 DVDs, ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES also features an exclusive bonus disc presenting some of the masked defender’s most influential appearances as well as rare behind-the-scenes material from the 1990 series. Included is “The Mark of Zorro” starring Douglas Fairbanks — the original, full-length silent film that defined the “swashbuckler” genre; Chapter 1 of the 1939 theatrical serial, Zorro’s Fighting Legion; trailers for the serials Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Zorro’s Black Whip and Zorro Rides Again ; the original, never-before-released pilot for the “New World Zorro” and a photo gallery from “New World Zorro”.
Day-and-date, A&E will also release the four seasons of ZORRO individually. ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SEASONS 1-3 are each comprised of 4 collector’s discs and are priced at $29.95srp. THE COMPLETE SEASON FOUR, which wraps up the series, includes 2 DVDs and is priced at $19.95srp.
Don’t miss out on this fan favorite TV classic in which villains always learn that crime doesn’t pay and that the people of Los Angeles can always count on “one who’s larger than life and defender of all. He’s the one who strikes back for the poor and oppressed. A hero . . . whose name is Zorro!”
SHERLOCK HOLMES & KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
in CRY OF THUNDER
Story-Joe Gentile
Art-Andy Bennett and Carlos Magno
TPB Collecting Three Issue Miniseries
2009
http://www.moonstonebooks.com/
A lot of good work has been done in recent years centering around the Great Detective. Movies, short stories, novels, and most definitely comics. Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. went one step further a couple of years ago. Not only did writer (and Moonstone CEO) Joe Gentile work to produce a Holmes tale in comic form, he threw in another well known character to boot. By no means on the same level as Holmes, Frank Kolchak still stands out as a modern icon of pulp culture, investigating mysteries of the unknown long beyond his short lived tv series, thanks in large part to Moonstone. With CRY OF THUNDER, Gentile and crew threw these two characters into a pot together and stirred vigorously.
And wow, what came out was some great readin’!
After a brief prologue set in Arizona in the 1890s, the story opens with Kolchak being visited by an attractive woman who plops a mystery down in his lap, one centered around a manuscript that is a hundred or so years old. A manuscript that mentions Kolchak by name. And one that also details a story of Holmes and Watson working to prove whether or not a Latvian national committed a murder that he admitted to. This story as a whole quickly blossoms to include anarchy, conspiracies, a mysterious photograph, Tombstone, Arizona, and a legend that may be more real than myth. The story switches back smoothly between Holmes and Kolchak and balances Holmes’ logical world with Kolchak’s supernatural plane extremely well.
Overall, CRY OF THUNDER is an excellent read. Gentile seems to know how to tell a story in tandem centering around two extremely strong characters and still maintain the integrity of each one. Kolchak brims with so much life that you can actually envision Darren McGavin in the panels. Gentile imbues him with a bit of an edge as well, making him a bit more boiled than usual and this only adds to the tale.
Holmes may not evoke Rathbone, Brett, et al in the same way Kolchak evokes McGavin, but there’s a reason for that. Within his version of Holmes, Gentile has woven all the intricacies and delicacies that other authors have either focused on heavily or left out. This Holmes is cerebral, caustic, guarded, defensive, physical, somewhat violent in a couple of ways, driven, and protective of what little he holds dear. In other words, this may very well be one of hte most interesting takes on Sherlock I have read or seen in a while.
Overall the art in this book fits the tale being told. Having said that, there’s a bump or two within the story, around what would have been the second issue in singles, that I can’t really put my finger on. I don’t know that its the change in styles or if its the coloring, but there was something a tad distracting that fixed itself by the final part. That coupled with a spot or two where word balloons were backwards are really the only negatives I found with this book.
CRY OF THUNDER is a satisfying mystery with an ending that not only ties up loose ends ala Holmes but also leaves just enough open to suit Kolchak fans. The overall presentation and design of the TPB compliments the tale being told well. Gentile and company took disparate parts, not just the two main protagonists, but Arizona and London, murder and mysticism, and others, and turned them into an incredible rousing experience.
FOUR OUT FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-This one should be read by Holmesians, Kolchakians, and even regular types!!
GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK-http://playeraffinity.com/comic-reviews/Battle-For-L-A-Review.html
News & Reviews
9.5 out of 10
Return of the Originals: Battle for L.A. Review
By: Dustin Cabeal | 01.10.11
Short Version
A powerful novel that’s complemented by stunningly detailed pencils with a cast of characters that will remind you heroes of yester-years. Set in World War II this unique graphic novel will keep you entertained and guessing with every page.
Long Version
Let’s dispel any notion that you need to know the characters presented in this graphic novel in order to enjoy the story. Also let’s dispel the notion that the characters are un-relatable due to their “Golden Age” history. This story is not only interesting and intense, but gives a new view into World War II through the eyes of superheroes.
The story opens with Secret Agent X running for his life as he tries to escape armed Japanese gangsters. Agent X’s cheek is seemingly hanging from his face, as he runs down city streets in the middle of the day. The gangsters open fire on Agent X with no regard for their surroundings, their mission is clear they need to kill him before he report anything he’s seen. Agent X narrowly escapes the gangsters by throwing himself into the Hudson river, but not before taking several bullets to the body.
Several days later Richard Curtis van Loan is awoken in his bed by a masked vigilante by the name of Black Bat. It seems that Richard’s secret identity Phantom Detective has been discovered by Black Bat who has come for his help. At first the two are very stand-offish as Phantom Detective obviously feels violated as someone has come to confront his alter-ego and that someone has managed to make it past all of his security devices. After some banter Bat convinces the Detective to get dressed for “work” and come with him to an undisclosed location.
The two arrive at a military base, with the Detective now dressed as an elderly Doctor. The Detective is also a master of disguise and refuses to break character for even a moment. Even when Bat takes off down the hall, it’s very noticeable to the guards on duty that the old man can’t keep up. Bat and the Detective are put in front of Agent X who is in a comma from his long swim in the Hudson. Black Bat finally breaks it down for the Detective explaining that they are in the dark about what happened to Agent X, but that they know whatever it is, is time sensitive and important to national security.
Bat and a later introduced General ask the Detective for help in picking up where Agent X’s case left off. After a series of scenes the two find themselves at the estate of a rich Japanese mobster. It’s a cold February winter night, but the Phantom Detective notices a third story window has been left open in the middle of the house. The two make their way up the house to the third story window.
What they find inside is a mystery canister sitting in a bucket of ice. They stand for a moment scratching their heads and bantering back and forth trying to figure out what they’re looking at. Black Bat decides to explore the rest of the house and leaves the Detective alone with the object. The Phantom Detective picks over the object looking for any kind of marking to give away what the object is. The entire time he inspects the object he’s overcome with fear and dread. He becomes distracted as he hears shooting coming from lower level of the house.
In his time away the Black Bat has stumbled upon a room full of Japanese gangsters. He opens fire on the men as he jumps down at them. Just as he runs out of bullets the Phantom Detective arrives to lend a hand and a diversion. The Bat sets off a smoke bomb and makes his way back to the Detective. The two men then head back for the mystery canister to grab it and dash. Just as the Bat is about to grab it though the Detective pushes him out the window instead. As they jump out the room explodes and quickly ignites the rest of the house.
The two continue their journey to the west coast where they must now save L.A. from having an unknown terror released upon it. There they are teamed with World War I fighter pilot hero G-8 and longtime friend of Black Bat’s the Domino Lady. The only plan they have to go on is having Phantom Detective impersonate the deceased Crime Boss they killed in New York before anyone learns of his death and stop the Japanese before they can destroy L.A.
Obviously you’re not going to get the entire story in the review because then you wouldn’t buy the book. Frankly, I was really impressed with this graphic novel. I had no idea who the characters were, what their history was or what even the story was really about. I just had to dive into the book and trust that everything would be explained and everything was… brilliantly!
CJ Henderson does a fantastic job of not only introducing the characters, but also introducing the reader to their personalities. I have never read a graphic novel where half way through reading I already felt like I knew the characters and what they would do next. By the end of the novel you will find yourself wanting the next adventure from our heroes. In truth the graphic novel reads more like a weekly serial or even a radio program, which is an even bigger crime since you know their won’t be anything next week to enjoy.
The focus of the story really is the Black Bat and the Phantom Detective and Henderson nails these two characters very well. The banter between the two is spot on and witty the entire time. It’s great to actually read their friendship develop and grow throughout the story. Since the story is written in novel format, Henderson is able to tell the reader the character’s thoughts which are very important in building their personalities since it’s not being shown on the page.
The artwork that does compliment the story is amazingly detailed and incredibly beautiful. Because of the novel format the art that splashes across both pages usually is only depicting one scene, but it captures the scene perfectly and to the point where the words describing the actions aren’t nearly as good. Mark Sparacio (Jonah Hex, Captain Action Comics) is an amazing illustrator that adds detail upon detail to every page and really brings the characters to life.
If you’re looking for your run of the mill superhero story filled with tights and capes, then this is not the book for you. This is for that comic reader that has a diverse palette when it comes to comics. If you’ve enjoyed what Alex Ross did over at Dynamite Entertainment with Project Superpowers then you will definitely enjoy the Return of the Originals.
Story – 9.5
Plot – 9.5
Art – 9.5
Overall – 9.5
PULP REVIEWS-by Ron Fortier
PULP HEROES – KHAN DYNASTY
By Wayne Reinagel
566 pages
Knightraven Studios
Calling this thick hunk of book the “Gone With The Wind” of pulps would be no exaggeration at all. Detailing, and intertwining the lives of dozens of heroes and villains from both the 19th and 20th centuries, Wayne Reinagel has delivered a book that is pure treasure chest of action and adventure delights.
With KHAN DYNASTY, Reinagel takes a jump backward in time to showcase the birth of America’s most famous pulp and comic book heroes of the 1930s. To do so he weaves such classic figures as Jekyll and Hyde, Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu together in an incredible globe spanning saga; although some have their names changed due to licensing restrictions. Still the acute pulp fan will easily identify such stalwarts as Doc Titan and his five loyal companions, the Darkness, the warrior who fights in the shadows and the deadly Scorpion, who’s automatics blaze a trail of death and destruction in meting justice to evil doers. These were the same characters we were first introduced to in PULP HEROES – MORE THAN MORTAL, his first entry in this mammoth trilogy; although it is the second chapter of the saga.
We personally wish he would have launched this Magnus Opus with this volume for several reasons. The obvious would have been the natural progression of the characters’ history would have made following events a whole lot easier. Secondly, as much as we enjoyed MORE THAN MORTAL, it had many narrative bumps. We were thrilled to see these gone in KHAN DYNASTY as Reinagel’s earlier amateurish style and awkward phrasing have been replaced by a smooth, easy and very professional writing competency. This bodes very well for his proposed third volume due out later this year.
No one does historical research better than Reinagel and his books are clearly the results of hours of meticulous study. Having embraced the late Philip Jose Farmer’s wonderful Wold Newton concept of classic heroes and villains being somehow related to each other via one amazing family tree, Reinagel takes that supposition one giant step further and details every single minutia on every single branch of that tree. Which is also the book’s clear weakness in that he is easily tempted by factual history and spends way too many pages relating little known historical data that have absolutely no relevancy on the book’s plot. This volume could have trimmed fifty pages of such fat and moved things along at a faster clip. But don’t get me wrong, there’s still tons of action and adventure packed into this story, more then enough for any ten regular pulp novels.
Clearly, books like KHAN DYNASTY are not for the casual reader just discovering pulps. Whereas, if you are a true fan who has rudimentary knowledge of this unique literary genre and its more famous characters, then it would behoove you to pick this up. It will provide you with a reading experience unlike any you’ve ever enjoyed before.
Bravo, Mr.Reinagel. Bravo!
Before we kick off this Panel, let’s explain how this will work since we’ve changed the set up of the site! Any of the Spectacled Seven who respond to the panel will have to add their responses to this post or send them to allpulp@yahoo.com and Tommy will add them! Also, something new, if you are an ALL PULP follower and want to weigh in on the PANEL topic, then either email your comment to allpulp@yahoo.com or post it on the comments page and it too will be added to the PANEL topic! So…with that said…here is the ALL PULP PANEL for this week!!
The GREEN HORNET film is debuting on 1/14/11. This movie has stirred up a nest of something within the pulp community, many fans not looking forward to it at all. However, an argument is being made that even if THE GREEN HORNET is as bad as many believe it will be, at least it is still exposing the public to Pulp like characters and stories. and that is a good thing….But is it? Are there positives for Pulp when someone produces something in another medium that is…not good and maybe even downright awful for whatever reason?
Let the Paneling ensue….
Tommy-I’ll weigh in more later…but my initial response is no, a bad pulp movie isn’t a positive for pulp in general. Some might say any exposure is good, even negative exposure…but in a field that is still somewhat fighting for legitimacy and its place in society, one example of bad may do a ton of harm to all the multiple, less seen examples of good within Pulp.
From Hank Brown on ALL PULP’S comments page-
Your Pulp Panel topic has touched on my own dilemma. While I think the characters are long overdue for a feature of their own and would love to see Kato thumping bad guys in 3D, I’m reluctant to waste a big chunk of change to watch a formulaic special effects extravaganza conceived by a bunch of beancounters and their yes-man director who have no respect or understanding of the source material or characters. I will probably wait for it to come to Redbox and watch it then with my 3-year-old. I might could handle it being a comedy, but from what I’ve seen so far, they’ve written the title character as a pathetic loser. I’m all for emphasizing what a badass Kato is, and for demonstrating he has brains as well as martial arts skills. But at the expense of making Britt Reid/the Green Hornet a hapless boob? Hey Hollywood: Your cognitive/creative limitations are showing again! Here’s a clip that demonstrates a creative effort respecting the characters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rjm53J1G4M
From Adam Garcia-
Everyday all pulp and comic book writers adapt and rework classic characters. Some of these changes are minor, some are major. Characters like the Shadow went through a variety of iterations, as did Batman or Superman. We can accept “Batman: the Brave and the Bold” in the era of “The Dark Knight;” I myself am writing a version of the Green Lama noticeably different than that of Jim Krueger or Mike Barr, or even, for that matter Kendell Foster Crossen.
The new Green Hornet film is only one of many interpretations of the character that has appeared over the years, from the original radio to TV Series to Ron Fortier’s fantastic work for Now Comics. In this interpretation, the creators choose to make a more comedic-action adventure, one that highlights Britt Reid’s arc from spoiled playboy to hero and his relationship with Kato. The notion that this is a “bad” film originates in the purist distaste for the interpretation, the leads, and tone; not in the quality of the film, which based on early reviews has been noted to be flawed but overly positive. While I am firmly in the camp supporting this film, (I am a fan of Seth Rogen and feel the character arc of slovenly playboy redeeming himself as hero makes for a better narrative) and plan on seeing it opening weekend with my father, himself an old school fan of the character, my defense the project originates from belief that we as pulp/comic writers constantly ask our readers to at least give our interpretations a chance and to hopefully accept them as legitimate adaptations. This negative wave against the film from the original fans — some of which are themselves creators — is at best hypocritical.
With public domain and licensed characters there is ultimately no “right” version; they are evolving, adapting, changing every year. That’s what keeps them alive. Why has Batman remained one of the top sellers for 72 years? Because various creators have been given the chance to give their interpretation that was appropriate for the time. Some were successful, some weren’t, but he remained in the public consciousness constantly since his inception. You don’t have to enjoy the film but you should at least respect the creator’s right to make it. Again the reviews are positive, and if that upsets purist fans, then that’s unfortunate, but in order for this character — and every character we write — to survive, they must be allowed to evolve and adapt or they will become stagnant and disappear from public consciousness like so many fantastic, but forgotten heroes.
And how bad can it be now that you can buy a Green Hornet costume for Halloween?
Not that bad at all.
ALL PULP INTERVIEW-Larry Latham-Writer/Artist/Creator (http://www.lovecraftismissing.com/)
AP: Larry, ALL PULP appreciates you taking time to visit today! First, tell us a bit about yourself if you will?
LL: Like everybody else in this business, I grew up reading comics, and remember when the first Marvel titles came out. I can even tell you most of the stores where I bought the first issues of each one, though most of those stores are long gone. I was discouraged from pursuing art, so went into movies instead. I worked in television animation for 25 years, then came back to Oklahoma to help a friend with a low-budget live action film in 2001. After 9/11, everything was so shaky, I thought I would ride it out in Oklahoma, and have just never been able to leave.
I freelanced some, worked in theatre as both actor and set designer, but my basic skill set was not of much value here. I finally found a school, OSU Institute of Technology, that was trying to build up an animation department….and here I am. I teach Maya and Flash. I love it, plus it allows me to experiment and learn new technology.
AP: You’re currently producing an online comic entitled LOVECRAFT IS MISSING. In a nutshell, can you sum up for us what the comic is about?
LL: Not really. I originally conceived it as an animated project, and it was in development for a year or so at Film Roman in L.A. My first notion was that I wanted to try and make a truly ‘adult’ animated series, meaning complex story and characterization rather than T and A and profanity. I wanted to do a horror show, and I am a big Lovecraft fan, but I’ve never much cared for Lovecraft adaptations, be they film or comic book. I wanted to express what I got out of those stories, but I really didn’t want to adapt any of Lovecraft’s actual stories, so I came up with my own. There were a few clichés I really wanted to stomp on, like everybody in the universe having a copy of the Necronomicon. In my story, no one, at least of the good guys, have ever even heard of it. Same with Cthulhu. The magic and mystery of these things is that they are very, very obscure.
AP: The next obvious question is of course just where did you get the idea for this concept? Was it always planned to be a comic book?
LL: I answered part of this above. I didn’t decide to make it into a comic book until I realized it was never going to get made any other way.
AP: Why go web comic with LOVECRAFT IS MISSING? Do you have a preference of web over print? What do you see as the differences between the two?
LL: I made one attempt to get LIM before a real publisher, via Howard Chaykin. He showed it to DC, but they weren’t interested.
By that time, I’d realized that throughout my career, I had always been working with someone over my shoulder, telling me to add this or not do that. I wanted to do something that was wholly mine, be it good or bad. It’s not that all the input I got over the years was bad; some of it was great. But by and large, the people in the executive suites had no animation or creative experience and their input was either superfluous or stupid, often both. I was once told by an NBC exec that the secret to a good cartoon for children was a loud noise every few minutes.
I opted for webcomics because it gave me complete freedom. I don’t make any money, but that’s worth it to be able to say the strip is all mine. I’m glad people like it, but I worry about pleasing myself first.
AP: Let’s talk a little about subject matter. Are you a Lovecraft fan? What about Lovecraft and his life and/or entire mythos appeals to you?
LL: Yep, big Lovecraft fan since high school, though I’ve never been that active in fandom. I’ve read all his stories multiple times, all the bios, most of the letters, most of the marginalia. When his stories work (and they don’t all achieve that) they evoke the dark corners of this old earth. He manages to convey, for me anyway, the notion that while the rest of the world is going on about its business, there are these perverse, mysterious, profane things taking place in secluded places. That’s one of the many reasons I don’t like the near-universality of the Necronomicon, et al., in many pastiches and adaptations, and one of the reasons I don’t think Lovecraftian stories set in the present are very effective. There are secluded corners of the world still, but they are harder to access, and anybody with a cellphone or a laptop can be in touch with like-minded thinkers in literally seconds. In The Call of Cthulhu, it takes the narrator months to accumulate all his data.
AP: We’ve talked about you. Now let’s talk more globally. Why do you think HP Lovecraft has had the effect on the world of literature, pulp and beyond, that he has? What about his work resonates, especially with today’s readers?
LL: I don’t think I can add much to what’s already been said by others. Lovecraft almost singlehandedly moved the weird tale out of the swamp of traditional ghost and vampire stories, and into the cosmos. His personal beliefs wouldn’t have allowed him to dismiss a vampire with a crucifix or lay a spirit to rest with a common exorcism. Things don’t always have explanations, they don’t always turn out well, the universe is a cold and uncaring place.
As far as his life goes, I like eccentrics, and he was certainly that. His story is a sad one, but that is an outside perspective. He seems to have been relatively resigned to his fate and reasonably happy within those limits.
AP: Are there any other pulp concepts that you’d like to work with, to play with as a writer and/or artist? Any established public domain concepts or even, like Lovecraft, other writers you’d like to put your spin on in the future?
LL: Sure. I have an idea for a 30s science fiction comic/novel/whatever that would strive for the feeling John Howitt got in his covers for the Spider and Operator 5. I want to do some short stories for the Shadowmen series from Black Coat Press as soon as a moment frees up, and those will use established characters. And there’s a particular 19th century science fiction potboiler that I want to use as a springboard for a new sotry. But I don’t have any attraction to doing Robert E. Howard is Missing or Clark Ashton Smith on Mars.
AP: How about original concepts, all freshly created by Larry Latham himself? Anything you have in mind of the original character pulp variety?
LL: It depends on how you look at it, I suppose. I have no ideas that rehash Doc Savage or the Shadow or the Spider or hard-boiled detectives. Those were done right the first time. But the next idea I want to do, which I will probably start as part of my MFA in Creative Writing, is very pulpy in concept, and yet it is not something that would interest any of the new pulp publishers. I’m really excited by it and think it is a strikingly original idea, which means I am not going to say anymore about it.:-)
AP: Here’s an easy one to ask, not so easy to answer. Is pulp relevant today? If so or if not, why?
LL: How are we defining pulp? As a type of story that appeared in actual pulp magazines, or one that appeared in a sleazy 1950s paperback? Do you consider crime dramas like CSI pulp? Are serials pulp? For my money, pulp is very relevant today. 24 was pure pulp from start to finish. (It was also, interstingly, a serial within a serial: each season was a serial in itself, yet each season was a chapter in a larger, 8 season serial.) Fringe strikes me as pulp, though without as much action. Star Wars is pulp, series books are pulp, comics are largely pulp, even romance novels harken back to the love pulps. So yes, I do think it’s relevant today, and will remain so because mass-produced shallow entertainment is always appealing. I don’t mean shallow as a put down, but no one is ever going to mistake Doc Savage for Holden Caufield.
AP: You’re showing off your definite comic skills with LOVECRAFT. Do you write prose as well and if so, which do you prefer and why?
LL: I wrote a young adult novel of which I am very proud, but it was rejected by the two publishers I sent it to. It is an historical novel with no fantasy, and there isn’t much call for that right now. I am working on horror short stories, but frankly, I have barely enough time to deal with my daily life: full-time job, family, night school and the time I put in on LIM.
I don’t know that I prefer either one; some ideas fit one medium better than another.
AP: What work do you have coming up that would interest pulp fans in say, the next year? And feel free to drop any LOVECRAFT teasers you want to…
LL: Well, it’s taken two years and four months to get to the halfway point of the Lovecraft is Missing arc, so unless I want to piss off everybody who has followed the strip thus far, that’s all I’ll be working on for the foreseeable future. The current issue, #4, will end in the early spring –a 50+ page effort, I might add—and then I will have to take a few months off (as I’ve done between each issue) to get ahead on issue 5. I’ve been looking forward to issue 5 since I started, as that is where some of my favorite story points will take place. We’ll learn more about Walter Cow and Luther Fickes, meet a few new original characters and rope in some more of Lovecraft’s own characters as well. We’ll find out more about those missing photographic plates that kicked the whole story off, and more about the Santapau device. I have a chase scene in mind that I think is going to be a triple-ding-doozy, and we might—or might not, depending on space—learn the origin of Dr. Kartophilus.
AP: Larry, it‘s been great! Thanks for taking some time for ALL PULP!
LL: You’re welcome. Loved it.
INSPIRATION FOR AND ACTRESS THAT PLAYED MARGO LANE PASSES
Reposted from The New York Times article by Bruce Weber
Margot Stevenson, a stage actress for more than six decades who appeared on Broadway in Kaufman and Hart’s “You Can’t Take It With You” in the 1930s and opposite Orson Welles in the radio series “The Shadow,” died on Sunday at her home in Manhattan. She was 98.
The death was confirmed by her daughter, Margot Avery.
Ms. Stevenson was, in the archaic phrase, a lady of the theater. The daughter of an actor and the mother of an actress, she appeared in a handful of movies and television shows (including a “Hallmark Hall of Fame” production of “Macbeth” in which she played Lady Macduff), but most of her career was spent on the stage.
A prolific performer in regional theater, on tour and in summer stock, she spent time in the 1950s in London, in the West End production of “The Seven Year Itch” as the wife of the wayward romantic. From the 1930s though the ’60s she appeared in more than a dozen Broadway shows.
They included a 1935 revival of “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” the Rudolf Besier play about the poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, with Katharine Cornell; Robert E. Sherwood’s World War II drama “The Rugged Path,” directed by Garson Kanin and starring Spencer Tracy, in 1945; Ruth Gordon’s valentine to the theater, “The Leading Lady,” with John Carradine, Ossie Davis, Mildred Dunnock and Ms. Gordon, directed by Mr. Kanin, in 1948; and “Triple Play,” an evening of one-acts by Chekhov, Sean O’Casey and Tennessee Williams with a cast that included Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, in 1959.
In “You Can’t Take It With You,” a loopy and popular comedy that opened in December 1936 and won a Pulitzer Prize for George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, Ms. Stevenson played the presumably normal one in a family of happy eccentrics on the Upper West Side of Manhattan who is shown the error of her ways in her choice of a man. (The part was played by Jean Arthur in the Frank Capra film version.)
When she auditioned for the role, Ms. Stevenson was playing a small part in another Broadway comedy by Mr. Kaufman, “Stage Door” (which he wrote with Edna Ferber).
“They brought two girls in from Hollywood for the part I have,” Ms. Stevenson told The New York Daily Mirror toward the end of the run. “One was too snooty for what was to be a middle-class sort of girl. The other girl went to Philadelphia with the show for the opening. Mr. Kaufman called me down there for a reading, then sent me to walk around the park while they made up their minds. I got the job and they kept me in hiding in a hotel so the other girl wouldn’t know she had lost her job.”
Margaret Helen Stevenson was born in Manhattan on Feb. 8, 1912. Her father, Charles Alexander Stevenson, was an Irish-born actor who was 60 when Margaret was born, somewhat scandalously, to his 22-year-old second wife, Frances Riley. Margaret went to the Brearley School in Manhattan and was about to enter Bryn Mawr College when the Depression hit.
“So she went on the stage instead,” her daughter said.
In 1937 Ms. Stevenson was dating Clark Andrews, a radio producer working on “The Shadow,” an adaptation of pulp novels about a secret avenger. It was Mr. Andrews who introduced the character of Margot Lane (named after Ms. Stevenson) as the girlfriend of the hero, the man-about-town Lamont Cranston, played by Welles.
Mr. Andrews didn’t believe in nepotism, however, so he cast Agnes Moorehead as the original Margot. Ms. Stevenson played the part for 26 episodes in 1938, after another producer took over. (The name was spelled Margo when the character was later introduced into the novels.)
Ms. Stevenson went to Hollywood briefly in the 1930s and appeared in a handful of B movies, including “Smashing the Money Ring,” with Ronald Reagan.
Her first two marriages ended in divorce. In 1953 she married the actor Val Avery, who died in 2009. Her daughter, Ms. Avery, who has appeared in Off and Off Off Broadway shows, appeared with her mother in the late 1990s in a Fringe Festival production of “The Bacchae.” By then blind from macular degeneration, Ms. Stevenson played Teiresias, the sightless seer, in the Euripides play. It was her final stage role.
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Yep, Tune Into Pulp is on the air!!!
Well, sorta…
Pulp, as we all know and as I’m known to say frequently, isn’t just found in the printed word or in the bottom of your orange juice glass. This area we so enjoy to read, write, draw, and create in has spread its Lovecraftian tentacles into all sorts of mediums, pretty much since pulp began. One arena that pulp took hold of early on and thankfully hasn’t let go of is that of the audio drama. Back before boobs sat before tubes with flickering lights and little colored dots, mystery, comedy, drama, talk shows, all that goodness existed somewhere else. Somewhere where the stage was in your mind and the doors inside were your ears.
Radio, my friends.
What we all now know as OTR (Old Time Radio) was simply the entertainment of the day at its peak. That was where most people were first introduced to the mysterious figure known as The Shadow…where that immortal phrase ‘Up, Up, and Away’ was first ever heard…where a single surviving Texas Ranger met his Indian companion and saved the west…and generations later where that ranger’s descendant rode into high octane action with his Oriental chauffeur at his side, both in masks…and those are just the characters most of you know about. A literal plethora of characters existed in the golden age of radio that could be considered pulp and they are in part the focus of this column.
The other part is what is referred to as modern audio drama. Many companies, individuals, and collectives have come together, especially with the advent of the internet, and began producing original audio works for the listening and podcasting audience. And these new pioneers of audio greatness have not forgotten their roots. Two fisted heroes, over the top villains, and wild plots abound. Pulp is still alive and has a strong voice in modern audio drama.
Lastly, this column will look at ways audio characters, both old and new, have transcended audio and either came from other works originally or have inspired new works in other mediums! Several comic and publishing companies today have mined the wealth of characters and tales found in audio drama and we’ll be discussing those.
This column will be at least weekly, hopefully twice a week. I have a great list of characters, shows, and companies I already plan to cover. Here’s just a taste-
YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR
THE RED PANDA
BROKEN SEA PRODUCTIONS
THE BLUE BEETLE
CHANDU THE MAGICIAN
THE SHADOW
BOSTON BLACKIE
PENDANT AUDIO PRODUCTIONS
MOONSTONE ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
PHILLIP MARLOWE
Yes, there are many, many more….and of course, if you have suggestions, send ’em along to allpulp@yahoo.com. This column aims to make sure that another vital area of pulp, one of the reasons the genre even still has life, is made better known to pulp fans everywhere. So, be ready for the next time…pull your stool up close to the radio, turn the dial, and be ready to..TUNE INTO PULP!!!
From May 1940, this is a good, solid Avenger story in the classic tradition. If the solution to the weird Rain God murders seems a bit obvious, it’s probably because we’ve read so darn many pulp thrillers. To an imaginative young reader first discovering this type of adventure, THE GLASS MOUNTAIN is filled wtth dramatic cliffhangers and creepy events, and a cast of larger than life oddballs.
An ancient legend seems to be coming back to life in a remote area of Idaho, where a railroad construction project is beginning to blast a tunnel through the black basalt Mount Rainod (the ‘glass mountain’ of the title), and a wizened Pawnee elder named Yellow Moccasins is doing his best by terrorize the workers by telling them the recent deaths have been the work of the Rain God that dwells in the mountain. Now, if you’re a fan of the series, you’re likely to suspect a rational explanation for the shenanigans. But on the other hand, we do witness a mysterious green mist twenty feet high repeatedly appear out of nowhere and elecrocute people dead in their tracks.
Although Rosabel Newton doesn’t appear (and isn’t even mentioned as far as I can find), Josh gets a bigger share of the action than usual. In addition to punching and running and diving into subterranean water to rescue people, he grudgingly takes on the chore of being camp cook for sixty workers. (He does a good job, too, and everyone loves his cooking.) Josh’s deliberate ‘dumb Negro’ pantomime works effectively , as crooks underestimate him enough to give him an opening to attack them. But his most notable moment is when he’s jolted by the green mist and is literally killed by it. Benson does manage to revive his friend (with some impromptu methods) before a critical amount of time has passed but it’s a harrowing event. The fact that a similar fate strikes Mac almost immediately afterwards doesn’t help. (Rubber shoes do, though.)
When Smitty teases him about his experience, Josh shivers and says, “Don’t even joke about it.” The big guy asks if he had any visions and Josh replies no, it was just like being unconscious. A good many pulp heroes are pronounced clinically dead and revived (It happened to Monk and Ham in PIRATE OF THE PACIFIC) but they usually seem to forget about it immediately as if it’s no big deal, and it’s unsettling to see Josh brooding about the experience as a person actually would.
Smitty and Mac are their usual selves, but Nellie Gray doesn’t shine very well in this story. Although she doesn’t turn up until halfway through the book, she manages to get bludgeoned unconscious TWICE in quick succession. I hope her dainty little skull was thicker than it seemed, or she would end up later in the series going, “Doy… uhh, hi dere.”
For some reason, Benson himself seems much more accessible than usual this time. He explains what he’s thinking and reacts to events more openly than his normal secretive way. When he impersonates the shady old Yellow Moccasins, he finds out that someone else is doing the same thing and for a while, there are three wrinkled old guys running around (the crooks are confused enough without stuff like this).
One touch I liked about the early stories was that The Avenger would occasionally run into someone who hadn’t seen him since his tragedy. Here an old foreman of his says awkwardly but sympathetically, “You’ve had trouble. I heard about it. Your wife and the little girl–” But he’s cut off by a cold glare from those eyes. Part of Benson’s problem, if you ask me, is that he never talked about his loss and he gruffly rejects any compassionate overtures from his old friends. It’s part of what makes him such a dramatic, intense fgure but it would have done him a world of good to thank this man for his concern.
Several times, in fact, we’re told that Benson doesn’t want to heal and learn to live again. He never considers suicide, but it’s explicitly said that he’s waiting for his life to be over so he can be reunited with his wife and daughter in the next world. Whle the Avenger never quite puts himself in the path of certain destruction, he comes awful close with all his deliberate walking right into traps. “Death could come any time it liked. Life wasn’t too kind, with wife and daughter taken from him in a criminal plot.”
1/6/11
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