Category: News

Interview: The MC Bat Commander dishes on “The Aquabats Super Show”

the_mc_bat_commander-3407311Christian Jacobs started out as a child actor playing the slightly older Joey Stivic in the All in the Family spin-off Gloria.  Since then, he’s not only triumphed as the creator of kid show juggernaut Yo Gabba Gabba, but as The MC Bat Commander, has been the charismatic leader of superhero ska band The Aquabats.  After a long career in the clubs of the world (coming up on their twentieth anniversary) the band broke into television last year with The Aquabats Super Show on Hub Network. Lauded by critics and attracting kids in droves, the show’s second season premieres this Saturday on the network (check local listings).

Christian took the time to speak to ComicMix about the series and the long strange trip it took to the screen.  He’s proud to get the show on the air, and even more happy for it to make a second season. “We’re blown away” he explained. “We would have been happy just to get ONE season. But having said that, we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that one season, and to be ‘one and done’ would have been a little disappointing.  But if you take a step back and think about the miracle that The Aquabats even got to make a TV show…having a second season is just mind-blowing.  A real-life band that got to make a fake, goofy show about themselves…I don’t think that’s ever happened before.  You have shows like The Monkees, where the bands were put together by the studios; Big Time Rush, things like that.  But a real band…being a part of that miracle, and getting to do it twice, is just unbelievable.”

The desire to get The Aquabats to the small screen has been part of the plan almost as far back as the band’s been in existence, Jacobs explains.  “Right about the time we did The Fury of the Aquabats, Between that and Floating Eye of Death!, we did a pilot for Disney.  And that was something we all thought was going to go somewhere. But looking back, looking at that pilot, I was all, ‘Oh, wow, THAT didn’t work out…’ “

He’s got a good idea as to why the show worked now, as opposed to years back –  “It seems like the timing, although it’s been almost twenty years, the timing is almost perfect.  I think the sensibilities in the show…kids are more sharpened to stuff that’s random and silly, and doesn’t make sense sometimes.  I think maybe even more than kids, cause kids are always down with that. I think there’s enough shows that doing stuff like that, and being successful, that studios are letting things go. Like, there’s no chance there would have been an Adventure Time, fifteen, twenty years ago; it’s just too crazy and random.  And that’s rad!  And it’s the same with [us]; without a network like Hub Network, you don’t have a show like The Aquabats.  Because people don’t wanna take risks.”

The show has been the hit with kids as it was intended, and that new audience has started to flow back to the band’s live performances.  “We played a local show here, last summer, right after the show started airing. And the influx of young kids at the show definitely created the thought, “Wow, we definitely need to have a different show when we go tour; do a matinee and an evening show.  It’s not that the crowd doesn’t mix, we have kids that want to slamdance and get rowdy, and that’s okay, it’s always been like that. But when you have SO many kids, nine and ten year olds, in the pit, it makes things a little bit different.”

Christian and the band are quite proud of the show.  “What’s been great, and really gratifying, is that all of us in the band have been so close to the show, for so long…in the back of my brain…heck in the front of my brain, I’m thinking, ‘I hope kids like this, because I like it, I think it’s funny.’  I like all the references and everything in the show, but is it gonna resonate with kids?  Cause it sure resonated with me, I like all that stuff, I think it’s stupid. But there’s a lot of inside jokes, a lot of references, that adults get, but kids maybe not so much.  But the fact that kids do love it, and that’s the demographic we’re aiming at, that’s a big relief.”

Part of the show’s appeal is the constant barrage of references to pop culture, both old and new. Their mobile headquarters, the Battletram, is equal parts the eponymous vehicle from Ark II, the Doctor’s TARDIS, and the Big Baloney from The Kids From CAPER.  “We want to wear our references on our sleeves.  We don’t want to rip any of that stuff off, we want to glorify it; we want to say “How awesome was the stuff we grew up watching?”  Now here it is again, in a big loaf.  That’s what The Aquabats show is – it’s a loaf, it’s a big loaf of stuff. You can quote me on that. “

While trying to get The Aquabats on the air, Christian took a big of a turn and started looking at the state of entertainment for an even younger audiences.  “We were really having trouble getting the Aquabats show sold, getting people to buy onto it. We had a couple of ten-cent pilots, and a couple of things we’d done, but we were having trouble getting people to say ‘OK, yeah, you can go and make your crazy show’.  And a big part of it was the climate in TV at the time.  Reality shows were just breaking, and they were just breaking HUGE.  Survivor was getting really big ratings, so it was hard to get people behind our show.  So my buddy Scott (Schultz, YGG co-creator) and I, around that time we were trying to develop the show, we started having families of our own.  We were watching kids’ TV, and I noticed there was a big shift in younger kids’ programming. It seemed like everything was very compartmentalized, like “this show is for kids aged 1.5 to 3.2”. Very homogenized.  Whereas we grew up watching The Electric Company, and Sesame Street and Zoom, all this variety. All this singing, and songs, and you never knew what was coming around the corner.  And my parents would watch the shows with us, and chuckle, at like, Ethal Merman jokes. I didn’t know who Ethel Merman jokes, but my parents would laugh. You don’t get that from the majority of preschool shows today – they don’t have pop-culture references in them.

So we said, hey, let’s shift things up a bit; let’s keep The Aquabats in our pocket. What if we try and do a preschool show? Let’s try and do a classic magazine-format show that could include parents. That could have hip-hop and punk, and electronic and dance, and different things in the show. Not just musically, but visually; art, animation, and style. And almost immediately we thought, it has to be a show with walkaround characters, like The Banana Splits or H.R Pufnstuf. And we’ve got two walkaround characters we’ve already built (Cyclopsis and Weedy, who became Muno and Brobee respectively), and they got great responses live (at Aquabats shows).  People would go nuts when they came out on stage, people loved the characters.  So I knew right away, from the audience, that those characters would work.”

With next year being the twentieth anniversary of the band, Christian has more than a few events planned, including a new Cadet Summit (their recurring fan conventions) and most importantly to newer fans, new Cadet Kits.  “Definitely next year!  The cadet kits have always been such a rad thing, but we’ve always done it ourselves.  It’s been very hard to find the right fulfillment partner, cause we need help.  We can’t do it ourselves anymore; to put it in the envelopes, and lick the stamps, it’s crazy. “

PRO SE EXPANDS AND WELCOMES GLOBAL RELATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY COORDINATOR!

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Pro Se Productions, a continually expanding and growing company focusing on Genre Fiction, New Pulp, and cutting edge Action and Adventure Books and Anthologies, announced today the addition of a new position within Pro Se Administration- Global Relations and Accountability Coordinator.

“Pro Se,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se, states, “has grown tremendously since opening our doors so to speak in early 2010.   We have every single writer, artist, editor, and administrative person that’s done even one little thing to thank for that.  With the fact that we intend to produce the most books we have yet in our history this year and next year as well, it’s become necessary to bring in others to help handle the growth.  To that end, we created a position that actually has two duties- Marketing and Social Networking as well as managing day to day affairs from the Editor in Chief’s office.  Essentially, making sure I get my myriad projects and jobs done successfully.”

The Global Relations and Accountability Coordinator will act as executive assistant to the Editor in Chief and will handle daily operations outside of the Editorial/Writing/Creative Staff.  The GRAC will also assist the Editor in Chief in creation of and distribution of press releases, setting up blog and podcast appearances, and utilizing Social Media of all types to its fullest extent.

“Pro Se,” Hancock says, “has a great catalogue that will continue to grow and be even greater.  We’ve spent three years intentionally growing our personal library of books and now it’s time to promote them, old and new, from the first book published to the latest and greatest, with every technique and tool we can come up with.  And as our Global Relations and Accountability Coordinator, Beth Alvarez will help us do that and we are proud to welcome her to Pro Se Productions!”

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Beth Alvarez is a previously self-published author residing in Memphis, Tennessee with her growing family. A voracious reader in her free time, Alvarez specialized in the study of fine arts with a focus on visual arts and teaching. An accomplished programmer, she has spent time working as a freelance web development specialist and graphics designer since 2005 and now adds Global Relations and Accountability Coordinator for Pro Se to her accomplishments.

Beth can be contacted at BethAlvarezProSe@gmail.com and will in the future be making contact with reviewers, bloggers, websites, other publishers, and other parties related to Pro Se business.

Pro Se Productions- www.prosepulp.com

JIM BEARD’S LATEST PRO SE PROJECT OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS- TUNE IN AND DROP OUT INTO ADVENTURE WITH ‘THE LEMON HERBERTS’!

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Pro Se, a leading independent Publisher specializing in cutting edge Genre Fiction announces the latest mindbending concept from the mind of ‘Monster Aces’ Creator Jim Beard!  Get yourgroove on with ‘The Lemon Herberts!’
Beat it, Beatles! Move over, Monkees! Here come the Lemon Herberts, the kookiest, kickiest quintet of fun-lovin’ musicians ever to hit the Summer of Love! This anthology of tales will cover the very first world tour of the Lemon Herberts, a late-1960s musical group with not only a flair for inventive pop songs, but a pulpy taste for adventure. Each story will be set in a different country along the group’s tour, setting the stage for colorful, groovy plunges into peril for the Herberts. Think Help! plus Head and divided by Donovan and you’ll be on your way to imagining all the peace, love and DANGER the Lemon Herberts could get themselves into in the incredible year of 1967!
This happening collection of Music Themed Adventure type Pulp has openings for five stories, each one 10,000 words.   If interested in going on tour with ‘The Lemon Herberts’, request the  concept bible by emailing Morgan Minor, Director of Corporate Operations at
Deadlines for proposals are June 15th.   Notification of acceptance will be sent following that date.  This is scheduled for publication in early 2014 by Pro Se Productions.
Channel the Psychedelic Sixties and give ‘The Lemon Herberts’ a spin!
For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prosepulp.com.

The Shadow Fan and the Wizard of Crime!

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New Pulp Author Barry Reese returns for Episode 33 of The Shadow Fan’s Podcast! This time around, he reviews a 1942 novel that features the villainy of King Kauger and takes a hard look at Chris Roberson’s debut issue on the Dynamite Shadow comic (issue 13). There’s also a bit of Shadow news and some listener feedback!

If you love pulp’s greatest crimefighter, then this is the show for you!

Listen now at http://theshadowfan.libsyn.com/the-wizard-of-crime

RADIO ARCHIVES NEWSFLASH!

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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May 24, 2013
 

Continuing to Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Doc Savage and King Kong
Radio Archives continues to offers new King Kong and Doc Savage products, with one more still to come. Today we are proud to offer high-quality limited edition Joe DeVito posters. Click here to take a look at these four gorgeous paintings by this award winning artist.

Doc Savage: Skull Island Series 1, wraparound cover
Doc Savage: Skull Island Series 2, front cover
KONG: King of Skull Island, full montage
KING KONG

 

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ra266-350-1017633In the post-war years, America developed a new economic base with a new and ever-increasing standard of living. This new middle-class lifestyle, coupled with the baby boom that ran throughout the 1950s, created suburbia — with housing developments, highways, shopping centers, and all of the other hallmarks of this new society becoming the norm.
As always, radio reflected the culture of its audience — and never more so than with the rise of the situation comedy in the late 1940s.
 
Originally, Father Knows Best was not much different than similar situation comedies of the period, the concepts of which were basically that “daddy is a well-meaning dumbbell, but we still love him.” However, by the time the show first aired over NBC on August 25, 1949, most of the clichés had been removed, and thanks to excellent writing and the outstanding acting talents of the principals, these hilarious slices of everyday life rise above the norm to make Father Knows Best one of the highlight series of late-era network radio entertainment.
 
As portrayed by Robert Young, who co-created the series with writer Ed James, the title character of Jim Anderson is a successful insurance salesman. He is ambitious, likeable, and a good provider for his family — though he often grows exasperated by the turmoil of his everyday home life. The plots generally begin quite simply — Jim surprises his wife Margaret (June Whitley) with tickets to a show, for instance — then quickly become complicated as the plans, schemes, commitments, and miscommunications of their three children, Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson), and Kathy (Norma Jean Nilsson) and their friends and neighbors get in the way.
 
Heard today, Father Knows Best still retains its ability to hilariously reflect the interpersonal relationships of a typical American family, because, though times change, people don’t; raising good kids today is no easier or less complicated than it was in 1950.
 

The twenty shows in this collection have been digitally restored, resulting in ten full hours of family-friendly radio entertainment from one of the best and most enduring situation comedies of all time. 10 hours $29.98 Audio CDs / $14.99 Download.
 
 
Special 50% discount Offer
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is considered one of the greatest tales of horror to date. When one of the best, but most underrated producers of the Golden Age Radio added in his production and vocal skills, a true radio serial classic was born and is now collected in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Volume 1.
 
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is just one of over 300 radio series and serials produced by George Edwards over the course of his twenty year career in radio. Telling Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of a man divided, this fifteen minute serial debuted in 1943, running for 52 episodes, and was produced by Edwards, a well-known Australian radio personality. The man behind other Australian series, such as Afloat with Henry Morgan and Adventures of Marco Polo lent not only his production skills to Jekyll and Hyde, but shared his amazing vocal talents as well. Edwards’ skill to do multiple voices in a single episode definitely fit the needs of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
 
Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde, Volume 1 collects the first 28 episodes, 7 hours, of one of the best serial adventures of the radio era. The intense pacing of each episode as well as the high quality production values and the talented voice acting of George Edwards and the rest of the cast make this a must have for any fan of Classic Radio.
 
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde now features a fantastic painting by Douglas Klauba.This painting was originally painted for the Scottish Tourism Board. The background behind the image relates to Robt. L. Stevenson originally writing Jekyll and Hyde based in Edinburgh, or at least upon his boyhood memories of the city and the streets.
7 hours. Regular Price $20.98 - Specially priced until June 6 for $10.49 Audio CDs / $5.24 Download.
 
 

 
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It was the largest, most ambitious, and most successful military operation ever attempted — and radio was there to cover it.
D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. It was the turning point of the war in Europe, the beginning of the end for the Axis as the Allies started their drive towards Germany. It was a momentous event that would change not only the course of World War II, but the history of the world. Radio Archives is pleased and proud to offer the complete and continuous NBC network coverage of the events of June 6 and 7, 1944.
 
Noted inspirational author Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, King Haakon VII of Norway, Premier Gerbandy of the Netherlands, Premier Pierlot of Belgium, and US Senators Clark, Barkley, White, Hill and Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce speak, as does the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. General Eisenhower speaks from SHAEF headquarters.
 
Regular NBC shows were included in the broadcast, “The Bob Hope Show”, “Fibber McGee & Molly”, “The Guiding Light”, “Vic & Sade”, “The Red Skelton Show”, “The Road of Life”, “Today’s Children”, “Ma Perkins”, “Pepper Young’s Family”, “Mary Noble, Backstage Wife”, “Stella Dallas”, “Lorenzo Jones”, “Young Widder Brown”, “When A Girl Marries” and “Front Page Farrell” among them.
 
Hear the events of the day as reported by Ben Grauer, Cesar Saerchinger, Charles F. McCarthy, David Anderson, Don Goddard, Don Hollenbeck, Ed Hocker, Edward R. Murrow, Elmer Peterson, George Wheeler, H. V. Kaltenborn, Herbert M. Clark, James Willard, John W. Vandercook, Louis P. Lockner, Lowell Thomas, Merrill Mueller, Morgan Beatty, Ralph Howard, Richard Harkness, Robert McCormick, Robert St. John, Tommy Traynor, W. W. Chaplin and Wright Bryan. Alex Dreier, in Chicago, recalled his experiences as the last western correspondent in Nazi Germany while Stanley Richardson offered an eyewitness account of the invasion from the Channel boats, and George Hicks reported from the beach-head itself!
These are recordings that many historians believe to be among the most valuable audio documents ever preserved. The NBC broadcasts — containing over 38 hours of continuous programming of news, music, drama, comedy, and entertainment — are history as it happened, in a special collection that is sure to occupy a special place in your radio collection. 38 hours. Normally priced at $113.98 Audio CDs / $56.99 Download, D-Day is Specially priced through the month of June at only $99.98 Audio CDs / $49.99 Download.
 
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On June 6, 2004, in remembrance of the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, the ABC Radio program Perspective featured a fascinating story detailing radio’s coverage of D-Day as it happened in 1944. Written, edited, and narrated by ABC reporter Chuck Sivertsen, the feature utilized clips from the D-Day collection described above. We think this in-depth and well-presented piece provides an excellent overview of the historic content of this collection.
 
 
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Will Murray’s Pulp Classics #26
Read by Doug Stone. Liner Notes by Will Murray
 
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They called G-8 the Flying Spy. History never recorded his exploits—and for good reason! No one would ever believe World War I was that wild!
 
G-8, the high-flying ace pilot of World War I, was born in the front seat of a car barreling through the Holland Tunnel. His father was Robert Jasper Hogan, who had made quite a name for himself as a prolific pulp writer specializing in aviation fiction during the glamorous era now styled Between the Wars. Among practitioners of that now-lost art, this school of writing was styled Yammering Guns, after the sound of contending synchronized machine guns in furious action.
 
It was the summer of 1933, and despite the Great Depression, Popular Publications was booming. Part of their Autumn expansion plans entailed launching The Spider, and a companion title to be aimed at the legions of readers who drank up fictionalized accounts of World War I Allied aces versus Imperial Germany’s various bi-winged counts and barons, red and otherwise.
 
One of Popular’s star writers, Hogan was doubtless the first writer publisher Harry Steeger considered when casting about for a suitable scribe. The unnamed magazine was on the schedule as a monthly. The designated author would have to know his rudders and ailerons—and be reliable. Hard drinkers need not apply. And Hogan had been an air cadet during World War I, although the armistice came before he could ship out and see action.
 
Steeger and Hogan hashed out an idea. It was part Eddie Rickenbacker and part What Price Glory?—which was a popular Maxwell Anderson stage play turned into a motion picture. Price stressed the horrors of war as counterpoint to the sentimental comradeship of the Allies in the trenches. Only in this case, by horror, Popular Publications meant something far more horrific than mustard-gas trench warfare atrocities.
 
For, envisioning the expected strain on the writer’s imagination a monthly novel would enact, Steeger and Hogan agreed that the new series would soon grow stale if they didn’t spice it up with elements of the fantastic. This recipe ranged from merely super-scientific death rays to the unabashedly supernatural manifestations. Nothing was taboo in G-8. Hogan was a pioneer of over-the-top plotting generations before the term was coined.
 
Normally, pulp publishers put house names on such fare, to protect themselves from ill, drunken or unreliable authors. But Hogan’s byline was pure pulp gold, so Steeger took a chance. The series would carry the author’s true name. Hogan never let him down.
 
Driving home to New Jersey from Manhattan, Hogan passed through the Holland Tunnel. While in traffic, he worked out the details of G-8’s first wild adventure. He named his hero after a Colorado ranch where Hogan worked one summer. G-8 never had another name. His wingmen, Bull Martin and Nippy Weston, were modeled on a pair of real-life flyboys named Bull Nevin and Nippy Westover. Pulp fans have accused Hogan of copying the friendly rivalry of Doc Savage’s wartime buddies, Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, in his depictions of Bull and Nippy. In fact, all those characters were derived from What Price Glory?’s memorable Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt.
 
The premier tale, which appeared in the October, 1933 issue of G-8 and His Battle Aces, exemplified the outrageous approach Steeger and Hogan envisioned for the series. Hogan called it The Bat Staffel. Therein he introduced a German mad scientist who would bedevil his new hero the length and breadth of the series—some eleven tortured years. This first time out, Herr Doktor Krueger unleashed monster bats as big as bi-planes on Allied Sopwith Camels and Spads. It made for fearsome reading.
 
With his canvas limited to the skies over No Man’s Land during the four years encompassed by what was originally called the Great War, Hogan went for broke, escalating from terrifying tales such as The Skeleton Patrol and Squadron of the Scorpion to unchecked phantasms of terror like Satan Paints the Sky, Here Flies the Hawks of Hell and The Bloody Wings of the Vampire. Hogan had a predilection for half-human antagonists, which manifested in an annual parade of beast-men, wolf-men, leopard-men, panther-men, even rhino-men. For G-8 and his battle buddies, the War to End All Wars proved to be a very long and hairy conflict.
 
Once, Hogan outlined a particularly gruesome G-8 plot for a queasy  but mesmerized Popular Publications staffer. “My editor was nauseated,” he recalled. Readers ranging from ten years old to outwardly mature stockbrokers ate it up, however. They were so captivated by the Flying Spy that even the glamorous new all-metal aircraft dominating the skies of World War II didn’t squash their interest in the glorified kites of the prior conflict. It took a crushing shortage of pulp paper to force Steeger to finally and reluctantly cancel the magazine. After penning over a hundred G-8 novels, Hogan took it in stride and blithely switched over to writing quality stories for The Saturday Evening Post. His last editor was aghast. He didn’t think Hogan had it in him.
 
Before it was all over, G-8 battled weird menaces ranging from Martians to Zombies, with assorted undead minions of the Kaiser in between. If Hogan couldn’t concoct a fresh beast-man, why, a clutch of cave men or freshly-defrosted Viking berserkers would keep readers riveted. Recurring foes came and went. G-8 finally vanquished Herr Doktor Krueger late in the series. Or did he? Maybe they renewed their feud for World War II. If so, Hogan failed to record those encounters. No doubt they would have captivated ever-loyal fans of the one and only Flying Spy.
 
Through it all, Robert J. Hogan never seemed ashamed to have his Christian name attached to effusions bearing overblown titles like The Flying Coffins of the Damned. And he a minister’s son.
 
This inaugural G-8 audiobook is narrated by the talented Doug Stone. Stand clear! Contact! Zoooom! Tac-tac-tac-tac! Yammering Guns live again!

 
Nick DeGregorio composed the music for the G-8 and His Battle Aces series of audiobooks.  7 hours $27.98 Audio CDs / $13.99 Download.
 
 

 

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RadioArchives.com and Will Murray are giving away the downloadable version of the newly released Strange Detective Mysteries audiobook for FREE.
 
If you prefer the Audio CDs to play in your car or home CD player, the coupon code will subtract the $11.99 price of the download version from the Audio CDs. That makes the Audio CDs half price.
 
Add Strange Detective Mysteries to the shopping cart and use the Coupon Code AUDIOBOOK.
 
“Strange Detective Mysteries #1 is one of my favorite pulps and I am excited to produce it as an audiobook with my good friends at Radio Archives. It leads off with Norvell W. Page’s bizarre novelette, “When the Death-Bat Flies,” and includes thrilling stories by Norbert Davis, Paul Ernst, Arthur Leo Zagat, Wayne Rogers and others. Popular Publications went all-out to make this 1937 debut issue a winner. And they succeeded!”
 
Happy listening,
Will Murray
 

 

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New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks

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

The Spider #68 May 1939 King of the Fleshless Legion
Poisoned medicine had flooded New York — and overnight all hospitals had been turned into a hell of betrayed human sufferers! For a strange and incredible horror had gripped the metropolis. Men gazed, terrified, upon a greenish Skull, glowing evilly in the darkness, then died! And no physician nor science could save them from unbelievable agony and death! Where once happy healthy citizens had dwelt was now a city of defleshed corpses. No help could come from the baffled police; and mercy in Manhattan was a forgotten word. Yet one man did not fear to challenge the Terror. Richard Wentworth, as the Spider, set out to find a way to battle the Skull — and save an entire city from an Epidemic of Poison Death! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
 
 

What were these batlike monsters? What was the strange death they carried? G-8 and his ace buddies follow this horror staffel straight into action skies! G-8 and his Battle Aces rode the nostalgia boom ten years after World War I ended. These high-flying exploits were tall tales of a World War that might have been, featuring monster bats, German zombies, wolf-men, harpies, Martians, and even tentacled floating monsters. Most of these monstrosities were the work of Germany’s seemingly endless supply of mad scientists, chief of whom was G-8’s recurring Nemesis, Herr Doktor Krueger. G-8 battled Germany’s Halloween shock troops for over a decade, not ceasing until the magazine folded in the middle of World War II. G-8 and his Battle Aces return in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

 

 
Dime Mystery Magazine Wyatt Blassingame Book 1

In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, all written by Wyatt Blassingame, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

 

Terror Tales Wyatt Blassingame Book 3
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine by Wyatt Blassingame, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
 

99 cent eBook Singles
Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.
 
Terror Tales Prince of Pain by Mindret Lord
Perhaps the horrors Robert Brundage saw in that laboratory of Prince Ahmed had made him mad. Perhaps… In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird me most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
 

Terror Tales Satan’s Roadhouse by Carl Jacobi
A grinning death’s-head led Stephen Benedict to a house of hell, where hanging corpses looked down with sightless eyes on ugly, midnight rites. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird me most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
 

 
Rangeland Romances #4 The Beautiful Boss of the Double-B by Thelma Knoles
By hiring handsome Jim Raleigh on her ranch, Beth hoped to make Carter Ganes jealous enough to propose to her. But in carefully stacking Cupid’s deck — Beth forgot one two-faced queen!.” One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.
 

Rangeland Romances #24 Fiddle-Footed Romeo by Art Lawson
Beautiful tomboy Nell could stand most anything – now that she was going to marry Lew – except Bill giving her a pretty silk nightgown… as a wedding present. One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.

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

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

See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
 
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of  the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
 
 

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Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from one of the pulp era’s best selling magazines. First, in “Scourge of the Yellow Fangs” (1937), a hidden fiend preys on the city’s Chinatown. Soon, a new menace begins to spread, threatening to engulf Asian and Caucasian alike. Only The Spider has guessed the identify of the ruthless criminal behind the atrocities committed on the nation’s newest citizens – but can he survive after being targeted for a ghastly death? Next, in “Death and The Spider” (1942), from Mar-lar-delan, ancient lama of Tibet, came the prophecy that when Death walked the Earth as a man, The Spider would die! Beseiged by terror and murder, the city struggles to survive as criminal forces rally to the man called Death! These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
 

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The Dark Avenger wages war on organized super-crime in two classic pulp mysteries by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, a city’s financial system is threatened by the murderous machinations of “Intimidation, Inc.,” until The Shadow beats them at their own game! Then, the Knight of Darkness strives to unmask the “Wizard of Crime,” the hidden financial genius behind Intimidation, Inc., in a rare shadowy sequel. This instant collector’s item showcases the classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Paul Orban, with commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray.$14.95.

 

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The original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, The Avenger is blamed when massive power outages black out North America. Can Dick Benson locate the mastermind called Nevlo in time to prevent a deadly final blackout? Then, Death in Slow Motion cripples an American industry, and Justice, Inc. must find an antidote in time to save hundreds from the deadly paralysis plague! Finally, a defeated crook returns to plot Vengeance on The Avenger in an exciting novelette by Spider-wordsmith Emile Tepperman. This classic pulp reprint includes both color covers by Graves Gladney, Paul Orban’s dynamic interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.

80th Anniversary Commemorative Special. Commemorating the Man of Bronze’s anniversary with two expanded novels, restored from Lester Dent’s original manuscripts with never-before-published text! First, a Wall Street scandal sets the Man of Bronze on the golden trail of “The Midas Man,” who plots to control the global financial system. Then, while recovering from a serious head wound, a disoriented Doc Savage battles modern-day pirates and murderous zombies in “The Derelict of Skull Shoal.” PLUS: “80 Years of Doc Savage”: a Pictorial History of the Pulps’ Greatest Superman! This landmark collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Walter M. Baumhofer and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.

 

80th Anniversary Commemorative Special. Commemorating the Man of Bronze’s anniversary with two expanded novels, restored from Lester Dent’s original manuscripts with never-before-published text! First, a Wall Street scandal sets the Man of Bronze on the golden trail of “The Midas Man,” who plots to control the global financial system. Then, while recovering from a serious head wound, a disoriented Doc Savage battles modern-day pirates and murderous zombies in “The Derelict of Skull Shoal.” PLUS: “80 Years of Doc Savage”: a Pictorial History of the Pulps’ Greatest Superman! This landmark collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Walter M. Baumhofer and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.

 
gc340-1-5952961Featured Girasol Replica: Weird Tales #107 November 1932 [Pulp Replica]
This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $35.00
 
Will Murray’s Monumental New Novel
Doc Savage: Skull Island
 
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Doc Savage vs. King Kong!
 
Eighty years ago in February, 1933 the Street & Smith company released the first issue of Doc Savage Magazine, introducing one of the most popular and influential pulp superheroes ever to hit the American scene. Doc Savage was the greatest adventurer and scientist of his era, and while his magazine ended in 1949, he influenced the creators of Superman, Batman, Star Trek, The Man from UNCLE and the Marvel Universe—to name only a few.
 
While that first issue of Doc Savage was fresh on Depression newsstands, RKO Radio Pictures released one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Everyone knows the story of how King Kong was discovered on Skull Island and hauled back to New York in chains, only to perish tragically atop the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building.
 
As it happened, that was where Doc Savage had his world headquarters. For decades, fans have wondered: Where was Doc the day Kong fell?
 
On the eightieth anniversary of these fictional giants, Altus Press is proud to release the first authorized clash between The Man of Bronze and the Eighth Wonder of the World—Doc Savage: Skull Island. Written by Will Murray in collaboration with Joe DeVito, creator of KONG: King of Skull Island, Doc Savage: Skull Island is a new pulp epic.
 
The story opens when Doc returns from his secret retreat in the North Pole to discover the cold corpse of Kong lying on his doorstep.
 
“I know this creature,” Doc tells his dumbfounded men.
 
Tasked to dispose of the remains, the Man of Bronze then relates the untold story of his epic encounter with Kong back in 1920, after Doc returns from service in World War I, long before Kong became known to the civilized world as “King” Kong.
 
Doc Savage: Skull Island is a multi-generational story in which Doc and his father—the man who placed him in the hands of scientists who made him into a superman—sail to the Indian Ocean in search of Doc’s grandfather, the legendary Stormalong Savage, whose famous clipper ship has been discovered floating, deserted, her masts snapped by some incredible force.
 
The quest for Stormalong Savage leads to the fog-shrouded Indian Ocean and—Skull Island! There, Doc Savage faces his first great test as he encounters its prehistoric dangers and tangles with the towering, unstoppable Kong.
 
“When Joe DeVito brought this idea to me,” says Will Murray, “I knew it had to be written with reverence for both of these immortal characters. So I used the locale of Skull Island to tell a larger story, an untold origin for Doc Savage. It all started back on Skull Island….”
 
“Pulling off the first ever face-off between Doc Savage and King Kong was both challenging and exhilarating,” adds DeVito. “Will’s unique take on the tale scatters the primordial mists surrounding Skull Island long enough to reveal secrets of both classic characters hidden since their creation.”
 
Doc Savage: Skull Island has already been hailed as “The Doc Savage novel that Doc fans have been waiting on for 80 years!”
 
Doc Savage: Skull Island is the fifth entry in Altus Press’ popular Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series. Cover by Joe DeVito. $24.95.
 
 

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Review of Cold Death from Doc Savage, Volume 11
By Dr. Art Sippo
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While walking on the street, Doc Savage has his pocket picked. Well, not exactly. A pick-pocket puts something into his pocket.  It is a warning that if he would prevent death to thousands, he should go to a house in a New Jersey marsh. When Doc and his crew arrive there, they witness a weird explosion that digs a perfectly straight symmetrical canal in an instant. As they did deeper into the mystery, they encounter the Cold Death, a hand-held weapon that shoots a beam of incandescent light which is as cold as the depths of space yet can cut a man in half in an instant. The ray beam is turned on Doc Savage and even the bronze man almosts succumbs to a freezing death! This weapon is the trigger to the most powerful explosive ever known: an explosive that harnesses the power of the atom itself. It is the key to a master plan of extortion where entire cities are held hostage. And New York is the first city on the list! At the center of this plan is a man with weird eyes that glow in the dark who appears to be the mastermind behind the scheme.
 
Who is the mystery man? Where does he come from? What is this weapon that brings Cold Death? Can even Doc Savage prevail against such a doomsday weapon?
This story was written in 1936 yet it eerily predicts laser-like weapons and the explosive power of nuclear fusion. The threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists and fanatics is timelier today than when the story was first printed. This is one of my favorites of the weird science Doc Savage sagas.  Don’t Miss it! Double Novel reprint $12.95

 

Comments From Our Customers!

 
Dominick Cancilla writes:

I saw your note on the OTR list about your work with Radio Archives and wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you. I have purchased every single pulp audiobook Radio Archives has put out and enjoy them immensely.
 
Captain Satan and Captain Zero which you performed, were two of my favorites. You mentioned having a good time creating these, and I think that enthusiasm really shows in your performance. I am particularly impressed by your ability to deliver this kind of material without any hint of corniness or campiness. It makes me, as a listener, feel as if I’m “back in the day” reading the book as it was intended.

 

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 UN-SUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO ‘MAN-MADE TROUBLES: THE FIVE-MINUTE FRANKENSTEIN!

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of Pulp and Genre Fiction in All Media
by Tommy Hancock

MAN-MADE TROUBLES:THE FIVE-MINUTE FRANKENSTEIN
An Anthology by L. Andrew Cooper, Georgia L. Jones, LS King, Christopher Kokoski, Brad PArnell, Thomas Rafalski, Teddi Robinson, Divinity Rose, and Jason S. Walters
BlackWyrm Publishing
2013

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There aren’t many fictional names that conjure vivid images in young and old, fan and neophyte, expert and novice, reader and nonreader, like Frankenstein.   Originally a novel of course by Mary Shelley, a fact almost every modern person in existence over the age of 12 probably knows, the concept of Victor Frankenstein stitching together parts of various corpses and charging it with life has gone so far beyond Shelley’s original pages.   The indelible images of the Doctor and his Monster are so engrained in our society and consciousness that effort is made by many to prove that both the human and the created being actually existed or at least had basis in reality.  Still others have taken the Frankenstein tale and retold it in different settings, updated it for modern consumption, or simply taken the themes of the original tale and woven those now classic tropes into new tales.

All of that and more is exactly what the writers of MAN-MADE TROUBLES: THE FIVE-MINUTE FRANKENSTEIN have done with some success.

As stated in the book’s introduction, this is a collection that came out of a group of writers associated with BlackWyrm Publishing discussing doing a Frankenstein anthology.  The plan for the collection seems fairly simple and straightforward, with an interesting twist.  Writers were to write a tale about or inspired by Frankenstein, either the doctor, the monster, or both, and to link either directly or thematically to the source work.  The kicker was, however, that each writer only had four pages to do so, about 1200 words to tell a complete story.

The result of this interesting set of rules turned out to be a rather enjoyable mix of horror, humor, and even adventure as well as a revealing look at just how much we as mere humans connect to the Frankenstein mythos.  The stories range from starring the Monster himself as well as various Frankensteins to simply being about the feeling of one’s life being nothing but mismatched parts of others’ experiences.  Dystopian futures are a common element in more than one tale.  An interesting twist on a classic fairy tale with a hint of Monster is included as well.  Ranging from the straightforward to the abstract, the short short tales in this collection pretty much all hit the mark they aimed for.

Were some better than others? Sure.  The stories by Georgia L. Jones, Divinity Rose, Christopher Kokoski, and Jason S. Walters stand out, but all the tales were fine entries in this quirky collection.

A setback for readers, however, may be the price of the print edition.  It’s a ten dollar book on paper, but the ebook is only 99 cents.  It’s well worth that and more to enjoy this, so if the money’s an issue, pick it up digitally!

THREE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-The stories are overall fun and engaging, with a few near misses, but definitely an interesting read overall!

PULPED! RETURNS WITH PULP 2.0’s BILL CUNNINGHAM!

From PULPED-THE OFFICIAL NEW PULP PODCAST
PULPED! is back!  But first, a note-
To all Our Fans and Listeners,
My apologies for the irregularity of PULPED! for the last few months and the downright absence of it the last three.   No excuses, just real life and the commitments of being a writer and publisher got in the way and pulled me away from this.  What has pulled me back though is the sincere interest so many of you have expressed in hearing more and the comments I’ve gotten at all the conventions this year I’ve been to about how people are listening and enjoying.  It’s taken some time, but due to adding some much needed help for other things and life settling down in general, you can expect to hear not only me and many guests on PULPED! each week, but I expect my three co-hosts will be making a few appearances as well! Thank You all again for your support and interest and let’s get PULPED!, shall we?
Tommy Hancock
PULPED!
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This week’s episode finds Pulp 2.0 Press’ head honcho, the Mad Pulp Bastard himself, Bill Cunningham as our guest!  Frankenstein, Miracle Squad, Big Bang Comics and more- Bill shares Pulp 2.0’s mission to bring great stories back from the past for today’s audience to enjoy as well as fresh New Pulp for all us fans to graze on!  Listen in as Tommy Hancock makes sure that Bill Cunningham gets PULPED!
PULP 2.0 PRESS- http://pulp2ohpress.com
Check out New Pulp on at www.newpulpfiction.com and on Facebook and at http://www.comicrelated.com/forums
Tommy Hancock- www.ideaslikebullets.blogspot.com
Ron Fortier- www.airship27.com
Barry Reese- www.barryreese.net
Derrick Ferguson- www.dillon-dlferguson.blogspot.com
Listen to the latest episode of PULPED! Here!

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Patton Oswalt’s “Star Wars VII” for the 30th Anniversary of “Return Of The Jedi”

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In honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of Return Of The Jedi and the 36th anniversary of the release of Star Wars, we have something a little bit different for you.

Last month, for an episode of Parks and Recreation, Patton Oswalt ad libbed a seven-minute vision of what Star Wars VII ought to be, complete with the Avengers and several Greek gods. Now his rant has been animated by YouTube user Izac Less:

Oh, and here’s the original:

And consider yourself lucky. If we really wanted to do Saturday morning cartoons to commemorate Return Of The Jedi, we would have gone with this:

Yubnub yourself, buddy.

Man finds “Action Comics #1” being used as wall insulation

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While remodeling his newly purchased home in Elbow Lake, Minn., David Gonzalez noticed something unusual amid the old newspapers that had been used as wall insulation.

It was a copy of Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, the very first comic to feature the granddaddy of all superheroes, Superman.

Read the rest at Man finds comic book worth $100,000 being used as wall insulation | The Sideshow – Yahoo! News.

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