Pro Se Productions, the company sponsoring PULP ARK, the first annual Pulp Convention/Creators Conference being held May 13-15 in Batesville, Ark., announced today that major publisher Simon and Schuster is one of the many publishers taking part in the activities.
According to Tommy Hancock, Pulp Ark Coordinator, Simon and Schuster is participating in Pulp Ark in order to promote the upcoming release of a major novel by Paul Malmont. Malmont, best known for his best selling works ‘The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril’ and ‘Jack London in Paradise’ has completed ‘The Astounding, The Amazing, and the Unknown’. This novel, a sequel to ‘Death Cloud Peril’ follows pulp writer L. Ron Hubbard on adventures into the 1950s that will rival the fantastic pulp tales the future cultural icon wrote. The first book in this two-book series was a fictional romp involving Hubbard, H.P. Lovecraft, and pulp authors Lester Dent and Walter Gibson and others that carried them across the map and through two fisted, pulse pounding adventures.
“Malmont,” Hancock stated, “takes real life historical personages and weaves them into these realistic, yet wildly entertaining, fast paced tales. Pulp Ark is pleased to be able to say that various items, like postcards and such, will be handed out Saturday, May 14, to commemorate the July release of the new novel. Also, a galley copy of the new novel will be on display and given away at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. To register for the giveaway, all you have to do is come to Pulp Ark at 151 West Main, Batesville, Ark starting at noon Friday, May 13 and put your name in the box! The winner will be drawn on Saturday!”
For further information on the giveaway and Pulp Ark, Hancock can be reached at 870-834-4022 or proseproductions@earthlink.net.
THE PHANTOM: KGB NOIR – THE HAMMER
Written by Mike Bullock
Art by Fernando Peniche
ISBN 978-1933076805
This black-and-white trade collects the six issue limited series and also includes artist sketches and liner notes from the author. As Mike Bullock mentions in his notes, this series was changed midstream in length and I think that contributes to the breakneck pace that this has — it starts with action and never lets up. While this gives it all a movie serial kind of feel, it does make it kind of hard to get into the heads of the villains: they feel very shallow and more character types than people. But the artwork is fetching and the story has a lot of exciting action sequences so it all adds up to a great summer action flick kind of ambiance. It’s fun to see the Phantom in a different setting, too, though I do kind of miss Diana and the kids — but with the pacing of this story, there’s no room for them. One thing that struck me was that there’s no explanation of who or what the Phantom is — it didn’t deter me, since I love the Phantom and realize that most people who would buy this probably do, too. But I do believe in Jim Shooter’s axiom that every issue is somebody’s first and that you should always manage to explain a character’s motivations, etc. in some manner — but, again, with the pacing here, there was little to no time for reflection. Is this the best Phantom story I’ve seen from Mike Bullock? No. But it’s still a great, fun read and comes highly recommended to diehard Phantom fans. If you’re new to the character, I wouldn’t start here since there’s little in the way of “classic” lore but if you’re familiar with the hero and want something a bit different, this could fit the bill.
Contents:
Pre-order:
PULP ARK NOTE-RON FORTIER, BOBBY NASH, BARRY REESE, AND JOE GENTILE, CEO OF MOONSTONE WILL ALL BE IN ATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST ANNUAL PULP ARK CONVENTION/CONFERENCE MAY 13-15TH IN BATESVILLE, AR!
Even Pulpsters have Moms!!! And some Moms are even Pulpsters! So, take today, be with your mother, clean her guns, fight her bad guys, and remember, she’s the reason you’re on this great adventure of life.
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock
DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN
By Derrick Ferguson
178 Pages
Published by Pulpwork Press
I read a lot, always have. I read a lot of Pulp, Pulp of all varieties and all stripes and eat it up like a jungle explorer lost in a desert who finished off his last camel three weeks ago. Most of what I read I like, a fair piece of it I thoroughly enjoy, but very rarely do I find something that I absolutely cannot put down, that sends me into withdrawals when I step away from it, that just completely changes my view on what good stories can be I’ve reviewed a couple of those types of tales here, but its rare.
Well, here’s another one
Derrick Ferguson’s DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN is one of the best pieces of New Pulp literature I have ever read. The lead character is draped in all the trappings and traits of classic Pulp icons while having enough of his own wrinkles and scars to make him a thoroughly modern protagonist. The pacing is relentless, starting off with a seemingly day in the life of scene for Dillon which blossoms into the lead-in to a world spanning, body count multiplying, gadget filling adventure that doesn’t allow a reader, even a seasoned one like me the chance to catch his breath.
The plot is that Dillon, an adventurer who is both sought after positively by those in need of his services and wanted by almost every agency in the world with a badge and letters in its name, does a friend a favor and retrieves a ring. This ring is the key to an invention that could save or destroy the world. Odin, the holder of said invention, as well as multiple other interested parties come after Dillon for the ring and madness and murderous mayhem ensues from there.
The best parts of this book concern Ferguson’s characters and his turn of phrase. He creates such a wide panorama of characters, people who in no way should exist in what we think of the real world, yet he makes them believable, flawed, and likable, even the evil ones. That combined with his ability to wrap words around a single concept and turn into an explosion of description, narration, and thought provoking exposition, not only once or twice but on almost every page, makes DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN a pure New Pulp delight to read!
FIVE OUT FIVE TIPS OF HANCOCK’S HAT-The finest kind.
* New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2
* New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider, Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47
* Bargain Deals in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest
* Coming Soon: Pulp Audiobooks from Radio Archives
The late nineteenth century marked the true beginnings of the pulp era, thanks to the introduction of “dime novels” – an inexpensive mix of newspaper and magazine that specialized in attention grabbing stories that always left readers wanting more. Aimed directly at American youth, many of the stories emphasized that, with a combination of pluck, dedication, and clean living, any American boy or girl could rise to any height that they chose – and indeed, become a hero themselves.
In the winter of 1895, a writer named Gilbert Patten created such a character for a new magazine called “Tip Top Library”. His publisher, Street and Smith, had instructed him to give his new hero admirable attributes like good looks, intelligence, good sportsmanship, ethics, and an outgoing personality – and so, based on these standards of excellence, Frank Merriwell was born.
The first Merriwell story appeared the following spring and was an instant success with readers. Thanks to Patten’s exciting, fast-paced writing style, the characters of Frank Merriwell and his friends Bart Hodge and Inza Burridge quickly became an institution; Street and Smith published their adventures for nearly two decades and an enduring literary legend was born.
After World War II, when the stories were largely a nostalgic part of the past, many of Merriwell’s readers retained a lingering fondness for this role model of their youth. Recognizing this, the National Broadcasting Company decided to reintroduce him to a contemporary audience. And so, in the fall of 1946, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell”returned in a half-hour series of weekly radio adventures. Broadcast from New York, the new series starred Lawson Zerbe as Frank, with Hal Studer as his pal Bart Hodge and Elaine Rost as his girlfriend, Inza Burridge. NBC chose to make the series a period piece and, like many of the original stories, the programs were written as mini-mysteries – fast-paced tales in which Frank, Bart, and Inza investigated mysterious happenings, robberies, and underhanded deeds. True to its origins, each program subtly emphasized that success and popularity were best obtained through good sportsmanship, academic study, and athletic achievement. Thus, Merriwell and his cohorts continued to be the sort of positive role models they had been for half a century.
Heard today, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell” may well remind you of the mystery stories of your own youth, reminiscent of characters like the Hardy Boys, the Three Adventurers, or Encyclopedia Brown. Priced at just $20.98, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2” is a seven-hour CD set from RadioArchives.com that features fourteen exciting and original stories. It’s a collection you’ll want to add to your personal library right away – and be sure to share these wholesome and inspiring tales with your children and grandchildren too!
New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47
Pulp fiction’s legendary Master of Men returns in “The Spider Volume 19”, featuring two classic novels written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in “Slaves of the Dragon”, white slavery is stripping America of its wives, sisters and sweethearts. Richard Wentworth, valiant champion of human rights, knows that an Oriental master criminal is captaining the slavery syndicate and has guessed the unspeakable purpose behind these wholesale abductions. Can the Spider outwit his most formidable foe and save America’s doomed womanhood? Then, in “The Spider and his Hobo Army”, murder and destruction has stupefied the nation. The zero hour has come and the vast and insidious Order of the Double Cross is ready to blast America from the face of the earth. Can The Spider crush the minions of the Double Cross, with only a handful of ragged hobos to aid him? This beautifully reformatted double-novel version of these two pulp classics, priced at just $14.95, features the original cover art and interior illustrations that accompany each story.
Finally, in “Doc Savage Volume 47”, pulp fiction’s legendary Man of Bronze returns in three action-packed thrillers by Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson. First, when a man claiming to have found the secret of eternal life is murdered, Doc Savage journeys to Mexico searching for an answer in the remote “Weird Valley”. Then, only the Man of Bronze can provide a beautiful con artist with an antidote for murder in “Let’s Kill Ames”. Finally, a lost city of Incas battles over the strange power of “The Green Master”. This classic pulp reprint, priced at just $14.95, features the original color pulp covers by George Rozen, Modest Stein, and Walter Swenson, plus Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray.
If you’ve been collecting these beautifully reformatted issues as they are released, you’ll want to place your order for these new books right away. And if you’ve never read a pulp novel – well, you’re in for a real treat! Be sure to stop by RadioArchives.com today and check out our pulp fiction section, where you’ll find more of the exciting and engrossing tales of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, the Whisperer, and The Avenger.
Bargain Deals in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest
Check out the Treasure Chest bargains coming your way this week at RadioArchives.com – including our just released Frank Merriwell collection!
* Today through Monday May 9th, you can get our newest CD set – “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2”, a $20.98 value – for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.
* On Wednesday May 11th, the legendary mastermind of evil returns in “The Shadow of Fu Manchu”, an action-packed ten-CD set featuring 45 rare and fully restored broadcasts from 1939 and starring such familiar radio performers as Gale Gordon, Hanley Stafford, Paula Winslowe, Edmond O’Brien, and Frank Nelson. This collection of exciting entertainment normally sells for $29.98 – but it can be yours for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.
* On Thursday May 12th, when you submit an order of $35.00 or more, you can get “John Wayne: The Screen Legends Collection”, a 3-DVD set featuring five of the Duke’s best films, including “Reap the Wild Wind” with Ray Milland, “The Spoilers” with Marlene Dietrich, “The War Wagon” with Kirk Douglas, “Hellfighters” with Vera Miles, and “Rooster Cogburn” with Katherine Hepburn. This impressive collection normally sells for $26.98 – but, thanks to the Treasure Chest at RadioArchives.com, it can be yours for Just $3.99 – that’s only seventy nine cents for each movie!
We’re sorry but, at these low prices, multiple orders cannot be combined into single shipments. Each separate order must be placed on the days on which the specials are offered and no early or late orders will be accepted.
Make it a habit to stop by RadioArchives.com often and see what’s waiting for you in the Treasure Chest. It’s a great way to save money and bring some delightful entertainment into your home. And don’t forget that the Treasure Chest deals at RadioArchives.com make great gifts to give to your friends and family – and we promise to never tell them how little you paid for them!
This June, RadioArchives.com will introduce a brand new series of audiobooks featuring Doc Savage, The Spider, and the other classic heroes of pulp fiction. By special arrangement with the authors, owners, and publishers of these thrill-packed adventures, these full length and unabridged audiobook adaptations will soon be available in compact disc collections, produced in digital stereo and featuring narration by many of the top names in the audiobook field.
The first series of audiobooks will be the Doc Savage novels written by renowned writer Will Murray – starting with his classic adventure story, “Python Isle”. These new audio productions are being produced and directed by Roger Rittner, who created the “Adventures of Doc Savage” full-cast radio series, now available from RadioArchives.com. All of these exciting and collectable audio editions will feature cover art by Joe DeVito, as well as a wide variety of special features.
For more information on these exciting new releases, click here: Audiobooks from RadioArchives.com
Be watching for updates on our website and also special features in our weekly newsletters as we begin the “Countdown to Adventure” with pulp audiobooks, coming to you soon from RadioArchives.com!
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper ruled the wrestling ring for the better part of four decades, crafting a Hall of Fame career that brought cheers – and huzzahs – from fans across the globe. Along the way, Piper established numerous milestones that set his career apart from all others.
At age 15, Piper was the youngest professional wrestler to ever enter the squared circle – and he would proceed to hold more than 38 titles while eclipsing 7,000 victories in professional matches. It was the main event at the very first Wrestlemania – pitting Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T – that truly established the WWE.
Of course, any fanboy worth his weight in comics can recite Piper’s famous lines from John Carpenter’s cult classic They Live. Wherever he goes, somebody asks Piper if he has any bubblegum.
Today, Piper continues to entertain and educate, whether it be via his one-man show or as a best selling author of an autobiography entitled “In the Pit with Piper.” And on June 7, fans can experience Piper’s acting chops in his very first voiceover role for animation as the barbaric Bolphunga in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights will be distributed by Warner Home Video on Blu-Ray™, DVD, On Demand and for Download.
Piper’s character – Bolphunga the Unrelenting – is the central antagonist in the episodic segment entitled “Mogo Doesn’t Socialize.” Based on the 1985 story created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the story centers on Bolphunga’s search for Mogo, the largest Green Lantern, in hopes of engaging the famed warrior in a battle worthy of the villain. The role serves as a perfect vehicle to showcase Piper’s strength and wonderful sense of humor.
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights weaves six legendary stories of the Green Lantern Corps’ rich mythology around preparations for an attack by an ancient enemy. As the battle approaches, Hal Jordan mentors new recruit Arisia in the history of the Green Lantern Corps, telling tales of Avra (the first Green Lantern) and several of Hal’s comrades – including Abin Sur, Kilowog, Laira and Mogo. In the end, Arisia must rise to the occasion to help Hal, Sinestro and the entire Green Lantern Corps save the universe from the destructive forces of Krona.
Primetime television stars Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) lead a diverse array of performers as the voices behind the Green Lantern Corps, including actor/spoken word artist Henry Rollins (Sons of Anarchy, The Henry Rollins Show), Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter films), Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), Kelly Hu (The Vampire Diaries) as Laira and Wade Williams (Prison Break) as Deegan. Radio Hall of Fame commentator/talk show host Michael Jackson voices the esteemed Guardian, Ganthet.
Bruce Timm is executive producer of Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. Directors are Lauren Montgomery, Jay Oliva and Christopher Berkeley. Oliva directed “Mogo Doesn’t Socialize” from a script by Gibbons.
Piper spent a few moments after his recording session to discuss his current activities, his love of acting, and the responsibilities of being a role model. Listen closely … because Roddy just ran out of chewing gum. (more…)
20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment took advantage of yesterday’s International Star Wars Day to formally announce the details surrounding this September’s Blu-ray debut of the original Star Wars trilogy along with the more recent trilogy. The six films are accompanied by three discs of extras totaling a stellar 40 hours of material – some new, some old.
Here’s the formal release with the details. Begin saving for this event, although let me caution you that the original versions of the trilogy won’t be here. George Lucas has previously indicated the film is in no shape for high definition conversion.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 4th, 2011) – Bring home the adventure and share Star Wars™ with your whole family – when Star Wars: The Complete Saga comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment! To be released beginning on September 12 internationally and on September 16 in North America, the nine-disc collection brings the wonder of the entire Saga direct to your living room, where you can revisit all of your favorite Star Wars moments – in gorgeous high definition and with pristine, 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Dive deeper into the universe with an unprecedented 40+ hours of special features, highlighted by never-before-seen content sourced from the Lucasfilm archives.
The comprehensive collection also features numerous deleted, extended and alternate scenes, new documentaries and a cross-section of the countless Star Wars spoofs that have appeared in pop culture over the past three decades. Marking the first time ever that the full Saga is available in one complete collection, Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray also features a coveted peek into the making of the Saga with vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.
Episodes I-III and IV-VI will also be available as distinct Blu-ray Trilogy collections.
Fans will get an exclusive first look at some of the collection’s extensive special features at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International – which marks Lucasfilm’s 35th anniversary as a Comic-Con presence. In 1976, the fledgling film company was looking for innovative, grass-roots ways to promote its underdog release, a film no one expected to succeed – a space opera known (at the time) only as Star Wars. One of the first film companies to reach out directly to core audiences by way of fan conventions, Lucasfilm will return to the venue to showcase the full evolution of the epic story with a special first look at Star Wars: The Complete Saga. (more…)
Okay, my fellow monster fans, the time has come. This is the secret project I’ve been teasing about for the past few months. I’m writing a vintage-style “filmbook” treatment (in other words, a pulpy prose version) of the classic Universal movie Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine!
The stunningly glorious cover was painted by the incomparable Joe Jusko. My version of the story is adapted from Curt Siodmak’s original screenplay, containing several scenes that were cut from the released film. In my filmbook, Bela Lugosi’s Frankenstein Monster is blind, and will speak, as Siodmak intended. Think of it as a “Director’s Cut” of a long-cherished monster movie.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the second Frankenstein film I ever saw–and also was my first encounter with the Wolf Man–when I was six years old. This movie altered my DNA and I’ve never been the same since.Of course, getting to write the filmbook for FM is extraordinarily thrilling. I was sick a lot as a little kid and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine served as a sort of security blanket for me every dreaded time I went to the doctor’s office. FM never, ever failed to make me feel better.
Many thanks to Phil, Jessie, and Joe. Couldn’t have done this without you.
I can hardly describe the sense of joy I have for being involved in my favorite childhood magazine, as well as taking a small part in the Universal Monsters saga, my favorite fictional universe.
This project is a dream come true for both Joe and myself. Hope you’ll join us.
On Sale in September!
Interviews with Powel and Jusko coming soon to ALL PULP!
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