Twitter Updates for 2011-04-27
- RT @markwaid: Tune into the @GeekWeekOnline podcast tonight to hear me ramble about why 99 cent downloads are mandatory for digital growth. #
Category: News
BEHIND THE VEIL WITH DERRICK FERGUSON!
BEHIND THE VEIL
Dillon and Race
By Percival Constantine
The character who first introduced me to pulp fiction is one that may surprise a lot of people. While I had grown up as a fan of James Bond and Indiana Jones, the first time I experienced a pulp story that I consciously knew was a pulp story was when I read Dillon and the Voice of Odin.
Dillon was my gateway drug into the world of pulp, and I’m forever in Derrick Ferguson’s debt for that. Derrick’s a guy I know personally, we’ve been friends for a while and we’ve had discussions on all manner of topics. Once, when talking about Dillon, Derrick told me that he received some criticism for pairing Dillon with Kris Quinlan, a woman of South American descent, as opposed to a black heroine. And a lot of that criticism came from black women.
And with that, I realized that there’s an interesting racial component to Dillon. It’s definitely not overt, it’s actually very, very subtle. When asked how important race is in the Dillon stories, Derrick said, “In terms of having a black action adventure hero who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Doc Savage, James Bond, Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, The Avenger, Conan, Solomon Kane, The Shadow, The Saint and a dozen other heroes, it’s very important to me. You have to understand something: I discovered this stuff during the 70s. And since there were no black heroes to read about, I had to read what was available. Not that it mattered to me. What resonated in my soul was the style and excitement of the stories being told. The morals and qualities of the heroes. To put it very simply, the pulps told stories I loved to read.”
Derrick is very clear that this played an important role in crafting Dillon and his world. “The creation of Dillon was directly inspired by my desire to create a black action adventure hero that I would have liked to read about when I was twelve years old. And not just be a white hero in blackface. But a hero unique unto himself, who would look at racial situations and at the world as a whole with a different eye.”
And here we come to another factor—Dillon truly does have a unique take on race. Something which also seems to come from Derrick’s exposure to the pulps while growing up. In my correspondence with him, Derrick tells of an incident, of which he says there were more than one, when he was on the train and reading a Tarzan novel. Three older guys sat next to him and demanded to know why he was reading “the white man’s racist trash.”
It’s obvious this had an impact on Dillon’s genesis, because while Dillon isn’t a white hero in blackface, he also isn’t a black hero whose stories are all focused on race—he’s a hero, period. And that unique perspective Dillon has on race? Here’s what it is: His age is unknown, but according to his biography (located at the Dillon site), he began hiring himself out as a soldier of fortune “some ten years ago.” Given this fact and the descriptions of him in the books, we can safely say Dillon is in his early or mid-thirties, at the youngest (he could very well be older given his unique physiology, which I’ll let you read about at the above link). So while a man Dillon’s age would have grown up in the Civil Rights era (or at the very least, immediately following it), he would have felt the sting of racism in one form or another had he grown up in American society.
But Dillon doesn’t have that experience—he wasn’t raised in American society or any other society we can identify with. “There’s a reason why I had Dillon raised in a hidden civilization far away from the cultures we know,” says Derrick. “He sees no reason why he should ally himself with a black cause just because he’s black or why he should be against a white cause just because it’s white. He was raised to judge individuals, causes and governments and institutions based on what they do, for good or ill.”
This is one of the very unique aspects of what Derrick’s done with Dillon. He’s a pulp hero in contemporary society, which already sets him apart from both classic and new pulp creations. But beyond that, there’s a very subtle undercurrent of progressive racial ideas that runs through Derrick’s work. And it doesn’t end with Dillon, it just begins with him.
In Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell, there’s a very interesting scene in the fictional country of Xonira. In the book, Xonira is described as having been founded by pirate kings, mercenaries, and freebooters and that it quickly attracted many who were not desired in their home countries. As Lord C’jai of Xonira tells Dillon and his friends, “your typical Xoniran is a mixture of many different bloods. Take me for example. I can claim Ethiopian, Greek, Egyptian, Chinese and English among my ancestors. Most of the population of Xonira have similar mixing of different races in their personal histories. This mixture explains our polyglot of a language, our blending of cultures, styles and cultures.”
In Derrick’s own words, “It’s a country that hasn’t forgotten it’s populated by mutts. Much like our own beloved USA. The difference is that here we all either have forgotten we’re mutts or like to pretend we aren’t.”
Xonira represents a post-racial society, one in which culture, language and race have blended together. But Derrick isn’t so naïve as to believe that any society, even one which manages to transcend race, is perfect (anyone who’s read Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell knows they’ve got more than their fair share of problems). There’s still work to be done and there is no Shangri-La.
And although there’s quite a bit of keen insight and forward-thinking in Derrick’s work, he’s quick to take the modest ground: “I’m not out to enlighten or uplift. I leave that for those better qualified to do so. I’m just a guy who likes to make stuff up and share.”
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Percival Constantine is the author of Love & Bullets and The Myth Hunter (coming this summer). He lives in southern Japan and has entirely too much time on his hands.
PULP PUBLISHER DISCUSSES NEW PULP AS A MOVEMENT!
I sat down to write this…what you are reading…as an announcement and it is that, of course. But it’s not an announcement of a new Pro Se magazine or book, although Pro Se Productions will obviously be involved…obvious when you finish reading this, that is. It’s not a new ALL PULP column even though ALL PULP and any other news site, blog, page, etc. that is interested in Pulp will be a part of it if they choose to be. And it’s most definitely not a Tommy Hancock project. I hope to be pivotal to its execution as I hope many others are, but I’m simply the guy who hopefully is the spark that starts the fuse that leads to the revolution.
Heady words, right? But I don’t feel like they’re the wrong words.
Pulp Fiction has many layers. More than a genre or a field of writing, Pulp is a historic event, has been since the first cheaply made, quickly written magazines hit the newsstands so many decades ago. Was it necessarily a whole new form of literature, then? No, not when you take into account the dime novels and such that preceded pulps. What it became, however, is an unstoppable force, an unbelievable influence on writers of the era and especially writers, both famous and unknown, of every year since. The simplistic, yet layered storytelling, the one-two punch of the dialogue and the action, and the over the top antics, characters, and resolutions that made readers believe in the amazing, the fantastic, and the incredible have leaked into modern literature in ways that no one expected.
As a writer of New Pulp, something that has been going on really since the original era of the Pulps ended, I have heard many people say and have even said myself that we are in the midst of a Pulp Renaissance. That now with the advent of things like the internet, Print on Demand, and an overall increase in interest, Pulp is becoming more and more popular and noticed every day. I believe this simply because of the number of writers, artists, and especially publishers I am aware of that have set up shop in the last 5 or so years, creators who are simply out to do one thing-write Pulp. And even before this new crop of artisans, Pulp still had a strong foothold. Collectors, dealers, and fans of the original works and legendary stories have been active enough over the decades that Pulp has shown up at a variety of conventions and venues, even so much so that there are at least two major Pulp conventions a year, not to mention smaller dealer shows and other events throughout the year.
It’s a proven fact. Pulp, if it ever really went away, is back and with a Norvell Page like vengeance. And out of this resurgence in interest, out of the dedication of dealers and collectors keeping the love of Pulp alive, and out of the creative, inspired minds of modern creators thirsting to express their ideas, stories, thoughts through the prism of Pulp, something else has arisen. Something innovative, yet not disconnected for the established work. Something original, yet grounded solidly in inspiration and influences past. Something novel, but familiar at the same time.
This is the era of New Pulp.
Pulp will never die. What has come before will never change. Dent, Gibson, et al. will continue to be the almost mythic purveyors of this most awesome fiction. But they have descendants in spirit, authors and artists who have picked up the banner and carried the standard of Pulp forward. The past of Pulp will be preserved by the historians, touted by the collectors, distributed by the dealers, and reprinted by the fantastic resources that have taken that on. Those unbelievably great adventures will thankfully never fade away.
And out of that legacy, out of that history, out of that imaginative period and body of work has come New Pulp.
It is time to define New Pulp as its own entity. Not separate from Pulp as a whole, but as something defined within the genre. What is New Pulp? Well, as far as my definition goes, the explanation is fairly simple. New Pulp is fiction written with the same sensibilities, linear storytelling, pattern of conflict, and creative use of words and phrases of original Pulp, but crafted by modern writers, artists, and publishers. New stories with either completely original characters or new tales of established characters from Pulp past. It’s really that simple. New Pulp is Pulp written today.
So much New Pulp is now available, including work from noted pulp historians such as Will Murray and Tom Johnson as well as the entire Wold Newton family of creators and beyond. Add to that the literal multitude of mavericks and new guns that have stepped forward, myself thankfully included, and New Pulp is suddenly more than just a group of guys and gals telling stories like the ones we grew up on. It’s its own movement, its own subgenre, within Pulp as a whole. And that doesn’t mean it is set apart from Pulp as we’ve all known it until now. New Pulp will always be a part of Pulp conventions, dealers shows, and the continuing appreciation and discussion of classic Pulp and all that made it what it was.
But I think it can be that…and much more.
Here’s what I’m proposing. And understand, this is a proposal, an idea…a suggestion. Having said that, I have discussed this line of thinking with other writers and creators, even if they didn’t know what my intent was at the time we discussed it, and feel that this is the right time for a defining of New Pulp. So, I bring this to you with some ideas and concrete plans. And with an invitation, but that’ll come later.
In order to define New Pulp, to bring in new audiences, to find and take on new markets, and to shine light on this wonderful literary form that thus far has been shined elsewhere, the first step is coming together. As a publisher myself, I know that there’s a certain level of competition, that ‘my stuff has to outsell your stuff’ mindset and that’s okay. That’s healthy. But we are at a point that if we want to break out, if we want people to walk by a bookshelf and see a New Pulp title and say, ‘Hey what is this?’ and in some instances if we even want to get on some bookshelves, then we have to recognize that although we are individual creators and companies, we are also invested in the same genre. We are all a part of New Pulp.
With that in mind, here’s what I’m proposing. A push for New Pulp. Getting the word out that New Pulp exists, that it is both a part of something classic and great and is its own movement. To establish an identity for New Pulp, a way that when someone encounters a tale published, written, or drawn by a New Pulp creator, that they know they have a New Pulp work in their hands.
One way to do this is combined advertising. We need to come together and work up some ads, print, net, and otherwise, that tout New Pulp, not just as a concept, but with creators, publishers, and product from various New Pulp purveyors. Pro Se, Airship 27,Wild Cat, White Rocket, Granton City Press, Seventh Realms, Moonstone, and the list goes on. Advertising, either free or paid (with each party tossing in a share of course) is crucial to any endeavor breaking beyond its established fanbase, but it is particularly critical for a field wanting to establish itself. To that end, I had Sean Ali, a great friend and Pro Se’s designer, develop a logo that will be free for any publisher of New Pulp to use. A handful of writers and publishers have already agreed to participate in efforts under this logo and anyone else in the New Pulp field is welcome to join in.
Also, I’ll announce that PULP ARK, the writer’s conference/convention that Pro Se is hosting May 13-15, 2011 in Batesville, AR, will be the first NEW PULP Conference/Convention. At current count, 25 writers, publishers, and artists of New Pulp will be in attendance at Pulp Ark, the biggest gathering of New Pulp creators in one place to date. Dealers and collectors are also welcome and several will be present, moving everything from classic pulp magazines to reprints to cds to all sorts of Pulp related material. But Pulp Ark will focus on New Pulp creators with panels, classrooms, and programming designed to promote New Pulp and welcome fans and new readers into the world New Pulp has established.
If Pulp Ark makes the mark we feel it will, talks are already in works for adding a convention in a different location under the New Pulp banner as early as next year. This would be done in an effort to give New Pulp creators who can’t make it to Arkansas every year to have at least one other venue, maybe even two eventually, to be a part of. And of course, it would also open up New Pulp to new fans and readers.
Another aspect of this is that shared, cooperative pages can be established. Already in the works are ideas for a NEW PULP site that spotlights all New Pulp creators who wish to participate and hawks their wares, either print or e-books. That piece will take a bit to get set up, but it is in development.
These few ideas and plans are just the tip of the iceberg. As I said at the start, this is not a Pro Se or a Tommy Hancock project, but I did feel and was encouraged by others that someone had to sort of step up and take the reins. The yahoo group PulpDefined, that some of you have requested membership, will be a major workplace for the New Pulp movement. If you are interested in participating, email me at braedenalex@centurytel.net that you are a writer, artist, or publisher and wish to be a part of Pulp Defined. Or if you just have questions or comments, the same email is good for those, too.
Of course, there is no rule that says you have to identify with, work with, or even support what I’ve proposed. This is one person, with the encouragement of a few others, who has recognized a need and hopes we can come together to fill it. We are all individuals, but we are also all New Pulp. It’s time to let the world know that we not only exist, but that we are here to stay and will provide them with endless fantastic tales and exciting adventures. That is our world. That is New Pulp.
Tommy Hancock
4/26/11
ALL PULP NEWSSTAND BULLDOG EDITION 4/26/11
ALL PULP NEWSSTAND
BULLDOG EDITION
4/26/11
NEW GREEN LAMA AUDIO ADVENTURES!!!!
ACTOR AND WRITER CHOSEN!
ACTOR AND WRITER CHOSEN!
(831) 869-9995 audiocomicsinfo@gmail.com www.audiocomicscompany.com
Announcing Craig Neibaur as The Green Lama
Bay Area actor Craig Neibaur to don the hood of classic pulp hero in new AudioComics Company series
Contact: Lance Roger Axt, Producer/Director
audiocomicsinfo@gmail.com
Official press release:
The AudioComics Company is pleased to announce the casting of San Francisco Bay Area stage actor Craig Neibaur in the title role of The Green Lama, part of the production company’s classic pulp audio series.
Neibaur will portray Kendell Foster Crossen’s famed pulp crime-fighter in a brand new series of audio adventures set in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The alter-ego of millionaire Jethro Dumont, The Green Lama is both a detective endowed with superhuman powers through his knowledge of “radioactive salts,” and a practicing Buddhist, utilizing the basic doctrines through his war on crime. The Green Lama is only one of several of Dumont’s identities, his others being the Buddhist priest Dr Pali and adventurer Hugh Gilmore.
Craig Neibaur has graced stages in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost twenty years; after coming to grips with the fact that he was an actor and not a biology major, Craig graduated from San Francisco State University with his Bachelors in Theater and an eclectic body of work that included the classics and modern works. He has continued to work regularly with Berkeley Rep, Encore Theatre, and Bay Area TheatreSports (and its offshoot, True Fiction Magazine) on the West Coast premieres of Five Flights; Silence; Norton I; and The Lonesome West. He has been a core member of Porchlight Theater Company since 2006, appearing with them in Heartbreak House, Ideal Husband, and Under Milk Wood. Not only is Craig an actor but by day a certified massage therapist through his business “Massage for the Arts,” where he donates 10% of all proceeds to not-for-profit local theaters.
Director Lance Roger Axt: “As far as we are concerned, Craig is the Green Lama, hands down. I knew exactly who should play Jet Dumont the minute I started reading the classic Double Detective stories; I heard Craig’s voice in my head, and that was that. I’ve known Craig for many years now, and I know what he can bring to the role. Believe me, it will be a pleasure to work with him on this.”
The Green Lama first appeared in the pages of the pulp magazine Double Detective from 1940 to 1943 while simultaneously appearing in Prize Comics in stories that bridged the lines between crime drama and supernatural mystery, He then moved to his own title, The Green Lama published by Spark Publications, in stories that were more superhero in nature, although the scripts were still written by Crossen. More recently the Lama has reappeared in numerous series from publishers ranging from AC Comics to Dynamite Entertainment to Airship 27.
Three years after the demise of his comic series, the character returned for a short-lived CBS radio series in 1949, with the voice-over provided by the legendary Paul Frees, thus making Craig Neibaur the second actor in radio history to don the hood of The Green Lama. The Lama’s new audio adventures record this fall in San Francisco, CA. http://www.audiocomicscompany.com/
GARCIA TO WRITE GREEN LAMA AUDIO ADVENTURES!
Our pulp audio creative team continues to grow! Following the announcement of actor Craig Neibaur as The Green Lama, The AudioComics Company welcomes one of the country’s foremost Green Lama writers and historians, Adam Lance Garcia, to the fold; Adam will be one of a handful of writers to pen world-premiere audio adventures featuring the alter-ego of Jet Dumont, beginning with a half-hour supernatural mystery recording this fall in San Francisco, CA.
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Adam was raised on comic books and movie serials. A graduate of New York University’s Film & Television program, he has worked in animation, film and television; won several awards for his photography; and has written and directed two short films. He has been writing the Green Lama since his first novella, “Horror in Clay” which was nominated for Best Short Story in 2009 Pulp Factory Awards. Most recently his first novel Green Lama: Unbound won the 2010 Pulp Factory Awards for Best Novel of the Year and Best Interior Art for the work of his frequent collaborator, Mike Fyles; as well as the 2010 Pulp Ark Award for best Pulp Revival. (http://cornerstonepublishers.com)
His short story “Green Lama & the Case of the Final Column” will be featured in the upcoming Altus Press reprints of the original pulp stories, and his original character Dock Doyle will make his premiere later this ear. He is currently at work on the next Green Lama novel, Crimson Circle.
ANOTHER PAGE OF FLYING GLORY COMIN’ AT YA!
From Kevin Paul Shaw Broden-
FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY
by Kevin Paul Shaw Broden and Shannon Muir
ISSUE 0, Page 5
Play something everyone will like and not too loud… reunion day is underway, and Debra and her friends are under pressure to please everyone. How high are tensions going? Read the next page of “Generational Glory” to find out at http://www.flying-glory.com/ !
Twitter Updates for 2011-04-26
- @maryannjohanson blogs about "The Impossible Astronaut" so we don't have to. #DoctorWho http://t.co/AEgKhrm #
DYLAN DOG Takes The Lead Spot
The tough spot of kicking off a summer full of comic book movies goes to – DYLAN DOG. We talk with director KEVIN MUNROE and star BRANDON ROUTH about taking the European icon to the big screen, plus the Spidey musical is headed to TV – sort of,
Do you think DYLAN DOG can take this weekend’s Box Office? Drop us a comment below!
MOONSTONE MONDAY-See What Moonstone Has Comin’ in August!
COMING FROM MOONSTONE IN AUGUST 2011!
MOONSTONE AUGUST ’11 RELEASES:
JUSTICE MACHINE #1
OBJECT OF POWER #1 (of 3)
Story: Mark Ellis
Art: David Enebral, Mar Degano
Cover: Jeff Slemons
32pgs, color, $3.99
THE JUSTICE MACHINE IS BACK! The legendary super-team returns on the 30th anniversary of their 1981 debut!
The Justice Machine fought to destroy tyranny on two worlds–but nearly twenty years ago they vanished, never to be seen again.
The Justice Machine fought to destroy tyranny on two worlds–but nearly twenty years ago they vanished, never to be seen again.
Until now! The Machine’s explosive return plunges them into a nightmarish landscape of two realities warring for dominion! The team races to thwart a dark destiny awaiting all humanity if they fail to stop an unspeakable evil from gaining a foothold to the future!
The gears of justice roll on in a new miniseries by best-selling SF author Mark (Doc Savage, Outlanders) Ellis, David (Batman/Superman, Infinity, Inc,) Enebral and Mar (Atomik Mike) Dégano
**retailer incentive: buy 4 get one free!
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ROTTEN TPB vol.2: Revival of the Fittest
Mark Rahner, Robert Horton, Dan Dougherty
156pgs, squarebound, 7”x10”, color, $15.99
ISBN: 978-1-936814-08-4
ZOMBIES! SPIES! THE WILD WEST!
One of the most acclaimed independent comics of 2010, the ROTTEN saga continues with “Revival of the Fittest”: on assignment to investigate an undead outbreak in the Pacific Northwest of 1877, Agent Wade becomes the quarry in a grueling marathon chase; and in Chicago, Agent Flynn confronts dangerous anti-evolution protestors. In “Love the Sinner”/”Hate the Sin,”
the agents race to stop the infection that’s turning residents of a religious colony red-skinned, ravenous – and possessed, according to the
familiar-looking Father von Becker who’s seized control.
the agents race to stop the infection that’s turning residents of a religious colony red-skinned, ravenous – and possessed, according to the
familiar-looking Father von Becker who’s seized control.
(collects issues #7-11)
“A great new take on the zombie horror genre that is smart, grim and gritty.”
-Hypergeek
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ZOMBIES vs CHEERLEADERS #4
(W) Steven L Frank and pals (A) Various
Four awesome stories that are sure to make you laugh and cry! Easily the greatest 21 letter titled comic in history- that has zombies and cheerleaders! Featuring a Mandy cover by Dean Yeagle! Also, covers by Jeremy Dale, Rich Bonk and Jose Jaro.
-Jaro (50%) Yeagle (20%) Dale (20%) Bonk (10%)-
32pgs, color, $3.99
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CAPTAIN ACTION KING SIZE SPECIAL #2
Story: Steven Grant, Paul Kupperberg
Art: Manuel Martin, Fernando Peniche
Color: Jason Jensen
Covers: Mike Lilly, Ron Frenz
72pgs,color, $6.99
72pgs,color, $6.99
THRICE the Action, as Captain Action’s Season 2 concludes with two new episodes of the new Captain Action & Action Boy plus a new Captain Action Classified spy thriller!
Though presumed dead, Captain Action’s actually in the secret city of Aggartha, getting a history lesson they don’t teach in schools in “Journey thru the Past” Then it’s an international catfight as the USA vs. the UK! Lady Action battles Liberty, of the sinister new super-team, Patriot Power! As the intrigue builds to a crescendo, everyone’s asking, “Where is Captain Action?”
And in this lost tale from the psychedelic sixties, the original Captain Action is embroiled in a CIA black op.
(Covers : Lilly = 80%, Frenz = 20%)
**for every purchase of 3 or more, and you can buy one limited edition Mark Sparacio variant cover for a retail of $6.99**
**Retailer incentive: buy 3 copies or more, and get one free!
HEAP #3
Story: Charles Knauf
Art: Sami Kivela
Colors: Ken Wolak
Cover: Mark Maddox
32pgs, color, $3.99
The return of the original muck-monster concludes!
Join CHARLES (Iron Man) KNAUF as he takes the HEAP on a journey of self-discovery through Norse magics and mythology, while sorting through the horrors of Nazi mayhem!
It is time for Midgard’s last defender to arise, amidst the devastation and inhumanity of World War 2.
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HONEY WEST calendar:
8.5” x 11”, spiral bound , 12 month, b/w,
gorgeous photos of the incomparable Anne Francis, as well as the new Honey West: Hollis Mclachlan! $11.99
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BUCKAROO BANZAI calendar
8.5” x 11”, spiral bound, 12 month , color:
Show your Blue Blazer pride letting Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers brighten your wall!
$16.99
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KOLCHAK calendar
8.5” x 11”: spiral bound , 12 month ,color.
The Night Stalker in 12 creepy situations!
$16.99
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SHEENA calendar
8.5” x 11”: spiral bound ,12 month ,
a gorgeous b/w photo calendar of Irish McCalla, TV’s Sheena!
$11.99
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ROTTEN calendar:
8.5” x 11”: spiral bound , 12 month ,color.
-get your oozing zombies for 12 months in a row!
$16.99
!
Twitter Updates for 2011-04-25
- @SizzlerKistler You have minions? No, you're OUR minion. YOU get lackeys and toadies. #
EASTER WISHES OF PULPY GOODNESS TO YOU AND YOURS!
ALL PULP would like to wish each and every reader the best possible Pulpy Easter ever. Regardless of your beliefs about this holiday, please enjoy it to its fullest with your family and friends with best wishes from ALL PULP….and remember….
The Easter Bunny…is watching…..
A Special Easter Batman Story – The Dark Peep Rises
We got tired of Superman getting all the Christian metaphors, so we’re showing you a secular Easter story… the origin of Batman, re-enacted with marshmallow Peeps.
We could call it “You’re the Easter Batman, Brucie Wayne!”
The only thing missing is a Bob Kane signature, and don’t think Kane wouldn’t have tried to get it on there.
Hat tip: Geek Tyrant.
Related articles
- The Origin of Batman Retold with Peeps (geektyrant.com)
