Category: News

Monday Mix Up: “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Arkham City”

  • News
  • December 19, 2011

It’s been almost twenty years since Batman: The Animated Series hit the airwaves and kicked off the doors of what could be done with the character and with animation in general and television animation in particular, in the wake of the successful Michael Keaton movies.

Ever wonder what it might be like if they made The Animated Series today, in the wake of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight? Perhaps it would be something like this…

Just imagine if he made this using the Animated Series skins for [[[Arkham City]]]…

Reviewing the Mail: Yen Press

  • News
  • December 17, 2011

This week’s Reviewing the Mail begins with a long-distance shout-out to Ellen Wright, who started at Wiley the first week I did, but has since moved up and on to working in Publicity with the fine folks at Orbit US. My pipeline of Yen Press titles — Yen being the manga arm of Orbit — had dwindled recently, probably because I hadn’t reviewed many of their books in that same period [1], but I now have a batch of them here, and I hope they’ll continue. (Though, again, I imagine I’ll need to review some of those books for Yen to want to keep sending me books — it’s really not difficult to see how this works, if you’re capable of consider other people’s point of view.)

So hooray for Yen, which will be the bulk of this week’s post. But, before I get into that, first comes the ritual explanation: this is all stuff, as you might have guessed, that came in my mail this week, all sent by publishers who hope I will review and love these books and thus urge all of you to buy and love them in turn. This is the crucial bit: I have not yet read any of these books, and it’s entirely possible (you should see the stacks of review copies I have!) that I won’t get to any specific book here. Thus, what I’m about to type at you is somewhere between an educated guess and a wild surmise, based on my prior knowledge and what these books themselves tell me when I examine them closely.

That’s enough preliminary blah blah blah; let’s see what Yen is publishing in December: (more…)

Today’s Stupidly Reductive Quote

  • News
  • December 16, 2011
From a Wall Street Journal article about e-book prices, from some random shmoe-off-the-street:

It’s hard to justify the purchase of e-books that are priced at $10 to $15 when you can buy the real book on Amazon used for $2 or $3.

Compare this to equally truthful pearls of wisdom:

  • It’s hard to justify the purchase of a couch that is priced at $300 to $2000 when you can buy it from Goodwill for $20.
  • It’s hard to justify the purchase of dinner for $50 when you can get it from the restaurant’s Dumpster for free.
  • It’s hard to justify paying rent when you have so many family members to mooch off of.

Feel free to use this line of thinking in all aspects of your daily life! Never buy anything again!

The Point Radio: FEAR FACTOR Back & Still Gross!

After laying in wait for six years, FEAR FACTOR has blasted back on network TV to big ratings. Host Joe Rogan talk about returning from the Television Graveyard and how the show has changed. Plus Comic Book Pioneer Joe Simon passes and Netflix gives Apple a gift.

The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

A BIG NOSE, A JADE OGRE, PULPWORK, PRO SE, AND BOB & RAY-ALL FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • December 16, 2011

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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December 16, 2011
 
From Radio Archives To You – Lightning Fast Delivery!
 
Running out of time to order that last great gift for someone on your list? No problem at Radio Archives! With our Lightning Fast Service, you can place your order by 7:30 PM Eastern and we will ship your order the same day!
 
Flat Rate ground shipping to the West Coast takes 3 to 5 days and only 7 to 8 days if you live on the East Coast. Priority Mail takes only 2 to 3 days for delivery! Order Saturday morning and receive your order on Monday. With Radio Archive’s Lightning Fast Service, you can order through December 21st using Priority Mail for Christmas Delivery!
 
Radio Archives also offers Digital Downloads and Gift Certificates that are delivered instantly! Lightning Fast Service for you from Radio Archives!
oldtimeradio-3479358 NEW Radio Set: The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3

He butchered the English language. He sang as if he gargled with gravel. He dropped pearls of wisdom disguised as one-liners. And he had a nose that got everywhere ten minutes before he did. All of this and a genuine love for his craft and the people who enjoyed it made Jimmy Durante a star in the Golden Age of Radio and makes The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 a must have for fans today.

 
Nicknamed “Schnozzola” for his oversized nose, Jimmy Durante first came to prominence as a teenager, playing New York’s restaurant and nightclub. Bitten by the show-biz bug, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade and soon joined a musical comedy trio that wowed nightclub audiences with its boisterous unpredictability, Durante’s aggressive interaction with the musicians, and his penchant for destroying pianos in mock frustration took the group into Vaudeville and onto Broadway, where Durante became a star.
 
Jimmy continued his Broadway success in a string of popular shows and revues throughout the 1930s. But he didn’t limit himself solely to the Great White Way. On the radio, Durante’s broad delivery, overwhelming personality, and penchant for mangling his words only increased his popularity with laugh-hungry Depression-era audiences. In 1943, Durante relocated to Hollywood, where he was signed to headline a CBS series titled “The Camel Caravan”. Initially co-starred with Garry Moore, the mismatched duo instantly clicked as a team, ratings went through the roof, and Durante’s patented brand of language mangling and outraged interaction with the orchestra introduced him to radio audiences all over again.
 
When Moore left the show in the fall of 1947, Jimmy Durante signed a contract to host a new series on NBC for the Rexall Drug Company. The Jimmy Durante Show proved just as popular as its predecessor.
 
The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 consists of five hours of what makes Durante a legendary character. His tirades with the orchestra and whatever star crosses his path, his gruff, yet playful singing voice, his deliberate degradation of English verbiage, and of course his own jokes about his very own nose endear him to fans, old and new. Also, Durante is a statesman, philosophizing in pithy one-line comments on the world, on society, but most of all on how we should all get along. Taken directly from original master recordings and fully restored for sparkling audio fidelity, The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 3 is proof that Jimmy Durante can still leave ‘em laughing! Find out for yourself by getting this great collection for $14.98 on Audio CDs and $9.98 as a digital download!

 
 

“Personal Notice: Danger’s my stock-in-trade. If the job is too tough for you to handle, you’ve got a job for me, George Valentine.”
 
Have a High Adventure Holiday with the all purpose hero himself! Let George Do It, Volume 1 for only 99 Cents! Follow George and his Girl Friday Brooksie through all the harrowing twists and turns of each and every startling, fantastic case!
 
Swing into action with George in 10 hours of wonderfully restored audio CDs for only 99 Cents with a $35.00 Order! Just add Let George Do It, Volume 1 to your shopping cart, and then add $35.00 or more worth of additional merchandise to your cart as well. Before checking out, be sure to enter the coupon code BONUS to Let George Do It for just 99 Cents.
 
 
With Christmas approaching faster than eight reindeer pulling a sled, The Treasure Chest is the best place to find last minute gift ideas at fantastic prices. For this most special of Holidays, every DVD in the Treasure Chest is now discounted 70%! Classic Movies, Timeless Television, and More! Something for everyone on your list can be found in The Treasure Chest and at a remarkable 70% off!
 

Up, Up, and Away with classic serial super heroics! The complete 1948 and 1950 Superman Theatrical Serials on 4 DVDS! Classic Crooning From Hollywood’s Golden Age with Bing Crosby: The Screen Legends Collection!
 
Ride the Range with the likes of The Cisco Kid and Zorro, each one featured in his own 3 DVD set! Laugh at the antics of Harold Lloyd and Burns And Allen, all taking center stage in their own DVDs! Thrill to the original classic King Kong! Fly off into adventure with Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow! Sing under the Western Sky with Roy Rogers in three of his classic films! Guffaw at the Country Comedy of Lum and Abner in three movies! Enjoy the hilarity of one of History’s Greatest comics as Jack Benny is featured in two different sets!
 
Inventory of these DVDs are getting low. This is the last week they will be available as we are removing the remaining DVDs from the website after Christmas.
 
Great DVDs! Unbelievable Prices! And all at Christmastime! The Treasure Chest is full of Holiday Gift Ideas for You!
 

 

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Like your Action Fast Paced? Happy about Horror and Suspense? Needing that extra tickle that only Comedy can Provide? Enjoy Music and Variety from a bygone Era? And want that and more this Christmas? Then Radio Archives is just the place for you! Restored to the highest audio quality possible, the best in Old Time Radio is available here, like these awesome collections.
 
Ride the High Seas with History’s Greatest Privateer! Fight Pirates, hunt for treasure, and write history alongside one of the most legendary seafarers ever! Get on Board with Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1. Seven hours on audio CDs $20.98 or as a Digital Download for $13.98!
 

 
Remember Archie and Jughead? Betty and Veronica? And all the Gang in Riverdale? Yep, that’s right, those fantastic characters from Archie Comics took stage front and center in their own Radio show, The Adventures of Archie Andrews! Go along with Archie and the Gang as they get in and out of hilarity each episode in this 7 hour collection, available on audio CDs for $20.98 or as a Digital Download for $13.98!
 
Great Mysteries, Witty Humor, and a Fantastic Singing Voice to beat! This and more you’ll find in Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Volume 1. Starring Dick Powell, this classic radio detective program set the standards for many of the shows to follow, both on radio and television, and features the earliest work from the fantastic Blake Edwards! And this clever criminal catching can be yours, 10 hours of a Singing Sleuth for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 as a digital download!
 

 
Thrill to one of the greatest and most controversial performers ever, putting his vision out for the audience to hear with The Mercury Theatre on the Air! This 10-hour collection is Orson Welles at his creative pinnacle, doing adaptations of classic works his way and providing us with some of the best audio drama ever! And it can be yours for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 for the Digital Download!
 
Six Guns! Guitars! Knee slapping Cowboy Comedy! All this and more can be found on All Star Western Theatre! A perfect mix of everything audiences loved about Saturday Matinees comes together in this classic Cowboy variety program! Saddle up for 10 hours of All Star Western Theatre for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 as a Digital Download!
 

 
Suspense! Adventure! Pulse Pounding Action! And Twists You don’t see coming! And all of that in fifteen minute doses! That’s what you get on The Unexpected, Volume 1. Featuring some of the greatest stars of classic radio, The Unexpected, Volume 1 puts the listener right into the thick of the action and just when you think you know where it’s headed, it takes a turn to The Unexpected! Thrill to this one of a kind suspense program, 5 hours on audio CDs for $14.98 and Digital Download for $9.98!
 
Want to get a taste of what Classic Radio was like all in one Collection? If so, then The Classic Collection is for you! In addition to thirty full-length original broadcasts, you’ll also hear a series of insightful interviews with many of the people who created and starred in some of the best-loved shows of all time. Twenty full hours of delightful entertainment on audio CD for $39.98!
 
“Get this and get it straight: crime is a sucker’s road, and those who travel it end up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave…” The immortal opening of one of the most popular and best produced detective dramas of Radio’s Golden Age! Join Raymond Chandler’s modern day Knight on the mean streets of Los Angeles in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 1! 10 hours of Crime Solving at its best for $29.98 on audio CDs and $19.98 for Digital Download!

 
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The Jade Ogre – High Adventure for the Holidays and Beyond
  ra406-350-2596923The RadioArchives.com audiobook of Will Murray’s monumental Doc Savage adventure The Jade Ogre is sure to delight fans of audio adventure this holiday season … and into the New Year.   “The Jade Ogre makes a wonderful listening experience,” Producer/Director Roger Rittner says. “Will has packed a cast of colorful characters, plus mystery, intrigue, action, adventure, and a bit of mysticism into an heroic tale. It’s an epic adventure to be savored.”   Based on an outline by Lester Dent, the massive The Jade Ogre tells the story of one of Doc Savage’s most exciting and exotic adventures.   Accompanied by his aides Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, his cousin Pat Savage, and a cast of unique characters, Doc races to unlock the secret of the Jade Ogre, a fantastic Oriental villain who unleashes death in the form of disembodied flying arms, capable of disintegrating its victims in a flash of fire. But the lethal flying arms are merely the cover for a more deadly menace – the mysterious Jade Fever, which strikes down its victims with a deadly virus that turns its victims green as jade.

 

“The Jade Ogre will carry the listener from the fog-shrouded streets of the Chinatown of 1935 San Francisco, to the crumbling ruins of Cambodia, as the armless and ruthless Jade Ogre attempts to blackmail the world with his lethal Jade Fever,” author Will Murray says in his liner notes.

 

Narrator Michael McConnohie essays every role in the story with unerring vocal impressions that give life to Murray’s distinctive characters.

 

In addition to the 36-chapter story, the 12-CD set includes two bonus audio features: a continuation of Will Murray’s discussion of the creation of Doc Savage, and his memory of creating The Jade Ogre from Lester Dent’s notes, plus how Pat Savage has contributed to the Doc Savage canon.

 

The Jade Ogre is available now from RadioArchives.com at $37.98 for the deluxe 12-CD set, or $25.98 for instant digital download.

 

 

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Just in time for that last-minute holiday gift, RadioArchives.com brings to audiobooks Secret Agent “X”, the man of many identities.

 

A nameless mystery man with a wartime past in the Intelligence service, declared dead by the Department of Justice, and backed by a shadowy group of powerful philanthropists, Secret Agent “X” infiltrates the Underworld to crush crime in all of its hideous manifestations.

 

The Torture Trust, the audio version of the very first Secret Agent “X” adventure, introduces the mysterious nemesis of the most nefarious criminals the pulp writers could dream up. In it, Secret Agent “X” pits all his secretive skill and devious daring against a criminal triad that wields face-destroying acid as an instrument of blackmail.

 

Read by noted voiceover actor Dave Mallow, The Torture Trust is a danger-a-minute audio introduction to this fondly remembered pulp avenger of the 1930s.

 

The Torture Trust, the latest entry in RadioArchives.com’s Will Murray’s Pulp Classics series, will provide thrills and chills to pulp and audiobook fans alike.

 

The deluxe five-CD set of The Torture Trust is just $14.98. The instant download version is just $9.98.

 

The Spider Offers A Unique Listening Experience

 

For over-the-top thrills, you can’t beat Prince of the Red Looters, the first audiobook from RadioArchives.com featuring the pulp hero, The Spider.

 

“With extensive sound effects and complete period music score, Prince of the Red Looters is an almost ‘cinematic’ experience for listeners,’ says Producer/Director Roger Rittner. “Customers are telling us it’s like a movie playing in your mind.”

 

Narrating Norvel Page’s propulsive prose, stage and screen stars Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker give life to the sword fights, escapes, insurmountable odds, nail-biting suspense, and unexpected twists in Prince of the Red Looters.

 

Prince of the Red Looters is available in a 6-CD deluxe set at just $19.98, or as an instant digital download at just $14.98.

 

More Audio Adventures Ideal for Holiday Giving

 

ra401-200-9885039ra402-200-3248343Listeners continue to discover and delight in Python Isle. In Booklist, the 100-year-old journal of the American Library Association, Kaite Mediatore Stover says that Python Isle, the first Doc Savage audiobook from Radio Archives.com, “takes listeners on a breathless, roller-coaster adventure ride. Michael McConnohie’s masterful pacing keeps the tension and suspense tighter than a python’s grip, and a superb blend of sound effects and music enhance the mood, lending the production a cinematic feel.”

 

The full-cast NPR series The Adventures of Doc Savage presents special adaptations of “Fear Cay” and “The Thousand-Headed Man” by Roger Rittner and Will Murray. Featuring a full cast of voice actors, extensive sound effects, and period music score, The Adventures of Doc Savage is non-stop action in 13 exciting installments.

 

A super-criminal emerges in White Eyes, the second Doc Savage audiobook from RadioArchives.com. From his skyscraper headquarters high above the streets of New York City to the sugarcane fields of Cuba, Doc Savage races to crush gangland’s latest uncrowned king. White Eyes features dramatic narration by Richard Epcar, cover art by Joe DeVito, plus fantastic extras.

 

ra405-200-5570279The first Black Bat audiobook, Brand of the Black Bat, is a stirring story of crime and corruption, and of a courageous avenger determined to track down the vicious gangster who robbed him of his brilliant career, all the while thwarting Captain MacGrath of the N.Y.P.D., who suspects Quinn and the Black Bat are one and the same. Michael McConnohie reads this fantastic tale.

 

RadioArchives.com resurrects the wild and wonderful Doctor Death, one of the rare unabashedly supernatural pulp series. Equal parts Doctor Frankenstein and Albert Einstein, with a dash of Fu Manchu, Doctor Death’s supreme goal in life was to crush civilization. His first fatal foray into reversing mankind’s fortunes, 12 Must Die, is now available in an audiobook read by television and anime star Joey D’Auria.

 

 

 
 

Pulp Fans know how their favorite writers work magic with the English Language.  The Pulp Book Store is now proud to feature the works of two men who influenced radio, television, movies, and even modern day Pulp writers with their subtle manipulations of the Language, bringing humor and philosophy out of every day situations into the every day lives of Americans.  Now a part of The Pulp Book Store: Bob and Ray!
 
Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding, legendary American humorists, were loved by fans and by fellow humorists, comedians and broadcasters. Every humorist and comedian from 1946 to the present was influenced by Bob & Ray, including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, George Carlin, Al Franken, Garrison Keillor and Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote: “Their jokes turn out to be universal…because much of life presents itself as the same dilemma: how to seem lusty and purposeful when less than nothing is going on.”
 
Bob & Ray’s 40-year career began at WHDH, Boston. Bob was a disc jockey, and Ray a newscaster. When the Red Sox games were delayed on account of rain, they began to amuse each other to fill the time. Soon they had a daily show of their own, “Matinee with Bob & Ray,” an improvised, madcap exercise in controlled chaos. Over their long career, they created more than a hundred characters, all played by Bob or Ray. Wally Ballou, the hapless journalist, Mary McGoon, whose recipe for frozen ginger ale salad prefigures Martha Stewart; Biff Burns in the sports room, Webley Webster, Barry Campbell, a third rate actor with an ego the size of the universe, Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife whose pals travel the world in search of goofy adventure.
 
Their humor is subtle, dry, intelligent and clean. Bob & Ray have a keen ear for language, how it is used and misused by the con artists, hucksters and hustlers who populate radio and television. Their humor is timeless. Bob & Ray ‘s satire of soap operas, game shows, radio shrinks and other self-appointed “experts,” and commercials, is as pertinent today as it was in 1946. 
 

Bob And Ray were wizards of comic timing and practiced linguistic legerdemain like no other pair before or since!  If you enjoy your humor the way you enjoy your Pulp, clever and delivered subtly and sharply, then the Pulp Book Store now has what You’re looking for!  Bob And Ray!
 

 

Tired of giving the same old ties and gift boxes of sausage and cheese for Christmas? Bored with shopping the usual places, browsing the same sites day in and day out? Then stop! Radio Archives has just the place for you to shop and fill every need on your Christmas list with unique collectibles and fantastic books and more! The Pulp Book Store!

Pulp Fiction, thought by many to be an artifact of the past, a lost treasure of days gone by, is alive and well, both the classic tales and New Pulp stories! And the best Tales and Providers of Pulp can be found right here at The Pulp Book Store!

 
The Pulp Book Store provides both Pulp enthusiasts and those who are simply curious a one-stop opportunity to browse and shop the best the Pulp market in all its many facets has to offer every single day!
 
Pulp Fiction, even though its heyday was in the early 20th Century, has been popular as long as it has existed and continues to excite readers today. Often fast paced, action packed, and full of fantastical ideas, over the top characters, and imaginative adventures, Pulp can be about cowboys, aliens, ancient gods, two-fisted detectives, bigger than life gangsters, femme fatales, and so many other sorts of characters as it reaches into nearly every genre imaginable.
 
Pulp is also all about variety. Not only are there classic and new pulp stories, but nearly every genre has stories within it that are clearly pulp. Be it science fiction, hard boiled crime, rootin’ tootin’ westerns and so many others, Pulp discriminates against no genre. This, along with the resurgence of Pulp publishers and its popularity, is why Radio Archives has established the Pulp Book Store.
 
“The concept’s easy,” according to Pulp Book Store Manager, Tommy Hancock. “The convenience for the consumer is amazing. If someone is a fan of a particular company, they usually just go to that publisher’s site and nowhere else and that’s fine. But, speaking as a fan myself, most of us enjoy Pulp stuff from a variety of sources. With The Pulp Book Store, I can go and find several companies providing and promoting books I want. Each company in The Pulp Book Store has its own ‘store within a store’ designed as they want it to draw attention to their wares.”
 
If you’re interested in Pulp Classics, then the Pulp Book Store features the best in Pulp Reprint Publishers. Ride along with the well remembered classic Pulp heroes as they fight wrong and make right! Or, if your interest leans more toward more obscure characters, you’ll find those too in some of the great replicas and reprints produced by leading publishers in the Pulp world, all right here at The Pulp Book Store!
 
Looking for something new? Pulpy tales written by modern writers and using either original characters or simply new stories about existing characters, are growing in popularity. Pulp icons blaze new trails in original adventures, such as Will Murray’s all new Doc Savage novels. A pantheon of modern original heroes step front and center to keep up the good fight as well. New tales in a classic style keep Pulp Fiction current and alive and can be found here at the Pulp Book Store!
 
And it’s not simply about books! Pulp has reached its adventurous tentacles into other mediums as well, including posters and audio drama! And you’ll find examples of that as well in various stores here at The Pulp Book Store!
 
If you purchase several products from several publishers, everything is shipped to you in the same box. Our Flat Rate ground postage means that no matter how many companies you buy from, you pay only one small amount for postage and you pay for everything together. Possibly the best news, Place your order by 7:30pm Eastern Time and your order is mailed the same day. Unbelievable but true.
 
“If Pulp is a part of your life or not, then browse the Pulp Book Store and enjoy,” says Hancock. “If you end up there out of curiosity or by accident, then please look around. We’re sure there is something offered by our many Publishers that will intrigue you. Regardless, Pulp is here to stay. The Pulp Book Store is the one stop shop for the Best in Classic and New Pulp today!
 
Christmas Discounts From The Pulp Book Store To You!
 
As their gift to you, several Publishers in the Pulp Book Store are offering limited time only discounts to you this Holiday Season! From Now through December 30th, take advantage of the Christmas Specials from the Best Providers of Pulp Today!
 
Whether or not you’re looking for modern action adventure, new tales of heroes stranded on lost worlds, or a brand new take on the return of the Lord of the Vampires, You’ll find that and more in the Pulpwork Press store! And, as a special Holiday offer, Pulpwork Press is offering a 20 % discount on ALL merchandise in its store! Through December 30, 2011, thrill to the New Pulp adventures of Dillon, Dracula, The Gantlet Brothers, the Dire Planet and so much more at 20 % Off!
 
Masked men! Sword Wielding Women! Private Eyes from the Future! Psychotic heroes from the Past! Pro Se Press puts the Monthly Back into Pulp with its regular production of new books as well as its magazine, Pro Se Presents, each month! And, just in time for Christmas, Pro Se offers 20% off of ALL titles currently in the Pulp Book Store! Titles like The Rook, The Adventures of Lazarus Gray, Fortune’s Pawn, YesterYear and more at a 20% Discount! From Pro Se Press to You, Happy Holidays!
 
Not only can you find the Best in Pulp Today, but from now until December 30, 2011, You can find it at a great price here in The Pulp Book Store!

 

 

The Man of Bronze battles the supernatural in classic pulp thrillers by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage follows his stolen dirigible to a magic island and discovers the lost city of Ost, in an expanded novel with never-before-published text from Lester Dent’s original manuscript. Then, Renny Renwick awakens in the body of a fugitive gangster after encountering a strange impish man. What is the bizarre connection between the One-Eyed Mystic, a stolen military secret and a Nazi plot? This classic pulp reprint features the original color pulp covers by Robert G. Harris and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eight Doc Savage novels.
 
The Shadow’s true identity takes center stage in two classic pulp novels that inspired the classic 1940 Shadow movie serial. First, explorer Kent Allard is invited to join The Green Hoods, a hooded secret society whose true purpose is an enigma. Then, airplanes carrying wealthy passengers disappear over the Rockies, setting The Shadow on the trail of the criminal mastermind called Silver Skull. PLUS “Prelude to Terror,” a 1939 radio classic. This instant collector’s item showcases both classic pulp covers by George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Edd Cartier and commentary by popular-culture historians Ed Hulse and Will Murray.

 
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Review of “Crooks Go Straight” from The Shadow, Volume 11

By John Olsen

“Crooks Go Straight” was originally published in the March 1, 1935 issue of The Shadow Magazine. This story follows the reformed lives of two ex-crooks, Steve Zurk, a bank robber, and Jack Targon, a swinder. But both have recently been pardoned by the governor, and are now free men.
 
Aboard the Eastern Limited, headed for New York, Zurk and Targon discuss their past lives and their bright future. Both are determined to go straight and make a success of their lives. In the compartment next door, The Shadow listens to their conversation via a small wire. Although his usual task was to harry men of crime, The Shadow had more than once aided ex-crooks to go straight. And this was one of those times.
 
And so, two ex-convicts begin their new lives. Crooks have gone straight. Or have they? There are sudden murders. Robberies. And signs point to one of the two. Or perhaps, both! Only The Shadow can solve the mystery. Only The Shadow can uncover the true mastermind behind the scheme. Only The Shadow can clear the innocent and unmask the guilty.
 
This story features Cliff Marsland, Hawkeye and Harry Vincent in major roles, with Clyde Burke and Burbank taking minor ones. Police Commissioner Ralph Weston and Detective Joe Cardona appear to represent the law. And The Shadow appears in his disguise as Lamont Cranston. Moe Shrevnitz appears briefly, and is described as a reserve agent of The Shadow. I always considered Moe to be a full-time agent, but keep in mind that his was an early tale of The Shadow.
 
The story features that strange vial (spelled phial, here) of purplish liquid which restores The Shadow’s strength after being injured in a two-story fall. It’s been used in other stories, and always intrigues me because of its vague power. We’re never told exactly what it is, but its effect is immediate. Are we talking about some illicit narcotic, here? Somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised.
 
“Crooks Go Straight” and one other Shadow classic can be yours today in The Shadow, Volume 11 for $12.95 here at Radio Archives!
 

Comments From Our Customers!
 

John  Skelton:
I really enjoy your old time radio products and your great service. These old time radio programs are very enjoyable to listen to as you know.
 

If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!
 
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.
 

GUEST REVIEW-REVIEWER SAYS YES TO YESTERYEAR!

  • News
  • December 16, 2011
YESteryear

A Review of Tommy Hancock’s Yesteryear by Andrew Salmon

Disclaimer: Tommy Hancock is one of the creators of the New Pulp website.

One of New Pulp’s claims to fame is that time is no longer a factor when it comes to crafting pulp tales. Back in the Golden Age, writers typed until their fingers bled, racing the clock with deadlines looming. Today, New Pulp authors have the freedom to craft stories that are a little more complex than those written in a white heat and on the fly. There’s a chance to explore pulp worlds and characters and you’ll seldom find it done better than in Tommy Hancock’s YESTERYEAR.

The novel is a compelling read and one you won’t soon forget. Its episodic structure of pulp and superhero origin and adventure tales set around a unifying tell-all book makes the novel a standout in the burgeoning New Pulp field.

Yes, you heard that right, superheroes. Now some pulp fans might wonder what superheroes are doing in a pulp novel and while reading the book one might get the impression that this is more of a superhero prose work than a straight up pulp thriller. The point is a valid one but considering that the classic pulp characters of the Golden Age gave birth to the superheroes that came after, the novel’s historic sweep allows it to fall neatly into both categories, bridging the gap between pulp prose and comics.

As the novel deals with the main plot: the lengths some of these adventurers are willing to take to prevent the book’s publication, Hancock also treats us to numerous excerpts from the controversial work. Heroes rise and fall, alliances are formed and broken while drastic, deadly measures are taken to keep the manuscript from the public eye.

Some might find the jumping around from different time periods to the present day distracting or confusing but a careful read will smooth out these rough spots. Also, Hancock uses different fonts and writing styles to convey the shifts and this reader thought these worked very well. My only knock about this aspect of the novel is that there are a few too many time jumps and that some can be jarring. It’s a great narrative technique but occasionally it is overused here and the whole lacks an overlying cohesion. As this is Hancock’s first novel, one expects these odd rough spots, and occasional wordiness, will be smoothed out in future works.

While on the topic of criticism, this reader found the interior illustrations by Peter Cooper amateurish. With apologies to Mr. Cooper, the art is weak at best and does not measure up to the level of the writing. The cover by Jay Piscopo is striking although it, too, is out of place, seeming better suited to a graphic novel than a prose work, which could confuse readers new to the work.

Criticisms aside, YESTERYEAR is one of the best New Pulp releases of the year and I urge readers to give the book a try. It not only provides an atypical reading experience but also brings a fresh look at classic pulp fiction and superheroes. Hancock has crafted an engaging, refreshing work chock full of ideas, well drawn characters, and action galore. Pick it up, it is well worth your time.

Dr. Evil Returns to Menace Captain Action in July

SOUTH BEND, Indiana – 12/06/2011 – Round 2 and Captain Action Enterprises are pleased to announce the addition of Captain Action’s long-time nemesis Dr. Evil to the 2012 Captain Action toy line.

Captain Action, the popular super hero toy from the 1960s returns to toy shelves with new costume sets, including Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America. new costume sets will debut in March 2012.

Dr. Evil, a menacing alien complete with his traditional creepy exposed brain, served as the original antagonist to Captain Action during the 1960s. Just as Captain Action can assume the identities of popular heroes, the new Dr. Evil will assume the identities of villains such as Thor’s evil brother, Loki, and the Red Skull via costume sets. “Every good hero needs an evil counterpart, and who’s more evil than the original Dr. Evil?“ said Ed Catto of Captain Action Enterprises.

The new figure will be created from all new sculpts and molds, and even add one creative innovation. “The new Dr. Evil will have interchangeable brains! The figure will come with three different brains: a battle brain, a brilliant brain and a bionic brain” said Mike Murphy, Creative Director at Round 2. “Fans will be able to swap the brains in and out of his head with each one having a specific purpose that will aid Dr. Evil to carry out his diabolical schemes!”

Comic legend Joe Jusko is providing the Dr. Evil illustration for the packaging. Dr. Evil and the Loki costume set will be available in July of 2012.

Pulp Modern Issue Two Delivers Christmas Cheer

  • News
  • December 14, 2011

Leaner, meaner, and two bucks cheaper! Just in time for the holidays, Pulp Modern #2 is now available at Createspace.

Publication Date: Dec 01 2011
ISBN/EAN13: 1467974072 / 9781467974073
Page Count: 144
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Related Categories: Fiction / Short Stories
Price: $7.99

Pulp Modern issue 2 can be found at https://www.createspace.com/3730618.

Pulp Modern issue 1 is still available as well.

The inaugural issue of Pulp Modern, a quarterly dedicated to crime, fantasy, and western fiction. Includes new stories by Jimmy Callaway, James Duncan, C.J. Edwards, Garnett Elliott, Melissa Embry, Edward A. Grainger, Glenn Gray, David James Keaton, John Kenyon, Chris La Tray, Yarrow Paisley, Matthew Pizzolato, Thomas Pluck, Stephen D. Rogers, Sandra Seamans, Copper Smith and a classic tale by pulp fiction pioneer Lawrence Block. (Edited by Alec Cizak)

Publication Date: Sep 27 2011
ISBN/EAN13: 1466300655 / 9781466300651
Page Count: 170
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Related Categories: Fiction / Short Stories
Price: $9.99

Pulp Modern issue 1 can be found at https://www.createspace.com/3683805 or at http://www.amazon.com/Pulp-Modern-Autumn-2011-1/dp/1466300655/ref=zg_bsnr_227890011_8
　
You can learn more about Pulp Modern at http://pulp-modern.blogspot.com/.
Issue two of the critically acclaimed pulp fiction journal, Pulp Modern is now avaialable. This issue includes stories by Patti Abbott, Steven Axelrod, Stephen G. Eonnau, Matthew C. Funk, Jc Hemphill, Jerome K. Jerome, David James Keaton, John Kenyon, Chris La Tray, Michael Moreci, Leland Neville, William Dylan Powell, Jeremy Shane, And Jack Webster. Once again, the journal is edited by Alec Cizak and features stunning cover art by Jeremy Selzer.

Pulp Modern issue 2 can be found at https://www.createspace.com/3730618.

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