Category: News

Ron Fortier reviews a tale that may be ‘ a new kind of Pulp’!!

  • News
  • November 18, 2010
PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
KNIGHTS OF THE SALTIER
By William Speir
Eloquent Books
Release date – 24 July 2010
ISBN : 1609761561
ISBN : 978-1609761561
214 pages
Action – Adventure – Pulp
In the past five years, since I started to examine and review the pulp genre field, it soon became clear that there were only two really different types of pulp stories. The first is that of the lone avenger/vigilante who works outside the law to battle the bad guys. The second is the team approach wherein we are given a group of characters who act in unison to achieve the same noble goals. Generally, when reading a new pulp title, I can easily drop it into one of these two branches. It is not often that a book comes along that doesn’t fit in either of those molds as much a break them completely and provide us with a brand new spin on things. KNIGHTS OF THE SALTIER is such book and thus an eye opening pleasure for this reviewer. It is something new under the pulp umbrella and extremely well realized.

Secret fraternal organizations ala the Masons have been around for hundreds of years and have been the fodder for many a pulp adventure. From the Illuminati to the Harvard Skull and Crossbones club, the idea of a group working in the shadows to bring about political and social change has been a well worn plot device to entice paranoiac readers of every generation. What Saltier proposes in this, the first of a trilogy, is that a modern secret society has come into existence with the sole purpose of aiding the police in helping to bring criminals to justice. The group is based on the old English order of chivalry and its members, called Knights and Dames, take an oath of loyalty and secrecy to the group when being inducted. At one point in the story, the Grand Master explains to the protagonist that the only way the group can exist, per its own ideals of civilized jurisprudence is to support the legal system and never usurp the goals and authority of the police. To do so would make them no better than the people they investigate and capture. Their role is to gather evidence, behind the scenes, that will convict the law breakers, then apprehend them and deliver them, along with that data to the police.

Thus the public remains totally unaware of their existence and operations, continuing to believe that the established legal system works as it should. Thus the secrecy element is crucial as is their group loyalty. No single individual is unique or exceptional, each Knight and Dame is a vital component of the group. Which is why this particular concept is original to pulps and cleverly thought out. The philosophy behind the Knights of the Saltier (a symbolic cross shaped like the letter X) is central to the book’s plot and the hero’s reaction to it.

Tom Anderson is an ex-military engineer looking for a cause to give his life purpose. It isn’t enough to work, get paid and socialize with friends. Anderson, in part due to his inherent patriotism, believes he has more to give his country, but as a civilian is stymied in finding an answer to his moral quest. When he is approached by the Knights, he is reasonably suspicious of them and their stated mission. Most secret organizations are radical in nature, which is why the Knights’ tempered existence intrigues him and he ultimately comes to accept their offer. Once an active member of the Knights, Anderson also discovers the groups singular vulnerability, their exposure to the criminal world that they are helping the police combat.

When one of their members turns traitor and gives up the Knights to a brutal mob boss, Anderson and his new found brothers find themselves in a pitched battle for survival.
The repercussions are savage and their very struggle to survive challenges the Knights with their greatest dilemma of becoming the very things they abhor.

KNIGHTS OF THE SALTIER is a fascinating book. Speir’s writing is competent enough, although I hope as it matures; it will take on more color and verve that comes with confidence. I sense he is still feeling his way down this new literary path he’s taken on. I strongly recommend KNIGHTS OF THE SALTIER to all pulp fans. It’s not often we get something this original in the genre, don’t let it pass you by.

‘Spider-Man, You’re Hired’ Comic to Promote the Big Apple

  • News
  • November 17, 2010

Marvel Comics has always had a special relationship with New York City so today’s press release merely continues this. Check it out:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver, Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh, Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, New York Daily News CEO Bill Holiber and Editor-in-Chief Kevin Convey, and Spider-Man today announced the creation of Spider-Man, You’re Hired, an all-new comic book highlighting City resources available to New Yorkers who are navigating the job market. The comic, which features an unemployed Peter Parker starting his job search, is the Administration’s latest effort to connect out-of-work to New Yorkers to job training and placement services. It was inspired by the NYC Media original television production, “Job Hunt,” a ten-part series on how the City is helping New Yorkers to get back to work – focusing on Workforce1 Career Centers, libraries and other City services. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at Midtown Comics’ new store in Lower Manhattan.“New York City provides free, first-rate job training and placement assistance, and we want every New Yorker that needs help to know about it, so we asked Spider-Man to help us spread the word,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “One of the reasons we created the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment was to find new ways to connect with New Yorkers. Our partnership with Marvel and the Daily News is a fun and innovative way to let everyone know about the web of resources the City has to offer New Yorkers that need job assistance.”

“Marvel’s proud to team-up with the City of New York to help inform all New Yorkers about the free services designed to assist them in finding employment. We couldn’t ask for two better leading men than Spider-Man and Mayor Bloomberg,” said Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada “Because even New York’s most famous Super Hero needs a day job!”

“We are always looking for new ways to reach people in all forms of media about the job resources offered by the City,” said Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “Working with Marvel, the Daily News and Small Business Services on this special ‘Spider-Man: You’re Hired’ edition is a tremendous example of how the government can work with the private sector to really help people.”

“Thank you to Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Oliver, the New York Daily News and the City’s great new partner, Marvel,” said Small Business Services Commissioner Walsh. “This is an exciting collaboration and a real super hero effort that will ensure that many more New Yorkers know about the City’s excellent free employment services. I’m glad that Peter Parker is helping us to spread the word to jobseekers that visiting a Workforce1 Career Center can help them get a job in this tough market.”

“As New York’s Hometown Newspaper, the Daily News is proud to use our printed pages and the power of NYDailyNews.com to help New Yorkers, like unemployed Spider-Man alter-ego Peter Parker, find work,” said New York Daily News CEO Bill Holiber. “The City of New York and the Daily News have been tremendous partners on this and other projects – such as the “Hire Me” series that partnered with the “Job Hunt” show and caller helpline – by combining our resources to help New Yorkers get to work. In today’s Daily News, not only will New Yorkers find a special edition of the Spider-Man comic created by Marvel Entertainment, but we’ve also provided readers with a guide to the city’s services for job searches, training and research. We hope our efforts not only help one of New York’s most famous super heroes find work, but other ‘real’ New Yorkers, as well.”

The recently created Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment is identifying and implementing new ways to let New Yorkers know about City resources available to them. To promote the City’s free workforce training and job placement services, the Office worked with Marvel Custom Solutions, a special division within Marvel Entertainment that develops innovative programs addressing the specific needs of partners and philanthropic interests, to create a special edition Spider-Man comic book featuring Mayor Bloomberg.
(more…)

Revisit the ‘Harry Potter’ Film Legacy and Enter to Win a T-Shirt

  • News
  • November 17, 2010

Prepare for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 by reliving the First Five Harry Potter films now on iTunes.

Before fans see the all-new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 on Friday, they can now see the beloved from franchise from the beginning via their phones, iPads, and more…

And courtesy of Warner Digital, we have one Harry Potter t-shirt to give to one lucky Hogwarts aficionado. You have until 11:59 p.m. November 20 to tell us which Harry Potter film you think best adapts the J.K. Rowling novel. One entry per e-mail address please and the judgment of ComicMix will be final.

NYAF/NYCC ’10 Recap: The Hybrid Behemoth Strikes! Can it be Tamed?

  • News
  • November 17, 2010

It would’ve been hard to’ve topped my peak experience of my first NYAF (The New York Anime Festival), last year. And much has changed in the past year, since I’ve become co-chair of Animinicon SoHo and president of the SoHo Host Club and am working with various colleagues on playing and promoting Japanese music here in the States (from rock to jazz and latin) and collaborating with other Japanese musicians. So my perspective is…different. But I’m still a Philosopher.

Recalling the crammed chaos that’d been Saturday of the con last year, I anticipated with terror what a combined NYAF/NYCC would be like for someone with mild claustrophobia like me. With nearly 100K in attendance at peak, covering the full convention center, it was daunting. My single corner booth with the Host Club on the dealer’s floor 3100 aisle with Mar Creation was on the far Uptown end of Javits and the Anime/Manga ghetto was on the farthest Downtown end. It took you about 30 minutes to walk anywhere and finding your way amidst the crowds and roped-off habitrails of certain areas was a feat, in itself. The staff worked very hard under combat conditions and, with few exceptions, were competent and cheerful, including both the NYAF/NYCC/Reed Expo people and the Javits people. The fans, too, took things in stride and with good nature. But with such crowds and every room and event filled, lines were long, tech glitches were numerous, especially for credit card machines and cell phones, and few extra courtesies were given to press—rarely any reserved seating or moving to the front of the line. That meant getting to anything you wanted to see about an hour early…which meant you got to see/cover much less but there was more than twice as much to cover!  Impossible task.  More triage. I never got to Artists’ Alley. Blew by the Cosplay Café. Didn’t cover one whole dealer’s room and only selectively covered the one I was ensconced in. Didn’t make any screenings. Kept missing people I was trying to meet up with. It was frustrating. It did feel as though NYCC got the lion’s share of space and attention and that NYAF was encapsulated, though Lance Fensterman and Peter Tatara gave stats that support that NYAF had the same coverage and space it had last year and I believe them. But it didn’t FEEL that way.

There were hints of the happy community I’d experienced last year, but they were harder to discern amidst the crush of Stuff and Humanity.  Some of the cosplay was, indeed, awesome and some, as usual, was…unfortunate.  There was less room for dancing and singing and spontaneity, but it did, indeed, happen. (more…)

PULP AUTHOR BOBBY NASH MAKIN’ THE INTERVIEW ROUNDS…

  • News
  • November 17, 2010

Writer and Spectacled Seven Member Bobby Nash not only gets around to conventions, but also he’s pretty much one of the most sought after guests for interviews in the Pulp world these days. Follow the links below to two of his latest displays of questionin’ and answerin’-

Wise Words- http://louisewise.blogspot.com/2010/11/buckle-up-for-bobby-nash-pulp-fiction.html

Ric’s Comics – http://thebookcave.libsyn.com/ric-s-comics-episode-41-bobby-nash

TAKE A VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA AT THE LONG MATINEE!

  • News
  • November 17, 2010

THE LONG MATINEE-Movie Reviews by Derrick Ferguson

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
1961
20th Century Fox
Directed and Produced by Irwin Allen
Written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett

Not too long ago I was in a discussion with some friends who asked me if I had a chance to remake any movie with today’s special effects, which one would I do. My answer with no hesitation was VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

Don’t ask me why this movie holds such a place in my movie going heart but every single time it’s shown on Turner Classic Movies, I stop what I’m doing and watch it. What’s even stranger is that I really didn’t care for the TV show that was based on the movie and rarely watched it but the movie…I guess it’s because I first watched it when I was a kid and I can still get in touch with that 12 year old who saw the movie for the first time and who sat there totally hypnotized by the story, characters and action.

After we get past the theme song sung by then teenage idol Frankie Avalon (the 60’s version of Clay Aiken) we see our first view of the magnificent futuristic supersub Seaview as it leaps out of the water like a dolphin. Next to Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, The Seaview is probably the most famous fictional submarine you know. It’s sleek as a rocket with a unique transparent nose that is part of the observation deck where you can see the marvels of undersea life. The Seaview is the brainchild of Admiral Harriman Nelson (Walter Pidgeon) a brilliant, eccentric and arrogant (is there really any other kind in the movies?) scientist who is the founder of The Nelson Institute of Oceanographic Research and he’s taken The Seaview on a test run in the Arctic. Among those aboard The Seaview is the sub’s captain, Lee Crane (Robert Sterling) The Admiral’s personal assistant Lt. Cathy Connors (Barbara Eden), Nelson’s longtime friend Commodore Lucius Emery (Peter Lorre) Captain Crane’s right hand man Lt. Danny Romano (Frankie Avalon) as well as Dr. Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine) who is observing the effects of long term undersea stress on the crew. Nelson’s sub has been considered a folly but the Arctic tests have proven the sub’s capabilities.: It’s not only the fastest sub ever built but it can dive deeper than any other sub. It carries more destructive capabilities than all the explosive power used during World War II and it has enough laboratories on board to qualify as a mobile research facility.

Nelson is deliriously happy with the results of the tests and is relishing in his sub having proven its worth. But then, during some underwater tests, icebergs batter The Seaview and the sub surfaces to find the entire sky is on fire. In a really surrealistic scene, Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane see massive icebergs smoking due to their melting from the intensive heat. Nelson contacts Washington and finds out that the Van Allen Belt of radiation surrounding the earth has been ignited by a rogue comet and the temperature of the Earth is rising. He’s ordered to The United Nations where the world’s leading scientists are meeting to try and find a solution. The Seaview makes it from the Arctic to New York in two days (told you it was a fast sub) and Nelson presents his solution: he thinks that if The Seaview can fire a nuclear missile from The Marianas Trench at just the right angle at just the right time on just the right day, the nuclear explosion will blow the Van Allen Belt out into space and kill the fire. Nelson is violently opposed as the other scientists think the fire will burn itself out once it reaches a certain temperature. The problem with this plan is that if Nelson doesn’t get to fire his missile and if his colleagues are wrong, there will no chance for another try and the temperature will keep rising and burn the Earth to a cinder.

Nelson and his crew have to fight their way out of The United Nations and back to The Seaview where Nelson orders Crane to head for The Marianas Trench. His intention is to get in touch with The President of The United States to get authorization. The radiation thrown off by the Van Allen belt makes this impossible and so Nelson decides to go ahead with his plan. The problem is this: The Seaview has been declared rogue and every submarine in the world has orders to blow it out of the water. So the intrepid crew of The Seaview not only have to make their deadline but they have to do it while dodging enemy submarines trying to stop them, a secret saboteur onboard, a giant squid, a lethal minefield and Nelson’s own arrogant stubbornness which leads his crew to near mutiny.
And what if Nelson is wrong? Will his plan doom the Earth to certain destruction?

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA is plain good old-fashioned non-stop pulp adventure from start to finish. There’s an amazing amount of good characterization provided by the actors, especially Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lorre, Barbara Eden and Joan Fontaine. The actors play it absolutely straight and even though the science in the movie is totally goofy, they sell it. Michael Ansara is also aboard the sub as a man who The Seaview picks up on the Arctic ice and who believes that The Seaview should be stopped in it’s mission as he believes it’s God’s will that if the world should come to an end, Nelson shouldn’t prevent it. They have a really good scene where Pigeon argues with Ansara that if God believes that that world should come to an end then why did God give man the intelligence and capabilities to try and prevent that end? It’s a really tense scene that lifts the movie out of what could have been a cheesy standard sci-fi underwater adventure and gives it a little thought and philosophical substance.

The movie also has great suspense as even Lee Crane begins to doubt Admiral Nelson, who he looks on as a father and he’s torn between his love and respect for the Admiral and his concern for his men. And to make things even worse there are signs that even the iron-willed Admiral Nelson might be cracking under the strain of trying to save the world. And who is sabotaging The Seaview? Is it Dr. Hiller who thinks that Nelson is suffering from stress? Or is it the religious fanatic Alvarez (Michael Ansara)? Or could it just be one of the crew who has begun to doubt Nelson?

The special effects are what you would expect from the 1960’s but they’re awfully effective, especially the attack by the giant squid but the truly terrifying scene where The Seaview has to navigate a mine field gets my vote as the real nail biter. And the last fifteen minutes of the movie where Alvarez holds the control room of The Seaview hostage with a bomb and time is running out to fire the missile is just as good.

So should you see VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA? Hell, yes. Even though it was made back in the 60’s I really don’t think it’s dated as all in terms of story and acting. It’s a terrifically entertaining Saturday Afternoon movie that wants nothing more than for you to sit back and be thrilled by the adventure on the screen. It’s got action, suspense, one of the coolest submarines ever put on film and terrific performances by an old school cast that knows they’re making a B-movie and they’re gonna make a damn good one. See it and I dare you to tell me VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA doesn’t deserve a “King Kong”style big-budget remake.

105 minutes

Vote to Cancel a Deadpool title!

  • News
  • November 16, 2010

Yes, we all agree he’s been overexposed. And now, Marvel Comics will
let readers help decide which Deadpool comic book series they should
cancel.
Marvel will cancel either or .
The comics both follow the adventures of a red-suited and violent
mercenary named Wade Wilson (a.k.a Deadpool, a.k.a. Ambush Bug with guns).

Follow this link to vote. Sadly, the online poll will not let us vote on both titles.

Dynamite’s ‘Lone Ranger’ to End with Issue #25

  • News
  • November 16, 2010

Here’s the release and the details. A shame, really, since Brett Matthews and Sergio Cariello have been doing a pretty terrific job with the masked rider.

November 15, 2010, Runnemede, NJ –  Dynamite Entertainment and Classic Media, a global media company with a portfolio of the world’s leading family entertainment brands, today announced that Brett Matthew’s critically acclaimed run on The Lone Ranger® series will comes its historic end when issue #25 lands this January.  Expertly drawn by Sergio Cariello and with a cover by the amazing John Cassaday, this issue will be a must-read for long-time fans of this “Eisner Nominated” series and America’s favorite hero of the Wild West!

Is it the end of the line for The Lone Ranger when he and Butch Cavendish meet and do battle for the first and final time?  Will The Lone Ranger destroy Cavendish and himself, or will he find a way to save both?

“Bringing this unique and personal version of The Lone Ranger to life has been an incredibly satisfying experience for me on a lot of levels,” says writer Brett Matthews. “To collaborate with talents like John Cassaday, Sergio Cariello, Simon Bowland and Marcello Pinto over the last couple years has been a pleasure, and is a testament to both the character and their craft. I’m glad to call them my friends. My thanks to Dynamite Entertainment and especially the fans — old and new — for their support along the way. I’m proud of the story we told and the men John Reid and Tonto became while we rode along with them. Hi-Yo!”

“This is a bitter sweet moment for all of us at Dynamite Entertainment,” says Dynamite President Nick Barrucci.  “The Lone Ranger helped define Dynamite as a publisher who could produce commercially successful titles to one who could publish a comic with critical acclaim.  We knew that this day would come, and it’s almost upon us.  I cannot express enough the appreciation and respect that I have for Brett, John, Sergio, Dean (White), Marcello and Simon.  They helped make this great story the best it could be.  From the moment I first read Brett’s script, to when the pages started coming in and seeing John’s first covers, success or fail, this series would be a series to be proud of.  It surpassed all expectations.  All good things come to an end, and the journey to this great ending has been one of the proudest parts of our publishing history.  Issue #25 will be the end of this great series.  There will be more stories, but the creators who come next will have big boots to fill.  Hi-O Silver!”

“Dynamite Entertainment has been a fantastic partner and together we are excited to present the conclusion to this very successful story arc in The Lone Ranger series,” said Karyn Schneider, VP, Licensing, Classic Media. “As America’s favorite hero of the Wild West, The Lone Ranger has captured fans’ hearts and imaginations for generations, and this dramatic conclusion will be sure to inspire readers and new stories for many more years to come.”

The Lone Ranger premiered as a last-ditch effort to save a depression-wracked Detroit radio station.  Since the show’s premiere broadcast in 1933, no other fictional Western hero has proved so enduring.  More than 2,900 Lone Ranger radio programs were produced, as well as many movie serials, short stories, novels, feature films, phonograph records, newspaper strips and an astounding three million comic books.  The Lone Ranger television series, begun in the late 1940’s, consists of over 500 episodes. A new live-action feature film is currently in development with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Walt Disney Pictures.

Monday Mix-Up: Daleks invade ‘Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’

  • News
  • November 16, 2010

Well, I wasn’t expecting this to be staring at me last night after Letterman’s show ended:

This is all a precursor to Matt Smith appearing on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight on CBS, check your local listings. Let’s see how long the robot skeleton lasts in a fight.

And remember: real Daleks don’t climb stairs– they level the building.

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