The Mix : What are people talking about today?

A LETTER FROM ALL PULP…TO YOU

  • News
  • November 24, 2010

Fans, followers, and most of all…friends…

ALL PULP wants to thank you for all the support, feedback, and especially pulpy goodness you have given the Spectacled Seven here at ALL PULP the chance to cover.  When this idea started, our goal was to provide something that wasn’t available on the internet for pulp fans. A site devoted to the news, discussion, and general coverage and encouragement of Pulp, old and new. A place where we…and by we ALL PULP means the pulp family complete…can come together and find who’s writing what, what hero is battling what villain, and just how good that last book so-and-so wrote really was.

ALL PULP has met that goal, I believe…

And we plan to continue being your one stop full purpose news shop for millenia to come.  There are many interviews, columns, reviews, panels, and so forth to come.  You’ve seen us try ideas, change concepts, and streamline things and that will continue.  ALL PULP will be here for the long haul, trust me on that one.

But, as for what you can do for us…(yeah, these types of letters always have that catch…)

Everyone’s busy, we get that…trust me, we get that…but even though there are seven guys (and the occasional wonderful guests we have) hammerin’ this out…this truly is YOUR news site…not just the fans, but the writers, artists, production staff..all the people who read AND produce pulp…this is your place…We get our content because of YOU…and although content flows in pretty regular…and we chase down what we can…ALL PULP can never have enough content.  Never enough interviews, never enough reviews..and most notably never enough news…

So, to that end, please if you have suggestions for interviews, books or magazines or articles you want reviewed, column or panel topics that should be covered, please do not hesitate to let us know that either on our facebook page, our comments page here on the site or at allpulp@yahoo.com.   The Seven are ready to bring the news to the world at large (our numbers are growing almost daily between the site and the facebook page), so please if you have a tidbit bring it to us.

If you are a company or a writer/artist that is interested in sharing news/press releases with ALL PULP, we are adding a new feature just for you.  From this date, 11/23/10, forward, every company and/or individual that sends ALL PULP a press release for its next upcoming project will be given the ALL PULP FRONT PAGE TREATMENT, this being a full article AND interview focused on the company and/or individual providing the release.  This will be a featured focus for a full 8 hours minimum when it debuts on the front page and then will be archived on our news page.  ALL PULP will then work up a small tag from this coverage and attach it to every press release sent by said company and/or creator in the future.  Just our way of making sure the world knows all about you and what you do every time you send us news…

If you’re interested in this, please send a press release to allpulp@yahoo.com and be a part of THE ALL PULP FRONT PAGE TREATMENT!!

And sincerely from my position as sorta EIC…and I’m sure from the other Spectacled Six…

Thank you so much,
Tommy Hancock, ALL PULP

batman-beyond-complete-series1-4554306

Review: ‘Batman Beyond the Complete Series’

batman-beyond-complete-series1-4554306I admit to being leery when Warner Animation announced their plans to follow the  amazing [[[Batman the Animated Adventures]]] with a next generation hero called [[[Batman Beyond]]]. After all, it was a clear departure from the source material and there was no knowing how this would work.

As it turns out, there was little to fear. The series, which ran from January 1999 through December 2001, honored the past and showed us a future Gotham City that still needed a Dark Knight. Rather than just add wrinkles and gray hair to all the familiar figures, things have changed. Dick Grayson seems to be gone, Alfred and Jim Gordon are dead with Barbara Gordon now the police commissioner. And sitting in the gloom of Wayne Mansion is a still-angry, infirm Bruce Wayne.

He knows there’s work to be done and in time, targets teenager Terry McGuinness as his successor. The youth has just lost his father to violence and Wayne’s appeal sounds logical so he signs on to don a high-tech cowl, sans cape. With Wayne barking orders in his ear, Terry is the new Batman, instilling fear in the hearts of 21st century criminals.

The series lasted a strong 52 episodes plus spawned a direct-to-video film and the character wound up on other series such as [[[Static Shock]]] and was given an epilogue in episodes of [[[Justice League Unlimited]]]. There was even the tangentially-related spinoff [[[The Zeta Project]]].

Obviously the brain trust that included Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Dwayne McDuffie, and Glen Murakami rose to the occasion, taking everything they learned from their previous efforts and poured it into this series. The future was recognizable with sleeker architecture that cast new shadows on the city’s streets. The miniaturization and sophistication of the gear was not stretching the imagination and the new sorts of threats owe a nod to the rogues of the past but were fresh menaces.

Today, Warner Home Video has released the long–awaited [[[Batman Beyond the Complete Series]]] in a nifty box set. You get all three seasons of the series and the original extras plus a bonus disc. Tucked within the box is a nice 24-page booklet with character and set designs and some glimpses into the process. The box is slipped inside a plastic wrap that approximates animation cels and makes this a lovely package, perfect for the holiday season.

The episodes look great on DVD and the stories hold up after all these years.

There are three new featurettes all running about five minutes each, which looks back at the show’s origins and the thinking that went into the series’ design and architecture. You don’t learn a lot that’s new but the creators’ affection for Terry and his world is clear. There is also the 75th anniversary documentary [[[Secret Origin]]], which is nice but it would have been nicer to have the episodes and movie that Terry’s Batman appeared in, making this a real complete set.

1304965_320-4873222-5658581

GUEST REVIEW OF THE WEEK! DR. HERMES RETURNS

  • News
  • November 23, 2010

)

From February 1975, this was adapted from Lee Falk’s original 1963 story by Warren Shanahan, who did a really good job with it, much better than most of the other books in the Avon series. THE ISLAND OF DOGS gives the Phantom a worthwhile challenge to face and presents a hero who is as impressive and competent as he should be portrayed. Unfortunately, as nice as George Wilson’s cover is, it does give away the story completely, spoiling any mystery about exactly what is going on upon the Island of Dogs. But the layout is so neat, leading your eye down in an S-shape to the title that it’s worth it.

One great thing about Shanahan’s work is that he takes the time and energy to present background information beyond the standard Phantom lore. The horrifying history of the Island of Dogs makes for three pages that will haunt you. It’s not strictly necessary to the story, but it adds ominous undertones. The same goes for the life stories of the main villain, General Serge, and the impudent heroine, Janice Helm– the background doesn’t go on for too long but it makes them more believable and increases the stakes.

Shanahan also handles the Phantom’s first action scene in a fascinating way. He treats the Ghost Who Walk’s handling of two gunmen as if discussing an athletic event on videotape, stopping to point out details and mention how remarkable the hero’s deeds are. This is so much more interesting than the usual “The Phantom hit the roughneck hard, and then turned to the other” stuff we too often get. I smiled at details such as the Phantom grabbing one thug by the shirt and then slugging him so hard that the shirt front rips off as the guy flies backwards.

One bit of Phantom mythology that always intrigues is the Sign of the Skull left on goons’ faces as they are punched by our hero. Twice, we are told here that these marks have been examined by forensic scientists, who are at a loss to explain the phenomenon. “..the marks are applied with tremendous force, much more than one man could exert, even a professional boxer.” Once it’s implied that it would take something like a pile driver to make a mark like that.

On the other hand (haw!), the Phantom also leaves his good mark with the left-hand ring, gently pressing it against the recipient’s wrist. He certainly doesn’t smash his ring against a child’s wrist with shattering impact.

In the interviews I’ve read with Lee Falk, he always just said that this is one of the Phantom’s mysteries and perhaps it’s best to leave it at that. But speculation is in my blood and I can’t help it. There could be some sort of caustic, acidic substance inside the hollow ring, cutting into skin through the sharp edges of the skull outline (or those crossed Ps or sabers on the other ring). These marks would then be not much a tattoo as a literal brand. In a real all-out brawl, if the Phantom felt it necessary to use both fists, he could either turn the lefthand ring around so its symbol was on the inside of his fist (although maybe then it would print the mark on the inside of his hand, so that might not work). Or perhaps the symbol on the rings can be twisted a half-turn to prevent the mark from being left, as certainly there must be times when the Ghost Who Slugs must be compelled to punch some misguided soul who doesn’t deserve being branded for life.

On second thought, Lee Falk knew what works. The marks left by the rings are best left a mystery.

MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION!!! PART THREE OF THE SPIDER: CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD!

  • News
  • November 22, 2010
 
Moonstone Books and ALL PULP are proud to present the next chapter of MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FINCTION!!!!
Let ALL PULP know what you think of MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION on the Comments Page!!!
Want more Moonstone??? http://www.moonstonebooks.com/ !   And stay tuned at the end of this week’s chapter for a link to purchase the collection this story is featured in!
THIS WEEK ON MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION-
CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD
A STORY OF THE SPIDER
BY MARTIN POWELL
featured in THE SPIDER: CHRONICLES
from Moonstone Books
spider-5980465
PART THREE
Somewhere behind the hollow eye-slits of the mask and gnashing fangs, Richard Wentworth buried the creature deep inside him again. Instantly he began the agonized search for Nita…or for what remained of her. The engine and first two passenger cars of the train—he remembered that there’d been some ominous movement inside, behind the broken windows.

“Nita…” fighting back the choking sob in his throat, Wentworth made for there first.

The crumpled wreck looked unearthly in the pulsing glow of the dying emergency lights, haunted and forbidden. Wentworth’s jaw muscles flexed and he scrambled inside a misshapen, jagged window. A pocket lantern came from his clothing and he sprayed its yellow light over the destroyed interior. He barely recognized the gasp of horror that escaped his own lips.

There, engulfing the space of the center aisle of the train car, was a loathsome mass of putrefied flesh—a semi-congealed heap of human beings fused together in a fleshy tangle of writhing death!

What once were arms and hands reached wetly out toward him, boney, dripping fingers losing skin like melting candles. Black mouths split and gaped in gurgling, pleading agony as eyes long dissolved stared with hollow sockets in outrage and despair. Wentworth could barely believe it, never had he seen such an abomination.

He gazed in sickened awe at the phantasmagoric things before him, the grimly distracted Wentworth nearly failed to notice the sodden, hulking entity that came lurking from behind. Abruptly he spun, his long cloak swirling in mid-air like an exploding ink drop. For an instant the fearsome form of the Spider seemed to become one with the shadows. His automatic whipped up cocked and ready, but the moist misshapen blobs that once were human hands were already at his throat.

“P-pleassssssssssse…” the thing garbled from the liquefied gullet.

Possessed of a wild strength fueled by its death agonies, Wentworth barely wrenched himself free from the desperate grip of the melting man. Once out of the gruesome clutches he watched in helpless pity as the form
diminished before his eyes, drowning in its own tissues. Finally, slumping down to what remained of its knees, the last remaining mass poured from its clothing spilling onto the floor.

Wentworth stood utterly still over the hideous tragedy sprawled in a quickening puddle at his feet, his head bowed in mourning as the other awful liquescent vestiges also became silent and moved no more. A quick study of the engine found the train’s doomed operator in an identical death, the oozing flesh of his forearm bubbling down the brake stick like a burnt out useless wick.

The oppressive sight was so frightful even the battle- hardened Wentworth had to shut his eyes. It was the glacial orbs of the Spider that reopened, seething again with their cold steel fire. These miserable souls would
be avenged.

A muffled groan snapped Wentworth back from his deliberation. His heart quickened, his ears straining in a tense effort to detect the origin of the sound. Again, he heard the tormented wail. This was a fully human voice, weak but unfettered from the gurgling rasp of the victims he’d already encountered. The low moan had come from the last passenger car. It was less damaged than the others, and from his earlier observation of the car’s empty windows Wentworth had suspected it to be lifeless. It was not.

Using a broken section of track, he pried opened the doors. From within a pair of lovely violet eyes regarded him intimately, as if he’d been faithfully expected.

“Quick—I need something for another tourniquet,” she said, her pale face bruised, begrimed, and beautiful. “If we can’t stop the bleeding this mug’s a goner.”

Nita—! She was alive!
Wentworth’s throat tightened and for an instant his tear ducts brimmed, then the Spider responded to the crisis.

“I’ve just the thing,” he bent down over the grievously wounded man tended by Nita, observing several badly bleeding bone fractures. Stout, slender rubber tubing snaked from a pocket in his cloak and the black-gloved hands expertly stemmed the hemorrhage. Satisfied that the victim was no longer in imminent danger, the Spider swiftly surveyed the remaining perimeter within the passenger car. Others were there, also injured, and had been capably treated by Nita. Tightly rolled newspapers had become improvised splints, while strips of her own clothing served as bandages, with her expensive silk stockings providing effective life-saving tourniquets.

Nita Van Sloan, black and blue herself, had done all she could, and that had been considerable. The weight of the last couple hours showed for a mere moment in her wide, haunted eyes. Nita wanted so very badly to fall into Wentworth’s arms, hold him close, and breathe him in. Instead, she resumed her highly trained sense of calm.

“Dick, I saw inside the front cars. What…what could have done this?” she stammered only slightly.

The slouch-brimmed head shook slowly, clearly in restrained astonishment. “Some kind of electromagnetic beam,” he mused. “An unknown highly advanced technique for rebounding and refocusing pure sound waves, aimed at the front of the train. It’s incredible, but it’s the only explanation.”

“My God,” Nita breathed, her face suddenly losing more color. “Then this could have been so much worse…!”

The implications were staggering.

“We can’t let Kirk and his policemen find us down here,” the Spider offered her his hand. “If you can walk—”

“I can do better than that,” Nita attempted a smile, rising quickly to her bare feet.

Her bruised toes stumbled painfully on a bit of debris, and in a blurring swoop, Wentworth swept her up in his arms. For a long, delicious moment their eyes were locked in a fervent gaze, and then their lips found each other.

“It’s unbelievable…unthinkable,” Stanley Kirkpatrick shook his head, his broad shoulders stooped and weighted from the tragedy. “All those people gone, so suddenly. In the past two days more than a dozen of the rescued passengers have also died from their injuries.”

Richard Wentworth refilled the Commissioner’s glass, and returned to Nita on the sofa.

“It’s a terrible business all right, Kirk,” Wentworth curled an affectionately protective arm around Nita’s shoulders, mindful of her arm’s sling. “You say there are still no leads?”

Kirkpatrick gratefully sipped his whisky and soda. “None. Those who have survived, who owe their lives to Miss Van Sloan here, aren’t talking. From the shock of it all, I’ll wager.”

“I don’t blame them,” Nita visibly trembled.

At that, observing her distress, Kirkpatrick promptly wished Nita a good evening, and a speedy recovery, as Wentworth walked him to the door.

“How’s she doing, Dick? I mean, aside from the sprained arm and the cracked ribs. I hope my visit hasn’t upset her more,” Kirkpatrick whispered, chancing a fretful fatherly glance back over his shoulder.

“Nita’s a scrapper,” Wentworth shrugged. “She’s as hungry for clues to this mystery as the rest of us.”

The older man frowned and paused in the doorway.  “I wish I could provide one, but I only have this,” he drew an envelope from his breast pocket.

Wentworth examined the inner contents, a single ragged sheet of cheap paper. There were five brief words boldly typed in all capitals:

SPIDER…BEWARE THE MELTING DEATH


“It’s from the rusty typewriter of a suicide who took a ten story dive the day before the disaster,” Kirkpatrick put on his hat. “A washed-up old crime reporter named Bill Henry. Seemed like a nutcase at first, but in light of what I saw on that train, not to mention the coroner’s bizarre description of Henry’s
corpse…and, it could have been the alley rats like he said…but, well, now I’m not so sure.”

Wentworth handed back the scrap. “You could be on to something, Kirk. Let me know what turns up,” he
shook his old friend firmly by the hand.

Once the door was closed and locked, Wentworth’s mind was in a sudden cyclone. The jumbling of a dozen facts that had been unfathomable mysteries moments before seemed almost magically to fall into place. A weird, low, chuckling laugh escaped his lips. It was startling, even menacing, in the sudden silence of the room.

“We know that sound, Major,” Ronald Jackson, Wentworth’s tall, wideshouldered chauffeur and trusted aide, stated anxiously from across the room. Ram Singh, another fiercely devoted disciple in Wentworth’s war against criminals, regarded his master with g rim resolution, nodding his proudly turbaned head.

“Indeed, sahib,” the Sikh warrior responded, ominously stroking his bearded chin. “How may we serve you?”

Wentworth whirled around to find all eyes strained upon him. Nita’s haunted gaze was especially troubled. For a moment he was perplexed at the sudden tension he had caused, then—seeing himself across the room in the mirror—Wentworth realized the alarming reason. Standing there, in his expensive tailored suit, within his familiar penthouse suite, Wentworth hardly recognized his own reflection. Not only his face, but his whole physique had unconsciously altered.

It was the Spider who stared back at him.

 
END OF PART THREE

 

TUNE IN NEXT MONDAY FOR THE MIND BLOWING CONCLUSION OF CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD!!!

To purchase THE SPIDER: CHRONICLES anthology containing this story and more, go to http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=414 today!!

Don’t Drink From Wonder Woman’s Cup!

  • News
  • November 22, 2010

Do you actually drink from those collectible glasses you’ve been hoarding all these years? You might want to give that another thought.

The Associated Press conducted a test on glasses featuring Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman, and characters from The Wizard of Oz and they discovered these collectibles exceed federal limits for lead in children’s products by up to
1,000 times.

To break it down, the Feds limit lead content in children’s products to 0.03 percent. These glasses have a lead content between 16 percent and 30.2 percent. Not good.

These glasses were also high cadmium, which is considered even more dangerous than lead but there are no federal limits at this time.

Just in time for all the movie hype, Warners’ Green Lantern glass proved to be the most toxic of those superhero products, exceeding the federal maximum by 677 times.

A spokesperson from Warner Bros. told the AP “It is generally understood that the primary consumer for these products is an adult, usually a collector.” Amusingly, Warner’s own website features these classes
alongside school lunch boxes and children’s t-shirts.

On the other hand, if you’re a collector with no children and no intention to use these glasses to quench your thirst, you better buy them right quick.

Fox Prepares Plethora of Holiday Gift Items Plus a Major Sale

  • News
  • November 22, 2010

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has made their list and are checking it twice to prepare DVD gift sets for every conceivable taste and special interest. We’ll be exploring some of those options when ComicMix launches its Holiday Gift Guide in the coming days.

With Black Friday imminent, we want to tip you off that FoxConnect is having a Black Friday Sale that runs from November 22nd to December 5th.  Savvy shoppers can save up to 70% off on favorite Movies and TV shows on Blu-ray and DVD – Some favorites for as little as $4 for select titles!

The new release we’re most looking forward to is the studio’s 75ht Anniversary Gift Set, coming December 7. Check out the formal release:Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment paints the town diamond white with the release of the TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 75TH ANNIVERSARY GIFT SET, a 75-film, three-volume set, highlighting a remarkable, rich and unparalleled heritage of classic films, Academy Award® winners and box office smashes.  Debuting on DVD December 7, each volume covers 25 years of the studio’s legacy along with an exclusive hard cover companion book highlighting the historic significance of Fox’s 75th anniversary featuring legendary stars, compelling stories, timeless music and unforgettable images.

The massive DVD set features a variety of genres and some of the finest films of all time from South Pacific to Star Wars, Alien to Avatar and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to The Devil Wears Prada.  Among its 46 Academy Award®-winning features, the collection highlights seven Best Picture winners including the DVD debut of Cavalcade, How Green Was My Valley, All About Eve, The Sound of Music, Patton, The French Connection, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Just in time for the holiday season, the TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 75TH ANNIVERSARY GIFT SET will be available for the suggested retail price of $499.98 U.S.

(more…)

MOONSTONE MONDAY-NOTED PULP ARTIST MARK MADDOX INTERVIEW!

  • News
  • November 22, 2010
MARK MADDOX AWARD WINNING ARTIST & HUMORIST

AP – Hi Mark, and thanks so much for stopping by All Pulp HQ. In the past few years you’ve made quite a name for yourself in the pulp field and it is a pleasure to finally be able to sit and talk with you about your art career. Why don’t we start with a little informal background. Where were you born and raised? Where do you live now? And do you have a “day” job with doing pulp art?

MM – I was born on Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida to Don and Joann Maddox. I have one brother, Mike and three sisters, Elise, Carole and Jeanne . Being a military brat had us moving around a lot. We lived in Germany, South Dakota, Maryland and North Carolina. After my dad retired we moved to Tallahassee, Florida. Later, when I got married my wife Carlyn and I moved to Thomasville, Georgia, had two incredible kids and are now settled in Athens, about an hour east of Atlanta. We really like it here.
At present the only work I am doing is freelance… the fun kind: Book covers (some which are pulp), illustrations, comic book covers, monster magazine covers, private commissions, game design, concept designs, logos, etc. It isn’t at the financial level I would like yet but I’m fairly new to this type work. Before that I did straight corporate graphics which isn’t terrible but it’s not nearly as much fun as my current endeavors.
　
AP – Mark, what kind of art education do you have? Did you always want to be a professional artist or was it something that came to you later in life?

MM – My parents were very supportive of my abilities which started around the age of ten. In high school I took art classes but the teacher was a joke. Some of the interns that came in were a lot more beneficial to my creative advancement. My dad saw my talent as a possible life long career and pushed me to go to take the commercial art course at Lively Vo-Tech school in Tallahassee. I had a great teacher by the name of Oral Ledbetter. He was an old school commercial artist/ illustrator and he taught us things that are all but lost today with computers and such. I also went to the local community college and Florida State University which had good art programs.
　
AP – Were you a comic book or sci-fi fan growing up? And did either of these genres influence your taste in art?

MM – Comics, movies, monster magazines, television…I ate it all up. My particular favorite reads were Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Doc Savage reprints, Edgar Rice Burroughs sci-fi, etc. Comics included Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Monster comics, Thor, Hulk, Captain America. Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy is easily my favorite comic strip. I’m actually one of those fans who likes Dick Tracy during his sci-fi period.
　

AP – Which artists, past and present, do you admire and did their styles have an effect on your own work as it developed?

MM – Dr. Seuss was awesome for a little kid. To this day I look at his work when I’m reading to my kids and marvel at it. Jack Kirby is, to me, far and away the greatest comic book artist. I am also a big fan of Will Eisner, Moebius, Frank Bellamy, Sergio Toppi, Joe Kubert, John Severin, Herge, Jose Gonzlez, Geoff Darrow, artists on the Jonny Quest TV show and so many more. I am a huge fan of illustrators like N. C. Wyeth, Dean Cornwell, Virgil Finlay, Franklin Booth, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles Dana Gibson, Basil Gogos, Sanjulian, etc. Fine artists include the impressionists, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Vermeer, Edward Hopper, Chuck Close and the Photorealists,

AP – Much of your early work is clearly inspired by horror and sci-fi movies. I take it you a movie fan? What is your favorite movie of all time?

MM – That’s not a fair question! I have so many favorites it’s impossible to pick just one. Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago are two of my classic favorites. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens and Universal monster movies are some of my genre favorites. Popcorn munchers include: Dracula A.D. 1972, Japanese monster movies, Omega Man, Hell Drivers. The list is so huge a ten gig hard drive couldn’t hold it.
　
AP – Okay, so how did you get involved with pulps?

MM – A guy named Blake Wilkie introduced me to Ron Fortier who was with Wildcat books at the time. We did a few tiny comic projects together and one day he dropped me a line saying he needed a cover for his book Captain Hazzard and the Curse of the Red Maggot. I think the artist that was to do it had to drop out at the last second. It was a dream come true for me. He needed it quick and I was willing to burn the midnight oil to get it ready.
　
AP – You seem to have a natural affinity for pulps. What is it about the genre that appeals to you?

MM – I was born in the early sixties and came back to the United States when the big thing was the campy batman TV show (I preferred The Green Hornet). I later found out about pulps, radio plays and cliffhanger serials (Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel, yay!) and realized there was a huge amount of this great entertainment from a long time ago where fantastic adventures were treated seriously. Doc Savage, The Shadow, John Carter, Weird Tales, etc. That’s just great stuff! Plus it fit right in with my love of comics and old Hollywood.

AP – You were the recipient of the first Pulp Factory Award for Best Pulp Cover of 2009.
Tell us about that and how it all came about? What piece did you win it for?

MM – The piece I won for was Airship27’s Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective. It was actually a piece that I resisted doing. I am a big fan of Holmes but in his original Strand Magazine form. When I was told I could do the art and design based on the original look and typography I was all for it. I was also allowed to dedicate the book to my late mother-in-law. She was a big Holmes fan and it would have pleased her so. I was very happy with the way that piece turned out because it was my take on Holmes and Watson the way they look in my mind’s eye. Most people don’t realize that Watson was a handsome, fit man.

AP – Weren’t you actually nominated for two covers that year and how did it feel to compete against yourself? Did you prefer one piece over the other?

MM – It felt great and strange! I was hoping they didn’t cancel each other out. The other cover was Captain Hazzard and the Python Men of the Lost City. And I really like them both equally. That’s a good feeling to have.

AP – Since your work for Airship 27, you’ve expanded your pulp career by working for other companies in the field. Tell us about your projects for Bill Cunningham’s Pulp 2.0 Press?

MM – I heard that Bill was going to be reprinting Don Glut’s Frankenstein books he had written in the sixties. Frankenstein is one of my all time favorite subjects and I had been reading Don Glut’s work since I was ten and I had been looking for those books for a long time. I wrote Bill and begged him to consider me for the covers.

I’ve completed the first cover in the series called Frankenstein Returns! I am very pleased with the way it turned out and Bills graphics look great on it. I’m getting ready to start volume two’s cover in the next month or so. I’m pretty excited about it.

AP – You also contributed covers to Win Scott Eckert’s CROSSOVER books, right?

MM – Yes, there are two of those so far and it was a lot of fun featuring all these classic characters together in the same image.

AP – You recently started doing covers for Moonstone Comics. Tells us about that and did the experience vary much from doing pulp covers?

MM – I’ve completed two covers and am working on a third. The first one was for Kolchak: The Night Stalker Files written by Christopher Mills . I was in front of the TV the night The Night Stalker film premiered in the early seventies and have been a fan ever since. It was another dream come true. The second cover was for the first issue of The Heap written by Charles Knauf (Iron Man and Captain America: Theater of War), featuring the creature from the Airboy comics of the forties. What could be better than a monster tearing the heads off of Nazis? The latest cover is for the great superspy Derrick Flint written by Gary Phillips (Vertigo Crime’s COWBOYS). I’m doing this piece with a nod to sixities design styles and having a blast. Moonstone publisher, Joe Gentile has been really great to work with.

AP – People who have met you personally all comment on your dry, acerbic wit. Have you always had this humorist bent and do you like looking at the world in a slightly skewered way?

MM – I don’t know. I come from a family smart mouths. Everything had to have a comeback. It’s a way for me to keep things lively and it’s nice to see people laugh.

AP – Is there any single genre you have yet to work in that you would really like tackle?

MM – Adventure, 60’s period Marvel heroes, monsters, drama, crime, sci-fi. I’d even like to tackle a western some time. In the seventies, Thrilling Adventures Magazine did a short comic about Lawrence of Arabia. I would love to work on something like that. A sort of adding on to the legend. Like the Daniel Boone TV show.

AP – So, wrapping this all up here. What’s on the horizon for you project wise? Can you give our readers some preview as to where your marvelous art is going to pop up next?

MM – Well besides the work for Moonstone I’ve got two new Hammer film books that are coming out. One called The Last Bus to Bray: The Unfilmed Hammer. It’s about many of the films that Hammer almost got produced but didn’t see the light of a projector for one reason or another. This includes the infamous Vampirella, a movie about Prince Vlad starring Yul Brunner, another about the Loch Ness Monster with backing by David Frost and many others. The other book is from Hemlock called Hammers Fantasy & Sci-Fi dealing with films outside of the Dracula and Frankenstein realm (One Million Years B.C., Quatermass, etc.). There are also one or two projects I’ve been sworn to secrecy on although I can say they are sci-fi and monster related… plus more artwork for Little Shoppe of Horrors.

AP – Mark, this has been a blast. Thanks so much.

MM – Thank you.
　
　

Win a Digital Download of Tim Burton’s ‘Willy Wonka’

  • News
  • November 21, 2010

Tim Burton’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory arrives exclusively for Download on iTunes for the first time with Bonus Content. The extra content Includes interviews with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. For the curious you can check out a preview here.

The film, adapting Roald Dhal’s marvelous novel, starred Johnny Depp and was a visual delight which we here at ComicMix highly recommend.

Thanks to Warner Digital, we have a free digital download to give away. Since this is Thanksgiving week, please tell us what you are most thankful for. The entry that moves us to laugh, sagely nod in agreement or wipe away a tear will be declared the winner. You have until 11:59 on Wednesday November 24 to tell us. One entry per e-mail address and the judgment of ComicMix is final.

Win a BBC America Gift Set!

  • News
  • November 20, 2010

Great Gifts with a British Accent!

This Holiday season, discover the perfect holiday gift from BBC films and TV series to unique British collectibles now available at the BBC America Shop.
For him find TV favorites on DVD like Dr. Who, Top Gear; for her find holiday collectibles for the home; and for the kids animated favorites, music, books and more.

Plus this holiday season WIN $1,000 (two $500 Gift Cards for you and a friend) redeemable toward purchases on the BBC America Shop with the annual Holiday Sweepstakes.

ComicMix readers now have a chance to win a BBC Gift Set!

All we’d like you to do is name your favorite BBC America series and why. We’ll judge the responses and select the winning entry. One submission per e-mail address and all entries must be posted in the comments section here no later than 11:59 pm. November 23.

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks