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Will Friedle chats about his time in the Batcave

  • News
  • November 25, 2010

batmanbeyond1-3252388The popular voiceover actor took time last week to speak about his days as the new Caped Crusader in preparation for this week’s release of Batman Beyond: The Complete Series, a nine-disc limited edition DVD set that presents nearly 20 hours of animated action spread over 52 episodes, as well as including all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet.

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series centers on Terry McGinnis, an ordinary teenager … until his father is mysteriously murdered. Suspecting foul play at his father’s company, Wayne/Powers Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman, Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to avenge his father’s death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out with jetpacks, a supersensitive microphone and even camouflage capabilities in search of his father’s assassin.
The all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.

Friedle made his mark in live-action television and film from the time
he turned 10, starring in hit series like Boy Meets World and Don’t Just
Sit There. He gradually shifted his attention to voiceover work, taking
the lead in Batman Beyond and co-starring in Disney’s Kim Possible to
name but a few. Today, he primarily stays behind the microphone, voicing
such notable roles as Doyle on The Secret Saturdays and Blue Beetle on
Batman: The Brave and the Bold.Will Friedle took a futuristic
Dark Knight in altogether new directions as the voice of Terry McGinnis
in Warner Bros. Animation’s breakthrough 1999 series Batman Beyond.

QUESTION: When you think back on all those Batman Beyond sessions, what are your favorite memories of recording the series?WILL FRIEDLE: This sounds like a cheesy answer, but working with Andrea (Romano) is just the greatest experience. Every week you go in and it’s amazing and fun. You just never knew who the guest cast would be. My favorite was  recording Return of the Joker. Sitting between Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill for five days was pretty incredible. I learned more about being a voiceover actor in those five days than I did in the five months before that. Just watching the two of them work – how Mark got so into the character, completely losing himself in that role. And then there’s Kevin with that deep, booming voice, always sitting with his back straight and working perfectly with the microphone. It was an education.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite Batman Beyond episode?

WILL FRIEDLE: There was an episode called “Out of the Past” where it’s Bruce Wayne’s birthday and as a birthday present Terry takes Bruce to see a new play, “Batman: The Musical.” So there’s Bruce sitting in the audience, watching these people in costume jumping on stage, singing about the Dark Knight, and Terry’s right behind him humming the songs. And Bruce just hates it. Seeing Bruce Wayne watching “Batman: The Musical” was pretty funny.

(more…)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE SPECTACLED SEVEN!!

  • News
  • November 25, 2010

On this day of caring and recognizing what we all have been given to be thankful for, ALL PULP wishes you and all of yours the most happiest and welcome of Thanksgivings.  And in honor of this day and in deference to our own families, The Spectacled Seven will be taking this day off to spend with those close at hand to us.  For those of you who are close to us but physically far away, thank you for making ALL PULP  a huge succes so far and giving us and the Pulp world much to be thankful for…

And remember…it could always be worse for us…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL PULP!!

What we are thankful for, and how you can help ComicMix (and thank you for asking)

  • News
  • November 24, 2010

We’re thankful to you. Each and every one of you who keeps coming back to the site because you like the people, or the comics, or the occasional snark.  We all know how tough it is out there, not acknowledging that fact doesn’t make it any less tight in the wallet. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who
arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress
in this period in history. But we’re glad that you’re here, reading and occasionally commenting.

We’d also like to ask you, if you’re doing any shopping at Amazon this holiday season, do it through us and help us keep the lights on. If you want to support ComicMix every time you shop at Amazon, bookmark this link and use it whenever you do your online shopping. And if you order before December 16th, you can still get free shipping before Christmas ends.

We are NOT asking you to forgo shopping at your local comic store, far from it. Support your local shops. If you don’t know if you have one near you, go to the Comic Shop Locator. Many stores are doing door-buster sales– Cosmic Comics in NYC, for example, is doing 80% off of back issues and 50% off new books on Friday. I don’t care what kind of advantage you get from Amazon, that’s real tough to beat.

Things may be a bit light over the next few days with holidays and tech stuff, so enjoy yourself and watch out for crazy drivers and rogue TSA agents.

The Point Radio: Writing With Tim Burton

  • Uncategorized
  • November 24, 2010


Here’s your chance to write along side Tim Burton – all via Twitter! Plus more with the cast of THE EVENT and why Joss Whedon had a bad week.

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Comor Podbean!

Follow us now on and !

Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday at 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys.

NEWSFLASH FROM WILD CAT BOOKS!

  • News
  • November 24, 2010

Updates from Wild Cat Books include-
                  *STARTLING STORIES Fall 2010 issue is nearing completion!
                  *Martin Powell’s HALLOWEEN LEGION is still in the works and
                    hopefully coming soon.
                  *Barry Reese’s novel THE DAMNED THING is in production!
                  *There will be sequels to Barry Reese’s RABBIT HEART!!

ECHOES AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!! HOSTS OF ALL PULP’S OFFICIAL PODCAST WIN!

  • News
  • November 24, 2010

(release from Tom Johnson)

Ric Croxton and Art Sippo, hosts of THE BOOK CAVE, ALL PULP’S official podcast, are the recipients of the ECHOES Award for 2010/2011. Their dedication to the preservation of pulp culture has been clearly displayed over the past year since Ric Croxton started the Podcast a couple of years ago. Art Sippo has been a co-host for over a year now, and both men’s knowledge and dedication to the pulp community clearly comes through in their interviews with writers, artists, and publishers in the current pulp field. The pulp fan can learn of current books on the market, as well as what’s in the works from their favorite writers and publishers. The weekly Podcasts covers comics and movies, plus their Thursday night pulp interviews.

Ric and Art’s love of the pulps, and devotion to the pulp community has earned them the respect from their contemporaries that puts them above a mere fan, and it is with great honor that we bestow the ECHOES Award for 2010/2011 to these fine gentlemen.

The Echoes Award was created in 1992, the second award to honor members of the pulp community, the first being the Lamont. From 1992 until 1997, the Award consisted of both plaque and paper certificate. Between 1998 and 2004, only the paper certificate was given out, then the Award ceased until 2009, at which time it was resurrected. The Award is not voted on, but the determination of who is doing the most to promote the pulps and pulp fandom is selected by Tom & Ginger Johnson. It is not a writer or artist award, those awards are being given out by The Pulp Factory and Pulp Ark. 

The awards were given beginning in 1992 until 2004.  Although records were lost for the years 1998-2004, winners in prior years include-

1992: Nick Carr/Ron Wilber/Francis Saint Martin
1993: Steve Mitchell/Kevin Duncan
1994: Burt Leake/Ray Capella
1995: David Burton/Shawn Danowski
1996: Bill Thom/Albert Roberts
1997: Will Murray/Albert Tonik

With the resurgence of pulp interest, and the sudden escalation in print on demand – POD – technology, there appeared to be a revival of the pulps, we decided to take another look at the feasibility of presenting the Echoes Award once more. And so the plaque returned in 2009 and winners thus far are-

2009: Matt Moring
2010/2011: Ric Croxton & Art Sippo

We are already looking at several names for the 2012 Echoes Award, but no decision will be made until the proper time.
Tom & Ginger Johnson.

And a word of thanks from Art Sippo-

I am utterly speechless (but I am still able to write)! I am deeply honored by the Echoes Award and I thank you so much for considering me. I have loved Pulp Literature since I was a kid and it helped to form me as I became a man. I am eternally grateful to Dent, Gibson, Nanovic, Burroughs, Howard, Lovecraft, Farmer and all the other great contributors to this wonderful form of American literature. And I am equally gratefull to folks like you and Ginger, Ric Croxton, Will Murray, Ron Fortier, Barry Reese, Wayne Skiver, Ron Hanna, Andy Salmon, and all our other friends who have carreid Pulp writing into the 21st Century. I am so pleased that folks have enjoyed the worrk I have done with Ric Croxton on The Book Cave and my stories. I hope I can continue to live up to the honor you have paid me so that we can alll continue to enjoy the adventures of real heroes who both light a torch and curse the darkness!

Art Sippo

ALL PULP CONGRATULATES RIC AND ART ON THIS AWESOME HONOR!!

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.

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