Bulletproof Nylon
Want to check out some quality pulp fiction? Stop by the Bulletproof Nylon site and sample Mal Earl’s newest works: Circus of Storms and Curtains!
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MOONSTONE MONDAY-INTRODUCING MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION!!!
Moonstone Books and ALL PULP are glad to announce that starting today ALL PULP will be serializing classic Moonstone Pulp Fiction tales!! Plucked from the various anthologies already available via Moonstone, each Monday will see a new chapter premiere on ALL PULP of the currently featured story!!!!
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
PART ONE
Human vermin swarmed out of a rain – slick alley, creeping like rats toward a rust-crusted manhole, melding with the midnight shadows. Their movements were precise and exact, resembling well-oiled soulless automatons. One by one, the gang labored with their weighted burden of ominous black metal boxes from the hidden supply truck, their booted feet ringing hollow chimes as they climbed down into the murk and slime of the sewer below.
A tall skeleton of a man descended last, the flickering of sputtering flares betraying the feverish madness in his eyes. His goons had worked rapidly in the fetid semi-darkness. The devices had been reconstructed even more quickly than during the hundred rehearsals of before. All was in readiness.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick and the Mayor had been stubborn to the end. The million dollar ransom remained unpaid. Now New York City was to pay a very different, devastating price.
“Masks,” he hissed.
The order was obeyed instantly with fidgeting fingers fumbling leather straps, and eleven pairs of yellow goggled eyes glowered from behind the gasmasks in anticipation of the next command. The cadaverous dictator secured his own protective respirator with a practiced ease. He cocked his head toward the leering lieutenants.
“They had their chance,” his voice, never quite normal, droned all the more weirdly through the muffling gasmask. “Do it quickly.”
They scuffled off, well-trained in exactly where to strategically plant the infernal gas bombs within the sewer system to filter their poison fog throughout the entire metropolis. No chances left. No mercy. Thousands would perish. Next time that damnable Kirkpatrick would have to give in. Yes, next time.
But wait. Where was Skaggs? He was to bring up the rear then turn east in the tunnel ahead toward upper Manhattan. Skaggs was nowhere to be seen. Supremely confident mere moments before, the skeletal commander felt an icy sweat crawl down his spine. He turned to bark an order to McQuade, and shuddered upon realizing he too had vanished. Something was very wrong.
“Oh Gawd!” a minion squawked around a curve in the tunnel. The commander splashed recklessly toward the cry, losing all stealth, his steely nerves melting like wax. The others gathered, drawn from their mission to the grotesque scene set before them deep in the arched underbelly of the city. For a full minute none said a word, not even their chief. They just stood there, knee deep in the filthy swill, staring at the horror suspended above.
Skaggs had been snagged and hanged by the neck, swaying like a puppet from an almost invisible silken cord. The crimson brand of a bristle-legged arachnid wetly embossed Skaggs’ forehead.
Each man moved as one, all drawing guns. Eyes bulged and throats grew dry. Outside the range of the sulfur-spattering flares the shadows themselves pulsed like something alive. Then, worse of all, came the laughter, a low mirthless reverberation that seemed to originate from everywhere.
“The Spider!” one of the gang cried fearfully.
“Shut up!” the skeletal commander barked. “Spider or not, he’s only one man.”
Instantly thunder erupted in the cavernous tunnel, the innumerable blasts echoing a deafening clamor as half the gang keeled and slumped into the reeking sewage. Six hardened killers were dead in less than as many heartbeats, each unerringly shot between the eyes.
Blind panic seized the surviving thugs. Rounds were fired as fast as triggers could be squeezed. More blasts answered from the blackness, finely tuned and finding their mark. Almost as abruptly as it had begun, it was over.
Only the gaunt and ghastly commander was still standing, his fist wetly melding with the pistol in his grip. He hadn’t yet felt the three forty-five caliber slugs that had ripped through his guts.
The faint wisp of a noise captured his gaze as a figure on a silken line floated like an inky ghost. From the flicker of the flares the descending creature appeared to possess multiple writhing arms, an illusion cast by the flapping of a billowing black cloak. A venomous, fanged mouth again uttered its hideous cackle.
“You were smarter than most.”
Oh God! The monster spoke!
The commander was more corpse-like than ever, his life pouring out in ruby driblets. The revolver weighed a ton, but still he tried to aim as the terrible hunched stalker crept nearer.
“Not smart enough to escape my web,” the cloaked thing laughed again.
Two big guns in each black-gloved fist bucked twice, exploding the silence. The Poison Fog was to menace the city no more.
The Spider surveyed his territory, satisfied with the scene before him. Human scum sprawled dead at his feet, each of them guilty of a dozen unsolved murders, each of them now with his eight-legged scarlet seal emblazoned on what was left of their foreheads.
The last Crime Ring. Finally. It was over. Kirkpatrick and his policemen could handle the petty crooks now.
At last, the Spider could rest.
***********
Bill Henry had a deadline.
The crusty old crime reporter, nowadays known as “Bourbon Bill”, had seen better days, but this story was special. This story would make all the difference. It was a fluke really, not at all like the way he did things in the old days. He just happened to be in the right place to overhear the right thing. Most people hardly noticed the derelict sleeping it off in dark alleyways where darker deeds dare to be discussed. But Bourbon Bill wasn’t sleeping this time. Scientist missing. No word of ransom, so a kidnapping was not taken
seriously. Sometimes eccentric egg-heads just disappear, the authorities said. But Bill knew better. He’d heard things right this time.
This was something big.
The grizzled journalist glanced around his shabby apartment, normally a depressing place, but then he smiled his jack o’lantern grin. Everything would change once he turned in this story. The city beat would be his again, that was a cinch. And he could afford good whisky again, not that bathtub gin he’d resorted to. Maybe Linda would even take him back. Yes, sir, what a story. Award-winning stuff, no doubt about it.
Bourbon Bill lifted the bottle to his dry, chapped lips. Maybe he should stop drinking? Yes, perhaps he should. Tomorrow he would stop for good. Everything would be different. Tomorrow.
In celebration, he sucked in a short swig from the bottle and promptly, painfully, spat it out with a hiss. The liquor was scalding hot, actually sizzling on his blistering tongue. That didn’t make sense. Mesmerized, he stared at the bottle as the liquid inside actually began to boil.
No…oh no.
They’d found out. They’d found him. Too late. Same old Bill Henry luck…bad as always.
His body was suddenly seized with thick sweat, wracked by a weird agony. They knew that he knew. And he didn’t have much time. Bourbon Bill felt his flesh dissolving, dripping away like candle wax. No. Not yet. Desperately, with his last effort, he clacked away at his typewriter, his fleshy finger-tips sticking to the keys leaving raw red-pink blobs. Had to leave a warning. He was the only one who could.
That done, a glorious leap out the window seemed the best solution to the torture. The cold wind whipped across his oozing face all the dizzying way down, and Bourbon Bill was at peace even before he hit the pavement, confident that his hastily typed warning would be heeded, and satisfied that the pain would stop at the swift end of his ten story fall.
Bourbon Bill Henry had made his deadline, after all.
END OF PART ONE
TUNE IN NEXT MONDAY FOR PART TWO 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!!
MOONSTONE MONDAY-PULP SPOTLIGHT ON SAVAGE BEAUTY!
AND MEANWHILE, OUR HERO…
Pulp Character Spotlight
The newest original project from Moonstone Books is the re-imagined jungle girl genre project, Savage Beauty. Created by Mike Bullock, Ed Catto and Joe Ahearn, Savage Beauty chronicles the adventures of the Goddess Anaya as she metes out justice to those who would persecute the innocent. With artwork from veteran penciller Jose Massaroli, Savage Beauty slams onto the stands in February with an over sized, under priced debut issue.
Today on All-Pulp, we have the special pleasure of interviewing the Rae sisters, Lacy and Liv, co-stars of Savage Beauty.
All Pulp: Please tell our readers, who is Anaya?
Lacy – She’s one of the ancient gods, a protector of the righteous and punisher of the evil.
Liv – She’s definitely not someone you should mess with. All Pulp – In five sentences or less, Anaya’s origin
Lacy – You want to handle this one, Liv?
Liv- You’re the writer, Lacy, you do it.
Lacy – Alright, but don’t interrupt me. Anaya was born in fire, raised in-
Liv –A little melodramatic, don’t you think?
Lacy – Why? Why do you interrupt me? Didn’t I just tell you not to interrupt me?
Liv – Are you going to answer the question?
Lacy – Forget it. Next question.
All Pulp – Anaya’s first appearance.
All Pulp – Anaya’s first appearance.
Liv – Savage Beauty #1.
All Pulp – The 5 (at most) most important people in Anaya’s life.
All Pulp – The 5 (at most) most important people in Anaya’s life.
Lacy – Dad, mom, Mr. Eden.
Liv – Not that guy you met on the flight?
Lacy – Who him? No way, he doesn’t even own his own plane.All Pulp – The 3 (at most) top villains Anaya has faced/will face.
Lacy – Lumus Okoye and the PLA. They’re going down!
All Pulp – Anaya likes…
Lacy – Justice.
Liv – children, peace. All Pulp – Anaya dislikes…
Lacy – Evil people. Warlords, guerillas, pirates, mercenaries, terrorists…
Liv – Anyone who would prey on the innocent.
Lacy –No melodrama there, pfft.
Liv – Seriously, Lacy…
All Pulp – Any existing characters Anaya has met/had/will have a crossover with?
All Pulp – Any existing characters Anaya has met/had/will have a crossover with?
Lacy – Does Uncle Walker count?
All Pulp – Anaya ‘s greatest fear is…
Liv – That she would be unable to defend the innocent.
All Pulp – If Anaya couldn’t be there to save the day, who would she want to take her place?
Lacy – Uncle Walker.
All Pulp – Links for more of Anaya include…
AP: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us, Tommy. Can you explain exactly what your title is at Moonstone and what your job duties entail?
TH: Sure! I am Marketing and Promotions Coordinator and the title pretty much explains the job duties. I am the guy responsible for making sure the buying public knows what Moonstone produces and buys that product. I will be working on various ways to make sure that both that niche that already buys from Moonstone and that largely untouched ‘non pulp’ market as well get full exposure to the wonderful lineup that Moonstone carries. It’s a pretty big responsibility, being the town crier for guys like The Spider, Kolchak, Zorro, and so on.
Basically, I’ll handle both ‘in the box’ and ‘out of the box’ promotional and marketing plans. I’ll put together press releases, interviews, and various forms of information and make sure that every outlet I can get to has them. I will also be looking at past promotions as well as future possibilities for putting a twist on the Moonstone line, a hook to pull in everyone who isn’t reading our stuff and to keep those who are coming back.
AP: How did the opportunity to work for Moonstone come about?
TH: Actually, I have ALL PULP and my convention/conference, Pulp Ark, to thank for that. While getting ready for Pulp Ark, I met Mike Bullock. We are both members of The Pulp Factory, a yahoo group focused on pulp. Through my being one of the Spectacled Seven, I came into contact with several other Moonstone creators, such as Martin Powell, Win Eckert, and others. The support from those I have come to know contributed greatly to this opportunity. Gaining a familiarity with the content Moonstone puts together, I just started visiting with Bullock and talking about various ways ALL PULP could help Moonstone, which led to ALL PULP’s Moonstone Mondays. Those discussions continued and eventually Mike and I talked about me contributing some marketing assistance to Moonstone. He talked with Joe Gentile, Moonstone EIC about it. Well, by that time, my idea creatin’ brain had already spun out more than just a little help. Those discussions turned into Joe and I talking about what I could do as an active staffer. A phone conversation later, I was the Marketing and Promotions Coordinator.
AP: There’s kind of an unspoken fear amongst many of the small press pulp publishers that the bigger publishers might eventually “strike it rich” with the pulp characters and then drive the smaller presses out of business — how do you think the success of failure of ventures like The Return of the Originals or First Wave might impact smaller outfits like Pro Se Productions, Wild Cat Books, Black Coat Press, Airship 27, etc.?
TH: Although several of the smaller outfits are producing both original and public domain based content, I truly believe that there is room for everyone at this point. Now, Moonstone is positioned better than a lot of the smaller outfits, including Pro Se Productions, the outfit I’m a partner in. The field, though, is still open enough for all to make the big strike at some point or another. Sure, Moonstone may hit the right vein in the market, but Airship 27 could do the same thing. I personally feel like smaller publishers have a better chance of making it big pushing original creations. That’s why I’m handling the magazines at Pro Se the way I am. But, again, the market is wide open enough that I don’t think failure of the bigger companies in the Pulp arena will necessarily impact and success can only help us all.
AP: Anything else you’d like to add about your new position or Moonstone’s role in the pulp community?
TH: I hope that I can do my position justice, not just for Moonstone, but for the furtherance of the pulp genre as a whole because I really do believe, at this point, success for one company, big or little, means well for all of us with our hands deep in pulp!
Monday Mix-Up: Russell Crowe in ‘Rocky Horror’!
Strange but true: one of Russell Crowe’s first acting jobs was playing Eddie and Dr. Scott in a touring production of The Rocky Horror Show back in the 80s. And thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we have footage:
And a little Dr. Strangelove too, I see…
Review: ‘Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics’
DC Comics had grand plans for its 75th anniversary but most of them were shelved when the company evolved into DC Entertainment and the mandate was to look ahead, not back. Still, there’s the mammoth book coming from Taschen and this month we’re being treated to the documentary [[[Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.]]] Narrated by next summer’s [[[Green Lantern]]], Ryan Reynolds, the 90 minute feature explores the company from beginning through today but given the wealth of subject matter, at best, this is a surface study.
The documentary makes good use of archival footage from creators no longer with us and mixes them in with fresh interviews so we hear from executives, writers, artists, and many of those who built the company. Among those you will see on screen include Neal Adams, Irwin Hasen, Marv Wolfman, Mark Waid, Dan DiDio, Jim Lee, Paul Levitz, Walter and Louise Simonson, Chip Kidd, Joe Kubert, Denny O’Neil, Mike Carlin, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Len Wein, Dwayne McDuffie, Geoff Johns, Karen Berger, Kyle Baker, Paul Pope, and Gerry Jones. Interestingly, Jenette Kahn, the architect for much of the company’s modern era, and current prez Diane Nelson do not appear.
This is a corporate history and as a result, it’s most famous black marks in its history, from the Fawcett law suit over Captain Marvel to the struggles of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to gain some recognition and cash for[[[ Superman]]], are entirely omitted. Similarly, other corporate facts are either blurred, such as the separate companies[Detective Comics, Inc. and All-American Comics before becoming National Comics or the acquisitions of Quality, Fawcett, and Charlton’s heroes as each company folded are missing.
The chronology is a bit jumbled now and then but overall, we go from [[[New Comics]]] in 1935 though the forthcoming DC Universe Online. We’re treated to clips from the animated shows, live-action films, and some nifty archival footage of the Superman Writers’ Summit where the team plotted the death of Superman. The movie serials are ignored which is a shame and not enough emphasis is given to the current era of animation which was kicked off in 1990 and hasn’t looked back, influencing the comics and other animators.
(more…)
MOONSTONE MONDAY-HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO THE AVENGER!!!
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock
The Devil’s Mouthpiece-A Tale of The Avenger
Written by Martin Powell
Published in THE AVENGER CHRONICLES, VOLUME 1-Moonstone Books
When you mention Pulp, all sorts of general images spring to mind. Blazing guns. Flying fists. Dastardly villains. Then there are the specific images that come to mind, three usually in particular. Sort of Pulp’s own unofficial Trinity. There’s the veritable superhuman hero, then the vigilante shrouded in darkness and mysticism, and then there’s…Richard Henry Benson. The Avenger.
It’s no secret to any of you who wait to see me Tip My Hat that I like Martin Powell’s work. He has a great grasp on the pulp style and shows an understanding of his characters like no other. This story, his contribution to the first volume of Moonstone’s AVENGER CHRONICLES is mostly no different.
The story opens with action and intrigue right off the bat, both characteristics of The Avenger and Powell’s work overall. We get to know who Benson is right away in a really cool way, through the eyes of a street thug. Then we move on at an almost breakneck speed to the offices of Justice, Inc, after a strange interlude involving a widow and a street beggar. Powell uses that fantastic skill of his in getting us comfortable with Benson’s team, giving us the feeling we’ve known them forever, even if the reader hasn’t. What unfolds from here is a tantalizing tale that gives hints into Benson’s past that possibly threaten his present and may mean no future for the Avenger.
Overall, the story was a fast paced, typical Powell pulp read. This tale, however, was a bit too stop-and-go at times. Not that I want my pulp laid out for me easy peasie from the beginning, but I felt a little confused even three quarters into the tale about how it would all tie together. Having said that, Powell ties it up all nicely with a blood red bow by the end and ‘THE DEVIL’S MOUTHPIECE’ as a whole is a good read for any Pulp fan.
Three out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat (Definitely a good Pulp read and worth the time.)
MOONSTONE MONDAY-POWELL AND PISCOPO AND PULPY GOODNESS!
Interview with Martin Powell for THE SPIDER: Curse of the Unholy 3
AP: Martin, there’s wind of a new project you have with Moonstone Books. Can you share any information with ALL PULP on that?
POWELL: Absolutely. Moonstone just recently gave me permission to announce the deal. Along with the continuing bi-monthly SPIDER series (to debut in January) I’m also writing THE SPIDER Special # 1, “Curse of the Unholy 3”, illustrated by the impeccable Jay Piscopo. It’s sort of a SPIDER Annual issue, and will feature the first-ever team-up of THE SPIDER, G-8, and OPERATOR 5.
AP: What were some of the influences for “Curse of the Unholy Three”?
POWELL: Jay and I were inspired by the classic Fleischer Studios’ SUPERMAN animated series, and great Saturday morning cartoons like JONNY QUEST and SPACE GHOST. We’re lending an animated style to the pulps, a natural approach, we think, which will give the genre an added dimension. Mainly, we’re dedicated to telling a very fun, fantastic story for pulp fans that’s also designed to snare non-pulp readers into our web.
AP: What’s the general storyline of the tale as you see it now? Are there any big picture statements to be made with this tale or is it just a good ol’ pulp romp?
POWELL: Teaming THE SPIDER, G-8, and OPERATOR 5, in one epic adventure, is cause enough for a historical celebration! I’ve always been amazed that no one has attempted to do this before. Three classic, very evil adversaries are returning, too. And that’s all I can tell you for now.
AP: Why these three heroes? What makes them special and especially important to this tale?
POWELL: THE SPIDER is one of the most popular pulp heroes of all time. His fans are legion. Since I became the regular SPIDER writer I’ve been amazed how many of his fans are out there—all over the world. There’s a great excitement brewing with the SPIDER’s return. G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES is a long-time favorite, as well, having starred in over one hundred novels, featuring the weirdest, most bizarre exploits the pulps ever produced. Yes, I’m serious. If you mixed the Golden Age of Aviation with THE X-FILES, that could be blended into G-8. Except G-8 is even stranger. Lastly, OPERATOR 5 was clearly an inspiration for super-spy James Bond. Jay and I just had to bring these guys together!
AP: Jay Piscopo is riding shotgun with you on this project. How did this partnership come about and what do you think Jay brings to the table?
POWELL: We actually met through mutual friends on Facebook, and I became a fan of Jay’s artwork the instant I saw it. He’s doing something in his CAP’N ELI, COMMANDER X, and SEA GHOST comics that the industry really needs right now, namely, he’s making comics fun again. I knew I wanted to work with this guy, and this is only the beginning of our collaboration. Also, I want to stress that “Curse of the Unholy 3” was Jay’s brainchild, right from the start. When he first pitched the idea of an “animated-style SPIDER adventure, co-starring G-8 and OPERATOR 5”, I was immediately hooked by the concept and knew I just had to write it. Luckily Moonstone was just as enthusiastic about our submission and it sold almost immediately. Far as this project is concerned—everybody wins.
Win a Free Digital Download of ‘The Goonies’ (with Extras)
In celebration of The Goonies‘ 25th Anniversary, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is releasing the exciting adventure film on iTunes for the first time with EXTRAS (including all new bonus content).
ComicMix readers now have a chance to win a free digital download. All you have to do is tell us what your favorite part of the film was and why. We want your comments no later than 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, November 8. One contribution per reader and the judgment of ComicMix‘s management will be final.
PULP ARTIST’S WEEKEND-Rob Davis, Comic/Pulp Artist/Designer
ROB DAVIS, Comic/Pulp Artist, Designer, Co-Publisher
AP –Thanks for stopping by All Pulp HQ, Rob. Let’s start with some biographical data. At the present, who is Rob Davis? Where do you live and what is you current occupation? Etc.
RD – I live in central Missouri near Columbia, home of the University of Missouri. When I’m not drawing, painting or working on designs on my computer I drive a bus for the Columbia Transit system.
AP –What kind of formal art education did you have?
RD – Most of what I do these days I taught myself, but I worked three years toward a Graphic Design/Illustration degree at what is now known as Missouri State University. The basics I learned there were a great foundation for what I ended up having to teach myself later.
AP –Were you a big comic book fan as a kid growing up? What was your favorite comic company, Marvel or DC?
RD – I read both Marvel and DC comics as a kid in the 60’s, though my favorite characters were those at Marvel. They just seemed more “real” to me somehow, though I certainly enjoyed what was going on at DC at the same time. I bought the Marvel comics off the stand and read the DC comics at the barber shop. Ha!
AP –Which graphic artists did you admire the most and which do you think had the most influence on your own style of drawing?
RD – Jack Kirby was/is a major influence. His dynamic storytelling and wild, exciting concepts were a magnet to lots of imaginative kids in the 60’s. I was no exception. It was his work that inspired me to try to become a comic book artist. Also, it wasn’t conscious, but I was told that some people see the influence of Curt Swan (long-time artist of Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes at DC) in my work. After they told me that I thought about it and agree that Mr. Swan’s influence is definitely there.
AP – What was your first professional comic assignment? Who was the writer and for what company did this appear?
RD – Oh, my. Now you’re making me dig back! Ha! My first professional comics work was as a letterer for NOW Comics’ “SYPHONS” comic. I can’t tell you who the artist/writer was- we’re talking 1988-89, here-, but after that first issue I was made the inker of the strip too. After about 3-4 issues of that I also lettered and inked another book from NOW that never saw print and eventually penciller on DAI KAMIKAZE! Before my work at NOW I did some illustration work on Mayfair Games’ DC HEROES role-playing game.
AP – Describe the feeling of seeing your work published for the first time. Were you happy with it, or are you one of those critical types who sees where you’d have done things differently?
RD – I always see the flaws. Ha! I’ve been told that as an artist if you’re ever completely satisfied with your work, or stop growing and improving then you’re “dead” as a creative person. I’d tend to agree with that assessment.
AP – What other companies did you work for during your career?
RD – After NOW I worked for a number of years at what became MALIBU Comics. Perhaps my biggest individual and creative success there was on R.A. Jones’ SCIMIDAR. R.A. and I developed what I called a “synergy” working on the book where he’d send me page by page plot breakdowns that I would then interpret and send back to him to script- very “Marvel-style.” It turned into a “the sum is greater than the parts” thing where we amplified each other’s creativity. R.A. and I worked on a couple of other projects, most notably MERLIN.
Shortly after doing MERLIN I moved over to David Campiti’s INNOVATION Comics for a few issues of QUANTUM LEAP and a black and white mini-series, STRAW MEN. I then jumped back to Malibu to work on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE for its whole run there doing mini-series and backup work. At that same time I also did some work on DC’s STAR TREK titles, both the original series and Next Generation.
For Marvel I did a three-issue stint on PIRATES OF DARK WATER, a Saturday morning cartoon adaptation. This assignment grew out of conversations I’d been having with Marvel’s promotions manager, Carol Kalish. She was planning to start up a line of religious-themed comics there and I was in talks to be one of her stable of artists. We had all but sealed the deal. Unfortunately Carol collapsed and died from a heart-attack before we could get it going. It was her assistant who got me the connection to work on PIRATES.
AP – When did you leave mainstream comic works? Was it for purely economic reasons?
RD – Yeah. The mid to late 1990’s saw a collapse in the comics market. Marvel had bought out Malibu and initially promised not to shut it down, but after a couple of years they did. The started up their much-touted STAR TREK books which I had hoped to work on, but they decided to try a whole different approach to producing the books which meant using different artists. Just before that happened I had been tapped to be the regular artist on Malibu’s STAR TREK: VOYAGER comic- which would have been my first month-to-month work as regular penciller on any book since DAI KAMIKAZE! It would also have made me the only artist to work on every incarnation of STAR TREK up until then- STAR TREK, STAR TREK the NEXT GENERATION, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, and finally STAR TREK: VOYAGER. Alas it never happened.
AP – Since then, you’ve actually illustrated several self-published projects. Tell us about those and how that came about?
RD – We need a bit of history here to explain it all, so bear with me. After I left NOW comics and went to Malibu NOW’S writer of THE GREEN HORNET, Ron Fortier, approached me to do a version of the character. I think I was being asked to do the 60’s TV version at the time, but my memory is a bit foggy. My break with NOW had not been amicable (a recurring theme there, I hear) so, though I would have loved to draw the character, I had to turn it down.
After that, Ron and I tried to put some other proposals together for various publishers, but nothing came of any of what I thought were some great ideas, sadly. Ron and I eventually lost touch, though we did trade Christmas cards for a while.
Then 5 or 6 years ago I was doing a weekly online comic strip called THE SPIRIT OF ROUTE 66 that Ron caught. He liked what I’d done and pitched me another strip for a startup comics site called ADVENTURESTRIPS.com. “Doctor Satan” lasted for about 32 episodes, if I recall, and then we folded up shop.
Ron being the idea guy that he is, he pitched me another project he’d been shopping around first as a movie script and then a graphic novel called DAUGHTER OF DRACULA. I knew I wouldn’t have the time necessary to devote to the book, though it was a worthy project. So, thinking Ron would reject the idea, I replied that in order to do the book it would have to come as one page per week. At 112 pages that meant it would take a while to complete. To my surprise Ron said “yes.” HA! Two years later I delivered the finished project pencilled, inked, lettered and gray-toned. Ron and I shopped it around, but we finally ended up publishing it ourselves through Ka-Blam and my own imprint: REDBUD STUDIO COMICS. Since then REDBUD has also published Ron and Gary Kato’s MR. JIGSAW. We’re up to seven issues now! We’ve also published a collection of Ron’s BOSTON BOMBERS mini-series from Caliber Comics.
AP – When did you first become affiliated with Airship 27 Productions? Was it your first exposure to the world of pulps?
RD – Initially Ron asked me to illustrate an online book HOUNDS OF HELL that eventually became Airship 27’s first printed book through WILDCAT BOOKS. As for it being my first exposure to pulp? No, that would have to be my initiation into pulp storytelling with TARZAN when I was in High School. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was pulp. One could also argue that comic books, which I’d been reading since I was eight, are essentially pulp. Then there’s Ian Fleming’s James Bond books and movies and similar stuff. Pulp is all around if you look for it. Ha!
AP – What is the big difference between sequential comics work and pulp illustrating, aside from the obvious number of images?
RD – Well, that’s a big part of it, but it’s more like doing a cover image with each illustration. You’re trying to tell a bit of the story in just one image as opposed to a series of images.
AP – What is it about pulp work that appeals to you as an artist?
RD – I’ve always loved telling stories and this is is just one more way to do it. It’s fun and challenging to try to figure out which scene to portray and then how best to present it. It’s some of the same challenges as comics work, but quicker.
AP – Beside artwork, you are also Airship 27 Productions’ designer. Is that a new hat for you and what kind of challenges does that particular task demand?
RD – It’s a “new hat,” as you say, but it’s an outgrowth of my early interest in design from my college days. I’ve really enjoyed learning to use the computer to do my illustration work, so it’s an outgrowth of that aspect too. Some days I’d rather sit down to work out the problems of a book’s design than sit at the drawing table. That’s saying something for someone who’s been drawing nearly every day for almost 30 years!
AP – You helped design the Pulp Factory Awards statue. Tells us a little about that?
RD – At the regular Sunday morning breakfast gathering of the Pulp Factory members at Chicago’s Windy City Pulp and Paper show it was proposed that we create and award for new pulp creators. As everyone else was talking the idea for what that award would look like popped into my head full form. I grabbed the napkin and sketched it out really quickly. Everyone approved it on the spot!
AP – Do you believe this renewed interest in pulp is a passing fad or do you believe it will be around for a long while?
RD- It’s hard to say. But I fully believe that pulps have never left us. It influences all sorts of things without us consciously realizing it. I mentioned James Bond earlier. Then there’s comic books and their attendant movie incarnations. Then there’s the pulp influence on action films. So, I don’t think pulp storytelling will ever go away, it just finds new was to manifest itself.
AP –Lastly, what’s coming down the road for Rob Davis and Airship 27 Productions that you’d like to give a shout out to here? Feel free to promote what you’ve got coming in the months ahead that will excite the pulp community.
RD – Well, I just finished up illustration and design for our next book: MYSTERY MEN (and Women) and sent it off to the proofreader. Once we have the cover finished up and the corrections made it will be off to the press! We’ve also got some great books in pipeline including sequels to our Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood books that I’ll be illustrating and designing coming out next year. There’s never a moment to rest at Airship 27’s production facilities. HA!
AP – Rob, this has been both enlightening and a real pleasure. Continued success and many thanks.
RD – Thanks. I really enjoyed it.
