We’ve all heard the stories – about the really cool thing tucked away in Grandma’s attic that no one knew was there. How about the woman who has Lex Luthor’s spaceship? We hear that and more from JOE MADALENA, host of the new SyFy series, HOLLYWOOD TREASURE, plus no one is shocked at ticket sales for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 and Neil Gaiman is back in comic shops this week.
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You may have heard that the Pulp Factory’s Second Annual Awards for excellence in the new pulps are coming up early in 2011. That means we members of the Factory have to be figuring out what we think the best pulp novel, short story, cover illustration, and set of interior illustrations from 2010 have been, so we can nominate them.
Now that I have a pretty good idea of what I think were the best of each of the four categories for the year thus far, and barring any further discoveries which could of course change my mind, I thought I might share with the rest of you the four I intend to nominate.
My hope is that readers and pulp fans in general will check these out, and that my fellow Factory workers in particular will give them proper consideration. I also hope that folks might point out other possible contenders that I have missed.
Here, then, are the current leaders for my nominations:
BEST COVER ART:Mike Manley for ROBIN HOOD: KING OF SHERWOOD. I’ve seen a lot of very good cover art this year, but something about Manley’s iconic image of Robin crouching with his bow really catches the eye– it’s vivid and rich and singularly striking. And the character aside, the sheer quality of the painting itself is fabulous.
BEST SHORT STORY: I. A. Watson for “The Girl in the Glass Coffin” from GIDEON CAIN – DEMON HUNTER. Cain is a Puritan swordsman engaged in sword-and-sorcery action, and every story in this book features a different sort of setting and a different situation–there’s nothing repetitive about it at all. Full disclosure– I co-created and co-edited this book, and one of the other stories is mine. I’m certainly proud of my entry, and I think the world of all of them, but this award is solely for the best pulp short story and I think Ian’s is probably the best of a great lot.
BEST INTERIOR ART: Rob Davis for I. A. Watson’s ROBIN HOOD: KING OF SHERWOOD. Rob loves Robin Hood and it shows here; he did a lot of interior art this year but none of it carries quite the same charm and style as his illustrations for this one.
BEST NOVEL: Wayne Reinagel for PULP HEROES: KHAN DYNASTY. What can I say here? If any Pulp Factory members are planning to nominate anything other than this book for Pulp Novel of the Year, I honestly have to conclude that they have not read it. So everyone had better grab a copy and get to it. If you claim to be a pulp fan by any means, you will be blown away by this. From Wayne’s Doc Savage and Spider analogues to the actual Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes to Dr Sun to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to the actual Ian Fleming— all in perfect character– this book is mind-boggling in its pulpish all-encompassing-ness– and it’s a cracking great read, too! And that’s only after the first hundred pages. I think anyone who nominates something else should be required to include a full dissertation on why they wouldn’t and didn’t choose this instead.
That’s where I stand right now. I look forward to hearing your reactions.
“Masks of Madness” a tale from the anthology DOMINO LADY: SEX AS A WEAPON, Moonstone Books Written by Martin Powell
Written for a collection published in April, 2009 that centered around Domino Lady, this story not only clearly spotlights the anthology’s title character and then some, but it adds layers to a couple of mythos as well as to the world that Powell writes within in general.
The plot is that our heroine wakes up on a jungle beach after fighting pirates. She is taken in and cared for by people of the jungle who are in service to a certain Ghost Who Walks. While taking advantage of Mr. Walker’s hospitality, Ellen Patrick finds a bit of information that links to her past and has a major impact on her present and future. This tidbit leads her back stateside, followed of course in grand pulp hero style by the aforementioned Ghost (Lee Falk’s The Phantom for those who don’t know what I’m talking about.)
Martin Powell once again sets his pen to the pulp canvas of words and paints a tremendous epic adventure in a handful of pages. The characters are very clearly defined, even the Phantom who, although he plays a major role, is also really just sort of incidental to the action. Powell’s take on Domino Lady does something well that writers have struggled with for years. In his characterization, he skillfully balances the sex appeal of this character with the need for justice and vengeance, a largely male trait ala Batman that often gets muddled when applied to female characters. Not so in this version of Domino Lady. Her struggles with right and wrong, her thirst for violent retribution, it’s all played out well here and none of the playful sensual passion that should be there is lost at all.
The action in this story flows well overall. As a matter of fact, the timing of the events and the changes of scenery were dead on perfect. When we go from the jungle back to the states, it was the exact right moment. Some of the narrative gets heavy in places, even for pulp, but other than that, ‘MASKS OF MADNESS’ is a revealing look at a little known, yet wonderfully varied and layered character.
Four out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat (usually reserved for heads of state, arresting officers, and little old ladies, which is pretty darn good.)
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock Black Angel -Secret in the Sky” appearing in AIR FIGHTERS #2, Moonstone Books Written by Martin Powell
Illustrated by Ver Curtiss
First, let me preface this with…I’m just not a big fan of aviator pulp/comics/radio shows/etc. I mean, I read/listen/look at them because I’m an all purpose kind of guy when it comes to Pulp stuff…but it’s not on my favorite list. Having said that, I know a good story when I see it. And man, did I see it in this Black Angel tale.
Eight pages is not a lot of room to tell a tale. What Powell and Curtiss did in these eight pages, however, blew me away, yet it also felt like enough. the story centers around a report being made to a character referred to as Baronness Blood by a Nazi underling. As the report is made, the reader sees the action unfold contained within said dialogue. Black Angel and her awesome aircraft figure into the story, swooping in to save a priest from death at the hands of Japanese soldiers. Curtiss’ images of the aircraft, the Angel herself, and even Baronness Blood are jaw dropping and eye popping. The detail given to the art accentuates Powell’s tight storytelling, giving us a rip roarin’ air battle, but also showing the effect of war, even on heroes.
Overall, this story is fantastic in both word and image. I would have preferred to see a little more intensity in the facial expressions of the priest, as he was a major character in this and went through a horrendous range of emotions. Other than that, however, ‘Secret in the Sky’ flies higher than any air pulp/comic stuff I’ve read in a long time.
Four out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat (usually reserved for heads of state, arresting officers, and little old ladies, which is pretty darn good.)
Here’s another insanely useful thing when writing: a cast list.
You’ve seen these before, right? Probably when reading Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, the cast list includes entries like:
Montague, head of one house, at odds with Capulets
Capulet, head of one house, at odds with Montagues
Romeo, son to Montague
Mercutio, kinsman to the Prince and friend to Romeo
Benvolio, nephew to Montague, and friend to Romeo
Juliet, daughter to Capulet
Tybalt, Juliet’s brother
Now, even if you’ve never read Romeo and Juliet, and never heard the story—which means you’ve apparently lived on a remote island all your life, but never mind that now—you already have some idea how this is going to go. Two houses that hate each other, a young man from one house, a young woman from the other—you can practically see the romantic tension brewing. The cast list sets up the key relationships, and then the play just allows them to develop narratively.
But that doesn’t mean you’re going to want to have your cast list on the front page of your graphic novel. Not usually. A few books like the Justice League of America or The Legion of Super-Heroes can get away with that, but that’s because both of those are team books and so they want the reader to know which members of the team are actually involved in each issue.
But normally the cast list isn’t for your readers. It’s for you.
From Howard Hopkins, Editor/Writer, Moonstone Books-
I am editing “The Avenger Chronicles” with Moonstone’s EIC Joe Gentile. Joe and I are both huge Avenger fans and I have written a history of The Avenger called The Gray Nemesis. The first volume is out and number 2 is nearly finished. All stories are in and edited and it will be called: The Justice, Inc. Files. Along with the story I’ve written for the voume., called Vengeance, Inc., I have done a series of six vignettes, each centering on one of The Avenger’s aides, for the special hardcover editions. Number 3 is half edited and will be ready soon, as well. We have some great stories by Joe, myself, Barry Reese, Ron Fortier, Will Murray and numerous others. And a couple of special surprises. With Sherlock Holmes, the volume will focus on “crossovers”, teaming the Great Detective with some of fiction and history’s greatest characters. My own tale features Sherlock solving a case with Calamity Jane, allowing me to draw on my Western writing background and present two very different characters interacting with one another. It was one of the most difficult stories I have ever written, and I wanted to stay true to Doyle’s character and style, plus have a decent mystery for them to solve. My good friend, writer Martin Powell, got me involved in the project in a story writing capacity originally (and Martin is THE Holmes authority with some truly wonderful tales and comics written about Sherlock). I will be editing the anthology with Moonstone’s EIC Joe Gentile.
Introducing Double Feature Press– a new small press with an interesting concept.
Charlotte, NC – October 24, 2010 – For immediate release:
Sarah L. Covert has been working in the Horror/Strange Tales/SciFi industry for some time. She started off creating several stories for a children’s Science Fiction board game. She spent several years with Lurker Filmsand the H.P.Lovecraft Film Festivalin Portland, Oregon. Sarah is also the creator and editor of She Never Slept– a science fiction, strange tales, and horror news and reviews website.
The idea for Double Feature Press has been brewing for over a year now. After reviewing a lot of books from indie/small press, Sarah came to a realization. There are a lot of good publishers out there and some really great publishers, but for every one of those there are three or four really bad ones. She heard the same stories from many authors – – the publisher didn’t edit their copy, they didn’t promote them, they didn’t give them copies of their work, and worse than all that – sometimes the publishers wouldn’t even pay them. Eventually she grew weary of hearing this kind of thing and decided to become part of part of the solution… she threw her hat in the ring and added one more small press to the ranks of the good guys!
We are a small press formed by Sarah L. Covert in October of 2010. Sarah grew up on drive-in movies. That is where her love for Science Fiction, Strange Tales, and Horror was born. Double Feature Press has an interesting concept, based around the old double feature drive-in flicks. Each book has two authors. Each author contributes either short stories, poems, or novellas to make up their half of the book. The books will all be in the genres Sarah loved as a child and loves even more now. They will be limited edition runs. Our first book is due out in 2011.
“…an author who is serious about stretching the creative boundries of fantastic literature.” –Cemetery Dance
“Spriggs’s style is filled with elegance, literary wit, and uncanny dread. His work builds to an inescapable climax that eschews the happy endings in the work of lesser fantasists. I enjoy the frisson of his endings immensely.” –Michael A. Arnzen
“…a master of the short form… a linguistic acrobat who works without a net.” –Harry Shannon
Hippocampus Press released Blood Will Have Its Season, Joe’s first collection of short work, to much acclaim in 2009. It was edited by S.T. Joshi. Joe has new tales upcoming in S.T. Joshi’s Spawn of the Green Abyss (Mythos Books), and several other anthologies. His second collection of short work, SIN & ashes, will be published by Hippocampus Press [Winter 2010].
He is currently working on several new tales and his next novel, and has many new tales coming in anthologies, journals, and magazines in 2011.
“Some writers one admirers and others make one want to do as they do, or try. For me, Joe Pulver is of the latter type. His imagination is so vile so much of the time that it makes me giggle with amazement. And the prose so deadly visionary. I’m grateful that the pieces in this collection are those of a fellow horror writer who has raised the ante on what it means to be such a creature.” – Thomas Ligotti
“. . . I’m gawping in amazement, shaken by Pulver’s eviscerating vision. He wields language as a scalpel, a Thompson submachine gun, an axe . . . Joe Pulver calls down the fire. Joe Pulver’s the Man. He’s got the Power.” –Laird Barron
“The prose of Joe Pulver can take its place with that of the masters of our genre-Poe, Lovecraft, Campbell, Ligotti-while his imaginative reach is something uniquely his own.” –S.T. Joshi
The Untold Tales of Ozman Droom, according to arcane legend, is a collection of stories and poems about a collection of stories and poems by (if titles can be trusted) a certain Ozman Droom. But who is Ozman Droom? Or what is Ozman Droom? And when, where, why, and how is Ozman Droom? The answers to these and countless other questions of equally perilous rank await the curious seeker within the collection itself . . . provided such a book does indeed exist. And perhaps even if not. Caveat lector.
Night burns and burrows, vast as any idea it declares its bottomless truth — Terminus. The players and observers come, absorb and discard atoms, fill moments with ripples they call magic, or love, or chance, heartache, and fate. For knowledge and pleasure they steal editions, wait for, or take, more. Night loves nothing . . . and, finally, it takes all.
Joe Pulver’s, Night Begets, is a collection of tales and poetic texts about lovelorn ghouls and other night-bound creatures as they discover sin and ashes bloom and echo in the noir labyrinths and pitch black, dungeon skirts of Night. It is a work that provokes and will leave an indelible mark on anyone who picks it up and comes through on the other side, painting a world that is as much brutal as it is beautiful and imploring readers to reconcile these seemingly antagonistic aspects of existence.
NoHo Noir is fiction that’s not for the faint-hearted. Written by Katherine Tomlinson and illustrated by Mark Satchwill, these tales are weekly walks on the wild side, narratives torn from the bleeding heart of North Hollywood and Toluca Lake; stories of love and death and everything that lies between…
MONSTERVERSE, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE HORROR COMIC and FILMS EVENING at the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE in Hollywood, CA. AN EVENING WITH BELA LUGOSI at the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE. Celebrating the career of horror icon Bela Lugosi and the launch of MONSTERVERSE’s new horror anthology comic book, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE.
Thursday, 7:30 PM October 28th, 2010 The Egyptian Theaterhttp://www.americancinematheque.com/egyptian/egypt.htm Two Feature Films starring Bela Lugosi in THE BLACK CAT and THE RAVEN. With Boris Karloff. Mainstream news coverage will be in effect for the Halloween weekend in Los Angeles, the media capital of the world. This is a major launch for the first issue of BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE horror anthology comic book.
Special Guests from Hollywood and the Comic Book Industry will be announced. Other featured guests are Bela Lugosi, Jr., and Kerry Gammill including contributors to BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE horror anthology comic book series.
There will be a Special Panel on Lugosi examing his career and the new comic book between films and a MONSTERVERSEComic Book Display with contributors featured in the lobby.
An Exclusive Preview Trailer will be screened with art of the upcoming MONSTERVERSE graphic novel, FLESH AND BLOOD, written by Robert Tinnell and illustrated by Neil Vokes. To be unleashed Halloween 2011.
TRAILERS FROM HELL. Commentaries from directors Mick Garris and Joe Dante on Bela Lugosi and his films.
Poster design by artist Charlie Largent.
This exclusive event image may be Tweeted with:http://twitpic.com/2mxwhx MONSTERVERSE is a new independent comic book company with a horror anthology book coming out in October 2010 and entitled, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE.
Here is a direct link preview of the book and its pages posted on YouTube. <a href=”
rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” title=”This external link will open in a new window”>LUGOSI HORROR COMIC YOUTUBE PREVIEW The comic will be available at comic shops everywhere and online and is distributed by Diamond. For a new independent transmedia company MONSTERVERSE enjoys having the top talents in the world such as John Cassaday, Bruce Timm and the legendary Basil Gogos creating covers for its books. Writer/director (of the upcoming THE WALKING DEAD), Frank Darabont, gave this quote about cover artist Basil Gogos. “Basil Gogo doesn’t paint pictures of monsters, and never has. What he does is conjure their essences on canvas like a magician. More than that, he conjures our love of these subjects in a manner that defies description or analysis. How does an artist infuse an entire fan community’s love of a whole genre into his brushstrokes? I’ll never be able to explain it, but I know I’ll always be grateful for it. Seeing Gogos’ portraits is revisiting the best friends of my childhood.” – Frank Darabont Monsterverse was chosen the FEATURED COVER STORY on COMIC SHOP NEWS 1207 a few weeks back (distributed to over 500 of the top comic book shops nationwide and given out to customers with purchases). This article beat out the top comic companies in America, an impressive feat for a new independent publisher. Take a look at our official website. We are quite proud of the amazing talents involved. http://monsterverse.com/ MONSTERVERSE and BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will receive special coverage in the upcoming double-sized Halloween issue of RUE MORGUE.There is a feature story on MONSTERVERSE andBELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE also being prepped for their special Halloween issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS MAGAZINE. MONSTERVERSE publisher Kerry Gammill is creating a terrific new feature cover for the January FAMOUS MONSTERS. BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE is published by Kerry Gammill who is internationally known for his artist work at Marvel and DC Comics on titles like MARVEL TEAM-UP, INDIANA JONES, POWERMAN/IRON FIST and SUPERMAN. Kerry has also worked as a make-up effects designer on studio genre films such as VIRUS and TV programs such as STARGATE and THE OUTER LIMITS. Here is a link to Kerry’s professional art website:http://gammillustrations.bizland.com/monsterart/ This FANBOY PLANET article can give you a quick update on what is going on with the history of the company and its future plans:http://www.fanboyplanet.com/interviews/mc-monsterverse.php This link takes you to our first issue cover by the legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS cover artist, Basil Gogos.http://twitpic.com/1doadj Our variant cover is by one of the hottest artists working in American comic books today, John Cassaday, and who recently directed an episode of Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE television series. Whedon has been tapped to direct Marvel Studios’ epic feature film, THE AVENGERS.http://twitpic.com/25v1o3 The back cover is by Warner Brothers animation executive producer and Emmy-winning designer/artist Bruce Timm. To reserve a copy of the Lugosi comic book at a comic shop you need to supply them with the Diamond Item # Code, AUG101080, with the title, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE. The first issues of the Lugosi comic book will be shipped in October to celebrate both Halloween and Lugosi’s 128th birthday. A special celebration of Lugosi films, the new comic book and its contributors is set for the American Cinematheque in Hollywood at its Egyptian Theater on Thursday, October 28th. BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will be a double-sized 48-page color quarterly and retailing for $4.99 and with no ads (except for a house ad announcing a serial adaptation of the novel DRACULA and starring BELA LUGOSI by Kerry Gammill and beginning in issue two). It is pure comic book fun and frights from front to back with a brief article on Lugosi.
BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will feature some of the most talented storytellers working today in comic books and horror films. No other comic book series has this kind of industry talent nor do other comic book companies have these kinds of horror film heavyweights working on any comic book. This is a first in comic book publishing and dedicated to the fun and classic horror of Bela Lugosi but made for today’s audiences. Movie directors like John Landis (An American Werewolf In London, Burke And Hare) and Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) along with make-up genius Rick Baker (American Werewolf In London, Michael Jackson’s THRILLER, Men In Black), will be providing stories and art for future issues. More Hollywood horror film creators are also working up stories. The most acclaimed creators in comics will be writing and drawing stories such as Steve Niles (30 Days Of Night), artist John Cassaday (Planetary, Astonishing X-Men) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy).
The first issue contains stories and art by such notables as Kerry Gammill (SUPERMANand SPIDER-MAN ), James Farr (whose XOMBIE online animated and comic book series is being brought to theater screens by Dreamworks in a live-action production by top writer/producers Orchi and Kurtzman), Chris Moreno (WORLD WAR HULK), John Cassaday, Rob Brown (voted online as horror artist of the year for BANE OF THE WEREWOLF), Derek McCaw, Rafael Navarro (creator of the Xeric Award winning series SONAMBULO), Martin Powell and Eisner Award- winning artist Terry Beatty (THE BATMAN STRIKES), Brian Denham (IRON MAN, ANGEL), Bruce Timm and more. The book also features an article by leading Lugosi researcher and author Gary D. Rhodes.
MONSTERVERSE ENTERTAINMENT is a transmedia company headed by its publisher and editor, the comic book and film design artist, Kerry Gammill.
Keith Wilson, formerly of DC Comics, is an editor and writer/artist.
Producer/screenwriter Sam F. Park is the west coast editor and a writer/artist.
We’re very proud of BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE and what has been accomplished within our growing independent publishing venture, MONSTERVERSE. This is our first comic book project with several more in development. We plan to make MONSTERVERSE the go-to company for horror projects in all media.
I’ve included links below to help with graphics, photos or information. Please contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Sam F. Park West Coast Editor MONSTERVERSE ENTERTAINMENT “Bela Lugosi’s Tales From The Grave”http://monsterverse.com/ park@monsterverse.com 818-605-2181 Links:
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and 
!
Here’s another insanely useful thing when writing: a cast list.
