The Mix : What are people talking about today?

INTERVIEW-WAYNE SKIVER-PUBLISHER/AUTHOR/RESTAURANTEUR/CONVENTIONEER

  • News
  • October 8, 2010

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AP: Wayne, thanks a ton for taking a break from your busy schedule, much of which we’ll discuss in a bit, to sit down with ALL PULP. Before we get into you and Pulp, can you give us a bit of background on yourself?

WS:  I’m tempted to quote Dr. Evil “The circumstances of my upbringing are quite inconsequential.”  but Sure:  I’m a lifelong fan and collector of comics and fantastic fiction.  My two first heroes were Batman and oddly enough Conan the Barbarian, the Marvel Comics version.  Those 1970’s Conan comics were the gateway to pulps for me and as a kid I devoured Robert E. Howard and quickly discovered and fell in love with Doc Savage.  My interests naturally led to me wanting to tell my own stories.

AP: You have your hands in several things pulpwise, so let’s tackle it in pieces. First, your writing. Can you give us an overview of your published works, both fiction and nonfiction, in the field of pulp?

WS: Yow…that list is getting away from me!  I was surprised myself when I started going over it recently.  From fan fiction and little no name local comic fanzines as a teen to my first “real” published story which featured my own pulp hero, Prof. Stone. about six years ago.  An overview:  I’ve written and am writing articles on Comics History for Jim Main’s “Comic Fan!” magazine, Several articles on the history of golden age heroes and classic comic creators, a well recieved article on the history of Doctor Who as well as a handful of Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories for Startling Stories and Lost Sanctum, I’ve had stories in various anthologies with classic characters such as Ki-Gor, The Black Bat, Doctor Satan and The Griffon.  I’ve done a good deal of costumed super hero prose, primarily in my own universe but I also contributed a story in that genre for Van Plexico’s Sentinels Widescreen edition.  The last couple of years I’ve been having some fun in the Western Genre.  I have a few original characters, most notably Prof. Stone.  I was (and still am) dumbfounded that I was recently asked to write an Avenger story for Moonstone.

AP: Now, you have a handful of original characters, but one stands out. Tell us about Prof. Stone.

WS:  Professor William Henry Stone is my homage to Doc Savage.  He’s not as simple as a pastiche though, he has very much become his own character.  One fan once described him as “A cross between Doc Savage and Remo Williams”.  I love that.  To date he has appeared in 2 novellas and half a dozen short stories.  He also guest stars in Barry Reese’s latest Rook volume.  Several new stories are in the works.

AP: You are also a publisher. Can you tell us about how you started Age of Adventure, what your company produces, and the mission and purpose of Age of Adventure?

WS:  Age of Adventure (AofA for short) started out putting together collected editions of Public Domain Comic book material.  Basically it was stuff I wanted on my shelf in a nice format that didn’t cost too much.  Others seemed to agree and sales were good.  It quickly grew into what it is now.  We publish 3 ongoing magazines as well as the odd Pulp anthology, collection or novel.  You can check out our storefront at:  http://stores.lulu.com/goldenage1
We try to keep costs as low as possible so that more people can afford to enjoy them.  Our goal is simply to put out material that the fans want to read!

AP: Age of Adventure covers several sub genres within pulp, but two in particular have been prominent from you in the last year or so. What appeals to you about the western story and about war stories?

WS:  I don’t know if War stories are big from us, but I love a story that embraces adventure combined with brotherhood and often thats the core element of a good War story.  Our Westerns have been selling gangbusters!  I grew up watching Western movies and TV shows and have always been a big fan of John Wayne, Chuck Connors, Clint Eastwood, etc.  I feel that Western stories are so appealing due to the fact that its an American take on the classic Knight Errant.  Wandering hero, codes of honor, tin stars in place of armor and six guns instead of swords.  Plenty of damsels in distress too.  Whats not to love?  Every story is like re-visiting a Saturday morning of my childhood.

AP: You also are the organizer/creator of your very own convention? Can you tell us about that, what it’s called, its history, that sort of thing?

WS:  I run “Savage Con” once a year in St. Louis.  This will be the second year under that name, there were 3 prior which were known as the “LaPlata Doc Con” due to the fact that they were held in LaPlata, Mo.  The hometown of Doc Savage scribe Lester Dent.  It started as a simple gathering of Doc Savage friends and while we’ve kept our original crew of attendees its blossomed into something a bit bigger than it originally was.

AP: Doc Savage is definitely a well known character and has influenced many fans, writers, and artists? What goes into building a convention around a single character? Is there enough about Doc to warrant that much attention over a two or three day period?

WS:  Our get together is a day and a half and there is definitely enough Doc to fill that.  He’s the archtype for so many heroes today and has such a rich history and catalog of stories.  Doc fandom is very much a brotherhood all its own.  From buying, selling, and trading, to fanmade original swag, discussions and trivia.  One of our brotherhood, Matt Hiebert, put together a really wonderful “DOC”umentary even.

AP: What about this year’s Con? What’s the agenda for those who attend?

WS:  The typical Trading, Buying, Selling, and comradarie.  A silent auction for some original Doc Art, Trivia contests with prizes, and various pulpy films to be shown.  We may even have a book signing or two.  One of our regulars is Dr. Art Sippo who wrote “Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis” released through AofA.  Art is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable guys you could ever meet.

AP: What are your long term plans for Savage Con?

WS:  I’m hoping to start attracting comic fans as well as pulp fans, and possibly expand some content that is still high adventure, but not nec. Doc-specific.  Just to add to the fun.AP: All right, now on to for what is probably for some the most interesting aspect currently of your relationship to pulp. You are a chef by trade. And now you own a restaurant. Can you describe the Raygun Café’ for us?
WS:  Absolutely!  Raygun Cafe’ was born in part out of my attempts to get some kind of Pulp Museum going.  Things didn’t work out in LaPlata to that end, though I and some other fans did get a nice, permanent Dent/Doc display established at the Library in his hometown.  Raygun is basically the pulp and comic version of a Hard Rock cafe’.  Pulp, comic, and Sci-Fi art and memorabilia, Serials, OTR, etc.  Thats the atmosphere and the food is second to none!  Italian beef, Gourmet Hotdogs, Panini’s, fresh, seasonal soups and stews and local micro brews and artisan beers.  A lot of positive buzz locally so far!

AP: Pulp is definitely a genre that is on the upswing, experiencing a renaissance. Is there a market for a pulp themed restaurant and if so, what market are you targeting?

WS:  We’re targeting not only fans who know the genre, but fans of adventure and nostalgia buffs as well.  I think the market for such an endeavor is ready to be tapped.  Who doesn’t love action and heroic imagery?  Who doesn’t love to eat!?  Its got a big eye appeal factor, its family friendly, and I plan to try and sneak a little pulp history lesson in here and there to help create a new generation of fans.

AP: Now, this is much more than a restaurant for you. You’ve been quoted as describing it as an educational experience as well. Would you mind elaborating on that?

WS:  The artwork, pulps, and comics on display naturally lend themselves to discussion and people asking questions.  I’m working up info-cards with pulp and creator history tidbits to display as well as just being available and encouraging questions and discussion on the decor and exhibits.  “Who is that guy?” will be something a person asks once and winds up answering for others later.

AP: Can you tell us what patrons can expect to be on the menu at the Raygun Café? Also, what artifacts/displays they might expect to see from the world and history of pulp?

WS:  Well, as I said before on the menu, we’ll have Italian Beef (Art Sippo will vouch for how good that is!) French Dips, Deli style sandwiches and sides, Various gourmet Hotdogs, Panini’s, fresh soups, stews, and chowders, and when weather permits, we have a grill out back for BBQ specials. Just don’t touch the art!!
As for displays we have original pulps and vintage comics, Pulp and Sci-Fi artwork enlarged to gigantic size, Retro space toys, and original genre related artwork from local artists (including some amazing stained glass).  I’ll be constantly rotating the actual pulps and comics that are displayed and will likely have “Gallery Talk” sessions when I do so.

AP: What are the future plans for the Raygun? In ten years, will there be one in every major city in America, if you have your way?

WS:  …gah!  One is enough stress right now!  I’m certainly not against franchising, but we need to get this one going strong first.  Right now the goal is to excite the masses and provide an income for my family!

AP: Let’s back up and talk about your writing a bit more? What particular process do you go through to create a character and write a story? Do you just sit and let the words flow from your fingers or do you follow a particular pattern?

WS:  I’m very much comic book inspired, I tend to think very visually and i’ve been told I write that way as well.  Someone once told me “Your stories are too comic book!”  They meant that as an insult, I took it as a compliment. I never outline anything to be honest.  Usually I’ll get an idea for a scene or a story and let it evolve in my head for a few days, after that I sit down and hammer it out.  Once I get going with a character they pretty much write themselves, I just provide a situation they have to deal with and they act accordingly.  I don’t obsess with daily wordcounts and such, that simply builds frustration.  If I have a story to tell I tell it.  If it takes me a day or a month to write it then thats what it takes.  I basically write stories I myself would like to read.

AP: What sort of stories and writers is Age of Adventure interested in?

WS:  Right now we’re taking open submissions for our Western Magazine (short stories).  We also look for good, solid action and adventure in any setting, from pulp era to contemporary.  I like working with writers I’m familiar with, but if you have a good story to tell, I’m happy to give it a shot.  I’ll be honest, being a publisher, even a small press one, you get your fill of big egos pretty quick.  Politeness and humility go a long way towards getting anything you want in this world!

AP: What’s in the future for Age of Adventure?

WS:  We have our ongoing Western Mag issue 3 of which is due out later this month, and a really fantastic anthology which will be hitting the stands by the 20th titled “Vampires Vs. Werewolves”.  Great cover art by Rob Moran on that one.  Thrilling Adventures is gearing up to return along with Super Heroic Tales (our other two magazines).  We have a collection of Barry Reese’s stories in a variety of pulpy genres titled “Dangerous Worlds”, and Art Sippo is busy working on Sun Koh 2…

AP: What about Wayne Skiver, the writer? Anything coming down the pike you want the public to know about?

WS:  Actually i’ve been hard at work scripting a comic series with some original characters.  Can’t say too much about that right now, but its going to be a lot of fun and I’m working with some really amazing like-minded cohorts.  The next issue of Comic Fan! from Main Enterprises has an article on the history of the Charlton Action Heroes from me as well.

AP: Wayne, it’s been awesome to spend some time with you. Anytime you want to push Age of Adventure, the restaurant, the convention, or what you’re writing, let us know!

WS:  Thank you, it was good to talk with you.  The pulp community is a close niche, its good to have a site to get a glimpse of whats going on in various aspects of all things pulp, print and non!
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National Graphic Novel Writing Month, Day #8: Can conventions get your graphic novel written?

  • News
  • October 8, 2010

nagranowrimo-1432171Day eight, which coincides with the first day of the New York Comic Con. The obvious question for the day: can conventions get your graphic novel written?

HELL NO.

You know what gets your graphic novel done? Butt in chair in front of writing implement of choice, fingers to writing implement of choice, one word after the other, until you have it written.

Time spent wandering the aisles is not spent writing.

Time going to parties is not spent writing.

Time sitting in panels listening to writers does not get a single word of yours down.

And time spent obsessing over your hall costume embroidery is definitely time spent not writing.

Get your tailfeathers down and write. You know how to do it. So do it.

Tomorrow: how conventions can help get your graphic novel written.

Remember: you can follow all the NaGraNoWriMo posts here!

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NYCC: The Indy After Party 2010, Saturday night

  • Uncategorized
  • October 7, 2010

indyafter-5994216After you’ve perused the aisles of merch and schwag, sat in the panels of talented professionals, and received autographs from all the D-Listers you can handle… it’s time to throw on your best Dragonball bowling shirt, and party with Indy creators in the Big Apple! Sponsored by Brooklyn Comics and More, Blue Line Pro, Red Zone Girls, and a handful of other awesome sponsors, the Indy After Party will be held Saturday, October 9th, at Blaggard’s Pub at 8 West 38th Street, between 5th and 6th avenue… just 6 blocks east (and 2 north) from the Javits Convention Center. 

The party is set to be awesome to the Nth level. With artwork, prizes, promo items, and a performance from the Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano and his band, the Ryans! And just in case that’s not enough fun to blow those socks right off your Chuck Taylors… there’s even a sneak peak of Summit Entertainment and DC Comic’s RED!

So, ready to show off your meticulous rendition of the robot to all the hip con-goers? Stop by the Indy After Party booth and pick up a pass! If you forget though, no worries. Tickets are available at the door for $5. The party starts at 8PM. Be there or be four equal sided polygon!

DC Drops Page Count, Prices

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

DC Comics announced today that they will be cutting almost 10% of their editorial content from their ongoing books while at the same time standardizing the cover price at $2.99.

Their innovative 40 page format, where the reader received a second feature in addition to the lead, is being abandoned.

This is your classic “good news / bad news” situation. DC decided $3.99 was too expensive for a pamphlet containing 22 pages of story. Seeing as how their line had been split between $2.99 titles and $3.99, they’re moving to $2.99 across the board but, in the process, dropping two pages of story. This might come as a relief to artists who have a difficult time producing 22 pages each month and it certainly will be a boon to readers and retailers – with one dramatic exception.

For quite a while, comic book stories were 20 pages. They simply weren’t as interesting as the 22, 24 and 27/28 pagers that followed. Since comic book stories are far less dense today then they were back then, even less will be going on in each individual issue. Historians will note that the 20 page story was only a stopping point on the way down to 17 page stories.

Writers are particularly screwed. Plotting a 20 page story takes just as much time and energy as plotting a 22 pager, and writing two fewer pages of dialog saves every little time indeed. Since they can’t sell two page stories, their monthly income will go down noticeably.

In a press release, co-publisher Dan DiDeo said “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”

About that “allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come” part? We sure hope he’s right about that, and sincerely wish DC the best with this new strategy.

As long as the page count doesn’t become the proverbial slippery slope.

NYCC: A Party for the CBLDF tonight! (and a plug for the co-opetition)

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

Normally we wouldn’t dream of sending you over to someone else’s web site, because we need every bit of traffic we can get, but we would be remiss in not pointing you to The Beat, who have done their usual great job of listing most of the events taking place around NYCC/NYAF, but are also throwing a great party of their own tonight to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:

Come support Free Expression, the 2010 LIBERTY ANNUAL, and mingle with the greatest talents in comics, at the
CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party, presented by Image Comics & The Beat
this Thursday at The Village Pourhouse Restaurant Row!  We’ll have
special gifts, copies of the Liberty Annual and special open bar
bracelets!  Come out and support the CBLDF!

Starting at 8 p.m., this event is free and open to everyone! With
a suggested donation of $10 or more, you will receive a special gift
bag, full of goodies from Image Comics & CBLDF! In addition to great
gifts, an open bar will be available for donations of $30 and $50.
Preordering bracelets is strongly encouraged, as we’ll have a very small
quantity of them at the door.  For information on Open Bar bracelets,
please visit: http://tinyurl.com/38rgblr. The Village Pourhouse
(http://ph46.villagepourhouse.com/ ) is conveniently located near the
Jacob Javits Convention Center and always provides an excellent time
with a fun atmosphere.

Start your New York Comic Con off right by celebrating with the
CBLDF, Image Comics, and The Beat.  The CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party will
feature surprise guest artists from the pages of CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL
2010, as well as a chance to meet comics’ best creators, insiders, and
fellow fans, in a star-spangled festival of good comics and free speech!

What: CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party, presented by Image Comics
(http://www.imagecomics.com ), The Beat https://www.comicsbeat.com/ ),
and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund http://cbldf.org/ ) !

When: Thursday, October 7, from 8 to 10 p.m.

Where: Village Pourhouse Restaurant Row – 366 W. 46th St.

Who: Anyone who is 21 and over – IDs will be checked!

Why: Support Free Speech, Mingle With Top Creators, and Enjoy Free Food and Great Gifts!
The CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party is also a terrific opportunity to become a
member of the Fund or to renew existing memberships. You can also visit
our website to become a member, or support the Fund by shopping at our
Web Store. (If you cannot attend the party, please visit your Local
Comic Shop to pick up a copy of the 2010 LIBERTY ANNUAL, available 10/6
and featuring some of the most talented creators working today!)

Note: this is the MIDTOWN Village Pourhouse, not the one down on 3rd and 11th from years past.

The Contest Catch-Up Plus a New Offering

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

We’ve been remiss in announcing our prize winners and here’s a recap for those of you keeping score at home.

Tommy Williams is the winner of a free digital download of 300 with Extras, courtesy of Warner Digital.

Sean D. Martin is the winner of the free digital download of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, courtesy of Warner Digital. The craziest thing he has seen in a comic was turning the page to see Animal Man looking Right. At. Me. and saying
“I can see you!” It actually made me slam the book shut before sanity
returned a split second later and I sheepishly re-opened it.

The winner of the Lord of the Rings on Blu-ray trilogy, courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment, is Shanti Whitesides. She wrote:

Are you asking who is the protagonist, or who is the hero? The protagonist is certainly Frodo. The story opens with him being given the ring, he goes on to choose the burden willingly, and it’s his footsteps in which we follow the story. And it is his act of compassion toward Gollum that allows the quest to end in any sort of triumph.

On the other hand, if you’re asking who is the hero, I would have to say Sam. As I wrote in my essay, “A Fool’s Hope,” the ring-quest is one that can only be completed by a fool, not a traditional hero, and Sam is the epitome of the fool-hero – simple, humble, stout-hearted and loyal, driven by his devotion to Frodo to follow him through the hell of Mordor. It is a testament to Sam’s strength that he is able to heal from the ring quest and go on to live a happy life, where Frodo cannot.

Paul Go wins the LOTR gift set by writing, The lead character is Samwise. He manipulated the Baggins clan to reveal the ring, used Gandalf to research it and create the fellowship, and then made sure that Frodo disposed of it properly. This is his story: everyone else just serves it.

Warner Digital provided us with a copy of Atlantis: The Lost Continent, one of George Pal’s underrated fantasy films. We’re accepting entries until 11:59 p.m. Sunday. All you have to do is give us your best theory of what really happened to Atlantis. Best answers wins the DVD.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO THE GREEN LAMA-UNBOUND!!

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock

Green Lama-Unbound
Written by Adam L. Garcia
Art by Mike Fyles
Published by Airship 27 Productions and Cornerstone Book Publishers
There’s a lot of discussion in the Pulp field, on this site and elsewhere, about what makes a novel or story pulp.  Let’s dispense with that right off the bat.  GREEN LAMA- UNBOUND undoubtedly meets the requirement to be considered pulp, meets it, exceeds it, runs all over it, and jumps on it again.  And that’s not just because the novel, the second volume of Green Lama from Cornerstone/Airship 27, stars a known pulp character.  No, Adam Garcia weaves in all the right elements to make this book pulp.  Heroes we could only wish really existed, over the top villains, a thrill or revelation on almost every page, and enough mysticism, fist throwin’, and other sorts of hoodoo to fill another couple of books.   This is undoubtedly a pulp book.
It is also, refreshingly so, a well put together novel.  Even though this is his first novel, Garcia has mixed all the right ingredients together to make for an interesting, engaging read and an awesome foundation for future stories.  First, the plot is a strong one.  Essentially, The Green Lama and his cohorts are pulled into a battle trying to stave off not only the possible end of the world, but the return of the most evil presence imaginable.  Yes, we are in Lovecraft territory once again, but Garcia doesn’t overplay the Elder Ones card.  He uses the obvious intense evil that these characters represent as a way to bring more out of Dumont and the cast, both good and bad guys.  The plot starts and never stops, the hook is set from word one.
Secondly, Garcia has captured the pacing necessary for a good novel.   This novel can probably be described as going at a beyond breakneck speed and it certainly does that.  Garcia, however, deftly works in slower moments, times for the cast and the reader to breathe without ever really stopping the action.  Someone is always learning something new, a new trap is being laid, or someone is plotting against someone else.   The action, both true pulp action and just general movement of the story and characters is handled extremely well throughout the book.
Lastly, Garcia presents a cast of characters that offer any reader everything they could want.  Although The Green Lama is the title character and the story revolves completely around him and his destiny, the supporting cast from Tsarong to Caraway and Jean and even to the villains are rich, full of life and expression, and in no way cardboard cutouts, as so many people seem to believe pulp supporting characters were and should be.
Having said that, if this book has any weakness, it is in some of the characterizations.  Garcia makes an obvious effort to give each and every character down to the smallest one personality and to make them more human.  Although that works for the most part, there are some instances where it seems he tries too hard to make the point that these people are human.  This is most glaring at times in the portrayal of the Lama himself, but also in a couple of other spots.  In trying to bring out the more realistic qualities, Garcia sometimes makes the mistake of making caricatures of his cast, not characters of them.  But again, this is not the rule in this novel, but the exception.
The art of Mike Fyles deserves review as well.  It deserves review because it is simply stunning.  The images Fyles casts of the Lama and others is almost photorealistic in one way, but more than that, it evokes every emotion within the novel.  Fear is present in every line, regret and destiny fill each shadow, and passion and determination etch each face.  Fyles indeed captures in image what Garcia expresses in words.
GREEN LAMA-UNBOUND is a fantastic read and the right way to make sure people buy the next two books that Garcia has already announced are in the future.
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.)

‘Lone Justice’ Volume 1 in stores now!

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

It’s finally here, just in time for New York Comic-Con… Lone Justice Volume 1!

Ask
for it if you don’t see it and order it if it is sold out in your
store! The Diamond order code: JUL100357 LONE JUSTICE TP VOL 01

Or if you don’t have a store near you, order Lone Justice Volume 1
from Amazon.

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National Graphic Novel Writing Month, Day #7: Premature entry

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

nagranowrimo-8979405Day seven, and we’re already seeing script fragments come in. I just read one, and sent back the note: “Decent screenplay, lousy comic.”

Why? Because he took pages to get to the point, a slow tracking shot that revealed very little about the plot, situation, or characters. While that can work on screen, it’s death on a printed page. Get to the point.

Mark Waid has a much better rant on this on this that I do:

At BOOM!, I get a l-o-t of
eight-page scripts that, for no good reason, burn up the entire first
page with a slow zoom into a New York restaurant kitchen. This makes me
homicidal. If your story is about a chef and geography is incidental, just show me the damn kitchen. Tick, tock.
I love RESERVOIR DOGS, but if you handed me a comics script that began
with four pages of gangsters debating the merits of Madonna, I would not
only reject it, I would break your keyboard.

In a 22-page comic,
figuring an average of four to five panels a page and a couple of
full-page shots, a writer has maybe a hundred panels at most to tell a
story, so every panel he wastes conveying (a) something I already know, (b) something that’s a cute gag but does nothing to reveal plot or character, or (c) something I don’t need to know is
a demonstration of lousy craft. Comics are expensive. Don’t make me
resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your
script must either move the story along or demonstrate something important about the characters—preferably both—and every panel that does neither is a sloppy waste of space.

You do this by entering the story as late as possible, telling enough to get people up to speed on the situation and go.

Want an extreme example of this? Here’s the trailer for this past summer’s Knight and Day:

Fine trailer, but it just wrecked the movie– because Cameron Diaz has just explained to Marc Blucas what happened to her in under two minutes what will now take the first half-hour of the film to show– I have to sit through at least thirty minutes to get to where I get new parts of the story.

Don’t waste your limited number of pages, and don’t waste your reader’s time.

Remember: you can follow all the NaGraNoWriMo posts here!

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO THE ROOK VOLUME FIVE!!

  • News
  • October 7, 2010

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock
THE ROOK: VOLUME FIVE
Written and Created by Barry Reese, one tale written by Stacy Dooks
Wildcat Books
2010
There is always great comfort in reading the new adventures of a character you’ve read before.  Clichéd though it may be, it truly is like revisiting an old friend and coming away with new tales and stories and desperate for the next time you meet.  I am glad to say that reading THE ROOK: VOLUME 5 by Barry Reese from Wildcat Books gave me that exact feeling.   Once again, Max Davies and his crew of allies and enemies, some new additions, others old friends, are back to wow and amaze with tales of pulp heroics, action packed daring do, and good ol’ fashioned black magic.  This book has all the hallmarks of past Rook volumes and, although weaker in some areas than its predecessors, still delivers a decent flyin’ one-two punch for pulpdom.
THE DIABOLICAL MR. DEE is a tale that, in this reviewer’s opinion, could have been and probably still be expanded into its very own novel. It introduces a concept of a super team for the Rook, his ‘Claws’ and pits Max and crew against a host of awesome villains.  Reese plays with all sorts or archetypes within this one, including swamp monsters, flame heads, and dimension traveling sailors.  By far one of the best stories in the collection.
PLAGUE OF WICKED MEN is the reason that the previous tale was listed as ‘one of the best’ in this volume.  This story must be its own novel at some point.  So much is wrapped into this tale, the Rook’s Claws again, along with Captain Hazzard, Ki-Gor, Cthulu, and so many more hints and tips of the hat to the pulp genre that it very much carries a great weight, one a lot of tales would crumble under.   This one does not only stand the weight, it carries the load well.   Reese weaves in this multitude of characters, including a fantastic handling of Professor Stone, an original pulp creation of Wayne Skiver’s,  and still tells an engaging adventure, develops characters further right along with the fists and guns, and provides a very satisfactory ending in that loose ends are tied up and new ones dangle.
THE DEVIL’S SPEAR is yet another epic, sweeping adventure of the Rook and his Claws, but it’s more than that.  This story brings back major elements of the Rook mythos, including an old villain, Max’s father, and even deals with the end of one regular and a new chapter for another.  Add to that a certain mustached German leader and the Lord of the Vampires and you have one heckuva ride.  This one, however, does suffer under the weight of its contents more than the previous two.   Although it is a good read, it sometimes gets bogged down in who’s in the story more than the story itself.  So many characters are thrown into the mix and the balance, though maintained for the most part, between characters and story for the most part, gets unwieldy, especially toward the middle.
THE IVORY MACHINE is a good read overall, but to be honest, there was little in it to set it apart from the three previous stories.  It was the usual good mix of characters, history, and magical mayhem, but it did not have the spark that the three preceding stories and most of The Rook’s previous adventures contain.  Is it worth reading? Yes, because it has all the traits of a good Rook story, especially the care and attention that Reese gives the characters.  Is it a stand out?  Frankly, no.
THE DEVIL’S DUE is a Rook story written by Stacy Dooks.  It spotlights a different Rook and a different era.  Our hero is William Davies, although Max and Evelyn are still around and heavily involved, and our villain is…well there’s a few, one that has ties to William’s father time as The Rook.  This story was enjoyable and Dooks ably wrote a tale that is extremely reminiscent of comic book type tales of the 1960s.  It had a very cool, sleek Silver Age feel to it and the characters were easy to visualize…for the most part.  Dooks’ rendering of the new Rook, his sister, and the couple of new villains thrown into the mix were dead on for the period he seemed to be emulating.  I wasn’t as convinced of his characterizations of Max and Evelyn, though.  They seemed out of place in this story, like pieces that should fit, but didn’t.  But other than that, this was a cool addition to the volume and to the legacy of The Rook.
The art for this book hit about half and half with me.  Some of the images were evocative of old pulps and stood out as things I’d hang on my wall.  About half of them, though, looked like standard comic book profile images, characters we’ve all seen before in different poses just with different clothes and such.  The art wasn’t necessarily bad, it just didn’t contribute much to the package.
Overall, a good read.  Is it the best volume of The Rook…no.   Does it add dimensions, layers, and nuances to the Davies legacy that are awesome and make for great pulp.  No doubt.
Three out of Five Tips of Hancock’s Hat (Three tips are generally reserved for those tales that I enjoy and make for good pulp readin’.)

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