The Shadow Fan returns for Episode 42! This time around, Barry Reese talks about a recent interview with Will Murray that suggested the possibility of a Doc Savage/The Shadow novel before reviewing Destination: Moon by Dennis Lynds (1967 Belmont Series) and The Shadow: Year One # 4 from Dynamite Comics!
If you love pulp’s greatest crimefighter, then this is the podcast for you!
COMMUNITY fans know him as the offbeat Dean, but Jim Rash is also an Oscar winner writer and the perfect host for The Sundance Channel‘s new series, THE WRITERS ROOM. Jim talks about the plans he has for showcasing the talents behind series like DEXTER, GAME OF THRONES & more. Plus we invite you to meet the voices behind JUSTICE LEAGUE FLASHPOINT, including Cary Elwes doing Aquaman and Sam Daly stepping in as SUPERMAN.
This summer, we are updating once a week – every Friday – but you don’t have to miss any pop culture news. THE POINT covers it 24/7! Take us ANYWHERE! The Point Radio App is now in the iTunes App store – and it’s FREE! Just search under “pop culture The Point”. The Point Radio – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or on any other mobile device with the Tune In Radio app – and follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.
For fourteen years, Radio Archives has been known for the amazing audio quality of our classic radio audio CD collections and it’s no wonder. We insist upon finding the absolute best quality masters, then carefully restoring them so that they retain all of the audio luster of the original recordings with none of the crackle, pops, hiss, or muffling so often heard in radio shows from other sources.
So, when we decided to start offering digital downloads of these same collections, two years ago, we knew that you’d accept nothing but the absolute best quality.
If you enjoy audio entertainment on your computer, your cell phone, or a portable device, you’ll be glad to hear that we’ve just added another sizable batch of digital downloads. Included are such long-time customer favorites as Suspense, The Best of the Big Bands, Boston Blackie, Archive Masters, Mystery is My Hobby, Night Watch, and Crime Club!
Digital downloads from RadioArchives.com give you the best of everything. Top quality shows in sparkling audio fidelity, available to you for instant delivery around the clock and, with digital downloads, you’ll pay no postage or delivery charges! Whether you live in Beijing, Basingstoke, or Bakersfield, just place your order and, within minutes, you’ll be enjoying some great entertainment.
We have 239 radio collections and the final 21 sets are now being converted to the Digital Download format. We are very pleased to announce that 9 radio collections are available for the first time today as digital downloads. The remaining 12 sets will be released over the next 6 weeks. Great shows, great sound, and great prices, too!
Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, the character of Sherlock Holmes was a fixture of American broadcasting almost from the beginning of network radio. First heard over NBC in the fall of 1930, the adventures of the brilliant London-based “consulting detective” would eventually appear on all three networks over the next twenty years.
Heard today, “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, with Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, not only retain their entertainment value but compare quite favorably with the earlier series with Rathbone. Conway is indeed quite good as Holmes and Nigel Bruce, though often disdained by the “Baker Street Irregulars” who prefer their Conan Doyle adventures straight, is always charming as the sometimes baffled but always loyal Dr. Watson. In 1946, in addition to the newly cast Tom Conway, the series also moved from the Mutual network to ABC – the former Blue Network – and was given a few more production values to boost interest, as well as a new sponsor – the Semler Company, promoting their Kreml Hair Tonic and Shampoo. Wisely, the producers retained the framing device of Watson introducing each story from the cozy scene of his fireside, retired (as radio would have it) comfortably in California – though, unlike the earlier series with a different sponsor, the good doctor now refrained from enjoying a glass of Petri Wine as he recounted his earlier adventure with Sherlock Holmes.
This collection offers ten full length broadcasts of “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, all taken from the original reference recordings and beautifully restored for outstanding audio fidelity. If you’re a long-time fan of “the world’s greatest consulting detective”, or if you just love a good mystery, you’ll definitely enjoy these delightful and rare programs. 5 hours. Regular Price $14.98 – Specially priced until August 15 for $7.49 Audio CDs / $3.74 Download.
Read by Michael C. Gwynne. Liner Notes by Will Murray
Popular Publications publisher Harry Steeger and writer Robert J. Hogan had scored a hit with G-8 and His Battle Aces in 1933. A year later, they put their heads together and concocted a crime-suspense series with a fantasy flare. They called it The Secret 6!
The premise was simple. Framed for the crimes of the diabolical Red Shadow, a mystery man with a haunted past calling himself King breaks out of the Death House. Scouring the Underworld, King assembles a team of shadowy specialists who dedicate themselves to hunting down The Red Shadow. Once he was disposed of, the super-sleuth sextet went on the tackle malevolent menaces in the I Love a Mystery vein.
This new crime-busting organization consisted of King, The Doctor, The Professor, The Key, The Bishop, Shakespeare and the Zulu warrior known as Luga. They are backed by a small army of unsavory underworld informers ranging from Legs Larkin to Flo the Fleecer.
Only four issues of The Secret 6 were ever published. But what a glorious run! The Red Shadow was followed by House of Walking Corpses, The Monster Murders and The Golden Alligator. Each succeeding novel was more fantastic than the one before.
For their second exploit, The Secret 6 go up against a Mayan curse that turns members of the wealthy Waldorff clan into Living Dead Men. But that’s only the start of the wild trail that takes the fighting 6 from Long Island to the Mayan-dominated jungles of Yucatan and a rousing battle with the sinister Bat-Man and his undead legions at the Temple of Azrah. Will The Secret 6 triumph––or will Mayan vengeance make it their tomb?
House of Walking Corpses is narrated with appropriately atmospheric gravity by Michael C. Gwynne. Two exciting action stories complete this second Secret 6 audiobook. “Mystery Bones” and “Ice Patrol” were written by Robert J. Hogan under fictitious bylines and read by Roger Price. 6 hours $23.98 Audio CDs / $11.99 Download.
Created by Robert Hardy Andrews, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was one of the first and most memorable of the adventure radio serials. Running from 1933 to 1951, it featured the resourceful high school student on a dizzying collection of adventures that spanned the globe. He often accompanied Colonel Jim Fairfield, an aviation industrialist, and Fairfield’s brave niece and nephew Betty and Billy on their travels. Backing them up was two-fisted Vic Hardy, a brilliant scientist and sleuth.
Now, for the first time, one of the Jack Armstrong serials has been novelized and is now available from Radio Archives as a 12 hour audiobook. Noted author Jeff Deischer adapts Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 from the 1946 James Jewell production — a serial for which none of the original recordings exist. Jeff is known for his strong narrative, which gives this story an authentic flavor.
In the post-war world, danger is not always so easy to see. But Jack Armstrong identifies it in the form of Dr. Romago, a unscrupulous scientist who abandoned his native United States before the war. After being mysteriously missing for several years, Romago has returned — and he is after the secret of U-77.
What is U-77, and why does Dr. Romago seek it? Jack can only guess. But he does know that if Romago wants it, he can’t be permitted to have it. Accompanied by his loyal friends, Uncle Jim, Betty and Billy Fairfield, Jack and Vic Hardy head down to the Sea Islands off the Southern Atlantic coast, where Romago has been driving away the local fishermen through his underling, Pachino the Eel, a gangster who has crossed paths with scientist Vic Hardy before.
Aboard his schooner, The Gray Ghost, Romago squats, a fat spider pulling on the strands of his web like the strings of a puppet, manipulating the fishermen of Thunderbolt, Georgia, his own henchmen — and even Jack Armstrong!
Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 takes Jack and his friends from New York City to the coast of Georgia down to the bottom of the ocean in this exciting 12 hour long saga.
Douglas Klauba has painted a gorgeous wraparound cover for this special audiobook. Nick Santa Maria took a break from being the Spider to do the voice acting for Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77. Get your copy today! 12 hours $47.98 Audio CDs / $23.99 Download.
RadioArchives.com and Will Murray are giving away the downloadable version of the newly released Strange Detective Mysteries audiobook for FREE.
If you prefer the Audio CDs to play in your car or home CD player, the coupon code will subtract the $11.99 price of the download version from the Audio CDs. That makes the Audio CDs half price.
Add Strange Detective Mysteries to the shopping cart and use the Coupon Code AUDIOBOOK.
“Strange Detective Mysteries #1 is one of my favorite pulps and I am excited to produce it as an audiobook with my good friends at Radio Archives. It leads off with Norvell W. Page’s bizarre novelette, “When the Death-Bat Flies,” and includes thrilling stories by Norbert Davis, Paul Ernst, Arthur Leo Zagat, Wayne Rogers and others. Popular Publications went all-out to make this 1937 debut issue a winner. And they succeeded!”
Happy listening,
Will Murray
New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
Never had New York lived through such a reign of terror — ruled by a master of crime who had no face of his own but disguised himself with the tortured faces of a thousand victims. How could even the Spider hope to combat such an invincible and wholly incredible foe? Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
Stunned, lost, the remnants of a once proud army charge unchallenged against an unseen foe — to die without being fired upon! And roaring across death-filled skies, G-8 and his Battle Aces gamble against fearful odds to come to grips with War’s most sinister phantom of doom — who has sworn to turn a mighty fortress into the funeral pyre of an Empire! G-8 and his Battle Aces rode the nostalgia boom ten years after World War I ended. These high-flying exploits were tall tales of a World War that might have been, featuring monster bats, German zombies, wolf-men, harpies, Martians, and even tentacled floating monsters. Most of these monstrosities were the work of Germany’s seemingly endless supply of mad scientists, chief of whom was G-8’s recurring Nemesis, Herr Doktor Krueger. G-8 battled Germany’s Halloween shock troops for over a decade, not ceasing until the magazine folded in the middle of World War II. G-8 and his Battle Aces return in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, all written by Nat Schachner, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, all written by Norvell W. Page, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
99 cent eBook Singles
Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.
Ernest Forestier foolishly believed himself stronger than all the dark forces of hell… In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
The tiny Pacific isle had become a maniac’s murder-laboratory! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
An unseen member of that doomed houseparty was robbing them, one by one, of sight — and sanity! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird me most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
It would be fun, thought beautiful Janeen, to try out the advice of the gay, worldly wise Chiquita — and play the serious-minded Bill Daley against the rough, insolent Eric Hayden… A story of new love and ancient hatred in the grandeur of San Gabriel Canyon. One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available at:
Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from 1935 and 1938. First, in “Reign of the Death Fiddler”, high-ranking citizens are being slaughtered, major businesses robbed, and The Spider meets one of his most illusive foes. Who is this maestro of evil? Will there be a finale to this orchestrated insanity? And can The Spider strip away the layers of this insane mystery? Then, in the “City of Whispering Death”, over New York’s hushed streets, a fearsome muttering is heard, telling men that the time has come to die. Throughout the entire panic-stricken metropolis, no man dares to testify against a single criminal lest he himself be slashed to bloody bits by an invisible death which leaves no clue save a quivering and mutilated corpse. While the Underworld runs riot and the police stand aghast, The Spider lets loose his mightiest effort: a counter reign of terror which strikes at the murder-maniac whose every word is a death sentence and who has coined a fortune out of unclaimed corpses! These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations to accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
Foreshadowing The Batman Special Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! The Knight of Darkness proves that crime does not pay in two pulp classics that inspired Golden Age BATMAN stories and artwork! First, in his true identity of Kent Allard, The Shadow investigates how a dying man’s bequest of “The Crystal Buddha” became a legacy of death. Then, the Dark Avenger must invade Vreekill Castle and unmask the enigmatic mastermind called “The Vindicator” before murder claims another victim! This instant collector’s item showcases the classic color pulp covers by George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Edd Cartier and commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The pulps’ original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, smuggled “Pictures of Death” are only the sinister prelude to deadly sabotage and mass destruction. Then, Justice Inc. hunts for the antidote to a deadly malady that transforms men into apelike monstrosities in “The Green Killer.” Will the cure bring death to The Avenger? PLUS “Calling Justice Inc.,” a bonus Avenger thriller by Spider-scribe Emile Tepperman! This classic pulp reprint showcases the classic color pulp covers by Lenosci and William Timmons, Paul Orban’s interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The Man of Bronze and his daredevil cousin Pat Savage return in two classic pulp novels by Lester Dent and William Bogart writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage is accused of serial murders and jailed. Can Pat and Doc’s aides help unearth the strange secret of “The Invisible-Box Murders” and prove the Man of Bronze’s innocence? Then, Doc journeys to Honolulu after a strange letter makes Pat’s friend, Sally Trent, a “Target for Death.” BONUS: “The Hang String,” a rare 1933 tale by Lester Dent from the back pages of The Shadow Magazine. This double-novel collector’s edition leads off with a classic color cover by Emery Clarke, and showcases all of Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.
This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $25.00.
Continuing to Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Doc Savage and King Kong
Eighty years ago in February, 1933 the Street & Smith company released the first issue of Doc Savage Magazine, introducing one of the most popular and influential pulp superheroes ever to hit the American scene. Doc Savage was the greatest adventurer and scientist of his era, and while his magazine ended in 1949, he influenced the creators of Superman, Batman, Star Trek, The Man from UNCLE and the Marvel Universe—to name only a few.
While that first issue of Doc Savage was fresh on Depression newsstands, RKO Radio Pictures released one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Everyone knows the story of how King Kong was discovered on Skull Island and hauled back to New York in chains, only to perish tragically atop the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building.
As it happened, that was where Doc Savage had his world headquarters. For decades, fans have wondered: Where was Doc the day Kong fell?
On the eightieth anniversary of these fictional giants, Altus Press is proud to release the first authorized clash between The Man of Bronze and the Eighth Wonder of the World—Doc Savage: Skull Island. Written by Will Murray in collaboration with Joe DeVito, creator of KONG: King of Skull Island,Doc Savage: Skull Island is a new pulp epic.
The story opens when Doc returns from his secret retreat in the North Pole to discover the cold corpse of Kong lying on his doorstep.
“I know this creature,” Doc tells his dumbfounded men.
Tasked to dispose of the remains, the Man of Bronze then relates the untold story of his epic encounter with Kong back in 1920, after Doc returns from service in World War I, long before Kong became known to the civilized world as “King” Kong.
Doc Savage: Skull Island is a multi-generational story in which Doc and his father—the man who placed him in the hands of scientists who made him into a superman—sail to the Indian Ocean in search of Doc’s grandfather, the legendary Stormalong Savage, whose famous clipper ship has been discovered floating, deserted, her masts snapped by some incredible force.
The quest for Stormalong Savage leads to the fog-shrouded Indian Ocean and—Skull Island! There, Doc Savage faces his first great test as he encounters its prehistoric dangers and tangles with the towering, unstoppable Kong.
“When Joe DeVito brought this idea to me,” says Will Murray, “I knew it had to be written with reverence for both of these immortal characters. So I used the locale of Skull Island to tell a larger story, an untold origin for Doc Savage. It all started back on Skull Island….”
“Pulling off the first ever face-off between Doc Savage and King Kong was both challenging and exhilarating,” adds DeVito. “Will’s unique take on the tale scatters the primordial mists surrounding Skull Island long enough to reveal secrets of both classic characters hidden since their creation.”
Doc Savage: Skull Island has already been hailed as “The Doc Savage novel that Doc fans have been waiting on for 80 years!”
Doc Savage: Skull Island is the fifth entry in Altus Press’ popular Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series. Cover by Joe DeVito. $24.95.
“The City of Doom” was published in the May 15, 1936 issue of The Shadow Magazine. This is the second of the three novels in the Voodoo Master series, as the evil Dr. Mocquino returns to battle The Shadow. In fact, that was Walter Gibson’s original title for this story: “Dr. Mocquino’s Return.” Once again The Shadow must face the sinister Dr. Rodil Mocquino. And it will take all his courage, all his skill, all his amazing abilities to avert the slaughter that threatens the city of doom and defeat the Voodoo Master.Hampstead is the city of doom. It’s a small city, heavy on industry. But the various industries are meeting with accidents. Disastrous accidents in which lives are lost. Like the railroad yards. Two wrecks in the railroad yards within a matter of days, both unexplainable. Eight men killed. Another accident at the dye plant; a boiler explosion that took three more lives.
The town is jinxed. Harry Vincent, secret agent for The Shadow, had been sent to Hampstead to investigate, but he’s now missing. So The Shadow makes a personal visit himself. And he’s just in time to witness another horrible accident. At the steel mill, a cauldron of molten steel is accidentally poured too early. Instead of reaching the molds, it is splashed upon the workers. Another nine men perish in horrible deaths.
The Shadow confirms that this is sabotage. Trusted workers are performing sabotage against their wills, under the hypnotic influence of The Voodoo Master. Dr. Rodil Mocquino, known as The Voodoo Master, was last seen sinking beneath the waves in the Hudson River, riddled with bullets. But now he’s back, and he’s trying to destroy the will of the inhabitants of Hampstead. If he can destroy the influence of the machine age, he can implant the principles of the voodoo belief upon the community. Only then will they be susceptible to join his cult. Thus, his war on industry.
Dr. Mocquino wields a strange hypnotic power over men. He has the ability to make them do his bidding, without realizing what they are doing. The Shadow must break the power of the Voodoo Master before the superstitious townsfolk fall prey to his evil. He must find and rescue his trusted agent Harry Vincent. And he must destroy the Voodoo Master once and for all.
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I am a long time supporter of your web site and have enjoyed not only the quality of the programs but the sound quality of the programming.
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I really enjoyed The Black Bat story. I’m looking forward to more of them being issued for the Kindle. I’m a fan of the ‘Pulp’ magazines.
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Do you have to do much business travel? I tend to go for long periods without it, and then have to do a whole bunch. It can be fun, but it’s also, you know, business. I’m staying in a strange place, seeing people I don’t see at home, eating foods I don’t usually eat at hours when I’m not usually eating. And, unlike when I’m working at home, I have to keep my pants on when I do it.
And then there is staying in hotels. The good parts: I don’t have to clean up after myself, I can try new shampoos, and if I get a king-size bed, it’s so big it’s like sleeping on the ocean. The bad parts: no kitty, the towels aren’t big enough, and there is nothing to read that I haven’t brought myself. Also, even with a big bed and a gigantic bathroom, I can feel closed in after a while.
So I was delighted to read in The New York Times that a variety of hotels, from highfalutin’ boutique inns to affordable chains, have added libraries to their list of amenities.
It would be nice to say that the hospitality industry has decided to encourage reading for the sake of the public good, to improve the literacy of the American traveling class. However, as the article states, the purpose of the library is to encourage customers to spend more time in the hotel’s lobby and bars, buying food and drink. At the same time, some of the hotels are making deals directly with publishers to promote their titles, even allowing customers to take the books home and return them during their next stay.
This is an incredible opportunity for comics. And by comics, I mean graphic novels.
If I’m in the lobby of a hotel looking for something to read, the most likely reason is that I’m tired, and I want something to occupy my attention while I’m eating or having a drink. I travel with my Kindle, but maybe I don’t have the attention span to stare at words (usually because I’ve been staring at words for hours already). A self-contained graphic novel, with a whole story, can engage my imagination without causing eye-strain.
In general, I don’t want to start up a conversation with strangers when I go to a hotel bar or restaurant. However, if I was so inclined, a graphic novel is a much better ice-breaker than a prose book. It’s easier to point to an image in a conversation than to read a narrative description. And it’s easier to share a book with a spline than a pamphlet.
It’s also easier to find an audience for books with spines. A businessman (or woman) enjoying some downtime might not want to read about a guy in spandex, but might get a kick out of the source of that new movie he’s heard so much about.
To my mind, the best publisher with whom to make a deal is Abrams Comic Arts. A bar where people are talking about Mars Attacks, My Friend Dahmer and The Carter Family is a fun place to be.
Pulp Publisher, Open Road Media has announced plans to release digital editions of stories from Black Mask, beginning with Jerry Tracy, Celebrity Reporter by Theodore A. Tinsley.
Black Mask magazine, launched in 1920, built its reputation on fostering, and later inspiring, some of mystery’s most beloved hardboiled writers, including Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Carroll John Daly, Theodore A. Tinsley, and Paul Cain.
These tough, grim, but ultimately noble stories of private eyes and crooks represent an extremely powerful slice of American fiction. Mysteriouspress.com/Open Road Media is thrilled to announce that Black Mask stories will be available in digital format beginning August 27, 2013.
Paying homage to the original magazine, stories will be released monthly, commencing with works by Black Mask masters Norbert Davis, Steve Fisher, and Paul Cain, as well as an omnibus of stories by Theodore A. Tinsley, Jerry Tracy, Celebrity Reporter. All works feature new cover art, as well as brand-new introductions.
The Jerry Tracy, Celebrity Reporter collection features every Jerry Tracy story ever published in Black Mask, and is an invaluable compendium of one of early noir’s most original heroes.
About Jerry Tracy, Celebrity Reporter:
Manhattan’s sharpest gossip columnist tangles with brawlers, triggermen, and dames
The most important people in the world come to Broadway—to eat in restaurants, dance in nightclubs, and die in rain-slicked back alleys. Whatever the big names are doing, Jerry Tracy hears about it—and tells the world in his infamous Daily Planet column. As quick with his typewriter as he is with a .45, Tracy can break a nose as easily as he breaks a news story. But beneath his hard exterior, this columnist has a kind heart, and a sense of justice that will make him do crazy things for a woman in trouble, or a friend with a murder rap hanging over his head.
Featuring every Jerry Tracy story ever published in Black Mask, this collection is an invaluable compendium of one of early noir’s most original heroes. Written in machine gun prose that would make Damon Runyon proud, these stories describe a man whose words are tough—and whose fists are even tougher.
About the Author: Theodore A. Tinsley (1894–1979) was a prolific noir author who wrote for all of the prominent pulp magazines, including Black Mask, Munsey’s Magazine, All Detective Magazine, and Action Stories. His best-known creations are Carrie Cashin, a private eye who became pulp fiction’s most popular female character, and Jerry Tracy, a gossip reporter with a nose for sniffing out murders.
The other authors/stories launching that day are “You’ll Always Remember Me” by Steve Fisher, “Red Goose” by Norbert Davis, and “Pigeon Blood” by Paul Cain.
After much discussion a more than a sizable amount of betting, the BBC have announced that the actor to play the 12th (that we know of) title character on Doctor Who will be introduced to the public this Sunday at 7PM in the UK. Titled Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, and hosted by TV and radio show presenter Zoe Ball. The show will feature current Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and showrunner Steven Moffatt, and the new actor will make their first appearance.
Revelation of the new Doctor has always been a media circus in England – bookies regularly take bets on who the actor will be, and stories rife with rumors and predictions will always draw eyes. Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith was introduced in a special episode of Doctor Who Confidential – this is seemingly the next logical step for dealing with the instantaneous dissemination world of just a few years later.
While this will answer the question that has been on fans’ lips for some weeks now, it’s only one of several that have cropped up since. The most immediate is how much of the new Doctor will we see in the last of this year’s episodes?
Matt Smith seemingly slipped a couple of times in panels at San Diego, saying that he had already filmed “his last episode”, namely the anniversary special. He followed up quickly that he’d be back for Christmas, and he promised it’d be “a real belter”, but considering there’s no guarantee when the regeneration will take place. They’ve made sure to select the new Doctor before the filming of the Christmas episode begins.
While it’s traditional to show the regeneration at the end of a season, that’s not how it started. William Hartnell regenerated into Patrick Troughton in the middle of the season, and Troughton got right to it the next week in Evil of the Daleks. David Tennant got his first full episode as The Doctor in the first Christmas episode The Christmas Invasion, after Christopher Eccleston left and regenerated at the end of his first and only series. Smith appeared for only seconds at the end of The End of Time, returning for his first episode the next Spring.
We’re already seeing a two-Doctor episode for the anniversary, namely Tennant and Smith. That’s with the potential of more – Moffatt claims to have been “lying through his teeth” about what’s in the special, and rumors of a brief cameo scene by Paul McGann have started popping up again. What, dare I suggest, if the Doctor regenerates at the end of the Anniversary special, and Smith only appears as an unseen Tyler Durden like advisor in the new Doctor’s mind?
For all the frenzy Sunday’s announcement will make, it will only be met with equal madness over the next few months until both remaining Smith episodes will bring.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve watched the first season of Hannibal and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The show is fascinating and horrifying and engaging and cinematically very well done and, dammit, the food makes me hungry sometimes (which is so, so wrong, but omigawwwd, that grape gelatin dessert. I want it! Just…without the human bits, m’kay?).
The show is also not above regular and sometimes slightly terrible puns, which is why I don’t feel the least bit guilty about the title of this column (wait for it), or about saying that although I would have loved to make it to the Hannibal panel or chat with the whole cast and crew while I was at SDCC, I was happy to get at least a taste of production insight by talking briefly with Hannibal’s original musiccomposer Brian Reitzell before BMI’s ‘The Character of Music’ panel discussion (aaaand now the title’s pun lands. Yes, I’m terrible).
We literally had just a few minutes to chat, but in that time, I managed to squeeze in several questions and learn some really neat stuff. So here’s my little amuse-bouche of a conversation with Brian!
How did you end up on the show? Were you a fan of the franchise?
Who’s not a fan? David Slade, who directed the pilot, and kind of really set the stage for everything – I had done a horror movie with him called 30 Days of Night. And that’s very much part of David’s style. I mean, music and sound design as well, you know; so he brought me in. It was his fault!
And did you know all of the Hannibal collection, or just Silence of the Lambs, or what?
I’ve only seen Silence of the Lambs. I haven’t seen the other ones. But I want to see them now; especially the Michael Mann one.
When you’re composing the music, where do you go for your inspiration? And what do you have to go on from the show?
I get the whole show. I don’t read the scripts. I like to sit down and watch the whole show, and instantly start working on it. I like to be like the audience; I don’t want to know what’s around the corner. I actually want to go there myself. So it’s very reactionary. I find that horror music is really good that way.
When you’ve got the food scenes versus the different character scenes, what is your inspiration for these different areas?
It depends on what’s going on. I love the food scenes. I used to be a chef, so I can appreciate all of the detail that goes into it.
I have to say, it makes me feel guilty, because sometimes the food scenes make me hungry.
I know! But saying that, I just keep seeing the shot of him cutting up the pig’s lungs. Those were actual pig’s lungs.
Can you tell me a quirky bit of trivia about your work on the show?
I can tell you that with the last episode, where the Will Graham character is losing his mind; David Slade had said, ‘You know, it’s like…it’s spinning out of control.’ So I thought, ‘Okay.’ And I got this thing called a bullroarer, which is – basically it’s a piece of wood on a string, that you spin around – or a bone. They’ve found one on every continent on the planet, dating back to like, 1700 B.C. And it creates this kind of whirring sound, like a Doppler. I have a few bullroarers, and I have this microphone that has four capsules on it, so it records a perfect surround sound. So what I did is, I set the microphone on the floor, and I took a bullroarer, and I spun it around my head; and it’s literally, in the show, it’s spinning, and it’s like you’re in this vortex; it sounded crazy. And we just kept upping that, so if you’ve seen it, you know, he’s in a dream, he’s in a nightmare, and then he wakes up, and he’s got blood on him, so he’s still there. The realities have completely merged.
For some reason I keep getting these jobs where people are going crazy. I’m not really a TV guy – this is my second TV thing, and the other show I did was called Boss – but in that show, the guy was losing his mind. He had this neurological disorder! And I’m always doing these psycho jobs; but that’s – I’m very proud of that.
Will there be a Hannibal soundtrack, and will it come with snacks?
Actually, there’s been demand for it, which is weird! But I’ve done soundtracks for pretty much everything. Even Boss – we did a double vinyl. And I just did The Bling Ring, so I just did a soundtrack with Def Jam, which is also weird! But yeah, there will be a soundtrack.
And what would be your preferred snack to go with that?
My preferred snack…do you know about the miracle berry? If you eat it, and then you drink lemon juice or eat a lemon, it actually tastes sweet. It takes everything sour and temporarily makes it sweet. It’s a trip. So I’d like to have a miracle berry, which is quite small, and either a lemon or something…or maybe to go even more extreme, you could do something like maybe some fish eggs. It’s Hannibal – it’s gotta be weird!
• • • • •
I totally agree; and I look forward to eventually listening to the soundtrack, and eating my miracle berry and drinking my shot of lemon juice as I listen to the bullroarer whirl and attempt to hold onto my sanity.
Thanks to Brian Reitzell for this interview, and to BMI for setting it up!
And until next time, Servo Lectio!
FRIDAY MORNING: Martha Thomases
SATURDAY MORNING: Marc Alan Fishman… Well, actually, the woman NEXT to him…
Before I Do This Thang for the week: I’ve been getting messages from readers. Apparently, I do have them. Or, as Bob Hope might have said, “I know you’re out there, because why else would Dolores be propping me up in that direction?”
These messages I’m talking about are all “Why do you use so many links?” Clearly, if you’re asking this, you’re not clicking on them. Hint: Some – not all, or even most, but some – of them don’t lead where you might assume they do. They are instead meant to be weird, “disconnective,” hit-or-miss jokes in and of themselves. So, as the most celebrated member of The Hair Club For Men once put it, “’Nuff said.”
Now, on to That Thang. Meaning I have to stop vamping with jokes about what I didn’t learn in San Diego the weekend before last, and, God help me, actually come up with a third and final part of my highly speculative and putatively uninformed rant to go with the first and second parts. [I say “putatively” because Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey, writes, “Aren’t the comics selling better than ever? What should I do?” (And, no; no link this time. Get off your fat ass and Google it.)]
If you’re just joining me here for the first time, please feel free – unless your ass really is too fat to allow you to lean over and reach your mouse or trackpad – to check out those previous parts. And maybe click on some on those links you’ve been skipping over. Go ahead. I’ll wait. It’s not like I have anything better to do.
Back now? Good.
One thing Iwasn’t joking about last week: SDCC really didn’t shed much light on whether the Big Two might be incrementally but profoundly changing how they think about creating and marketing comics. Specifically, that they might have to take back total creative control from the freelance talent, to better justify their claim that comics help generate new, original movie and TV properties – titles and characters that aren’t mere spin-offs from the oldest, best-known super hero “brands.”
But I remained in the dark not, as I facetiously suggested, because of the conditions endemic to the con itself, but, rather, because the Big Two’s massive “booths” at least appear to still be doing their dog-and-pony shows in much the samo-samo way as they have been since the beginning of The Gastrotrich Super-Star era and the annual “continuity stunt.” You know – the age of what I like to call Michael Jackson Comics. As in, “We’re going to keep rearranging our face because it gets us publicity even though we don’t entertain anybody anymore. (But we do have a few pet chimps who clap for us when we do it.)”
At first, superficial glance, little seems to have changed this year. There were the same long lines of people waiting for something, but you couldn’t quite be sure what because the crowds were too dense. And there were the same old book signings by the Flavors Of The Week – those comic book “creators” who have been rocketing out of obscurity and vanishing back into it just as fast, ever since Hollywood’s “‘bankable’ star” mentality was first applied to four-color pamphlets by, if memory serves, Jenette Kahn. She was the first Big Two publisher to wonder, for example, whether Superman might not sell better if it were John Byrne’s Superman.
And it did.
For a while.
Thirty years ago.
But this year at SDCC, when I took a closer look at those exhibits, and let my eye follow carefully where that long line was snaking to, it seemed as if more and more of those people were queueing up for a chance to glimpse some “teaser” footage from an upcoming movie or TV show, and the lines to buy signed copies of Flavor of the Week’s Superman or Smokin’ Hot Newcomer’s Spider-Man were shorter. The “brand” – the property – was what was making the loudest ka-ching, ka-ching.
But the people who decide what will be presented in these exhibits seem not to notice, and persist in announcing new comic book titles whose selling point is presumably the name of the creative talent rather than the super hero brand. Meanwhile, superhero feature films continue to succeed without being dependent on major stars in their casts, a phenomenon that is a reflection of a larger, industry-wide paradigm shift.
The early warning signs might be barely noticeable, but I really think they’re there. And it’s getting harder not to wonder whether someday – maybe sooner than even cynical me suspects – Disney and Warners will have convinced themselves that they can endlessly exploit their existing brands, through reboots not unlike those in the old annual face-changing stunts, without any help from their four-color pamphleteers. And if their comic book divisions will have ceased to yield new brands they can add to the product mix as break-out hits, they might start to wonder whether all those Flavors of the Week and their pamphlets are any use to them at all.
Featured Girasol Replica: 
