In yet more proof that Hollywood is looking for comic book properties and talent, Seth Meyers will be the next host of NBC’s “Late Night,” the network announced Sunday. Mr. Meyers will succeed Jimmy Fallon, who is moving up one hour to take over NBC’s “Tonight Show.”
Meyers is best known for writing 2009’s Spider-Man: The Short Halloween, co-written with Neil Gaiman impersonator Bill Hader and Justice League and Worlds Finest artist Kevin Maguire. Meyers also currently has a job as the head writer on “Saturday Night Live” and host of its “Weekend Update” segment.
This is not the first Spider-Man/Saturday Night Live crossover, as Spidey first met the Not Ready For Prime Time Players in Marvel Team-Up #75, featuring a climactic katana battle between the Silver Samurai and John Belushi, and (of course) the inevitable Stan Lee cameo.
One of the most amazing things about the talented and long-missed Jim Henson is that he was always creating something new, exploring news forms of storytelling and puppetry. While he may have started out with single characters, such as Kermit, he went on to create characters that hawked cereal and interacted with humans on Saturday Night Live. In between, he also helped pioneer engaging and educational children’s television with Sesame Street’s inhuman inhabitants and created a universe of Muppets. When HBO was looking for original fare in the 1980s, it made perfect sense that they turn to Henson who whipped up a brand new universe of characters, the Fraggles. His Fraggle Rock lasted five seasons and 96 wonderful episodes.
Coming this week is Fraggle Rock: 30th Anniversary Collection, including every episode plus recently discovered behind the scenes interviews, a collectible Red plush keychain, and an all new exclusive Fraggle Rock graphic novel featuring a parent-friendly activity guide. That’s a lot of fun puppetry for the nostalgia-minded.
Also being released is Meet the Fraggles, a six episode sampler for those uncertain if today’s young will respond with the same delight. Wisely, Vivendi Entertainment includes the pilot episode so everyone of the cast is introduced, including the human Doc, who never sees the inhabitants, although his Muppet dog, Sprocket, does.
Much as the residents on Sesame Street were there to help teach numbers and letters, the mixed races of Fraggles were designed as an allegory to the human world. Henson was determined to demonstrate mankind’s interconnected nature and the episodes are fun, but touch on complex issues. Living in their system of underground caves and tunnels, the Fraggle subsist on radishes and Doozer sticks, made from ground up radishes. They can share their dreams if their heads touch one another as they fall asleep.
The series focuses predominantly on Gobo, the leader; Mokey, highly spiritual and artistic; athletic Red; nervous Wembley; and, Boober, the depressive. Whereas the Fraggles were carefree explorers, they frequently encountered the Doozers, who are workers. As a result, there is a great deal of misunderstand and incomprehension between them, allowing the lessons to be learned. Then there are the rules of the Universe, or so claim the Gorgs. Junior Gorg, Pa Gorg, and Ma Gorg are several times the size of a Fraggle and consider them pests.
Described by Henson as “a high-energy, raucous musical romp. It’s a lot of silliness. It’s wonderful”, it began production in March 1982 and debuted on January 10, 1983, becoming the template for many international co-productions that added their own unique elements. The six episodes included on the sampler are culled from the first 37 aired on HBO and nicely focus on the different Fraggles.
We have “Beginnings” that has Doc (Gerard Parkes) and Sprocket set up an old room as a workshop where they discover the first in a series of holes that turn out to be access points to Fraggle Rock. In “Boober’s Dream” we learn that he has a fun side, a split personality named Sidebottom,. There’s also a nice nod to Henson’s other 1980s creation when they go to the drive-in and see a clip from The Dark Crystal. The most charming of the bunch may be “Red’s Club”, where she wants to lead a club that forms without her.
There are no extras on this inexpensive disc but well worth a look if you’ve never experienced these before.
Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right.
Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s Monsters University is directed by Dan Scanlon (Cars, Mater and the Ghostlight, Tracy), produced by Kori Rae (Up, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc.) and features music from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 3). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in 3D in select theaters.
Mike Wazowski’s (voice of Billy Crystal) lifelong dreams of becoming a Scarer are derailed during his first semester at Monsters University when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), and their out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program.l 2013.
When asked my influences, I invariably add William Shakespeare which may seem a bit pompous. Shakespeare? Really? (Aside: this column is not going to deal with the whole “Who Really Was Shakespeare?” debate. If you want to believe someone other than Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s play, you go ahead. It’s not germane and, frankly, I’ve read as much on the subject as I care to and so far as I’m concerned, Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s plays. End of discussion.) Please note I am not comparing myself to Shakespeare; simply that I’ve learned some things about writing from him.
Such as:
Theme is tied to plot. There are famous speeches and soliloquies in Shakespeare, where the character stops to speak his or her mind, none more famous than the “to Be Or Not Be” speech in Hamlet. The action, however, doesn’t just come to a stop while the player addresses the audience. They always advance the action of the moment, of the play. The action during the “To Be Or Not To Be” soliloquy is found in Hamlet trying to decide if he is going to kill himself because of the grief of his father’s death. It is appropriate for him to ask this question. To translate this to comics or movies – does the explosion advance the plot or is it there just to blow things up? All action sequences, all fight scenes, can be used to advance plot or explore character.
Explore all sides of the question. What did Shakespeare think on any given question? It’s hard to tell because he would give convincing arguments to both (or more) sides of a question. Example: in his play Measure For Measure, set in Vienna, the Duke feels that the city has gotten morally a little out of control. Pretending to leave town, he leaves Angelo – very upright, very moral, very strict – in charge. The Duke, however, disguises himself as a monk to see what happens. Angelo decides to close all the brothels and, under an ancient law, execute those who have gotten a woman pregnant without the bonds of marriage. A young man, Claudio, has fallen afoul of that and Angelo decides to make him an example. Claudio is clapped in jail and sentenced to die.
Claudio’s sister, Isabella, soon to be a nun, comes to plead for her brother. Angelo is taken with her beauty and, filled with desire for her, agrees to exchange Claudio’s life for a one night stand with Isabella. Virtuously, she refuses.
In the dungeon, the Count – disguised as a Monk – counsels Claudio, telling him, “Be absolute for death; either death or life / Shall thereby be the sweeter.” It’s a great speech about the acceptance of death and Claudio seems both comforted and made resolute by it.
Yet, shortly after in the same scene, after Isabella tells Claudio of Angelo’s offer, he begs her to do it. He expresses his fear of death with, “. . . to die, and go we know not where / To lie in cold obstruction and to rot. . .” Which attitude speaks Shakespeare’s true mind?
Both. Both are true, to the moment, to the character, to the author, and for the reader or audience. It comes down to which is truer for us and that was Shakespeare’s intent or what I learned from it. Shakespeare had a many faceted mind and he used it in his work.
Write for the now. In Shakespeare’s day, plays were popular entertainments. Poetry might be gathered in a book but plays were not. Theater was a low art form, just above bear baiting. Shakespeare himself never gathered his plays for publication; that was done after Shakespeare’s death by his friend Ben Jonson, himself a playwright of no small fame or self-esteem who felt that his own plays were worthy of publication and his friend Shakespeare was almost as good and so deserved the same respect.
Shakespeare was writing to please the crowd, but also to note and comment on the issues of the day. Queen Elizabeth I was aging and indeed would die in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Until the very last, she had no heir. Shakespeare’s War of the Roses documented what happened to the nation when King Henry V died without an heir, the wars and cruelties of both sides and that could happen again if no successor was named to Queen Elizabeth’s throne. He also explored what made a good, even great monarch.
As writers, we have to work with the time we have, today, and write things that will resonate with our readers today. Shakespeare did so brilliantly and wound up speaking to people of all time – but he wrote for his own time in a manner that was very entertaining.
That’s what I want to do when I grow up, as I grow up. Be entertaining; touch a chord. These are among the things I’ve taken away from Willie S.
Pro Se, a leading independent Publisher specializing in Genre Fiction announced new characters available for use and an open call for stories in a recently debuted imprint spotlighting the work of Pulp Author and Pulp Ark 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Charles Boeckman!
Boeckman, a 92 year old author/world traveler/jazz musician self published SUSPENSE, SUSPICION, & SHOCKERS last year. Boeckman, with the assistance of his wife, Patti, is in the process of publishing a second collection, SADDLES, SIX GUNS, & SHOOTOUTS. This collection of 10 stories was written by Boeckman, many of them under the name Charles Beckman, Jr. and were printed in Pulps such as Western Ace High, Star Western, and others.
Following the first collection, Pro Se annnounced a new imprint entitled CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS… that would feature new stories written by modern authors around characters Boeckman created and that were featured in the first book. Pro Se announces today that characters featured in Boeckman’s western collection will also be made available to writers for us in the CBP imprint and that an open call is now being made for proposals featuring these characters.
“Charles Boeckman,” Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief and Partner in Pro Se, states, “is a living legend. Maybe his name isn’t as hallowed as Dent, Gibson, or others, but when you not only take into account this huge body of work he produced, but also the fact that he worked well into the era of the digest and is still writing today, he has few comparisons. And then add into that the fact that the man writes westerns as two fisted and hard bitten as his suspense and mystery stories but also very much solidly Western. There was no way Pro Se could do CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS without including a cast of frontier cowboy types that rode out of his mind and right onto the pulp page.”
Pro Se announces an open call for stories featuring western characters from Boeckman’s collection. Although each individual digest in the line may focus on a different theme or character, they will all appear under the CBP banner, and will feature new stories based on Boeckman’s work.
Charles Boeckman
“This is an open call,” Hancock states, “to any and all writers who might be interested in trying their hand at Charles’ western characters. The first step in this process will be for interested writers to look over the brief descriptions of the characters provided and email Morgan Minor, our Director of Corporate Operations, at tommyhancockpulp@yahoo.com with any and all they may be interested in. Based on that interest, story bibles and other information will be sent to interested authors who will then be required to draft a proposal for a story, length being minimum 8,000 words to a full novella length of 30,000. The proposal must be no more than a page long and, if the writer has never submitted to Pro Se before, a writing sample of at least 3 pages of narrative must be supplied as well. One thing to note, also. Although these characters were originally created by Mr. Boeckman and Pro Se will be insuring that they remain true to the source material, we are not wanting any writer to ape or copy Mr. Boeckman’s style. We will be great stewards of these classic ideas as well as the skills and styles of the modern writers pouring life into them.”
The characters being utilized from Boeckman’s latest collection are-
Art Billow from ‘Bad Man From Boston.’ Crippled Art Billow lied his way into trouble and had to be the hero he’d imagined himself to save townsfolk. Now it’s a year later and he’s returned from the East, no longer a cripple, and ready to enjoy the results of his heroics…if he can keep it up as more trouble descends on his adopted hometown. Clayton Traveler from ‘The Kid Comes Back.’ Traveler returned and took everything from the man who’d destroyed his family, including the heart of the woman he loved. She remained with the villain, though, as he was a broken man as Traveler drove cattle to the market. Now Traveler returns to a town that he essentially owned when he left to either make his name as lord of the realm or die trying to keep alive. Ollie Downs from ‘Stagecoach to Hell.’ Ollie Downs tried to get out of town before an old enemy came hunting him, but the original story ends with him walking down the street to face his past. What happens after the former gunman/now barber and resident doctor of the small western town stares down a killer? Jim Brady from ‘Home is the Killer.’ Jim Brady rode into town a disgruntled veteran looking to take a dead man’s life as his own. He came out with a wife, children, a spread, and a hero to boot. Now all he has to do is keep all he has acquired of the life of a man he took a picture from on a battlefield. Bull Hubler from ‘Bitter Reunion at Rimrock.’ Bull rode into town to help a woman who’d left him for another man, to keep him alive, and uncovered more than either of them bargained for. Now with his woman returning to him, they have a daughter to raise in the wilds of the West and that is doubly hard for a man of Bull’s temper and reputation. Ed Brennan from ‘The Devil’s Deadline.’ Surviving the threats of a crooked sheriff and keeping his small frontier newspaper as a result, Ed Brennan continues to fight and write for what is right and just in a town full of cowpokes, outlaws, cattlemen, and misfits. Steve Kent from ‘Hell’s Cargo’-Steve Kent, expert Riverboat captain, went after the man who’d taken his boat and woman, the man who’d taught him the river, and won. Now, along with new love Lucy Furman and his Irish engineer, Mike O’Shean, Steve has two options- To continue on the river and save money for his sojourn out west or to strike out into the frontier- Both types of stories will be welcome! Also, Pro Se is still taking proposals for characters from Boeckman’s mystery/suspense collection, SUSPENSE, SUSPICION, AND SHOCKERS. The first volume of CBP has debuted, featuring Johnny Nickle. More Nickle stories are welcome as are any stories on the other characters. Those characters are as follows-
Detective Mercer Basous from ‘The G-String Corpse’- A homely 1970s New Orleans Detective who knows three things very well- New Orleans, the people that make it up, and how to do his job. Big Lip from ‘The Last Trumpet’-A piano player on1950s Broadway who solved the murder of his great friend and one of the greatest horn players the world has ever known who moves onto further tales and adventures in a band in a world without The Earl.
Buddy Gardner and Frank Judson from ‘Blind Date’- Frank, a mid 1960s small town reporter, and Buddy, a deputy in the small town with detective skills to spare, find new stories and cases to follow and crack in Kingsbury after their initial tale, where Frank finds a dead woman in his trunk that all evidence said he had an affair with, then murdered, but he’d never met her before.
Lt. Mike O’Shean ( Yes, just like in the Western story) and Lil Brown of the Daily Herald from “I’ll Make The Arrest”-Mike O’Shean, a passionate two fisted cop of the early 1950s who sinks his teeth into a case and won’t let go, even if it kills him, and Lil Brown, the reporter who knows her job and city better than anyone…and knows O’Shean better than that. These two are at the beginning of what may be a beautiful relationship if crime and corruption don’t get in the way!
Doc and Sally from ‘A Hot Lick for Doc’-Fresh in 1950s LA from their debut tale, Doc, a washed up clarinet player who found his music again following being involved and solving a murder, and Sally, the recovering heroin addict who accompanied him, would be ready to write new tunes and chop a new life out of whatever life and LA throws at them.
Johnny Nickle from ‘Run, Cat, Run’-A trumpet player who’s claim to fame was having played on a supposedly haunted Jazz Classic that led to him being on the run from a curse and a murderer for years, Johnny Nickle is now back on top in the early 1950s blowing his horn and finding trouble almost everywhere he finds a stage to stand on. The stories will be set in the periods mentioned for each of the characters. If a writer wishes to go beyond that period, then that must be clearly mentioned in the proposal. Deadline for initial proposal submissions on the Western Characters is June 10, 2013. Proposals for the Mystery/Suspense characters are accepted at any time until a book is filled.
Other characters from Mr. Boeckman’s many stories may be added to the available list to write from at a later date, Hancock points out, but these are currently the only characters discussed thus far. For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prosepulp.com. For a copy of SADDLES, SIXGUNS & SHOOTOUTS, go to http://www.amazon.com/Saddles-Guns-Shootouts-Charles-Beckman/dp/1483922103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368064282&sr=8-1&keywords=saddles%2C+sixguns+%26+shootouts. To get a copy of SUSPENSE, SUSPICIONS, AND SHOCKERS go to http://www.amazon.com/Suspense-Suspicion-Shockers-Charles-Boeckman/dp/1479238732/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350269187&sr=1-6.
And for CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS JOHNNY NICKLE, go to http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Boeckman-Presents-Johnny-Nickle/dp/1484894707/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368064399&sr=1-2&keywords=johnny+nickle
Quickdraw Books has released “Warbirds of Mars – Stories of the Fight,” a new pulp anthology based on the popular webstrip by Scott Vaughn and Kane Gilmour is now on sale!
PRESS RELEASE:
It’s 1948 and WWII never ended! Instead, Earth was invaded by creatures from the stars! One small group of resistance fighters has banded together to hold the line…at all costs!
WARBIRDS OF MARS: STORIES OF THE FIGHT!
Bomber pilot Jack Paris. Lounge singer Josie Taylor. Bandaged avenger Hunter Noir. Mysterious hybrid Mr. Mask. Together they will stop at nothing to undermine the Martian occupation of Earth. From daring action in the South China Sea to explosive chaos on the frozen glaciers of Greenland. Watch a man transformed into a vigilante hero, as the world he knows crumbles around him. See an alien-human abomination discover self-worth in the death of a man who extends him kindness. What are the resistance plans for combating the Martian threat? Discover an awakening as two young boys journey from distant farms to the big city, to get in on the life of battle. Just what are the creeping monsters threatening the small southwestern town of Adobe Wells?
Scott P. Vaughn’s vision of a world ruled by three-eyed invaders from the popular webcomic comes to life in this anthology, with fourteen tales of intrigue, horror, and desperate action. The stories run the gamut from the air war, to the horseback of the wild west and the nocturnal alleys of battle-torn 1940s urban America. Brought to you by some of the best names in the horror, action & adventure, supernatural thriller, and comics genres. Relive the glory of the Pulp era with these stories of the fight.
With stories from the following authors: Sean Ellis Ron Fortier Kane Gilmour Stephen M. Irwin J. H. Ivanov David Lindblad Jeffrey J. Mariotte Alex Ness Chris Samson Megan E. Vaughn Scott P. Vaughn
Illustrations by the following artists: Jean Arrow Andy Carreon Mike DeBalfo Bill Farmer Matthew Goodall Christian Guldager Robert Hack Rob Hicks John Lucas Paul Roman Martinez Nathan Morris Dan Parsons Nik Poliwko Richard Serrao Doc Vaughn Jason Worthington
This past weekend I immersed myself in all things Iron Man. I caught the new flick. I watched the first two on cable. I read the new issue of his book. I watched a few passing episodes of his 90s cartoon show as well as some The Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes. Throughout all the media Tony Stark has reigned over, it would seem his biggest defect shines though to his core: the man’s worst villain has always been himself. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, but it certainly creates a struggle to find new ways to make Iron Man interesting.
Before we go further, let’s just assume you’ve seen the new movie. If you haven’t? Go do it. It’s absolutely amazing. Not better than IM1 per se, but leaps and bounds above IM2.
Since we’re on the subject, lets chat about the newest Iron Man flick. Here, Shane Black and his team concocted a very dark, very epic yarn in which they asked the big question at the center of Tony Stark. “Does the suit make the man, or does the man make the suit.” Black obviously chooses to answer just “yes” to that by the time the credits roll up. It’s a sufficient answer. But what it cements is that after three movies, Iron Man’s rogues gallery is woefully terrible.
In Iron Man 1, Obadiah Stane was snarling psuedo-father figure who tragically becomes a CG-piloted mess by Act Three. Because he’d rather start (and bankroll) World War III than realize that Tony Stark came back from the desert with tech that would make them billionaires twice over. And to think that somehow he could plow his surrogate son onto the LA freeway, murder him, and somehow cover up the murder? A bitter pill to swallow.
In Iron Man 2, we start with a lunatic. This is an improvement over the megalomaniac Stane in that we don’t ever have to feel remorse for a heel turn. But where Stane could be menacing in a suit or super suit, Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash (for the marketing tie-ins only), isn’t a threat at any point in the movie. He’s paired with a Sam Rockwell desperately trying to nibble on the scenery before being swept off the stage by the CG nightmare of Act 3. Once again, we’re faced with a fight in darkness between men in powerful suits. The day is won once again with firepower, and a little luck.
Iron Man 3 fires out of the gate with what might be his only namable villain – The Mandarin – only to wink and nod to us that such a racist concept need not be real. While I know this is a polarizing choice, I applauded it. Matt Fraction found a great way to handle the rogue in the confines of the page, but the Marvel Movieverse need not get bogged down in Fing Fang Foom-dom just yet. The bait and switch with Aldrich Killian here was a welcome choice. And for a good long while, I was on board. But again we end up at act three: A fight in the dark where luck, and firepower saves the day.
While it was sure neat to watch molten men fight an army of unmanned Iron Men (I’m not lying, I literally cheered in the theater when the drill Iron Man and black and gold suit showed up), it was all style over substance. Of course it’s the lesson that Tony takes with him as things end up. At the end of the day… all those who have opposed Tony, really only saw him as getting in the way. No man (on film at least) has found a way to be a bigger villain to Tony than Tony himself.
In the comics, it stays just as true. Matt Fraction’s brilliant run on Invincible Iron Man took cues from “Demon in a Bottle” in so much that the best way to create havoc in Tony’s life, is through himself. By using his past, and carefully crafted threats, Tony Stark of the 616 (prior to the Marvel Now initiative) was a man haunted by all the seeds of destruction he planted over the course of countless forgotten years.
By milking this, and enrobing it in new fancy techno-villains? We got a Tony like we’d never seen. And frankly, if you read almost any of my reviews of the book during that five-year run, you’d understand why I loved it so. But even amidst all the shiny bells and whistles of upgraded morts-in-suits, and a much more vicious Mandarin… the book still brought it back to the singular villain of the series: Tony Stark. And just as the movies have smartly ended on him reaching that catharsis… so too have the comics run into that very issue.
And because of it, Iron Man in the comics is suffering. With no Earthly villain left to wage war on, Tony has taken to the stars. And with almost a years’ worth of adventures under his space-belt I have been growing exponentially more bored. Why? Because much like his cinematic adventures… so too do we end up at act threes where firepower and luck prevail. No lessons to learn. Tony is a complete man. And thus far… it’s the chink in Iron Man’s otherwise impervious armor. I hope for all our sakes, someone finds a way to explore that further.
This weekend, the lavish remake of THE GREAT GATSBY hits theaters. We sat down with Leonardo DiCaprio to talk about how this experience topped his career – so far. Plus we begin our look at the end of NBC’sTHE OFFICE. Showrunner Greg Daniels and star John Krasinski talk about the bittersweet wrap up coming next week. And..can it be true? 24 coming back?
This week, the tables are turned as new pulp author Van Allen Plexico himself is interviewed by Dr Art Sippo, Ric Croxton, and Bruce Rosenberger of the Book Cave Podcast. This episode presents excerpts from that interview, discussing Van’s latest SENTINELS novel, METALGOD, as well as his new Military SF novel series, “The Shattering.”
“Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing, though. Trouble.”
In this opening line heard on various episodes, Steve Mitchell, special agent for an unnamed agency charged with protecting America from foreign threats, describes Dangerous Assignment perfectly. Focused on Mitchell’s adventures around the world, Dangerous Assignment capitalized on the desire of Americans at the time for patriotic, stalwart heroes to stand up for them. Mitchell, as portrayed by Brian Donlevy definitely fits that bill.
A multitalented actor, Donlevy had a thirst in his own life for adventure and patriotism. At age 14, Donlevy lied about his age and joined the local Army National Guard in Wisconsin as they became a part of the expedition to capture Pancho Villa. Serving as a bugler then, he also later enlisted and fought in World War I in France.
Although he had some initial success in theater and silent films, Donlevy came to prominence as a player of tough guys and villains. Such roles in Barbary Coast, Destry Rides Again, and Beau Geste, assured Donlevy a career in Hollywood and led to other fantastic roles, including that of Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment.
Brian Donlevy shines as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment, Volume 3. Hard boiled delivery and two fisted intensity make Mitchell a fun hero to follow and fight beside! Restored to sparkling audio quality, the episodes in this collection are a great example of 1950s radio adventure! 10 hours $29.98 Audio CDs / $14.99 Download.
It was the largest, most ambitious, and most successful military operation ever attempted — and radio was there to cover it.
D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. It was the turning point of the war in Europe, the beginning of the end for the Axis as the Allies started their drive towards Germany. It was a momentous event that would change not only the course of World War II, but the history of the world. Radio Archives is pleased and proud to offer the complete and continuous NBC network coverage of the events of June 6 and 7, 1944.
Noted inspirational author Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, King Haakon VII of Norway, Premier Gerbandy of the Netherlands, Premier Pierlot of Belgium, and US Senators Clark, Barkley, White, Hill and Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce speak, as does the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. General Eisenhower speaks from SHAEF headquarters.
Regular NBC shows were included in the broadcast, “The Bob Hope Show”, “Fibber McGee & Molly”, “The Guiding Light”, “Vic & Sade”, “The Red Skelton Show”, “The Road of Life”, “Today’s Children”, “Ma Perkins”, “Pepper Young’s Family”, “Mary Noble, Backstage Wife”, “Stella Dallas”, “Lorenzo Jones”, “Young Widder Brown”, “When A Girl Marries” and “Front Page Farrell” among them.
Hear the events of the day as reported by Ben Grauer, Cesar Saerchinger, Charles F. McCarthy, David Anderson, Don Goddard, Don Hollenbeck, Ed Hocker, Edward R. Murrow, Elmer Peterson, George Wheeler, H. V. Kaltenborn, Herbert M. Clark, James Willard, John W. Vandercook, Louis P. Lockner, Lowell Thomas, Merrill Mueller, Morgan Beatty, Ralph Howard, Richard Harkness, Robert McCormick, Robert St. John, Tommy Traynor, W. W. Chaplin and Wright Bryan. Alex Dreier, in Chicago, recalled his experiences as the last western correspondent in Nazi Germany while Stanley Richardson offered an eyewitness account of the invasion from the Channel boats, and George Hicks reported from the beach-head itself!
These are recordings that many historians believe to be among the most valuable audio documents ever preserved. The NBC broadcasts — containing over 38 hours of continuous programming of news, music, drama, comedy, and entertainment — are history as it happened, in a special collection that is sure to occupy a special place in your radio collection. 38 hours. Normally priced at $113.98 Audio CDs / $56.99 Download, D-Day is Specially priced through the month of June at only $99.98 Audio CDs / $49.99 Download.
On June 6, 2004, in remembrance of the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, the ABC Radio program Perspective featured a fascinating story detailing radio’s coverage of D-Day as it happened in 1944. Written, edited, and narrated by ABC reporter Chuck Sivertsen, the feature utilized clips from the D-Day collection described above. We think this in-depth and well-presented piece provides an excellent overview of the historic content of this collection.
Read by Michael C. Gwynne, Joey D’Auria, Nicholas Camm, and John Doyle. Liner Notes by Will Murray
When we released our first Terror Tales audiobook last Autumn, we weren’t sure if Radio Archives customers would be enthralled––or repulsed! It turned out you experienced both reactions. And in that realization, we see the appeal of stories of the supernatural and tales of bone-chilling horror. People are fascinated by the emotions of fear, horror, terror, and the like.
Hence, Terror Tales, created in 1934 and lasting until 1941. Weirder than Weird Tales, more mysterious than Dime Mystery Magazine––which gave it birth––it pushed the boundaries of pulp fiction so far it shattered them. When Terror’s editors went too far, the censors shut them down.
For our second Terror Tales collection we have again taken the anthology approach. Most of these stories were considered for our first release. They range from the purely supernatural to the horrifically horrible. The authors include Popular Publications’ star scribes such as Norvell Page, John Knox and Carl Jacobi, sprinkled with stand-out stories penned by lesser lights.
Here is the lineup:
Laurence Donovan’s “Swamp Madness” opens this dark carnival of doom. What is the dismal thing that emerged from a cursed swamp? And what does it want? In a tale of lunatic revenge, Norvell W. Page offers “Blood on the Moon.” John Knox chills with “The Ice Maiden,” a story of supernatural siege. James Duncan takes us “Where the Black Cats Ruled” and unmasks the inner tigress hiding within one man’s lover. William Barrett explains why “It is Dark in My Grave!” in a yarn that out-creeps Poe’s “Premature Burial.” Carl Jacobi invites us into “Satan’s Roadhouse” for a cold repast of gore and grue. Finally, Raymond Whetstone introduces us to…”Mistress of the Damned.” Is she ghost, succubus, or lamia?
We have invited back the acclaimed readers of our inaugural Terror Tales gorefest, Michael C. Gywnne and Joey D’Auria, as well as newcomers Nicholas Camm and John Doyle. Let them thrill and chill you with their sepulchral storytelling. And try to get a good night’s sleep before you start in. You’ll need it for the wide-awake nights that follow….8 hours $31.98 Audio CDs / $15.99 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!
Strange, flaming death had come to New York where screaming mortals died, burned to a charred crisp! Everywhere ran the terrified rumor that an exploring party, returned from Asia, had brought with them a stolen Hindu treasure and the curse of Genghis Khan. It was from this horror that there was born, in Chinatown, a sinister Brotherhood of Murder — composed of all the Eastern races and sworn to found an evil empire. Before such a tidal wave of terror and plundering, the metropolitan police were powerless. Only Richard Wentworth, as the Spider, dared challenge the rule of this new and fearful crime-master who had blanketed Manhattan in the human ashes of his helpless victims! 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.
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 Arthur Leo Zagat, 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 byGeorge Alden Edson, 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.
What would you do if you knew the ones you loved were doomed to die horribly in your defense?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 classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
Lester Emery feared that his body remained in the laboratory, while his disembodied spirit was driven forth to murder — slave to the grim genius of a madman…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.
From nowhere came the hand — bringing with it a lingering death…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.
Warm and lovely was Vangie… but coolly wise. For she wanted no part of Bart’s beautiful, empty dreams that might come true — some day.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.
Beth didn’t mind being an empty-headed flirt — if her arms were full of Jimmy. Jimmy’s intoxicatin’ caressin’ had her dizzy in the head — until she learned the luscious reason why he was practicin’ his technique.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!
The legendary Master of Men returns in two classic stories first released in 1934 and 1942. First, in “The Corpse Cargo” (1934), modern day pirates are hijacking passenger trains instead of shipa. Lead by the self-proclaimed Captain Kidd, as heartless a murderess as ever rode the seven seas, Kidd and her ruthless gang engage in robbery, murder, and mass destruction – and only The Spider dares defy them! Then, in “Slaves of the Ring” (1942), freedom teeters on the bring of extinction as a dictatorship threatens America. Richard Wentworth gathers together a ragtag assortment of men and women to wage the ultimate battle for life and liberty. With every hand against them, the tiny army risks life and limb to preserve the idea of justice and freedom – but can they alone triumph over tyranny? 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 that accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
The Dark Avenger wages war on organized super-crime in two classic pulp mysteries by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, a city’s financial system is threatened by the murderous machinations of “Intimidation, Inc.,” until The Shadow beats them at their own game! Then, the Knight of Darkness strives to unmask the “Wizard of Crime,” the hidden financial genius behind Intimidation, Inc., in a rare shadowy sequel. This instant collector’s item showcases the classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Paul Orban, with commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray.$14.95.
The original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, The Avenger is blamed when massive power outages black out North America. Can Dick Benson locate the mastermind called Nevlo in time to prevent a deadly final blackout? Then, Death in Slow Motion cripples an American industry, and Justice, Inc. must find an antidote in time to save hundreds from the deadly paralysis plague! Finally, a defeated crook returns to plot Vengeance on The Avenger in an exciting novelette by Spider-wordsmith Emile Tepperman. This classic pulp reprint includes both color covers by Graves Gladney, Paul Orban’s dynamic interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.
80th Anniversary Commemorative Special. Commemorating the Man of Bronze’s anniversary with two expanded novels, restored from Lester Dent’s original manuscripts with never-before-published text! First, a Wall Street scandal sets the Man of Bronze on the golden trail of “The Midas Man,”who plots to control the global financial system. Then, while recovering from a serious head wound, a disoriented Doc Savage battles modern-day pirates and murderous zombies in “The Derelict of Skull Shoal.” PLUS: “80 Years of Doc Savage”: a Pictorial History of the Pulps’ Greatest Superman! This landmark collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Walter M. Baumhofer and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.
80th Anniversary Commemorative Special. Commemorating the Man of Bronze’s anniversary with two expanded novels, restored from Lester Dent’s original manuscripts with never-before-published text! First, a Wall Street scandal sets the Man of Bronze on the golden trail of “The Midas Man,” who plots to control the global financial system. Then, while recovering from a serious head wound, a disoriented Doc Savage battles modern-day pirates and murderous zombies in “The Derelict of Skull Shoal.” PLUS: “80 Years of Doc Savage”: a Pictorial History of the Pulps’ Greatest Superman! This landmark collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Walter M. Baumhofer and Modest Stein, 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. $35.00
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 Red Blot” was originally published in the June 1, 1933 issue of The Shadow Magazine. Crime has struck New York. Strange, unexplainable crime. All orchestrated by the master criminal who leaves behind a red blot. The Shadow must uncover his hidden hoard of mobsters before he can confront the mastermind known as the Red Blot!
The Shadow is on the case. As our story opens, The Shadow is in his sanctum, reviewing the crimes that have left men of wealth in terror. A bank messenger had been shot down in broad daylight. The assailants mysteriously disappeared after a police chase. Upon the sidewalk where the man had been slain was a huge blot of crimson. That was how it all began. But it didn’t stop there.
A gambling club was the next target of the strange band. Police had arrived at the club as the crooks were escaping with a large amount of cash. Again, the perpetrators escaped by some strange unknown method. And on the green felt of the central card table in the club was a huge dab of dulled crimson. The Red Blot had struck again.
Then there was the theft of a painting valued at many thousands. Left behind, a large red blot. Once again the criminals departed with impunity, disappearing before the police could gather them up. And most recently, a big-time fight promoter was strangled in his apartment. His bankroll of a hundred thousand dollars was stolen; on his white starched shirt front was the familiar dread sign of spattered crimson.
The police were baffled. They had not gathered a single clue. As we view The Shadow in his sanctum, he begins piecing together what few meager clues his agents have accumulated. The report sheets and clippings seem to point The Shadow in the right direction: old Timothy Baruch’s pawnshop.
Timothy Baruch is one of the oddest characters on the East Side. He’s been a pawnbroker for years and rumor has it that his safe contains jewels and other wealth of great enough value to tempt the Red Blot. The Shadow decides a visit to the pawnshop is in order. Word from the underworld, via his secret agents, is that the pawnshop will be struck at 11 PM. The Shadow decides to show up early.
With plenty of time to spare, The Shadow appears at Baruch’s pawnshop
Rodger Johnson writes: Just finished listening to “KONG King of Skull Island” You outdid yourself on this one, best audio book I have ever heard…Perfect story.
Christopher Southworth writes: Thank you once again for providing quality downloads of classic pulps. I’m very interested in acquiring eBooks of some of the various “G-man” series, if they are available.
If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
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In yet more proof that Hollywood is looking for comic book properties and talent, Seth Meyers will be the next host of NBC’s “Late Night,” the network announced Sunday. Mr. Meyers will succeed Jimmy Fallon, who is moving up one hour to take over NBC’s “Tonight Show.”
Featured Girasol Replica: Operator #5 #25 April 1936 [Pulp Replica]
