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Introducing Crimson Cutlass the Chameleon!

Crimson Cutlass and The Chameleon. Art: Scott “Doc” Vaughn

On his Facebook page, Scott “Doc” Vaugn shared a sneak peek at an upcoming project.

From Scott:
While we continue to promote the WARBIRDS OF MARS: Stories of the Fight! anthology recently published by myself and Kane Gilmour (not to mention while I work on new strips for the warbirdsofmars.com webcomic) I’ve been writing a brand new pulp novella: Introducing CRIMSON CUTLASS & THE CHAMELEON! I recently finished their character designs, and here’s your first look!

Learn more here.

Vaugn is also contributing interior illustrations to the upcoming Airship 27 Productions release, Lance Star: Sky Ranger vol. 4.

The Shadow Fan and the Perilous Prognosis of Dr. Zorn!

Shadow Fan Barry Reese returns with Listener Feedback and two exciting reviews: “The Green Hoods” from The Shadow Magazine 8/15/38 and The Shadow Year One # 3 from Dynamite Comics! These are some truly classic stories featuring our favorite hero and both are well worth your time in tracking down!

If you love The Shadow, this is the podcast you’ve been waiting for!

Listen to The Shadow Fan podcast now at http://theshadowfan.libsyn.com/the-perilous-prognosis-of-dr-zorn

Mike Gold: Heroes Con And The Big ComicMix Reveals!

gold-art-130605-9164727Would you like to meet ComicMix writers and staffers Martha Thomases, Marc Alan Fishman, Robert Greenberger, Adriane Nash, Glenn Hauman, and me?

Why? Geez, get a life.

All seriousness aside, the Heroes Convention in Charlotte North Carolina is one of the few large conventions that is actually still about comics. As people who memorize my columns know all too well (when they’re not wandering about Times Square mumbling to themselves), I dislike those huge shows that call themselves comic book shows or, worse, comic cons yet are nothing more than mass media B-list star feeding frenzies. Not that those shows don’t have their place; they do. Just don’t call them comic book shows unless they are actually about comic books.

You know, like the Heroes Convention in Charlotte North Carolina… this very weekend, from Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9, at the Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College Street.

It’s also a damn good show, well-run by a seasoned staff under the direction of show founder and all-around swell guy Shelton Drum.

Here’s your reward for making it this far into my column: on Saturday at 1:30 pm in

Room 207CD, ComicMix is going to have a panel called “Your Comics Your Way.” We will be making several major (honest) announcements regarding this here ComicMix thing, including the first public reveal of our new ComicMixPro Services!

Wow!

Just go there. You’ll have a swell time. Seriously swell. Tell ‘em Groucho sent you. Maybe they’ll give you a DeSoto.

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases

 

Powell and Gordon Take on the Eternal Savage

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. shared a sneak peek at the upcoming webstrip comic, The Eternal Savage by New Pulp Writer Martin Powell and New Pulp Artist Steven E Gordon.

The Eternal Savage is a Perilous Romance of the Undying Past.
You can subscribe today at http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/

More news as it develops.

Coming soon.

Altus Press Unveils Hidden Ghosts

Premiering at Pulpfest, Altus Press presents Hidden Ghosts: The Lost Stories of Paul S. Powers by Paul S. Powers with an introduction by Laurie Powers.

Paul S. Powers (1905-1971) is known for his long-standing career as a western writer and as the creator of Wild West Weekly’s most popular heroes, Sonny Tabor and Kid Wolf. But Paul was a talented and versatile writer who loved to write in other genres, such as horror, noir, animal, romance, and historical accounts. Here, together in one volume for the first time are his famous stories published in Weird Tales in 1925-26, as well as other stories that were published in Real Detective Tales & Mystery Stories, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Range Rider Western, Ranch Romances, and the modern Beat to a Pulp anthologies. Four of the stories in this collection have never been published before, and one was co-written by Powers’ eldest son John. Together these provide a rare glimpse into the thoughts of a writer who, while churning out westerns that were loved by thousands of readers, battled many demons. He shares his struggles with us through these suspenseful, surprising, and sometimes very emotional stories.

258 pages, approx. 5.5″x8.5″

Softcover: $19.95 | Ebook: $4.99

Learn more at www.altuspress.com

THE BIG BAD IS HERE!

Dark Oak Press’s The Big Bad: An Anthology of Evil is now available as a hardcover, paperback, and ebook (Kindle and Nook) at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Created and edited by authors John G Hartness and Emily Lavin Leverett, The Big Bad Anthology features stories from a host of authors (full list below) that includes some familiar names to readers of New Pulp.

Suggested for Mature Readers, The Big Bad: An Anthology of Evil is 346 pages and contains 30 stories from some fantastically talented authors.

PRESS RELEASE:

The Big Bad: An Anthology of Evil

Everybody loves bad guys, and these are some of the baddest of them all. Forget the rules. There aren’t any heroes. No one is going to save you from the wickedness in the darkness. Monster hunters can easily become the hunted. Twisted perverts can find themselves on the receiving end of their own deviant desires. No matter how big and bad someone or something may be, there is always something bigger and badder just waiting. Even the classics like a dragon, werewolf, or supernatural being can fall victim to something even more evil. Take a peek, if you dare, inside the malevolent world of super-villains, monsters, demons and just plain evil folk. Be careful, what you see there might be disturbingly familiar …

The Tales:
A Girl’s Gotta Eat – Sara Taylor Woods
Hell Has the Best Tunes – Brad Carter
The Wicked Witch and the White Knight – Emily Lavin Leverett
Identity Crisis – H. David Blalock
Solomon – Darin Kennedy
The Coyote’s Word – Milo James Fowler
Sovereign – James R. Tuck
Bargains – Ken Lizzi
The Chase – Jay Requard
Das Siebenundzwanzigstes Untier – Jim Bernheimer
Anne of a Thousand Years – Manny Frishberg
The Seventh Trap – Adam Knight
God of Gods – Sarah Adams
Drifter – Nico Serene
Anabiosis – James Isaac
Watchtower – Matthew Oelkers
Fair Play – John G. Hartness
The Last Time You Were Here – Terry Sanville
Any Other Way – J. Matthew Saunders
Lowlife – Bobby Nash
The Con – Kelli A. Wilkins
Wolfy – S.H. Roddey
Forever Lost – Matthew Hance
The Death Bringer – Eden Royce
A Demon’s Guide to Getting into Heaven – Cassandra Mortimer
The Way Gregory Tasted – Angela Bodine
Human – Hunter Lambright
An Essay for Ms. Krimson – Val Muller
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday – Sean Taylor
Real Wild Childe – Selah Janel

The Big Bad: An Anthology of Evil is now available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats at the following:
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (hardcover)
Barnes and Noble (paperback)
Barnes and Noble (hardcover)

PULP FICTION REVIEWS TAKES ON VAN ALLEN PLEXICO’S LORDS OF FIRE

Pulp Fiction Reviews’ Ron Fortier returns with a look at the first book in Van Allen Plexico’s new The

Shattering series, Legion 1: Lords of Fire.

LEGION 1 : LORDS OF FIRE
By Van Allen Plexico
White Rocket Books
311 pages

Something foul has invaded the galactic empires of mankind; something ancient and powerful beyond imagining.  Veteran space opera author, Van Plexico once again spins a tale of cosmic proportions but narrates it through the eyes of several believable characters thus bringing the reader along intimately for yet another thrill ride.

Military Colonel of the First Legion, Ezekiel Tamarlane is the protagonist in this book, the first of a new series, and he jumps onto the stage in full action mode having been ordered to steal one of the empire’s more treasured artifacts; an artifact he is personally in charge of protecting.  Thus successfully completing his secret mission he is then publicly demoted for allowing the artifact to be stolen.

Sound convoluted?  You bet it does and soon Tamarlane finds himself the target of cleverly disguised murder attempts.  When he takes his suspicions to his trusted superior and mentor, General Nakamura, he is forced to confess his own part in the theft which has created dangerous political and military ripples throughout the known worlds.  To his credit, the General’s faith and trust in his subordinate motivates him to dig deeper into the affair all of which leads to their witnessing the Emperor’s disappearance into another realm where live gods and demons.

A rescue sortie is launched with Nakamura and Tamarlane in charge and what they find on “the other” side is far beyond their scope of reasoning.  That they manage to save the Emperor and his retinue is the catalyst for further attacks on both their lives until both must accept the undeniable truth that they are mere pawns in a vast conspiracy that threatens all the star kingdoms of man.

Plexico amps his already manic writing pace in this volume and readers had better buckle up because the action never stops from page one to the end.  In fact the climatic battle in the off world cathedral had this reviewer getting paper burns for turning the pages so fast.

In the end this is of course all a set up for much more intrigue and dastardly alien shenanigans.  LEGION 1: LORDS OF FIRE is a fiction stew that is both new and familiar.  Imagine “Dune” as written by Robert E. Howard and that’s the gift we have here.  This is one of the best new pulp titles of the year thus far.  Miss it at your own peril.

The Point Radio: REVOLUTION’s Freshman Highs & Lows

PT060313NBC’s REVOLUTION has closed out it’s first seas9on, and we sit down with star Billy Burke to look back at the moments than helped propel the show to another season next fall. Plus we lose a Doctor, get a “Dan” back and pick up an OUTLANDER.

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.

REVIEW: Cleopatra

CleopatraThere is a sumptuousness and exotic look and feel to the Ancient Egyptian culture that I have always been drawn to. The clothing, décor, architecture – it has always been utterly fascinating and their monarchies and dynasties are as rich as any in Europe. One of the best biographies I read in the last few years was Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra, which mined all known existing records about the Queen and attempts to weave together the most likely version of her storied life and death.

On the other hand, the 1963 spectacle of the same name merely adapted Plutarch’s version of events. Today, Cleopatra has become shorthand for a bloated misfire of a film and is always cited as the one that nearly caused 20th Century-Fox to crumble. The studio survived and has had the last laugh, making a fortune off the film ever since. Out now is the overdue Blu-ray edition and they have lavished much attention on the production so it’s the best version you will find for home viewing.

Starring Elizabeth Taylor, she was in her thirties and at her optimal beauty, making her the ideal lead for the movie. Her stardom was such that the studio was willing to plunk a cool million for her services, setting a new record for actors. They budgeted $2 million for the film but the costly production swelled to a then-record $44 million (over $325 million today) until the next $44-million record film budget, which was, of course, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The film was a labor of love for Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who codirected, cowrote, and coproduced the film. While it made headlines for Taylor’s salary and affair with costar Richard Burton, it also brought home four Oscar Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Effects, Special Visual Effects so it couldn’t have been all bad. And it’s not.

1963_cleo_rex_harrisonWe start in 48 B.C. and end with her death in 30 B.C. and during that time Cleopatra VII rose to rule then oversaw her country’s absorption into the Roman Empire, loving Julius Caesar while using that relationship to protect her people. Gaius Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) chases Pompey to lush Egypt, just in time for a civil conflict as Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O’Sullivan) has sent his sister Cleopatra out of the capital city of Alexandria. Caesar and Cleopatra meet, scheme together, and in the process, fall in love, changing the fate of two governments.

They produce just one son, Caesarion, a living symbol of the two countries’ enduring unity but he is so besotted with the Queen, he neglects his duties back home long enough to stir talk of rebellion. In time, he goes home and soon after she comes to visit, he is named dictator for life and subsequently assassinated. Mark Anthony (Richard Burton), the new ruler, eventually follows Cleopatra back to Egypt where they start their own torrid affair, allowing Caesar’s nephew Octavian (Roddy McDowall) to plot his own overthrow.

Taylor 2 Cleopatra

This is a long film, with a lot of lingering views of temples, pyramids, courts, and costumes. Taylor had a record-setting 62 costume changes in this production and we must pause to notice every bangle. The pacing, thanks to two editors, is a little uneven and 20th balked at the length, trimming after its premiere and destroying much of the cut footage. What we get is the 151 minute New York premiere edition, complete with Overture, Entr’acte and Exit Music.

Thankfully, the restoration is brilliant and gorgeous to watch. The colors are vibrant and the action a pleasure to watch. Similarly, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a match so you can hear the sand crushed beneath the sandals.

Given the film’s running time, it is split over two discs but comes with a ton of extras starting with an examination of  Cleopatra’s Missing Footage (9:00), wherein film historian Brad Geagley and 20th Century Fox film archivist Schawn Belston take you through the history.

In Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman, the studio CEO reviews the tortured production, trying to separate truth from myth (30). Cleopatra Through the Ages: A Cultural History offers us Professor and Chair of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara Stuart Tyson Smith as he talks about the historic personage (8:00).

The Cleopatra Papers: A Private Correspondence lets us glimpse at the work retinaed by publicists Jack Brodsky, based in Rome, and Nathan Weiss, in New York until they swapped places. were the publicists for 20th Century Fox during the epic production of Cleopatra. One was stationed in Rome, the other in New York – then they switched places.

cleopatra-1963-300x199You also get the 2001 Commentary track with  Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, costar Martin Landau and publicist Jack Brodsky.

The second disc offers up Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, a two-hour film about the making of Cleopatra, which explains that the blockbuster was competing with television, keeping the studios relevant to audiences. As narrated by the great Robert Culp, this makes compelling viewing.

The Fourth Star of Cleopatra is a ten minute short showing some behind the scenes footage of the massive set constructions.

Hard to believe they still had Fox Movietone News in the 1960s, but the disc has footage from the  New York and Hollywood Premieres. (7:00 min).  Finally, all three movie trailers are included.

Michael Davis: Don McGregor And Why Black People Love Him

davis-art-130604-7125709I like Nick Barrucci.

Always have.

Right now Nick is dealing with an issue that involves my dear friend Don McGregor. I can think of a lot worse people to deal with than Nick who has always been cool with me. I have high hopes that Nick and Don get on the same page and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

However, I will say a bit more about Don. As readers of ComicMix have no doubt noticed I have some recurring themes in my articles among them African Americans in the industry, the High School Of Art and Design and Asian Women.

Even I know that sometimes returning too often to a theme can get a little tiresome. Except for the many Asian women mentions, I realize that the constant mentioning of my high school (the greatest high school on the planet) and black people (the darkest people on the planet) can just get tedious. Yes, mentioning Asian women can certainly get monotonous also, especially to black women, but I really could care less.

Black Women! That Was A Joke! I Love my sisters…long time.

There is a recurring theme I wish I revisited often and I don’t think my readers would object too and that’s my love letters to creators I’ve had the pleasure to meet and often become friends with. Every so often I meet and befriend a creator and it’s always cool.

But…

Not as often I meet and befriend a creator who I idolized beforehand and that creator becomes like family to me, Don McGregor is one of those creators. I do so love me some Don McGregor and yes I’m going to write about black people but in a first for me I’m combining two recurring themes: black people in the industry and a love letter to a creator!

Don McGregor is just a great and I mean great guy. He also just happens to be one of the best writers to ever write for comic books.

Ever.

When I met him I stammered like a little bitch I was so in awe of this man. THIS from a man who hangs out with academy award and Grammy winners and whose annual San Diego Comic Con party has a guest list that reads like a Barbara Walters after Oscar special. I’m not saying any of this to impress you I’m saying it to underscore how freaking jazzed I was to meet Don McGregor.

One of the reasons I started the Black Panel, a forum to discuss African Americans in the entertainment business, and why I return to the black theme so often in my articles is because the African American experience is a complicated one.

I’m just trying to give some insight into that experience from a black perspective. I’ll let you in on a little secret; black creators seldom think white boys write good black characters. Don’t get me wrong-some of the greatest black comic book characters were created by white boys.

The Black Panther, the Black Racer, Storm…err…. the Black Panther, the Black Racer…Storm.

Look, I’m sure there are others in fact I know there are others but the misses have been so massive that all my brain can come up with are the three I’ve listed. How massively awful are some of the misses?

This massively awful, Marvel some time ago introduced a new Bucky. He was a black man who stood six foot three inches.

Give that a sec; a 6’3” black man named Bucky.

Yes, that was long years ago, but in 2010 Mark Millar created a black superhero, Tyrone Cash, a.k.a. Leonard Williams. His story? Well, he was a scientist, I’ll say that again, he was a scientist named Leonard Williams THEN he subjected himself to one of his super soldier serums and gained the power of the Hulk.

What’s the problem, you ask?

He gained Hulk like powers yet he retained his intellect.

What’s the problem with that you ask?

Well after he got his Hulk like powers this scientist decides to become a fucking thug and start dealing drugs. So let’s recap: he retains his scientist intellect and becomes a thug drug dealer.

Look, I think Mark Millar is a good writer but a character gaining Hulk like powers while maintaining a scientist intellect becomes a thug and a drug dealer? How the fuck is that not some thoughtless stereotyping?

What’s next, Mark? A black member of Mensa gets the powers of Superman and becomes a pimp? BTW, I hear you’re English and I’d like your take on a graphic novel I’m writing. It’s about how Princess Diana gets the power of Wonder Woman and becomes a two-dollar whore.

What?

I’ve got a lot more examples of screwed up black characters created by some white writers but that’s an entire book in and of itself so I’ll just let the two examples I used stand. Not that I give a shit what people think but let me say this, there are some incredible white writers who write great black characters and on the flip side of that there are some great black writers who write horrible white characters. Oh and Mark before I forget, when I received my PhD the first thing I thought about was robbing a liquor store. Nah, I’m just kidding, but as soon as I get Hulk like powers…

But as usual (sorry, Peter) I digress. Don McGregor body of work and original creations are simply awe-inspiring. I don’t think I’ve ever read a bad Don McGregor story. I know I’ve never encountered a bad Don McGregor original superhero. One of the reasons I was such a little pussy when I met Don is he writes the best black characters. Hell, I wish I could write black characters as well as Don does.

Sabre is one of Don’s creations is one of the best comics I’ve ever read. Sabre is a black character, in case you were born yesterday. Why didn’t I mention it above with the other great black characters created by white writers?

Because Sabre is in a class of its own.

Just like Don McGregor.

WEDNESDAY MORNING: Mike Gold

THURSDAY MORNING: Dennis O’Neil