Art: Francesco Francavilla

Look for Black Beetle: No Way Out #1 coming January 2013.

Dark Horse Press Release

Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce a new creator-owned series from Francesco Francavilla, the 2012 Eisner Award winner for Best Cover Artist!

Francavilla’s critically acclaimed The Black Beetle returns in December with The Black Beetle #0, which will collect the three-part story entitled Night Shift that originally appeared in the pages of the Eisner Award–winning Dark Horse Presents. The issue will feature a brand-new cover, twenty-four story pages, and bonus sketch material and art!

January brings The Black Beetle: No Way Out, a four-issue story that marks the first full series for Francavilla’s Black Beetle, continuing from the self-published, limited-edition ashcan comic of the same name—the first appearance of this exciting new pulp hero!

In Night Shift, an ancient artifact known as the Hollow Lizard—a powerful totem of dark magic—shows up at the Colt City Natural History Museum. Hitler sends his fearsome Werwolf Korps to collect the piece in hopes it will help him unlock the secrets of ancient Egypt’s Black Priests. Unfortunately for the führer, Colt City’s protector, the Black Beetle, is on the case!

In No Way Out, Black Beetle’s investigation of two local mob bosses is interrupted when a mysterious explosion murders them and a pub full of gangsters—taking out most of Colt City’s organized crime in one fell swoop. Who could pull off such a coup, and what damage might that murderous bomber inflict upon Colt City and Black Beetle?

Francavilla’s The Black Beetle series will also showcase a letter page so fans have the chance to have their thoughts, comments, and compliments answered by the creator himself! E-mail blackbeetle@darkhorse.com for a chance to see your letter in The Black Beetle: No Way Out!

“Francavilla delivers the pulp noir that suits his style perfectly.”—Comic Book Resources

The Black Beetle #0 hit comic store shelves everywhere December 19, 2012!

Warner Brothers ran the following ad in The LA Times to promote the upcoming film, Gangster Squad. We couldn’t help but notice it’s pulpy nature.

Gangster Squad chronicles the LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.

An elite police squad fights to save the city of Los Angeles from a power-hungry East Coast mobster in this gritty police-detective film set in the 1940s, and based on Paul Lieberman’s seven-part Los Angeles Times series “Tales From the Gangster Squad.” Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Ryan Gosling star in a film directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and featuring Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Emma Stone, and Robert Patrick.

Visit Gangster Squad’s official Facebook page here.

Gangster Squad is in theaters January 11, 2013.
Here’s the trailer.

New Pulp Author Jason Kahn has released the 64th installment in his In Plain Sight series.

You can read In Plain Sight, Episode 64: The Insurance Game here.
You can listen to the In Plain Sight audio here.

The Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry

New Pulp Author Jonathan Maberry has announced the first of three contests for the upcoming Joe Ledger novel, Code Zero.

From Jonathan Maberry:
Joe Ledger/ CODE ZERO contest #1

I’m launching the first of (three) CODE ZERO contests.

THE RULES: come up with a name for an assassin. Male or female. No comical names. Something cool and compelling. Something memorable.

You may post as many suggestions as possible.

All suggestions must be posted on the contest thread on either of my Facebook pages [here and here]. (Twitter followers need to cruise over to Facebook to post your entry). Email and IM postings are not accepted. For duplicate names, the first posted entry will count.

THE PRIZE:

Three runners up will win signed 1st editions of the rare hardcover of ASSASSIN’S CODE and they will each be thanked in the acknowledgements page of CODE ZERO (scheduled for release March 2014).

The grand prize winner will have their character name used in the book; plus you will also appear in CODE ZERO (though it’s likely to be a short and painful walk-on). You’ll also get an ECHO TEAM coffee mug. And you’ll be thanked in the book’s acknowledgements page.

Click for larger view.

Airship 27 Productions‘ Ron Fortier shared the back cover for the New Pulp Publisher’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes anthology series, Consulting Detective. The new volume four is scheduled to premiere in late January 2013. Design courtesy of Rob Davis.

Also, Fortier will join other Holmes writers and fans on episode 145 of the Earth Station One podcast, coming later this week.

White Rocket Books leads the pack this week on New Pulp Author Barry Reese’s weekly New Pulp Top Ten Bestseller List. Get the full story here.

1) The Golden Age by Jeff Deischer (White Rocket Books, October 2012) – 216,583
2) Prohibition by Terrence McCauley (Airship 27, December 2012) – 440,544
3) Prophecy’s Gambit by Nancy Hansen (Pro Se Press, January 2012) – 502,801
4) Sentinels: Metalgod by Van Plexico (White Rocket Books, December 2012) – 537,175
5) The Spider: Shadow of Evil by C.J. Henderson and J. Anthony Kosar (Moonstone Books, October 2012) – 868,197

6) Pro Se Presents # 15 by Various (Pro Se Press, November 2012) – 1,104,914
7) Horror Heroes by Various (Pulp Empire, October 2012) – 1,631,633
8 ) Helmet Head by Mike Baron (November 2012) – 1,755,536
9) Sha’Daa: Pawns (Volume 3) by Various (Perseid Publishing, October 2012) – 1,995,613
10) Monster Aces by Various (Pro Se Press, October 2012) – 2,144,926

Just missing the list were: Secret Agent “X” – Volume Four by Various (Airship 27, October 2012) – 2,244,756, Pro Se Presents # 14 by Various (Pro Se Press, October 2012) – 2,287,193 and Doc Claus by Various (Pulp Empire, December 2012) – 2,636,944.

Congratulations to those who made the list.