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AMAZING STORIES-CLASSIC TITLE PRESENTED IN ALL NEW WAY!

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  • December 13, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMAZING STORIES are just one click away!

Amazing Stories, the world’s first science fiction magazine, opens for Beta Testing of Phase 1 on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013.

Fifty+ Bloggers Sign On to provide oodles of genre-related content!

The Experimenter Publishing Company is pleased to announce the reintroduction of the world’s most recognizable science fiction magazine – AMAZING STORIES!

Set to relaunch with a Beta Test of its new Social Magazine Platform, Amazing Stories will feature content from 50+ bloggers, covering an enormous array of subjects of interest to genre fans.

“We’ve got authors and agents, bloggers and editors, podcasters and broadcasters; we’ve got gamers and game designers; artists and art collectors; pulpsters and indie authors; we’ve got Hugo winners, John W. Campbell Memorial Award winners, John W. Campbell Best New Writer winners, Nebula and Hugo Award nominees and winners and nominees of other awards; people who review films, people who make films; we’ve got fanboys and fangirls; we’ve got former editors of Amazing Stories, writers who’ve become synonymous with the field and writers who are just getting started; comic artists, book reviewers; traditionally published authors, self-pubbed authors and authors who’ve done it all. The response to my request for participation was phenomenal – it couldn’t be more perfect if I had set out with a list of must-haves!” said Steve Davidson, publisher. 

Amazing Stories’ Social Magazine platform is designed to create an interactive environment that will be familiar to fans – especially those who attend conventions or enjoy club activities – with blog content designed to encourage discussion and take things beyond the usual user-generated content model for social networks.

The Amazing Stories Blog Team will cover (for now – more coming!) fourteen popular topics – Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Literature, Film, Television, Gaming, Comics and Graphic Works, the Visual Arts, the Pulps, Audio Works, Anime, the Business of Publishing, Science and Fandom itself. 

At this year’s Worldcon (Chicon 7, Chicago), Toastmaster John Scalzi offered up these words during the convention’s opening ceremonies:

…who are we as a community?
This year at least, we are bloody fantasy, we are epic-scale space opera, we are an intimate picture of growing up geeky, we are ready to take on the zombie apocalypse.
We speak in alien tongues, we are super heroes and we are on the spectrum.
We cry like children and we cradle our awards.
We sing, we write, we draw, we edit. We talk on every subject science fictional or fantastical.
We’re men and we’re women. We’re gay and straight. Cis gender and trans. Majority and minority. Left and right. First time nominees and old hands.
We are diverse – and we are all in this together. 

“We are diverse – and we are all in this together”, a sentiment that captures the heart and soul of what it means to be a fan. Amazing Stories aims to be the vehicle through which the diversity of fandom can come together. 

Amazing Stories’ relaunch will take place in two phases. Those interested in participating in the Beta Test of Phase 1 should contact the publisher atsteve.davidson33@comcast.net. Phase 2 will introduce additional interactivity and user-customization to the site. Following the completion and testing of Phase 2, the magazine, featuring both new and reprint fiction, essays, photo galleries, reviews and more will begin publication. Readers who are interested in what the magazine will look like can read two Relaunch Prelaunch issues on line, or download them from the Amazing Stories store. (Additional Amazing Stories themed product is also available here.)

The Amazing Stories Blog Team:

Cenobyte, Mike Brotherton, Ricky L. Brown, Michael A Burstein, 

Catherine Coker, Johne Cook, Paul Cook, Gary Dalkin, Jane Frank, 

Jim Freund, Adam Gaffen, Chris Garcia, Chris Gerwel, Tommy Hancock,

Liz Henderson, Samantha Henry, M. D. Jackson, Monique Jacob, 

Geoffrey James, J. J. Jones, Peggy Kolm, Justin Landon, Andrew Liptak, 

Melissa Lowery, Barry Malzberg, C. E. Martin, Farrell J. McGovern, 

Steve Miller, Matt Mitrovich, Aidan Moher, Diane Severson Mori, 

Kevin Murray, Ken Neth, Astrid Nielsch, D. Nicklin-Dunbar, John 

Purcell, James Rogers, Doug Smith, Lesley Smith, Bill Spangler, 

Duane Spurlock, Michael J. Sullivan, G. W. Thomas, Erin Underwood, 

Stephan Van Velzen, Cynthia Ward, Michael Webb, Keith West, 

John M. Whalen, Ann Wilkes, Leah Zeldez

Originally launched in 1926 by the father of science fiction, Hugo Gernsback, Amazing Stories helped to launch both the science fiction genre and its most enduring feature, science fiction fandom. The magazine is well known for its Frank R. Paul covers and for publishing the first stories by many iconic authors such as Isaac Asimov, Jack Williamson and Ursula Le Guin. Published continuously from 1926 until 1995, followed by two brief resurrections from 1998 till 2000 and from 2004 thru 2005. In 2008 Hasbro, the then current owner, allowed its trademarks to lapse and publisher Steve Davidson applied for and eventually received them in 2011.

For additional information, to find out how to join the Amazing Stories Blog Team or to request an invite to the Beta Test of Phase 1, please email the publisher, Steve Davidson.

PULP’S POWER COUPLE INVADES THE BOOK CAVE

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  • December 13, 2012

Tom and Ginger Johnson return to chat with The Book Cave’s Art Sippo, Bruce Rosenberger, and Ric Croxtin about their newest ebook creations. Try and guess which of the three stories is the Book Cave crew’s favorite.

Listen to The Book Cave Episode 209: The return of the Pulp Power Couple now at http://thebookcave.libsyn.com/the-book-cave-episode-209-the-return-of-the-pulp-power-couple

MONSTER EARTH GETS COVERED!

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  • December 13, 2012
Art: Eric Johns

Mechanoid Press’ James Palmer has unveiled the cover art for MONSTER EARTH by the artist Eric Johns. Get more information here.

PRESS RELEASE:

Contact: James Palmer
palmerwriter@yahoo.com
http://www.mechanoidpress.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monster Earth Coming Soon!

Atlanta, GA—James Palmer, editor and publisher of Mechanoid Press, an independent publishing imprint specializing in New Pulp, science fiction, and more, is proud to announce the upcoming release of its first anthology MONSTER EARTH.

MONSTER EARTH harkens back to the classic giant monsters of yesteryear like Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, and King Kong, while focusing on the human element and what it would be like to live in such a world where giant monsters terrorize the Earth.

“There have been a few other giant monster anthologies over the years,” says Palmer. “But our book is going to be a bit different. It has a unifying concept, as well as a solid pulp style of storytelling.”

Developed by MONSTER EARTH co-editor Jim Beard (writer, Captain Action and the Riddle of the Glowing Men), each story in the book takes place in a different decade of the 20th century, which leads to a Cold War fought with giant monsters rather than the threat of nuclear weapons.

“I really wanted all the stories to have an underlying thread that weaves between them all the stories, and Jim really came up with a winner.”

The stories in MONSTER EARTH have a strong human angle as well.

“Focusing in on the human beings living in this world is important to me,” says Palmer. “The monsters are like forces of nature, with the humans trying to control them. But don’t worry, these aren’t just regular human interest stories with a monster thrown in for window dressing. There are plenty of great monster battles and more than enough citywide destruction to please the most discerning kaiju fan – and anyone who loves a good tale.

Palmer and Beard have assembled a great line-up of New Pulp all-stars to give us their visions of a world ruled by giant monsters. MONSTER EARTH will include stories by I.A. Watson (Sherlock Holmes, Blackthorn: Dynasty of Mars), Ed Erdelac (The Merkabah Rider), Nancy Hansen, and newcomer Jeff McGinnis. Beard and Palmer will also provide stories, and there will be a free online bonus tale by Jeff McGinnis coming out shortly before the book’s release.

MONSTER EARTH is slated for a Christmas release, and will be available in print and ebook formats.

For more information and updates, including a preview of the cover and table of contents when they are finalized, go to http://www.mechanoidpress.com/ and sign up for our FREE newsletter.

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About Mechanoid Press:
Mechanoid Press is a new imprint specializing in science fiction, New Pulp, and steampunk ebooks and anthologies. For more, visit http://www.mechanoidpress.com/ or follow the robot revolution on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mechanoidpress. You can also like Mechanoid Press on Facebook.

A Doctor a Day – “Boom Town”

  • News
  • December 13, 2012

Using the new Doctor Who Limited Edition Gift Set, your noble author will make his way through as much of the modern series as he can before the Christmas episode, The Snowmen.

A recent enemy returns, as does a recent friend, and Cardiff’s new Mayor is determined to turn it into a…

BOOM TOWN
by Russell T Davies
Directed by Joe Ahearne

“They were French – It’s not my fault that ‘Danger – Explosives” was only written in Welsh.”
Six months after the events of Aliens of London / World War Three, the TARDIS lands in Cardiff, last seen in the past on Christmas Eve.  The rift under the Sneed Mortuary is still there, sealed, but still leaking energy, perfect for refueling the TARDIS.  Of course, the chance of a do-nothing holiday on Cardiff Bay is out of the question. Margaret Blaine, former MI5 higher-up, liaison to the Prime Minister, and one of the few survivors of the destruction of Number 10 Downing Street, has become lord Mayor of Cardiff, and has pushed through plans for a massive nuclear power station to be built in the center of town.  Margaret is also Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen, last survivor of the alien family who had planned to destroy the earth and sell it for scrap in the aforementioned adventure.  Cardiff is Plan B.  A nuclear meltdown right over the Rift would work like hitting the flaw of a diamond with a chisel – it will, in short, end badly.  Her plan was to use the resulting energy to power a stolen teleporter, to get off the planet, and not care much about the danger in her wake.

The plan now is to take her back to Raxacoricofallapatorius, but when they learn that the family Slitheen were all sentenced in absentia to the death penalty, their resolve is shaken.  Over a long evening of re-charging the TARDIS, Margaret talks The Doctor into taking her to a local restaurant for a last meal.  She pleads her case that she’s changed…in between attempts to kill him, of course.  Just as she begins to weaken his resolve, her trap is sprung – the teleporter starts to feed off the power in the TARDIS, resulting in the same getaway and end of the world scenario.  Only one thing can stop her, the TARDIS itself.

(Witty tmblr-pics via expelliarmus.tumblr.com)

Davies does a good job of showing the softer side of a Slitheen (obvious physical attributes aside, of course) – the scene where she chose to spare the young reporter who’s learned about the danger of the project once she learns she’s with child is rather touching.  And it’s that hesitation that affords her a second chance at the end, as opposed to the fate of her brothers.

The rift in Cardiff makes a number of reappearances in the series, including being a recurring plot device in Torchwood.  Timeline-wise,  Captain Jack Harkness is likely right under the current one’s feet – Torchwood Three is hidden directly under the Millennium Center, and Jack has (will be…has been…) been the head of it since 2000.  At this point in history, the events we’ve seen in the spin-off series have yet to occur, but Jack’s down there, making trouble. and secretly saving lives. It’s fair to assume they stayed out of the way of these events, Jack already knowing it’ll get sorted by his earlier self.

It’s become somewhat common for the episode before the season finale to be more light-hearted, sort of as a sorbet before the last course.  Even with the threat of massive death, this episode is packed with laughs, from the witty dialogue to the wonderful slapstick of Noel Clarke as Mickey.  It’s also the opportunity to bring the “Bad Wolf” theme out into the open.  “Blaidd Drwg”, the name of the project, is Welsh for “Bad Wolf”, and while The Doctor waves it off, it’s clearly mentioned to bring it into the light for the audience’s sake. It’s also our first exposure (not directly, thankfully) to the heart/soul of the TARDIS, who we’ll meet in a much more personal form in a few seasons.  So even thought it’s not obvious, this episode does a good job of setting up the info needed for the finale.  It’s also the last time we won’t know what the pattern is.  With the next season, the search began for clues to the Big Bad theme before it even began.  Details are now pored over as to what they could mean, and the Internet’s desire to know everything right now becomes harder and harder to fight.  the latest season has tried to buck the tradition by not featuring a carry-through theme, but rumors are already circulating that the Christmas episode will feature an enemy that will carry through the rest of the season.  We’ll know in a couple week’s time, but till then, it’s fun to just enjoy the episodes one by one, not worrying about how the story will be carried through weeks away, just enjoying this one.

NEWS FROM PHILIP JOSE FARMER! AND DEALS TOO!

  • News
  • December 13, 2012

Courtesy of The Official Philip José Farmer Newsletter

Happy Holiday! And by “holiday” I of course mean Wold Newton Day!
So the strain of maintaining the website, and trying to run a small publishing company in my spare time, and having a full time job, wife, and kids is definitely being felt by the website, which keeps complaining that it is being neglected. It is correct, the website does get a lot less attention than it used to. But, I do hope to get some more updates done in January, including more reviews, letters, and inscribed books.
In the meantime, the website was updated this morning with three announcements:
wncollages-1430244
1. FarmerCon will once again be held in conjunction with PulpFest! Start making your plans now for the weekend of July 25-28, 2013. It’s a long weekend of books, panels, pulps, and the 80th anniversary of Doc Savage!2. Today ONLY you can purchase all three volumes of THE WORLDS OF PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER, along with EXILES OF KHO and save $13 off the already discounted combined prices.
3. Today through Monday (or while supplies last) you can purchase a hardcover trade edition of GODS OF OPAR (which contains HADON OF ANCIENT OPAR, FLIGHT TO OPAR, and THE SONG OF KWASIN –by Philip José Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey), signed by Carey for $40. That is $5 OFF the cover price and we’re throwing in FREE SHIPPING (in the US). We’re also throwing in another bonus but you have to go to the website to see what that is.

If you are on facebook, please don’t forget to like our facebook page which is being updated more often than the website lately. Less than half of you getting this email have done this so far.Hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday season!
Mike Croteau
The Official Philip José Farmer Web Page
www.pjfarmer.com

WEIRD WESTERN COMIC IN THE WORKS-WELCOME TO PARIAH, MISSOURI

  • News
  • December 13, 2012

Pariah, Missouri: The Graphic Novel Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Local Man Uses Kickstarter to Realize His Hollywood Dreams


Ventura, California – December 7, 2012 – Doing something creative that you love is a challenge.  Finding an audience for your work and getting paid for it is even harder.   Andres Salazar understands those struggles.  Andres is a stand-up comedian,  has directed and produced short films, written screenplays even sells his paintings at craft fairs.  Most recently Andres has turned to the crowdfunding website, Kickstarter.com to find an audience and realize his dream of being a creator.

His latest project is a graphic novel titled Pariah, Missouri–a supernatural story set in pre-civil war.  He wrote it originally as a television pilot script in hopes to get attention from the cable networks.  “I pitched it as Deadwood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but nowadays you gotta have the script, a cast and director attached and half of it shot before they will look at you, and that’s only if you have an agent, manager and have previously worked on three shows,” says Andres. 

So instead of beating his head against Hollywood’s doors, he turned to other mediums to tell the tale.  “When I conceived Pariah, I wanted something that I could tell graphically since comics have been my love as a kid.  It’s much cheaper of course to generate a comic and this is a good way to build a fan-base and that is always something that Hollywood wants to see,” says Andres.  Turning an hour drama script into a comic book is not without it’s challenges.  An artist needed to be found so Andres turned to sites such as Deviantart.com to find affordable and dependable artists. 

“That was a challenge.  I mean, I could have drawn it myself, but comic book art takes an incredible amount of time, plus there is value in adding others creative juices to the mix.  I was lucky to find a great artist like Jose,” says Andres.  Jose Luis Pescador is no stranger to the comic book world.  He studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has worked on a number of independent graphic novels and has shown fine art in galleries across the country. 

His super-team was assembled, but Andres still needed funding.  Enter Kickstarter.com  Kickstarter is a new phenomenon in what is dubbed crowdfunding which gives creators a chance realize their ambitions by asking others to “back” their project.  From films, music albums to food, Kickstarter generates hundreds of projects daily in the hopes that they meet their funding goal.  If the goal is achieved, backers then receive rewards according to their pledge amount.

Having worked for Howard Chaykin as an assistant, Andres learned much of the business from his mentor.  Andres also wrote and directed SAG short film After Cheri and stated , “We are very excited about our Kickstarter for Pariah, Missouri!  It will be an exciting story for the next 30 days to see how we progress through the campaign.  I will be posting videos and updates often so backers really get a sense of the “behind the scenes” of what it takes to make a comic book.  Please check us out.”

For a 23 page preview of Pariah, Missouri- go HERE.

To see the Pariah, Missouri Kickstarter campaign to go: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andresjsalazar/pariah-missouri-the-graphic-novel

###

If you’d like more information about the Pariah, MO graphic novel or to schedule interviews with Andres

Salazar please email andresjsalazar@gmail.com or call 805-746-6884

  • News
  • December 13, 2012

Pariah, Missouri: The Graphic Novel Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Local Man Uses Kickstarter to Realize His Hollywood Dreams

Ventura, California – December 7, 2012 – Doing something creative that you love is a challenge.  Finding an audience for your work and getting paid for it is even harder.   Andres Salazar understands those struggles.  Andres is a stand-up comedian,  has directed and produced short films, written screenplays even sells his paintings at craft fairs.  Most recently Andres has turned to the crowdfunding website, Kickstarter.com to find an audience and realize his dream of being a creator.

His latest project is a graphic novel titled Pariah, Missouri–a supernatural story set in pre-civil war.  He wrote it originally as a television pilot script in hopes to get attention from the cable networks.  “I pitched it as Deadwood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but nowadays you gotta have the script, a cast and director attached and half of it shot before they will look at you, and that’s only if you have an agent, manager and have previously worked on three shows,” says Andres. 

So instead of beating his head against Hollywood’s doors, he turned to other mediums to tell the tale.  “When I conceived Pariah, I wanted something that I could tell graphically since comics have been my love as a kid.  It’s much cheaper of course to generate a comic and this is a good way to build a fan-base and that is always something that Hollywood wants to see,” says Andres.  Turning an hour drama script into a comic book is not without it’s challenges.  An artist needed to be found so Andres turned to sites such as Deviantart.com to find affordable and dependable artists. 

“That was a challenge.  I mean, I could have drawn it myself, but comic book art takes an incredible amount of time, plus there is value in adding others creative juices to the mix.  I was lucky to find a great artist like Jose,” says Andres.  Jose Luis Pescador is no stranger to the comic book world.  He studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has worked on a number of independent graphic novels and has shown fine art in galleries across the country. 

His super-team was assembled, but Andres still needed funding.  Enter Kickstarter.com  Kickstarter is a new phenomenon in what is dubbed crowdfunding which gives creators a chance realize their ambitions by asking others to “back” their project.  From films, music albums to food, Kickstarter generates hundreds of projects daily in the hopes that they meet their funding goal.  If the goal is achieved, backers then receive rewards according to their pledge amount.

Having worked for Howard Chaykin as an assistant, Andres learned much of the business from his mentor.  Andres also wrote and directed SAG short film After Cheri and stated , “We are very excited about our Kickstarter for Pariah, Missouri!  It will be an exciting story for the next 30 days to see how we progress through the campaign.  I will be posting videos and updates often so backers really get a sense of the “behind the scenes” of what it takes to make a comic book.  Please check us out.”

To see the Pariah, Missouri Kickstarter campaign to go: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andresjsalazar/pariah-missouri-the-graphic-novel

###

If you’d like more information about the Pariah, MO graphic novel or to schedule interviews with Andres

Salazar please email andresjsalazar@gmail.com or call 805-746-6884

DOUBLE FIGHT CARD-SALMON GETS IN THE RING WITH TWO!

  • Uncategorized
  • December 13, 2012


PLUCKING SOME WEEDS AROUND THE FAMILY TREE

A Review of Irish Dukes

Andrew Salmon


This Fight Card installment kicks off in 1950’s Berlin where Sergeant Kevin Crowley is duking it out with a Russian boxer. Crowley has something to fight for beside unit pride. He’s  due a 30-day leave before transferring to Japan and during the fight he’s told those will be off the table should he not prevail.



Afterwards, Crowley begins his much-deserved leave (did you really think he’d lose the opening bout of the tale?) and heads to Ireland looking for his roots. Well, it turns out those roots are being choked by weeds and Crowley is thrust into a battle of wills with a black-hearted, gouging landlord looking to keep the entire neighborhood under his boot heel.



The pace of this one is very brisk and, when you consider the plot elements, that’s no easy feat. Not only are some top-notch fight scenes needed here but also Crowley’s family history and surviving members are all very neatly drawn. And just enough of details of post-war Berlin and narrow Irish streets flesh out the settings. Don’t let the length fool you, this is a full tale. Sure, it can be read quickly, but that’s a must during this busy age we live in. And it satisfies. You’ve got fists a-flying, a budding love interest, standing up to bullies, cowardly scare tactics and a lead character who doesn’t take any bunk from anyone.



I’ve read a handful of the Fight Card series to date and each one has been a winner. If you’re already a fan and are looking for the next tale to read, then this is a great place to continue. If you’re new to the Fight Card line, then Irish Dukes will scratch you right where you itch. I enjoyed it and I recommend it. Check it out!


THIS KO IS A-OK!

A Review of Robert J. Randisi’s The Knockout

by Andrew Salmon

Robert J. Randisi takes on the identity of Jack Tunney for this installment in the stellar Fight Card line. The Knockout introduces us to Frank Corleone. Once a contender, an injury has knocked him out of the ring and into the PI game. With gumshoe work not paying all of his bills, Corleone also works as a part-time sparring partner at his friend’s gym.



But when that friend turns up dead and it looks like murder, Corleone has to hit the streets, and a few lowlifes, to get to the truth.



Part hardboiled mystery, part sports tale, The Knockout has got something for everyone. Corleone’s single-minded pursuit of the truth leads him down some dark alleys and into a fight or two whether its with his fists, his wits or his conscience. The end result is an engaging mystery that doesn’t skimp on the fisticuffs. You’ve got organized crime, shifty lawyers, hard line cops and Corleone’s dead friend is in the middle. A great mix.



This one is also something of a change of pace as fighting does not save the day. Sure, there’s plenty of it and the fight sequences are well written, but the reason Corleone fights, although integral to the plot, do not resolve the plot in and of themselves as is sometimes the case with fight stories. It’s the combination of fighting and gumshoe work that bring this fun ride to a rollicking conclusion.



I enjoyed The Knockout and recommend it to any fan of fight fiction, detective yarns or action junkies of all stripes. This one is a knockout!


Dennis O’Neil: Our Christmas Funnies

  • Uncategorized
  • December 13, 2012

oneil-art-121211-8794180If memory serves – and how often does that happen? – I saw my first 2012 Christmas decorations in late summer. In Miami, maybe? At the merchandise mart that adjoined the convention hotel? Anyway, months before anything resembling the start of the Holiday Season, which seems to have climbed into the vicinity of Halloween.

(And are you now bracing for one of my hate-Christmas screeds? Am I preparing to validate Fox News’s diatribes against The War On Christmas, ho ho ho? Naw. Maybe next year.)

What I am wondering, though, is whether any of our comic book bretheren still produce the annual Christmas story. In fact, I’m wondering if they ever did. I know that I wrote at least a couple of them, two featuring The Dark Knight (ah, but was he a silent knight? a holy knight?) and a third, I think, starring one of his favorite adversaries, that feminine feline funster, Catwoman. Two of these were commissioned, produced by editorial fiat, and what the hell? We’re pros, right? Guy behind the desk says Christmas story and we say, how many pages and when? The other, a Batman, may have been my idea, or, more likely, it may have originated with My Favorite Editor, Julius Schwartz.

And, o holy holly, while typing the above, I forget the weirdest Christmas-Meets-Batman of them all: A Slaying Song Tonight. This eight-pager appeared in an anthology, Batman Black and White, and I’m pretty sure it was my idea to make the thing a Christmas story and if you insist on my telling you why, I’d guess that I hadn’t done a Christmas piece in a long time and I felt like revisiting old turf. Maybe I shouldn’t even mention this because it surely wasn’t an annual anything: rather it was, as they say in the British publishing dodge, “a one-off.”

(An oddity concerning Batman Black and White: the book was conceived and edited by DC’s color editor, Mark Chiarello. And for those of you who haven’t seen it: yeah, every story in it was in black-and-white. And consider this a Recommended Reading. And finally, to end this windy digression – Mark, if Slaying Song was your idea, I apologize.)

Where were we…? Wondering if comics do Christmas stories anymore. Well, if they aren’t published, or if there are fewer of them than in days of yore, it may be because these stories, from Dickens onward, were focused on one day, a holiday, Christmas. Well, Christmas isn’t a day, not for a while now. A … what? Season? That’s closer. What it has evolved into, this Christmas, is something we don’t have a name for. Not yet. Shall we coopt a bit from an old Seinfeld and call it “festivus”? Or how about frumalackel? You like that – frumalackel? Sleep on it.

Frumalackel or Christmas, I’m not complaining. It is what it is – what it has become, and it is not wise to argue with reality, and so I won’t. Not this year.

Next year? Who knows?

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases

 

PLEXICO AND WHITE ROCK UNLEASH ‘SENTINELS: METALGOD’

  • Uncategorized
  • December 12, 2012

SENTINELS: METALGOD Arrives in Trade Paperback!

The Next Epic Adventure in “The World’s Greatest Superhero Novel Series” Begins Here!


White Rocket Books proudly announces the release in trade paperback format of Van Allen Plexico’s SENTINELS: METALGOD, the newest adventure in the famed and very popular cosmic superhero saga!

Debuting in 2008 with Sentinels: When Strikes the Warlord from Swarm Press, Plexico’s Sentinels series has built a worldwide base of enthusiastic fans eager for another installment in the action-packed series.  Now the new volume has arrived—as has perhaps the deadliest threat yet encountered: Metalgod!

In the wake of the Worldmind/Stellarax Crisis, what’s left of the team has scattered to the four winds. Brachis and Mondrian cross the depths of space in a desperate attempt to stave off galactic civil war, while Pulsar and her sister work to assemble an entirely new team of heroes back on Earth. Time is short, the supply of heroes is shorter, and no one is exactly who he appears to be.  And into this precarious situation arrives the deadly and enigmatic mechanoid from space—the being known only as METALGOD!

Presenting the first volume in the new SENTINELS story arc—a great “jumping-on point”—where action and adventure await at every turn, and nothing is quite what it seems!  Interior illustrations are by fan-favorite series artist Chris Kohler, who also takes over cover art duties this time around, assisted with fantastic color work by the incomparable Sarah White.

“This book accomplishes several major things,” says Plexico of METALGOD. “We get to see Pulsar fighting to become the leader everyone hopes she can be, attempting to assemble an entirely new team before another disaster strikes—as you know it will.  We see Esro and Mondy assuming their rightful roles as members of the Elites, dealing with a coming galactic war. There’s action, danger, and even comedy—and we get what I think is the biggest shock ending in the series to date.  Better buckle up!”

“I’ve already bought the next Sentinels book! Van’s got me hooked!” says Percival Constantine, author of Fallen.
“Spectacular.  Action-packed. Imaginative and wonderful,” adds Pulp Fiction Reviews.  “If you grew up loving the Avengers comic books from Marvel, these books are for you in a big, big way.”

The previous volume, Stellarax, was nominated for Author, Artist, and Novel of the Year by PulpArk.

White Rocket Books is a leader in the New Pulp movement, publishing exciting action and adventure novels and anthologies since 2005, in both traditional and electronic formats.   White Rocket books have hit the Amazon.com Top 15-by-Genre and reached as high as #2 on the New Pulp Bestsellers List, and have garnered praise from everyone from Marvel Comics Vice-President Tom Brevoort to Kirkus Reviews.

SENTINELS: METALGOD is a $14.95, 6×9 format trade paperback from White Rocket Books.  (Previous volumes in the series are available in two omnibus paperbacks, and each is a $2.99 e-book for Kindle and other e-readers.)
194 pages; 5 full-page illustrations by Chris Kohler
ISBN-13:   978-0-61573-390-6 (6×9” Trade Paperback)

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