PULP ARK 2013 DATES AND LOCATION ANNOUNCED!
PRESS RELEASE- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DISTRIBUTION
PRESS RELEASE- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DISTRIBUTION
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| Felix Baumgartner just seconds before the jump. |
The Red Bull Stratos Space Jump aired live on The Discovery Channel and across the internet today. Although this isn’t pulp fiction, the brave man who performed the jump is the true definition of a pulp hero, brave and possibly just a little crazy.
All Pulp congratulates Felix Baumgartner on making history.
Challenger Storm: The Valley of Fear episode 5: “Marauders” by New Pulp Author Don Gates is now live at
http://challengerstorm.blogspot.com/2012/10/challenger-storm-valley-of-fear-episode.html
NOTE: This serial takes place out of order chronologically with the Challenger Storm novels, which are being written with a definite timeline in mind. “The Valley of Fear” happens after at least book 5 or 6, but this shouldn’t hinder the reading experience. I’m flying by the seat of my pants here, so I make no guarantees in regards to quality or coherence.
A second Challenger Storm novel, The Curse of Poseidon, has been announced for 2013 release.
You can read The Valley of Fear at http://challengerstorm.blogspot.com/
Challenger Storm: The Isle of Blood is still available from Airship 27 Productions.
There are the Great Eternal Fanboy Questions. (The Eternal Fanboys sounds like a comic itself or a geek Goth band.) One of them is âWho is stronger, the Hulk or the Thing?â Or the variation âThor or the Hulk?â You can even ask who is stronger â the Hulk, the Thing, or Thor, but that gets complicated and a little metaphysical.
The Classic Eternal Fanboy question, though, predating the others is âwho would you rather be, Superman or Batman?â Supes can fly and has all those powers; heâs become sort of the Swiss Army Knife of superheroes as more and more abilities were added over the years, like super-breath. There are mornings when Iâve had super-breath. Not quite like Supermanâs but still pretty potent. It had me grabbing the Kryptonite mouthwash.
Batman, on the other hand, is all dark and moody and mysterious and he has all those wonderful toys! And, underneath that cowl and cape, heâs human. One of the prevailing arguments in the debate is that we could never be Superman because heâs an alien from another planet but if we really worked at it, if we were as dedicated as Bruce Wayne, we could become the Batman.
In your dreams, pal. Never going to happen. All us Eternal Fanboys also have second lives as the Eternal Couch Potatoes. Maybe we could be Herbie the Fat Fury, who got his powers from special lollypops, but not The Batman.
As a comic book writer, Iâve been asked the question more than once (and have pondered the answer a few times) which character would I prefer to write â Superman or Batman? Most of you who know my work would probably guess Batman and, for much of my early career, it was true. My forte are dark, moody, violent characters and Batman certainly fit into that. Superman was this big blue Boy Scout with an annoying girlfriend and a personality almost as thin as the paper on which he was printed.
Over the years, however, thatâs changed and these days I find Iâm drawn more to the Man of Steel. I suppose it started with Christopher Reeveâs portrayal in the 1978 Superman movie. It was Supermanâs humanity that struck me. That also came out in Grant Morrisonâs superb All-Star Superman run, simply one of the best incarnations of Superman that Iâve seen.
For me, the heart of Superman, the basis of who he is, is not the powers that he has. Itâs that he was raised on a farm in Kansas and those are the values that were instilled in him. At heart, he is Clark Kent. Not Kal-El of Krypton and not Superman. Not even the Clark Kent as perceived at the Daily Planet. At heart, at his core, heâs that Kansas farm boy. There is a humility in him; his upbringing is what defines him as a character and not his powers and that, I think, is how it should be. Itâs who he is and not what he can do.
Batman has become a much darker and less human character over the years. Itâs his way or the highway. He no longer tries to intimidate just the bad guys but his friends and co-workers as well. Batman is the central personality; Bruce Wayne barely appears and then only to serve Batmanâs needs. Heâs a compelling character, no question â but not one I feel drawn to as much anymore.
Maybe itâs just that Iâm growing older but I value Superman â Clark Kent â for that humility, that humanity, and find that it speaks more to me. For all his being an alien, I think Superman is more human than Batman. So, for me, the answer to the Eternal Fanboy question is â Iâd rather be Superman.
Your mileage may vary.
MONDAY: Mindy Newell
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IDW Publishing has revealed the cover for the upcoming MARS ATTACKS POPEYE comic book along with others in the Mars Attacks… line. Mars Attacks Popeye is written by Martin (Halloween Legion) Powell with art by Terry (The Phantom) Beatty. Mars Attacks Popeye will be in stores January 2013 from IDW.
PRESS RELEASE:
IDW has released the details on their upcoming crossover event between Topps’ MARS ATTACKS property and… well, pretty much every license under the IDW banner.
Spread out over five weeks in January, the full list of planned one-shots includes:
MARS ATTACKS POPEYE by Martin Powell, Terry Beatty, and Tom Ziuko
MARS ATTACKS KISS by Chris Ryall, Alan Robinson, and Tom Ziuko
MARS ATTACKS THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS by Erik Burnham and Jose Holder
MARS ATTACKS TRANSFORMERS by Shane McCarthy and Matt Frank
and
MARS ATTACKS ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS by Chris Ryall, Andy Kuhn, and John Rauch
IDW Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall is the brains behind the event, and had this to say about it:
“The ‘Mars Attacks’ property is a bit more insane than most of the licenses we have. There’s lots of good carnage in there, so we thought it’d be fun if we could spin that into some of our other books that are more respectful properties. Normally in ‘Transformers’ you don’t get the level of insanity of a ‘Mars Attacks’ comic. We thought it’d be fun to mash that all together.
I wanted ‘Mars Attacks’ to fit into these universes by the rules already established in these books. So if there’s a Popeye story, the Martians can only cause as much damage as you’d see in an old Popeye strip or a Fleischer cartoon. It’s not going to be quite as over-the-top violent as John Layman’s ‘Mars Attacks’ comic. It’ll fit well into the Popeye universe. So every issue is a stand-alone story, and they roll out chronologically by era. Popeye comes first and takes place further back in the timeline around the 1930s.”
You can learn more about IDW and their books at www.idwpublishing.com.
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| Cover Art: Rob Davis & Shane Evans |
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| Back Cover: Rob Davis |
Airship 27 Productions has announced that volume 4 of the publisher’s Secret Agent X anthology series is now available for purchase.
Press Release:
AMERICA’S ACE SPY RETURNS
Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to announce the release of the fourth volume in their best selling pulp series; Secret Agent X – Man of a Thousand Faces.
The greatest pulp spy of them all, Secret Agent X returns in four brand new adventures. Continuing the excitement and thrills generated by the previous three volumes in this series, the Man of a Thousand Faces is back in four daring adventures written by today’s most talented pulp writers.
“Since starting Airship 27, Secret Agent X has been our flagship series,” explains Managing Editor Ron Fortier. “Pulp fans just love this golden age spy and every time we put out a new book they not only rush to get a copy but they instantly begin clamoring for more of his exciting new adventures. Pulps fans just can’t get enough of Secret Agent X and we’re only too happy to provide them with more.”
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| Art: Rob Davis |
Deep in mountains of central Europe, Bobby Nash pits X against a deadly beast-man with a special agenda while Jarrod Courtemanche has the master spy confronting a scientist who controls fears. In a one of a kind cross-over, Agent X confronts one of the most nefarious pulp villains of them all, Fantamos, courtesy of Kevin Noel Olson and finally Frank Schildiner chronicles one of our hero’s earliest missions alongside the famed Sir Lawrence of Arabia in the burning sands of the Sahara.
“This is by far the most eclectic collection we’ve released thus far,” added Fortier. The book features twelve interior illustrations by Art Director & Company Designer Rob Davis with a terrific cover by Davis and Shane Evans. It is their second artistic collaboration on this highly popular series.
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| Collect Them All |
Dedicated to the protection of his country, the master of disguises, America’s top secret agent is in wavering his loyalty and courage as he once against takes on villainy in all its myriad forms. He is the one and only Secret Agent X!
AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction for a New Generation!
Available now from CreateSpace AND as a Digital Download.
And within the next two weeks from Amazon, Kindle, and Indy Planet.
Secret Agent X volumes 1, 2, and 3 are still available as well.
Tarzan returns to the big screen in 2013 in a new motion capture movie starring Kellen Lutz from “Twilight” performing the motion capture of Tarzan. Spencer Locke from the “Resident Evil” movies plays Jane. A teaser trailer has been released showing the lord of the jungle in action.
PRESS RELEASE:
Tarzan Official Trailer #1 (2013) – Motion Capture Movie HD
Reinhard Klooss will direct. Robert Kulzer will produce with a script written by Klooss, Yoni Brenner and Jessica Postigo. According to THR, the story is being updated: “Tarzan’s parents, billionaire adventurers, are now killed in airplane crash rather than being marooned with their child. And the movie’s villain is the CEO of Greystoke Energies, a man who took over the company from Tarzan’s deceased parents. In the script, Jane is the daughter of an African guide and is committed to the conservation and preservation of the African jungle. She eventually works with Tarzan to defeat the mercenary army of Greystoke Energies.”
All Pulp will bring you more news as it becomes available.
So the other day, in my second life, I was discussing Unshaven Comics with a coworker. Heâd just read our first two issues of Disposable Razors. Suffice to say, these early issues of ours were geared towards our peers â violent, misogynistic, foul-mouthed, and raunchy fun. He then asked me about the next issue, featuring the Samurnauts.
âDude. Why did you go kiddie?â
âSimple,â I retorted. âIâm still a kid.â
Deep down, beard be damned, Iâm still 12. I canât walk into a Target / Wal-Mart / Meijer without taking a detour through the toy aisle. My DVR is as full of worthless NBC comedies as it is high quality cartoons. And to a degree, my continuing love for comics in general fulfills that childish need for escapism that obviously will never leave me.
Beyond myself though, I am lucky to be surrounded by two others who share the exact same mentality. We Unshaven Lads make no bones about it… at our core weâre far more interested in giant robots, Kirby krackle, and figuring out the relative power levels of various Power Rangers than the latest polling data, Iranian diplomacy, and the relative cost of bathroom tissue. Suffice to say it was a no-brainer that weâd eventually strike gold by tapping into those roots and pulling out The Samurnauts. Iran be damned.
And whatâs truly refreshing? Being able to share our book with everyone. From kids to teens to adults, no one is safe; kung fu monkeys and zombie-cyborg space pirates makes everyone giggle. And when they read the issue and see we do it without having to wink and nudge our audience? Well, thatâs when we show that this isnât just for a gag. Frankly, itâs whatâs missing throughout much of mainstream comic books these days. Yup. Iâm going there.
You see, when I was growing up (frankly, not all that long ago) we were already knee-deep into the Angst-Era of comics. There was a hard line: either you spurted blood and boobs all over the page or you dubbed your book for kiddies, and neutered everything about it, quality included. And despite the relative universal success of titles like Tiny Titans, Super Dinosaur, and dare I suggest Fables, most books on the shelf still seem to be stuck in a rage. But at the same time Spawn was murdering the comic book world, there was an epiphany in kid-level fiction; animation.
I was truly blessed to grow up on what I consider is the truest golden age of cartoons â Batman: The Animated Series, Superman, the X-Men, and my personal favorite Exo-Squad. All employed the most basic tactic that elevated the term all-ages to an unforeseen level of quality. Simply put, these series all decided it was easier to tell a great story, than worry about talking down to kids. And as a kid, I recognized it.
Here were cartoons that dealt with war, murder, politics, government, ethics, and god knows what else. And sure, there were batarangs, guest stars like Lobo, the Dark Phoenix saga, and Neo-Sapien uprisings, but they were presented and treated without a hip wink at the camera. And because of it, when I turned to the world of comics, I gravitated towards Alan Moore, early Frank Miller, John Ostrander, and Denny OâNeil. Here were guys giving me the same credit as Bruce Timm, and Paul Dini, all without having to plunge their books into infinite sadness and meaningless quarrels.
Donât get me wrong. I enjoy a touch of the ultra-violence. But when its used every other issue, it deadens the impact. DC especially seems to be marred in grit and angst again, and because of it Iâm down to less than half the subscriptions I enjoyed a little over a year ago. The best ongoing title in recent memory was Fantastic Four, which in and of itself was too kind to not spend all its time with gnashed teeth. Meanwhile, Harley Quinn is being plunged into a vat of acid and donning a corset as a costume. Maybe the kid in me is just sick and tired of rape, death, cursing, and thigh pouches in my capeânâcowls every week, in an effort to boost sales. Maybe itâs why I spend my time amidst future space stations and pirate ships when itâs time for me to give back to the world of comic books.
Now if youâll excuse me… I need to go load up my Nerf guns. Thundercats is on.
SUNDAY: John Ostrander on Comics
Dark Horse Comics has released their pulpy offerings coming in January 2013. Comic book shops and bookstores are pre-ordering these titles now to be in store in January. If you want your local shop to carry these titles, please let them know now.
THE UNAUTHORIZED TARZAN HC & LTD. ED. HC
Joe Gill (W), Sam J. Glanzman (P/I), Bill Montes (P), and Ernie Bache (I)
A classic run of Tarzan comics, reprinted for the first time! In the 1960s, believing Tarzan to have fallen into the public domain, Charlton Comics enlisted Joe Gill (Flash Gordon, House of Mystery) and Sam Glanzman (Hercules, Our Army at War) to create a new comics version of the Lord of the Jungle. Only four issues were produced before Charlton was forced to end the series, and much of the original print runs were destroyed. Collects Chalton’s Jungle Tales of Tarzan #1–#4. Includes never-before-seen Tarzan comic strips by Glanzman and historical essays by Roger Broughton!
112 pages, $29.99 (limited edition, signed, $59.99), in stores on March 20.
THE BLACK BEETLE: NO WAY OUT #1
Francesco Francavilla (W/A/Cover)
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 danger might that murderous bomber do to Colt City and Black Beetle?
32 pages, $3.99, in stores on Jan. 16.
THE CHRONICLES OF CONAN VOLUME 23: WELL OF SOULS TP
Jim Owsley (Christopher Priest) (W), John Buscema (P), Ernie Chan (P/I), Bob Camp (I), George Roussos (C), and Steven Mellor (C)
Conan and his companions pursue a grand treasure through lands beset by civil war, murderous cults, and demonic horrors. And while the mighty Cimmerian will–and does!–spit in the very face of death itself, he and his comrades discover that not all treasures are of gold and precious gems. Collects Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian #174–#181 and Conan the Barbarian Annual #10.
232 pages, $18.99, in stores on March 20.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #12
Brian Wood (W), Declan Shalvey (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Massimo Carnevale (Cover)
Unable to obtain a cure for the deadly illness afflicting Belit and the crew of the Tigress, Conan feels the fear of loss for the first time. With no hope and a broken heart, the Cimmerian is horrified at how appealing he finds Belit’s order to abandon the ship and his queen! The haunting conclusion of “The Death”!
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 16.
CRIME DOES NOT PAY ARCHIVES VOLUME 4 HC
Dick Wood (W), Lev Gleason (W), Rudy Palais (A), Charles Biro (A), Bob Q. Siegel (A), Richard “Dick” Briefer (A), R. W. Hall (A), Art Gates (A), Art Mann (A), and Alan Mandel (A)
Crime Does Not Pay–the true-crime comic that enjoyed massive circulation throughout the forties and fifties–was a hit with readers. Issues #34-#37 of this visceral, provocative series are now collected into one fine, head-walloping hardcover.
264 pages, $49.99, in stores on March 13.
CRIMINAL MACABRE: FINAL NIGHT–THE 30 DAYS OF NIGHT CROSSOVER #2
Steve Niles (W), Christopher Mitten (A), Michelle Madsen (C), and Justin Erickson (Cover)
Cal has always wanted the Feds to focus on vampires, and now they are, one in particular–Eben Olemaun, now on a quest to bring mankind to its knees. But the FBI is up to more than tracking down Eben. Will Cal and Alice figure it out before it kills them both?
32 pages, $3.99, in stores on Jan. 30.
NUMBER 13 #2
Robert Love (W/A/Cover), David Walker (W), Dana Shukartsi (I), and Brennan Wagner (C)
Number 13 struggles to regain his memory and the purpose of his existence, while the manipulative Mother Goose seeks to control his power. She’s not prepared for the forces of the Professor, Number 13’s sinister creator. No one is safe in the battle to control Number 13–a battle that will determine the fate of a future world.
32 pages, $3.99, in stores on Jan. 23.
R.I.P.D.: CITY OF THE DAMNED #3
Peter Lenkov (W), Jeremy Barlow (W), Tony Parker (A), Michelle Madsen (C), and Dave Wilkins (Cover)
For newly recruited R.I.P.D. officer Roy Pulsipher and his senior Puritan partner Crispin Mather, the train that awaits them is their only hope of reaching the City and saving Creation, but climbing aboard means also aligning with a dark enemy and renouncing their very beliefs . . . forcing a choice that could doom their souls forever! Prequel to the upcoming feature film starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges!
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 30.
R.I.P.D. VOLUME 1 2ND EDITION TP
Peter Lenkov (W), Lucas Marangon (P), Randy Emberlin (I), Dave Nestelle (C), and Dave Wilkins (Cover)
Welcome to the Rest In Peace Department–the devoted, yet dead, officers of divine law enforcement. Nick Cruz was gunned down in the line of duty at the height of his personal and professional life. Now he’s traded a hundred years of service to the R.I.P.D. in exchange for a shot at solving his own murder. Collects the original four-issue miniseries.
104 pages, $12.99, in stores on March 20.
For a full listing of Dark Horse’s January Releases, visit them at www.darkhorse.com.