At C2E2: Pulp 2.0 Press MPB (Mad Pulp Bastard) Bill Cunningham joined Big Bang co-creator Chris Ecker in announcing a new, color Knight Watchman serialized comic strip story that will feature the storytelling of Shazam Award-winning comic book legend Steve Skeates (The Spectre, Hawk and Dove, Aquaman, Pantha). This new, digital-first weekly comic strip marks the return of not only Skeates, but of the Knight Watchman to eager comic fans.

“Chris has been itching to get back to the drawing board, and continue telling the adventures of the Knight Watchman, Kid Galahad and the rest of the characters who haunt Midway City,” said Cunningham. “While Chris, Gary Carlson and I have had many discussions on taking the Big Bang brand to different media, it was Chris who went out and contacted Steve Skeates and got him on board to do a Sunday “newspaper comic strip” for the web. All the credit belongs to him. I’m just here to make sure it’s realized, and gets into the hands of Big Bang and comic strip fans worldwide.”

“Big Bang Comics has a tradition of working with our veteran comics creators like Marty Nodell, Shelly Moldoff and others. I’m really pleased to have Steve join our ranks and work with him to tell rip-roarin’ adventure stories,” said artist Chris Ecker. “This Sunday newspaper style strip is a new idea for us, but I think it fits in well with the type of stories we want to tell – Golden age stories for kids of all ages. A Sunday strip gives us the chance to reach out to the audience, and let them know what Big Bang and Pulp 2.0 is all about. ”

“I am excited about launching our first digital comic, especially in this strip format which will utilize the “widescreen look” provided by computer and tablet screens, exactly like reading the Sunday Funnies“ said Cunningham. “We’re doing it a bit “old school,” but that’s been part of our tradition from the beginning, bringing the classic “pulp” into tomorrow as quickly and inexpensively as possible so people can enjoy it. Then we’ll collect the color webcomic for print, and add even more value for our readers.”

The weekly comic strip is set to debut in August 2012, to coincide with Pulp 2.0’s release of the first and second volumes of its Big Bang Comics Collection series of books, featuring the classic Knight Watchman comics stories originally published by Image Comics plus bonus features. Artists and writers featured in these stories include: Terry Beatty, Jeff Austin, Jim Brozman, Howard Bender, Randy Buccini, Joe Shannon Denton, Frank Fosco, Paul Frike, Darren Goodhart, John Livesay:, Tony Manginelli: Mike Matthew , Christopher Page, Dan Preece, Ed Quinby, Stuart Sayger, Bill Shelley, Andrew Sheppard, Bob Steve, Frank Squillace, Tim Stiles, Taylor, Ben Torres, John Thompson, Patrick Tuller, Nigel Tully, Shawn Van Briesen, Mike Worley, and Dave Zimmermann.

For more information, or to arrange an interview contact:

Bill Cunningham, MPB

Pulp 2.0 Press

newpulpmedia@gmail.com

323.662.2508

www.pulp2ohpress.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pulp2ohpress

Twitter: @madpulpbastard

Sequential Pulp shared some in-progress art from Jamie Chase for the upcoming graphic novel of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic sci-fi adventure, AT THE EARTH’S CORE. Written by Martin Powell with art by Jamie Chase and authorized by ERB, Inc. Coming soon from Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics.

You can learn more about Sequential Pulp Comics at http://www.sequentialpulpcomics.com/
You can learn more about Dark Horse Comics at http://www.darkhorse.com/

So how’s the resurrecting going in your neighborhood? Despite a very warm March, it’s pretty much on schedule here in Rockland County. Oh, most of the trees are still barren, but here and there, some of them are getting beleaved; the dogwood in the front yard is growing buds and wow! – the forsythia bush in the back is covered with bright yellow flowers. So fecundity is returning to southern New York and I guess Gaia will make it through another growing season.

I’m thinking of death and resurrection partly because I’m typing this the day after Easter – a real holiday, this, because it acknowledges and celebrates something real and vital, the aforementioned fecundity. The proof, I guess, is that it – the return of the fecund – is reflected in a lot of myth/religion, the area in which we humans often attend to stuff like this. Give a quick Google to Persephone, Osiris, Adonis if you doubt. (Am I leaving a name off that list? An obvious name? Ummmm….) And don’t forget that the word itself – “Easter” – is derived from the name of a pagan goddess of fertility, Eostre.

For a while now, I’ve had an unparsed and maybe dunderheaded notion that the history of comics recapitulates the history of religion (the way ontogeny is supposed to recapitulate phylogeny?) Maybe I’ll someday do something with the idea, maybe not, but for our present purposes I’m happy to remind you that resurrection is not a stranger to comic books, though sometimes it has been more reincarnation than resurrection. I have (he said, thrusting out his chest) personally presided over the demise of Jason Todd, a.k.a. Robin The Second and, editing Marvel’s Daredevil when Frank Miller was doing the title, the very thorough scragging of Elektra and behold! – both characters are back in business, seemingly unharmed by their stays in the afterlife.

Superman is probably comics’ best known resurrectee. His fans know that, in a long, much-crossed-over storyline that appeared in the early 90s, our favorite Man of Steel was put down by the villainous Doomsday and later revived by a visit to the regeneration matrix in his Fortress of Solitude. (Should I have prefaced that last sentence with a spoiler alert? Sorry…)

Superman may be the numero uno returner-to-life in the DC Comics universe, but there are others, including Green Arrow, the Flash, Donna Troy, Elongated Man, Green Lantern…You might want to complete the list yourself.

Across town, in Marvel’s universe, the death of Jean Gray, known as Dark Phoenix, was a big deal in the X-Men saga and generated some pretty a deluge of fan mail from – brace for it! – die hard fans. I’ve already told you about Elektra. Again, the list can undoubtedly be amplified.

There are pros and cons to this reviving the dead and they might be worth a longer discussion. Maybe later. For now…get your nose out of the damn comic book and look out the window. The dogwood’s blooming!

RECOMMENDED READING: The Superman stories mentioned above are available in book collections that your comics shop or online book purveyor will be happy to sell.

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases Takes Us From To Kill a Mockingbird to Mein Kampf

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger comic book, “One Shot!” by Bobby Nash and James Burns arrives on Apple’s iTunes store for immediate release at
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lance-star-sky-ranger-one/id505101665?mt=11

About Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!”:
November, 1941. Ace Air Adventurer Lance Star accepts a dangerous mission into an enemy stronghold to stop the Nazi’s from uncovering plans for a weapon long believed destroyed. Lance flies a solo mission to Kiev where he is to plant explosives and destroy a weapons facility when he runs into an old enemy. Now, Lance is faced with a choice. Complete the mission? Or take down the Sky Ranger’s greatest adversary?

He’s only going to get one shot at this. Will he choose the mission or revenge?

Featuring high-flying adventure, aerial dog fights, explosive action, and stunning artwork, Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” is pure pulp fun from start to finish.

You can find Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” at http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lance-star-sky-ranger-one/id505101665?mt=11

Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” is exactly the sort of high-flying, action-packed air war yarn I really enjoy. It’s fine pulpish fun from start to finish. Bobby Nash and James Burns are aces! –James Reasoner

Clean, straight, refreshing. Really good. How do you go wrong with Nazis, dogfights, revenge, secret weapons? Check it out. –Flint Dille