The Mix : What are people talking about today?
DYNAMITE’S LORD OF THE JUNGLE BEGINS THIS DECEMBER!
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| Cover Art: Alex Ross |
Dynamite’s Lord of the Jungle comic book series is set to expand on Edgar Rice Burroughs classic tale!
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| Cover: Paul Renaud |
September 21, 2011, Runnemede, NJ – The original Lord of the Jungle returns! Dynamite is proud to announce the December release of Lord of the Jungle! Dynamite’s Lord of the Jungle is true to Edgar Rice Burroughs original tale, savage, violent, and uncensored for the first time in its 100 year history! We are so proud and excited about this book, that we are offering the first FULL issue for the introductory price of just $1.00!
Based on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure story, Tarzan of the Apes, the first of his famous series, which initially began publication in All Story Magazine in 1912. The saga of Greystoke begins in December, written by Arvid Nelson and illustrated by Roberto Castro, and featuring covers by Alex Ross, Lucio Parillo, Ryan Sook, and Paul Renaud!
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| Cover: Ryan Sook |
“Tarzan’s DNA is in everything from super heroes to space epics,” says writer Arvid Nelson. “But I was surprised at how little I knew about him, because the many adaptations wander very far from the original character. His true story is so much deeper and more interesting — that’s we’re trying to bring to life in Lord of the Jungle.”
“To allow the series to be accessible to fans old and new, we are offering the first issue at the Introductory Price of $1.00 for the full ENTIRE 32 page comic, as well as dedicating both of the Dynamite front gate folds of the October shipping Previews Magazine to our launch,” says Dynamite Entertainment President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. “Get on board for the biggest comic book launch this December!”
For art and more information, please visit: www.dynamite.net
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| Cover: Lucio Parillo |
About Dynamite Entertainment:
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, Green Hornet, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, Game of Thrones and more!
In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and best selling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Michael Avon Oeming, Mel Rubi, Marc Guggenheim, Stephen Sadowski, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner and a host of up and coming new talent!
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| Cover: Francesco Francavilla |
DYNAMITE is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s PROJECT SUPERPOWERS – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005 Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%). The company has also been nominated for several industry awards, including the prestigious Eisner Award.
READ DYNAMITE’S WARLORD OF MARS: DEJAH THORIS ISSUE #1 FOR FREE
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| Cover Art: Arthur Adams |
Dynamite Entertainment has released the first issue of Warlord Of Mars: Dejah Thoris for free. This issue is part of the WARLORD OF MARS: DEJAH THORIS VOL. 1: COLOSSUS OF MARS Trade Paperback by Arvid Nelson and Carlos Rafael.
You can read the entire issue of Warlord Of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1 at http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/10/21/free-warlord-of-mars-dejah-thoris-1/ along with previews for the following upcoming titles from Synamite this week:
THE BIONIC MAN #3 by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau.
THE BOYS: BUTCHER, BAKER, CANDLESTICKMAKER #4 (of 6) by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
WARLORD OF MARS #11 by Arvid Nelson and Stephen Sadowski
QUEEN SONJA #22 by Luke Lieberman and Fritz Casas
ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #4 (of 12) by Matt Wagner and Esteve Polls.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: YEAR ONE TPB by Scott BEatty and Daniel Indro
WARLORD OF MARS: DEJAH THORIS VOL. 1: COLOSSUS OF MARS TPB by Arvid Nelson and Carlos Rafael
You can read the entire issue of Warlord Of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1 for free at http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/10/21/free-warlord-of-mars-dejah-thoris-1/
JOHN OSTRANDER: Max Allan Collins sez Bye Bye Baby
Nate Heller is back, and I’m a happy man.
For those of you who won’t have a clue to what I’m talking about, let me explain.. Nate Heller is a fictional private eye in a series of historical hardboiled detective novels and short stories written by the redoubtable Max Allan Collins. Some of you will know Max from his comic work on Ms.Tree and Wild Dog and more will know him from his graphic novel, Road to Perdition, which was made into a terrific movie by the same name which maybe even more people will know. (Actually, it’s fun to spring that on a lot of non-comics reading folks. The usual comic book movies – Superman, Batman, Iron Man, X-Men and so on – they know but lots of unsuspecting folks are stunned they when get told that Road to Perdition started as a graphic novel.)
What you should know Max for, though, is the Nate Heller series as well as the rest. A quick disclaimer – I know Max personally and like him but I got into the Heller novels before I met him and was a big fan of the series from the start. Heller is a private detective set largely in Chicago in the 1930s when the series begins and he gets neck deep in cases involving the famous, the infamous, and the scary from that time. Max, along with his research buddy George Hagenauer and, early in the series, Mike Gold, aids in the research on these cases and often comes up with interpretations and theories that I think are rock solid.
For example, in his Heller book on the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, Stolen Away, for which he won his second Shamus Award in 1992, Max posits that the “corpse” of the baby that was found could not have been the Lindbergh baby so convincingly that I think it should be in every history book.
Above all, what Collins does over and over again is take historical characters, people we know from histories or news reels or whatever, and make them real in ways that, perhaps, regular history can’t. They’re complicated, conflicted, contradictory human beings. Yes, Max makes up things for them to say and do but they are so close to what we know of their historical selves that it rings true to me, over and over again.
A case in point is the latest in the Heller series, and the first in nine long years, named “Bye Bye Baby.” It deals with the death of Marilyn Monroe and this is the place where you get the standard SPOILER WARNING. I may reveal things that are in the book and if you want to not take a chance I’ll spoil it for you, skip to where it says it’s okay to read again.
Heller, and Collins, make a strong argument that Marilyn Monroe did not commit suicide, so strong that its past arguing as far as I’m concerned. What’s more important is that Max fleshes out Marilyn as a person and a creative artist and not some poor bimbo who was a victim of her own success.
She’s not the only historical character Max brings to life in this book. Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana, Jimmy Hoffa, Peter Lawford, Joe DiMaggio (in a not very flattering portrait), and especially Bobby Kennedy are all featured and really well drawn. While I’m not totally crazy about the solution to the mystery of Marilyn’s death, it plays and works within the context of the novel. I’d be really interested to talk to Max and find out who he really thinks was responsible but this is a mystery novel and something has to be worked out that is satisfying to the genre, the lead character, and ultimately the reader.
OKAY, IT’S SAFE TO COME BACK NOW. I’m recommending not just this latest addition to the Nate Heller series but all of the books which I believe have come back into print. Max himself suggests starting with his “Nitti trilogy” of True Detective, True Crime, and The Million Dollar Wound but it’s also true you can pick up just about any of the novels and start there. He also a collection of the Heller short stories out in paperback called Chicago Lightning. I haven’t read it yet but I’m going to and soon. Max says it’s also a good place to sample Nate Heller.
If you like a good hard boiled tale told well or just a chance to watch history really come alive on the page, give ‘em a try. You’ll come back and say, “Ostrander, I owe you one.” Glad to do it, my friend. Glad to do it.
MONDAY: Mindy Newell
The Point Radio: Peeking at JUSTICE LEAGUE DOOM
We continue our look at DC‘s latest direct-to-DVD animated features, talking with Ben McKenzie star of BATMAN YEAR ONE as well as Andrea Romano and Lauren Montgomery who gives us a few hints on the next release, JUSTICE LEAGUE DOOM. Plus we visit the set of HAPPY ENDINGS, the ABC surprise hit comedy with Eliza Coupe and Damien Wayans Jr.
The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebookright here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.
Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Lego Version of “Batman: The Killing Joke”
Well, this is different– and yet, very familiar. Batman: The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, has been partially adapted into a Lego version. Voice actor Patrick Girts does an amazing job channeling Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker, and it was animated with Legos by filmmaker Forrest Whaley.
Take a look…
MARC ALAN FISHMAN: Mark Hamill, The Clown Prince of Voice Actors
Imagine the Joker has you tied up. You’re in a dimly lit warehouse right off the river. The air is thick, stale, and musky. The tide raps against the nearby docks punishingly. The rope that binds your hands behind your back is chokingly tight. Every twitch in your wrist scrapes twine against raw flesh. Footsteps on concrete floors echo louder and louder as they draw near.
That laugh. It starts out low and menacing. It crescendos a bit. A few “hee-hees” and “ho-hos” tossed in jovially. It crescendos. Cackling, lung emptying chortles screech on your ears. You wince and tense up. Your wrists chafe as skin breaks. You can feel blood reaching the surface of the rope.
“So fanboy, it wasn’t hard to lure you here. The promise of a preview copy of Catwoman 2 was all it took. Well. that and the promise of more side boob. And now? I bet you’re hoping… praying… that the Bat shows up and saves you. Well, pookie? The joke’s on you… he’s too busy reading Voodoo to show up here! HAAAAA HAAA HAA HAA HAAA!”
Question: The voice in your mind just there? The voice of the Joker? Well, if you’re anything like me… the man reading back my poorly written dialogue in your head was Mark Hamill.
Since 1992, Hamill has portrayed perhaps one of the single hardest roles for any actor, be it voice or otherwise, to play. The nemesis of the Dark Knight has been written many ways; from straight-up sadistic murderer to psychotic sycophant. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini created perhaps the single greatest interpretation of the seminal superhero and tasked Andrea Romano with the worst possible task. The interpretations of role had been truly original to say the least. Both Cesar Romaro and Jack Nicholson had portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime and took liberty to imbue the character with their own charm. Romero painted over his mustache and played the campy cackler with scene chewing glee. Jack Nicholson exuded his … Jack Nichosoness. But here, with Batman: The Animated Series, we were getting a truer-to-comic presentation. The Joker in this case could not be so closely tied to the actor portraying him. And the less we say about Larry Storch’s voice acting during the Superfriends/Scooby Doo era the better.
Enter Luke Skywalker.
Mark Hamill had done a handful of voice acting roles prior his turn as the Joker (so says IMDB), but none with as much clout. Certainly any kids as crazy-obsessed as me hit the pause button while watching their tapes of recorded episodes to see the voice cast… and would be baffled to see their beloved Jedi master lending his baritone to The Joker.
Astonishment aside though, Hamill sunk into the role such that I strongly believe no one else will ever top it. His nuanced delivery, that carries everything from the silly to the psychotic, is pitch-perfect. Over the course of the series, the animated Joker was pulled in several directions. One episode he’s dressed as a sea captain, driving a barge of joker-gassed garbage down the Gotham River; the next, he’s holding Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya hostage on live TV. And whether he was back handing Harley Quinn, or flying away on a rocket powered Christmas tree, Hamill captured the character like no other.
In watching a little <a href=”
about the characterization, Hamill put it best. The iconic laughter of The Joker had to be right. It’s a tool in and of itself. With every laugh he delivered behind closed doors, Hamill captured the essence. For all his nuance and outright amazing portrayal of the character in The Dark Knight, even Heath Ledger wasn’t able to really use it. Credit to Hamill’s fearless acting. As you’d learn in the clip, he performed it standing up. You can feel the manic energy in every line he spoke. And when the animated series ended, Hamill (and fan favorite Bat-voice Kevin Conroy) brought the role out one last time for the now-causing-mass-sleep-deprivation video game Batman: Arkham City videogame. Sadly, Hamill told the world it’d be his last foray into the fracas… and thus his reign as the ringmaster of insanity came to a close.
Other people have taken on the role, to less effect. The fantastic John DiMagio (of Futurama fame and much, much more), Kevin Michael Richardson, and even now Brent “Data” Spiner have all tried to take the mantle. But none capture that balance of the character. Some of it may come from the writing itself… but as we all know, the best actors can make lemonade from just a packet of Sweet-N-Low and a wedge of lemon. Mark Hamill’s been blessed with fantastic writers, but took the role to such heights that now I fear no one will ever replace him.
And just then, the window above shatters. Shards of glass rain down on the floor around you, reflecting the pale moonlight and streetlamp glow as they ping-ping-ping into pieces. A leathery flap darkens the area where you sit. You can’t see anything, but you hear a desperate plea.
“Wait, Batsy, no! We were just about to read O.M.A.C. #1 together! HAAA HAAA HAAA HEEE HEE HOO HOO HEEEE!”
SUNDAY: JOHN OSTRANDER
The Clown Car of Literary Awards
So, let me get this straight.
If the people administering an award are so incompetent that they can’t even manage to communicate effectively with each other, and mangle their own list of nominees, the only way to “preserve the integrity of the award and the judges’ work” is to ask the author you just screwed over to withdraw her book from contention?
First of all, it’s idiotic to “withdraw” a book once it’s already on the shortlist.
Second, withdrawing a book implies that something is wrong with the book — or that the author dislikes the award process for some reason — which is the opposite of the problem here.
Third — and, as a father, this is by far the most important lesson to me — if you make a mistake, you need to be the one to fix it. You don’t ask if the person you just injured can go away quietly so that it’s less trouble for you. You screw up; you fix it — that’s the rule.
Look, we all know that Shine would have no change of actually winning this award — the same set of judges that will make the final decision decided on the mangled shortlist — but demanding that Shine be removed entirely is the action of a petty, self-centered prick. You don’t fix thoughtless stupidity by being a prick; you fix it by being generous and apologetic. Someone at the NBA — maybe the administrators, maybe the judges, maybe both — hasn’t learned a lesson my ten-year-old already knows well.
Lauren Myracle is way too polite and understanding; the correct answer to the NBA’s insulting request could only be “fuck off.”
PIRATES, A PULP BOOKSTORE, AND RAVE REVIEWS! ALL FROM RADIO ARCHIVES
October 21, 2011
NEW Radio Set: Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1
Pulse Pounding Pirate Adventure!
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In 1947, a new serial sailed its way to the airwaves, one quite unlike anything to come before it. High seas intrigue. Colorful, exciting characters, both within the stories and behind the mike. Pulse pounding, pulpy tales of pirates and buccaneers. All of this and more can be found in fifteen-minute punches of action and adventure with Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1.
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A 52 episode Australian series, Afloat with Henry Morgan definitely has an all ages appeal. This is due primarily to the intense pacing of the stories themselves as well as the historical component, the fact that Henry Morgan, the buccaneer spotlighted in ‘Afloat’ was indeed a real person! Spending nearly his entire seafaring career in the Caribbean, wild tales of adventure swirl around the real life Morgan from 1655, his first noted appearance in the area, up until his death in 1688. Morgan’s legend as a carousing, hard fighting ambitious man lived far beyond his passing, providing fertile soil for Afloat with Henry Morgan to sprout from nearly 300 years later.
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This classic program was produced by well-known Australian radio personality George Edwards. Edwards lent not only his production skills to Afloat, but shared his amazing vocal talents as well. Known as “The Man with a Thousand Voices,” Edwards parlayed his ability to sound like a young child, any male he wanted to, nearly any nationality necessary, and even older women into a legendary career as a radio actor. The skill to do sometimes twelve different voices in a single episode definitely fit the needs of Afloat with Henry Morgan, with it being a lower budget affair.
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Written by Warren Berry, Afloat with Henry Morgan follows Morgan and his intrepid band of privateers through storms, swamps, deep into the hands of the enemy, and of course across the wide-open seas. Stories center around political conspiracies, pilfered Aztec necklaces, coups and swordplay, and of course the double crossing and conniving ways of good old-fashioned pirates!
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The first 28 episodes of this cliffhanger non-stop serial are presented in Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1. Restored to the finest sparkling quality possible by Radio Archives, this collection brings you seven hours of history, mystery, hard men, courageous women, and sea battles galore! Thrill as Morgan becomes involved in the theft of an Aztec artifact, plots are hatched and betrayed, raids are planned and double crossed, and a plethora of characters, many voiced by George Edwards, all come together to take you Afloat with Henry Morgan in this first volume of this classic show brought to you by RadioArchives.com.
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Order your Seven Hour CD set today for only $20.98 or Download the entire volume for $13.98! Only from RadioArchives.com.
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by Tommy Hancock
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When one ponders words and phrases like ‘hard boiled,’ ‘gritty,’ ‘pulp,’ or ‘noir,’ most usually get images of a rugged fedora wearing gun toting Private Eye or Gangster skulking in a dark alley, waiting to either fire the next bullet or take the next one between the eyes. Not often do those descriptors bring to mind a solitary reporter working the streets of Chicago after the sun goes down, looking for the horror and humanity that his readers will wake up to over coffee.
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Listen to Nightbeat, Volume 1ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ and I bet the next time you hear those words, you’ll think of Randy Stone and his nightly sojourn into the underbelly of Chicago.
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Following the popular trend in films, literature, and radio of focusing on the darker aspects of people and the lives they led, Nightbeat was a program that debuted in 1950. The pilot episode, ‘The Elevator’ details an adventure in the life of one Lucky Stone, reporter for the Chicago Examiner, voiced by character actor Frank Lovejoy. The frantic, frenetic approach Lovejoy used in voicing a man walking the line between getting a story for his newspaper and taking vengeance for a departed friend combined with a memorable opening theme and a moody soundtrack definitely shows why NBC added Nightbeat to its schedule for the next two years.
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Debuting February 6, 1950, Nightbeat came to the listening public a bit different than its previous incarnation. Lucky had given way to Randy Stone, now a reporter for The Chicago Star. There was also a subtle, but distinct difference between Lovejoy’s portrayal of Stone in the pilot and from the first show forward. More confident and harder boiled in many ways than Lucky, Randy Stone found his way into one adventure after another, dealing with plotlines that twisted and turned along the way.
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The simple premise made wonderfully intricate stories full of layered characters and fleshed out nuances come to life quickly for listeners. Randy Stone was just a guy doing his job and, when confronted with decisions and situations, he worked to do the right thing, even if it meant slapping someone around or putting his life on the line. This ‘Good American’ mentality combined with the seedier side of life, Stone often confronted, were strong reasons it was popular both amongst listeners who heard its original two-year run and fans and enthusiasts today.
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This twenty episode collection features ‘special rebroadcasts’ of previous Nightbeat episodes. These shows played on Sunday nights instead of Mondays to bring listeners to the show on its regular night. It’s actually really neat to hear these programs because they’re not actually rebroadcasts. In at least one of them, the only voice that appeared in the first version was Lovejoy’s, so there’s an opportunity to hear how different actors played the same roles.
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The twenty episodes in this collection take Randy all over Chicago and the human experience. Frank Lovejoy’s fantastic voice talent and the terse, rapid fire pacing of each tale makes Nightbeat, Volume 1 a collection not to be missed for fans of hard boiled pulp radio or the drama of humanity. Only $29.98 for the Ten Hour CD set or $13.98 for the Digital Download version.
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A criminal army is attacking the financial centers of New York. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ They are led by a mysterious mastermind so clever and so ruthless, that only one man can possibly stop him. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ And that man has been targeted for death by the gang’s leader. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Can Richard Wentworth, the infamous Spider, match wits with The Fly and save the lives and fortunes of the people of New York?
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RadioArchives.com’s newest audiobook, Prince of the Red Looters, the first audio adventure of The Spider, packs mile-a-minute thrills as Richard Wentworth races to discover the identity of The Fly, one of the Spider’s most fiendish foes. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ A master of the blade, who can anticipate The Spider’s every move, The Fly is bent on The Spider’s destruction, leaving The Fly’s criminal organization free to loot, maim, and kill.
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Prince of the Red Looters, available now in both a deluxe six-CD set and MP3 digital download, is the first in RadioArchives.com series of Will Murray’s Pulp Classics. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Each entry in the series is a classic pulp adventure personally chosen by Will Murray, one of the country’s foremost experts on all things pulp.
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Producer/Director Roger Rittner says, “Prince of the Red Looters is an astounding accomplishment, wedding dynamic narration from two unique stars of stage and screen, specially selected sound effects, and a complete period music score.”
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This action-packed story features Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker narrating and voicing the character parts. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ “They’ve done outstanding work in this exciting novel-length adventure of the classic pulp hero, The Spider,” Roger says.
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Early listeners say:
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Prince of the Red Looters is available now in a six-CD set, priced at $19.98, with original cover art and a special bonus audio feature of Will Murray explaining the genesis of The Spider. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ The audiobook is also available as an MP3 Digital Download, including the special bonus feature, at just $13.98.
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“Prince of the Red Looters is a listening experience that will thrill every fan of audiobooks and pulp fiction,” Roger says.
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Doc Savage Fans Continue to Praise Man of Bronze Audiobooks
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RadioArchives.com first two Doc Savage audiobooks, Will Murray’s Python Isle and White Eyes ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂàalong with the full-cast NPR series The Adventures of Doc Savage ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂàÃÂÃÂÃÂàcontinue to garner accolades from Doc fans as well as those just discovering the greatest adventure hero of the 1930s.
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Richard Brunner writes,
“The production values are fantastic. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ I missed the first one when it was on NPR. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ I have listened to a number of audio books over the years, but the music and sound you have added to these two really make them come alive. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Both of the narrators are really pros.
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RadioArchives.com customer Eugene Dungan says,
“I just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed your two Doc Savage audiobooks, Python Isle and White Eyes. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Keep up the great work.”
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Python Isle, narrated by Michael McConnohie, White Eyes, narrated by Richard Epcar, and The Adventures of Doc Savage with a full Hollywood cast, are available in impressive CD sets and as digital downloads. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Python Isle and White Eyes are also available in special Signed Director’s Editions.
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And coming soon: Will Murray’s monumental Doc Savage adventure, The Jade Ogre, in a deluxe 12-hour audiobook edition.ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
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Known for continually offering its customers the best in products and service, Radio Archives is proud to announce the opening of The Pulp Book Store. This innovative site will provide both Pulp enthusiasts and those who are simply curious a one-stop opportunity to browse and shop the best the Pulp market in all its many facets has to offer every single day!
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Pulp Fiction, even though its heyday was in the early 20th Century, has been popular as long as it has existed and continues to excite readers today. Often fast paced, action packed, and full of fantastical ideas, over the top characters, and imaginative adventures, Pulp can be about cowboys, aliens, ancient gods, two-fisted detectives, bigger than life gangsters, femme fatales, and so many other sorts of characters as it reaches into nearly every genre imaginable.
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In the last few years, Pulp has resurged. Some have called it a renaissance, others simply saying that due to current economic and societal situations, pulp literature is once again sought by the masses. Regardless of the view taken, the fact that so many companies are involved in either the reproduction of classic Pulp stories or creating brand new pulp stories written by modern writers proves that Pulp is still viable as a creative outlet. Add to that the rising prominence once again of such classic Pulp icons as Doc Savage, The Shadow, and The Spider, there can be no denying that Pulp strikes a chord with consumers and shows no signs of that changing.
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Pulp is also all about variety. Not only are there classic and new pulp stories, but nearly every genre has stories within it that are clearly pulp. Be it science fiction, hard boiled crime, rootin’ tootin’ westerns and so many others, Pulp discriminates against no genre. This, along with the resurgence of Pulp publishers and its popularity, is why Radio Archives has established the Pulp Book Store.
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The plan for the Book Store is simple, to become a central hub for all Pulp products. Although this may be a lofty goal, the vision behind it is basic. Instead of having to shop all over the internet and go from site to site to buy the Pulp that they want, consumers will have one location to browse a multitude of Publishers and Pulp Providers. Publishers will have a single location that will sell their products, a location that is set aside for Pulp type material only, so as customers come to view one item, every publisher gets a chance with their store to win new customers for their products.
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This concept even works for the accidental browser, one who is slightly curious about Pulp or maybe knows nothing about it. In the Pulp Book Store, that person will find more than enough information and opportunities to sample this thing called Pulp.
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If you’re interested in Pulp Classics, then the Pulp Book Store features the best in Pulp Reprint Publishers. Ride along with the well remembered classic Pulp heroes as they fight wrong and make right! Or, if your interest leans more toward more obscure characters, you’ll find those too in some of the great replicas and reprints produced by leading publishers in the Pulp world, all right here at The Pulp Book Store!
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Looking for something new? Pulpy tales written by modern writers and using either original characters or simply new stories about existing characters, are growing in popularity. Pulp icons blaze new trails in original adventures, such as Will Murray’s all new Doc Savage novels. A pantheon of modern original heroes step front and center to keep up the good fight as well. New tales in a classic style keep Pulp Fiction current and alive and can be found here at the Pulp Book Store!
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Pulp Publishers, your home can easily be here. The Pulp Book Store is a shared marketplace where you have your own store, your own identity, yet you’re in a market of like products, of companies that like you are interested in promoting Pulp. There is no better place to be to do that than amongst others doing it. Opportunity exists for all to succeed within the Pulp Book Store.
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If you purchase several products from several publishers, everything is shipped to you in the same box. Our Flat Rate ground postage means that no matter how many companies you buy from, you pay only one small amount for postage and you pay for everything together. Possibly the best news, Place your order by 7:30pm Eastern Time and your order is mailed the same day. Unbelievable but true.
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If Pulp is a part of your life, then browse the Pulp Book Store and enjoy. If you end up there out of curiosity or by accident, then please look around. We’re sure there is something offered by our many Publishers that will intrigue you. And if you’re a publisher and wish to be a part of this, send a message to Service@radioarchives.com. Regardless, Radio Archives recognizes Pulp is here to stay and wants the Pulp Book Store to be the one stop all encompassing site where it grows and thrives.
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Review of “Tower of Death” from The Shadow, Volume 22
By John Olsen
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Tower Of Death was published in the May 1, 1934 issue of The Shadow Magazine. The tower of the story’s title is only a part of a fortlike mansion known as Montgard. The large looming old house sits on the country estate, with the tall tower in the center. The gigantic turret serves as a huge entry to the house. Inside on the round tower floor, a double circle of tile borders the circumference of the room, decorated by Egyptian hieroglyphics along with signs of the zodiac. A strange tower, indeed, it was built long ago by old Windrop Raleigh, an eccentric inventor.
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Rumor has it that Windrop Raleigh left a treasure hidden in the old mansion when he died. Racketeers Mallet Haverly and “Speedy” Tyron have been in contact with Luskin, a former servant of Windrop Raleigh, and have been informed of the rumored millions. But there’s more than just a treasure to worry about. There’s the mysterious disappearances. Men have been known to enter the huge turret, to never be heard from again! Two half-brothers and a cousin. One by one they disappeared – always after paying visits to Windrop Raleigh. They entered Montgard, one by one, never to reappear! Let’s not also forget the strange terms of the will of recently deceased Windrop Raleigh.
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There are many questions to be answered in this strange, sinister mystery. It will take The Shadow to find out the answers! The Shadow is aided by his agents Cliff Marsland and Harry Vincent in this story. They are dispatched to the town of Glenwood to assist The Shadow in his investigation of the sinister goings-on at Montgard. Investment broker Rutledge Mann, contact man Burbank and reporter Clyde Burke also make brief appearances. Detective Cardona appears at the beginning of the novel and again at the end. The Shadow, himself, appears twice as Lamont Cranston, but throughout most of the story appears attired in his black cloak and slouch hat.
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It’s interesting to note that The Shadow climbs the stone walls of Montgard with his gloved hands. No use is made of those rubber suction cups which he would occasionally use to scale the outsides of buildings. In this story, he’s as a human fly. But wouldn’t it have been safer to remove the gloves?
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Again in this story, The Shadow grabs the falling body of a wounded thug and uses it as a shield in his gun battle with a mob of gangsters. This has happened in many other Shadow novels, so it appears to be somewhat of a standard practice. And to think that when I saw that technique used in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie “Total Recall” some years ago, I thought it was original. Nope, The Shadow was doing it fifty years earlier!
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You’ll really enjoy this wonderfully moody story with its fading twilight, looming edifices, darkened turrets and forbidding walls. And it can be yours for $12.95 along with another great Shadow tale in The Shadow Volume 22 from Radio Archives!
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Comments From Our Customers!
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Greg Burton writes:
Fort Laramie is one of my favorite westerns, and I was so excited when I saw that you now had it available for download. In the past few years I had listened to the series 3 or 4 times, and was curious as to how much better it would sound from Radio Archives. The quality on my “old” copies is not bad, but the sound quality from Radio Archives is magnificent. There is such a dramatic difference that I almost did not recognize a couple of the voices. Bravo. Another job well done.
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Thank you for the free gifts you included with my order of the “The Unexpected” Volumes 1 and 2. They were a pleasant surprise. Again thanks. Satisfied customer.
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Steve Sher writes:
Just started to listen today to Box Thirteen. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Wow! ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Excellent addition to my drive time activities. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Any more in this series available? ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Great also to hear Bob and Ray after many years. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ They were great favorites of mine from the old “Omnibus” days of NBC.
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Understanding that Doc Savage will soon be released. Will order as soon as it’s out. Thank you very much.
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Gary Brown writes:
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Why Is Marvel Laying Off So Many People?
Over the last two weeks, Marvel has laid off lots of people, from Bullpen staffers and editors to COO Jim Sokolowski. Heidi MacDonald may have tracked down the main culprit:
The budget slashing is the work of Marvel’s CEO, Isaac Perlmutter, an executive of legendary stinginess whose fanatical devotion to saving money —an increased interest in being hands on at Marvel — has led to the layoffs and other draconian measures inside the company.
Perlmutter and his then partner Avi Arad rode in to save Marvel from bankruptcy when they ran ToyBiz back in the late 90s. Keeping an eye on the bottom line was key to turning the company around. Bold moves like setting up their own $500 million movie studio took Marvel from penniless publishing company to a Wall Street darling with numerous stock splits. And of course, it led to Disney shelling out all that cash for a ready-made, boy-friendly franchise factory.
Although he no longer owns Marvel, Ike still runs it. And rather than sit back and enjoy his sunset years—he’s 68—with his $1.7 billion fortune, he’s chosen to keep a very active hand in running the company. In recent months he’s become even more active, showing up at the office daily. And it seems the only way he knows how to run a company is by increasing profits — not by investing in new businesses, but simply squeezing the bottom line for every last penny by any means.
If Ike thinks an expenditure is unnecessary, there’s no way around it, and anyone caught doing it is in danger of losing their job.
via Marvel Layoffs: The cheapskate is coming from inside the House of Ideas! | The Beat.
From Ike’s point of view, why not? The single biggest financial contributors to Marvel’s bottom line are movies based on stories that are up to fifty years old at this point– seventy, if you count Captain America. Why should you bother creating anything new, when there’s so much to be squeezed from the old stuff?
Heidi also speculates that this may be to impress Disney and get Ike a seat on the board, now that he’s Disney’s single largest shareholder. What Ike doesn’t realize is that Disney already tried this tactic, squeezing every last drop out of their previously created works and riding on coattails. It was called “the seventies”. But Disney realized that it couldn’t go on forever, and that new properties had to be created, new stories had to be told. That required Disney to buy Pixar, which gave them access to some of the greatest visionairies on the planet, both the animators and Steve Jobs.
Jobs was an innovator. Perlmutter is an accountant.
It was Perlmutter’s tight grip on facts, figures, and accounting that got him control of the company from Ron Perelman and Carl Icahn, drag it out of bankruptcy, and build it to something that could be sold for four billion dollars. But really, you gotta spend money and get new fans sometime. DC’s new initiative and spike in sales should get Marvel worried.
It’s almost like you’re begging to be hassled by the 99%… or as we like to think of it, almost everybody else who works for Marvel.
Disney is generally pretty good about supporting the brands that support them, such as Pixar and ESPN. But if Perlmutter is keeping tight control and tighter purse strings, you have to wonder if Disney is getting the full news from the front line.
