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PIRATES, A PULP BOOKSTORE, AND RAVE REVIEWS! ALL FROM RADIO ARCHIVES

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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October 21, 2011

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NEW Radio Set: Afloat with Henry Morgan, Volume 1

Pulse Pounding Pirate Adventure!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
Order your Seven Hour CD set today for only $20.98 or Download the entire volume for $13.98! Only from RadioArchives.com.
 
 
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.
 
Listen to Nightbeat, Volume 1 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.  They are led by a mysterious mastermind so clever and so ruthless, that only one man can possibly stop him.  And that man has been targeted for death by the gang’s leader.  Can Richard Wentworth, the infamous Spider, match wits with The Fly and save the lives and fortunes of the people of New York?
 
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.  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.
 
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.  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.
 
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.”
 
This action-packed story features Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker narrating and voicing the character parts.  “They’ve done outstanding work in this exciting novel-length adventure of the classic pulp hero, The Spider,” Roger says.
 
Early listeners say:
  “It looks terrific and sounds even better.”
  “It’s excellent.  Really held my attention.”
  “The results are amazing.”
 
 
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.  The audiobook is also available as an MP3 Digital Download, including the special bonus feature, at just $13.98.
 
“Prince of the Red Looters is a listening experience that will thrill every fan of audiobooks and pulp fiction,” Roger says.
 
Doc Savage Fans Continue to Praise Man of Bronze Audiobooks
 
RadioArchives.com first two Doc Savage audiobooks, Will Murray’s Python Isle and White Eyes – along with the full-cast NPR series The Adventures of Doc Savage –  continue to garner accolades from Doc fans as well as those just discovering the greatest adventure hero of the 1930s.
 
Richard Brunner writes,
“The production values are fantastic.  I missed the first one when it was on NPR.  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.  Both of the narrators are really pros.
 
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.  Keep up the great work.”
 
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.  Python Isle and White Eyes are also available in special Signed Director’s Editions.
 
And coming soon: Will Murray’s monumental Doc Savage adventure, The Jade Ogre, in a deluxe 12-hour audiobook edition. 
 

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!

 
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.
 
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.
 

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

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!
 
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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?
 
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!
 
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!
 

 

Deal of the DayHigh quality Audio, Pulp, and Classic DVDs! And at a fantastic price! That’s the Radio Archives Deal of the Day! The Deal of the Day is actually several great deals at all times. No limits! Simply Great Products at Unbelievable Prices!

Look for the yellow ‘Deal Of The Day’ price tag on the right side of the home page and click it for a great deal every Single Day from RadioArchives.com!

 

 
Comments From Our Customers!
 
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.
 
Erick Ingram writes:
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.
 
Steve Sher writes:
Just started to listen today to Box Thirteen.  Wow!  Excellent addition to my drive time activities.  Any more in this series available?  Great also to hear Bob and Ray after many years.  They were great favorites of mine from the old “Omnibus” days of NBC.
 
Curtis Spencer writes:
Understanding that Doc Savage will soon be released. Will order as soon as it’s out. Thank you very much.
 
Gary Brown writes:
Any news on any New Doc Savage novels. I hear that Will Murray is writing some. I bet it is going to be great.
 
If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!
 

The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
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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.

NASH PLAYS ‘DEADLY GAMES’ IN NEW NOVEL!

[Official Press Release]:

BEN Books proudly presents Deadly Games! a thriller by Bobby Nash.

 The print edition will be available on Amazon and in bookstores soon.

The print edition of Deadly Games! is now available at https://www.createspace.com/3704764 for the low introductory price of $11.99.


Digital editions coming soon.

About Deadly Games!:
Deadly Games! A madman’s death triggers the most deadly game of all!

They played the most dangerous game of all and death was only the beginning…

Six years ago, Police Detective John Bartlett and journalist Benjamin West were instrumental in the capture of notorious master criminal Darrin Morehouse. Their story played out in the media, rocketing both Bartlett and West into local celebrity status. 

Today, Morehouse, still a master game player and manipulator, commits suicide while in prison. His death initiates one final game of survival for the people Morehouse felt wronged him the most. At that top of the list are Bartlett and West, who must set aside their differences to save the lives of Morehouse’s other victims and solve one last game before a dead man’s hired killers catch them and his other enemies.

Deadly Games! is a fast-paced action/thriller featuring action, suspense, murder, and the occasional gunfire from Author Bobby Nash, the writer of Evil Ways, Domino Lady, Lance Star: Sky Ranger, and more.

Deadly Games!
Written by Bobby Nash
Publication Date: Oct 10 2011 
ISBN: 0615553435
ISBN13: 9780615553436 
Page Count: 316 
Binding Type: US Trade Paper 
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″ 
Language: English 
Related Categories: Fiction / Thrillers 
Introductory Price: $11.99

The print edition of Deadly Games! is now available athttps://www.createspace.com/3704764 for the low introductory price of $11.99.
The print edition will be available on Amazon and in bookstores soon.
Digital editions coming soon.

Visit BEN Books at http://ben-books.blogspot.com/.
Visit Deadly Games! author Bobby Nash at http://www.bobbynash.com/.

About Bobby Nash:

From his secret lair in the wilds of Bethlehem, Georgia, Bobby Nash writes. A multitasker, Bobby is certain that he doesn’t suffer from ADD, but instead he… ooh, shiny. 

When he finally manages to put fingers to the keyboard, Bobby writes novels (Evil Ways; Fantastix; Deadly Games!), comic books (Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell; Demonslayer; Domino Lady vs. The Mummy; Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot”), short prose (A Fistful of Legends; Full Throttle Space Tales Vol. 2: Space Sirens; Green Hornet Case Files; Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar; Zombies vs. Robots), novellas (Lance Star: Sky Ranger; Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery, Night Beat), graphic novels (Yin Yang; I Am Googol: The Great Invasion), and even a little pulp fiction (Domino Lady; Secret Agent X; The Avenger) just for good measure.  And despite what his brother says, Bobby swears he is not addicted to buying DVD box sets and can quit anytime he wants to. Really.


Bobby’s work can be found at http://www.bobbynash.com/http://www.lance-star.com/,ww
w.facebook.com/bobbyenash, and www.twitter.com/bobbynash, among other places across the web.

Watchmen 2: Watch Harder

Oh No: “Watchmen 2” is Quickening

watch2-8104349The rumors have been kicking around for a while, and we’ve even made jokes about it in the past, but now Rich Johnston reports that there’s a possibility that there may be more stories set in the Watchmen universe.

I was told before New York Comic Con that it might be back on and that DC were drawing up a wishlist of creators for a series of Watchmen prequel comics.. Well, I’ve now heard a lot more. Darwyn Cooke’s name is at the very top, linked to drawing two mini-series and writing another, followed by the likes of JMS, JG Jones, Andy Kubert and Brian Azzarello. Whether or not they have been approached, I don’t know, and no one’s talking, but it gives you an idea of the scale. I would also expect Dave Gibbons and John Higgins to be involved in some way.

via The Return Of Watchmen 2 Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors.

In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends…

MARTHA THOMASES: Good Times At Comic Con High

thomases-column-art-111021-1695121It is something of a movie cliché, especially in buddy-movies, for one of the two, in the heat of battle, to mutter, “I’m getting too old for this.”

That’s how I felt before New York Comic Con.

It’s another cliché that, just when you think you have life figured out, it changes. I had a pretty good time.

Granted, I was frustrated by the crowds, and the noise aggravated me (and yet, I live in New York City!). Also, I wasn’t there on Saturday, when I’m told the crowds were the worst. And I’ve been to so many shows by now that I know how to edit my experience.

So, despite the backpacks and the people who thought that because they were taking photographs they were entitled to take away an entire aisle from pedestrian traffic, and the plethora of booths devoted to gaming, not comics, there’s a fun time in there.

Let me count the ways:

• Even before the show, the press coverage was so much better than comics used to get. Sure, there was a lot of attention paid to people in funny costumes, but there were also stories like this in the New York Times, which focused on people who are cool and creative and artists worthy of attention, just like other New York talents.

• Not only are talented writers and artists getting some respect, but so are the fans. True, there was lots of pandering to people’s desire to get something for free, but there were also some unusual businesses setting up booths. The Museum of Natural History promoted their planetarium. Chevrolet not only had a booth, but they also had artist-painted cars around the show, including one by Neal Adams. This is so much better than the first show, where there were military recruiters.

• There are so many kids (who probably hate being called kids, but indulge this old fart) who are excited enough by comics to want to make them. For example, Joe Corallo recognized me and chased after me to give me his self-published comic, The Uncanny Undergrads. Comics remain one of most democratic of media, where anyone with an idea and guts can make something amazing and try to make a career out of it.

• Best of all is seeing old friends. I never went to comic conventions as a fan. It was never part of my social life. When I met Denny O’Neil, I started to go to convention parties, back when they were easier to crash. When I had to go to cons for work, I found out that, for me, Artists’ Alley was the most fun place. It still is. At a big show, it’s a place where you can usually avoid mobs, and actually talk to the people who make the comics we love. This year, I was blessed to run into Bob Camp, whom I hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. He’s still sweet and funny and brilliant.

So maybe, if I have to go to more comic shows, I’ll go. I’ll kvetch, but I’ll be secretly pleased about it.

Martha Thomases is proud of herself for not buying a rabbit on Saturday.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman

Happy 100th Birthday, Mary Blair! Enjoy Your Google Doodle!

mary_blair-2011-hp-3879211100 years ago today, Mary Blair, an artist whose unique style was immortalized in classic Walt Disney films of the 1940s and 50s and theme parks, was born in McAlester, Oklahoma.

She was best known for the artwork she contributed to animations including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Cinderella, and the look for It’s A Small World at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and later appeared in all Disney theme parks. Several of her illustrated children’s books from the 1950s remain in print, such as [[[I Can Fly]]].

To celebrate her birthday and influential art style, Google has given her a Google Doodle, which we show you here. If you want to know more about her, her nieces have put together a web site, or you can try and find the book [[[The Art and Flair of Mary Blair]]].

Now if only I can get the music from It’s A Small World out of my head…

Hat tip: Google doodle celebrates influential Walt Disney artist Mary Blair.

Happy 60th Birthday, CBS Eye!

On October 20, 1951, CBS unveiled its Eye Device logo, better known as the CBS Eye. It was created by William Golden, theoretically based on a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign as well as a Shaker drawing. The following season, as Golden prepared a new “ident”, CBS President Frank Stanton insisted on keeping the Eye device and using it as much as possible… and an American eye-con (sorry) was born. While the symbol’s settings have changed over the years, the Eyemark itself has not been redesigned in its entire history.

But for many of us, this is what we’ll think of when we think of CBS, and it doesn’t have that logo…

New TinTin One Sheet and Trailer

TinTin doesn’t open here until December but it begins to play around the world within the next few weeks. The early reviews have gone live and the general opinion is that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg have created an energetic film based on the graphic novels from Herge, Beligum’s premiere creator.

The movie blends live-action and CGI motion-capture work with kudos going once more to Andy Serkis, who this time portrays Captain Haddock. Of the actors working today, none have done more work with motion capture than Serkis, known best as Gollum and more recently as Ceasar in the latest Planet of the Apes movie.

Paramount has released a new trailer for American audiences.

And the production team has offered up a brand new featurette entitled Fanboys.

The Godfather’s Alex Rocco returns to his mobster roots in Batman: Year One

byo-55-300x168-5896443Alex Rocco, best known for his role as gangster Moe Greene in The Godfather, returns to his mobster roots as Carmine Falcone in Batman: Year One, the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

The appearance in a Dark Knight-related project brings Rocco’s 44-year career full circle. The Massachusetts-born actor, who was once an adjunct member of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, got his first on-screen role in the 1960s Batman television series.

Rocco appeared as the thug Block in the back-to-back episodes “A Piece of the Action” and “Batman’s Satisfaction,” which premiered on March 1 and 2, 1967.  The episodes also featured the first true crossover appearance of Green Hornet and Kato on the Batman series (aside from a cameo popping out a window in the first season).

Since then, Rocco has been seen on primetime in everything from Get Smart, The F.B.I. and Kojak to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rockford Files and Baretta. He has had recurring roles on The Facts of Life, The Famous Teddy Z, Sibs, The George Carlin Show and The Division. His voice is easily recognized as Roger Myers Jr., the head of Itchy & Scratchy Studios on The Simpsons.

In feature films, Rocco’s most notable roles include Moe Greene (and his gruesome demise) in The Godfather, the comically curious police chief in The Stunt Man, and as over-the-top Sol Siler, the head of Playtone Records in That Thing You Do!

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated Batman: Year One arrived this week from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Batman: Year One is also available in a special download-for-purchase early window (starting October 11) through iTunes, Xbox Live, Zune, VUDU HD Movies and Video Unlimited on the PlayStation Network & Sony Entertainment Network.

Rocco, an agreeable and funny man in person, spent a few extra minutes after his initial recording session to chat about mob bosses, Burt Ward’s whining, Julie Newmar’s sex appeal, and how to get ahead in Hollywood when your bartending partner takes a bathroom break. Take note … Moe Greene, er, Alex Rocco is speaking. (more…)