For those of you who experience my weekly hysterical polemics over at Michael Davis World (yep, that Michael Davis), it will come as no surprise that I was looking forward to Dark Horse’s new series Orchid. Sure, new comics come about as often as simians poop, but this one was written by Tom Morello.

Who, you may ask, is Tom Morello? I’ll try not to indulge in musical and political elitism here; there’s always enough of that to go around. Suffice it to say that Morello is one of those activist musicians, and his work shines brighter than most. Best known as the guitarist for Rage Against The Machine, Tom was also in the bands Lock Up and Audioslave. For much of the past decade he’s been a solo act, a.k.a. The Nightwatchman. This latter work is acoustic; the former more punk/new wave/hip-hop. Or, as we in the Whole World Is Watching racket like to say, loud. I play his stuff on Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind, I listen to his work lovingly, I watch him on Bill Maher, and evidently we are or have been members of the same union. Indeed, if he was at last week’s New York Comic Con, he and I were probably the only two people among 100,000 to be wearing IWW garb.

What I find really cool about this guy, outside of his work and his politics, is that his mom co-founded the anti-censorship organization Parents for Rock and Rap (say “anti-censorship” and I’m there) and, oh yeah, he’s the nephew of Jomo Kenyatta, the anti-colonialist anti-Communist activist who became Kenya’s first president.

Ahem. So, to get down to the nitty-gritty, is Orchid worth reading?

The simple review is, yes it is. I wish I had worked on it. There’s some rough edges in both the story and in Scott Hepburn’s art, but compared to most of what haunts the racks these days it’s Alex Raymond. Hepburn seems to have been influenced by British guys like Mik McMahon and Ian Gibson; that’s high praise. He’s done a lot of Star Wars stuff for Dark Horse and some Marvel gigs, and his storytelling is as strong as the story he’s telling. In fact, I might track down some of Hepburn’s Star Wars work – as John Ostrander can tell you, it takes a lot to get me to read Star Wars.

The story is post-apocalyptic, an overworked genre that generally lacks the strong emotional point of view needed to make it work. Not so with Orchid. The lead character is a teenage prostitute who protects her family in their struggle to survive in swampland shanties while the rich live above the morass in their fortresses, harvesting the poor (I’d say the 99%, but this number has not yet been established) as slaves, organ providers and sex toys. Morello and Hepburn make it work by sheer dint of their craft and their applied appreciation of allegory.

Morello supplements each issue with a new downloadable song. I’d give you the link, but I’d rather you check out Orchid #1, available at more-intelligently run comic shops and online.

I can’t help wonder if the current Occupier demonstrations all across the nation – now, all across the world – weren’t orchestrated by Morello as a promotion stunt. Given my own background, I’d say that was really cool. Highly doubtful, but really cool. If only that same intensity were to morph into greater exposure for Orchid.

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil

iPulpfiction.com, the internet’s leading provider of pulp fiction, new and old, has just released the third DEATH ANGEL story, authored by Mike Bullock.

In My Dominion II is the second part of serialized short prose tales starring the New Pulp heroine Death Angel as she unravels a mystery of violence and ancient gods. The story logline is as follows:

Ellen Fromme hopes to come to grips with the macabre events that led to her hus­band’s death and put her past be­hind her. But, she soon finds that her safe pent­house apart­ment and in­su­lat­ed lifestyle are no pro­tec­tion from… Do­min­ion.


Future Death Angel stories are scheduled to appear monthly on iPulp, a cloud-based reading service that publishes classic and contemporary short stories accessible from any device with an up-to-date browser and Internet connection.

The first two Death Angel tales to appear on iPulp can be found here:

Death Angel: Hung Jury
Death Angel: In My Dominion

Cover art: Douglas Klauba

Howard Hopkins is a prolific writer of novels, comic books, and short stories as well as an editor and musician. It was recently announced that Howard would be writing the first new Lone Ranger novel of the 21^st Century, which will certainly be a future Trivial Pursuit question. All Pulp sat down to discuss the new novel, Lone Ranger: Vendetta as well as Howard’s other writing and editing projects.

AP: Tell us a little about yourself and your pulp interests.

HH: I’m a horror, western, kids’ horror, pulp, comics writer who lives in Maine, in a small seaside community haunted by sea captains’ ghosts and tourists. It’s a very mysterious place of snaking mist and strange happenings, most of which occur on beer night, which is basically every night in these parts! I’m not sure I can really label myself a “pulp” fan, but I am a huge fan of certain pulp characters, such as Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow, maybe a handful of others to a lesser degree. I grew up on the Doc Savage paperback reprints with their gorgeous Bama covers, as well as The Avenger with their Caras and Gross covers. As a kid I didn’t know what a pulp was, only that there was the occasional odd reference in the books to running boards and wire recorders. It was only in my 20s I got my hands on an actual, honest-to-goodness-crumble-my-hands-as-tried-to-read-it pulp and learned of some of the other characters, like The Spider, Captain Future and The Moon Man.

AP: It was recently announced that your next novel will be The Lone Ranger: Vendetta from Moonstone Books. With your history writing western novels, this seems like a perfect fit. What can we expect from the first Lone Ranger novel of the 21^st century?
HH: You can expect the true Lone Ranger, no re-imaging and political correctness. Set in a more realistic and gritty West, dealing with authentic issues and vicious villains. The original Lone Ranger series on the radio and TV—which, make no mistake, I love dearly—was largely intended for a younger audience. Moonstone’s series is not aimed at kids, but it is aimed at Lone Ranger fans and Western readers, as well as adventure readers and folks who just enjoy a thrilling story. The Lone Ranger and Tonto—I don’t like to use the term Blood Brothers because it was a term not used by the Native Americans, but that’s what they really are—are equal parts of a whole, dealing with a West full of prejudice, sudden death and human corruption. Yet The Ranger also stands above that. He is The Lone Ranger and I have taken great pains to keep the soul and spirit of the character intact. I have a great love and respect for this character and have done my best to make sure to respect Rangers fans in writing the book. There’s nothing I hate more than seeing a cherished character so totally redone as to be not only unrecognizable but alienating. These are great, iconic characters. They were popular and loved for a reason. I see no need to screw with that. At the same time, the Old West is a violent, vast and even lonely place, and The Lone Ranger and Tonto are operating within it. Basically I have done my durndest to preserve everything that makes The Ranger The Ranger, and set it against a backdrop of a Deadwood styled West (without the cussing). I believe fans as well as many non-Western readers will like it. I am hoping there will be a few of those goosebump moments we all look for in our favorite characters when they appear in new books or movies.

You can also expect a pretty vicious villain seeking revenge. The story is called Vendetta and the lead villain has a hell of a score to settle. Unfortunately this means bad news for some of the Masked Rider of the Plains’ acquaintances.

AP: In addition to writing, you also have a couple of anthologies coming up that you’ve edited as well. Tell us a bit about the upcoming Sherlock Holmes and The Avenger collections.

HH: Yes, indeed. A Honey West anthology too, in fact. The Sherlock Holmes antho is called Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook, and involves the Great Detective working with some of history’s fictional and real characters, solving a crime. My own story, called The Haunted Manor, teams Sherlock with Calamity Jane. He teams with Arsene Lupin, The Great and Powerful OZ, Lawrence of Arabia and many others. We have some truly excellent writers involved with the project and an awesome cover. I believe Holmes fans will enjoy it and if I may say so myself it’s going to be one kick ass anthology. I have also been co-editor with Joe Gentile on three Avenger anthologies, the first two of which are out now and available from comic shops and Amazon.com. These are labors of love for me, since The Avenger is one of my all time favorite characters, second (or perhaps even tied with) Doc Savage. I’ve done stories for all three volumes, and the second volume, titled The Justice, Inc. Files, includes, in the special hardcover edition, the first three of six vignettes focusing on the original Man of Steel’s aides. In this case, Nellie, Mac and Cole Wilson. The next will spotlight Smitty, Josh and Rosabel. And of course this is THE Richard Benson, not somebody named Benny or a drastic updating of characters.

AP: What is The Chloe Files?

HH: The Chloe Files is my paranormal horror series focusing on Chloe Everson, a dancer at The Red Lagoon who gets herself into all sorts of supernatural problems. She’s not a wizard like Harry Dresden, but she does take on others’ ghostly problems and something quite special about her will be revealed as the series progresses. Two books are now available on Kindle, Nook and in paperback. The action takes place in the cursed seaside town of New Salem, Maine, and this is not your sparkly vampire lovefest. The monsters Chloe faces are classic style and mean as hell. She’s Kolchak with boobs. She’s also going to find out some rather dark and startling revelations about her past and the reasons the supernatural is after her. In the meantime, she’s kicking Evil’s ass—one demon at a time.

AP: Your books have spanned multiple genres including westerns, horror, mystery, pulp adventure, and more. Do you have a favorite genre to write? What appeals to you about switching genres?

HH: The spooky genes are probably my favorite. I love things that go bump in the night and I love to scare readers. But I enjoy all genres I write in because it all boils down to the same thing–I read to escape…I write to help others escape. I like working in genres that take folks away from their worries and day to day problems, at least for a couple hours. I do not strive to be literary, though I do strive to make my characters live and drive the story. I am an entertainer and that’s just fine with me. It’s all about the escape. When I was a kid, I went through some tough times—and if not for some of the heroes and books I love, honestly, I might not have made it. They saved me from at least some addictions that might have proved destructive. I owe the writers of those stories more than I can repay and I owe my readers what I was given.

AP: Is there a genre you’ve not written that you would like to try your hand at some point?

HH: Well, actually there’s one I am just now getting a chance to write in I haven’t done much with before and that’s 50s noir. I will be writing a 15,000 word novella (novelette?) for a brand new anthology based on the old radio show Nightbeat, about a reporter who stumbles into serious crime. And the best part is I am getting to be in it with some super talents. What more can a writer ask? It will be a lot of fun slipping into that noir world.

AP: There seem to be many different opinions about what can be defined as pulp. How do you define pulp and what do you look for in a pulp story as a writer and a reader?

HH: Oh, man, this may get me into some trouble, but I don’t define pulp. Pulp was a type of paper novels and stories were printed on, in magazine format. In every genre. Now stories are printed in paperbacks and in ebooks. It was cheap fiction, but still just fiction, often written hastily and for the specific reason of entertaining its audience. Escapism, again. I don’t write pulp, because pulp does not really exist as a genre, in my opinion. I write about some characters who appeared in pulp magazines, but I make no deliberate attempt to write in the same style or emulate the technical mistakes they made. I believe the authors, had they been paid better and given the opportunity, would have polished their stories more. But they weren’t and didn’t have time. When I write about those characters, I do my best to flesh them out and present as highly a polished story as my ability allows. Some are hero stories, some horror, some adventure. I think the modern audience expects more from authors now. While I think it’s a huge mistake to reinvent the wheel with these characters—I do my damnedest to maintain the core and soul of the characters and let’s face it, these characters have cult followings because there was something special that didn’t need changing—I do feel writers handling them have to give them more depth, along with slicker writing and better plot. I love reading these characters’ original adventures, but I accept them for what they are and when they were written. I won’t accept that from modern writers who have the time and talent to avoid the things the original writers would have avoided had they gotten the time for rewrites. If you look at The Avenger Chronicles and Justice, Inc. Files, you won’t see “pulp” stories; you’ll see very talented authors telling great stories. I don’t label anything “pulp.” I label them good stories using pulp characters. They are adventure, hero stories in genre. They cross into mystery, horror, western, etc.

Not Actual Cover

That said, anyone who wants to call it pulp or call me a pulp writer is certainly free to do so and it bothers me not in the least. I just don’t feel it’s even an argument and worth the time debating, to be honest. I’d rather read and write the stories!

AP: Where can readers find information on you and your books?

HH: They can visit my website at http://www.howardhopkins.com/ and my blog at http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com/ Or follow me on Twitter at @yingko2

AP: What upcoming projects do you have coming up that you can tell us about at this time?

HH: Well, The Lone Ranger novel, of course, and a Lone Ranger short story for an anthology, along with another story for The Green Hornet 3, the novella for Nightbeat, a new Chloe Files novel in the works, an Avenger story, Honey West story, a new Western novel, a comic book called Threesome that involves my own—dare I now say “pulp”?—heroine called The Veil and the return of the Golden Amazon (with The Domino Lady and co-written with NY Times bestselling author, the lovely and talented Nancy Holder), A Golden Amazon novel called Ripper, Burning Bright, three Spider widescreen graphic novels from Moonstone, new Golden Amazon short stories, a YA series novel, and some other stuff. Two upcoming Westerns called Hell of Hoofs and Twilight Trail. Then a kidnapping of myself by Jennifer Love Hewitt, but shhhh on that…

AP: Do you have any shows, signings, or conventions coming up where your fans can meet you?

HH: Nothing scheduled at present. I haven’t done many shows, but I’m hoping to change that soon.

AP: And finally, what does Howard Hopkins do when he’s not writing?

HH: Um, what do you mean by that? What is this not writing thing of which you speak? My ass is superglued to the office chair. Well, ok, I am a musician—mandolin, keyboards, guitar, singing—so when I have time I do that, read, of course, collect comic books and DVDs of old TV shows such as UFO, Hulk, Dark Shadows, etc. Sometimes I sleep, but try not to let that get in the way.

AP: Thanks, Howard.

HH: Thank you, All Pulp Potentates!s

About The Lone Ranger – Vendetta:

The Masked Man in a brand-new adventure! From out of the past comes a mysterious killer systematically murdering anyone with a connection to the Masked Rider of the Pains former identity. When all signs point to Butch Cavendish, a man long dead, The Lone Ranger finds himself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the life of his faithful Indian companion hanging in the balance!

For more on Howard Hopkins, visit http://www.howardhopkins.com/.
For more on Moonstone Books, visit http://www.moonstonebooks.com/.

Ben McKenzie plays a wealthy young man on a personal quest for justice in TNT’s hit series Southland. Now the actor heads to the streets of Gotham City as the voice of another rich young adult with a need for righteousness in [[[Batman: Year One]]], the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

McKenzie makes his maiden voyage into animation voiceovers as Bruce Wayne/Batman, the title character of comics legend Frank Miller’s classic retelling of the Dark Knight’s gritty, formative days.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated Batman: Year One arrives today, 2011 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Batman: Year One is also be available in a special download-for-purchase through iTunes, Xbox Live, Zune, VUDU HD Movies and Video Unlimited on the PlayStation Network & Sony Entertainment Network. (more…)

Acclaimed comic book creator John Byrne releases his latest creation, former MI-6 agent Michael Swann on October 19, 2011 when IDW Publishing’s Cold War #1 hits stores. In Swann’s opening 4-part adventure, “The Damocles Contract,” the former secret agent is called on to stop a defecting British scientist from granting the Soviets complete nuclear dominion over the free world…

Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” #1
Written and drawn by John Byrne
Colored by Ronda Pattison
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
32 pages, $3.99
In Comic Book Stores October 19,2011.

Said IDW’s Chris Ryall on his blog of the book, “This is Byrne doing a British secret service (well, former secret service, as you’ll see) agent in a period setting, which has been a blast so far, seeing him handle new characters and a time period he’s not tackled before. The vehicles alone in issue 3 are worth the price of admission.”

In addition to the standard color cover there will be a black and white cover and a stylized, almost propoganda-style variant covers for each issue. The first issue is also being released as a full variant b&w version as well as the regular full-color issue, too.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Byrne explained, “He operates on a freelance basis, and occasionally his former bosses call upon him to handle something that is perhaps a bit too messy for Her Majesty’s Government to be involved with. So he knows that when he is called upon, things have reached some dire straits. His response to this is usually very straightforward and brutal.”

On his website’s forum, Byrne shared a few more details. “Altho set in the early days of the Cold War, this is NOT going to be a history book. I am playing quite freely with the order in which things happened in the real world. And I will not be tying Swann’s exploits to any specific year or sequence of years. Those with an awareness of the history of this period may spot a few landmarks — one in most particular plays an important part as a sub-thread to my overall tale — but no reason to start checking the History Channel in order to be able to follow what’s going on in this series!”

Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” issue #1 is in stores on October 19.

To learn more about Cold War and IDW, visit http://www.idwpublishing.com/

Below is a preview of issue #1.
Click images for a larger view.

There have been few original characters created for the screen in the last decade that have been memorable enough to be welcomed back for at least an encore. The exception could well be Captain Jack Sparrow, with Johnny Depp taking the stereotypical pirate imagery and turning it on its head with a madcap performance that is brilliant. I still delight in the first film which had yet to be crusted with barnacles of backstory, mythology, and larger-than-life special effects. Its unexpected success required those to be affixed to the Black Pearl for the sequel and then it became a trilogy. Screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott were required to go back and fill in the gaps they unwittingly created, resulting in a somewhat convoluted mess.

The third film in the [[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]] series, At World’s End, nicely tied off several threads and gave Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner a bittersweet ending to their story. Freed from complications created in the bloated trilogy, Rossio and Elliott could have told us a nice new pirate story in On Stranger Tides, showing us new sides to Sparrow or the world of pirates in which he is but one of many such plunderers. After all, it was largely taken from a far stronger novel by Tim Powers. Instead, we get more magic and mythology robbing the fourth installment of any sense of fresh beginnings. And while I adore Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa, he was not required for the film.

Instead, the story could easily have been King George II dispatching Sparrow in search of the Fountain of Youth while encountering the feared Blackbeard and see what happens when legends confront one another. That core notion is lost within layers of other events (the missionary and the mermaid for example) and the screenwriters are mostly at fault, although producer Jerry Bruckheimer never knows when to leave well enough alone. Director Rob Marshall, joining the franchise for this film, brought none of the dazzle he used in adapting Chicago to the screen. (more…)