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DENNIS O’NEIL: The Original Reboot

oneil-column-art-110922-6128104All hands brace for a confession….Yeah, you got me. I admit that all the noise surrounding DC Comics’ reboot or relaunch or reinvention…whatever you call it, all the dust raised by this activity has caused me the occasional twinge. I worked in the comics trenches for a lot of years and some of it I still miss. Not all, oh no, but – sitting with bright, talented, convivial people in a room and doping out stories to tell…that was one of life’s joys and I’m guessing that the stalwarts at DC have spent a lot of time recently doing just that.

But they aren’t the first to redact the company’s pantheon of superheroes. Way back before you were born – most of you, anyway – Julius Schwartz did pretty much the same thing. The year was 1956 (I told you that you weren’t born yet) and comics, and their primary contribution to pop culture, superheroes – they’d been sickly for about a decade, ever since some politicians, editorial writers and assorted busybodies had convinced a lot of citizens that comics were spawns of evil. (To be fair, changing publishing and retail realities had something to do with comics’ decline, too.) As Julie told me the story: he and his fellow editors were having a meeting and someone decided to revive The Flash, a once-popular character that hadn’t been seen for years. Julie’s words as I remember them: They all looked at me and I said, I guess I’m it.

They did, and he was. He didn’t merely produce a carbon copy of the original Flash, though. With writer Robert Kanigher  and artists Carmine Infantino & Joe Kubert, Julie gave the world a new Flash – new costume, new origin, new identity. He left the original concept intact – the world’s fastest human – and altered everything else to make The Flash and his world reflect this, the world we non-fictional beings in habit. Julie and his merry men taught those of us who followed them how to do it: leave whatever made the character popular and unique alone, and modernize the rest.

There was no particular fuss over Julie’s work, back in 1956. For him, it was just another day at the office. The network of fan publications was at best just a’borning, as were conventions, and websites, like this one, weren’t even science fiction because, as far as I know, nobody had even thought of them. Sure, some dedicated readers may have reacted, but the world at large…yawn. And that may have been where Julie had an advantage over his editorial descendants.

Imagine doing this complex task with hordes of the curious looking over your shoulder, waiting to see if you fail, some of them, human nature being what it is, maybe hoping you’ll fail. And of course, regardless of how well you perform, a lot of your audience will find fault because they’ve been establishing an emotional attachment to these characters for years – for decades? – and any significant changes is going to seem…well, dammit, wrong! Pretty daunting, huh?

I haven’t read any of the new stuff yet. Have I just convinced myself that I shouldn’t?

Recommended Reading: The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases

Pulp 2.0 Press Unleashes The Terror Of Frankenstein!

  • Uncategorized
  • September 22, 2011
Cover Art: Mark Maddox

The 2nd volume in our NEW ADVENTURES OF FRANKENSTEIN series, TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN by Donald F. Glut is now being processed by Kindle and Nook and should be available tomorrow for your devices.

In this adventure, the Frankenstein monster is captured by a notorious group known as OGRE and spirited away to their island headquarters. Under the leadership of the Mandarin, they use the monster to further their plans, by kidnapping the lovely Lynn Powell, assistant and fiancee of Dr. Burt Winslow – the man who brought the terrifying creature back to life.

In order to rescue Lynn and stop the creature once and for all, Winslow invents a robot into which he can place his consciousness and control the metalloid. But Winslow doesn’t realize the deadly power of the Mandarin and the hordes of men at his command on OGRE Island.

As always, the price for this volume of pure digital pulp entertainment is a mere 99¢. It is available on Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon DE (Germany) and Nook.

The cover for this spectacular showdown between creator and creation is our own Mark Maddox. The art can be seen at http://www.pulp2ohpress.com/.

Pulp 2.0 is also finalizing edits for our first graphic novel THE MIRACLE SQUAD which will come out in print first through Amazon/Createspace. Expect this edition to be ready in October, and will feature a ton of bonus features never before seen.

We will also be releasing an ERB THRILLOGY for digital-only and featuring brand new cover art and interior illustrations by Doug Klauba! Three classic heroic novels by the Master of Adventure Edgar Rice Burroughs – TARZAN OF THE APES, A PRINCESS OF MARS and THE MUCKER. Available in a new digital edition for only 99¢. It will make a great ‘Kindle-stuffer” this Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas – Pulp 2.0 will be releasing our 2nd graphic novel – the 25th Anniversary edition of SCARLET IN GASLIGHT. The horror-mystery will be out in time for the holidays and the new blockbuster movie coming out starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. This will be a print-first edition that must go under your Christmas tree. This 25th anniversary edition features an in-depth interview with creator Martin Powell who discloses all of the mystery behind the creation of the 1st meeting of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula.

To learn more about Pulp 2.0 Press, please visit them at http://www.pulp2ohpress.com/.

Addendum –

The sales of this digital edition of TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN are now on hold. Artist Mark Maddox is not satisfied with his work and is revising the already spectacular cover art to meet the exacting standards he wants to set for this series.

Keep checking this space for details on the updated release date.

Wednesday Window-Closing Wrap Up: September 21, 2011

  • Uncategorized
  • September 21, 2011

memes-bother-said-pooh1-300x375-4669700Wow, this one’s even more embarrassing than usual– some of these windows have been open on our browsers since August. Let’s get them out of here…

Nothing will ever make him change his mind. Logic won’t do it. Integrity won’t do it. The evidence of his own two eyes won’t do it. The sage counsel of his most trusted advisors won’t do it. The awareness that he owes his life, and his son’s life, and the lives of everybody he knows, won’t do it. J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the tabloid Daily Bugle, will never admit that he was wrong.

We just have to clean out our browsers more often…

New Pulp’s Table Talk – Powers, Life and Death

  • Uncategorized
  • September 21, 2011
Barry, Mike, and Bobby Are Back!

This week, the Dangerous Duo (plus Mike) dig into character creation and character assassination as Barry Reese, Bobby Nash and Mike Bullock discuss the life and death of their characters.

Table Talk: Powers, Life and Death with Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock is now available at http://www.newpulpfiction.com/ or click the title above for a direct link.

Direct link:
http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2011/09/table-talk-powers-life-and-death.html

PRO SE STARTS YEAR TWO WITH TWO BOOKS AND A BANG!

  • News
  • September 21, 2011

PRO SE PRESS KICKS OFF SECOND PUBLISHING YEAR 
WITH NEW IMPRINT AND TWO NEW BOOKS!

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Pro Se Productions, a New Pulp Publisher debuted its first title in August, 2010.  Entering its second year of Publishing after publishing an average of one book a month in its first, Pro Se shows no signs of slowing down with two new titles and the premiere of its first in house imprint all this month!

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New Pulp Author Barry Reese, creator of the well known ‘ROOK’ series, works his storytelling magic once more with a whole new cast of characters! THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is Reese’s entry into Pro Se’s The Sovereign City Project, showcasing a hero whose own life is a mystery to himself. On the road to discovering his own secrets Gray and his Assistance Unlimited team encounter weirdness, madness, and defend society from the evil that flows in the streets of Sovereign City and beyond! Come along for the ride for this new Barry Reese adventure, seven stories of mystery, action, and adventure that make up the first collection in The Sovereign City Project!  Thrill to THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY!

“There’s a lot,” Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “that goes into any concept, especially a shared universe such as the Sovereign City Project is going to be.  Barry being a part of this and actually laying the cornerstone of the whole world with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is not only a tremendous start, but its also the birth of another New Pulp Classic from Barry.  The characters, good and bad, jump off the page and the action moves at a breakneck speed, but there’s also this eerie disturbing undercurrent that puts a different spin on classic Pulp tropes.  This is one of Barry’s best works to date.”  Reese’s work is amplified by the fantastic cover art provided by Anthony Castrillo and the stylistic interior images  by George Sellas.

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One of the most prolific writers in New Pulp, Reese has dozens and dozens of characters, adventures, and worlds that he has written or intends to write about, a wealth of ideas with plenty of room for more, both more stories and more people to write them.   “There are at least five books,” Hancock stated, “in the Pro Se Publishing pipeline that are either written by Barry or based on the cyclone of ideas whirling about in his head.  Barry’s also ready to see what others can do with some of his visions.  That combined with the general growth of Pro Se and the fact we intend to be an even bigger force in New Pulp in our second year made this next announcement an easy decision.  Pro Se is privileged to reveal its first in house imprint, Reese Unlimited!”

Reese Unlimited, an imprint centered around both the written work of as well as concepts created by Reese that may be written by others, debuts with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY.  Already known for tales of action, adventure, fantastic characterization, and compelling storylines, Barry will bring his imagination and editing skills to bear as well with Reese Unlimited, acting as Imprint Editor and essentially being the creative force behind the entire endeavor.   This imprint will be the home of future Lazarus Gray adventures, as well as the upcoming Rook Trilogy written by Tommy Hancock and any other ideas from the fertile mind of Barry Reese.

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Pro Se continues its one-two punch launching its second year in print with the debut novel from author Chuck Miller.  CREEPING DAWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE centers on the aforementioned Centipede, Miller’s pivotal character in a mad, wild world of magic, mystery, murder, and almost more mayhem than it has historical guest stars.  His dark origins tied to Lizzie Borden, The Black Centipede is a mysterious individual who has no life other than that of masked avenger, vigilante, and consort of weirdness.  

“This,” Hancock reported, “is not just a novel.  Chuck has breathed every bit of himself into the creation of not simply this book or this character, but the insane universe that the Centipede -populates isn’t a strong enough world.  He is the axis that the lunacy of everyone around him turns on and in response he’s a valiant hero at some turns, a madman at others, and even the deus ex machina at times.  CREEPING DAWN is an introductory ticket to one of the wildest rides New Pulp has ever seen!

CREEPING DAWN is a fast paced New Pulp mash up of noir, masked vigilantes, historical fiction, and more mystery and suspense than a centipede has legs.  With evocative cover art by David L. Russell and interiors by Peter Cooper, CREEPING DAWN: RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE by Chuck Miller is one experience not to be missed!

Both books display the fantastic Format and Design work of Pro Se’s Design master, Sean Ali.

Pro Se is thankful for the success thus far of its books and magazines and to all the supporters and fans that caused said success.  “That,” Hancock said, “is why Pro Se wants to make sure our second year kicks off in a way that our readers will enjoy, giving them a double dose of the New Pulp quality they expect from Pro Se.  And that’s not the only way we’re saying thanks.  Things to come this year from Pro Se will blow you all away and its all our way of saying Thank You to those who support New Pulp and Pro Se.”



Available now at https://www.createspace.com/3693399 and soon at www.Amazon.com!
THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY
By Barry Reese
Cover by Anthony Castrillo
Interiors by George Sellas
A Reese Unlimited Book
Published by Pro Se Press
List Price: $12.00
6″ x 9″
250 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1466358348



Available Now at https://www.createspace.com/3689977 and soon at www.Amazon.com
CREEPING DAWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE
By Chuck Miller
Cover by David Russell
Interiors by Peter Cooper
Published by Pro Se Press
List Price: $12.00
6″ x 9″  
196 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1466338135 
 FOR MORE PRO SE -WWW.PULPMACHINE.BLOGSPOT.COM

Pro Se Productions
Fuller Bumpers, CEO
Tommy Hancock, EIC

Jack Adler: Tribute To A Comics Original

  • Uncategorized
  • September 21, 2011

jack-adler-by-neal-adams-8483337Back in 1937 a King Features Syndicate staffer was given the job of taking over the coloring and engraving their fairly new full-page weekly comic, Prince Valiant. It was a remarkable assignment; one that only a truly talented artist could perform. The job was given to a 19-year old named Jack Adler.

That assignment was his full work load: he had a week to do it, and given the complexity and beauty of Hal Foster’s work, Jack needed every minute of the work day to make his deadline. Given this workload and his youth, we can forgive him for making a politically incorrect faux pas. His boss was taking an executive on a tour; clearly, this executive was a comics fan who really new his stuff. He asked Jack all kinds of questions that were answered perfunctorily without the teenager taking his eyes off of his work. Finally, his boss cleared his throat and Jack swiveled around just in time to meet the executive’s glower.

The executive was the incredibly powerful William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the joint and a man used to deference.

125451-2858248Jack Adler kept his job. That’s quite a tribute to his talent.

Adler went on to a career in comics that lasted for nearly a half-century. Teaming up with his friend Sol Harrison – the engraver on, among other projects, Superman #1 (the first one), the two revolutionized the world of comics color. They recreated the engraving system at the New York Daily News, they helped organize for the engraver’s union and they wound up at DC Comics. Continuing to color – particularly covers – Jack became assistant production manager in 1960 and was promoted to production manager when his boss, friend Harrison, became DC’s president.

Of all his work, Jack is perhaps best known for his wonderful wash covers in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Sea Devils, Green Lantern, Adam Strange, Challengers of the Unknown and others.

A passionate photographer, an audiophile and a watercolor artist, Jack was quite the Renaissance man. I used to joke that he invented papyrus; he thought it over and said no, he would have invented a paper that would absorb color more efficiently.

zzchalls11-2807605Jack was saddled with all kinds of allergies and medical conditions and, during his final days at DC, needed help to get through the workday. But he still hung on and was a frequent advisor to a number of so-called independent comics publishers; Adler gave me all sorts of suggestions when we were doing the original First Comics.

Oddly, he might have been better known outside of the comic book donut shop because his cousin, Howard Stern, mentioned him frequently on the air.

Jack Adler passed away Sunday night at the age of 94.

Stern dedicated the opening of Tuesday show to his “super cool Cousin Jack,” calling him a “genius” photographer who supported his passion by becoming a comic book artist.

I called Jack Adler my friend.

 (Caricature by Neal Adams)

The Tempest

thetempestbluray-254x300-1479053You have to give Julie Taymor credit. She rarely repeats herself and brings a sense of creative vision to every project, making each effort unique. For every brilliant stage work, The Lion King, there is a creative misfire, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. And on screen, she scored a bullseye with Across the Universe and disappointed with The Tempest. The adaptation of William Shakespeare’s final play is now out on DVD from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

The Bard’s works have been interpreted and reinterpreted since they were first staged at the Globe Theater so it’s no surprise Taymor wanted to bring her own ideas to the script. Her bold move was to turn Duke Prospero into Prospera, the duke’s wife and then cast Dame Helen Mirren. Taymor said at the time that no male actor seemed to fit her idea of the lead so tried a woman for a staged reading and decided the story held up.

Translated to the screen, Prospera, the sorceress, presides over the inhabitants on a small island, dealing with her daughter Miranda’s  (Felicity Jones) romance with Ferdinand (Reeve Carney) while fending off the schemes of Caliban (Djimon Hounsou) and Stephano (Alfred Molina) to do her in. There’s magic galore and Ariel, usually played by a female but here is essayed by Ben Whishaw, is a genuine sprite.

Taymor adapted Shakespeare’s words but they remain familiar ones and she has assembled a fine cast led by Mirren, who is never short of fascinating to watch work. Molina, Hounsou, Chris Cooper and Alan Cumming lend strong support so the overall production should be far more satisfying than it proves to be. There’s a crackle of energy missing from the performances and the CGI effects, which she used so well in Universe, don’t measure up. For a story about magic the effects prove oddly dull and uninspiring.

The pacing moves along but languidly, as if shooting on a Hawaiian island enervated cast and crew.

The movie performed well at festivals before being met with a collective yawn by critics and audiences alike last December making for a poor year end showing for Taymor. The movie plays much the same way on DVD aided by the usually crisp video transfer from Disney and helped tremendously by some terrific audio work.

Students of Shakespeare will want to see this and own the Blu-ray edition which comes with some terrific special features. In addition to Taymor’s perfunctory commentary, there’s a separate track with Virginia Mason Vaughan (Professor of English at Clark University) and Jonathan Bate (Shakespeare Professor at England’s University of Warwick), using their depth of knowledge to informatively discuss the adaptation. It sounds like an English paper read aloud is quite interesting.

Additionally, there’s the one-hour-six-minute Raising the Tempest which covers the production from script to final editing. There’s always something to learn from these but are really for students of film. This one, though, has Brand offering up comedic patter throughout and makes this worthwhile.

You can watch Julie & Cast: Inside the L.A. Rehearsals, a 14 minute look at Brand, Molina and Hounsou getting a handle on their characters under Taymor’s watchful eye. This is a revealing look at the creative process. There’s an additional, more humorous five minute Russell Brand Rehearsal Riff as he improvises answers as Trinculo to Taymor the Interviewer’s questions. The disc is rounded out with Carney’s “Mistress Mine” music video and an assortment of trailers.

If I rebooted Wonder Woman

  • Uncategorized
  • September 21, 2011

This is the Wonder Woman I would choose:

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She’s from Legends of the DCU: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1. The designer solved a problem that’s defeated every other attempt to fix her costume: he turned the eagle symbol into something that both holds up her costume and suggests armor.

I dunno who suggested that costume, but I suspect the writer, Marv Wolfman, suggested she look Middle-Eastern. It makes sense. In classical literature, the island of the Amazons has been located in Libya and Asia Minor.

While I like the skirt, I would be tempted to give her pants. And there’s something to be said for a longer skirt like the one she first wore:

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There was an excellent analysis of Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman, Delineated” at Fractal Hall, a site that’s no longer on the web. The writer proposed:

So, what makes her work?

A) Truth. Truth truth truth truth truth.
B) The hunt.
C) Magical gadgets
D) Super-strong, super-fast.

Factor A is more subtext than explicit, but I think it’s fair to say that any Wonder Woman story has to have a theme of honesty or a counter-theme of dishonesty to it.

Part of what I admired about the Fractal Hall analyses of superheroes was the way they began with the essential differences in genres: Superman is a science fiction character, Wonder Woman is a fantasy character, and the Batman is what they called a crime character, but I would call a mystery character. The worlds of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are so different that they should only meet when the Justice League gathers.

Will Shetterly is the creator of [[[Captain Confederacy]]], the author of [[[Dogland]]], and the co-creator of [[[Liavek]]] with his wife, Emma Bull.

MIKE GOLD: DC’s New 52 Drops A Good One

  • Uncategorized
  • September 21, 2011

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Well, here’s something strange. Within a 72-hour period last week a half dozen people asked me if I had read the new, new Animal Man. During that same period, my daughter was asked the same question by one of her friends. Then I had lunch with comics writer Paul Kupperberg, so I asked him if he read the book. He said no, not yet, but a number of people told him he should.

Hmmmm. Word of mouth is either the best or the worst type of publicity. I noticed not a one of these folks said it was great; just that it was worth reading.

I enjoyed the original Animal Man – the one that was created by Dave Wood and Carmine Infantino in Strange Adventures 180, some 46 years ago. It was unusual in that it was only occasionally published, and the lead didn’t get his costume (one of Carmine’s best) until the third appearance nearly a year later. His run – more like a bunch of skips and hops – was brief, but it clearly had an impact on us Baby Boomer fanboys. Animal Man was more of a cool concept than a fan fave.

Because I’m not quite paranoid to believe that all those people who recommended the book to us were part of a vast conspiracy, I approached Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman’s Animal Man volume 2, number 1 without preconceptions.

Gone is the cool Infantino-designed costume, replaced by something that was clearly influenced by the original: no more contemporary in design, but with a more striking color scheme. We start with Buddy Baker’s home life, and here we indulge a bit in the married life superhero chiché. He’s not henpecked the way The Web was back in the 1960s (one of the first, if not the first, costumed hero with a “realistic” married life); Lemire cleverly uses the rough parts of family life as exposition.

It is that very family that is the root of this first story arc. In the 22-page format there’s very little room to establish the characters in this new reality and really get you deeply involved in an actual story, and Animal Man 2.1 does a better job of it than most of The New 52 stories I’ve read so far. Not as good as Mister Terrific #1 in terms of the quantity and depth of story, but more compelling from the perspective of character.

That seems to be what Animal Man is all about: character development within the framework of a family where the father has superpowers. I say “seems to be” because, well, hell, we don’t know. It’s just the first issue. But this beginning gives me hope.

I always get hinky when I think about how a DC series will get coopted as it is thrust into the DCU – sorry, make that DCnU – but I’ve learned to leave such speculation to time and historical inevitability. And hope that Animal Man beats the odds.

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil

Minck Oosterveer with Nikki Saxx at MoCCA

Minck Oosterveer: 1961-2011

  • News
  • September 21, 2011

minck_oosterveer_3-3068474Renee Witterstaetter passes on the sad news that Minck Oosterveer, a Dutch artist best known in this country for his work on The Unknown for BOOM! and Ruse for Marvel, was killed on September 17 in a motorcycle accident. He was 50.

Born July 19, 1961, he grew up in The Netherlands with European comics, but was soon more interested in American comics, especially the newspaper comics of the 1930s-50s. The pulp-ish, direct style and the usage of black and white in the realistic artwork of Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond, and Will Eisner attracted his attention, although he also showed a Herge style in some of his more cartoony work. After working for a studio on productions like ‘Tom & Jerry’, ‘Sesame Street’, ‘Paddington’, ‘Ovide’ and ‘Spider-Man’, Minck moved in the direction of another stylistic forte, working with Willem Ritstier on the series ‘Claudia Brücken’ for the franco-belgian publishing-house ‘les editons Lombard’ and Tintin-magazine . Minck also became known for ‘Jack Pott’, ‘Zodiak’, ‘Rick Rolluik’, ‘Arachna’, ‘Excalibur’, ‘Nicky Saxx’ (pictured above in a picture to benefit MoCCA), ‘Storm’, and ‘Ronson Inc.’.

Minck Oosterveer debuted in American comics with Zombie Tales for BOOM! Studios. He’s best known in the US for his collaborations with Mark Waid on The Unknown for BOOM! and Ruse for Marvel.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

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