We hold in our hands the covers for DC Comics this December. As a child of four can plainly see, these envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They’ve been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar under Wikipedia’s porch since noon today.
Shall we? Surely!
As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.
What? Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Yo ho ho.
Moonstone Pulp Coming in November.
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| Cover: Franchesco! |
DOMINO LADY’s THREESOME
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| Cover: Mark Sparacio |
Brought to you by New York Times best selling author Nancy Holder and novelist Howard Hopkins!
When young women vanish at a sleazy burlesque club, three beautiful heroines slip undercover and out of their clothes to investigate–and wind up comforting a kidnapper who just might be out of this world. Featuring the delicious Domino Lady, the first appearance of the deadly Golden Amazon in 70 years and introducing the voluptuous new pulp crime-fighter, The Veil!
**Franchesco variant cover can be purchased separately at retail of $5.50
Story: Gary Phillips
Art: Manuel Martin, Ben Hansen
Tones: Jason Jensen
Cover: Mark Maddox
72pgs, grayscale, $6.99
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| Cover: Mark Maddox |
HONEY WEST, CAPTAIN ACTION, & FLINT
Vertigo’s crime writer Gary Phillips (Angel Town, Cowboys) presents this oversize comic one time event!
For the first time ever Zen freelance spy Derek Flint, the cool curvaceous private eye Honey West, and the mysterious secret agent super-hero Captain Action team up in a story in swingin’ sixties L.A. to battle hippie robots, mobbed-up, ray gun totting gangsters, a wigged out mad scientist, brainwashed GIs and an alien menace we could only called DANGER A-GO-GO. Dig it!
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| Cover: Paul Gulacy |
COMPLETE CAPTAIN ACTION
This is the BIG ONE!
EVERY Captain Action Moonstone appearance ever printed…as well as Lady Action, Action Boy, Captain Action Classified, and Khem!
One BIG TOME-O-READING!
A one-time printing only!
Learn more about Moonstone Books at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/.
Story: Fabian Nicieza, Steven Grant
Art: Mark Sparacio, etc.
Cover: Paul Gulacy
432pgs, b/w, 7″ x 10″ squarebound, $28.95
ISBN: 978-1-936814-18-3
***RETAILERS INCENTIVE: buy 3 copies and receive one variant incentive Franchesco cover, FREE!
Story: Nancy Holder & Howard Hopkins
Art: Silvestre Szilagyi
Colors: James Brown
Cover: Mark Sparacio
40pgs, color, 7″x10″, $4.50
A Return of the Originals oversize Event!
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| Art: Will Meugiot |
Michael Hudson posted some artwork by artist Will Meugiot for the upcoming Sequential Pulp Comics graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Caspak: The Land That Time Forgot, written by New Pulp Author Martin Powell, on the Sequential Pulp Blog. You can see the entire article at http://sequentialpulpcomics.blogspot.com/.
This weekend, DOLPHIN TALE opens in theaters and we talk to Harry Connick Jr and Morgan Freeman on what is was like doing a strict “family” film and how Morgan just can’t seem to get away from his fans. Plus more with Kathy Bates on the new season of HARRY’S LAW and a 24/7 SIMPSONS Channel? It could happen!
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.
There’s a great interview with Grant Morrison on the website of Rolling Stone magazine. The reason I bring it up is that I’ve been thinking about last week’s column. The more I thought about Action Comics #1, written by Morrison, the more I really liked it.
But I’m an adult.
I’ve been a fan of Grant’s since his debut on this side of the pond as the writer of Animal Man back in the 80s. It was a book that I adored. But Animal Man was under the Vertigo imprint, whose aim was to bring a sophisticated, i.e. adult, audience and slant into the comics industry – at which it incredibly succeeded, of course. In fact, if I remember right, the “hook” for the entire line of Vertigo books was sophisticated horror.
But I’m an adult.
And the Vertigo books aren’t for kids.
I grew up during the Silver Age of comics. When Lois was constantly getting into jams thanks to her penchant of trying to discover Superman’s secret identity. When Jimmy was constantly being exposed to some weird amulet that turned him into Elasti-Lad or a giant turtle or a bearded man. When Perry smoked cigars and yelled “Great Caesar’s Ghost” all the time. When Supergirl was alive and acted as her cousin’s secret weapon. When Superboy was a teenage Clark Kent living in Smallville and had a secret passageway and robots to cover his “tuchas” when he was away on a mission and his parents were alive and Lana Lang was his sweetheart. When Kandor was in a bottle. When the Legion of Super-Heroes travelled through time in a bubble. When the “editor’s note” would inform me that the sun was 93,000,000 miles away from Earth.
Okay, it was a more innocent age. Well, not really. There was the Cold War and the U-2 incident and the Korean War and the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis and Barry Goldwater and the John Birch Society and “advisory troops” in a country named Vietnam. The Suez Canal crisis.
It was the Mad Men age.
And then we all grew up to be Mad Men.
The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The assassination of Martin Luthor King. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Women’s rights. The Black Panthers. Newark, New Jersey in flames. The Weatherman. The Vietnam War. Tricky Dick. The Chicago Democratic Convention. Dan Rather being manhandled and dragged off the floor of the convention center. Cops in riot gear beating up college students. The Pentagon Papers. Pot. Hash. Timothy Leary. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Tune in. Turn on. Drop out.
The thing is, I think all those people marching and rioting and fighting and reacting to what was wrong in the world, what they did, what we did, was because we were raised on the ideals of what America was supposed to be about, what we really did believe, growing up, America was about.
I look around now, and I wonder, why aren’t people out on the street marching in the hundreds of thousands protesting? Angry people march. Angry people riot. Angry people force change.
Six out of 10 children are living in poverty in this country. In fucking America, man! Why aren’t their parents out there marching? We were lied into Iraq more blatantly than we were ever lied to about Vietnam. Why the fuck aren’t we out there marching? We’re building infrastructures and schools in Afghanistan while our own bridges and roads are collapsing and our school buildings are rotting. Why the fuck are we not out there marching? Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, the Koch brothers and about 10 other Wall Street operators are speculating in oil prices. Why the fuck aren’t we out there marching? The President lets the Republicans walk all over him and the Republicans can’t stand that the black guy in the White House isn’t the valet. Why the fuck are we not out there marching?
What has changed?
I don’t know. I honestly don’t.
But I’m sad, and I’m scared. Really scared.
Superman used to be written for kids. As was Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, and Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, and Supergirl, and Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Grant is a great writer. Grant is a brilliant writer.
Grant is not a writer for kids.
And Action Comics #1 isn’t for kids.
TUESDAY: Michael Davis
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| Cover: Dan Brereton |
This Halloween, Moonstone heads back to their monstrous roots with the Return of the Monsters Event. Return of the Monsters features four stand-alone tales of pulpâs mightiest heroes facing off against some classic monsters. One of those titles is The Black Bat vs. Dracula by Mike Bullock and Eric Johns. All Pulp sat down with the artist to talk about this upcoming book.
All Pulp: Tell us a little about yourself and your pulp interests.
Eric Johns: I’m just a regular guy, who spent far too much time studying the way the world works and the best way to record it. After unlocking some esoteric doors, I found my path as a Comic book artist. There are no limits to this format, all stories are possible, no production restraints, no boundaries like other mediums have.
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| Art: Eric Johns |
Having owned a comic book store, I’ve read all kinds of Pulp: John Carter, The Shadow, Tarzan, Conan, and Doc Savage to name a few off the top of my head. These guys trailblazed the way for the comic book heroes we know today. Pulps, directly or indirectly, influence nearly all creators in the comic field.
AP: Youâre providing pencils and inks for the Return of the Monsters Halloween event book, The Black Bat vs. Dracula. What can we expect from this titanic throw down?
EJ: Expect a captivating thrill ride, with a harrowing glimpse into Death Angel’s soul, as penned by the masterful Mike Bullock.
AP: The Black Bat vs. Dracula has a pulp hero battling a classic monster, a combination that even though done in some regards hasn’t ever really been done the way Moonstone is doing it with the Return of the Monster event. What do these genres have in common and how do they differ in ways that complement each other?
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| Art: Eric Johns |
EJ: Well both deal with the dark side. They both wield weird, often powerful abilities that make brawls and action sequences far above the realm of knuckles and the 40 inch vertical leap of mere humans.
The Heroes of Pulp fit nicely in opposition to the evil Monsters, completing the chess pieces necessary for battle. A battle between beings that can actually go toe to toe, or claw in some cases.
AP: The Return of the Monsters Halloween event brings back several classic monster archetypes to Moonstoneâs lineup. How does this version of Dracula compare and contrast to previous versions of the character?
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| Return of the Monsters Cover Art: Dan Brereton |
EJ: Well he compares in power and weaknesses, and is shadowed comfortably in the darkness, like previous incarnations. Mike Bullock’s version deviates only slightly from the classic, he hides in plain sight at the beginning. Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. (laughs.) He has long hair, but otherwise it’s our beloved Drac.
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| Art: Eric Johns |
AP: What appeals to you about pulp heroes battling classic monsters? What was it that excited you about visually pitting the Black Bat against the lord of the vampires?
EJ: Are you kidding me? Anytime you get to draw one of the classic monsters, it’s an opportunity not to be wasted.
AP: What, if any, existing pulp, monster, or comic book characters would you like to try your hand at drawing?
EJ: The Shadow, any of the Monsters, and Daredevil or Batman. My art style is probably better suited to Superman or Captain America, however, and I love both of those characters as well.
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| Art: Eric Johns |
AP: What does Eric Johns do when heâs not drawing?
EJ: I’m a strange mixture of nerd and athlete. Athnerd or dorklete. I play basketball and Magic the Gathering, and love my comics.
AP: Where can readers find learn more about you and your work?
EJ: For those willing to ask, I’m pretty accessible: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1058905780
AP: Any upcoming projects you would like to mention?
EJ: I’m illustrating “SGT. Janus: Spirit Breaker,” it’s prose style Pulp fiction. I could give accolades to this book and it’s writer, Gentleman Jim Beard, but it’s better to just relate what I told Jim. There is a fairy tale that he created, pure Jim Beard, but it resonated with me and my mind kept telling me, “I remember that story,” as I read it for the first time. That is profound writing!
AP: Thanks, Eric.
The Black Bat vs. Dracula is solicited in August Previews for an October in store release.
Let’s talk about writing fight scenes. Nothing to it, right? In this corner we got character A, in that corner we got character B, the bell rings, and they proceed to beat the poo out of each other until someone falls down. Simple, right? You just point the artists in the general direction, tell them how many pages they got, and collect your check. What could be more simple?
I’ll admit, I’ve pretty much done that some times. If I know the artist real well, I’ll give plot points that are to be covered and let them work their magic. However, I only do that if I know that the artist and I are on the same page about how fight scenes should go.
The fact of the matter is, fight scenes need not only to be choreographed, they need to be plotted and written. They need to build. Above all, they should serve the story and not simply be there for some random violence. The purpose of the story is to reveal character and so also is a fight scene.
The real question in any story is what does the protagonist want and how badly does he want it? It reveals who he really are as opposed to who he thinks he is. My late wife Kim used to play scenarios for me and ask me how I would feel or what I would do in such and such situation. I always told her, “I don’t know. Ask me when we get there.” All I could have told her what was I thought I would feel or do or how I hoped I would react. The truth is, those are all bound up in your idea of who you are. You don’t know until you’ve been there. Past experience may be an indication but it’s not a guarantee. Circumstances are always a little different and there’s any number of contributing factors that can alter the outcome.
In any scene (and that includes a fight scene), what a character does is determined by what they want. What is their goal? Usually there is more than one objective and sometimes these objectives are contradictory – we’ll talk about all that some other time – but let’s say there’s one essential goal that drives the protagonist. It’s not something they would like or they sorta kinda maybe want, it’s something they want. It is something that defines them. It is something they must get, must achieve, must save, must protect.
The opponent – the antagonist – is what’s in the way. It could be a person, it could be an army, it could be a wall, it could be a hurricane, it could be anything. In a regular scene, the objective could be relatively small but, in a fight scene, it usually comes down to something pretty primal.
The goal also can’t be easy for the protagonist to get. If the goal is to get through the wall, you look for a door. If the door is locked, you look for a key. If you don’t have a key, you try and kick it down. If the door’s re-enforced, you try to blow it up – or you give up. If giving up is not an option, then the protagonist has to find a way.
Notice there was a progression in the wall sequence. We try what is easiest first – rule of human nature and what’s true in real life should be true in our stories. You want the scene – any scene but especially a fight scene – to build. It gets harder for the protagonist as it goes. You blow it all in the first punch then you have nowhere to go and neither does your story. The protagonist has to struggle; it’s the only way we get to see who they really are. No struggle, no revelation. No point to the story.
Take boxing as an example. You have the champ and in this fight he goes up against a palooka. The palooka goes down and out in the first round. The fight is over and who cares? Palooka keeps getting up and coming at the champ and, win or lose, you’ve got Rocky.
Violence isn’t necessarily about two characters beating the poo out of each other, either. There’s emotional violence as well. Read or watch Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolff for some first class emotional violence. It can be small scale, it can be Grand Guingol, but violence – emotional or physical – creates conflict, tension, and reveals character.
Fight scenes, if you have them, are part of the story and they have to tell the story or they’re a waste of time and space and the reader’s attention. A good fight scene is about something. That’s what we’re looking for – and that’s what we have a right to expect.
MONDAY: Mindy Newell
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| Cover: Dan Brereton |
This Halloween, Moonstone heads back to their monstrous roots with the Return of the Monsters Event. Return of the Monsters features four stand-alone tales of pulpâs mightiest heroes facing off against some classic monsters. One of those titles called The Spider vs. The Werewolf by writer Martin Powell with art by Jay Piscopo. All Pulp sat down with Martin Powell about this upcoming book.
All Pulp: Tell us a little about yourself and your pulp interests.
Martin Powell: Iâve been a professional writer for over twenty-five years, and although Iâve written everything from educational science books to childrenâs stories, my creative roots have always been firmly set in the pulps. A neighborhood friend introduced me to the Doc Savage paperbacks when I was about eleven years old, and James Bamaâs fantastic ultra-realistic cover paintings really grabbed me. I just had to see what was going on inside those books.
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| Art: Jay Piscopo |
Finally, I found the paperbacks at a nearby department storeâthere seemed to be a zillion of them. My pocket contained just enough spare change for one bookâabout sixty centsâand it was a tough decision. Ultimately, “Devil on the Moon” came home with me, mostly because I was keenly fascinated by the Apollo 11 moon landing, and that evening I read the novel cover to cover. I was hooked.
I knew nothing whatsoever about pulp magazines, had never even heard of them. Although I did notice on the inside of the book that it had originally appeared in “Doc Savage Magazine” in 1938. I was very intrigued. I visited the big library downtown in search of back issues. No luck. Happily, I returned to the department store with some birthday money and bought six more paperbacks, but I didnât actually find and purchase my first authentic Doc Savage pulp magazine until about ten years later. Along the way I learned more about the pulps themselves, including other great characters like The Shadow, The Avenger, and especially The Spider, through the great books of Philip Jose Farmer.
Eventually I would collect the entire series of 182 Doc Savage paperback novels, and lots from the other characters, too, and today I have a nice collection of the original pulps which Iâd never ever part with.
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| Art: Jay Piscopo |
AP: Your story for the Return of the Monsters Halloween event is called The Spider Vs. The Werewolf. What can we expect from this titanic throw down?
MP: Actually, itâs called “The Werewolf War Massacres.” I couldnât resist giving it a more Norvell Page-inspired title. Hopefully Moonstone will go for that on the inside front cover. No one could dream up pulp titles like Norvell, and Iâve always tried to mimic him as best I can. As for the story itself, it has more depth, is more action-packed, is more vicious, and has richer characterization that most of what Iâve gotten to write for the Spider in the past, thanks to its greater page length. I had a lot more space to work with, which was a luxury. Itâs a horror story, to be sure, but itâs also about how the nightmare of war has changed two men.
AP: The Spider Vs. The Werewolf has a classic pulp hero battling a classic monster, a combination that even though done in some regards hasn’t ever really been done the way Moonstone is doing it with the Return of the Monsters event. What do these genres have in common and how do they differ in ways that complement each other?
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| Return of the Monsters Cover Art By Dan Brereton |
MP: Well, Iâve always thought of the Spider as a sort of werewolf himself, and Iâve written him that way, in that he seems to transform into an alternate personality. The real question in my Spider adventures is which is the true identity, Wentworth or his lethal alter-ego? Which one is wearing the mask? The Spider is sort of a composite of Count Dracula and Mr. Hyde. Heâs one of the original monster-heroes, and can be genuinely terrifying. The major difference is the Spider actually cares about us. Sure, heâs crazy as Renfield at times, but he also has a conscience, a lot of heart, and something of a messiah complex. It was a very easy, compatible fit combining the Master of Men with a gothic supernatural element. They seemed made for each other.
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| Art: Jay Piscopo |
AP: The Return of the Monsters Halloween event brings back several classic monster archetypes to Moonstoneâs lineup. How does this version of the Werewolf compare and contrast to previous versions of the character?
MP: This mystery-adventure is set in 1937, so the public at that time werenât very educated on exactly what werewolves were supposed to be. The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney, Jr. was still a few years away, so I based my monster mostly on lycanthrope mythology and folklore. Both the aspect of transforming under the full moon and being vulnerable only to silver weapons are Hollywood-created devices, so I ignored them. My werewolves change unpredictably, at any time, just like the creatures of legend. That makes them much more frightening and dangerous, and they are very tough to kill. However, I did strive to make the werewolf in this story ultimately a sympathetic character, which I think is very important. Heâs a creature without any personal physical control. He canât help himself.
AP: What appeals to you about pulp heroes battling classic monsters? What was it that excited you about pitting the Spider against a werewolf?

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| Art: Jay Piscopo |
 MP: Iâm always excited about a new Spider story, especially getting to write an adventure of this length. Also, although “The Werewolf War Massacres” is not exactly an origin tale, it does provide us with a gruesome glimpse into Richard Wentworthâs past while he was a soldier in World War One. We get to see the Spiderâs personae beginning to take form. The added excitement, for me, was finally getting to work with prolific artist Jay Piscopo, who understands and loves the 1930âs period pulp atmosphere as much as I do.
AP: Youâve been spearheading the Spiderâs comic book adventures for Moonstone. Whatâs ahead for the book and character?
MP: Thatâs largely up to Moonstone. We have discussed a couple ideas, both dealing with larger formats which Iâd really like to do. I have an especially massive apocalyptic epic in mind, with my regular Spider artist Hannibal King, which would resurrect one of the Spiderâs classic and most deadly enemies. Also, Jay Piscopo and I have had a grand sweeping adventure planned which would team-up the Spider, Operator 5, and G-8 and His Battle Aces for the very first time.
AP: What, if any, existing pulp, monster, or comic book characters would you like to try your hand at writing?
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| Cover: Dan Brereton |
MP: People who know me well realize that my favorite fictional worlds are the original 1933 King Kong, the classic Universal monster movies, the Hammer Studios horror films, and the Dark Shadows television series. So, I felt quite at home among the Spider and werewolves. Iâve written several Dracula stories over the past twenty-five years, and I just wrote a prose filmbook of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, which should be on sale before Halloween. I also have a new graphic novel reviving Dick Brieferâs classic pre-code Monster of Frankenstein horror series coming up, illustrated by Nik Poliwko, and will be published by Michael Hudsonâs Sequential Pulp Comics, an imprint of Dark Horse. I have something in the works specifically for The Creature from the Black Lagoon with another publisher, too, but thatâs all I can say for now. As for other pulp heroes, Iâd love a shot at Doc Savage someday. The Shadow, too. And Tarzan most of all.
AP: What does Martin Powell do when heâs not writing?
MP: Iâm a full-time writer, but I do have a lot of other interests. I havenât watched commercial or cable television since 2004, and I fill some of that time with model kit building, collecting vintage books, and hunting for fossils. Some of my best times are spent playing with our beagle and three cats in our newly purchased 1925 bungalow, which weâre decorating in its proper 20s and 30s period. I suspect gardening will become another passion come next spring, now that we have our own yard. Among other things, Iâm really looking forward to growing my own pumpkin patch. As Vincent Price once said, “Thereâs a whole world up on the stage and screen, but thereâs a bigger world off of them. The person who limits their interests, limits their life.”
AP: Where can readers find learn more about you and your work?
MP: You can find me on Facebook and at my Blog.
https://www.facebook.com/martin.powell1
http://martinpowell221bcom.blogspot.com/
AP: Any upcoming projects you would like to mention?
MP: Yes! Iâm very excited to be writing a number of graphic novels for Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics. Currently in the works are Martians, Go Home, The Hound of the Baskervilles, the Frankenstein book I already mentioned, plus a very cool upcoming werewolf project. Also, Iâm writing several graphic novels based upon books by Edgar Rice Burroughs and licensed by his estate, including Caspak: The Land That Time Forgot, Number 13 (based on The Monster Men), and The Cave Girl, with more to come which I canât talk about yet. All dream projects, to be sure. However, Iâm most excited about the first graphic novel of my The Halloween Legion, from the same publisher. Itâs a very exciting, very productive time for me. Iâm very lucky.
AP: Thanks, Martin.
MP: Itâs been fun. Thank you.
The Spider vs. The Werewolf is solicited in August Previews for an October in store release.
When we first heard that the reboot of the X-Men film franchise was being set in the 1960s, there was a lot of head scratching going on. But once you stopped to consider the ages of the characters, a lot of it began to make sense. Of course, the first thing you need to do is totally forget about the source material. There are just too many elements that have been radically changed from the comics that it would just hurt your head. Instead, focus on the film as a prequel to a trilogy that more often than not has done a fabulous job adapting the merry mutants to the silver screen.
I’ve been a big fan of Matthew Vaughn’s work for a while now, so I was thrilled that he finally got a chance to try his hand at the X-Men. His work adapting other comics, Stardust and Kick-Ass, prove he has a good handle on what to keep, what to toss, and what to change. Here, he keeps the friendship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr at the core of the story. Thankfully, Vaughn cast Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as the leads because both do superb jobs.
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