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ALL PULP’S SITE SPOTLIGHT-FANTASTIC PULP!

site suggested by Phil Bledsoe

http://www.fantasticpulp.com/

From the Site-



Welcome!

The Shadow, the Phantom, Doc Savage, the Green Lama, Fu Manchu, the Lone Ranger. These are all characters that share the heritage of pulp magazines. Not the only ones of course, in fact only a very small fraction of the characters that have had stories told about them for over eighty years.

Think of it. It’s a tradition that dates back even farther, to the mid 1800s. They have given readers enjoyment and escapism during the darkest times of the 1900s, and enjoyed a renaissance in the 1960s and ‘70s. Even now, care of publishers such as DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, new readers are getting exposed to some of these great characters. It’s not enough. As good as these characters are, they are, as I said, a small contingent. Unfortunately, most people have never heard of the vast majority of characters that were published on the cheap wood-pulp paper that was the only commercial option for some of these publishers.

Part of the problem is that most people only think of characters like The Shadow or Doc Savage as pulp characters. Yet, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, and Zorro are all pulp hero characters. Tarzan, Sheena and Hopalong Cassidy are as well. To me, everything that was published in that time, on that paper, are pulp stories.

I’ve been told that I’m being overly broad with this definition. I suppose I understand that, but my goal here is to celebrate the glorious history of an, in my opinion, under-appreciated meta-genre of stories that deserve to be shared with as many people as possible.

Fantastic Pulp is dedicated to those wonderful and sometimes cheesy stories of old, but also the newer generation of stories that have started to appear. Both my co-publisher and myself have written stories inspired by these great stories, we have a Doctor Who enthusiast who is eager to share his appreciation of the character, who I feel is the embodiment of the newer pulp tradition. We also have a pulp researcher, a comics enthusiast and more.

In short, enjoy this ongoing tour through the pulp tradition. If you would like to join in, feel free to email us at editor@fantasticpulp.com or join us on our forums. Have your own pulp related website? Let’s talk about advertising or link exchanges. We want people to contribute and talk, be able to meet other enthusiasts. Please, join us and have fun!

A BOOK A DAY-Growing Up With Monsters!!!

A BOOK A DAY-Growing Up With Monsters!!!

monsters_coverfront.jpg

 
Growing Up With Monsters: My Times at Universal Studios in Rhymes

By Carla Laemmle and Daniel Kinske, LCDR, USN

Foreword by Ray Bradbury

Illustrated by Jack Davis and Hermann Mejia

A lovely book that tells the true story of how the classic Universal Studios Monsters were born from a centenarian who was there when it happened. Enjoy Carla’s tale of growing up on her uncles Universal Studio Lot from 1921 to 1937 and not only witnessing the filming of such early classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923, but actually being in The Phantom of the Opera in 1925 and Dracula in 1931, where her “bit” part was that of having the first line of spoken dialogue in that perennial classic vampire film. Beware of vampires and hearses, but enjoy her story’s verses! Wonderfully illustrated by MAD Magazines Jack Davis and Hermann Mejia. Foreword provided by master of horror and SCI-FI, Ray Bradbury.

Fortier Nails the Latest Mike Hammer Novel with an ALL PULP REVIEW!

ALL PULP REVIEWS
KISS HER GOODBYE
By Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
270 pages
Available 25 May 2011
This book, the third Mike Hammer thriller begun by the late Spillane and completed by his protégé Collins, takes place in the mid 1970s.  Hammer is in sunny Florida recuperating from several bullet wounds; the results of a shoot-out on the New York City docks with the crazy son of a mob boss.  Emotionally wounded as well as physically, Hammer has fled the Big Bad Apple, deserting his friends and most importantly the one truly love of his life, Velda.  He is determined to spend the rest of his days basking in the sun and deep sea fishing.  But when his pal, Detective Pat Chambers calls with the news that his old mentor, Inspector Doolan is dead, an apparent suicide, Hammer has no choice but to pack it up and return to the asphalt jungle.
So begins one of the most convoluted mysteries the tough-as-nails Hammer has ever confronted.  Doolan had been diagnosed with cancer and his days were numbered.  Everyone, including the coroner, is convinced he shot himself in the heart before the end became too painful to endure.  Hammer doesn’t buy it, even though the evidence is stacked against him.  It doesn’t feel right.  His love of the old war horse tells him Doolan would never have succumbed to what he always referred as “the coward’s” way out.
No sooner does Hammer start poking around, visiting Doolan’s friends and a few of his enemies, then he and Pat stumble on the body of a young waitress stabbed to death only a few blocks from the funeral service for Doolan.  Is it random coincident; just another senseless death on the mean streets of the city?  If so, then why does the newly appointed, highly ambitious assistant district attorney show up at the crime scene?  What is her interest in a supposedly routine slaying?  With each passing hour, Hammer uncovers facts that on the surface appear totally unconnected. From a former gangland heir operating the city’s fanciest disco for the rich and famous to a legendary jewel with ties to Nazis war criminals living in South America. 
Couple this with Hammer’s own confused emotions about being back in the steel canyons he both loves and hates and the stage is set for a slam-bang adventure unlike any the savvy gumshoe has ever encountered.  This book is packed with fast guns and dames and plenty of punches all culminating in a shootout that makes the Gunfight at the OK Corral look like a picnic! In a world that has become soft and compromised with the corruption of “political correctness,”  having Mike Hammer back to plow through the BS and uncover the truth, no matter the cost, is a jolt of clear headed sanity we all need lots more of.

ALL PULP PANEL- WHAT IS PULP?!?

It’s been a while, but the ALL PULP Panel is back!  And this time around we’re asking a simply phrased question that is really quite a complicated conundrum.    We are all pulp fans, writers, artists, creators, etc. here at ALL PULP and with what many are calling the Pulp Renaissance in full swing, one question begs to be asked…Just what qualifies a story as pulp?  What things have to be in a tale for it to be considered pulp fiction?

Now, here are some rules-You can only list three things that you believe make a story a pulp story.  They can be the same three things as someone else, they can be different, but only three.  Now, it may take more than three things to make a tale pulp, but you can only list three.

You can discuss your three, argue for or against someone else’s choices, and just tear loose-AS LONG AS YOU ARE RESPECTFUL.  ALL PULP reserves the right not to post replies or comments that are rude or disrespectful to individuals.

OK, so there it is…What three aspects need to be in a story to make it pulp? 

If you want to join in, send your comments to allpulp@yahoo.com and your response will be posted!  Comment as many times as you like….so without further ado, let the Panel procede-

From Luis Guillermo Del Corral
Well, in my humble opinion, there are the 3 aspects that make a pulp story:

-Plot driven. A solid charismatic plot. Pulp is about things happening. Even when the characters are talking between them, the dialogue must flow in a way that makes flow the plot and story.

-Adventure!: This can be space opera, or a mystery story. A PI doing his job, a hero battling evildoers. An expedition searching a lost city in the Arabic desert… must be something larger than life.

-Fun!.Ok, this is very subjective, but pulp is evasion, entertainment. get away from anxieties and problems for a moment, allowing us to relax and believe in other, more appealing worlds.

Oh, and thanks for this chance of being on the Panel ^^
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How Are We Going To Save The Comic Industry? Flashpoint Buttons!

Dateline: Dallas. The ComicsPRO Annual Membership Meeting. Improving comic stores and growing the market were the themes at this year’s ComicsPRO Annual Membership Meeting. Comic book retails descended upon Texas to meet with over 20 sponsors… including top comic publishers and distributors. This year’s topic? “Ideas for marketing and metrics to improve efficiency in comic book store sales.” Simply put: How do we get our asses out of the fire, just a little bit longer?

Many notable names and faces spoke, including Spawn’s creator (you do remember Spawn, don’t you?) Todd MacFarlane, IDW’s CEO Ted Adams, as well as DC big-wigs, Dan Didio and Jim Lee. While we won’t bore you with all the details… suffice to say? We’re not holding our breath for a revolution. As tablets become prevalent with hipsters and the Beiber-clan, so will digital comic distribution. And while the big boys have made a few comments regarding integration of digital comic purchasing THROUGH comic stores… face it. If you can buy comics in your underwear in mom’s basement, or have to actually put on pants… we’re betting at  least SOME people will choose to stay home. That’s less business for the stores. With 2010 comic sale’s down from the year before, and many stores facing diminishing returns… it was DC’s marketing initiative that caught our eye.

So, what did DC bring to the table to help the local comic store drive the unwashed masses to their brick and mortars? Buttons! Glorious Flashpoint buttons! Less plastic then those Blackest Night rings you all died to get… But perhaps with a pointy end, allowing you to proclaim to the world your love of Cyborg,  or Casino-Batman via your trendy messenger bag.

This is supposed to drive us back to the stores in droves? This is what will save a dying comic store from shutting it’s doors? 2 cents of plastic and tin, with nifty logo celebrating yet-another-crossover we’ll likely mock and or forget by next year? Well ComicMixers… what do YOU think?

New Full-Length Thor Trailer Delivers

New Full-Length Thor Trailer Delivers

We, the fair and proud gentlemen of mirth, aka Comic Book Enthusiasts, have a new reason to celebrate forthwith! The mighty gods from the House of Ideas has given birth to a new trailer for their forthcoming magical visage of the thunder god himself. Yay, my brethren, Marvel hath beseech-ed unto us several minutes of the mighty Thor in action. Behold, through the power of the interwebsphere… and the arcane magicks of “embedded code”… THOR! (Cue the lightning. Wait. We don’t have lightning? Come on! I’m trying to set the mood here. What do you mean the mic is still on? I don’t believe you. Wait. Oh crap. Just play the danged video now, OK?)

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND BULLDOG EDITION 1/18/11

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND
BULLDOG EDITION
1/18/11
SEVEN REALMS ANNOUNCES SIGNING OF AUTHOR AND NEW SCI FI THRILLER!
From Seven Realms Publishing-

Publishing is an exciting and wonderful business to be in. Not only do we have the opportunity to work with some of the biggest and brightest stars in the business, but we have the opportunity to discover rising stars as well! And that’s just exactly what Nicholas Tanguma represents for Seven Realms. He is one author that you will be hearing a lot about in the future, we guarantee it and are just absolutely excited to introduce him to you and all of Readerdom!

In the tradition of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti, Nicholas is bringing to Seven Realms his dark and imaginatively adventurous Sci-Fi Thriller tentatively entitled “SONS OF GOD AND DAUGHTERS OF MEN“!

Here’s a synopsis of the novel:

There is a door to Hell, and it’s about to be opened.

In the not too distant future, the earth is in absolute chaos. Israel and Persia volley nukes after inflation of the Iranian economy hits one million percent. Japan of the Republic of Greater East Asia invades the Arab pipeline fields. The Mullahs of the Middle East are directing chemical jihad for their countries’ dwindling oil reserves. And the United States of North America and the fundamentalist Nation of God are in economic crises after splitting during the Second Civil War.

In the midst of it all is the enigmatic Phaelon, the world’s most secretive and murderous religious synod. But they have discovered something even more terrifying than hydrogen missiles or dirty bombs…something even more diabolical than economic espionage. They have stumbled upon their greatest enemy to date…an undying and demonically invincible woman who has found the doors to Hell itself and isn’t afraid to open them.

The synod, seeking to prevent this from happening, assigns three of their best employees to stop Hell-on-Earth: Jeremiah Nicholas, a wet work asset specializing in linguistics and untraceable weaponry; Sayo Tomo, a scholar whose entire career with the Phaelon has been to hunt their occultic arch enemy; and Tamara St. James, a woman trained in espionage and assignation by Jeremiah Nicholas himself, who was once his lover before her growing skills turned her into a competitor.

To keep mankind from falling prey to a prematurely triggered Judgment Day, the three charge after their target into the world’s international deadzones, where a preternatural weapon has macrobiotically frozen the Balkan States of Europe and nuclear fallout has ravaged the once fearsome mujihadeen of the Turkic Shari’a Nation into mutagenic cannibals.

Sons of God and Daughters of Men combines the neon cyberpunk grit of techno-noir, the pertinence of a smart political thriller, and the rich language textures of beautifully surrealistic weird fiction into a dreamscape that’s never been seen before!

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, wait until you read it! In the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing a few excerpts for you to get a taste of this incredibly rich science fiction thriller!

BIO:
Nicholas Tanguma attended university to learn to write novels.  He then dropped out of university to write novels.  This is his first book.

SONS OF GOD AND DAUGHTERS OF MEN will be released early 2012!

PULP AUTHOR PROMOTES LATEST WORKS AND AN OLD FAVORITE!

From Author Kevin Paul Shaw Broden-

FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY
by Kevin Paul Shaw Broden and Shannon Muir
“Flying Glory can Survive Anything…” Or Can She?
You’ll have to read the latest page of “Looking for a Love Song” at http://www.flying-glory.com to find out.
REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST
by Kevin Paul Shaw Broden
As the author takes a break to rewrite early chapters return with us to the beginning as a terrifying figure
steps in out of the darkness in: Chapter 1 – “A Ghost out of the Storm”

Playing with Toy Fair 2011: Recap, Part I

lion-o1_wr1-137x300-7377489lion-o2_wr-91x300-4630422Having fun at Toy Fair is hard work.

OK, So I’m not likely to get much sympathy about the “hard work” bit, but Toy Fair is an overwhelming experience at which toy manufacturers will show off their wares for retailers, wholesalers, and the press from around the world. Anything and everything from yo-yos to high ticket collectibles and everything in between. But on to the fun stuff.

The venerable cartoon “Thundercats” is getting  a reboot soon, and Bandai showed off a complete line of  4″ figures. They also had 8″ figures done of classic “Lion-O” and “Tygra.” Take a look at the difference between new and classic “Lion-O” (again – keep in mind that the Classic figure is really twice the size of the New one).

The 4″ figures have a magnet embedded in their backs that activate features in  other playsets & accessories. Of course, if you want Snarf, ya gotta get the ThunderTank. Ain’t that always the case?

(more…)

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND NIGHTHAWK EDITION 1/16/11

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND
NIGHTHAWK EDITION
1/16/11
ALL PULP WANTS YOU TO REPORT AND REVIEW!
All Pulp still has two of its three newly created open positions available for someone interested in reporting on Pulp News and doing reviews of pulp materials, such as books, comics, etc.  One position has been filled and an announcement is forthcoming about that, but two positions are still open.  The expansion of staff is due to the fact that original founding members of ALL PULP, the Bespectacled Seven, are extremely busy within the Pulp world and the success of ALL PULP has even taken them by surprise!  More quality help is needed to insure that Pulp fans get All the News that is Pulp every day!
If interested in this position, contact Tommy Hancock at allpulp@yahoo.com for details!
PULP AUTHOR/PUBLISHER ON PODCAST!
Ron Fortier, Airship 27 Partner as well as noted comic and pulp author appeared on The Outhouse Pirate Podcasst (http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/podcasts-a-video/122/12443-outhouse-podcast-39-ron-fortier-interview.html).  Fortier reported that this podcast clocked in at over three hours. In fact, they were so keyed about the time Fortier spent talking pulps, they want him to come back and do a show solely on the pulps and their connections to comics.
PULP EMPIRE ANNOUNCES NEW RELEASE!
From Pulp Empire-
That time has finally come… the print edition of Pulp Empire Volume Four is now available! It is our biggest collection to date, jam packed with 13 amazing stories, all for only 18 bucks!

Or if you are a digital sort of reader, you can get an even more amazing deal: you can get the entire book for the low, low download price of $3. Pick it up, set it to your favorite e-reader, and enjoy!

There is only one sure fire way to support all of our authors at Pulp Empire and that is to buy our book!

 

ALL PULP’S SITE SPOTLIGHT-The Vintage Library!!!

http://www.vintagelibrary.com/index.php

From the site’s introduction-

Welcome to the Vintage Library! We are a specialty, online bookstore featuring the fantastic worlds of Pulp Fiction, Old Time Radio and Cliffhanger Serials. We have over a thousand different, brand new books, magazines, fanzines, audio cds and dvds for you to choose from. We also carry a limited selection of used and rare books, original pulp fiction magazines and other collectors items. Online since May 10, 1997, we realize that this is a hobby for you and we want to make ordering as easy and hassle free as possible. If you are unhappy with what you receive, we’ll make it right!