Tagged: fan

FORTIER TAKES ON ‘GIRL GENIUS’!

  • News
  • March 15, 2012

ALL PULP REVIEWS- Reviews by Ron Fortier
GIRL GENIUS
(Agatha Awakens)
By Phil & Kaja Foglio
A 319 pg graphic novel.
Tor Books
One of the things I bemoan as a professional reviewer is the lack of graphic novels I’m sent to look at.  Note I did say, “look at.”  The fun of such material is that, when well done, it becomes both a literary and visual feast; a narrative told with both words and art.
The problem is that, even in our supposed enlightened times, most major publishers still do not appreciate or acknowledge graphic novels as legitimate and thus are not receptive to publishing them.  Those pioneer publishers who do are few and far apart.  Happily Tor Books is one of the leading pioneers in this acknowledgement and they deserve credit for not only publishing books such as the Foglios’ “Girl Genius” but also promoting them so heavily.
Since its inception as a webstrip many years ago, this manga inspired sci-fi steampunk comic about airships, monsters, half-humanoid beings and a magical talent called “the Spark,” has won three Hugo Awards and been nominated for both the Eisner & Eagle Awards; the best for American and British strips respectively.  It is a grand, over-the-top tale that showcases a world where machines are looked upon with fear by the average citizen and those scientist who can master them considered heroes of mythic proportions.
Agatha Clay, an orphan college student in Transylvania, is being raised by her aunt and uncle and has no knowledge that she possesses the Spark.  Her only clue being that she often awakens from deep sleeps in her uncle’s workshop surrounded by tools and bizarre, unfinished, “cranks.”  These are robot-like inventions that come in all sizes and shapes with a variety of functions.  Eventually, her secret ability begins to assert itself and she comes under the scrutiny of Baron Wulfenbach, one of the most powerful political scientist in all the world.  He ultimately brings her aboard his city-size airship and there she meets an assortment of characters, both human and half-human, along with a talking cat with attitude and the Baron’s handsome young son, Gilgamesh. 
The boy is keen enough to realize Agatha has the Spark and suspects her talents are greater than most others known to his father.  At the same time, the great ship is coming other attack by an alien entity from another dimension and in the end, there is a climatic battle wherein Agatha, using her gifts consciously for the first time, helps Gilgamesh save the day.  But not before she uncovers other mysteries of her past and her parents.  In the end she is forced to steal an airship and along with her pal, the feisty talking cat, makes good her escape, thus ending the first part of her saga.
At 319 pages, “Agatha Awakens” is a whopping chunk of madcap, graphic fun and action galore.  Although the first hundred pages display a roughness to the depiction of the characters, it is easy to reconcile this was the first year’s worth of pages and the artists were gradually beginning to know their characters.  By the second hundred pages, the art settles into an easy, cartoony style that is part manga, without being overly exaggerated, and typical Saturday morning fare.  I particularly liked the use of coloring, which has been redone for this collection.  It shifts from the duotone and sepia when detailing earthbound city scenes and then explodes with a vibrant rainbow palette upon arriving at the giant airships that cruise majestically through the sky.
Agatha and her supporting cast of characters are fresh, original and fun.  This beautifully produced hardcover is like nothing else I’ve read in graphic form and it truly impressed me a great deal.  If you are a fan of American manga, sci-fi or steampunk, you are going to love “Girl Genius – Agatha Awakens.”  Take my advice; get two copies, one for yourself and another for your pre-teen kids or grand kids. They’ll eat it up.

The Point Radio: The Good News Is GRIMM

NBC‘S GRIMM has come a long way since it’s fall debut – building decent ratings and a huge fan base. Series star, David Giuntoli talks about the major ride coming up for fans in the remainder of this season. Plus – a VENOM movie – are they finally serious?

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 Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

REVIEW: Fan Favorites: MacGyver

23893_macgyver_ff_dvd_3d-290x450-9963472CBS Home Entertainment this week released seven Best of samplers from their library after letting the fans pick which episodes should be included. On Monday and Tuesday we looked at the six sitcoms but since the last one was a one-hour action show, we set that one aside.

Since its debut in 1985, MacGyver has been a fondly recalled series for both its inventiveness and for its appealing lead acting, Richard Dean Anderson. What’s interesting is that a cocreator for this was Henry Winkler who, 20 years earlier, became a smash success on Happy Days, also a part of the set. The show was popular enough to make through the 1991-1992 season and the lead’s ability to take common place elements to get out of tricky situations was popular enough to be parodied elsewhere. (more…)

FORTIER TAKES ON TRASH ‘N’ TREASURES!

  • News
  • March 4, 2012

ALL PULP REVIEWS- by Ron Fortier

ANTIQUES DISPOSAL
A Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery
Barbara Allan
Kensington Books
230 pages

Vivian Borne is an eccentric antiques dealer who lives in Serenity, a small Midwestern  town situated on the banks of the Mississippi river.  She lives with her daughters, Peggy Sue and Brandy.  Together Vivian and Brandy solve murders that in one way or another deal with the business of antiquing.  Which is the simplest way to describe this series, of which this book is the sixth and has been described by other reviewers as being a “cozy” series if anyone really knows exactly what that means.
As a fan of hardboiled detective fiction, I’m assuming “cozy” refers to those mysteries wherein the protagonist is a little old lady ala Agatha Christie’s popular Miss Marple books or the old Angela Landsbury TV show, “Murder She Wrote.”  In other words, not my particular brand of tea; I prefer a headier beverage literature.  Still, every now and then one desires to try something different.  I decided I’d take a chance with “Antiques Disposal.”
It is probably one of the smartest things I’ve done in a while.  Why?  Well simply because the book is so damn funny, I honestly couldn’t put it down.  And the characters!  Oh, my God, is there a more dysfunctional group then the Borne girls?  Remember I said Brandy was Vivian’s youngest daughter?  Well she’s actually Peggy Sue’s daughter.  Yup.  Echoes of “Chinatown.”  You see Peggy Sue got herself “in trouble” as a young, unmarried girl and left her baby with her mother to raise figuring it was best for the child.  Did I mention Vivian suffers from a bi-polar disorder and is on medication?  Never mind that Brandy herself has a daughter….oh, forget it.  Its way too complicated for me to keep track of after only one visit with this eclectic bunch.  The thing is the writing is so clean and precise, even though you haven’t read those first five books  (something I hope to one day correct) the reader just goes with the flow.  There is a charm and decency to these characters that immediately grabbed me and had me caring for them from page one. 
Look, here’s what every true mystery fan knows as a fact, series fail or succeed not on how brilliant the crimes are staged and then solved, but on how appealing and original the heroes are.  Don’t believe me, give this some thought.   Early fans of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson came to demand more stories from Arthur Conan Doyle to read more about them and not the mysteries they dealt with, those became incidental.  The same can be said of every solid mystery series from Sam Spade, to Nero Wolfe and Nate Heller.  In fact one of those famous shamus plays a huge part in this book’s climatic dénouement finale in such a hilarious way, I will not spoil it for you.  It’s just too damn funny.
Okay, if you really need to know the plot, here it is.  Vivian and Brandy go to a storage unit auction, wherein the person who owned the unit stopped paying rental fees on it and the manager is legally free to sell its contents to recoup his or her loses.  These auctions have become very common among antique dealers and I believe there is even a reality show based on the practice.  So our two ladies end up winning the bid, begin transporting the boxed contents to their home and cataloguing them; everything perfectly normal and routine.  Until they return to the storage facility for their second trip and find the manager dead in the now empty unit.  The very next night someone breaks into Vivian’s home, attacks Peggy Sue leaving her unconscious and nearly kill’s Brandy’s loveable little blind poodle, Sushi.
From this point forward, both Vivian and Brandy are on the hunt for the killer and how they go about it so entertaining, pages simply fly by.  Sure, I was playing along and looking for clues too, but honestly, it was the ride I was enjoying to the max.  Bottom line, if all of the Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mysteries are as wonderful as “Antiques Disposal,” then sign me up for the long haul.
Hey, even if you end up not liking the book, did I mention there are recipes for chocolate brownies in it?  Now how can you go wrong with that? 

FORTIER TAKES ON THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY!

  • News
  • February 17, 2012

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY
By Barry Reese
Pro Se Productions
230 Pages
As much as most writers enjoy creating new series characters, eventually many of them, after writing the adventures of the same cast multiple times, start to feel the burden of familiarity.  Add to the fact that each new volume often builds upon the fictional cast from allies to recurring villains so that eventually the poor writer is saddled with a huge ensemble that he or she feels compelled to include in each new story.  These moments of repetitive angst seemed to be evident in Reese’s last volume of his Rook series.  For the uninitiated, the Rook is a masked vigilante created by Reese years ago as his entry into the new pulp community and was an instant success among fans; this reviewer included.
Still, by the sixth volume of that character’s exploits, the sheen of newness had faded and the Rook stories started becoming more about the supporting cast rather than the central hero.  Like Arthur Conan Doyle’s ultimate dissatisfaction with his own creation, Sherlock Holmes, Reese somehow seemed to be struggling to keep the Rook afloat.  It was clearly time for him to move on to something new and with this collection, he has done just that in a most triumphant way.
Lazarus Gray is Reese’s new hero and is an homage to the classic Avenger series, wherein we have our mysterious leading man aided and abetted by a team of loyal assitants; in this case a trio.  Together they are known as Assistance Unlimited.  Although Gray’s creation was part of a shared world that included two other heroes, Reese clearly found his old muse with these new characters and has produced some of his best, most energetic and enjoyable fiction to date.  These stories move at a breakneck speed and are filled with memorable characters and well delivered action to match anything done in the days of the old pulps.
At the beginning of the volume, we meet  an amnesiac washed ashore on the beach of Sovereign City with a strange medallion around his name on which is embossed the words Lazarus Gray.  Within minutes of awakening, an assassin dressed as a police officer attempts to kill him, but Gray is more than a match for him and is the victor.  Perplexed at his background, he assumes the name on the medallion and sets about creating a new life for himself as a champion of the underdog, the lost and impoverished while at the same time investigating his own unknown past.
Along the way he acquires three unique followers: Morgan Watts, a one time crook, Samantha Grace, a blonde debutante with both brains and beauty and Eun Jiwon, a Korean martial artists. All three are fiercely loyal to each other and Gray for various reasons and always eager to go into battle with him.  Reese’s ability to define this trio and breathe life into them is deft and although they do represent classic iconic pulp figures, he also injects original personal touches that set them apart in a truly refreshing way.
Having been a fan of the Rook series from the start, I had come to expect a certain level of quality from Reese.  That this collection totally blew those expectations out of the water was one of the best surprises this reviewer has had in a long while.  “The Adventures of Lazarus Gray” is by far the best work Barry Reese has ever produced and I predict will soon build an even larger fandom than that of his Rook tales.
One point does require mentioning and that is the last story in this volume appears in print for the second time.  It was first printed in “The Rook – Volume Six” and is a team up between the two heroes.  I have no problem with the publisher reprinting the story, but a notice of such should have been made in the book’s indicia.  Which brings about a minor goof because this story was clearly written before the others, although chronologically it appears last.  In this book Gray discovers his true identity as being one Richard Winthrop, yet in “Darkness, Spreading Its Wings of Black” we are told he was Richard Davenport. 
Finally let me add this book is a gorgeously designed package with a wonderful cover by graphic artist Anthony Castrillo and superb interior illustrations by George Sellas. So what are you waiting for?  Go pick up “The Adventures of Lazarus Gray,” you’ll be happy you did.  You can thank me later.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT….SLIGHTLY…TO ‘CALLER ID’

  • News
  • February 14, 2012

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock
CALLER ID
Rachelle J. Christensen
Cedar Fort
Sometimes the four lines describing something that has a cool cover are enough to pull someone into reading a book.  And sometimes, even for a fan of almost any even slightly Pulp hinting piece of prose like me, that handful of lines turns out to be the best part of the experience.
‘Caller ID’ is a story of a young lady who accidentally stumbles upon evidence of something going on out of the ordinary around her idyllic, wealthy home and lifestyle.   Literally into a marijuana field and accidentally onto a name on a Caller ID screen that is supposed to be the first step into the harrowing adventure ahead.
Kidnapped and held prisoner, our young heroine works fervently to piece the mystery around her together and to escape.  Meanwhile, her family brings in the FBI, including Agent Jason Edwards, who makes it his singular mission to rescue her and sort out all the details.
‘Caller ID’ has moments of suspense.  It has several scenes that can be described as tense and action filled.  There’s also an undercurrent of mystery and a countercurrent, it seems, of romance.   The author handles words well and there’s quite a bit of potential within this book, but it doesn’t ever make up its mind what sort of book it is.  Even if it is a suspense romance as its been billed, it doesn’t even clearly define itself that way.   The book opens with a promising build up of the heroine, then focus shifts to the possible villains, then back to her, then to the Agent and at that point, the narrative completely loses focus.  The resolution is telegraphed far too soon and that’s even not tied up well as there’s a last minute twist that lacks credulity. 
TWO OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-‘Caller ID’ could have been high octane, tense, and still developed a romance between clearly defined characters.  Instead it just sort of rambled without really going anywhere exciting.  

Review: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary
By Jason Fry
DK Publishing, 104 pages, $19.99

sw-phanto-menace-expanded-visual-dictionary-300x362-2777958Timed for the 3-D release of the most reviled movie in the six film set, it might be appropriate to take this opportunity to reassess the first installment in the modern era trilogy. Jason Fry, a DK veteran, updates and, well, expands the original edition of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, originally written by David West Reynolds. Obviously, this edition can now put the characters and settings into context since the subsequent two films are now part of the public consciousness while the 1999 edition could only cover what was seen in this first part.

In keeping with the format, we get two page looks at people, places and things, providing details with large color pictures and cutaways. The opening spread sets the stage and explains what the Phantom Menace is, the galactic politics at the time and the threat posed by Darth Maul and his acolyte.

Of course, over the course of the four dozen entries, we get our favorite characters, droids, hardware, spacecraft, and other elements. It’s a feast for the eyes and the writing is clear and sharp, making it easily comprehendible for young readers on up.

It’s the visual designs that cause us to reconsider. Yes, the story was lacking, the acting flat, and Jar Jar Binks is just plain annoying. I’ll stipulate to all of that so we can note that George Lucas and his design team really took advantage to bring these alien worlds, races, and tools to life. Of late, Lucas has made much of the compromises he had to make on the initial movie where the budget and production realities of the mid-1970s couldn’t possibly bring his vision to reality.

The alien makeups and designs, such as Yarael Poof of the Jedi High Council, or even the winged Watto show a universe far more diverse than anything possible in the first movie. There’s a scope to Coruscant that couldn’t be found on Tatooine. Where Lucas may have gone too far was in high polished everything appears here compared with the more worn look of the worlds visited in the original (and still superior) trilogy.

Where this book could have been stronger was in its organization since there are no chapters or design elements, we go from a handful of Jedi to an invasion force to battle droids and so on. It therefore has a hodgepodge feel that takes away from the overall useful of the volume. As a result, any time you need an entry, you have to go back to the Table of Contents.

There’s just enough information and detail here to tell you what you really need to know and let the real diehard fans and researchers find more data in the various compendia from DelRey Books’ line. If you’re a longtime fan or are just discovering this far, far away galaxy, this is a great primer.

 

ROUND TWO-Andrew Salmon Guest Reviews FELONY FISTS!

  • News
  • February 5, 2012

AN UPPERCUT ABOVE THE REST

A Review of Paul Bishop’s FELONY FISTS

by Andrew Salmon

Back in the day, sports pulps, including boxing pulps, were as common as Westerns or Romance magazines on newsstands everywhere. People thrilled to action-packed, fist-flying tales of fictional sports heroes in action. And anyone who knows their pulp history might tell you that those days are over.

Well, they haven’t read Paul Bishop’s Felony Fists!

Move over James Ellroy, there’s a new kid roaming the dark alleys of 1950s Los Angeles. Part of the Fight Card line from Fight Card Productions, Bishop’s Felony Fists, published under the byline Jack Tunney, tells the story of Patrick “Felony” Flynn a hardnosed police officer with the LAPD and boxer. Flynn can’t resist a good scrap and is trying to parlay his impressive arrest record into an invitation to the Hat Squad – the elite crew of detectives keeping La-La Land’s streets clean. So when Chief Parker wants to put a crimp in Mickey Cohen’s plans to take over the fight game, he turns to the best boxer on the squad. Flynn’s task is no piece of cake. He has to beat Cohen’s title contender and beat him soundly.

What follows is one delicious slice of bygone Los Angeles. Felony Fists is a winner on every level. The book is lean, mean and authentic and it’s one no fan of hardboiled fiction will want to miss. The boxing scenes are visceral, bloody and you feel like you’ve gone toe to toe with Flynn’s opponents by the time you’re through. Throw in some fine police work, corruption, intrigue, blackmail and deception and Felony Fists lays out an irresistible buffet.

Paul Bishop is the real deal, folks. If you’re a pulp fan, boxing fan or just love a hard-hitting, down and dirty mean streets pot-boiler, then Bishop has your poison. Without doubt one of the best New Pulp releases of 2011. This was my first Bishop work and it won’t be my last. I give Felony Fists my highest recommendation. Do not miss it!

Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level

Star Trek: The Next Generation had to do a lot to convince fans of Gene Roddenberry’s trendsetting original series that it was the same vision, merely updated. By then, there had been two decades of just Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The fans felt a certain ownership having saved it from cancellation during the original network run and then created an unprecedented following that led to an animated series and four feature films. The notion of continuing the series and setting it 78 years in the future left people wary.

The turmoil surrounding the birth of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the haphazard production of the first season had fans even more concerned before the new show debuted in late September 1987. In those early Internet days, word still spread at warp speed as familiar names David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana joined and left staff while other producers and writers seemed to be named with startling regularity.

The show survived a very shaky first year and matured into another trendsetting series that paved the way for tons of syndicated fare and showed that the Star Trek brand could be extended. And now, the second series has to prove itself all over again. The special effects for the seven seasons were produced using video production techniques, making it difficult to upgrade to Blu-ray. But not impossible.

Last September, CBS Home Entertainment announced they had solved the technical dilemma in a cost effective away, allowing them to remaster the entire series for Blu-ray release, with season one due later in 2012.  Recently, we posted a video to show how the work was done, comparing scenes from the original video to the Blu-ray and it looked pretty amazing. The question then became, could this be sustained for entire episodes. (more…)

IN MEMORY OF HOWARD HOPKINS-HELP AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!

  • Uncategorized
  • January 18, 2012
AN OFFER FROM METEOR HOUSE PRESS TO ASSIST IN FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOWARD HOPKINS
The tragic passing of pulp writer and editor Howard Hopkins at the age of 50:http://moonstonebooks.blogspot.com/2012/01/howard-hopkins-services-and.html, has been made even worse by the further misfortune of an insurance screw up.
Please forward the following as you see fit; it is copied from a post on the Yahoo “Flearun” and “Golden Perils” groups:
… Chuck  Juzek contacted me and asked me to pass the following info along to the pulp fan community. Due to a mistake by their insurance agent 6 months ago that Dominique only became aware of after Howard’s death, Howard’s life insurance had lapsed at the time of his death. As a result, in addition to everything else that his passing means to her, she’s now scrambling in order to find the funds to pay for his funeral expenses. If you have the ability— to help pay for those expenses; …, I’m giving her address for anyone that wishes to contribute.
Dominique Hopkins
2 McKee Drive
Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
So here’s the deal
Give to a good cause and get something for yourself.  The first $100 worth of orders that come in between now and midnight January 20, 2012, you get the books, and Dominique Hopkins gets the money.
For those of you who have a copy of The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 1: Protean Dimensions, but have not yet ordered your matching numbered copy of  The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 2: Of Dust and Soul, there’s no time like the present. And if you haven’t yet bought either book, make sure you take advantage of our Combo Deal that will save you at least $10 off your order.
Some of us at Meteor House have worked with Howard and learned a lot from him. He cared about the craft of writing and was generous with his time, he will be sorely missed. Therefore we’d like to do this little thing for Howard’s family. The rest is up to you. Of course you don’t have to buy our books, especially if you already have them. If you already have both, you can just drop a little check in the mail to the address above, or paypal a small amount to sales@meteorhousepress.com (by midnight January 20th) and we’ll add it to the total we’re sending.

Visit Meteor House at http://meteorhousepress.com/

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