Tagged: Japan

RANKING THE JAMES BOND FILMS, PART 3: THE TOP 3!

  • News
  • December 22, 2012

So today we finish up my rankings of all 23 of the Eon Productions JAMES BOND films, with the TOP THREE overall.

We looked at numbers 23-14 here and at numbers 13-4 here.
Remember, folks–stuff like this is entirely subjective.  We’re (mostly) talking my favorites, not the “greatest” or “highest grossing” or whatever.  This represents my views.

Without further ado, then, here are my three favorite Bond films, in order:

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3. Goldfinger

Hard to argue against this one, which really does have almost everything. I had it ranked second until yesterday when I re-watched it, and found it oddly disappointing in places.  My main complaint is that, given the larger scope of this one than its predecessors, Goldfinger’s scheme is not quite up to the world-ending level of many of the others—but that’s probably just me.  The middle is sort of dull, too, while Bond plays golf and then is held prisoner in Kentucky.  But the Aston Martin goes a long way–even if he never quite gets to use it as creatively as we might have liked.  And so does Honor Blackman (and “Jill Masterson” at the start ain’t bad, either). Odd Job is iconic.  And it has probably the second or third best theme song, too–and the most iconic.  It’s a great Bond movie.

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2. From Russia with Love
A simple, straight-ahead spy movie with vivid characters and great action.  Bond’s Turkish ally, Kerim Bey, remains a favorite, and Robert Shaw as the SMERSH assassin is very cool–is he the only actor to have fought both James Bond and (the shark) Jaws?! The visuals of Istanbul and along the European rail line are gorgeous—as was the leading lady, Daniela Bianchi.  The theme song is great–and, interestingly, doesn’t appear (with lyrics) in the opening credit sequence; it’s only at the end.  The story sticks just close enough to the novel to make it a tight, taut thriller rather than an over-the-top spectacle.  And you can’t beat a catfight in a Gypsy camp.

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1. You Only Live Twice
The prototype for seemingly half the rest of the franchise, with the original “supervillain base in a volcano.” Japan in the 1960s provides a great backdrop and Tiger Tanaka is rivaled only by Kerim Bey of “From Russia with Love” as Bond’s greatest “regional ally.”  Is it over-the-top, much of the way?  Sure.  Does the plot make sense?  Not a lot of it, no.  Will many criticize me for this choice?  Probably.  But it’s my list, and this one has always been my favorite.  And it has my favorite theme song of all, to boot.  This one is my favorite.

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So there you have my entire list–all 23 Bond films from Eon, in the order I like them (or don’t like them).  

Be sure to visit www.whiterocketbooks.com to listen to our James Bond podcast episode (or find it on iTunes) and also to check out the many great books we have available.  Thanks for reading!

Sony closing PSP Comic Store at end of October

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  • October 1, 2012

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Sony is telling PSP owners that its comic book portal is shutting down after October 30th. Users will then be unable to download the necessary app or buy additional titles. Any currently owned comics will be available to download again until mid-January, but readers will be on their own to preserve existing comic collections after that. According to Engadget:

Outside of Japan, that creates significant problems for literary PlayStation fans: while PS Vita owners in Sony’s home country will get a Manga store and reader in October, there’s no equivalent crutch for other countries (or any PSP owners) at this stage. The console maker is non-committal and says there’s nothing it can discuss “at the moment,” which to us is a hint that we shouldn’t plan our reading hours around a PSP or PS Vita in the near future.

Of course, those of us old enough to remember Sony’s Bookman and Reader, or those of us who saw royalty statements for the PSP platform, aren’t surprised by this in the least. Just remember Sony’s current slogan: Make. Believe.

Shout! Factory brings ULTRASEVEN to US DVD

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  • September 16, 2012

HenshinJustice.com reports that Shout Factory will release the second series in the legendary Ultraman franchise, Ultraseven on DVD in time for Christmas.

The eponymous hero, from The Land Of Light in the mysterious Nebula M-78, visits Earth and is fascinated by its creatures, especially humans. Taking the visage of a man he saved from a climbing accident, he pledges himself to protecting the world from various aliens and monsters that plague it.  Taking the name “Dan Moroboshi”, he works with the human military force the Ultra Garrison, and unbeknownst to them, fights the monsters hand-to-hand in his giant form.

The series, the first of many sequels to Ultraman, was first broadcast in Japan in 1967.  Ted Turner’s syndication company originally planned to dub the series into English back in 1985, the project was not completed and broadcast until 1994 on their cable channel TNT.  Not all episodes were completed, and while the adaptation was fairly well done and not “camped up” in any way, there were some edits to some episodes for tone and violence. One episode, “Crystallized Corpuscles” was banned entirely, and never broadcast.

At this date, it’s not been specified if the episodes will be the uncut Japanese originals, or if they will feature English subtitles or the TNT dubbed soundtrack.  Watch this proverbial space for more detail.

Amazon has already listed the set (ahead of Shout’s official announcement) as being released December 11th, with a price of $34.98, already nicely discounted from its list price of $49.97.

Twentieth anniversary Power Rangers series revealed: Power Rangers Megaforce

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  • August 29, 2012

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The folks at JEFusion.com shared footage from this year’s Power Morphicon of Saban Entertainment’s promo reel for next year’s Power Rangers series. Their seventeenth series, Power Rangers Megaforce, will be based on the thirty-fourth of Toei Company’s Super Sentai series, Tensou Sentai Goseiger.

Starting with the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers in 1993, based on KyōryÅ« Sentai Zyuranger, Saban has been producing series using costumes, props and action footage from the Japanese originals.  The series have remained a perennial hit in the States, as the original series has done in Japan for the past thirty-six years.

It’s not the first time the name has appeared in entertainment either.  One of the original sentai series had “mega” in the title; Denji Sentai Megaranger, which was used to create 1998’s Power Rangers in Space. Action film fans may remember the Hal Needham directed MegaForce, starring Barry Bostwick and Persis Khambatta.  More important to the toy manufacturer side of the process, MegaForce was a line of military adventure vehicles from Kenner in 1998.  It’s assumed the trademarks for those series have already lapsed, otherwise Saban might have to pull a “Metro” and change the name (as Microsoft has been forced to for its new Windows 8 interface).

In addition to using footage from Goseiger, the new series will also be using footage from the sentai feature film, Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle.  This was the film release for the NEXT Sentai series, Kaizoku Sentail Gokaiger, which featured a massive battle where all 35 of the sentai teams to date united to fight a massive alien threat.  However, since Megaforce is the anniversary series in America, the reunion footage will be used there.  Footage of the battles in the promo reel included shots of all past sentai teams, including series that were never used for American series, much to the delight of the audience.  Saban said there’s no confirmation if those non-MMPR heroes will appear in the final series.  They had asked Toei to film sequences featuring only Zyuranger forward – it’s unknown how much of the all-heroes footage will be used in the final product.

The promo reel was well received by fans at the convention, especially footage from the 199 hero great battle.  Saban has been experiencing a resurgence of popularity of the series.  After several series produced in association with other companies including Disney, the current series, Power Rangers Samurai, is the first they’ve produced on their own since 2001.  Saban has brought the Internet into their marketing in a big way- their website and Facebook page appeal to both new and long-time fans of the series.  They’ve also released DVD sets for the previous series, including a 40-DVD set from Time-Life of the first 7 series.

Power Rangers Samurai is currently running on Nickelodeon.

FORTIER TAKES ON ‘DRAGON KINGS OF THE ORIENT’!

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  • August 4, 2012
ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
DRAGON KINGS OF THE ORIENT
By Percival Constantine
Pulpwork Press
177 pages
This terrific, fast paced fantasy action thriller is the second in the Elisa Hill, Myth Hunter series and even better than the first; no small feat.  Elisa Hill is a hunter of lost artifacts made famous in ancient lore.  Along with her mentor, Max Finch, and the Japanese kitsune, a type of were-fox changeling, Asami, she finds herself caught in a titanic contest between ancient oriental deities and a roguish creature of legend known as the Monkey King.
It is through this fabled half-human, half-simian being that they discover the four Dragon Kings are about to unleash their centuries old plot to dominate the world and make all mankind their slaves.  This they will accomplish by their powers to control the oceans of the world and wreaking havoc wherever necessary to force the various countries of the world to bow to their commands.
Now only Elisa, her two companions and an agent from the super secret Freemasons society are all that stand between total disaster and salvation. But can even these unique characters prove strong enough to win the day?
In this age of the popular urban fantasy genre, we seem to be inundated with more and more series featuring sparkly vampires, sexy witches and zombie private eyes.  Enough for this reader to yell, “Uncle!”  Constantine’s “Dragon Kings of the Orient,” packs more wall-to-wall action than any of ten of those other wimpy titles combined.  Being an American teacher in Japan, he has a unique, personal perspective on the Far East and its culture and uses it to great advantage in this rousing adventure tale. 
In the past, he has offered us other series but none of them can hold a candle to this one. Elisa Hill is a truly original, fun character and I hope we get to read many more of he exploits along with those of her truly remarkable supporting cast.  People, this book is a solid must read!

FORTIER TAKES ON ‘THE SPY’!

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  • April 1, 2012

ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
THE SPY
By Justin Scott & Clive Cussler
Berkley Novel
528 pages
The third adventure in this series created by Clive Cussler and taken over by Justin Scott is another fine entry relating the cases of Isaac Bell, the top agent of the Van Dorn Detective Agency.  When foreign spies from Japan and Germany launch acts of murder and sabotage aimed at crippling the Navy’s battleship program, the noted detective agency is brought into the case.  This happens at the request of a young lady whose father, a gun battery expert, is found to have committed suicide after taking a bribe. Incensed by this slur of her father’s good name, the woman begs the agency to dig deep and prove what she suspects; that her father was actually murdered and the charges against him false.
The start is slow going for Isaac Bell, but bit by bit, oddities in the case begin to surface while at the same time, supposedly unrelated accidents continue to plague the Navy’s shipyards on both the East and West coast until the pattern of these events is just too coincidental to be ignored.  Once on the case, Bell becomes the bulldog man-hunter we’ve come to enjoy in his previous outings and he soon comes to realize he is chasing a deviously cunningly spy with no loyalties to any single government.  This shadowy manipulator is in fact a mercenary attempted to create a world conflict that will line his own pockets with riches.  War is good business.
From the docks of the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the ports of California, Bell and his courageous team of agents find themselves racing against the clock to prevent the Spy Master’s ultimate coup, a terrorist attack that will set the country’s defense plans back by decades and leave American vulnerable to its enemies abroad. Once again Scott sets his suspense thriller against a backdrop of historical accuracy, detailing the emergence of a young republic about to claim its place on the world’s stage.  But will this Manifest Destiny end long before it is born?
Filled with colorful characters and a beautiful glimpse of another, more innocent time, THE SPY is a worthy addition to this already much acclaimed series.  Issac Bell is clearly the Nick Carter & James Bond of his times.

Martheus Wade on Ninjas, Fate and Free Will

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  • January 17, 2012
I fell in love with Martheus Wade’s work when I visited his website.  The series Jetta:  Tales of the Toshigawa at first glance just looks like superhot ninja babes battling, which while in itself is a fun guilty pleasure, the book is deep
Shianndrea Toshigawa, codenamed Jetta is the chosen one.  She is the one that has to beat Terminus and his demonic horde.  To make matters interesting, Terminus is her father but perhaps the clincher for me is that the last thing Jetta and she doesn’t want to be that person. 
Questions of free will and fate, the natural conflicts of wanting to be your own person over being a person you’re supposed to be is just an intriguing story to tell.  There is a depth and sophistication to the graphic novel that engages in ways few stories dare to tread. 
Martheus Wade has written a tale nearly as engaging as he is.  We discuss Jetta, and his other series Turra – Gun Angel as well as some of life’s great questions.
All Pulp:   How did you get into comics? Who were your influences?
Martheus Wade:  I got into comics when I was really young. Comics were my gateway into reading when I was a kid. It was also my gateway into art itself.   George Perez, Masamune Shirow, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Adam Hughes and Adam Warren were all huge influences on me. But also early on, animation really guided my artistic eye. Anime was a heavy influence on me. Speed Racer, Voltron, Robotech. Tranzor Z. It all made me stop and take real notice.

AP: Tell me a little about Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa. What’s it all about?
MW:  Jetta: Tales of the Toshighawa is my creator owned graphic novel series that centers on Shianndrea Toshigawa. Code named “Jetta”, she is the chosen one of the Toshigawa ninja clan who is meant to defend the world from the demonic army known as the Knave. The leader of the Knave is the godlike Terminus, Emperor of Japan and the father of Jetta. In order to defeat this demon army, Jetta has been forced to leave her family and friends in order to train for the day she will be forced to face her father in combat. However, she only wants to lead a normal life away from the clan and far from any prophesied destiny.
But, she is always forced back into a fight that she does not want; fight where friends die and her hope for happiness continues to slip away.
The story is full of martial arts action. Jetta is a super powered  ninja that learns to use new and exciting powers almost every volume. She also has to deal with her on-again off-again relationship with her fellow ninja, Kim Shibata. The two of them have polar opposite ideas of what they should hold important in their lives. Kim is very much into his duty and believes in fate while Jetta believes in free will.
Even though they love each other deeply, their butting heads has dire consequences. The story also revolves around Turra Shibata, Jetta’s best friend and Kim’s sister.
Turra has rejected the ways of the Toshigawa and has gone off on her own. As the “Black sheep” of the clan, Turra is happy living her own life away from her duty. However, things take a turn when she is
forced back into action. The theme of fate verse free will runs throughout the series.
AP: To date, what is your favorite scene in Jetta?
MW: There are a couple of scenes. One scene is in Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Revelations when Jetta confronts her father, Terminus for the first time in the bullet train station. This is the first time that Terminus is seen as the all powerful character that he is. Another of my favorites is a slower scene from Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Defiance where Jetta is on a date with her new boyfriend, Dan, and the two are talking about their outlook on life and what they want out of it. Still another scene in Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Rain is when Turra sees her father for the first time in over a year just before he dies. There are so many great moments in this series. It’s really hard to try to pick only a few.
AP:  What is it about fate and free will that fascinate you?

MW: That battle between fate verses free will has always been a very real conflict in my own head. As a creative person, there have been moments in my career (as well as personal life) where I found myself working upstream. When I let go and went with the flow, things seemed to work out with less of a struggle. However, doing so meant that I had to let go of preconceived notions of where I should be or what I should be doing. My life and career took turns that I hadn’t thought of before and I ended up a completely different person than I thought I would be.
Is that “fate”? I would think so. I don’t have all of the answers to that. However, in realizing that it could be fate, I also realized that the life I wanted to lead when I was younger was not the life I was supposed to lead. That’s a hard pill to swallow and (whether it’s right or wrong) I still struggle with that concept on many different things. I want to believe in free will. I want the ability to say that, “If I walk out this door and put my best foot forward, I will get to where I’m intending to go”. But, as we know, that’s not always the case.

This is the basic idea of Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa. Through all of the attractive women, the martial arts action and scifi, the story is about Fate verses Free will.

AP:  Would you have been happy with the life you wanted?  They that the grass is always greener on the other side…
MW: That’s a good question. I don’t know. There would have been so many things that would be vastly different. Not better, just different. There are a lot of things that would change like my family that I could not envision living without now. Knowing me, if things did go exactly as I planned, I would still feel like something was missing.

 AP: Is it too early to ask you about Turra: Gun Angel?

MW: Absolutely not. Turra: Gun Angel – Bombs and Betrayal is a spin-off graphic novel that takes place in the Toshigawa universe. The lead character is Turra Shibata. She is the sword sister to Jetta and fellow Toshigawa ninja.
In Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Rain (The second book in the Toshigawa series), Turra gets her own assignment and is ordered to return to Japan in order to help organize the splintered ninja clan. But when she gets home, she quickly finds that she on the most wanted lists of, not only the Knave, but the police, the Yakuza and a rival ninja clan. All of this and she still has to deal with her boyfriend, Cyan, and his wandering eyes.

Bombs and Betrayal is a bit lighter than the main Jetta series. Turra, as a character, is a lot more relaxed than her sword sister. She is a lot more comfortable with being an attractive ninja bad ass. In the
main Toshigawa story, she was a bit of a wildcard and this story has more tongue in cheek comedy because of the interaction of the characters involved. Cat (one of the main characters of the series and
this spin-off story) is an African American kickboxer who finds himself faced with culture shock when he makes it to Japan. Cyan is a charismatic pyrotechnic who flirts with other women just to get under
Turra’s skin. And Nica, is a young Toshigawa ninja who is just learning the ropes and idolizes the “legend” that Turra has become.

However, the story is still a serious one and Turra finds herself faced with the difficult task of being called upon by duty to lead this ragtag group in hopes of saving the Toshigawa clan from certain death. It’s a fun read and ties perfectly into the main graphic novels.

AP: Anything else forthcoming we can look forward to?
MW: There is a HUGE announcement and a sort of partnership that will be revealed coming up really soon that I wish I could spill the beans on. That will be hitting in the next month or so. I am also working with Sean Taylor (writer for IDW) on the further adventures of Turra Shibata. The first issue of the miniseries will be out later in 2012. The next Jetta GN will be out at the end of 2012 and marks the end of this story arc. It also closes this chapter on Jetta’s life so I’m excited (and a little saddened) to see what readers think of the close of our story.
AP:  You get the final say here.  Plug your books.  Where can I find them.
MW: All of our books are found at www.toshigawa.com. That is where we have every book on sale as well as art prints and specialty items. Right now, we have two new books that are available, Turra: Bombs and Betrayal and Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa -Full Circle. These books intertwine these two beautiful ninja into two halfs of the same coin! Seamlessly follow Turra’s adventures and see where and how they effect the greater Toshigawa Universe in Full Circle. We are offering these two books together in one pack. For a limited time only ( as an added added bonus ) if you grab Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Full Circle and Turra: Bombs and Betrayal together in this Ultimate Combo pack, I provide a free sketch of one of the characters in the series. That’s over 150 pages of action packed content plus a free sketch. I invite everyone to try these books and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.
Also you can follow us on facebook under MAW Productions. Join our page and every friday at 9:00 pm, we have a live chat where the other creators and myself get together and talk about the Toshigawa Universe of characters, the comic book industry, and entertainment in general. It’s a lot of fun and I hope you join us!

ANDREW SALMON TAKES ALL PULP INTO ‘THE DARK LAND’!

AP:  Andrew, welcome back to All Pulp.  You’re back in the spotlight due to a new novel.  Give us a brief over view of THE DARK LAND, now out from Airship 27/Cornerstone Publishing.
Thanks for having me! It’s great to be back! What a great time to be a pulp creator!
As for the new novel, The Dark Land, the book is my attempt to create a plausible near-future sci-fi police procedural.
The year is 2049 and the world has been decimated by a terrorist-launched pandemic which killed billions. On the heels of that catastrophe, a series of natural disasters have reshaped most of the globe. When we join the story, the survivors are still digging themselves out and trying to rebuild. To that end, and to stem the tide of chaos and lawlessness that reigns everywhere, the governments of the world turn to science, in this case, cloning.
The terrible attack on New York of September 2001 killed so many police and firemen that a program was put in place shortly after to preserve the DNA and digital mindfiles (or brain maps) of experienced police and firemen so that in case of similar disasters, a ready cadre of experienced men and women could be created to maintain order. However all of the personal memories of the recruits for the Special-Operative program have been erased from the mindfiles, leaving only the professional abilities. The clones have all the tools they need with which to do their jobs, they are given computer-generated names and are pressed into service.
But there is something wrong with C-Peter Reilly, the protagonist of the tale. You see, he remembers his past life, all of it. And if Special-Ops finds out about it, he’ll never see the light of day. The novel follows his journey through this new world as he tries to come to grip with who he is while he and his partner hunt an elusive killer who has murdered a clone so fresh out of the tank that the crime seems to be without motive.
AP:  From the plot, THE DARK LAND falls deftly into the science fiction category.  Do you consider it to be a Pulp tale as well?  What if anything makes one science fiction tale pulp and another not?
As to your first question, the answer is, strictly speaking: sort of. The Dark Land is not straight Golden Age hero pulp although it is definitely pulp inspired and has a lot in common with the hardboiled tradition of mystery fiction I love dearly. I cut my teeth on Mickey Spillane, Cornell Woolrich, John D MacDonald, Jim Thompson, Fredric Brown, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and so many others… As one reader put it: “The Dark Land reads like James Ellroy meets Ray Bradbury” and being compared to those giants is tremendous praise indeed. Seeing as hardboiled fiction sprang up during the Golden Age of pulp, I suppose there is a lineage there. And hey, C-Peter Reilly is a Doc Savage fan in the book so, if you look close enough, you’ll see my pulp roots are showing. Ha!
Your second question is an excellent one and I’ll do my best here to answer it. As any pulp fan knows, pulp is not a genre but, rather, an approach to writing genre fiction. Among the various tricks we writers have in our pulp bags, for me, the most telling characteristic of what makes a pulp tale is pace. Pulp fiction, good, bad, wonderful, brilliant or terrible MOVES! Pulp tales rollick along at a breakneck pace and never let you come up for air. Now whether you’re walking the streets of some near-future society like in The Dark Land, riding the range, tearing down a 1930s avenue or fighting Martians with Edgar Rice Burroughs, pulp science-fiction tales have got to go, go, GO!
AP:  Your hero in THE DARK LAND has an internal conflict to deal with as well as all the external ones he encounters.  How is he affected or defined by the conflicts boiling within him and is this sort of conflict appropriate for a Pulp tale?
Well, how do we define ourselves? Are we our professions, our possessions, our associations? Or are we defined by our personality and our private needs? These are the questions The Dark Land asks through the character of C-Peter Reilly. This question of identity, the duality of a secret identity, is a mainstay of pulp fiction and the comic genre it gave birth to. Think of Richard Wentworth’s lamenting the life he and Nita Sloane can never have because of the Spider. Or Doc Savage’s ineptitude around women because he’s been raised from the cradle with an emphasis on intellectual pursuits. Who is the Shadow? What kind of personal life can Secret Agent X have? This question of identity is one that runs through the rich history of pulp although it was often not explored to any great degree.
Special-Operative C-Peter Reilly exists for one reason, and one reason only, to be a policeman. He was created by society to serve society. He was not given a choice in this. Having been grown from the genetic material of a policeman, his natural inclination is to roll up his sleeves and do what he can to keep the streets safe. That’s what cops do. But this future world he wakes up in is not his world. His memories are from our time and being harvested to fight for what’s left of the world doesn’t sit well with him. The clone world in the novel is not a pleasant place at times. There is a certain degree of amorality, clones are cavalier about themselves and somewhat ambivalent about the society they are sworn to protect – a society that views them more as a bunch of Frankenstein’s monsters than fellow human beings.
Thus the novel, unlike the classic pulps of the past, explores choice and sacrifice in, I feel, a unique way. Reilly is torn between his devotion to duty and his own desires. What is the cost of doing the right thing? What is the right thing to do?
Also, in a way, cops are pulp heroes, aren’t they? Think about it, pulp heroes put on a “uniform” strap on guns, have no super powers, and hit the streets looking to stop crime. Cops, both real and fictional, do this every day!
AP:  Enough beating around the bush.  You push the envelope of Pulp, some would say, a couple of different ways with THE DARK LAND.  Do you agree and if so, how are you pushing the boundaries?  And how far is too far before a story is no longer Pulp?
To answer the first question, I’d say the novel pushes the pulp envelope with regards to identity and choice. C-Peter Reilly has the most in common with Secret Agent X, I feel. X has no identity, no personal life beyond his love for Betty Dale. He is his job. Simple as that. Clones grown to serve fit this mould as well. The novel pushes the envelope by exploring this aspect of the selfless hero. Reilly begins the novel on shaky ground and experience see-saws his thoughts back and force throughout the tale in a way the Agent would never be tested. Reilly is forced to question his place in a world he knows needs his help. That is not an easy question for a hero to answer. It’s not an easy question for any of us!
As for going too far, that one is easy. When the story becomes solely about character or world building, becomes bogged down by these, then the writer has strayed out of pulp territory. If you recall what I said earlier about pace, getting too introspective with characters or exploring the fictional world you’ve created at the expense of the plot can grind the pace down to a dead stop. Pulp is about plot with character and setting thrown in to sweeten the pot. The Dark Land deals with the questions we’ve been discussing but within the context of a murder investigation. The murder is a product of the world Reilly finds himself inhabiting and the trick is to sprinkle character and setting throughout the murder investigation, dole them out gradually so that the plot can keep moving. I believe this is something that the best modern pulp writers do better than the greats of old. I’ve taken a crack at it here and only readers can tell me if I’ve pulled it off.
AP:  In the future you imagine in THE DARK LAND, cloning is accepted, even if the resulting clones are not always.  What are your thoughts on cloning?  Is the future you depict in THE DARK LAND a possible real future for us in your opinion?
Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s accepted in the world of the novel. Tolerated sounds more appropriate. Clones are a necessary evil in The Dark Land. Much the same way some view the police today. As for my personal view? Cloning is dangerous – not in an evil-doppelganger-let-lose-in-the-world way, but, rather, it can and will be a powerful tool in the years to come. One we had better be careful how we use. I touch upon some of the darker aspects of cloning in the book as far as privacy and identity are concerned. In the novel, celebrity clones people brothels for all manner of illicit activity. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about here.
The world of the novel is as realistic as I could make it. I tried to stay away from the Blade Runner approach. Don’t get me wrong, I love that film and it has gone on to inspire countless good, and not so good, visions of the future. The downside of that is that these futures are always dark, it’s always night and it seems to be always raining. The world of The Dark Land is dark in that there has been so much tragedy. However amidst the devastation, the world is rebuilding. The sun does shine in the novel although it illuminates a world still mired in ugliness. The terrorist attacks of 2001, Katrina, the recent quakes in Japan have all been terrible, terrible catastrophes. And yet, the world goes on. Human beings are characterized by our adaptability and I believe that, barring an all-encompassing disaster, we can survive anything. The world of The Dark Land is one I hope readers will be able to relate as a possible world not that much unlike our present. There is hope in the novel. It’s dusty, broken, and a little hard to find in the rubble, but it’s there.
AP:  Going off topic only a little, you’ve come out as an author in the recently titled NEW PULP Movement.  What is New Pulp and what do you feel your work in general and THE DARK LAND specifically bring to the New Pulp table?
NEW PULP, for me, represents an attempt to swing the pulp pendulum. When the internet touched off the pulp renaissance we pulp fans and creators are basking in today, the focus was on making the wonderful pulp tales of the past readily and affordably available to rabid pulp fans everywhere. This was a fantastic development. The internet brought pulp fans together, allowed collectors to scour the inventories of countless pulp dealers all over the world through ebay and store websites. And pulp, frankly, exploded! Yahoo!
Amidst all of this expanded interest in the great old magazines we all know and love, the internet also allowed modern day creators to share what began as fan fiction through free postings, email and so on. Then, before you knew it, publishers started to creep forward and collect the best of these new pulp adventure tales featuring both old and new characters. It started small, with a few publishers here and there like Airship 27, Moonstone, Wild Cat Books and so on. And it didn’t take long before these publishers started offering their wares at pulp conventions and book stores and writers and artists everywhere began creating more and more new tales, new characters and the like.
New creators like myself are expanding the art form we love, taking it into uncharted waters. Pulp in the 1930s was all about experimentation, trying new things. And that’s what’s happening today with New Pulp. Like all creative fiction, pulp is growing, evolving while staying true to its roots.
The Dark Land was written along these lines. As I’ve stated above, it was an attempt to create a plausible, recognizable future and people it with characters one might find in the classic hardboiled fiction of yesteryear. And to give this concoction a modern spin.
I’ve tried to do the same with the classic characters I’ve been privileged to write: Secret Agent X, Sherlock Holmes, Jim Anthony, the Black Bat, Dan Fowler… The key is to stay true to the characters while giving them a somewhat modern sensibility.
New Pulp is not necessarily about change, but rather, it’s about exploring possibilities. Pulp creators of the past worked at a frantic pace with deadlines staring them in the face. Modern creators don’t work under that kind of compressed timeframe. There’s room and time now to let pulp breathe, go down a few dark alleys and see what we can find.
New Pulp celebrates the evolution and continuance of this fantastic fiction by recognizing the contributions of so many wonderful creators working today. New Pulp states proudly that it’s time for the wonderful tales and artwork being created today to legitimately carry the art form forward. Those working in pulp today, in whatever capacity, represent the future of this art form. We haven’t forgotten the past – how could we? – but it’s time to focus more on the future.

AP:  With New Pulp being designated as such, what do you feel the impact of this movement will be?  What appeals to you about being a part of New Pulp?
In the last five years, so many talented creators: writers, artists, editors and the like have thrown their hat in the pulp ring that we now have new pulp stories coming out of our ears! To put it simply, there has never been a better time to be a pulp fan. There already exists a Mount Everest of fantastic old material and now a mountain of New Pulp is being created, all around us, every day. Why climb only one pulp mountain when there are two to conquer?
The sheer number of creators churning out new pulp tales is staggering! And that number keeps growing. It’s gotten to the point that modern day pulp publishers have become the Street and Smiths and Popular Publications of today! It’s no longer simply hobbyist creating pulp on a small scale for their immediate circle to savor. Rather the revolution is in full swing and modern pulpsmiths are the Lester Dents, Walter Gibsons and Norvell Pages of the 21st Century! Hundreds of creators, all over the world, are carrying pulp forward, building on the unforgettable greats of the past who inspired us all. Sure, it’s not all brilliant but neither were all the tales from the Golden Age. We’re in the Bronze Age of pulp now and this Doc Savage fan finds that most satisfying.
Publishers will soon be displaying the New Pulp seal on their releases and by doing so are stating for the record that new pulp fiction is here, it’s growing, it’s wonderful and fans everywhere, old and new, are invited to join the party!
Those of us working in pulp today truly love this art form. It’s as simple as that. And this pulp writer is honored to be able to do what I can to bring the form forward into the future. By banding together to declare our arrival as legitimate heirs to the pulp throne, I believe writers, creators and publishers of today make a bold statement. We are putting pulp on our backs and carrying it forward. It’s not about replacing the great works of the past, it’s about adding to them. Modern pulp tales are canon! This is New Pulp’s rallying cry.
Being part of the New Pulp revolution is a great honor. As I said above, creators today love this art form and I share that deep devotion. Pulp fiction is great fun! It’s exciting to write and I’m having a ball. I’m truly inspired by the creators of the past and try to channel that inspiration into my work. When I sit down to write a Secret Agent X tale (or any other great, old character) I do not do so lightly. I don’t consider the works of the past greats as mere fertilizer for whatever tale I’m growing. Rather, I take it as a sacred trust to do the character right, to honor the work of those who created him or her. And I know I’m not alone in this. Most of the pulp creators working today are devoted to honoring what has come before while adding to the rich legacy of the past.
AP:  You’ve done a significant bit of work with Airship 27 Productions.  What about this particular publishing outfit appeals to you?
There are a lot of great pulp publishers out there today! It’s wonderful! I’ve had the good fortune to work for Pro Se and am still trying to creep my way into Moonstone but, for me, Airship 27 produces the best overall pulp books on the market today. And I don’t say that to take anything away from the other publishers. The ol’ Airship has a lot of stiff competition let me tell you!
Ron Fortier and Rob Davis run a fun outfit and I’m honored to be a part of it. Plus they are truly great guys as I found out a couple of years ago when I got to attend Windy City and hang out with them for a few days. Same goes for Michael Poll and Cornerstone Book Publishers who publishers the books and gets them out there. Thanks to them I’ve had the chance to write some truly great pulp characters, publish two novels, co-write a third and picked up three pulp award nominations (and one win!) in the process.
The amount of work I’ve done for Airship 27 (10 books and counting!) is also a direct result of my personal sense of loyalty. They were the first ones to take an interest in my work, they gave me a shot and I’m a team player. When a publisher brings me into the fold, they don’t just get a pulp writer, they get a one-man promotion machine who will get behind them and promote, promote, promote. I’m not a sit back and wait for a royalty check kind of writer. I’ll bang the drums and shout from the rooftops to promote any project I’m a part of. I do this as my way of saying thanks to the publisher for taking a chance on me and I do it gladly. For Airship’s popular Sherlock Holmes line of anthologies, I promoted the books (via the internet) in more than 20 countries! Yeah, I roll up my sleeves and get to work! Ha!
Another reason it seems I write exclusively for Airship 27 is, frankly because, aside from Pro Se and Moonstone, no one else has ever asked me to do anything for them! I love Airship 27 but I’ve got plenty of pulp to spread around and would gladly do some work for another outfit if the opportunity arose. I took a stab at writing the Green Hornet for Moonstone, which, sadly, didn’t work out although I enjoyed the experience immensely. And I’m open to working with them again, anytime. Same goes for any other pulp publisher out there. Our lines our open and we’re waiting for your call! I work cheap and write fast! Drop me a line! Seriously.
AP:  You’ve done quite a bit of work on Public Domain characters and/or concepts that were created by others.  THE DARK LAND is an original work of your own.  Which do you prefer and why?
Great questions! I’m a sucker for research! I love it! So when a public domain character comes along, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the history of that character and learn every bit I can about him or her. Imagine: reading pulp adventure tales as work! Welcome to Heaven #7, friends! In a way, writing public domain characters is easier because the groundwork has been done for you. That said, one still has to dive into the history, which is time consuming but oh so much fun let me tell you!
In a way, writing original concepts set in the classic period is very similar to working with established characters. The difference being one is reading history not classic pulp fiction. Hindsight is, I feel, the one tool that sets modern pulpsmiths apart from the greats of the past. We have the benefit of being able to look back and know where the history is going while the writers of the 1930s had only their present to work with. I try to inject as much real history as I can into my pulp tales as I can. The same way I strove to create a plausible future in The Dark Land, I work towards re-creating a realistic 30s world for my classic pulp tales.
As far as which I prefer goes, I guess my answer depends on time. If a deadline looms, then working with established characters is best because you can hit the ground running and learn as you go. But if time is not a factor, then taking the time to create something completely new and different is great, great fun! Ron Fortier and I had a blast creating the Ghost Squad, not only the characters but the trappings and gadgets they used in their battle against the Black Legion. Helping Mark Halegua hone his Red Badge creation was also very rewarding and being allowed to explore the worlds of Mars McCoy the Pulp Factory created was also a lot of fun.
The simple answer: I love ’em both but circumstances determine which I love more at any given time.
AP:  You have an interesting concept you’re working on.  Willing to share a little about your German pulp work?
Okay. Well, before I get into the current work, a little history lesson might be in order. My personal history, that is. You see, I’ve always been fascinated by World War Two. I’m not alone in this but my fascination has taken me down some interesting paths. Thing is I’ve always loved the German stuff! Not the ideology! Not what they stood for! I want to be 100% clear on that! I’ve just always thought that their stuff looked cooler than the Allied stuff. When I was a kid I used to build Tiger tank and Stuka models while my brothers built Shermans and Spitfires.
From this lifelong fascination I wrote The Light Of Men, a science-fiction novel set in a Nazi concentration camp. The book was my first work for Airship 27 and the 12 years I spent researching and writing the novel paid off when I heard from readers that, upon finishing the book, they felt as if they had spent time in one of those hellish camps, which was the reading experience I’d been going for.
Seeing as The Light Of Men is not, strictly speaking, a pulp novel although it is an adventure story, it got me thinking of doing a tale of German pulp heroes, combining two of my favorite interests, and from this All-Men: The Shadow-Line was born.
There’s not too much I can tell you about the novel at this point except to say that it’s going to surprise a lot of people. The basic concept is that a team of Berlin-based, German pulp heroes is forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1938 and are unable to return to the city until July 1945, when the US, Britain and France take over their sections of it. What follows will, I hope, be a tale that keeps readers glued to their seats. I’m exploring aspects of the pulp hero I don’t think have been touched on to date and doing it in a way that I hope will be fresh, interesting and entertaining. That’s all I’m prepared to say about the story at the moment. I’ve just passed 50,000 words on it after putting in a year of research and the writing experience has been the most rewarding pulp I’ve written to date. Here’s an All Pulp exclusive: Pulp Factory Award winning artist Mike Fyles will be handling the artist chores on the book – a development for which I get down on my knees every day and thank the pulp gods. He’s already done some preliminary paintings of the heroes rolling around between my ears and the work is absolutely fantastic. Pulp fans are going to be blown away, and that’s a promise! And that’s all you’re going to get for now! Airship 27 is game to publish the thing. That is, if I can ever get it finished!
AP:  Other than the aforementioned, what can Pulp fans expect from Andrew Salmon in the near future?
There are other irons in the fire that’s for sure. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Volume Three should be out very soon and I’ve got a tale in that. I’ve also contributed a Rick Ruby tale to the anthology of the same name. Ruby is the creation of Bobby Nash and Sean Taylor and I was pleased to be able to contribute a tale to the anthology of this hardboiled 30s gumshoe. Also on deck is my collaboration with Mark Halegua: Red Badge. This tale will be in the upcoming Mystery Men and Women Volume Two. All of the above are Airship 27 productions.
After that, we’ll see what happens. I’ve got a whopper of an idea for Sherlock Holmes novel. And a Secret Agent X novel is definitely in the foreseeable future. Also I would love to do a Three Musketeers novel as well. None of these are set in stone as yet and I’ve got to finish The Shadow-Line first. Other than that I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and my nose to the pulpstone. Anyone out there looking for pulp tales?
AP:  Andrew, thanks so much once again!
It’s been a pleasure! Thanks for having me!

Twitter Updates for 2011-03-26

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  • March 26, 2011

‘Iron Man 2’ already has a 100 million dollar weekend

Nikki Finke has the numbers: “Early
overseas estimates from Paramount have Iron Man 2
grossing just over $100 million from 53 markets. And some large
territories haven’t even opened yet, like Germany, Japan,  and China. In
local currencies, the film opened 25% ahead of the original Iron
Man (despite the fact that in those two years both the British pound
and Euro have dropped significantly). IM1 opened at $99
million (that opening also included Germany). The largest opening was
the UK ending the weekend with $12M including previews. Second was Korea
at $11M. Third was Australia at $9M. Fourth was France at $8.5M.”

Nikki goes on to guess at a $155 million opening weekend in America this weekend, with an outside chance of topping
The Dark Knight‘s 3-day record of $158.4 million.

That’s a lot of gold-plating on that armor.

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