Tagged: Superman

Martha Thomases Makes Her Own Apologies

thomases-art-130301-8566492According to this story, which is a rumor on a rumor-mongering site (which I love!), Dan DiDio recently apologized to DC creative talent at an editorial retreat. He admitted that there had been problems in the communication between editorial and talent, including editorial demanding changes to work that had already been approved.

Since, on my other soapbox, I have recently complained that men rarely apologize, it feels like I should do something to acknowledge this.

I should make my own apologies.

For the purposes of this column, we’re going to limit my apologies to the field of comics. Even the Internet doesn’t have enough space for everything else.

  1. Kevin Smith, I’m sorry it feels like I’m stalking you. About 20 years ago, we met at an exhibit of original comic book art. I liked Clerks. Later, when your movies made more money, I would point to you at conventions and tell people I knew you. That must have been creepy for you, some strange old woman pointing and staring.

  2. And, while I don’t know Dave Sim (nor do I wish to), I’m sorry that Friends of Lulu contributed to pushing him over the edge. I don’t think it will make him feel any better to know that we considered neither him nor his feelings one little bit.

  3. When I would meet booksellers at Book Expo America who said they didn’t read comics because they didn’t like superheroes, I would ask them to tell me a movie they liked, and then recommend the appropriate title for them. This is fine in a sales environment, but not great at parties in my real life. I’m so sorry, and completely understand why you walked away as quickly as you could, Patti Smith. Still, I thing you would like Rogan Gosh.

  4. At the same time, there are books that were everything I ever wanted between two covers, like Leave It to Chance, and, despite buying at least 20 copies of each issue to give away, plus multiple copies of the trade, I did not do enough to keep them alive. I wish it was still around so I could do more to make amends.

  5. Despite Alan Moore’s objections to the projects even existing, I went to see From Hell, V for Vendetta and Watchmen in movie theaters. And, to varying degrees, liked them. I feel like I’ve betrayed one of my favorite writers.

  6. And, by going to see Watchman, I inadvertently encouraged Zach Snyder. His sense of production design is admirable, but he has no sense of pacing, much less, you know, character or story. I tremble in fear about what he’s going to do to Superman.

  7. Neil Gaiman always drew a long line when he was signing things at the DC booth during convention season, even way back in the 1990s. It was often my job to be “the bitch at the end of the line,” meaning I had to tell people that there would be no more books signed. It was necessary so Neil could do other things besides sign books (eat, pee, sleep), so I’m not sorry that I was looking out for him. Rather, I’m sorry I performed my duties with so much glee.

  8. And while we’re on the subject, it was my fault, and I regret that I caused you such anxiety, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, when I didn’t provide adequate information to you or your driver to get to that morning interview on the FX Network back when DC published Mr. Punch. I’m sure it was really nerve-wracking to be driving around Manhattan at six in the morning, lost. On the other hand, Tom Bergeron was really nice. And a fanboy.

  9. The biggest story of my time at DC was the Death of Superman. People remember that he died, then came back. They don’t remember that the narrative point was the next storyline, “World Without a Superman.” DC wanted to show how important Superman was, and how we responded to his absence. And now they’ve killed off Damien Wayne, just when I was starting to like him. This is no legacy for a pacifist.

  10. When Image Comics started, I admired their defense of creator rights, but didn’t particularly like the books they published at the time. As a result, I didn’t pay enough attention to their work as the company matured. I’ve missed a lot of good stuff, and it’s my own damn fault. Please forgive me, and please keep releasing complete runs digitally so I can catch up.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman On Technobabble

SUNDAY: John Ostrander On Revamp

 

Lego: Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite Comes to DVD in May

lego-batman-cover-art1-e1361899948898-6548677BURBANK, CA (February 26, 2013) – DC Comics’ greatest superheroes and their arch nemeses face-off in an action-packed, hilarious battle in LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite. Based on the popular video game, TT Animation produced the full-length animated feature for May 21, 2013 distribution by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), On Demand and for Digital Download. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*. Release will include an exclusive Lego Clark Kent/Superman figurine on pack while supplies last.

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite provides the ultimate blend of action and humor guaranteed to entertain fanboys of all ages. The film finds Lex Luthor taking jealousy to new heights when fellow billionaire Bruce Wayne wins the Man of the Year Award. To top Wayne’s accomplishment, Lex begins a campaign for President – and to create the atmosphere for his type of fear-based politics, he recruits the Joker to perfect a Black LEGO Destructor Ray. While wreaking havoc on Gotham, Lex successfully destroys Batman’s technology – forcing the Caped Crusader to reluctantly turn to Superman for help.

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite features the definitive voice of Lex Luthor, Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, SpongeBob SquarePants), who set the standard for Luthor’s vocal tones in the
landmark Warner Bros. Animation television production, Superman: The Animated Series.

Renowned videogame/animation actors Troy Baker (Bioshock Infinite, Batman: Arkham City) and Travis Willingham (Avengers Assemble, The Super Hero Squad Show) provide the voices of Batman and Superman, respectively. The cast also includes Christopher Corey Smith (Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe) as the Joker, and Charlie Schlatter (Diagnosis Murder) in a hilarious turn as the voice of Robin.

Award-winning director/producer Jon Burton helms the film from a screenplay by David A. Goodman based on a story from Burton and Goodman. Jeremy Pardon is director of photography, and executive producers are Jill Wilfret and Kathleen Fleming. Executive producers are Benjamin Melnicker and Michael Uslan.

“LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite packs the right combination of action and humor to delight superhero fans from ages 3 to 103,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. “We’re proud to provide a film that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike, making for ideal family entertainment.”

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite Blu-ray™ Combo Pack has over 2 ½ hours of exciting content, including:
•       Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
•       UltraViolet™*
•       Featurette – “Building Batman” – An all-new featurette.  Ever thought about making your own batman movie? Join a group of children as they learn from master LEGO builder Garrett Barati, and animate their own Batman mini-movie with LEGO.
•       Teaser– “Lego Batman Jumps Into Action” – Garrett Barati’s original Batman teaser, created for LEGO Super Heroes, shows what this master stop-motion animator can do with just a few click, click, clicks of LEGO.
•       Shorts – “LEGO/DC Universe Super Heroes Video Contest Winners” – The excitement of DC Universe Super Heroes and the joy of LEGO building brings together action-packed short films from five winning submissions
•       Two bonus episodes from Batman: The Brave and the Bold (“Triumvirate of Terror” and “Scorn of the Star Sapphire”) and one episode from Teen Titans (“Overdrive”)
•       Assorted trailers

Mindy Newell: It’s Personal, Not Business.

Newell Art 130225From Wikipedia: Critics have generally received Ender’s Game well. The novel won the Nebular Award for best novel in 1985, and the Hugo for best novel in 1986, considered the two most prestigious awards in science fiction. Ender’s Game was also nominated for a Locus Award in 1986. In 1999, it placed #59 on the reader’s list of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels. It was also honored with a spot on the American Library Association’s “100 Best Books for Teens.” In 2008, the novel, along with (it’s sequel) Ender’s Shadow won the Margaret A. Edwards Award, which honors an author and specific works by that author for lifetime contribution to young adult literature. Ender’s Game was ranked at #2 in Damien Broderick’s book Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010.

Not too shabby.

The announcement by DC that Orson Scott Card (author of Ender’s Game and its sequel) will be writing a Superman story to be included in an upcoming anthology has burst into a firestorm of controversy on the net and in newspapers such as The Hollywood Reporter (“Ender’s Game’s Orson Scott Card’s Anti-Gay Views Pose Risk for Film,” February 20, 2013), not only because of Mr. Card’s publicly-stated negative opinions on homosexuality and same-sex marriage, but because Mr. Card sits on the Board of Directors for the non-profit National Organization for Marriage (NOM). Established in 2007 to work against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, NOM contributed $1.8 million to the passage of “Prop 8” in California, which prohibited same-sex marriage in California. (The amendment was in force until United States District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned it in August 2010, ruling that it violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution. His decision has been appealed, and the ruling has been stayed.) NOM also opposes civil union legislation and gay adoption.

Last week Michael Davis’s Brokeback Bastard here on ComicMix asserted not only DC’s right to hire Mr. Card despite the widespread outrage, but Michael’s opinion that efforts to get DC to renege their offer to Mr. Card, i.e., fire the bigot!, will fail, because, DC sees this, a la The Godfather, as “business, not personal.” Why? Because, to quote Michael, “This is a win – win for DC. They get a pretty good writer and massive publicity so why fire the guy? When the book comes out they will get another round of colossal exposure so like I said, why fire the guy?”

He’s right about that. Any publicity, so the pundits say, is good publicity. (I get the sentiment, but it’s not really true. Just ask Elliot Spitzer about his hooker friend, or Paul Ryan about his marathon time.)

This is what I wrote in response to Michael’s column:

Well, I understand the business side of it. Orson Scott Card is a prolific and popular science fiction writer whose Ender’s Game won the Nebula and the Hugo, and whom DC is betting will bring in lots of $$$$$. And I understand the “high moral ground” that Michael and Dan and John (Dan and John are respondents who took issue with Michael’s viewpoint) are arguing above: judge the guy on his writing, not on his personal views. However, Card’s views are not personal in that he is a member of the Marriage Is Only Between A Man And Woman Board, (I was too lazy at the time to look up the name of the organization) or whatever the hell it’s called. He has publicly stated that gay men and women should be ostracized and worse.

Superman is an icon. Superman stands for justice for all. Superman stands for the American dream. Superman stands for the pursuit of happiness. Superman stands for Truth. Card does not stand for justice for all. Card does not stand for the American dream. Card does not stand for the pursuit of happiness. Card does not stand for Truth.

Hatred and bigotry is rampant again in this country. Just look at what’s happening in Congress. The total blockage of Obama’s proposals, the continuation of the birthers and their lies, the about-to-be sequestration of our economy is all about the hatred of our first black President. Operative Word Is Black.
 Hiring Card to write an American icon is disgusting because Card is against everything the American dream stands for. That’s my opinion, plain and simple.

Though, as I said, I understand the business behind DC’s decision, I’m also so fucking tired of the “anything for a buck” crap that’s so damn rampant these days. It’s not just in business. It manifests itself everywhere. For instance:

I worked for many years at my local hospital. Across-the-board layoffs were scheduled. Instead of protesting the lay-offs, my union said that any employee who had lost his or her job could “bump” a junior employee. In other words, take the junior employee’s job and leave him or her out in the cold. I found this despicable. The union’s job, im-not-so-ho, was to protect all employees, not just do a “run-around” to solve the problem.

I could never take another person’s job. “It’s not right,” I said. Most of my co-workers mouthed the words, but when push-came-to-shove, most of those who were on the lay-off list did “bump” the one below them. And what was worse, being a small, community hospital, the “bumpers” knew the “bumpees.”

Et tu, Brutus?

Yeah, I know. “Oh, grow up, Mindy.” “Who are you, Pollyanna?” “People gotta do what they gotta do.”

It really sucks that I-N-T-E-G-R-I-T-Y doesn’t seem to mean anything anymore.

But like I said, I get it.

Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.

Go to the mattresses.

It’s business, not personal.

BUT GOD DAMN IT…

IT’S SUPERMAN!

TUESDAY MORNING: Emily S. Whitten

TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Michael Davis

 

 

Superman Unbound Details Released

superman-e1361467044781-7340253The trailer for this May’s release was missing from The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 but was subsequently released online. Now come the complete details of the next direct-to-DVD film from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

The fun vocal casting takes television stalwarts from popular genre series and uses them in other iconic roles. Here is the complete press release.

BURBANK, CA (February 21, 2012) – A destructive force is devastating planets across the galaxy – with Earth next in its sights – and even Superman may not be capable of halting the terror in SUPERMAN: UNBOUND, the next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives May 7, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), On Demand and for Digital Download. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*.

superman-unbound-e1361467082430-1641043Based on the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank 2008 Action Comics storyline “Superman: Brainiac,” SUPERMAN: UNBOUND finds the Man of Steel aptly handling day-to-day crime while helping acclimate Supergirl to Earth’s customs and managing Lois Lane’s expectations for their relationship. Personal issues take a back seat when the horrific force responsible for the destruction of Krypton – Brainiac – begins his descent upon Earth. Brainiac has crossed the universe, collecting cities from interesting planets – including Supergirl’s home city of Kandor – and now the all-knowing, ever-improving android has his sights fixed on Metropolis. Superman must summon all of his physical and intellectual resources to protect his city, the love of his life and his newly-arrived cousin.

The film’s stellar voicecast is led by Matt Bomer (White Collar) as Superman, John Noble (Fringe, The Lord of the Rings films) as Brainiac, Stana Katic (Castle) as Lois Lane and Molly Quinn (Castle) as Supergirl. Additional voices in the cast include Golden Globe Award winner Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) as Ma Kent, Wade Williams (The Dark Knight Rises) as Perry White, Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show, Office Space) as Steve Lombard, Stephen Root (Boardwalk Empire, Justified) as Zor-El, and Alexander Gould (Weeds) as Jimmy Olsen.

Supervising Producer James Tucker (Justice League, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) also directs the film from a script by Bob Goodman (Warehouse 13, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).

“SUPERMAN: UNBOUND adds an all-new chapter to the growing legacy of animated films featuring the Man of Steel and his epic challenges to maintain peace on Earth,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Home Video Vice President, Family & Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. “Matt Bomer’s voice epitomizes the All-American hero that is Superman, and John Noble counters that tone with a commanding, chilling delivery for Brainiac. A superhero is only as good as the depths of his opposition, and Noble brings out the best in his villainous portrayal of Brainiac.”

lois-lane-e1361467126743-2656883SUPERMAN: UNBOUND Blu-ray™ Combo Pack has over 4 1/2 hours of exciting content, including:

  • Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
  • UltraViolet™*
  • Sneak Peek at Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
  • Featurette – “Kandor: History of the Bottle City” – An all-new featurette. Kandor: a peaceful scientific community dedicated toward the preservation of all that is good on Krypton, the home world of Superman.  That is, until the city was ripped from its world and placed into a small glass bottle!  This is the short story highlighting the shrunken city of Kandor.  Its history just as fascinating as it is unique, here is how it ties in directly with the Man of Tomorrow.
  • Featurette – “Brainiac: Technology and Terror” – An all-new featurette.  Mostly machine, but part sentient being, Brainiac steals cities and destroys worlds.  Is he the most vile of Superman’s villainous foes?  Experience the Brainiac mythology and find out why Superman barely stands a chance!
  • Audio Commentary – Featuring members of the creative team: Mike Carlin, Bob Goodman and James Tucker.
  • Four bonus episodes from Superman: The Animated Series (“The Last Son of Krypton, Part 1”; “New Kids in Town”; and “Little Girl Lost, Parts 1 & 2”), all handpicked by producer Alan Burnett.
  • Digital Comic – Excerpt from the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

* Spuerman: Unbound  UltraViolet offer is a limited time offer.  Restrictions and limitations apply.  Go to ultraviolet.flixster .com/info for details.

Michael Davis: Brokeback Bastard

Davis Art 130219DC Comics is hiring a very anti-gay writer named Orson Scott Card to write for them.  That’s bad enough in my opinion, but they are giving him Superman to write.

Damn DC.

Giving a guy who wishes gay people were wiped off the face of earth is one thing, but giving him Superman is just ballsy as shit.

The outcry in the industry is loud and clear. There’s a movement to have DC just fire the guy outright.

Not gonna happen.

Let me be clear, I don’t think DC will fire the guy unless videotapes are found of him doing unnatural things with a German Sheppard… a girl German Sheppard, of course. I don’t want to offend him in case he’s reading this.

This is a win – win for DC. They get a pretty good writer and massive publicity so why fire the guy? When the book comes out they will get another round of colossal exposure so like I said, why fire the guy? For DC this is not personal, it’s business.

I say, let the guy write the book. Really.

If you want to take a stance against him and his views as I do, trying to get him fired is the wrong way to go about it at least I think so. Nothing short of a massive boycott will make a dent in stopping this guy from doing the Superman story.

But there is another way…

Take the writer to task at every turn. Make him own his views. Challenge him all the places where DC will send him to promote the book. Like comic book conventions, or any online forums, or any book signings anywhere he will show his bigoted face. Then the story is about his hated, his views and his failings as a human being. No company wants that shit following them around, over and over and over.

Trust me on this; I know first hand just how hard that sort of bad press hits corporate America. The way they are perceived by the public is easy to weather unless it keeps happening.

Now is if they also just happen to be a publicly traded company…

Yippee Ki Yay Mother Fucker.

I like what DC is doing with its line these days. I don’t like to think that one of my favorite comic book characters is going to be written by a guy who would deny others their right to exist.

I don’t blame DC for hiring the guy, I don’t blame them for standing behind him (although it better not be a guy standing behind him) because like I said for them it’s not personal it’s business.

For me and I’m guessing many of you making his comic book journey miserable is not business, it’s personal.

WEDNESDAY: Mike Gold

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil

 

CLASSIC PULP GOODNESS FOR YOUR EYES AND EARS FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • February 16, 2013

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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February 15, 2013

You can help Radio Archives – Reviews
 
Many of you have asked about ways to contribute to what Radio Archives does. We appreciate your interest in being a part of what we do. One way to do that is writing and posting reviews for products you’ve purchased from our website. Reviews give you the opportunity to share your thoughts and insight on the work we do with people considering which products to buy.

Reviews help us in a couple of ways. First, we get an idea of what you enjoyed or thought needed improvement about the product. This helps Radio Archives continually improve and provide you with the best quality possible.

Also, reviews let others know what their fellow customers think. Your opinion of a radio set, eBook or an audiobook means more to other shoppers than any words we could write. They get a better idea of the experience someone else had with Radio Archives collections or books. Each time you leave a review, a star ranking appears by the name of the product on our site. That lets customers browsing know at a glance that that item has been reviewed.

Regardless of the product, you can leave a review for it at Radio Archives. Click on the product you want to review. Go to the bottom of that product page and click ‘Be the First to Write a Review’ or ‘Write A Review’. Type in your opinion and then post it for others to take advantage of while shopping Radio Archives!

Let everyone know what you think of Radio Archives products and be a part of what we do by leaving reviews! Thank you for your continued support!

 

 
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“I’m The Comic Weekly Man, the jolly Comic Weekly Man and I’m here to read the funnies to you happy boys and honeys.”
This memorable theme song welcomed its audience to one of the most unique programs of the era of Classic Radio. The concept was simple. The Comic Weekly Man sang his song, then picked up the newspaper, flipped right to the comic strips, and read them aloud to millions of listeners, replete with different voices, music, and sound effects.
 
Airing on Mutual beginning in 1947, The Comic Weekly Man combined two pastimes important to American families, Radio and Comic strips. Reading from Puck: The Comic Weekly found in the papers owned by William Randolph Hearst, The Comic Weekly Man brought comic strip favorites – from Flash Gordon to Beetle Bailey, from Prince Valiant to Snuffy Smith – to life in a way most strips had never been heard.
 
One amazing aspect of this program is just how many voices were heard each week. The Comic Weekly Man, voiced by veteran radio actor Lon Clark, voiced all the male parts while Little Miss Honey, a young girl, assisted with the female roles. A whole cast of comic strip heroes and villains performed by two actors.
 
Fully restored, the sparkling audio quality of this collection features 12 episodes of comic strips turned radio adventures. Listen as the comic strips of your childhood joke, fight, and tickle their way to your ears with the The Comic Weekly Man. 6 hours $17.98 Audio CDs / $8.99 Download.
 
 
 
 
Listen to Lon Clark discussing The Comic Weekly Man from a 19944 FOTR panel discussion.
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Read by Roy Worley. Liner Notes by Will Murray
 
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One of the most successful pulp magazines ever envisioned was Ranch Romances. Combining Wild West settings with the eternal struggle to snag a mate, it ran from the 1920s clear to the ‘70s. Naturally, other publishers jumped on the wagon train. Popular Publications did so in 1935 with Rangeland Romances. First editor Rogers Terrill described his approach this way:
 
“Over a year ago we started a new magazine with a new idea. We started a romance magazine in which the hero and heroine fight side by side, live an adventurous life together, experience hope and despair, defeat and success, and finally love together. We brought out a magazine that was true to life; that was about characters who really could have lived and done those things that the author writes about.”
 
In other words, Rangeland Romances wasn’t just another Cinderella love pulp. The formula—which succeeding editors tinkered with from time to time—worked like a charm. Rangeland Romances ran for a generation.
 
For our first Rangeland Romances audiobook, we’ve chosen to record the August, 1948 issue in its entirety. All seven stories. It’s a hoot.
 
Described as a novel of “Border Romance,” Marian O’Hearn’s “Fiesta Kisses are Sweetest” leads off the collection. It’s followed by a brace of fun frontier novelettes, Art Lawson’s “Cupid Rules the Roost” and Isabel Stewart Way’s “No Sirens Wanted.” Four sizzling short stories follow. “Salty but Susceptible,” “Petticoat-Corralin’ Hombre,” “I’m Claiming That Guy!” and “Gambling Gal.”
 
These are sweet yet salty stories of determined cowgirls navigating the complicated courtship rituals of ranches ranging from the Dakotas to the Southwest. Pistol-packin’ Doris Day in Annie Get Your Gun! gives you a good idea of the flavor of the festivities. High Noon, this ain’t!
 
Read by Roy Worley. Gary Cooper, he ain’t either. 6 hours $23.98 Audio CDs / $11.99 Download.
 
 

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New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks

 
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
 

Never more was the Spider to stalk the Underworld — so Richard Wentworth decreed when he retired to the quiet countryside to nurse his beloved Nita back to health. Yet into the very heart of that peaceful sanctuary swept such a bloody tidal wave that even Wentworth had never seen its like! From New York’s foul sewers had crept Crime’s mad dogs, turned loose to transform the whole country into a racket-ridden ruin! In that moment of ordeal, himself hunted by crook and law officer alike, Richard Wentworth knew that the Spider must rise again — to wage bitter warfare against a lawless legion that threatened to make ever America into an Empire of Terror! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
 
From the quaking earth, itself, roared the devilish decree that threatened to demolish New York — “Your souls are mine! When I speak you will obey!” For a satanic dictator, loosing the hordes of hell, had turned America’s greatest city into an Underworld Kingdom of Crime, and untold helpless thousands died, strangling, when the Emperor of Hades scattered his scarlet, slaying devil-dust! Reeking of sulphur and brimstone, it floated over Manhattan like a sinister death-cloud, and but one man — Richard Wentworth, with the Spider’s weird weapons — could hope to wage battle against that Mephistophelean murderer who had set a metropolis aflame with one blasting, furnace-like breath and turned loose the kill-maddened legions of the damned! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.

 
America, last citadel of freedom and democracy in the world, has made a valiant but futile stand against the ravening war hordes of the cruel conqueror, Rudolph I, the man whose super fighting machine is ruthlessly putting the nations of civilized man in thrall. Daily mass executions of men and women — even children — on the Eastern seaboard, are but one of the diabolical means of bringing the surviving patriots to heel. But there is one band that will never yield, who grimly say: “Death before dishonor!” Their leader, Jimmy Christopher, known to them as Operator 5, realizes that only one bold, desperate move can furnish his fellow Americans with the thundering fleet of air destroyers with which alone they can hope to save their country. Grimly, quickly, silently, he sets his plan in action! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.
 

In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine by Hugh B. Cave, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

 

Murder, swift and unseen — taking as its toll the most prominent citizens of New York, and marking with blood and horror, the trail of the mysterious Black Lotus. What was the purpose of this silent scourge, that stilled the innocent in sudden death? Val Kildare knew this much at least; that the fiend behind this slaughter killed not for vengeance, but for pleasure! Wu Fang is a Chinese criminal mastermind and scientific genius. With his hybrid monkey-men, he plans to conquer America. He is member of various secret societies and has spies everywhere. Opposing him is Val Kildare of the F.B.I.  His aides, reporter Jerry Hazard, archaeologist Rod Carson and newsboy Cappy, help him in his battles against the sinister man of evil known as Wu Fang. $2.99.

 
 
99 cent eBook Singles
Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.
 

How could Clay Cavanaugh protect his sweetheart from a man with Satan’s gifts? In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
 

 

Lovely Tess knew that big ranches weren’t built on promises and moonlight kisses. She wanted her future safe-guarded against the ravages of wild range life — and she poured her whole heart into that kiss she gave Dusty, a kiss meaning… good-by! One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.

 
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store, Barnes and Noble Nook store, and RadioArchives.com! Search for RadioArchives.com in iTunes where over 200 eBooks are available.
 

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Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
 
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
 
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
 

See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
 
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of  the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
 
 

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The legendary Master of Men returns in two classic stories from the 1930s. Hidden in the heart of New York’s Chinatown, the Emperor of Vermin unleashes all manner of foul creatures to spread disease and death. The Spider wages a seemingly hopeless battle to protect mankind from the menace of a monster who personifies evil incarnate in “Dragon Lord of the Underworld” (1935). Then, in “Satan’s Switchboard” (1937), no citizen, no corporation is safe from the dread schemes of The Silencer. No secret thought, no hidden act escapes his notice – and those he calls upon are found dead by their own hand, their faces horribly obliterated. Only The Spider dares defy this maniac, as he strikes back to end this terrible menace to society. These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. $14.95. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00

 

The Master of Darkness battles global crime conspiracies in two classic pulp novels by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” Following the departure of Commissioner Weston, The Shadow attempts to prevent a Wall Street crisis brought on by “The Garaucan Swindle,” in the pulp classic that introduced Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth. Then, The Shadow must find a way to stop the secret gas that causes “The Death Sleep” to prevent a criminal plot to crack the United States Mint and the Bank of London. This instant collector’s item reprints both classic pulp covers by George Rozen plus the original interior illustrations of Tom Lovell, with historical commentary by Will Murray. $14.95.
 

The pulp era’s legendary superman returns in two action-packed novels by Alan Hathway and Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, the Man of Bronze confronts the deadly menace of The Headless Men, decapitated zombies commanded by a mad genius in the landmark 100th Doc Savage novel. Then, in his first solo adventure, a disguised Doc Savage travels to King Joe Cay to infiltrate a gang of schemers. This double-novel collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of ten Doc Savage novels. $14.95.

Robert E. Howard
This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $25.00
 

 
 
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The shattering sequel to Fortress of Solitude.
 
The Doc Savage exploit that went untold for 74 years—Death’s Dark Domain!
 
In the aftermath of the evil John Sunlight’s pillaging of the secret Fortress of Solitude, a dreadful super-weapon has fallen the hands of a Balkan dictator intent upon seizing control of the vampire-haunted zone of desolation known as Ultra-Stygia. War is imminent. Monsters are loose in the disputed region. A strange darkness falls over the sinister landscape. Only Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, understands the terrible threat to humanity. And only he can prevent the terror from spreading…
 
There are unknown Things prowling the darkest patch of land on the planet. Haunted by creatures that might have emerged from the Hell’s lowest regions, ancient Ultra-Stygia has turned into a cauldron of conflict between rival countries. Monster bats careen through the night sky. Invisible Cyclopes patrol the scorched battleground. And a power beyond understanding robs men of their vision.
 
Can the 20th century’s premier scientist and superman untangle this Gordian knot of carnage before neighboring nations are drawn into an apocalyptic new world war? Or will the Man of Bronze succumb to an unstoppable power he himself has unleashed upon mankind?
 
From the frozen Arctic to the war-torn Balkans, Doc Savage and his fighting five follow a winding trail of terror to a blood-freezing climax.

 
Death’s Dark Domain features a fantastic cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.

 

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Back in print after 20 years! The rare Lester Dent-Will Murray collaboration resurrecting the original pulp superman…
 
Also available is the first Altus Press edition of Will Murray’s 1993 Doc Savage adventure, The Forgotten Realm. Deep in the heart of the African Congo lies a secret unsuspected for thousands of years. Doc Savage and his men embark on a quest to discover the secret of the strange individual known only as X Man, X for unknown. Before they come to the end of the trail, they find themselves fighting for their lives like gladiators of old!
 
No one knows who—or what—the strange being who calls himself “X Man” truly is. He was found wandering the ruins of a crumbling Roman fort, dressed in a toga, speaking classical Latin—and clutching a handful of unearthly black seeds.
 
Declared insane, the X Man patiently tends his weird plants until the day, impelled by a nameless terror, he flees Wyndmoor Asylum to unleash a cyclone of violence that is destined to suck the mighty Man of Bronze into the blackest, most unbelievable mystery of his entire career. For far from Scotland lies a domain of death unknown to the world and called by the ancient Latin name of Novum Eboracum—New York!
 
From the wild Scottish moors to the unexplored heart of darkest Africa, Doc Savage and his indomitable men embarked upon a desperate quest for the Forgotten Realm….
 

The Forgotten Realm features a spectacular cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.
 

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By John Olsen
 

Crime, Insured pits The Shadow against a new racket that has sprung up in Manhattan: crime insurance. Crime has gone ultra-modern. Bigshots have discarded old-fashioned methods and are now insuring their crimes against failure. But can they insure against intervention by that master of the night, The Shadow?

It all starts with Wally Drillick, a smooth operator who spends his leisure hours in smart night clubs and high-priced taprooms. He’s been hired by Duke Unrig, a big-time crime boss, to pilfer the Melrue jewels. But The Shadow is on the job, guarding the jewels.

What we know, although The Shadow hasn’t learned yet, is that Duke Unrig insured his crime. If the robbery is thwarted, he receives payment from a mysterious insurance company. Also, while all this has been going on, a mysterious figure has been watching. This mysterious figure has identified three of The Shadow’s secret agents. Yes, one by one, the agents of The Shadow are being revealed to a thin, stooped figure who hides in the shadows. And finally, Lamont Cranston is revealed as The Shadow. Even the location of The Shadow’s sanctum is discovered!

The mastermind behind Crime, Insured now knows The Shadow’s agents, The Shadow’s sanctum and The Shadow’s disguise. And that means it’s time to attack. Attack the one man who stands to thwart crime, and cause Crime, Insured to pay out on its insurance policies. Without The Shadow, the company fortunes will soar.

Nearly all of The Shadow’s agents appear in this story. Criminologist Slade Farrow shows up along with his assistant Tapper, whose expertise at picking a lock is second only to The Shadow. Giant African Jericho Druke is another reserve agent who appears. Doctor Rupert Sayre joins in to assist with some radio direction finding tasks.

The New York Police is represented by Commissioner Ralph Weston and ace inspector Joe Cardona. Both get small parts, but don’t get to do much. Still, it’s nice to see them included here.

Finally, as I read this story, it occurred to me that there is another of The Shadow’s agents that we always seem to forget. He’s that unnamed announcer at radio station WNX who reads The Shadow’s coded messages over the air, and emphasizes certain words to indicate the secret message. Who is he? What’s his name? We are never told. But I would like to know more about this unsung agent.

This story is one of the pivotal ones in the saga of The Shadow. Only one other time, in the entire run of the magazine stories, was The Shadow’s sanctum invaded. Read as The Shadow battles the boldest and most amazing racket in the history of modern crime, and nearly loses his entire organization in the bargain. Get ‘Crime Insured’ and another classic Shadow novel in The Shadow Volume 1. Double Novel reprint $12.95

 
Comments From Our Customers!

 
Eugene Dungan writes:
I must say that I am really enjoying listening to all of your pulp fiction audiobooks. I now have 19 of your pulp fiction audiobooks and I have two more pulp fiction audiobooks on order right now.
 
Paul Gray from England writes:
Many thanks for the Mutual Radio Theatre vol.5  — as per usual it is all great listening. I have just downloaded the CBS Radio Workshop that I suggested to you a few months ago – this is superb – perhaps this could be part of an ongoing series. Over the past few months I have downloaded quite a few sets and found them all very interesting. It is good to know that you are keeping the downloads at half the cd price – superb.  best wishes
 
Walter Brantner from Austria writes:
Free Spider eBook. Yes please!!! :-) best from Austria, a pulp fan
 
Bruce Toews writes:
The job Radio Archives does is incredible and such an amazing value for my money.
 
Ed Sigmund writes:
Please, please, please, make The Shadow available as an ebook for Kindle.

 
Andy Wood from England writes:
I received the WJSV set on Wednesday and have been listening to it! Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much. This has long been a favourite of mine and I’ve had several versions of it – this is the best sound by far that I’ve ever heard. Lovely packaging too.
 
The music played during the early morning music program, and during the wonderful Sundial program with the hugely enjoyable Arthur Godfrey is fabulous. One in particular, at the very end of disc two I believe, is introduced by Arthur Godfrey as the new one from Artie Shaw. The record is “Day In, Day Out” by Artie Shaw featuring Helen Forrest on lead vocals. This was a very new recording at the time of the broadcast, having been waxed on August 27th, less than a month earlier. Thanks again, really appreciate the set. Keep doing what you’re doing!
 

If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!

 
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UN-SUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.

Martha Thomases: Udder Catastrophe

thomases-art-130215-4551025There are two totally unrelated things I want to talk about this week. Well, not entirely unrelated. Both have actual connections to comics, something my last column managed to completely miss.

1. In a move that reminds absolutely everyone of Dick Tracy, Apple may be developing the twenty-first century version of the two-way wrist radio. This would be a flexible all-class device that one would wear on the wrist. There is speculation the screen would be 1.5 inches in diameter.

I hate this idea. I can barely type on the keyboard of my phone with two thumbs. There is no way I could tap out anything even vaguely intelligible on my wrist with one hand.  There is only a slightly larger chance that I would be able to read anything on a screen that small, so I guess that would limit the amount to typing I would need to do.

There is apparently an entire department at Apple that is developing wearable computers. The article alludes to the possibility of Apple sunglasses as well.

My first reaction was to get excited, because I would look much cooler in sunglasses, and also, Neuromancer. However, the more I think about it, the more I think it’s either a bad idea, or requires more refinement. I mean, it’s difficult enough to walk a city sidewalk now, when the multitudes are so engrossed with looking at their phones that they walk into traffic. And they have to actually take their phones out of their pockets and hold them in their hands to look at those screens. With glasses, even that little bit of effort is superfluous. As you walk down the sidewalk (or, God forbid, drive your car) you won’t be able to tell who is or isn’t paying attention.

We’re all doomed.

At least, with a watch, there’s the possibility of fighting crime.

2). Those of you who keep track of my every utterance may remember how appalled I was last year when the editorial brain trust at DC Comics decided that super-powered female lizards have breasts

http://comicmix.com//columns/2012/03/23/martha-thomases-what-would-women-worldkillers-wear/. For one thing, I kept formulating a joke in my head (“Like tits on a lizard, these are the Days of Our Lives“) that no one would understand anymore.

But, mostly, it upsets me that purportedly adult humans either know nothing about human biology or think the customers who pay their salaries are stupid tools who are easily manipulated. Both of these alternatives fill me with despair.

And this week, as I read my DC Comics, I was let down in exactly this way by a few books I normally enjoy.

The first was the end of the “Rot World” storyline, taking place in the #17 issues of Animal Man and Swamp Thing. Our title heroes and their allies are fighting creatures who have been overtaken by The Rot, so that they are desiccated zombies or monsters. Among the zombies are Superman and Wonder Woman. They are skeletal, except for Superman’s enormous muscles, and Wonder Woman’s muscular arms and giant breasts.

It makes no sense whatsoever for Wonder Woman to have a body that indicates she has no fat, but the gigantic breasts belie that. I suppose it’s possible that her breasts are full of pus, which would be scary, but also disturbing.

And then, in Dial H for Hero #9, the woman with a dial turns into a Minotaura, a female minotaur. She is covered with hair, has horns on her head, again with the exaggerated musculature, and again with ginormous boobies.

Think about it. A minotaur, half man and half bull. The female version would be half woman, half cow. No horns. And, if mammary glands, just as likely to be an udder as breasts.

Consider the possibilities of the super-powered udder. There could be jet-propelled milk, used to knock opponents off balance. A full udder is heavy, and an empty one could be flexible. It would be awesome.

But it wouldn’t give the fanboys boners, so I guess it’s not to be.

I await the Apple computer that gets built into bras.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

 

Clancy Brown to attend Premiere of Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite

lego-batman-cover-art-e1360167613813-2893442Clancy Brown, the quintessential voice of Lex Luthor, will walk the red carpet and take part in the post-screening panel discussion when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and The Paley Center for Media present the World Premiere of LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite in New York on February 11, 2013.

Brown set the benchmark for all Lex Luthor voices with his iteration of the role for Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, and he has reprised the voice in several TV series episodes as well as the DC Universe Animated Original Movie, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and now for LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite.

The World Premiere will include red carpet media interviews starting at 5:15 p.m. and the first-ever public screening of the film at 6:30 p.m.  Following the screening, cast and filmmakers will discuss the movie. Joining Brown on the panel will be TT Animation’s award-winning director/producer Jon Burton and director of photography Jeremy Pardon, and renowned videogame/animation actors Troy Baker (Bioshock Infinite, Batman: Arkham City) as Batman and Travis Willingham (Avengers Assemble, The Super Hero Squad Show) as Superman.

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite, an all-new film from TT Animation based on its popular video game, finds Lex Luthor taking jealousy to new heights when fellow billionaire Bruce Wayne wins the Man of the Year Award. To top Wayne’s accomplishment, Lex begins a campaign for President – and to create the atmosphere for his type of fear-based politics, he recruits the Joker to perfect a Black LEGO Destructor Ray. While wreaking havoc on Gotham, Lex successfully destroys Batman’s technology – forcing the Caped Crusader to reluctantly turn to Superman for help.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set May 21, 2013 as its release date for LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite on Blu-ray and DVD.

Brown made his very first theatrical appearance opposite Sean Penn in Bad Boys, and then forever sealed his place in fantasy villainy as The Kurgan in Highlander. Before playing an immortal, though, Brown etched his name in cult classic history as Rawhide in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Brown is regularly recognized from his standout performance as Captain Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, as the centerpiece of HBO’s Carnivale as Brother Justin Crowe, and to fanboys across the planet as gung-ho Sgt. Zim in Starship Troopers.

Having lent his voice to nearly 600 animated episodes and films, Brown is also widely known as Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants. His voice credits, to list just a few, include roles in The Batman, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jackie Chan Adventures, Wolverine and the X-Men, Phineaus and Ferb, Ben 10: Alien Force, Kim Possible, Duck Dodgers, Teen Titans, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Gargoyles.

The Paley Center in New York City is located at 25 West 52nd Street. There is no attached parking, however there is ample parking in numerous structures surrounding the Paley Center.

Emily S. Whitten: It’s a Cold! It’s a Kryptonian Virus! It’s The Winter Plague!

Whitten Art 130205Remember that time when Superman caught a Kryptonian virus on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman? And he spent practically the whole episode laid out on the couch, barely conscious? And all he could manage to do was sort of thrash his head about and moan a bit? Having spent the entirety of this past week laid out at home with what I have not-so-fondly dubbed “The Winter Plague,” I suspect I know just how he felt.

I also suspect that when it comes to the Winter Plague, I have not been very heroic. Or at least that’s what it seems like when looking back at my pathetic tweets over the past week (tweeting being about all I’ve had the energy to do, since I can do it from my phone, while lying down in bed). But I guess I could look at the whole matter in another way. You see, because the Winter Plague might sneak up on people when they’re not paying attention, it could be argued that while I was suffering untold miseries I heroically catalogued for all of you, via Twitter, the most common Signs of the Winter Plague, which I can now share. This way, maybe you can recognize that you are coming down with the Winter Plague in time to get to a doctor before it brings you to your knees.

So here are the signs. Read them carefully, ensuring that none apply to you, for if you find yourself identifying with any of the following, you may just have become a victim of… (cue dramatic music here) …The Winter Plague.

Signs of the #WinterPlague:

  1. Too sick to want to watch TV and/or read comics.
  2. “So, self, what have you done all week?” “Uh, slept? Coughed? Sneezed? Slept more?”
  3. It’s 3 pm! I am up! …Because I have to take my meds. Now, where’s my bed again?
  4. Dry toast? Unappetizing. Toast with Nutella? …Still unappetizing. :(
  5. *blows nose* I can breathe! I can…! :( Never mind. *blows nose again* I can b…! …*sigh* *blows nose again*
  6. Not sure if head hurts from illness or blowing nose so much. Possibly both?
  7. Plague not immediately vanquished by @neilhimself magic. Dear Neil pls send more? 1st round scared Plague but it came back!
  8. Drinking orange juice. Don’t like orange juice.
  9. Can’t get through three bites without coughing. :(
  10. My oxen have died.
  11. Slept for five days, still tired. D:
  12. Considered turning on laptop in bed to watch show. Didn’t have energy to press button. Crawled back under covers.
  13. “Productive” things done in last week: 1) Read Dresden Files graphic novel. 2) ……..
  14. “Hey self! It’s 5 pm. Know what that means?” “…Naptime?” “Yep! How did you know?” “The answer’s always naptime.”
  15. “So, body, we just took a three-hour nap. What should we do now?” “…Take a nap?”
  16. Clearly my body needed More Napping. Just woke up from another coma-like sleep.
  17. Did NOT go to @PressClubDC to see Dave Barry today, despite really, really wanting to. Could not leave bed. :(
  18. “What day is today, self?” “……..?”
  19. I have never, ever had the heat on this high before.
  20. “Body! You’re finally a bit hungry! What would you like to eat?” “Toast.” “Just…toast?” “All the toast.”
  21. Oh, hello, cough. You wanted to get up now? I guess we will get up for a few then.

So there you have it! If any of the above seems eerily familiar to you, get thee hence to a doctor immediately (seriously. I’m not kidding about that part. Get some antibiotics, at the very least, so you don’t continue to spread the Plague to unsuspecting people like me).

And please note that other signs of the Winter Plague can include temporary insanity, so if the above column seems a bit loopy to you…well, I’m gonna blame it on the Winter Plague.

Until next time, stay healthy, and Servo Lectio!

TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Michael Davis

WEDNESDAY MORNING: Mike Gold

 

JUST THE FACTS AND MORE-RADIO AND PULP HEROES AT RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • February 4, 2013

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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February 1, 2013

You can help Radio Archives – Borrowing Pulps!
Radio Archives is interested in borrowing pulps to OCR for future eBook and Audiobook projects. We work with original source materials and if you have original Pulps from the 1930s and 1940s, we would love to talk to you. If you want to help, please contact us at Service@RadioArchives.com
 

 
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Known for breaking new ground in radio and entertainment, Dragnet was truly a pioneering program in many ways. This was most evident in the actual stories told in each episode, some sentimental, some brutal, all as realistic as show star and creator Jack Webb could make them. Strong stories and great characterizations make up every show featured in Dragnet, Volume 7.

The story featured in each episode is, as noted in the famous opening narration, “…true.” Although many shows focused on lesser crimes, Dragnet did not shy away from violence or topics thought forbidden. This program was in every sense a true police procedural and dealt with crimes of all sorts. Dragnet was one of the first radio shows to deal with crimes involving sexual motivations, true psychological issues, drug use among juveniles, and even the murder of children. Never gratuitous in its portrayal, Dragnet dealt with all crimes the same way that Jack Webb delivered Joe Friday’s lines – honestly and starkly.

The episodes featured in this volume are during a period of transition for Dragnet and for Joe Friday. Webb’s Friday had several partners performed by six different actors after the death of Barton Yarborough and before Ben Alexander became his partner permanently as Frank Smith.

The realistic interplay of characters on Dragnet captures a listener’s attention, giving fans that almost fly on the wall feeling as they listen to Friday and his partner investigate and interrogate. Enjoy episodes featuring honest, realistic stories and great performances on Dragnet, Volume 7.

 

 

 
 

 

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Will Murray’s Pulp Classics #21

by Donald E. Keyhoe
Read by Michael C. Gwynne. Liner Notes by Will Murray
 
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Ever since Sax Rohmer conceived Dr. Fu Manchu, thriller writers have attempted to emulate his sinister appeal. No class of authors vied to out-villain Rohmer more than the pulp writers of the 1930s. The very best of these imitations was the work of top pulpateer Donald E. Keyhoe, later to make headlines as the retired Air Force officer who claimed that flying saucers were real.
 
Dr. Yen Sin lasted only three issues in 1936, but Keyhoe’s short-lived trilogy was a memorable attempt to given the “Yellow Peril” theme a mature and suspenseful treatment. The premise is a familiar one—a sinister Chinese super-scientist out to conquer the world. Pitted against him is the Q-Group, headed by State Department operative Michael Traile, who because of a childhood accident cannot sleep. Instead, he employs Yoga as a substitute. Under Traile are a host of secret agents, chief of whom is Eric Gordon of the F. B. I., who reports personally to Director John Glover—actually J. Edgar Hoover. Adding a dash of feminine mystique is Sin’s mysterious cohort, Sonya Damatri, while Eric Gordon’s girlfriend, Iris Vaughan, furnishes the series’ love interest.
 
Beginning with The Mystery of The Dragon’s Shadow and continuing through The Mystery of the Golden Skull and The Mystery of the Singing Mummies, the running battle between Dr. Yen Sin and his sleepless nemesis is a riveting roller-coaster ride of exotic torture, diabolic doom devices and sudden death that rages from Washington, D. C. to San Francisco! One wishes that Popular Publications had seen fit to publish the promised fourth installment, The Mystery of the Faceless Men…This series was that good!
 
Here is the riveting second encounter between Traile and Dr. Sin. The Mystery of the Golden Skull is read with pulsing intensity by Michael C. Gwynne. New York City is the stage. Horror is the watchword as Dr. Sin attempts to revive the secret society known as the Circle of the Golden Skull. What happens when Michael Traile steals the Golden Skull talisman—forcing Yen Sin to search for him?
 
Also included are a trio of Chinatown tales by Moran Tudury, Don Cameron, and Arden X. Pangborn. 6 hours $23.98 Audio CDs / $11.99 Download.

 
by Vic Sage from the Retroist
 
 
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As always I would like to thank our friends over at Radio Archives for giving me the opportunity to review another of Will Murray’s Pulp Classic audiobooks. This time around it’s for what might possibly be the pulpiest sounding character I’ve ever had the privilege to learn about, Captain Satan: King of Adventure!
 
To be fair I always take my time looking over the newsletters that Radio Archives send me, just checking out the new Old Time Radio programs or Audiobooks that might catch my eye and that are worthy of your attention. Just a few weeks ago an item in the latest newsletter made me sit up straight and immediately send in a request to review Captain Satan, you see for many years now I’ve had a Captain Satan print hanging on the wall next to my Universal Monsters posters…the same image of Captain Satan above…I’ve always been so curious as to what this character was all about. Thankfully I got my chance and I’ve added this fantastic character to my top five favorite pulp characters of all time!
 
Why? Well, when author William O’Sullivan crafted Captain Satan and his wealthy alter-ego Cary Adair he took the best elements of the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (Reverend Syn/Doctor Syn), the Shadow, Doc Savage and even some of Robin Hood and crafted a dark pulp avenger for the ages.
 
How can you not love Pulp prose like this: “He held in his hands the burning brand of Hell and in his heart was locked the courage of the Gods. Wise Guys and Tough Mugs, Crooks and their thieving Mobs knew the mark of Satan.”
 
Now that Pulp writing is just from the intro and for Pulp Fiction fanatics you can spread it on some toast and eat it up! Don’t take my word for it though, listen to the Opening Credits that Radio Archives has so kindly provided.
 
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Sadly one of the reasons I couldn’t find out much about the character was that O’Sullivan wrote only five Captain Satan novels in his day though he penned many Sports, Crime, and Aviation Pulp tales in his time. After listening to this first Audiobook for Captain Satan, the story which was originally published by Popular Publications in March 1938, I can only hope that Will Murray and the talented narrator/actor Michael C. Gwynne will team up to bring us the other four adventures in the series!
 
I cannot praise Michael C. Gwynne enough for his performance on this audiobook and I swear he is channeling James Coburn when he is playing the part of Cary Adair/Captain Satan…maybe with a bit of Patrick McGoohan thrown in as well? Michael is no stranger to retro TV and movies by the way, he landed roles on Dallas, Kojak, and Falcon Crest, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, CHiPS, and an episode of Amazing Stories that just happened to be directed by Martin Scorsese before teaming up with the talented Will Murray.
 
So what does the story The Masked of the Damned entail? I’ll avoid big spoilers of course but we learn early on from the character Jo Desher, who just happens to be the Head of the F.B.I. that things in Washington are going off the rails. Military officials are acting odd, crying for changes that will drastically lower the effectiveness of the armed forces. The Treasury Department is concocting a scheme that rational voices point out will shatter the economy as well as the Labor Department asking for permission to unionize all Government Employees including all branches of the Military.
 
Luckily for the Head of the F.B.I. though unbeknownst to him…at least for the time being…his well-to-do layabout friend Adair is none other than the legendary Captain Satan. After the two men survive no less than two assassination attempts it’s time for Jo to leave for Washington D.C. and for the “good” Captain to assemble the Satan’s Crew. Which is like a dark version of Doc Savage’s The Fabulous Five, a collection of scoundrels with code names like Slim, Frenchie, Big Bill, Soapy, Kayo, Happy, Doc, Mike and Gentleman Dan who answer the summons of Captain Satan and you certainly are made aware with their introductions that it’s not prudent or healthy to cross Captain Satan. Of course to be honest it’s not necessarily healthy to team up with Captain Satan either…unlike Doc Savage’s aides against crime and tyranny, the Captain’s allies don’t all get to come home and fight the good fight another day. Though with the Robin Hood aspect, the reason the Satan’s Crew are convened is not 100% for noble reasons:
 
“You know my principles: To smash every crook I can lay my hands on—and what he has is mine. I’ll break every petty or large crook, every swindling racketeer or grafting politician or gyp banker I can lay my hands on. The terms you already know. What they have is ours. I pay the expenses and take a one third cut. You boys split the remainder on equal shares.”
 
So will Captain Satan and his Crew be able to take on this shadowy organization that seems to have infiltrated the United States Government? Will our soiled do-gooders be able to outsmart both the combined forces of G-Men headed by Jo Dershel and the evil ‘Gang’ that seems intent on wrecking the United States itself? What of the Mask of the Damned?
 
Well, you’ll just have to pick up the first Captain Satan audiobook to find out won’t you? It’s available right this very minute from Radio Archives for a mere $11.99 as a digital download, which includes the bonus short story Mr. Detective Is Annoyed, read by Roger Price, you get 6 hours of Pulp entertainment that low price! If your prefer the physical discs you can pick it up on the site for $23.99 and if you would rather enjoy the prose version of the first appearance of Captain Satan you may download it on the site as an eBook for only $2.99!

 
 

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New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks

 
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
 

Over New York’s hushed streets, the Whisper’s fearsome mutter fell, telling men that the time had come to die! Throughout that entire panic-stricken metropolis, no man dared testify against a single criminal lest he, himself, be slashed to bloody bits by the invisible death which left no clue save a quivering, mutilated corpse! While the Underworld ran riot, and the helpless Law stood aghast, Richard Wentworth, as the Spider, loosed his mightiest effort — a counter-reign of terror which struck at the murder-maniac whose every word was a death-sentence and who had coined a fortune out of unclaimed corpses!Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
 
Over Manhattan hung the bony, beckoning finger — signaling untold thousands to wholesale slaughter I For the Sleeping Death had crept into New York’s doomed bedchambers, and those who dared lie down to slumber never awakened again! In this nightmare holocaust, ruled by a slaying Sandman, with the Underworld turned loose to ravage the red-eyed city, only Richard Wentworth, in the Spider’s sinister guise, dared wage desperate battle for an insomnia-maddened people — against a murder-Morpheus who turned night into hell and sang to a doomed metropolis his terrifying lullaby of death! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.
 
Men fought snarling in the streets over crusts of bread or ferreted, beast-like, through the charred ruins of some once-majestic building in search of food scraps… To such dire state had the city fallen when the Spider, weakened by weeks of illness, returned to take up his seemingly hopeless battle against the Food Destroyers. Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.

 
Jimmy Christopher, clean-cut, square-jawed and clear-eyed, was the star of the most audacious pulp magazines ever conceived — Operator #5. Savage would-be conquerors, creepy cults, weird weather-controllers and famine-creating menaces to our mid-western breadbasket… these were but a few of the fiendish horrors that Jimmy Christopher was forced to confront. Operator #5 returns in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.
 

In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine by J. O. Quinliven, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

 

Moving east from the ration’s capitol at Washington, Dr. Yen Sin, saffron-skinned scourge of the Orient, sets up his hell-base in New York and under the banner of the Golden Skull, once again locks horns with Michael Traile, the Man Who Never Sleeps, and his partner Eric Gordon. What is the ghastly doom he brings with him to turn living men to rainbow-colored dust? Why should the flowers in his corpse garden have their heads removed, only to be sewed on again — backwards — by the surgeon mandarin? $2.99.
 
 
99 cent eBook Singles
Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.
 

He was such a creature as even the bravest fled from in frenzied fear! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
 

 

Vivacious Vida played her handsome, honkatonk boss against the dashing, millionaire grandee — till she lost both that wild night when Grasslands branded her a notorious woman. One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.

 
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store, Barnes and Noble Nook store, and RadioArchives.com! Search for RadioArchives.com in iTunes with over 200 eBooks are available.
 

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Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
 
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
 
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
 

See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
 
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of  the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
 
 

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Richard Wentworth, in the guise of his crime-fighting alter-ego, returns in two 1930s tales of The Spider. First, in “Slaves of the Crime Master” (1935), criminal mastermind The Tempter broadcasts his message of evil via the radio, urging the maddened populace to destroy! Lured by his mysterious and persuasive voice, the youth of the nation flock to join his army of vicious criminals. His path blocked by police and criminals alike, The Spider wages a seemingly hopeless crusade to save humanity. Then, in “The Spider and the Fire God” (1939), its pay tribute or die as the Fire God demands his just dues and destroys the unbelieving in a burst of searing flame. Not since ancient times have so many people worshipped a strange and terrible god, abandoning their religion for fear of agonizing death. The Spider alone remains to battle this monstrous cult-leader from Hell! These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. $14.95! On sale for $12.95, save $2.00

 

The Master of Darkness battles global crime conspiracies in two classic pulp novels by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” Following the departure of Commissioner Weston, The Shadow attempts to prevent a Wall Street crisis brought on by “The Garaucan Swindle,” in the pulp classic that introduced Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth. Then, The Shadow must find a way to stop the secret gas that causes “The Death Sleep” to prevent a criminal plot to crack the United States Mint and the Bank of London. This instant collector’s item reprints both classic pulp covers by George Rozen plus the original interior illustrations of Tom Lovell, with historical commentary by Will Murray. $14.95.
 

The pulp era’s legendary superman returns in two action-packed novels by Alan Hathway and Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, the Man of Bronze confronts the deadly menace of The Headless Men, decapitated zombies commanded by a mad genius in the landmark 100th Doc Savage novel. Then, in his first solo adventure, a disguised Doc Savage travels to King Joe Cay to infiltrate a gang of schemers. This double-novel collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of ten Doc Savage novels. $14.95.

This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $35.00
 

 
 
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The shattering sequel to Fortress of Solitude.
 
The Doc Savage exploit that went untold for 74 years—Death’s Dark Domain!
 
In the aftermath of the evil John Sunlight’s pillaging of the secret Fortress of Solitude, a dreadful super-weapon has fallen the hands of a Balkan dictator intent upon seizing control of the vampire-haunted zone of desolation known as Ultra-Stygia. War is imminent. Monsters are loose in the disputed region. A strange darkness falls over the sinister landscape. Only Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, understands the terrible threat to humanity. And only he can prevent the terror from spreading…
 
There are unknown Things prowling the darkest patch of land on the planet. Haunted by creatures that might have emerged from the Hell’s lowest regions, ancient Ultra-Stygia has turned into a cauldron of conflict between rival countries. Monster bats careen through the night sky. Invisible Cyclopes patrol the scorched battleground. And a power beyond understanding robs men of their vision.
 
Can the 20th century’s premier scientist and superman untangle this Gordian knot of carnage before neighboring nations are drawn into an apocalyptic new world war? Or will the Man of Bronze succumb to an unstoppable power he himself has unleashed upon mankind?
 
From the frozen Arctic to the war-torn Balkans, Doc Savage and his fighting five follow a winding trail of terror to a blood-freezing climax.

 
Death’s Dark Domain features a fantastic cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.

 

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Back in print after 20 years! The rare Lester Dent-Will Murray collaboration resurrecting the original pulp superman…
 
Also available is the first Altus Press edition of Will Murray’s 1993 Doc Savage adventure, The Forgotten Realm. Deep in the heart of the African Congo lies a secret unsuspected for thousands of years. Doc Savage and his men embark on a quest to discover the secret of the strange individual known only as X Man, X for unknown. Before they come to the end of the trail, they find themselves fighting for their lives like gladiators of old!
 
No one knows who—or what—the strange being who calls himself “X Man” truly is. He was found wandering the ruins of a crumbling Roman fort, dressed in a toga, speaking classical Latin—and clutching a handful of unearthly black seeds.
 
Declared insane, the X Man patiently tends his weird plants until the day, impelled by a nameless terror, he flees Wyndmoor Asylum to unleash a cyclone of violence that is destined to suck the mighty Man of Bronze into the blackest, most unbelievable mystery of his entire career. For far from Scotland lies a domain of death unknown to the world and called by the ancient Latin name of Novum Eboracum—New York!
 
From the wild Scottish moors to the unexplored heart of darkest Africa, Doc Savage and his indomitable men embarked upon a desperate quest for the Forgotten Realm….
 

The Forgotten Realm features a spectacular cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.
 
Comments From Our Customers!

 
Andy Wood from England writes:
Firstly, I just bought your entire Fibber McGee & Molly collection as MP3 Downloads and I am astounded! I’ve been a long time OTR fan and collector and have had every available F&M episode for a long time, but to discover all these unheard 15 minute programs is unreal and the QUALITY is astonishing!! Even on the 1939-40 episodes! Some of those were previously inaudible, as were some of the 50’s ones.
 
Also, another firm favourite of mine is the WJSV Complete 1939 Broadcast Day which I’ve had in various forms over the years in varying quality and completeness. Your’s looks like the last word. Any new stuff on the way? I’ll be buying lots from you and can’t believe I haven’t found you before now. Keep up the amazing work as it’s truly appreciated!
 
Clement Falardeau from Quebec writes:
First of all thank you for the great special offers you had for the holidays. It was a wonderful occasion to discover some of your products or complete our collections. I got your Nightbeat audiobook. Great idea! I hope you will offer more new stories from Nightbeat. Don’t hesitate to explore other OTR series as well. I have bought most of your audiobooks and I really love them. I keep watching for the release of new Doc Savage audiobooks.
 
L. J. Field writes:
I’ll be purchasing the rest of these eBooks in the coming months. Love your site and what you’re doing. Thank You!
 
Christopher Southworth writes:
Thanks for the reading opportunities. I look forward to more “yellow peril” pulps as they arrive and am hoping for more G-Man detectives soon! Happy Holidays!
 

If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!

 
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UN-SUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.
 

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