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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

SIX GUN WESTERN GOES BI MONTHLY! NEW LOOK, TOO!

Taken from the AGE OF ADVENTURE Facebook page

Six Gun Western has garnered many fans since its release. We've recieved multiple emails requesting "More please". So to that we say: "You got it!" Starting with the next issue in January, Six Gun will go Bi-Monthly! Thats 6 issues per year instead of the current 4. To this end we have gathered a committed posse o...f contributers (writers, artists, and graphic design) Each issue will have even MORE NEW Western fiction, artcles, history, and artwork. Six Gun will be launching its very own Promotional page here on FB as well!





For now heres a look at our new logo... More to come! We'll be bringing you The BEST Wild West action any fan could want!

The first of our bi-monthly issues features part 1 of a two part, novel length Josiah Silence story by fan favorite Teel James Glenn. You can learn more about Teel at the Six Gun Western Page!http://www.facebook.com/pages/Six-Gun-Western-Magazine/175227815836196?ref=ts&v=wall

PRO SE PRESENTS MASKED GUN MYSTERY #2 NOW ON SALE!!

Need your Mystery, Crime, and Masked Hero fix all in one spot?? It's right here in PRO SE PRESENTS MASKED GUN MYSTERY #2! Thrill to high octane Pulp Action on every page! With a stunning Norm Breyfogle cover spotlighting Barry Reese's THE ROOK, MASKED GUN MYSTERY promises to deliver shots, shouts, and clues aplenty, with cops, flatfoots, and masked men around every corner! Look no further for your pulp fix than PRO SE PRESENTS MASKED GUN MYSTERY #2! Take a shot at it today! Print copies and E-books available!!
https://stores.lulu.com/proseproductions

The lineup for this issue includes-

SHORTAGES, art by C. William Russette

Pro Se Previews: The Rook, volume 6 - The Scorched God • Barry Reese


The Compassion Play, An Aloha McCoy Story • Ken Janssens
 Clean Up in Aisle Six • Aaron Smith

Shortages • Lee Houston, Jr.

The Scarlet Courtesan of Sovereign City • Derrick Ferguson

Staying Dead, a Tale of Virgil • C. William Russette

The Gray Ghost and the Lighthouse Murders • Bill Craig

IMPRINTS • Joshua Allen

Crime of the Arts Part 2 • Erwin K. Roberts

On The Edge of A Hero, A Tale of The Rapier • Don Thomas

What Is The Fate of Gary Wooten? - V • Fuller Bumpers and John Palmer IV

And the artists are-

Cover-Norm Breyfogle

Interiors-Anthony Castrillo, Dalton Carpenter, Fuller Bumpers,
Craig Gassen, Peter Cooper, and John Palmer IV!
Book Design, Layout, and Additional Graphics by Ali

MGM Editor-Barry Reese


PRO SE PRESENTS MASKED GUN MYSTERY #2
ON THE EDGE OF A HERO
Art by Craig Gassen

First Wave Solicitations -- February 2011


THE SPIRIT: ANGEL SMERTI TP
Written by MARK SHULTZ & DAVID HINE
Art and cover by MORITAT
In this first collection of the new SPIRIT series, an international crime syndicate wants to help Central City’s villain, The Octopus, consolidate control over the underworld. They’ve offered The Octopus the services of one of their finest assassins to take The Spirit’s breath away for good. Collecting THE SPIRIT #1-7.
On sale MARCH 16 • 168 pg, FC, $17.99 US



DOC SAVAGE #11
Written by IVAN BRANDON & BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by NIC KLEIN
Cover by J.G. JONES
Doc Savage’s adventure in the war-torn Zone races toward its unbelievable finish, as the secrets of the Two Who Are One – and Ronan McKenna’s disappearance five years ago – are revealed! But Doc’s discoveries may have set in motion a terrible fate for the Zone’s innocent inhabitants!
On sale FEBRUARY 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



THE SPIRIT #11
Written by DAVID HINE
Art by MORITAT
Cover by LADRĂ–NN
Has the Octopus gone soft? New York godfather Shonder Zeev thinks so, and he intends to cut in on Central City’s action and dismantle the truce the Octopus has with Commissioner Dolan - by sending an unlikely assassin to end Dolan himself!
On sale FEBRUARY 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Monday, November 29, 2010

MOONSTONE MONDAY-MOONSTONE AND SHEENA, QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE!

THE QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE SWINGS BACK INTO ACTION...FROM MOONSTONE!!

Moonstone Entertainment, Inc.(http://www.moonstonebooks.com/), known for producing top of the line prose and comic fiction based on licensed properties, recently revealed several new properties it had acquired rights for, including the penultimate icon that launched the "Jungle Girl" genre, SHEENA, QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE!

Originally created by the Eisner-Iger Ltd. Shop, Sheena debuted in the late 1930s in a British magazine.  Since that auspicious start, this sultry siren has swung her way through comics, pulp, television, and film. Sheena stands out as more than just another scantily clad jungle heroine.  Time and again, it has been proven that she is unique, original, and truly QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE! Now Moonstone is ready to bring her jungle heroics fighting and clawing into the 21st Century!

According to Joe Gentile, CEO of Moonstone, "Sheena starts in April with a bargain priced #0 issue.  We will follow that with an ongoing series!"  Gentile confirmed that Sheena would be a part of major events taking place in Moonstone Comics in early 2011!!!

Stay tuned to ALL PULP for all the SHEENA news you can handle and more upcoming announcements on other MOONSTONE properties!

MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION!!! THE CONCLUSION OF THE SPIDER: CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD!

 Moonstone Books and ALL PULP are proud to present the final chapter of MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION!!!!

Let ALL PULP know what you think of MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION on the Comments Page!!!

Want more Moonstone??? http://www.moonstonebooks.com/ !   And stay tuned at the end of this week's chapter for a link to purchase the collection this story is featured in!

THIS WEEK ON MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION-

CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD
A STORY OF THE SPIDER
BY MARTIN POWELL
featured in THE SPIDER: CHRONICLES
from Moonstone Books




PART FOUR
 
 

“Dick…are you all right?” Nita lightly touched his arm, startled by the coiling sinews tensing beneath his coat.

Wentworth paled a moment, then gave her a quiet reassuring smile. “We’ve just become privy to an essential clue that the official police have missed,” his voice was pitched with excitement. “I knew…or, rather, the Spider was very well acquainted with the late Bill Henry. The enemy has finally committed a fatal error.”

The Spider tightened his web around the throat of underworld. The darkened tenement hideouts were made blacker still by the invasion of his long, twisted shadow. None could escape him. No one could deny him. Small-time hoods and back alley predators literally wept in terror before the merciless onslaught of the Master of Men.

Nita, Jackson, and Ram Singh would remain vigilant, prepared for future catastrophes should Wentworth fail to return. This time the threat was different, far-reaching and devastating in its aimless goal of terror. He couldn’t put them at risk. Not until the Spider gave his all, alone.


The trail itself had been elementary.

The deceased William Patrick Henry provided the light to show the way. Before falling upon such wicked days, “Bourbon Bill”, was a first class crime reporter and an excellent covert contact to the underworld. The Spider had often gleaned invaluable information from the hard-drinking journalist that had ended the career of many a criminal mastermind.

Wentworth further knew that Bourbon Bill hadn’t staggered more than ten blocks from his low-rent flophouse in over three years. Just a few weeks prior, the black-balled newsman had raised a stink over witnessing the kidnapping of the imminent scientist Doctor Emerick Berg. His former editors had merely laughed, assured of a pathetic ruse by the rummy to reclaim a byline.

It suddenly all made a kind of grotesque sense. The still-missing Dr. Berg’s area of expertise had been the advanced application of electromagnetism. Wentworth had read many of the scientist’s monographs, and they were brilliant.

Berg himself was once originally from the same neighborhood, which had since decayed into the bowery. Bourbon Bill, sober or not, could well have seen him there, perhaps he’d even observed his abduction. No one had seen Berg after that. Someone must be holding him, somewhere within those ten blocks, forcing the scientist into building some kind of terrible weapon. Berg might even be dead already, his temporary value fulfilled.

Lastly, there was something that even Commissioner Kirkpatrick had failed to notice. On that scrap of typing paper there had been a faint thumb print. Vague as it was, Wentworth immediately detected the faint scent of scorched skin coming from the paper. Once a man encountered the stench of burnt human flesh, as Wentworth had in many haunting circumstances, it was impossible to ever forget it.

If only someone had taken Henry’s claims about the scientist seriously, but just the week before he’d made a fuss over seeing sea serpents under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Even Wentworth hadn’t listened, then…but now the Spider had no choice. One by one, using methods the official police force could not dare, the Spider got what he demanded. The petty thugs and gutter gangsters eagerly, sometimes literally, spilled their guts to the snarling masked man-monster. Finally, he learned of dim rumors of a reclusive megalomaniac called the Crucible, a fearsomely fitting name. Then, he got a location.

Justice was closing in.

The Spider’s web was inescapable.
 


The dwarf waited. It was all he could do.

Rain splashing on the high windows of the abandoned warehouse diffused the street lights, streaking shadows like a barred cage across the floor. It was a prison, all right. But, being the dwarf beside the giant, he had truly never known anything else.

A corroded window latch gave way, falling almost noiselessly to the filthy floor. The dwarf smiled faintly as the Spider masterfully infested the chamber, gliding wraithlike down a silken rope with a heavy automatic in the other hand. Had the dwarf not been expecting him, doubtlessly the entrance of the slouched black figure would have been virtually invisible among the shadows.

The dwarf shuddered as the Spider’s piercing eyes regarded him with bitter hatred. Another gun had appeared in the other hand, thumbs cocked hammers, barrels unerringly aimed at the little man and at the still, silent monstrosity heaped beside him.

“The Crucible is dead,” the little man breathed. “I murdered him two days ago.”

Wentworth’s quick eyes detected a blood-crusted claw hammer laying some distance from the victim and his confessed killer. He also observed the smashed remains of a weird cannon-like machine composed of coiling copper wires, shattered vacuum tubes, and fitted with a machinegun tripod.

“You found us sooner than I expected,” the dwarf continued. “The Spider deserves his formidable reputation.”

Awe saturated the diminutive voice, although, strangely, there was no hint of fear.

Wentworth advanced, his savage fangs gritted.  “Who are you?” he furiously hissed.

The dwarf glanced sympathetically to the giant mass beside him. “Just two brothers, cruelly used by this world,” he sighed with a sob. “I did love him, you know, even through all his torment and torture. He was all I had.”

Wentworth took in the strange sight of the withered dwarf protectively clumped next to the grey festering corpse of the giant. At last, he saw everything clearly and his rage diminished.

The Crucible had been an ogre, indeed, with the arms of a gorilla and the chest of a buffalo. Most of the brutish skull had been smashed into pulp. The little man breathed with a shuddering effort. He, too, Wentworth observed, was dying. It was inevitable. The reek of decay hung heavy in the air.

“ The whole scheme was his…the kidnapping…the machine … the murders…” the dwarf confessed, wracked with emotion. “My brother had a cruel, peculiar genius for such things. He was…what the world had made of him.”

Guns slid soundlessly back into concealed holsters, and Wentworth knelt at the dwarf ’s side.

“Yet, you had the courage to stop him,” it was Wentworth’s soft voice, not the Spider’s ugly rasp, which now issued from the fanged lips.

Tears streamed down the little man’s doll-like cheeks. “He was going to…aim that damnable machine at the whole skyline. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Maybe I finally went mad, too. No one…will ever understand.”

Wentworth clasped the small trembling hand held out to him. The mottled greyish flesh felt more dead than alive.

“I think I do,” his tone was comforting.

The dwarf attempted a smile, though his weakness prevented it. Wentworth could hear the rattle in the little man’s lungs. He was fading fast.

“P-please…” the small, tormented eyes implored. “…please don’t let them find us like this…don’t…don’t let them…”

Wentworth nodded, and the little man was gone.

Kerosene and a lighted match fulfilled the final wish of the Crucible’s last victim. No one would stare at them. No one would gawk. No awful exhibition. No one would ever know.

Wentworth watched mournfully as the flames consumed the secrets of the giant and the dwarf. The brothers passed from the world as they’d been born into it, together…as Siamese twins fused at the spine, bound forever in their prison of flesh and blood.

Their life-long internal conflict was over. Wentworth envied them.

The Spider could never rest.
END OF CITY OF THE MELTING DEAD!
NEXT TIME ON MOONSTONE CLIFFHANGER FICTION-
MEET THE SEDUCTIVE, ELUSIVE DOMINO LADY
as written by Ron Fortier!!
To purchase THE SPIDER: CHRONICLES anthology containing this story and more, go to http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=414 today!!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

ECHOES AWARD WINNERS AND THEIR AWARDS!

From Tom Johnson:

ECHOES Winner Ric Croxton
The recent recipients of the Echoes Awards relax with their plaques and certificates in front of bookcases packed with many of their favorite books. Dr. Art Sippo and Ric Croxton look forward to interview future guests on The Bookcave, so writers and publishers get those books to them for commentary during the Podcasts.
ECHOES Winner Art Sippo

Fortier Reviews DRACULA LIVES!

ALL PULP REVIEWS
By Ron Fortier
DRACULA LIVES
By Joshua Reynolds
Pulp Work Press
171 pages
ISBN: 1452817456
EAN -13 9781452817453

Jonas Cream is a former British spy who now works for himself, selling his deadly services the highest bidder. When an old colleague named Harry Lime offers him a lucrative job of collecting a wooden box from a Rumanian auction house, Cream, although weary, accepts the assignment. Shortly thereafter he is approached by the Psychic Branch of the British Secret Service. They want Cream to act as a double agent, carrying out his mission for Lime while actually obtaining the box for them instead. Then he is attacked by a group of foreign assassins known as the Order of the Dragon. They make it quite clear they do not want him to succeed, let alone continue breathing.

The first half of Joshua Reynolds’ fast paced thriller reads very much like any modern day spy versus spy novel with all the traditional elements of a Robert Ludlum and John LeCarre espionage mystery. Then it gradually begins to morph into a horror tale as Cream learns exactly what it is all these different factions are after. The box contains the skull of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. Now Cream finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly tug-of-war between those who want to see the skull destroyed and those who believe, through black magic, the Lord of the Vampires can be brought back to unholy life.

Reynolds keeps the action moving at hyper-speed and clearly has fun toying with his all too familiar cast of characters. It takes a great deal of panache to swipe a character from a classic movie. For the uninitiated, actor Orson Wells portrayed American spy Harry Lime in the film THE THIRD MAN. Which is why he is portrayed on the book’s cover, a really wonderful painting by M.D. Jackson. Other players in this book are also named for well known literary spies while others like Ms. Harker are taken from the original DRACULA novel by Bram Stoker.

The only weak part of this thoroughly enjoyable book is the fact that it is but the first in a series and the conclusion doesn’t end the story. In fact one could look at the entire novel as only the first chapter in the larger saga Reynolds has planned for the blood-sucking Count. Readers not fond of continued series would do well to avoid this book. As for the rest of us willing to invest our time in an original, gripping horror adventure, I say bravo Mr.Reynolds and where’s book number two?
TIPPIN' HANCOCK'S HAT
(written by special guest tipper, Alex Hancock for ALL PULP'S TAKE YOUR KID TO WORK DAY)
MURDER AT MIDNIGHT
By Avi
2009, Scholastic Press



This book, Murder At Midnight, is not a murder mystery at the beginning. It happens in the town of Pergamontio, Italy way before electricity and other technology. Except for the really old type of printing press. Magic was not allowed and the king thought things like the printing press were magical devices.

The main character is Fabrizio, the servant to Mangus, a magician who does illusions, not real magic, like stage tricks we would see today. Mangus is accused of magically copying a paper about treason against the King. He was accused because all the treason papers spread around the city looked exactly the same down to the loop and line. Because he’s the only stage magician in town, the king accuses him of using magic and being hired by someone to copy the treason papers.

Governor Delvino, an official in the city, said that Fabrizio and Mangus had to collect all the papers, find out who planned the treason, and stop practicing magic or leave the city. Sent out by Mangus to collect the papers, Fabrizio ends up getting captured by Delvino’s soldiers with the papers on him. They thought he was posting them. Fabrizio is then sent to the executioner, but he tricked the executioner into freeing him. He escapes and meets up with Maria, the daughter of the people who own the printing press.

Together, they work to find out who is plotting treason, end up having to solve a murder, and have to race to the last minute to save Mangus from a trial that could get him executed.

This book was good. Fabrizio was a good hero because he was smart and clever. The mystery was good, but I had it figured out about three quarters through the book. This book was also full of villains and it was interesting to figure out who was good and who was bad. Although the big mystery was who the plotters against the King were, there were little mysteries all through the book. I really really liked this book, but there weren’t enough action scenes in it for me.

Borrowing his dad’s hat, Alex gives MURDER AT MIDNIGHT-
4 out of 5 Tips of the Hat-It was really good, but more action would have been better

It's 'TAKE YOUR KID TO WORK DAY' on ALL PULP!!!

A special feature today on ALL PULP!!!!  Today, reviews and other articles will be posted on ALL PULP throughout the day that are either written by, co-written by, or inspired by the juvenile offspring of the Spectacled Seven!!!  That's right, kids are running up and down the halls of the ALL PULP sanctum, offering their opinions on tales told full of pulpy goodness!  You think kids don't know pulp?   Well, after today, ALL PULP thinks you'll learn that kids have much more exposure to this field we love than we think they do! 

To kick it off, here's my review (stepping outside my book reviews for this one, folks) of WIZARD OF OZ, co written in interview style with my five year old angel, Kailee....Enjoy!

TIPPIN' HANCOCK'S HAT
(with special guest tipper, Kailee Hancock)
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Directed by Victor Fleming
MGM, 1939

Pulp is an interesting genre. There are stories that fall definitely in the realm that anyone would call pulp. Then there are those that have hints of pulp in them, an aspect of the genre sorta slipped in for good measure, but don’t really meet the bar most fans set. Then there’s that third interesting creature, the tales that are pulpy from beginning to end, rifled with larger than life heroes, major action, and vile villains, but that somehow, largely due in part I think to when they originated and/or how they’re pigeonholed, don’t get seen as pulp.

With this being ‘Bring Your Kid to Work’ Day on ALL PULP, I thought I’d tackle one of these elusive Pulp chameleons, a wonderful cinematic action adventure tale that has masqueraded as family friendly kids fare for over seventy years. And to help represent that kid contingent, my five year old angel, Kailee, is my expert of reference on this movie gem. So through a series of questions and answers (with commentary by me afterward), I now present the review inspired and ‘written’ by Kailee Hancock of ‘The Wizard of Oz!’

AP- “Kailee, who’s the good guy, the main hero, in Wizard of Oz?”

KH- “Dorothy”

(Clearly little Ms. Gale is the central character and the hero of this movie. She doesn’t throw punches, only melodies, and carries no gat, just all the emotional encouragement you could stand. But she is the protagonist thrown into a situation that would cripple most normal people, I mean come on, her house falls ON a witch and that’s just the beginning! And she has an unimaginable quest to undertake in a land that before Baum brought it into reality was beyond most imaginations. So, Dorothy clearly qualifies as the hero of this tale.)

AP-”Kailee, does Dorothy have a sidekick or work with a team?”

KH- “Yup. Toto is her sidekick and Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly lion help her a lot.”

(Not only does this grand epic have a hero, but she has an assistant, a sidekick, a constant companion. And Toto is not just window dressing. Actually in the movie, Toto is sort of the impetus of the whole thing with his ongoing battle with Elmira Gulch kicking off the action. He also comes to Dorothy’s rescue by escaping the witch’s castle and going for help (He is even more active in the Baum books). And who does he go to for help. Why, Dorothy’s intrepid team of experts in their fields. Well, maybe not, but they are each representative of certain types of people and, even with their own weaknesses, show through as clear examples of what they are seeking-Intelligence, Emotion, and Courage. Clearly the Scarecrow, Tin Man, The Lion, and yes, even Toto qualify as a team as much as most other pulp combinations would!)

AP- “Kailee, who is the bad guy in ‘Wizard of Oz’ and why is she bad?”

KH -”The Witch and she’s bad because she wants the ruby slippers and her sister was killed by Dorothy’s house.”

(There are very few villains in literature and especially in movies that out villain the Wicked Witch of the West. She is green, ugly, and on many levels malevolently evil. She also, however, qualifies as a pulp villain on a couple of other levels. Her goal is Oz domination, to be all powerful in the land, and to that end she pursues the ruby slippers that Dorothy now has. Also, she is out for vengeance for an imagined wrong committed against her. Well, the house landing on her sister wasn’t imagined, but the fact that Dorothy somehow did it intentionally was. So we have a wild looking, evil villainess who seeks to seize control of her world and feels like she’s entitled because of something she thinks the heroine did to her. Yep, sounds like pulp to me.)

AP -”Dorothy is trying to do what in the movie? What is she trying to find? And once she finds it, what does she have to do?”

KH- “She wants to go home. The Wizard. He makes her go get the Witch’s broomstick.”

(Not only does Dorothy have her own personal quest, to get home, but she has to undertake a different one, to find the Wizard, to meet her own need. Along the way she picks up friends, enemies, and when she finally does locate the Great and Powerful Oz, the talking head gives her yet another, even more death defying mission to complete. I don’t think most pulp heroes have to complete THREE missions in their stories. Whew, give that girl a fedora.)

AP- “Are there weird creatures or monsters in ‘The Wizard of Oz’?”

KH- “Oh yeah! Munchkins, flying monkeys work for the Witch, trees in the woods whack at them. And then there’s a horse in the city that changes colors!”

(Fantastical beings, monsters hell-bent on the destruction of the heroine and serving the villainess blindly, and a tiny civilization living under the threat of a great evil….need I say more?)

AP- “Who wins in “The Wizard of Oz”? How does the good guy beat the bad guy?”

KH- “Dorothy! She melts the Witch with water!”

(Not only does the hero win, but the viewer is given a great climactic final confrontation scene where the villain is not simply beaten, but MELTED out of existence! And the hero doesn’t bring this end about intentionally, but out of a sense of trying to help the Witch, to save her life. Yeah, clearly defined good guy and obvious bad guy. To the end.)

Now, remember, this review is on the movie. We haven’t even addressed the multiple books Baum wrote in the ‘Oz’ series and the fact that although they didn’t appear in pulp magazines, they did appear as newspaper serials initially, sort of the precursor of pulp fiction.

So, you make the call. As for me and Kailee, “The Wizard of Oz” isn’t JUST a good kid and family movie.
It’s also one great pulp romp!

RATING-
As determined by Kailee, Five Tips of the Princess’ tiara-The best of the best for a five year old. Her dad has to agree.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

HANCOCK REVIEWS MYSTERY MEN (AND WOMEN)!!!

TIPPIN' HANCOCK'S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock
MYSTERY MEN (& Women)

by Barry B. C Bell, Aaron Smith, David Boop, Barry Reese
Cover by Ingrid Hardy, Interior Art by Rob Davi

Published by Airship 27 Productions/Cornerstone Book Publishers

One thing that most fans, especially those of us who become writers, of Pulp fiction have in common is the deep desire to have created a character back in the hey day of pulps.  Masked figures haunting criminal ridden streets saving cringing citizens from thievery..or worse, we all have an idea for our own.   Although none of us will ever get the chance to go back in time and write in the era, the current resurgence in Pulp gives us the chance at the next best thing.  Fortunately Airship 27 and Cornerstone have snatched up the chance to bring in talented modern writers to create new heroes set in that Golden Age of fiction.

MYSTERY MEN (& WOMEN) is an anthology of original works by four different authors.  Each story highlights an original character created by each writer who fights crime and villainy in the 1930s.  The stories are as follows-

THE BADGE OF THE BUTCHER by B. C. Bell is a fantastic follow up to TALES OF THE BAGMAN, a collection published earlier this year by Airship/Cornerstone.  This adventure of 'Mac' McCullough, mobster turned masked hero, has all the pieces a pulp yarn needs, including a conflicted good guy, conflict with bad guys, interesting supporting characters, and a plot that grabs you from the first word and doesn't let up on its choke hold until THE END.  The Bagman has done a lot to end the hold of the mob on his neighborhood, but new forces have moved in to fill the void and it turns out they may just be members of  Chicago's finest.  Bell weaves a tale of a man
driven to desperate measures to insure justice in his corner of the world and he weaves it as tightly as any writer I've ever seen.
5 out of 5 tips of Hancock's Hat for this one indeed.

HELL HATH NO FURY by Aaron Smith has police connections as well in this introduction of his heroine, The Red Veil.  A tough young policeman's widow relies on her tough, self taught street skills and survival techniques to discover who killed her husband.  She fights her way to the truth in a costume of her own making and from behind a red veil.  The Red Veil is a character I definitely hope to
see again, a woman who balances emotion and violence well in her pursuit of justice.  Having said that, this debut story could use wit ha little mroe consistency.  The first half shows our heroine as having built herself a new image, then falling back on her upbringing in an almost transformative way.  This I thought was a good hook a different way of a character tapping who she needs to be.  The problem is Smith doesn't use this wonderful metamorphosis technique again.  Regardless, the Red Veil is an avenger of the downtrodden that IO hope to see for several stories to come.
3 out of 5 tips of Hancock's Hat, definite potential for this one.

FIRST DOWN by David Boop is almost as much horror story as it is pulp tale.  A football quarterback is propositioned by local mobsters to throw a game and, when he refuses, he is tortured and transformed into a hulking, seemiongly emotionless beast.  This take on the pulp hero archetype is weird and off kilter with definite gothic overtones.  Boop's description of his protagonist is terrible and his internal struggle is agonizing.  Equally so, the bad guys are deserving of hte pounding that they get.  This story is full of unexpecteds, but still manages to be true to the pulp formula.
4 out of 5 Tips of Hancock's Hat, reserved for a special few.

THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE by Barry Reese exposes readers to the myeterious, enigmatic Dusk.   This femme carries fatale to a whole new level due to the unexplained horrific effects of evil men looking upon her uncovered face.  Reese utilizes an old trope of cop tales, having a policeman and his secretary, both attractive and intelligent get involved in the hunt for a religious relic.  The back and forth of the relationship is a real thrill in this story and makes for a good balance to the pulsing action and final retribution when Dusk is on the scene.  The story builds and builds and ends exactly as it should, with an explosive twist that made me want more.
5 out of 5 Tips of Hancock's Hat, awesome stuff.

Interior illustrations on this book are top notch.  Davis delivers in each and every story, some of the best work I've seen of his, both in art and how it adds to the impact of the tale.  Ingrid Hardy also delivers a cover that is well done technique wise.  A major issue I had with the cover, however, had nothing to do with Hardy's work, but more with the subject.  Boop's Gridiron is on the front, a damsel in distress behind him.  Instead of looking like the monstrous hero that I read within the story, this portrayal is almost comical and if not that, it is distracting in a 'Just what is this' way, not a 'Oh, this is something i want to know more about' way.  The cover would work for me if Gridiron had a little more of the Quasimodo feel portrayed in the story than the hooded Joker the cover hints at.
3 out of 5 Tips of Hancock's Hat, it's a good looking book overall.

Overall rating for MYSTERY MEN (& WOMEN)
4 out 5 Tips of Hancock's Hat-Definitely a wonderful homage to the pulps of yesteryear by the writers and artists of today.
DERRICK FERGUSON-Writer/Creator/Editor/Reviewer

AP: Derrick, ALL PULP really appreciates you taking a break from THE LONG MATINEE and all other things Ferguson to visit with us. First, share with us a little bit about who Derrick Ferguson is personally, some background info, etc.

DF: The most interesting thing about me is the stuff I write. Seriously. But the bare facts about me are as follows: I’m a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY. I’ve been married for 27 years. I’ve been writing ever since I was 12 years old but it’s only been for the past 10 years or so that I’ve really tried to be professional about it. I love all things pulp, comic books, TV, movies, old radio shows, cartoons, cool trench coats and fedoras.
Most people always say they’d like to know more personal stuff about me. I have no idea why. I live a very quiet, even boring life. My years of wild adventuring have come and gone.

AP: You write Pulp. By your definition, just what is Pulp?

DF: Pulp is: Sinister plots to take over the world. Secret societies. Evil criminal geniuses. Even more sinister plots to destroy the world. Mere mortals tampering with the laws of nature. Ghastly creatures preying on the innocent. Heroes. Bizarre death traps. Ghoulish fiends from beyond. Slinky femme fatales more than willing to seduce good guy and bad guy alike. Futuristic gadgets. Art Deco. Villains. Sexy airplanes and even sexier cars. Loyal sidekicks. Mad scientists. Knowing what evil lurks in the hearts of men. Robots. Spaceships. Ancient gods seeking to consume our souls. Being superamalgamated. Faithful girlfriends who have no hope of ever getting married but don’t mind it a bit. Obeying Fu Manchu. Anything I left out?

AP: Pulp crosses multiple genres. What genres do you prefer to read? What genres do you prefer to write in? What genre have you not stepped off into yet that interests you?

DF: I guess action/adventure covers just about as broad a spectrum of those genres I like to read as anything else. But I like to read everything and I mean that literally. I truly believe that as a writer I can learn from everything I read and yes, that covers genres I don’t like or don’t normally read. You’d be surprised at how many bodice rippers I’ve read and gotten a solid good reading experience out of it. Science fiction and mysteries are always attention getters for me. I go out of my way for a good private eye yarn. I’ve been burning out my Mp3 player listening to as many “Pat Novak For Hire” episodes I can find and download the past month or so. How come nobody’s ever done a “Pat Novak For Hire” TV show or movie?

Pulp covers what I like to write as I take everything and anything from any genre I like and use it for the story I’m currently telling. I’ve taken elements of the spy genre, horror and spaghetti western and mixed them all up in one story with no problem.

The one genre I haven’t written in but I hope to correct that soon is The Western. Now, I’ve written weird westerns featuring my supernatural gunslinger Sebastian Red. But that’s a whole other creature. I’ve never written a ‘straight’ western. If my 2011 schedule permits, I’d like to knock out one. I’ve got the plot and character all mapped out. I just need the time, dammit.

AP: You’re associated with several pulp outfits, but probably most recognizably with Pulpwork Press. Can you tell us about Pulpwork and how you’re associated with them, just as a writer or is it more than that?

DF: Pulpwork Press devloped over a number of years due to the unique relationship I’ve developed with Joel Jenkins and Joshua Reynolds. I like to say that Joel is the best friend I’ve never met and Josh is simply an amazing talent who dazzles me with his profssionalism and his quality output. He’s also taught me a lot about promotion and the value of keeping one’s name out there.

Pulpwork Press was started by the three of us simply as a way to publish our work and get it out there to the people who wanted to read it. But it’s grown into far more than that. Joel had built up a sizeable auidence due to a pulp themed website called Electronic Tales he ran for years. That’s how I met him. And Josh as well as Joel contributed to Frontier Publishing, an online fiction site that remains one of the proudest things I’ve ever been associated with. We had ten tons of talent crackin’ on that site and when we cooked…mama, we cooked, you hearin’ me? Frontier Publishing got so well known and respected that we were contacted by the late Kevin McGowin, the author of the “Benny Poda” trilogy who wanted us to run one of his novels as a serial. Sadly it turned out to be his last one. But it brought us a considerable amount of credibility. Suddenly we weren’t just another fiction site.

I’ve written four books for Pulpwork Press so far and I guess that you could call me an editor there as well. Josh, Joel and I regularly meet and discuss Pulpwork Press beusiness and we all have equal say in what happens. One of the best things about working with these guys is that there’s no ego involved in anything we do. Sometimes we don’t agree on a course of action but that’s okay. We don’t take it personally. So far, there’s never been a dispute we haven’t been able to resolve like grown men are supposed to be able to do.

AP: One of your characters that has shown up from Pulpwork Press is Diamondback. He is the star of at least one novel already released with two follow ups announced. Who is Diamondback and what makes him unique in Pulpdom?

DF: Diamondback is unique for a number of reasons. One: he inhabits the city of Denbrook. Which is a city created by that insanely talented writer Mike McGee as a shared universe that Frontier Publishing writers could use as a setting. And a number of us did so. There were actually nine novels set in Denbrook written by various authors such as myself, Joel Jenkins, Michael Franzoni, Megan Curtis, Matt Pierce and Tom Lynch.

The first Diamondback novel “It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time” was my experiment to write a story where just about everybody is a bad guy. Just bad guys of various levels of badness (insert laughter) The inspiration for Diamondback himself comes from a line in a Billy Preston song: “Gonna write a story ain’t got no moral…let the bad guy win every once in a while”

Diamondback was also a lot of fun to write because it’s basically a western disguised as an urban crime thriller. If you’ve seen “Yojimbo” or “A Fistful of Dollars” then you’ve got the template of what the first Diamondback novel is about.

AP: Another character you’re closely identified with is Dillon. Tell us about Dillon, including where he’s appeared and any future plans.

DF: Dillon is my favorite character and the one who gets to go on the globetrotting, world saving adventures. He’s the character most influenced by the pulps, mostly Doc Savage. All the information you could want to know about Dillon can be found here:
So far there’s been two Dillon novels published and in 2011 there’s three Dillon projects planned. The first is a collection of short stories/novellettes that previously have been spread out all over the Internet titled FIVE BULLETS FOR DILLON. Those stories will finally be collected in one book, along with an original story written especially for the book. The second is a novel that’s a semi-sequel to DILLON AND THE LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN BELL which is called DILLON AND THE PIRATES OF XONIRA.
And the project I’m really excited about is one I’m collaborating on with one of the most popular and talented writers working today. I can’t mention it yet as the publisher has requested we not say anything about it until the end of the year. The only thing I can tell you is that Dillon is involved.

AP: Now, you’ve also developed a character for Pro Se Productions. What is the Sovereign City Project and just who is Fortune McCall and what does he have to do with it?

DF: Tommy Hancock came to me and Barry Reese with an idea for a shared universe project. His intention was to create a city and populate it with all kinds of original pulp heroes. His only rule was that the stories had to take place in the 1930’s.

I felt very honored that Tommy thought enough of my talent to ask be to be one of the architects of Sovereign City and give it life and characters worthy to stand beside the classic pulp characters we all know and love.

For my part I saw this as an opportunity to create an authentic black pulp hero in the 1930’s. Back then we weren’t as enlightened a people as we are now so black heroes were in short supply. So I was delighted to have this chance to hopefully expand the genre and give it (pardon the pun) some much needed color.
Fortune McCall is an international man of mystery. All anybody seems to know about him is that he’s staggeringly rich, has a wide range of esoteric skills and travels with a team of six who are all pretty formidable in their own right. He operates out of a luxurious gambling ship called ‘The Heart of Fortune’. He gets involved in the affairs of Sovereign City when he takes an assignment to rescue a friend of his from some neafrious Nazi types and the mayor of Sovereign City asks Fortune and his friends to then stick around and help out when needed. Hilarious hijinks will ensue.

The background for Fortune McCall is one that I’m actually pretty proud of but I can’t reveal it here. You’ve got to read the stories to see how it unfolds.

AP: You write reviews as well, movie reviews. What interests you so much about films that you not only write movie reviews for various venues, but also have a pod cast devoted to them?

DF: I’ve been a movie fan all my life. Ever since my father took me to the movies to see “The Wild Bunch” He shoulda never did that because from then on I was hooked. If I’m not reading or writing I’m most likely watching movies. In my family and circle of friends I’m the guy everybody comes to when they want a recommendation on what movie to Netflix for the weekend.

It occurred to me that if I started writing movie reviews I could simply point to them when somebody asked me what I thought of this movie or that one. So I started posting reviews on my Live Journal. Eventually I had enough reviews for two books and I have even more for a third and forth one. And yes, you will be seeing them in 2012. Until then, keep watching my Live Journal http://dferguson.livejournal.com/

The BETTER IN THE DARK podcast is something that I had no intention of doing for as long as Tom Deja and I have been doing it, which is five years now. It initially was only supposed to be six episodes. But listeners loved the first six so we said we’d do another six and then another six and it just grew from there. I’m still flabbergasted that people actually think I know what I’m talking about.

AP: Every writer has a process, some more organized than others. What does the Derrick Ferguson process of story building consist of?

DF: I sit down, I open up a new Word document and I start writing. Really, that’s just about it. I’ve never really been a writer that opens up a vein agonizing over what I’ve written or take a week rewriting one line. I write every story I’ve done exactly three times: the first draft and then two rewrites. I really can’t see me taking five years to write one novel. I’m just not hardwired that way.

To the horror of many of my writer friends, I don’t use an outline. I begin with the characters, a number of major scenes and I just go. I usually know the beginning of a story and the end but the middle I feel my way through. When I write a story for the first time I’m telling it to myself so I enjoy discovering the twists and turns in the story as I’m writing it. It feels more alive to me.

I’m frequently asked how I come up with ideas for stories. I wish I could say I’m divinely inspired but most of my story ideas come when I’m doing mundane chores like washing the dishes or doing laundry. It gives me a chance to plan out scenes in my head so that when I sit down at the keyboard no time is lost. I’m baffled by those writers who tell me they spend hours just staring at the screen. Instead of wasting that time, get up and mop the floor or wash the car. I guarantee that within ten/fifteen minutes you’ll have three or four ideas for stories.

AP: OK, what about the future? What’s coming from the mind of Derrick Ferguson for pulp fans in the next few months?

DF: I’m really planning on stepping up my game in the coming year. It seems to me that a lot of people really aren’t aware of me or my work and a lot of that is my fault. I simply haven’t been as prolific as I should be, I think. But in 2011 with the work I’m planning not only for Pulpwork Press but for Airship 27 as well as Pro Se Productions I guarantee that people are going to hear a whole lot of me.
 AP: Derrick, thanks so much! We’ll let you back in the theater now…
 
http://www.pulpworkpress.com/dillon.htm

Friday, November 26, 2010

A LOVE STORY MILLIONS OF YEARS IN THE MAKING-NOW AVAILABLE



Hatboro, PA – Science Fiction returns to pulp adventure in Pangaea: Eden’s Planet. Seven astronauts en route to Mars encounter a time warp in space that disables their ship. Crash landing on Earth, they discover an alien planet sixty million years before the dinosaurs. Pangaea, the super continent, is filled with danger and terror, as they must survive against fierce reptiles that ruled the Earth 250 million years in the past.

Tom Johnson, author of the popular Jur series trades T-Rex for saber-toothed Gorgons and fin-backed Dimetrodons. At least there was a fence in Jurassic Park!
Johnson’s Pangaea: Eden’s Planet tells a tale of two people whose love blossoms on bloody soil. After landing, Colonel Evelyn Paterson and Major Adam Cooper, along with their crew, elect to make Pangaea their home. Although the warm climate and lush foliage earn their plot the title Garden of Eden, there is nothing peaceful about the cannibalistic reptilian humanoids or the saber-toothed Gorgons. These creatures are always hungry. Always.

Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and meteorite storms assault the travelers and their ship, threatening life and limb. Peterson and Cooper develop romantic feelings for each other, and the seedbed is planted for love. But first they must stay alive. Pangaea, this alleged Garden of Eden, does not forgive any mistakes.

For more information on Pangaea: Eden’s Planet, go to www.bloodredshadow.com or http://www15.brinkster.com/jur1/index.html. For reviewers or people wishing to read a brief excerpt, contact Barbara Custer (the publisher) at barbaracuster@hotmail.com, and place “Pangaea” in the subject line. Pangaea: Eden’s Planet is available for $13.95 plus S&H, through Night to Dawn Books. Query Barbara Custer at the Hotmail address.

Also available on Amazon.com, Filament Book Club, and other major book outlets.

Night to Dawn began as a magazine in Winter, 2002, with Barbara Custer taking over as editor in 2004. NTD features vampire/DF short stories, poetry, and illustrations. A semi-annual publication, NTD enjoys great reviews, and thus has started its foray into book publishing. Custer’s Twilight Healer is available through NTD. Coming soon: Johnson’s Guns Of The Black Ghost and Heroes Of Ancient Greece; also Pat McCain’s New Beginnings.

Contact information:
Barbara Custer, Publisher
c/o Night to Dawn
P. O. Box 643
Abington, PA 19001
215-675-1225
barbaracuster@hotmail.com

IMARO CREATOR JOINS AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS

Charles R. Saunders, one of the most respected fantasy adventure writers in the field, has joined Airship 27 Productions to create a black pulp hero. Saunders is best known for his series of novels featuring Imaro, the black warrior of an ancient, mythological Africa. His work has been compared to being equal parts Robert E. Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Saunders and Airship 27 Editor, Ron Fortier, have been friends for many years. Saunders had been working for the company which packages titles for Cornerstone Book Publishers as a proof-reader. It was the beginning of his first exposure to the world of pulps. One he enjoyed a great deal. Enough to offer Fortier an idea for a novel featuring a 1930s black avenger along the lines of the Shadow and the Spider.

“I was ecstatic when Charles brought up the idea,” says Fortier. “One of the less savory aspects of the pulps was their inherent racism. The pulps of the 1930s reflected a prejudicial ignorance that was representative of the country’s attitude during those times.” Today’s modern pulp writers and editors often grapple with this sensitive issue as whether or not to depict it accurately in their stories. Some opt to ignore it altogether.

“So that was the challenge,” Fortier continues. “Could Charles give us an African American hero and make it work in an authentic 1930’s New York setting?”

DAMBALLA, the name of the book, is Saunders’ response to that question. Cast in the mold of the classic pulp heroes, the noted author describes his new character as the 30s version of a well known cinema tough guy. “Damballa, like John Shaft, ‘will risk his neck for his fellow man,’” says Saunders. “The difference is, Damballa wears a cloak instead of a leather jacket, and uses both ancient African wisdom and modern science in his battle against injustice.”

Airship 27 Productions plans to release this ground breaking pulp thriller in the Spring of 2011.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE SPECTACLED SEVEN!!

On this day of caring and recognizing what we all have been given to be thankful for, ALL PULP wishes you and all of yours the most happiest and welcome of Thanksgivings.  And in honor of this day and in deference to our own families, The Spectacled Seven will be taking this day off to spend with those close at hand to us.  For those of you who are close to us but physically far away, thank you for making ALL PULP  a huge succes so far and giving us and the Pulp world much to be thankful for...

And remember...it could always be worse for us...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL PULP!!