This week on PRO SE PRESENTS: THE PODCAST, the beginning of Pro Se as both a company and then as the first in the New Pulp Field to produce Audiobooks is front and center! First, Tommy explains how Pro Se ventured briefly into a different field before becoming a leading Publisher of Genre Fiction and shares the first and only episode of a Pro Se Productions full cast audio drama, THE VARIED ADVENTURES OF PECULIAR ODDFELLOW! Then a story from one of Pro Se’s original line of magazines, MASKED GUN MYSTERY #1, is featured. The debut story of Aloha McCoy by Ken Janssens as performed by H. Keith Lyons rounds out this week’s episode and peek into Pro Se’s Past on PRO SE PRESENTS: THE PODCAST!
For the last interview in the BAD TIGER STUDIO series, ALL PULP takes on Steven Wilcox, Artist!
ALL PULP: Tell us about yourself, your personal background, and how you got into writing/art/etc.
SW: I have been drawing, in some form or another, since I was able to hold a pencil – even before I could write. My dad cultivated my love of drawing things like Batman and Spider-Man into a love of comic books by subscribing to several titles when I was growing up. The love of drawing and love of comics seemed to go hand-in-hand for me. As my tastes matured, so, too, did my art ability.
AP: What is your role at Bad Tiger?
SW: At Bad Tiger, I’m the co-creator, penciller, inker and colorist of The Black Viper: Enemy of Evil strip.
AP: In our modern society, some would say that there’s nothing new or original anymore. What makes Bad Tiger stand out?
SW: While there is “nothing new” these days there are new ways of presenting old ideas and themes. Bad Tiger wants to be known as the New Home of Pulp Adventures!
AP: What are your inspirations, influences for the work you do?
SW: Personally, my wife of twenty years and my four children inspire me in everything I do. Artistically, I find inspiration in a lot of artists, mostly comic book artists like John Byrne, Alex Ross, Arthur Adams, Mike Mignola, Tim Bradstreet, and Jim Lee to name a few. Outside of comics, I love the work of Norman Rockwell and Alphonse Mucha.
AP: What do you think appeals to the public about heroic/genre fiction and/or comic strips? Why will people come to Bad Tiger?
SW: Because most of us grew up on comics and pulp adventures, and like the old fashioned storytelling of ouryouth, we tend to make our comics/stories the way we would want to read them…
AP: Last question! Say whatever you’d like to about Bad Tiger, yourself, or the experience!
SW: Working with Bad Tiger has been a joy. They embraced a character that me and my co-creator Justin Jude Carmona came up with a few years ago and gave him a home. We’re about to embark on adventures of The Black Viper that haven’t been sitting in a drawer for a few years, (the first two episodes were done in 2008 or 2009).
From Borgo Press and Author Christopher Yates comes a new tale of adventure featuring the classic character from Argosy Magazine, THE NIGHT WIND!
Borgo Press previously reprinted four Night Wind novels, edited by Yates. The fifth book, entitled Behold ‘The Night Wind’ is a newly written tale of adventure by Yates as the next book in the series. The book also features exquisite cover and interior artwork by noted artist Mark Maddox!
In the latest adventure of this classic character, Bingham and Katherine Harvard are polite, New York society. He is an Ivy League graduate, heir to his foster father’s fortune, and successor to the presidency of New York’s Centropolis Bank. She is the daughter of a United States Senator, scion of the Maxwilton family, the political dynasty of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Husband and wife reside at the sprawling Long Island estate, Myquest.
The Harvards’ elevated status in the social register is not high enough to avoid the clutch of crime. Years ago Bing earned an alias, The Night Wind, in a bare-fisted brawl with the law in an all-sweeping revenge against false witnesses. With five times the strength of an average man, Bingham prevailed. Lady Kate was a prisoner in her own home, but sprang self-made man-traps in a successful bid at freedom. Using sleuthing skills attained as a New York City police detective was no small advantage during her plight. Together they have resolved to take the battle to the villain instead of awaiting fate to drop yet another scoundrel on their doorstep.
Aided by the United States Secret Service, and their valet, Julius, the Harvards race headlong into Westerville, Ohio. A town dubbed the Dry Capital of the World and home of the Anti-Saloon League, the principal proponent of the successful drive for national prohibition. But a half dozen speakeasies go up in flames in nearby Columbus, drawing in organized crime from New York to protect their business…until they too go up in flames.
Amidst this turmoil, United States Senator Warren G. Harding is conducting his campaign for President of the United States from the front porch of his home in Marion, Ohio. His challenger for the Oval Office is the Governor of the State of Ohio.
History is being made in central Ohio this fall of 1920. Will it be historically tragic or triumphant?
The ingredients for anarchy are in the bowl waiting to be stirred.
Be prepared to be blown away. Behold, “The Night Wind!”
Designed to be a one-stop location for all the news about Airship 27 Productions, one of the leading publishers in the New Pulp Movement, the publisher announced their new Airship 27 Blog.
Says Ron Fortier of the new site, “Not only will you learn what new titles are coming but, but this site will also feature exclusives interviews with many of the talented Airship 27 writers and artists who help make out books the leading quality books they are. Me, I’m managing editor Ron Fortier and I hope you’ll sign on to our blog ranks and become an Official Loyal Airmen. Believe when I say the best is yet to come. UP SHIP!!”
For the third interview in the BAD TIGER series, ALL PULP corners Writer/Creator/Marketing Director D. C. Golightly!
ALL PULP: Tell us about yourself, your personal background, and how you got into writing/art/etc.
DCG: I reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my wife and kids. I love comics, cookies, and characters. Follow my freelance rumblings at http://dave-golightly.blogspot.com/. I’ve always been a huge comic fan, and growing up I really got into more adventure pulps as my comic collection grew. Since I wanted to weave a wonderful world myself, I started scribbling little stories. I’ve been lucky enough that some people are willing to pay for those stories. I always wanted to be an artist, but I lack talent. Therefor the pen is the only version of the brush that I can manipulate as a creator.
AP: What is your role at Bad Tiger?
DCG: I write The Skull, a bi-monthly strip, as well as the prose for The Black Kingdom. I’ve recently agreed to take on the role of Minister of Propaganda…or Marketing Director…or whatever you want to call the guy that advertises our junk.
AP: In our modern society, some would say that there’s nothing new or original anymore. What makes Bad Tiger stand out?
DCG: It’s a group of like-minded people that have a single goal: create awesome stories. We’re not doing this to get paid; we’re doing this because we love these characters and this genre. There’s a lot of work being put into this venture, and a lot of talent to recognize. This group is populated by people that are not only good enough to make it in the industry, but to an extent already are. We choose to take the time to build this initiative because we believe in it and want to get our stories told.
AP: What are your inspirations, influences for the work you do?
DCG: Jim Butcher is always on his game, and I would buy lunch for Mark Waid any day of the week. Jeffery Deaver can write a character out of any corner.
AP: What do you think appeals to the public about heroic/genre fiction and/or comic strips? Why will people come to Bad Tiger?
DCG: Bad Tiger Studios will quickly become a place fans recognize as a platform for creative talent, free of charge. We’ll toss incredible projects to the wall, see what sticks, and then turn them around for readers. The quality of the material is out of this world and the people interested in this genre will undoubtedly return after they get a sample of what we have to offer. These are the kinds of stories that people want to see, and we’re more than happy to offer them.
AP: Free response! Say whatever you’d like to about Bad Tiger, yourself, or the experience!
DCG: I’m flattered to be associated with such uniquely creative people. These people are putting in many long hours of work just to provide entertainment, and all they are asking for is a shot to be viewed.
Author Rus Wornom is featured in the July/August issue of FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE with a story that harkens back to Pulp Adventures of the 1920s and 30s.
‘IN THE MOUNTAINS OF FROZEN FIRE’ features the mysterious adventurers of THE ENIGMA CLUB! The mysterious M4, master of espionage and disguise, travels to the frozen wastes of Ghutranh and encounters a diabolical trap set for him by his arch-nemesis, the nefarious Cobra! Trapped in an unearthly landscape of icy death, M4–Enigma Club founding member Commander Denis Cushing–discovers a terrifying secret, and must do battle with a team of assassins . . . and an unspeakable threat that has survived in the Arctic snows for millennia. There he comes face to face with a terror from beyond the seas of eternity . . . “In the Mountains of Frozen Fire!”
THE ENIGMA CLUB is a contemporary pulp adventure novel, currently being marketed by Wornom’s agent, Andrew Zack of The Zack Company. It’s the story of how the discovery of an obscure pulp magazine sends the novel’s hero in search of the Enigma Club, supposedly located on a forgotten island in the Gulf of Mexico.
What he discovers is a land forsaken by time–Cayo Arcana, an island forgotten by the world for more than sixty years–where the pulps are still alive. The Enigma Club is a haven for adventurers, explorers, heroes, starlets, scientists (mad and otherwise), warriors and spies, all members of a classic gentlemen’s club created by and for all the pulp archetypes from the Golden Age of Adventure.
THE ENIGMA CLUB recreates the pulp era of the ’20s and ’30s, and also makes an impossible tale and the impossible locale very real and almost interactive, integrating artifacts–photos, sidebars, excerpts from fictional books and pulps, telegrams, and even vintage postcards–to create a world that the reader feels could possibly exist.
Wornom’s original intent with THE ENIGMA CLUB was to include a sample pulp story for each of the Club’s charter members, as published between 1911 and 1953 in the Club’s pulp, The Enigma Club All-Adventure Magazine. However, the novel became too long, so he included only one story, “Sky-Gods of Ixtamal,” to represent the themes inherent with the pulp era: adventure, wonder, lost races, fantastic technologies, and everyday characters who embody the heroic ideal.
Two other stories were already finished, and the first of these, “In the Mountains of Frozen Fire,” is a tale of Commander Denis Cushing, Agent M4, whom he created as a cross between James Bond, Artemus Gordon and G-8. His inspiration for the story was a painting by Frank Frazetta, The Frost Giants, with a little Lovecraft and a lot of Robert E. Howard thrown in. Wornom’s goal was to tell a period story, using the tropes of Howard, Lovecraft and traditional spy fiction, while also serving up a dose of 21st Century humor–along the lines of Indiana Jones meets SNL.
“In the Mountains of Frozen Fire” will be published in the July/August 2013 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
The second completed story is “Hot Time at Bad Penny’s,” a tale of founding member Bucky Sniggles-Wooten—charmer, adventurer, and accomplished cad. It’s a saucy story of deadly gangsters, speakeasies, and super-science run amok. Wornom’s goal with this was to show today’s readers what the pulps’ saucy or spicy stories were all about, while also playing with some of the tropes of big city pulp stories (with a tip of the hat to ERB, Amazing Stories, and the classic Fleischer Superman cartoons). It is currently being considered for publication at F&SF.
ABOUT THE WRITER IN HIS OWN WORDS:
ERB andA Princess of Marswere my primary influences when I decided to become a writer.
Burroughs showed me that a writer is born in his heart, and that even a pencil sharpener salesman could tell stories of extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances that could enthrall generations of readers. Once I read A Princess of Mars, I knew that I wanted to tell stories that could make people believe in worlds undreamed of.
Rusty is what my friends call me, but Harlan Ellison once yelled at me in a workshop, “Nobody’ll read anything by a guy named Rusty! It’s a kid’s name!” SoRuswas born, even though my given name, Howard, was used when my novella, “Puppy Love Land,” was published in the April, 1996Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story was later nominated as Best Novella on the Preliminary Ballot for the Horror Writers of America awards. I was also the pseudonymous author ofSpelljammer: The Ultimate Helm, Dungeon of Fear,andCastle of the Undead,all published by TSR Books way back in the dim, dark ‘90s. Spelljammermade the Waldenbooks bestseller list . . . for a month. Since 1983, I’ve been published in such magazines asOmni, Premiere, Gauntlet, andStoryboard,and in newspapers and regional magazines, and contributed to The Stephen King Companion. I’ve participated in writing workshops with Ellison, Brian Aldiss, Gene Wolfe, and Kate Wilhelm. A spec teleplay got me in the door atStar Trek: The Next Generation,where I pitched story ideas four times. I’ve also acted on the Discovery Channel inThe New Detectives,although I was never credited. (Somehow, though, Buddy the Beagle got a credit.) I live in Virginia with my wife and a large, furry family.
ALL PULP continues its series of interviews with BAD TIGER STUDIO! This time, we have co-founder Justin Ditzler in the hot seat!
ALL PULP: Tell us about yourself, your personal background, and how you got into writing/art/etc.:
JD: I live in Central Pa with my wife and we are expecting our first child in December. I have always been an artist, for as long as I can remember. My family still has drawings of mine from before I can even remember. I’ve always enjoyed working in pencil, black and whites, and inks. When I was in school, all of my best grades came from art class. I entered a few school based competitions over the years and usually place high if not on top. My home town is also the location of the county fair where the school would enter my work and I had quite a nice collection of blue ribbons as a kid. As I grew older, life kept pushing me further and further away from the artwork that I loved so I was forced to find other outlets for my creativity. Through this I discovered I could use a computer to create, so I took to some digital coloring for my drawings and scraps. Over the last decade or so, I’ve been learning about digital art and web design in my free time and squeezing in some drawing where I can. In the past I have created album art and logos for the various musical projects and the occasional tattoo design.
I am new to the world of comics and pulp, but I’m really liking what I have seen thus far.
AP: What is your role at Bad Tiger?
JD: I am the Co-Founder of Bad Tiger Studio, along with C. William Russette. Also, I am the web-designer/webmaster at www.badtigerstudio.com, the Co-Creator of Operator Zero and the colorist/letterer of Operator Zero. Furthermore, I have designed all of the logos for Bad Tiger Studio and Operator Zero and I am one of the Administrators of the Bad Tiger Studio Facebook Page.
AP: In our modern society, some would say that there’s nothing new or original anymore. What makes Bad Tiger stand out?
JD: In most cases, I would agree. Originality is something that seems to be very hard to come by these days. To me this is not a surprise. With the invention of the internet and social media it’s becoming harder and harder to come up with a truly original idea. Also, we have to consider the amount of characters and stories that are out there today. Our Genre is not a new one and there are so many Archetypes out there that influences and similarities are very hard to escape.
I think originality is found within the stories of the characters we create. As creators we spend amazing amounts of time figuring out the backgrounds and the stories of our characters. When we write our stories we need to know how our characters will react to the situations and why and what made them react in such a way. So we spend countless hours creating worlds, families, friends, foes and histories just so we can convey the best story and best character to our readers.
At Bad Tiger Studio, our characters and our stories make us stand out. From our writing to our character design and development, to our artwork and finished products, I think we have some great things to offer.
AP: What are your inspirations, influences for the work you do?
Considering I am quite new to the world of comics and pulp, I think my inspirations and influences are everywhere. I’ll spend hours in the local book store browsing the comics section, picking up book after book just to see the differences in style and technique. Sometimes I learn things and sometimes I get lost in the story.
JD: What do you think appeals to the public about heroic/genre fiction and/or comic strips? Why will people come to Bad Tiger?
I think hero fiction appeals to everyone’s inner hero. I think that all people have some sort of drive or urge to do the right things on one level or another. The hero fiction genre allows us to indulge our inner hero with the ability to put ourselves in the hero’s shoes, or cape in some cases. These small escapes give us the opportunity to imagine ourselves standing up for what is right and just. Thankfully for us, the creators, once a person is hooked on this feeling and finds our characters relatable, they keep coming back for more. I think as our stories unfold at Bad Tiger Studio, our audience will see just how intricate our stories are and they will keep coming back to find out where the story is headed next.
AP: Any last words?
JD: Thus far Bad Tiger Studio has been a great experience for me. I work with very talented people and we all seem to share a common interest. We all want to get our characters out there into the hands of the readers and we all want to tell our stories.
BAD TIGER STUDIO debuted recently as a new force in Pulp and Comics, fitting the bill for just what All Pulp covers! With this first interview of Company Partner C. William Russette, All Pulp begins a series spotlighting Bad Tiger Creators discussing characters, plans, and more to come from this new, but already popular company in Comics and Pulp Fiction
ALL PULP BAD TIGER INTERVIEW #1 C. WILLIAM RUSSETTE ALL PULP: Tell us about yourself, your personal background, and how you got into writing/art/etc.
CWR; My name is C. William Russette I currently pay the rent working retail. I have an incredibly supportive wife and a fantastic son who digs my art. I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon as so many artists claim. Far as I recall it was the truth for me. I didn’t get interested in writing until I started playing role playing games and the plots provided just weren’t interesting enough for me to run my players through. Basically I always fancied myself an artist but never pushed that too hard. Writing was all dabbling too until I was in the army and took a correspondence course. That and trying to impress my future wife got me to start taking my writing seriously. I wrote some comic book scripts and short stories. Tommy roped me into the first of many web projects and his health has been on the decline ever since. I have been published in both comic book format and prose; most recently in Pro Se Presents. AP: What is your role at Bad Tiger?
CWR: I am the co-Founder along with Justin Ditzler. That’s my biggest hat. I am also the plotter-scripter-penciller-inker of the OPERATOR ZERO comic. I recruited all of our talent from past associations be it writing or art. I also wear an editorshat but that’s pretty loose. AP: In our modern society, some would say that there’s nothing new or original anymore. What makes Bad Tiger stand out?
CWR: I don’t care for that idea. By that reasoning no one has done anything new or original since Macedonia four thousand years ago. Plots and themes can be retreaded and slapped together with different characters in different places and times. I think it really depends on how you present the story. How well was it written? Was it executed properly? What will make Bad Tiger material stand out is that no one has our unique viewpoints or the way we process everything we absorb. I’ll let my peers answer for themselves but I grew up reading a lot of fiction from comic books to fantasy-adventure and devouring films like Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian and especially the Ray Harryhausen works. So add to that a fondness for Pulp (that I was unaware of until it was brought to my attention.) and dump trucks of Robert E. Howard, Stephen King and Jeffery Deaver and there is a healthy eclectic mix that my creative engine can chew up, lace with adrenalin and spit out what I call my kinda stories. BTS is my stories done my way. It’s something that I have been wanting to do for some time and I’ve assembled a gang of like minded individuals to share their wares. AP: What are your inspirations, influences for the work you do?
CWR: There are many so I’ll just scrape off the icing. For art I will say Mike Mignola, John Byrne and Walt Simonson are top of the heap. I am still learning to ink but Gary Martin and Shawn Martinbrough jump to mind. For writing it is really all over the place. Warren Ellis, Jim Shooter, Clive Barker, Stephen King, James Clavell (Shogun is still my favorite novel), R. A. Salvatore, Bruce Lee, Robert Ludlam, Chris Claremont and Grant Morrison to name a few. Are we doing movies? 13 Assassins, The Crow, Gladiator, The Avengers and cartoons like Alladin, Akira and Transformers G1. Toshiro Mifune, Jeff Goldblum, Jack Nicholson and Donnie Yen. For music its mostly 80’s rock and metal. For it all I need the high water mark, a direct line or an adrenaline shot to get the juices flowing. Oh, and coffee. AP: What do you think appeals to the public about heroic/genre fiction and/or comic strips? Why will people come to Bad Tiger?
CWR: I think there are a number of reasons why people like heroic fiction. I think there is a certain thrill to living vicariously through the characters that you’re absorbing. I know I do that. I think there is a certain level of escapism that feeds a down-time need during troubled times in your life. You want to forget the rent, the war, the homework or the job. Maybe reading about a domino masked ex-sailor that stands up against the unjust and lands a mighty jaw-breaking right cross is just the ticket to lower your blood pressure. The creators that I have roped into presenting their varied super-charged crime-breaking, airship-flying, sword swinging, mask wearing, machine gun unloading stories will deliver the super charged pulp, genre tales that much of the comic book industry just doesn’t deliver. Heck, we even have a comedic strip in Junior’s World by Frank Dawson Jr. Its all under one roof and great things are coming down the pipe. I assure you. AP: Any closing thoughts?
CWR: I’ve gone on long enough but I will say that I am having a great time working with these guys and creating along side them the stories that we all love to read. Watch this Bad Tiger as he claws his way to the top!
In its second episode, PRO SE PRESENTS: THE PODCAST brings you Pulp Author/Magazine Editor/Ezine Editor/All Around Pop Culture Fan Lee Houston, Jr.! Host Tommy Hancock puts Lee front and center to discuss Lee’s latest book, HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE-CATCH A RISING STAR! Listen as they discuss Hugh’s origins (As well as Lee’s) and just why this book became Hugh’s first full length adventure! A mix of science fiction wonder and 1950s style Private Eye Tale, CATCH A RISING STAR is a great first full length work of a character that definitely has a fan following (not to mention the following his sometimes client/sidekick/resident alien ape Big Louie has!). Listen in as Pro Se Presents HUGH MONN Creator and Author LEE HOUSTON, JR.!
Now Available at the Pro Se Productions Website- FREE CONTENT! If you’re interested in extras from our books, behind the scenes peeks at what might have been from writers’ drafts, work-in-progress art, and more, then you’ll want to bookmark http://prose-press.com/pro-se-extras-free/! Available there now- An Adventure from between the chapters of BLOOD OF THE CENTIPEDE by Chuck Miller! Yours to Read for Free!
This week on PRO SE PRESENTS: THE PODCAST, the beginning of Pro Se as both a company and then as the first in the New Pulp Field to produce Audiobooks is front and center! First, Tommy explains how Pro Se ventured briefly into a different field before becoming a leading Publisher of Genre Fiction and shares the first and only episode of a Pro Se Productions full cast audio drama, THE VARIED ADVENTURES OF PECULIAR ODDFELLOW! Then a story from one of Pro Se’s original line of magazines, MASKED GUN MYSTERY #1, is featured. The debut story of Aloha McCoy by Ken Janssens as performed by H. Keith Lyons rounds out this week’s episode and peek into Pro Se’s Past on PRO SE PRESENTS: THE PODCAST!
