JACK ARMSTRONG LIVES AGAIN! AND PULP REIGNS SUPREME AT RADIO ARCHIVES!
Rasp-rasp-rasp! It was a queer sound, ghostly, hearing it in the open country after midnight. Chills gripped King as he set out to investigate, but he forgot about them when he found — a man buried alive! And when he heard the man’s strange story, he knew that the Secret Six was going to tackle its most exciting and dangerous case, gambling for fabulous stakes in a game of golden death. Criminals quaked at the name The Secret Six. And for four glorious issues, this team of six crimefighters took on some of the weirdest and most fantastic antagonists that ever reared their heads in the pulp magazines. It was where weird menace met six normal men with no strange gadgets or outlandish skills. The utterly amazing stories were written by Robert J. Hogan, better known for writing the G-8 and his Battle Aces stories. But after four issues, the over-the-top action came to an end and Popular Publications pulled the plug on the series. These vintage pulp tales are now reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $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. Dime Mystery 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 Dime Mystery Magazine, all written by Arthur J Burks and Nat Schachner, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
In that dank tomb Forsythe found living beauty — and the ugly, gibbering spawn of Hell! 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. Dime Mystery 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 the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from one of the pulp era’s best selling magazines. In the first story — could it be? Is The Spider dead? So it would seem, which forces Richard Wentworth to adopt the guise of Corporal Death in his battle with “The Mayor of Hell” (1936). Then, in “Fangs of the Dragon” (1942), The Spider visits the town of Bethbury, where the bite of flying dragons drives the populace to insanity and murder! This instant collectible contains two exciting pulp adventures that have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and features both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
The Knight of Darkness proves that crime does not pay in two pulp classics by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, The Shadow follows a trail of murder to retrieve the priceless rubies known as “The Seven Drops of Blood.” Then, to prove the innocence of a man accused of an impossible crime, the Dark Avenger must uncover the strange secret behind “Death from Nowhere.” BONUS: The Whisperer brings true sight to “The Eye of Zion” in a thriller by Alan Hathway writing as “Clifford Goodrich.” This instant collector’s item features the classic color pulp covers by Graves Gladney and George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Edd Cartier, and commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The pulps’ original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, smuggled “Pictures of Death” are only the sinister prelude to deadly sabotage and mass destruction. Then, Justice Inc. hunts for the antidote to a deadly malady that transforms men into apelike monstrosities in “The Green Killer.” Will the cure bring death to The Avenger? PLUS “Calling Justice Inc.,” a bonus Avenger thriller by Spider-scribe Emile Tepperman! This classic pulp reprint showcases the classic color pulp covers by Lenosci and William Timmons, Paul Orban’s interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The Man of Bronze and his daredevil cousin Pat Savage return in two classic pulp novels by Lester Dent and William Bogart writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage is accused of serial murders and jailed. Can Pat and Doc’s aides help unearth the strange secret of “The Invisible-Box Murders” and prove the Man of Bronze’s innocence? Then, Doc journeys to Honolulu after a strange letter makes Pat’s friend, Sally Trent, a “Target for Death.” BONUS: “The Hang String,” a rare 1933 tale by Lester Dent from the back pages of The Shadow Magazine. This double-novel collector’s edition leads off with a classic color cover by Emery Clarke, and showcases all of Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.
What sets this novel apart, for me, was the visceral, gritty quality to the violence – the likes of which I’d be hard-pressed to cite examples of outside the Spider tales in general and The Mayor of Hell in particular. Wentworth is startlingly grim in this tale from 1936 and it reads as if it were written for today’s audience. The last line alone would not be out of place at the end of a classic Mike Hammer novel.
The Mayor of Hell is everything you could hope for in a Spider adventure. The more of these I read, the more impressed I am with Page’s ability to ratchet up the tension and intensity while keeping the plot moving. I couldn’t put the book down and had to shake my head in wonder numerous times at how he pushes the envelope of pulp action to dizzying heights. I can’t recommend it enough.
Radio Archives is doing great work and I really appreciate it. 200 ebooks a year—I read fast but not that fast!
Thanks for putting more of your audiobooks on Audible, I always have a couple of extra credits to use. I really enjoyed the “Moon Pool.” Do you have any more plans to do A. Merritt books?