THE COMICS CONNECTION-A column discussing, exploring, and theorizing about the link between Pulp and Comics- By Joshua Pantalleresco
GREEN LANTERN-PULP THROUGH A COMIC LENS?
Green Lantern is one of the richest concepts in superheroes. I mean, just how awesome is it to talk about someone that has a ring that can make any wish come true as long as you have the willpower for it?
The concept has evolved since the beginning. Before there was Abin Sur, before the guardians, the corps, Sinestro and all the mythology we know today, Green Lantern was originally a riff on Aladdin. It was a magic ring that was part of an old Chinese prophecy. It came to earth in the form of a meteor, promising three things; death, life, and power. The meteor killed a village, restored a man to sanity, and finally fell into the hands of our hero.
In the wake of a train wreck caused by one of Alan Scott’s competitors during a trial, Alan finds a lantern and by talking to the green flame inside it he learned how to make a ring. He fashions a costume and seeks revenge of Dekker, the man that sabotaged his train. After defeating him, Alan Scott feels the call of destiny and decides to become a hero. He forges his costume and becomes the Green Lantern.
Like the Shadow or Batman before him, Alan emerges from the tragedy a changed man. He becomes a larger than life figure and battles the underworld, whether they were mobsters or the truly villainous Solomon Grundy.
That isn’t to say there wasn’t a light hearted side to the character. When he first moved to Gotham City, Alan Scott met Dolby Dickles, who would become his sidekick and drove a cab named “Goitrude”, a rocket powered cab, which would signal emergencies to the Green Lantern. A lot of these stories were more light hearted and fun. Dolby added much needed levity to the series when needed.
Contrary to the space stuff in the more modern incarnations, the original Green Lantern dealt with more traditional crime or adventure stories with a touch of the supernatural. It wasn’t until the sixties until we came closer to the concepts we know and love today.
Hal Jordan is a test pilot that finds an alien spaceship crash landing to earth. Inside, a mortally wounded Green Lantern, Abin Sur, tells Hal that he has been chosen to be a Green Lantern. With his sidekick, Tom Kalamaku, mechanic and able bodied assistant, Hal battled foes such as Hector Hammond, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Doctor Polaris.
This version of Green Lantern has more similarities to The Lensmen than say The Shadow. The two strongest connections are The Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe. While they don’t try to breed a solution to their problems, the Guardians do share the evolved tendencies of the Arisians and the mental energies projected by the Arisians could be similar to the energy projected by both the guardians and the power rings.
As for the Corps themselves, they are at the very least influenced by the Lensmen. Although DC initially denied it, two corps members were named Arisia and Eddore in honor of the Lensmen series. Arisia still appears regularly in the pages of Green Lantern.
Through many revamps and reincarnations, Green Lantern’s mythology has grown and expanded into what we know and love today, the concept both from its beginnings with Alan Scott, to today with Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner and company can trace its roots back to a pulpy beginning.
Pro Se Productions, an up and coming leader in the New Pulp Movement and publisher of New Pulp Magazines, books, and collections, announces today a partnership with Broken Sea Audio Productions, a leading name in New Pulp Audio.Both companies have brought their impressive talents and abilities together to produce the first ever Pro Se Press Audio Magazines!
Pro Se broke onto the New Pulp scene in 2010 with a line of New Pulp Magazines.These titles, FANTASY AND FEAR, PECULIAR ADVENTURES, and MASKED GUN MYSTERY, featured a variety of stories, both from professional as well as brand new authors and ran the gamut from horror to hero to mystery to fantasy and beyond.Although these titles have now been combined in print into the singular title PRO SE PRESENTS, Pro Se plans to continue the three titles in an audio magazine format, thanks in large part to the wonderful people at Broken Sea Audio Productions.
“There’s something,” says Tommy Hancock, Partner and EIC of Pro Se Productions, “about these fantastic New Pulp short stories that just screams to be expressed beyond print.When you’re reading words written by Ron Fortier, James Palmer, and Van Plexico or in the middle of a Sovereign City scene penned by Barry Reese or Derrick Ferguson or even marveling to the new talents of people like Nancy Hansen, Ken Janssens, Lee Houston, Jr., Megan Smith and more, you can hear the voices in your head.Likewise, the extremely talented crew at Broken Sea Audio Productions, led by Paul Mannering, have this fantastic art of bringing to life stories, some with characters we all know and others with brand new New Pulp creations.The actors and readers at BrokenSea breathe voice into pen and ink and make it leap off the page and into a whole new level of imagination.Because of this, the partnership of these two fantastic groups as well as the merging of the work they do is a great next step in the evolution of New Pulp.”
Hancock also says that plans for both future Audio Mags as well as Audio Books of Pro Se’s line of novels and collections are definitely in process and will be announced in the near future.
The first three issues of each Audio Magazine are now available for sale at www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com as downloads.“Although consideration was given to producing CD versions of these fantastic works,” Hancock states, “and we will have special CD versions available for public appearances and conventions in 2012 and beyond, we felt that with the advent of MP3 Players and other technology more attuned to playing a file instead of a CD, that this was the best and most efficient way to deliver this great new product.”Once purchased, Pro Se will send the buyer a link to download the issue(s) the customer has bought within twenty four hours of purchase.
Priced at $7.50 per issue, each magazine is over 4 to 6 hours of New Pulp Audiobook entertainment.Each magazine is read by a single reader, but the readers provide various voices and show a tremendous control of emotion and tone in each story, adding to the power and pleasure of listening to each tale.This combined with the wonderful work of Broken Sea Producer Chris Barnes makes Pro Se’s line of New Pulp Audio Mags a definite must have for any fan of Action/Adventure/Heroic/Genre Fiction.
Pro Se Audio Mag titles produced in conjunction with Broken Sea Audio Productions currently available at www.pulpmachine.blogspot are as follows-
FANTASTY AND FEAR #1
Produced by Chris Barnes
Read by Fiona Thraille
Music composed, arranged and performed by Kevin Mcleod
Stories Include-
TALES OF MYTHAS: MURDER IN THE GHETTO OF TRENTONIUM By Don Thomas
THE SONG OF HEROES: LORI’S LAMENT By Nancy A. Hansen
THE MAN OF MY DREAMS By C. William Russette
THE WAY OF THE WORLD By Lee Houston, Junior
BEAST OF THE MOUNTAINS By Ron Fortier
THE TUNNELS OF LAO FANG By James Palmer
THE BROTHERS JADE: BOOK ONE by the Brothers Thomas
MASKED GUN MYSTERY #1
Produced by Chris Barnes
Read by H. Keith Lyons
Music composed, arranged and performed by Kevin Mcleod
Stories Include-
THE THINGS HE LEAVES BEHIND By Aric Mitchell
ALOHA MCCOY: HELLO NEW LIFE, HELLO OLD By Ken Janssens
THE DAY HE FOUND THE CLOWN By Aaron Smith
HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE: DINEENA’S DILEMMA By Lee Houston, Junior
MURPHY’S WAKE By Tommy Hancock
DEMON NIGHT By C. William Russette
RUN By Andrew Salmon
(NOTE- A story originally appearing in the print issue of MGM 1, CRIME OF THE ARTS PART ONE: PROBING THE CITY By Robert E. Kennedy, does not appear in this Audio Mag because this story will be recorded in a future Audio Book as one complete story, not four parts)
PECULIAR ADVENTURES #1
Produced by Chris Barnes
Read by Peter Katt
Music composed, arranged and performed by Kevin Mcleod
Stories Include-
Y-239 By Lee Houston, Junior
IN THE HOUSE OF MERCURY By Tommy Hancock
THE CEREBUS CLAN: CHANGING OF THE GUARD By Ken Janssens
THE SECRET WHISPERS OF EACH OTHER’S WATCH by Derrick Ferguson
PERRY LELL, GIRL OF A THOUSAND EARTHS IN DANCING OUT OF TIME By Megan Smith
Sapper’s BULLDOG DRUMMOND, ex-military man turned adventurer, is coming to BBC Radio on Tuesday, August 9th 2011. An adventure in six parts, read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, the episodes will air in chronological order all week, and will be available on BBC iPlayer for those of you unlucky enough not to be British.
LET THERE BE PULP- Examining where Pulp Classics Start- by Frank Schildiner
Millions, including your humble narrator, await the opening of the new CAPTAIN AMERICA feature film, one that promises to bring the character back to his Simon and Kirby roots. But old Cap has a troubled history with Hollywood that has this writer shuddering at the thought of a return to the bad old days of horrific Captain America films.
Captain America first hit the big screen as a 1944 Republic Pictures serial and has the distinction of being that studio’s last superhero film. But the studio that created such incredible hero serials as THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, a film renown for some of the best stunts in history, and the spectacular cliffhangers of SPY SMASHER, seriously dropped the ball on this film. To call this film a disaster for all Captain America fans is a mild statement, this serial is just painful.
Let’s start with some basics about Captain America, the very basis of the character. Every fan knows Captain America is Steve Rogers, a weakling turned into the perfect man through the legendary super-soldier formula. Throughout World War Two he fought evil Nazis in the frontline of battle, dressed in star spangled chain mail and carrying a red, white and blue shield. Sounds like an easy setup for a film shot during WWII, right?
Not so for Republic Pictures! No, suddenly Captain America is District Attorney Grant Gardner who fights crime with his fists and a pistol. Steve Rogers does not exist in this world and this hero is an unimpressive type who appeared slightly overweight. This was not a mere perception of a disgruntled fan, the actor who played the part, Dick Purcell, died of a heart attack prior to release. The cause of death being the stunts weas too much of a strain on the poor miscast actor’s heart. And yes, Cap’s signature weapon is replaced by a pistol. Oh and his costume was transformed from chain mail to cloth with the signature eagle wings on his mask also removed. Any connection to the Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby appears accidental by the time this film in completed.
The villain of the piece was legendary Universal Films horror star, Lionel Atwill as a villain called The Scarab. Atwill adds an eerie menace to the role and was considered one of the bright lights in this production.
The reason for these bizarre changes to the character was, in the opinion of writer/film historian Don Glut, this film was originally a script meant as a sequel to THE MYSTERIOUS DOCTOR SATAN. That famed serial had a hero named Copperhead who did use a pistol and fought crime. This appears to be as good an explanation as any about this terrible serial, though it did keep Cap from appearing in any feature films until an unauthorized appearance in a Turkish action film called 3 DEV ADAM. Should you wish a truly bizarre film experience, view this one…one hint, the villain is a potbellied Spider-Man with huge green eyebrows who regenerates himself once being killed…poor Cap…
Vampires coming up the front path? Zombies on the lawn? Maybe werewolves howling and keeping you awake at night? Then you might want to look up the MONSTER HUNTER series of pulps by rising scribe, Larry Correira. Three books in the series are MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL, MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA and the recently published MONSTER HUNTER ALPHA, all of which are available in bookstores, online as well as electronically through Baen Book’s website.
These true modern pulps tell the tale ofOwen Zastava Pitt, an account with a love for nasty fighting and upbringing that included training a Green Beret would find arduous. Attempting to live a normal life, Pitt is one day attacked by his supervisor who was unfortunately recently infected as a werewolf.
This setup plunges the hero into a world of vampires, ghouls, zombies and government paper-pushers that have terrifying secrets of their own. Owen Pitt is soon recruited by a private company of monster hunters, all of whom are fun and interesting characters in their own right.
Correira, a weapons expert as well as a former account himself, provides the reader with an astonishing level of detail unseen since the days of Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan War Against the Mafia series. It should be said that most writers who place this level of detail in a series often bog the story down in minutia, but Larry Correira manages to rise above that pitfall and provide the reader with just enough information to get you move involved in the story.
As a hero, Owen Pitt is reminiscent of the pulp heroes of the Western yarns; he’s strong, amusing, self-effacing and confident without becoming a “Mary-Sue”. If you don’t understand what a Mary-Sue is, feet free to pause this article and look up the term on Google (and maybe read the Conrad Stargrad stories by Leo Frankowski). In any event, he plays well off the other protagonists, especially the terrifying FBI Agent known as Franks. That character’s backstory alone is worth the price of admission.
The true pleasure of Larry Correia’s series lies in his world itself. Monsters such as vampires and werewolfs exist and have their own sets of rules. These rules derive from legends as well as great films from the Universal and hammer series and no doubt other sources. Other, equally terrifying and interesting creatures exist and provide the reader with plenty of excitement as well as fast paced action. The approachability of the characters allows the reader a better connection with the story, preventing a feeling of disconnection one often gets in action and adventure tales from new and historical pulp.
To sum up, if you want some modern pulp horror with a fun does of action, not to mention beautiful women and clever dialogue, Larry Corriea’s Monster Hunter series of books. I’m betting you’ll have a good time in the process and, like me, will be looking forward to the continuation of this enjoyable series of tales.
HOW THE WEST WAS WEIRD and HOW THE WEST WAS WEIRD, VOL. 2 are part of an e-book bundle being offered this month to support Operation Backpack. Operation Backpack buys school supplies for kids who are homeless or in foster care. With this e-book bundle, you’re getting 17 books (including both HTWWW volumes… did I mention that?) for $10 bucks. My two books alone would normally cost you $7. • Here’s a PDF with blurbs and cover images for all 17 books. • E-books are delivered in both .mobi and .pdf formats. • This bundle is only being offered until the end of August, so go get it now. So… yeah, that’s an awesome deal and a great cause. You should totally go buy that. You can do so here.
(And check out this Volunteers of America page for more info on Operation Backpack.)
For those who couldn’t make the grand trek to PULPFEST, The Book Cave, the premiere podcast of Ric Croxton and Art Sippo, makes it possible to almost be there via your very own ears! Listen to the Pulpfests specials live from Summer’s Best Pulp Con as well as a pre con episode and several other recent pulpy type offerings from THE BOOK CAVE!
Credit and thanks go to Art Sippo for recording this episode. New Pulp, Bill Craig and Anthony Tollin are the stars of this episode. http://www.pulpfest.com
Credit and thanks go to Jason Aiken for recording this epiaode. C.L. Moore, Steampunk, Walter Gibson and the Shadow are on this episode. http://www.pulpfest.com/
Credit and thanks goes to Jason Aiken for recording this episode. Included in this episode are PulpFest welcome, Shadow Radio, Pulp artists born in 1911 and granddaughters of Pulp. http://www.pulpfest.com/
Credit and thanks go to Art Sippo for recording this episode at PulpFest. This episode has Wayne Reinagel and Win Scott Eckert reading from their books. This week will feature several more recordings from PulpFest. If you weren’t able to attend, this is the next best thing. http://www.pulpfest.com/
— Van Allen Plexico Writer, Editor, Publisher, Educator www.plexico.net “Nobody—not even Abnett and Lanning—is doing cosmic superheroes as well as Van Plexico is doing them. Period.” –Barry Reese, award-winning author of Rabbit Heart and creator of the Rook “His gift of storytelling is razor sharp and he captures the reader’s interest from the first chapter to the last.” –Ron Fortier, award-winning author of Boston Bombers and the Captain Hazzard novels
Will Murray, Roger Ritner and Michael McConnohie join the Book Cave crew to discuss Python Isle and future audio books. Will Murray – www.adventuresinbronze.com On Facebook: The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage. Radioarchives.com Michael McConnohie Credits: www.imdb.com Web Site: www.michaelmcconnohie.com
There’s an old adage that says the more fun you are having, the faster time flies. And that could not be truer of last week-ends rocket train ride through the third convening of Pulp Fest in Columbus, Ohio. And before I go rambling on about my experiences and thoughts, let me tip my pulp fedora to promoters Jack Cullers, Mike Chomko & Ed Hulse for once again putting on a truly fun and exciting program with a little of something for all pulp enthusiast. The pulp community is expanding yearly thanks to efforts of men like these and the emerging of the New Pulp Fiction movement that is sweeping the literary world. More on that in a second.
Thursday Night July 28.
Captain Ron Fortier & Rob Davis of Airship 27 Productions.
I landed at the airport in Indianapolis where my partner and pal in Airship 27 Productions, Rob Davis, was waiting for me. In the past I’d flown from Denver to Chicago and then transferred to another plane for Columbus, but this year Rob explained that on his eight hour drive up from his home in Missouri, he actually drove right past the Indy airport. It would be no trouble to stop and pick me up. The idea of only doing one flight and not having to make another hop was all the prodding I needed. Beside this way, I could spend three hours coming and going with Rob and that would afford us a wonderful opportunity to get caught up on what we were doing with Airship 27, where our various books were in development and make plans for the future.
Writers Michael Croteau & Win Scott Eckert
Which is exactly how it all worked out. By the time we registered into the Con’s hotel it was just after 11 p.m. and we met several familiar pulp pals in the lobby. They told us the courtesy room was opened up on the sixth floor and after getting squared away in our own room on the third, we went up to see what was going on. Much to our pleasure, we found writer Win Scott Eckert holding court with other pulp friends talking about this year’s bumper crop of hero movies, the good, the bad…and the ugly. (Can anyone say Green Hornet movie..without gagging?) And this is as good a place as any to related one of the truly special features of this year’s Pulp Fest; the fact that they incorporated the Annual Farmer Con, a meeting of fans devoted to the many works of the late science fiction and fantasy writer, Philip Jose Farmer. Win is one of the leading members of this group and he and his Farmer colleagues had set up various panels etc. to focus on the popular author and his works during the weekend. One of the things all of us wondered, and hoped, was that by including this other facet of pulp fandom, the number of attendees would swell and sure enough, that’s exactly what did happen to everyone’s benefit. Having had a great chat with Win and his pals about the new Captain America movie, Rob and I finally called it a day and went back to our room with really high hopes this was going to be a really fun show.
Friday July 29
Pulp Amigos (left to right) Jim Beard, Duane Spurlock, Captain Ron, Frank Schildiner & John Bruening.
Up early, we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant then went out to Rob’s rental car to start unpacking our books, comics and other items to fill our table with. The main hucksters room of the con was on the first level and they had the doors open when we arrived. We registered, got our packages and went in to find our table. Happily the con crew had given us the same exact wall table as we’d anchored last year, so soon Rob was unpacking his half dozen boxes, setting up his magazine racks and tacking up our huge, colorful Airship 27 banner on that wall behind us. Only to have it promptly peel off the second we sat down. Seemed the humidity wasn’t helping the adhesive tape at all and it just wouldn’t adhere to the wall. Of course, as always happens at these shows, a lady at a table across from the aisle from us, witnessed our dilemma and promptly came over and gave us her role of “duck” tape. Which worked perfectly. That banner never bothered us again, ah, the miracle properties of “duck” tape.
Wild Cat Books own Bill Carney (designer) & Ron Hanna, Managing Editor.
All too soon it was 10 a.m. and the doors were officially opened to the public and our con experience was off and running. Although I don’t have the exact numbers, Ed Hulse mentioned in a podcast interview two weeks before the show, that they expected to have a minimum of a hundred vendor tables, to include several New Pulp publishers like Airship 27 Productions. Some of those we immediately recognized were Altus Press and Wild Cat books, both terrific outfits, even if they are our “friendly” competitors. One of the truly cool things about pulp fandom is that camaraderie among all the participants and even if there is some rivalry, it’s all honestly friendly. All these fellows produce great books and the same can be said for new reprint outfits that have sprung up over the past few years to rescue stories being lost in yellow, dog-eared magazines, ala Black Dog Press, Ace of Adventures, Haffner Press and several others represented at the show.
Looking for video oldies from Cultural Historian Martin Gram Jr.’s table of goodies.
Of course the original pulp collectors and sellers do make up the majority of dealers and some of the rare books they had on display were simply amazing. Talk about paper treasures. Then there were the related dealers like the poster and toy folks, and as ever, our buddy Martin Gram Jr. with his vast DVD offerings of long lost film classics and my favorites, the serial cliffhangers. Martin is a cultural historian and this year was giving a night time presentation on the history of the Shadow in radio, where he first originated before being transported to the world of the pulps.
Author Wayne Reinagel giving Victory sign. Having a great time.
By mid-morning, our sales were surprisingly brisk and it was all too easy to see there were lots more people at the show this year. Normally Fridays are a bit slow as it is still a working day for locals and if we sell even a few books, we’re happy. But by afternoon we’d sold nearly half our stock of titles. Just amazing. And lots of old amigos had stopped by to say hi, many of them fellow pulp creators. Writers Duane Spurlock, Jim Beard and comics pro Tony Isabella all stopped by our table to say hello and it was, as ever great to get caught up with this friends. During the course of the afternoon, there were three readings in the adjoining conference hall followed by questions and answers with the writers. These included Duane, Wayne Reinagel and Win Scott Eckert. These sessions are great for pulp fans to meet the best and brightest of the new pulp creators in a very one on one setting. Pulp Fest started them with their first show three years ago and they’ve become a welcome staple.
Pulp Historian/columnist, Mark Halegua with cool pulp tees.
Soon the day was waning down and it was time to close up shop for the day. It has become a tradition with me and Rob, to hit up the Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner on the first night of the show and tagging along with us were Wayne, Mark Halegua and writer Greg Gick. As usual the food was excellent. Mark returned to the con hotel as he wanted to catch some of the evening events such as Martin Gram’s history of the Shadow on radio and such panels as Wild American Pulp Artists hosted by David Saunders, the son of legendary pulp artist Norm Saunders. There was also an amazing presentation by the Farmer crew on The Shadow and the Wold Neuton, which featured Michael Croteau, Win Eckert, Mary Turzillo, Rick Lai, Will Murray and Art Sippo. Whereas Rob and Greg had not seen the Captain America movie yet, I opted to go with him to find a local theater and see it a second time. Happily we arrived at a local cinema ten minutes before an 8 PM showing. Captain America –The First Avenger is my favorite movie of the year, hands down and seeing it a second time with fellow comic fans was twice as much fun. By the time we returned to our room, the feeling was Friday had been a huge success and we had high expectations for Saturday, traditionally the big “sales” day at any show.
Saturday, July 30
Writers Rick Lai & Frank Schildiner with Lisa Eckert.
Buoyed by the previous day’s sales, Rob and I were eager to get Saturday rolling. And several of our pulp amigos who were coming to the show for only this one day soon started arriving. These included John Bruening, one of our Airship 27 proof-readers who has been with us since the start. Writer Frank Schildiner had come in during the wee hours of the morning, his plane from New Jersey having been repeatedly delayed by severe thunderstorms on the East Coast. Frank would be spending only one day at the show and flying home early the next morning. You can well imagine how exhausted he looked when he appeared in the hucksters room, and yet there was a huge smile on his face as he set about enjoying his first ever pulp con. Another one day traveler was writer Bill Craig, who brought along his precocious six year old son, Jack. Bill’s a single dad and he’s doing a great job raising Jack to appreciate the cool things in this life, like comics and pulps.
Captain Ron & Comic Related guru Chuck Moore.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the visit from Comic Related’s own Big Kahuna himself, my dear amigo, Chuck Moore. Chuck is truly one of the finest souls I know in this world and his coming up to spend the day with us meant so much to both me and Rob. The last time Chuck and I had seen each other was at last year’s super Champion City Con in Springfield, Ohio. So I absolutely loved being able to catch up with him, if only for a short little while. Trust me, things were always hopping. All too soon it was 1 p.m. and time for me to don my Captain Ron persona and head out to the conference room where I would moderate a one hour panel on New Pulp Fiction.
Captain Ron moderating panel on New Pulp Fiction.
New Pulp Fiction has become a major force in the current Pulp Renaissance sweeping American literature and other media such as TV shows and movies. It has revitalized the entire pulp fandom, which was on the verge of going extinct only a few years ago. Now it is stronger and healthier than ever with lots of new, young fans discovering this amazing literature for the very first time thanks to today’s crop of super talented pulp authors. On my panel were six of the finest; Win Scott Eckert, Dr.Art Sippo, Wayne Reinagel, Greg Gick, Bill Craig and Duane Spurlock.
Writers Dr.Art Sippo, Greg Gick and Rick Lai.
Once every one was settled in their seats, we got the discussion going, with my asking these creative folks why they had chosen to write pulp over other better known and popular genres. Their insightful answers propelled the next forty minutes beautifully, giving our audience of thirty five or so lots things to think about. We went onto to a ten minute question and answer period then I offered each of the writers a few minutes to promote their latest projects. It was one of the most enjoyable hours I’ve ever had and our audience was most appreciative. Enough so that several have asked us to do this panel on a regular basis from now on. In fact several writers in our audience later approached me about sitting in on the panel next time we do one. Sounds like a plan to me. And again my thanks to the Pulp Fest promoters for welcoming this New Pulp movement and supporting as much as they do. Back at the table, Rob somehow managed to survive, using his i-Pad to keep little Jack entertained with cartoons while his dad sat on our panel. In the end, Bill was thrilled to have been able to come to the show and enjoy it as much as he did thanks to Rob’s looking after his son. We’ve since tagged Rob as the Sitinator, it’s like the Terminator, only much tougher. Ha.
Eventually as the day once again came to a speedy finale, we were having to say good-bye to our pals, ala Jim Beard, John Bruening, Frank Schildiner and of course Chuck. That’s the part of shows I do hate, having to say so-long, until next time. Before leaving the hall, Rob and I did a quick tally and it appeared we’d sold nearly 80% of our stock. Our best seller at this year was clearly DAMABALLA by Charles Saunders, the premier of the first ever African American 1930s pulp hero. We sold out our entire stock. Both on Saunder’s already established reputation and on the book’s ground breaking conceit. Our second top seller was SHERLOCK HOLMES – CONSULTING DETECTIVE Vol III which came as no real surprise. The previous two volumes remain big sellers for us and its obvious Holmes & Watson fans just can’t get enough of their adventures. Expect to see this series continue for a long time with us.
Long time pulp fan Anthony Tollin accepting the Munsey Award.
Dinner Sat. night was at a Round Robin, where Janet & Elie Harriet joined us, along with Wayne Reinagel and Mark Halegua. It was time for a good old fashion American burger. After we’d eaten, we returned to the con to catch up on the evening’s activities. These included the presentation of the Munsey Awards to that individual who has done much to promote and support pulps and their fandom. This year’s recipient was former DC Colorist, Anthony Tollin, currently reprinting the entire run of the Shadow and Doc Savage in new deluxe editions. A well deserved win. Rob and I attended a presentation called, Steampunk in the Days of Dime Novels and the Pulps, wherein Prof. Garyn Roberts gave us a short slide show history of this rapidly growing sub-genre of sci-fi fiction. Although considering its true pulp roots, I believe the name Steampunk is not accurate and fandom should be adopting the phrase coined by writer Wayne Reinagel, Steampulp!! And nobody writes it better than Wayne. The evening concluded with the yearly auction where lots of great old pulps and other paper treasures were sold to some very happy pulp attendees. Once again, another great day at Pulp Fest came to a successful ending.
Sunday, July 31
Posters Galore!
A quick walk around the parking lot to stretch our legs before going back into the all for the final hours of the show. Sunday mornings are generally slow as molasses, though you do still get a few people trickling in. Thing is, most shows generally drop the admission fees for these last-minute visitors as was the case here. Rob and I chatted a bit with our remaining con neighbors and pals then around 11 a.m., it was time to start packing up our remaining stock. Lo and behold, we’re almost done when I see my Comic Related amigos, Dustin Carson & Chad Strohl come walking through the main door. I was both happy to see them and saddened that we couldn’t get to visit all that much. Rob was kind enough to let me talk with them for about a half hour, as he was more than capable of packing up the car by himself. Dustin & Chad had remembered the show was on and decided to drive up from Springfield to see me. Pals like that are all too rare and I can’t ever thank them enough. Hopefully next year they can come up on Sat. and really get the full fun of the show.
Ron Fortier and Comic Writer/Historian Tony Isabella
Then it was time to head out for the three hour drive back to Indianapolis, which once again, allowed Rob and me to reflect on this year’s show, what a huge hit it had been and what our plans for the next year will be. Pulp fandom is growing rapidly and now there are three terrific shows lined for 2012, starting with Pulp Ark in April, Windy City in May and once again, Pulp Fest in late Sept. Airship 27 Productions will be at all three, raring to go with lots more new titles, only too eager to spend time with some of the nicest, most creative people on the planet. We hope next year, lots of you reading these words will make the effort to join us. You will not be sorry you did.
Hosts Chad Fifer and Chris Lackey delve into the pre-human scrawling that make up the work of HP Lovecraft on the HP LOVECRAFT LITERARY PODCAST every week, discussing the stories as well as their author against a backdrop of talented readings and a sublime musical score. Even if you’ve read every story, collaboration and piece of correspondence, give the HPL Literary Podcast a listen…you might find yourself learning something new.
HP Lovecraft left a lot behind when he took his final steps into the audient void, including his by now infamous COMMONPLACE BOOK-filled with jotted notes, story ideas and the nascent germs of hideous plots and barely comprehensible imaginings, it’s also free to read from a variety of online sources, including wired.com. If you’ve ever wanted to get a peek into the head of the Weird Pilgrim from Providence, this is a safe bet…and who knows, it might just spark an idea or three in those of you thinking of following in Old Grandpa’s footsteps…
The concept has evolved since the beginning. Before there was Abin Sur, before the guardians, the corps, Sinestro and all the mythology we know today, Green Lantern was originally a riff on Aladdin. It was a magic ring that was part of an old Chinese prophecy. It came to earth in the form of a meteor, promising three things; death, life, and power. The meteor killed a village, restored a man to sanity, and finally fell into the hands of our hero.
Like the Shadow or Batman before him, Alan emerges from the tragedy a changed man. He becomes a larger than life figure and battles the underworld, whether they were mobsters or the truly villainous Solomon Grundy. 
Hal Jordan is a test pilot that finds an alien spaceship crash landing to earth. Inside, a mortally wounded Green Lantern, Abin Sur, tells Hal that he has been chosen to be a Green Lantern. With his sidekick, Tom Kalamaku, mechanic and able bodied assistant, Hal battled foes such as Hector Hammond, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Doctor Polaris.
As for the Corps themselves, they are at the very least influenced by the Lensmen. Although DC initially denied it, two corps members were named Arisia and Eddore in honor of the Lensmen series. Arisia still appears regularly in the pages of Green Lantern.
