Author: Tommy Hancock

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO MONOGRAM’S THIRD ‘SHADOW’!

News
June 4, 2011

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

“THE MISSING LADY”
Monogram Pictures
Starring Kane Richmond, Barbara Reed, George Chandler, et al.
Directed by Phil Karlson
Written by George Callahan
Based on THE SHADOW stories by Walter Gibson from THE SHADOW Magazine
1946

Yes, Virginia, there was a SHADOW movie before Alec Baldwin (which, by the way, I enjoyed although many did not). Actually, there were three, all B movies turned out by Monogram Pictures in the 1940s. ‘The Missing Lady’ is the third entry in the series, but the first that I watched, so hence the review.

Now, for those not familiar with most movie adaptations of our beloved pulp types, they often usually go far askew of what we as fans are familiar with and enjoy. This was true oftentimes in the days of early Hollywood, due in part to the inability to mimic many of the things that occurred in the written word, but also to often fit trends that were present in the movies at the time. Not so different from today, this practice seems to be more prevalent in the 1930sand 40s, a period where ‘film series’ short 60-75 minutes movies were produced rather rapidly focusing on a central character. The Saint, The Falcon, and The Lone Wolf are probably the best examples of ‘detective/hero/playboy’ types that dominated movie screens in the 1940s. Monogram had an opportunity to jump into this genre with a totally different twist when it took on dramatizing Gibson’s THE SHADOW stories. Unfortunately, this ended up being a very much missed opportunity.

‘THE MISSING LADY’ opens with the murder of an art collector and the theft of a Jade figurine of a lady, the absent diva of the title. It jumps immediately to a month later, and I mean immediately with the use of a newspaper headline saying the murder we’d just watched was a month ago, and a whole host of people searching for the statue. Included in this cast of characters is playboy and amateur detective Lamont Cranston, the only person seemingly investigating the murder. Cranston and his cab driving roommate Shrevvie, along with their vapid bumbling girlfriends Margo Lane (yes, Margo is a jealous goofball throughout the movie) and Jenny Delaney, feel that the series of murders following the first one in the film, are all tied into the ‘Missing Lady.’ Throw in a police investigator that Cranston spars with for comedy, a list of two dimensional 1940 mystery stereotypes, and two kooky spinster sister elevator operators who have races in ‘Upsadaisy’ and ‘Downsadaisy’, their named elevator car and you have this movie.

Oh yeah, and Cranston becomes The Shadow twice and is the only person to ever mention his alter ego.

The acting was average for the most part for a B Movie from this period. The storyline was convoluted, confusing, and way too crowded. It was obvious that some characters, including the artist who lived in Cranston’s building, were simply thrown in so there would be more suspects. The attempts at comedy fell flat for the standards of the period and due to that, are particularly dated for modern viewers. The resolution of the murders was pretty good concerning the very first murder, although it was telegraphed five minutes into the movie. The resolution for the others, however, was just as throwaway as most of the characters.

I did enjoy the way that they portrayed The Shadow the few times he was shown. He was literally that, a black shadow in a fedora and something covering his face. For the period, one particular effect was really cool. The Shadow accosts a bad guy and grabs hold of him and the guy is pulled off screen. The fight seen only in shadow added a little weight to the portrayal and had this continued in various ways, would have made this much more enjoyable. Kane Richmond definitely fit the look for Lamont Cranston, but what was missing were many of the Shadow trademarks, like the creepiness and the laugh. And let’s not even talk about the waste of both Barbara Reed and Margo Lane. Reed shows promise to be a good Margo in a couple of scenes, but the writing makes Margo more ‘Lucy’ than ‘Lane’ and it just doesn’t work.

TWO OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-If you’re a Shadow fan who feels like you need to see, read, or hear everything THE SHADOW is in, then you need to see this. Or if you have no idea who the character is, but you want to point and laugh at the old movie, then this is also for you. Other than that, go watch Alec Baldwin.

NOTED PULP AUTHOR/HISTORIAN ON FARMER CON/PULPFEST!

News
June 2, 2011

From Win Scott Eckert-

FarmerCon VI and PulpFest 2011!

From the PulpFest site:

“PulpFest 2011 is pleased to announce that FarmerCon VI will be held concurrently at our convention. An annual gathering for fans of Grand Master of Science Fiction Philip José Farmer, FarmerCon is rooted in Peoria, Illinois, the late author’s home town.

It all started soon after Phil had won the Grand Master award at the 2001 Nebula Awards ceremony. To honor the event, the Peoria Public Library staged a Living Legend Reception for the author. Farmer enthusiast Michael Croteau spread the word about the event through his website, The Official Philip José Farmer Home Page, resulting in fans coming to Peoria from across the country.

In 2006, no longer able to travel to science fiction conventions as they had done in the past, Farmer and his wife Bette decided it was time for the mountain to come to Mohammed. Thus FarmerCon was originally conceived to be a gathering of fans in Peoria, figuratively, and literally, right outside Phil’s back door. With programs, speeches, panels, dinners, and picnics at the author’s house, the convention quickly became a great success. After the passing of Phil and Bette Farmer in 2009, it was decided to take FarmerCon on the road, giving fans of the author an opportunity to meet other Farmer devotees unable to travel to Peoria. And by holding FarmerCon alongside events like PulpFest, Farmer fans get a weekend full of programming (including several Farmer-related presentations on Friday, July 29th) and a room full of pulp and book dealers to enjoy. It also keeps Philip José Farmer’s name in the public eye, reminding fans of his long and amazing body of work.

Please welcome FarmerCon VI to PulpFest 2011. We hope they’ll be back again and again.”

In conjunction, Meteor House will have a table in the PulpFest Dealer’s Room, and I’ll be helping man the table, along with my friend, fellow FarmerCon organizer, and Meteor House cohort, Mike Croteau. As one of the organizers and participants in FarmerCon, I’d like to thanks the fine folks at PulpFest for agreeing to co-host us this year. This will be our 6th annual gathering, and the second since Phil Farmer and Bette Farmer passed away.
We will have some cool Farmer/Pulp/Wold Newton presentations for the programming, and we’ll have a selection of books still available from Phil Farmer’s estate, as well as some copies of the latest Farmer books for sale (last summer’s THE WORLDS OF PHILIP JOSE FARMER 1: PROTEAN DIMENSIONS, Meteor House), and the forthcoming THE WORLDS OF PHILIP JOSE FARMER 2: OF DUST AND SOUL, featuring new works from Phil’s files, non-fic essays about his work, new authorized fiction set in his various worlds, and cover art by Laura Givens.
Of course, I’ll also bring copies of my latest non-Farmerian books and will be selling those at our table as well. Fingers crossed I’ll have the forthcoming THE GREEN HORNET CASEFILES on hand, as well as THE AVENGER: THE JUSTICE INC. FILES. CROSSOVERS 2 was not out in time for last year’s FarmerCon, so that’s also something to keep in mind.
I’ll be discussing Phil’s pulp universe/timeline, known as the Wold Newton Universe, and hopefully I’ll have copies on hand of Titan Books’ reissue of Phil’s Sherlock Holmes-Lord Greystoke mashup novel, THE PEERLESS PEER, to which I’ve contributed a new afterword.
Some other regular FarmerCon attendees who I know will be there are my pals Art
Sippo, John Small, and Doc Savage/Shadow chronologist Rick Lai. Some other online pals who I’m looking forward to meeting in person are writer Greg Gick and All Pulp’s Tommy Hancock.
Meteor House is also running a Book Bonanza for authors:

“If you are an author coming to FarmerCon VI, here is your chance to tell the rest of us which books of yours you have available. Then fellow attendees may request that you bring copies of certain books for them to purchase directly from you.”

Follow The Official Philip Jose Farmer Home Page, Meteor House, BookTour.com, and this site for more details.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there!

THE LATEST FLYING GLORY AND A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!

News
June 2, 2011

FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY

Page 10 of the Special Issue 0 “Generational Glory”

Debra Clay watches in awe and excitement as FLYING GLORY arrives to rescue her concert and the school reunion. This story is nearly over as we get ready to celebrate the comic’s tenth anniversary starting in June. http://www.flying-glory.com

WEBCOMIC FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY

CELEBRATES TEN YEARS ON THE WEB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2011 (Fullerton, CA) – The fourteenth issue of the webcomic “Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory,” located at http://www.flying-glory.com, will celebrate the ten year anniversary of the storyline in an expanded 36-page issue. The story, entitled “Reverberations,” will show readers more of the past of Flying Glory as well as provide glimpses into what lies ahead. A mini-comic prequel Issue 0, entitled “Generational Glory,” launched at the start of the year in anticipation of this major event and shows the cast during the summer right before the series opens.

“Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory” is a webcomic featuring the adventures of super powered teen Debra Clay, known as Flying Glory, and her backing band the Hounds of Glory. The webcomic launched in the summer of 2001 with a four page short, soon followed by a twenty-nine page first issue. Artwork is drawn by Kevin Paul Shaw Broden, who co-writes the adventures with Shannon Muir, she also pens the poetic lyrics sung by the band. Currently, each issue is twenty-four pages in length and generally posted as one page weekly in black and white, though the original few issues were later reposted in color. As of June 2011, the website features roughly 350 comic story pages. In addition, “Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory” appeared in print for the first time this year as part of a charity cookbook by TGT Media (http://www.tgtmedia.com) entitled “Webcomics: What’s Cooking?” that raises funds to feed the hungry.

“What originally drew us into doing this webcomic was the idea of superhero as celebrity, and I think we are still true to that,” webcomic co-writer and lyric writer Muir says. “Teens look at those who are successful and want to emulate them. Our main heroine, Debra Clay, has now spent a lot of time trying to learn from her grandmother Elsie Carmichael Stokes, the previous Flying Glory. Like many teens, it gets easy to be impatient, and to think you know it all. Sometimes that comes with consequences, and you realize the value of experience. She’s also needed to struggle with finding her identity as a growing woman, independent of the powers, which only brings added depth to the adventure. There’s also a wealth of stories to be told about the Hounds of Glory, most of who were Debra’s friends before the whole superpower factor came into play, and how she relates to them when they have struggles.”

Flying Glory came out of Broden’s love for the ‘Golden Age’ of comic book mystery men of the 1930’s and 1940’s. “I developed an idea of such a heroine and wrote a script for the book based on her adventures.” He was surprised by how many people liked the story, including professionals in the comic book industry. There were also positive responses from publishers, but nothing ever came from that. So Broden and Muir developed a second comic book series about the heroine’s granddaughter taking up the mantel and the mask.

For artist and co-writer Kevin Paul Shaw Broden, “Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory” has been a magnificent way to express his creativity while continuing to pursue his career. Broden began his professional career as an art assistant for Brian Murray, where he worked on early issues of “Supreme” for Image Comics. Before that, he storyboarded the video for BiGod20’s “One,” as well as videos for John Wesley Harding and Kristin Hersch as part of the Summer Arts program in Humboldt, California. More recently, he’s been contracted to do illustrations for commercials and television series pitches, and his work is featured in Muir’s two textbooks on the animation business – “Gardner’s Guide to Writing and Producing Animation” and “Gardner’s Guide to Pitching and Selling Animation”. He also has a successful New Pulp online serial, “Revenge of the Masked Ghost” (http://revengeofthemaskedghost.blogspot.com/). Broden and Muir also have shared writing credits on several episodes of the Japanese animated series “Midnight Horror School”.

In addition to her work with Broden and the previously mentioned textbooks, Muir’s worked in production on several animated television series for such major studios as Sony, Nickelodeon, and SD Entertainment. Muir also recently began self-publishing fiction work such as her recent release “Touch the Stars” currently available on Amazon and through Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com).

Issue 14, “Reverberations,” is scheduled to begin on June 26, 2011.

MEDIA CONTACT E-MAIL: kevinpsb@sbcglobal.net

GUEST REVIEW OF DOCTOR JONES’ EXHIBIT…INDIANA JONES, THAT IS!

News
June 2, 2011

THE TEMPLE OF INDY

A Review Of Indiana Jones And The Adventure Of Archaeology

By Andrew Salmon

While I was in Montreal last week there was no way this long-time Indiana Jones fan was going to miss the exhibit of movie props and costumes from all four movies at the Montreal Science Centre. Throw in my lifelong love of all things related to movie making and you might even say I had a Jones for it.

The exhibit was a lot of fun and, although we were forbidden to photograph the pieces on display, there was no law against mentally recording the wonderful treasures from the four films for the sake of this review. So here goes!

Upon entering the hall, guests are given an interactive screen with headphones. Each item on display has a number and by punching that into the screen, visitors can hear information about what they are looking at. For the most part, I found this information of little value but the first recording is an introduction to the exhibit by Harrison Ford who sounds like he’s reading (Blade Runner narration anyone?) but, hey, he’s Indiana Jones! He can do what he wants!

Visitors are greeted by the full Jones costume: hat, weathered leather coat, whip, pistol, shirt, pants and scuffed up shoes. This was a real treat for this fan and one of the highlights of the exhibit.

The displays are organized in the chronological order by film so let’s cover them this way.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

The Raiders exhibit featured the fertility idol that almost gets Indy crushed by that giant ball in the opening sequence from the first movie. The plans of how they did the stunt are also included. Marion Ravenwood’s full costume from the bar scene is also there and it was a treat for this movie fan to admire the detail of the outfit. And what would a bar be without bottles, cases and the shot glasses from the drinking contest. But of course, every Indy fan knows that the key to the bar scene is the amulet Major Toht is willing to play with fire to acquire and that too was there for all to see. The workmanship that went into

these props really has to be seen to be believed as they go by so quickly on the screen. Balloq’s priest outfit from the ceremony where he and the Nazis attempt to open the Ark of the Covenant was another example of the incredibly detailed work that went into the costumes. One of the Egyptian sarcophaguses from the snake filled burial chamber was also a treat. But, let’s face it, the prop we all want to see from the first movie is the ark itself and there it was in all its glory. It’s held up pretty well over the last 30 years and, again, the level of detail and high lustre on this large prop is breathtaking.

TEMPLE OF DOOM

Okay, it’s not everyone’s favorite Indy movie but it is part of the series and there were some nice pieces to feast the eye upon.

This part of the exhibit was about costumes. Indy’s tux and Willie’s nightclub dress are on display as is Short Round’s complete outfit right down to the shoes/blocks he uses for driving. Sticking with costumes, Willie’s sacrificial dress is also included here as well as Mola Ram’s head dress.

Other props include the jade jar that kicks off the opening action sequence and the Sankara stones themselves are here. I don’t know what the ‘stones’ are made off but they give off a special radiance all their own. Rounding this part of the exhibit is the miniature mining car with the mini-Jones/Willie/Round dolls used to film that ridiculous mine car chase through the caverns.

THE LAST CRUSADE

As one of this fan’s favorite Indy films, it was a real treat to linger over the props here – and there are a lot of them.

Young Indy’s scout hat kicks things off followed by the Cross of Coronado which Indy hunts into adulthood. Again, the cross is wonderfully detailed and looks as old and as precious as it is supposed to be. Dr. Elsa Schneider’s outfit from early in the film is here as is the suit and bow tie Indy wears while teaching. Wonderful period clothes all. Indy’s dad’s glasses and pocket watch are also here and what display would be complete without Indy Sr.’s grail notebook. What a treat it was to look over the carefully scrawled and weathered pages.

There are a lot of props from this third instalment. The shield from the catacombs, the rubbing Indy makes of it. The crucifixes worn by the defenders of the grail are also here as is the “Leap of Faith” artwork. And they’ve included the grails! Both Walter Donovan’s poor choice and Indy’s correct one are here and it’s fitting that the simple cup of a carpenter outshines the jewel-encrusted grail which looks more gaudy to the naked eye than it does up on the screen.

THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

It comes as no surprise that there are more props from the fourth Indy film than from any of the previous three. Being a more recent production, I’m sure tracking down this stuff did not require an Indy-calibre archaeologist.

Props galore! Mutt’s jacket, gum, switchblade, and motorcycle are here as is the letter urging him to hunt down Indiana Jones. And there are costumes! Irina Spalko’s outfit makes an appearance and you can read her file if you’re brave enough to get that close to her sword. Professor Oxley’s outfit is another marvel of the kind of detailed costume work being done these days. And his drawings are also on hand.

You’ll also be able to feast your eyes on the skull that mesmerizes Indy and a full-sized alien skeleton in its chair from the end of the film. Throw in the ancient texts Indy refers to, some of the booty traitorous McHale tries to make off with, Orellana’s mummified ‘corpse’ and death mask which are incredible pieces of work and this latest and, perhaps, final Jones adventure is well represented.

OTHER GOODIES

Although the exhibit features Indy props and costumes, the purpose of the display is supposed to stir interest in archaeology. To that end, there are a number of exhibits featuring real ancient finds. From ancient Greece and Rome to North American Indian artifacts, these run the breadth of human history and were very interesting. A small section also covers some real archaeologists and there is a lot of information on how they dig up the past.

To be honest, this stuff was interesting but was not what I showed up for. As a movie buff, film and TV background perfomer, pulp fan and pulp author, I was there to wallow in all things Indy and that is precisely what I did.

Summing up, I would recommend the exhibit. The entry price of $23 seemed a little high but as a fan I was willing to pay it as I’ve been a fan of the movies for three decades now. A great gift shop had a number of Indy shirts to choose from and I picked out a couple of nice ones.

On the downside, the headsets/screens were dull at best and I skipped most of what was there to listen to. A good idea that went sour was the inclusion of TV screen showing many of the scenes in which the numerous props were used. This was a great feature but people tended to crowd around them, watching the movies, and blocking the props! It struck me as strange that folks would pay $23 to watch scenes from the movies that they could see at home! The exhibit is about the props and costumes people!

I really enjoyed reliving the fun of the movies through the props and costumes. If you’re an Indy fan, I’m suspecting you will as well. So if Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology comes to your town, plop that fedora on your head, make sure that bullwhip is coiled tight and slip into that leather jacket, you’ve got some exploring to do!

PRO SE PRESENTS ‘THE ROOK VOLUME SIX" TRAILER!!!

News
June 2, 2011

Pro Se Press is proud to present a trailer spotlighting veteran New Pulp Author Barry Reese’s latest work, THE ROOK: VOLUME SIX! Coming this month, thrill to The Rook’s confrontation with Sun Koh, a trip to a town all out of time, and the first ever meeting between The Rook and Sovereign City’s own Lazarus Gray! Plus an interview with Reese and a Rook Timeline! Watch the trailer, make plans to buy the book!

PUBLISHER BARBARA CUSTER IN GUEST INTERVIEW BY PULP HISTORIAN!

News
June 1, 2011

Guest Interview for ALL PULP

Barbara Custer, Publisher of NTD

Conducted by Tom Johnson

I have known Barbara Custer since Ginger and I were publishing our line of new pulp magazines back in the 1990s. At the time we were publishing numerous top-notch writers and artists, and she was one of them. Since those long ago days, Barbara has continued her own writing, as well as entering the publishing world with the NTD imprint. With her busy schedule, I was finally able to sit down with her for this interview.

TJ: Barbara (or is it Popple?) why don’t you begin by telling the readers a little (or a lot) about yourself? Who is Barbara Custer, and what should the world know about you?

BC: I go by two nicknames: Popple and Balloon Lady. I’ve written Twilight Healer and Dark Side of the Moon, and coauthored Blood Moons and Nightscapes, Alien Worlds, and Starship Invasions. These books have enjoyed decent reviews. I also publish Night to Dawn magazine, and every so often, paperback books under the Night to Dawn imprint. These works have enjoyed decent reviews.

TJ: What is Night to Dawn, and how did it come about? I guess this should be broken into two parts, your magazine and your books under the NTD imprint. Who are your authors and artists, and what genre are you interested in? I’m sure our readers will be interested in the genesis of both magazine and book imprint.

BC: Night to Dawn features vampire / dark fantasy short fiction, poetry, and illustrations. It comes out every six months. In 2003, the original editor, Dawn Callahan, was publishing my work for Night to Dawn. She had to retire, and I offered to take over. I knew nothing about publishing magazines, but Ginger Johnson had been a great mentor, teaching me about Word and other programs I needed for a magazine. People like Marge Simon, Margaret L. Carter, and Cathy Buburuz have supported the magazine from the get-go.

Around 2003, a small publishing house published my novel, Twilight Healer. The company folded after a year, and some of the other authors asked me to publish the books under the NTD imprint. So I started with Twilight Healer, and took on several authors. I publish different genres under the NTD imprint. The book process has been a baptism by fire. I knew little about the process, and neither did most of my writer buddies. It necessitated getting a new website.

I now have a new website, and I have access to software to make epub books. I found several distributors for the NTD books. God has been good.

TJ: Where can your books be purchased?

BC: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, and Nook are the chief publishes. Easiest way: go to www.bloodredshadow.com. Click on the title of the book under its respective author, and it will give you the direct purchasing links.

TJ: What does Barbara Custer do when she’s not involved in the editing and publishing of the NTD books?

BC: She’s revising her novel, Steel Roses, a tale about aliens living in an underground city, and the humans who fear them. It started as a sequel to Dark Side of the Moon, but now has its own cast of characters and plotline. For her hobby, she collects Mylar balloons.

TJ: What is in the future for Barbara Custer and NTD? Where do you want your publishing imprint to be in five or ten years?

BC: I would like to continue publishing the magazine and books. The process goes slow since I work a day job. My hope in five or ten years is that someone might partner with me, or perhaps I can hire someone to help with editing / formatting. I also hope to have more of my own books in print.

TJ: If our readers are interested in writing or drawing for your magazine, or book covers, where can they contact you with proposals or questions?

BC: My contact email is barbaracuster@hotmail.com. Submissions are tight at the moment, but I am actively seeking 3 good mummy horror tales incorporating the vampire theme.

TJ: Is there anything special coming up soon that you wish to tell the readers to watch for? Do you have a website where potential buyers can read about what’s coming up from NTD?

BC: I am holding a sales special with some of the Night to Dawn books available at reduced rates. Occasionally I do radio interviews, and I will post this on my website. You can find out about my projects at:

www.bloodredshadow.com

www.facebook.com/barbara.custer

TJ: What is the most difficult part the publishing process?

BC: I find formatting book covers the most difficult. The front cover will make or break sales, and finding right combinations of colors for the lettering against the illustration has been a challenge. Some good buddies have helped me with this.

TJ: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Be ready to do a lot of promoting. That means having a website, seeking out reviews (there are folks out there who will give new authors a chance).

Get a fresh pair of eyes to read / edit the manuscript. When you’ve gone through your writing so many times, you become too close to the work to notice problems, and no writer can see their own mistakes. I’ve noticed this with myself.

When you get your printed novel, savor the moment.

TJ: Barbara, thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to answer these questions. Ginger and I were a two-person operation and we had very little time to catch our breath, so I can imagine what you must go through with the NTD imprint. Good luck in all your future endeavors!

MUNSEY FINALISTS ANNOUNCED!

News
June 1, 2011

From Mike Chomko of the PulpFest Organizing Committee-

The PulpFest Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that the nomination process for the 2011 Munsey Award has been a tremendous success. Twenty-five people were nominated by pulp fans for this year’s award.

The final nominee list has been pared down to the following eleven individuals whose names will be forwarded to a committee made up of all the living Lamont and Munsey Award winners who will select the person to receive the 2011 Munsey: William Contento, Win Scott Eckert, Stephen Haffner, Steve Miller, Matt Moring, Laurie Powers, Garyn Roberts, Phil Stephensen-Payne, Anthony Tollin, George Vanderburgh, and Dan Zimmer.

You’ll find further details about each nominee on the 2011 nominees page of our website at http://www.pulpfest.com/.
Barry Traylor, Ed Hulse, Jack Cullers, and Mike Chomko

Yeehaw! FORTIER GITS ALONG LITTLE DINOS IN HIS LATEST REVIEW!

News
June 1, 2011

REX RIDERS

By J.P.Carlson

432 pages

Monstrostities Books
Available June 21, 2011

It was somewhere between the ages of twelve and thirteen that I discovered the classic pulp heroes of old through paperback reprints. Here were 1930s urban heroes such as the Shadow and Doc Savage while primal, wilderness characters were represented by Robert E.Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. I also discovered one of the greatest pulp authors of all time, Edgar Rice Burroughs. My entry into Burroughs fantastic worlds was through his Tarzan books like most of the readers of my generation. Having already become familiar with the Ape Man via movies, it was both a treat and surprise to discover the actual character in Burrough’s purple prose.

Becoming addicted to his work, it was a logical next step to pick up his equally popular John Carter of Mars series starting with “A Princess of Mars.” On the off chance there is someone reading this that has never had that pleasure, here is a quick recap. The series tells of an ex Confederate officer named John Carter, who, while mining for gold in the Arizona badlands, is somehow magically transported through space to the red planet Mars. There he finds it inhabited by all manner of beings and monstrous creatures that refer to their world as Barsoom. Carter has one glorious adventure after another, finds his love, the beautiful princess Theja Thoris, and goes on to become the Warlord of Mars.

I devoured those books. I’d never encountered anything else so filled with action, exotic characters and unabashed imagination as displayed in that amazing series. Of course the popularity of Burroughs alien tales inspired hundreds of writers to follow in his footsteps, many attempting to duplicate the verve and grandeur of his Barsoom titles. None ever came close, until now.

From the first chapter of J.P. Carlson’s book, “Rex Riders” that same magical what-if that Burroughs so effortlessly created is evident here. Set in the sleepy Texas town of Dos Locus, post Civil War, what Carlson brilliantly does is turn the tables on the Carter device and brings an alien romantic hero to Earth in the form of the Rex Rider.

The book’s protagonist is fifteen year old orphan, Zeke Calhoun, who is being raised on his Uncle Jesse McCain’s ranch. His two best friends are Bull, McCain’s loyal ranch hand and Stumpy, the old cantankerous and wise ranch cook. Growing up to be a cowboy is not an easy life and Zeke is constantly butting heads with his uncle, their ability to communicate strained by their ages. Having never married or had children, McCain finds bringing up a rambunctious teenage boy much more complicated than herding cattle.

Then one day a live triceratops comes charging down Dos Locos’ main street attacking the arriving stagecoach. After toppling the coach, the confused, armored beast then goes on a rampage and destroys several of the town’s stores before it is shot by McCain. Before anyone can even attempt to explain the creature’s presence, let alone existence, the area’s most powerful landowner, Dante D’Allesandro comes along, offers to pay for the damages and whisks the carcass away. No one gives the incident a second thought. I give much credit to Carlson’s depiction of good, decent and simple people who would react exactly as he writes them.

Months later, while riding through a nearby valley, Zeke and Stumpy come across a truly bizarre scene. An alien humanoid lying comatose on the ground, having been shot, and standing over him protectively is a baby Tyrannosaurs Rex with a saddle strapped to its back. With much effort, the two manage to haul the eight foot rider onto the back of his dangerous looking mount and get them back safely to McCain’s ranch. After the town doctor removes half a dozen bullets from the purple hued alien and he recovers, he relates a fantastic tale to McCain and his crew.

Slim, the name Stumpy gives the alien rider, is from a planet called Ismalis where millions of years ago his ancestors, using amazing transporters, rescued large numbers of the Earth’s dinosaurs when they saw they were in danger of becoming extinct. Now they thrive on Ismalis and as a Rex Rider, it is Slim’s duty to see they continue to do so. Unfortunately D’Allesandro has learned that it was via one these transporter platforms, hidden in a nearby mountain cave, that the runaway tryke traveled from Ismalis to Earth. D’Allesandro then begins to transport a group of cowboys to that alien world to build a camp from which they can rustle hundreds of trykes and bring them back to our world. When Slim attempts to stop him, warning that his scheme can only end in disaster for all involved, D’Allesandro’s hired gun, Caleb Cooper, attempts to kill him and his T-rex mount, called Hellfire.

McCain immediately sees the folly of D’Allesandro’s plan and offers his support to the Rex Rider, along with Zeke, Bull & Stumpy. Together these new allies have to travel to that strange and dangerous world and set things right. “The Rex Riders” is a deft blend of action, humor and wall-to-wall adventure in a truly original setting. Reading it was nothing short pure joy, easily recapturing the fun I’d had when first discovering the John Carter of Mars books. And if that isn’t a cause for celebration amongst today’s pulp readers, I don’t know what is. In fact, I love this book so much, I’m giving it to my grandson, Alex, assured it will set him on a path I first walked over fifty years ago. Thanks, J.P. Carlson. With your first book, you’ve made a loyal fan that is very, very anxious for the sequels.

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO ‘THE MYTH HUNTER’!

News
May 31, 2011

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

THE MYTH HUNTER
Percival Constantine
Pulpwork Press
http://www.pulpwork.com/

One of the great things about New Pulp is that the old is often made, well, new again. I’m not simply talking about styles, description, or even storylines and characters, although this has to do with a character. What I’m referring to is archetypes. They exist in Pulp as they do in genre, probably more so since there are so many facets to Pulp. The standard ‘types’ of heroes and villains and such that populate stories and often reappear under different names penned by different authors. Like the masked vigilante. The Super Man of Science. The Cowboy. And the Explorer, the Archeological Adventurer.

It’s that last one that Percival Constantine tackled within his new work, THE MYTH HUNTER. Elisa Hill, the central character of the piece, is just what the title implies..a Myth Hunter. This is basically an individual who goes on the hunt for strange and unusual artifacts, often thought to be the stuff of legend. In this particular tale, she is in pursuit of artifacts related to a great lost civilization, a goal her parents pursued to the ruin of their professional reputations before their passing. Initially a Myth Hunter for money, Elisa found a better path due to an old Myth Hunter and friend of her parents and now works for the betterment of the world. This adventure brings her into contact with shady aspects of her dubious past, introduces her to new friends, sets her against a conspiratorial secret organization, and renews a feud with a psychopath named Seth that will likely be the death of Hill herself.

This book is full of vivid descriptions, fantastically crafted narrative, intriguing and engaging dialogue, but its biggest star is the characterization. Constantine brings each and every character to life, not just with vivid details, but with emotions and passions. Even the characters we are meant to like leave us feeling a little divided on just how much we like them, and that’s a sign of humanity granted to a written creation, a skill many writers never ever develop.

Constantine also takes the stereotype of the ‘Indiana Jones-Lara Croft’ type and ups the ante. Elisa is complex, complicated, and admittedly confused throughout the book. Not because she’s not a great hero in all ways because she is just that, but because she is also human. Simultaneously Constantine gives the reader a real woman, complete with desires, flaws, and strengths, and cloaks her in that nearly bullet proof visage of the explorer who always gets what she wants one way or the other.

There were some continuity gaffs here and there and editing issues in spots, but nothing that should keep anyone from picking up THE MYTH HUNTER by Percival Constantine and enjoying the heck out of it!

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-This New Pulp tale delivers everything you want a Pulp story to with the added bonus of humanity within its characterization.

News
May 31, 2011

Percy Constantine’s new novel THE MYTH HUNTER from Pulpwork Press (http://www.pulpwork.com/) hits the streets today! The author takes some time out of his busy promoting schedule to do some…ah…promotion with ALL PULP! Stay tuned for a couple of more tidbits related to THE MYTH HUNTER throughout the day!

AP: Perry, welcome to ALL PULP! First, share a little bit about yourself with us.

PC: Well, I’m a writer in his late twenties (going to hold onto that tidbit for as long as possible). A native Chicagoan who has been residing in Japan for the past few years. I first entered the world of publishing in 2005 as a comic book editor and then in 2007 as a novelist. In 2010, my first pulp novel, LOVE & BULLETS, was released through Pulpwork Press. I’m also a professional comic book letterer and writer and have a few small press credits to my name in those areas. Other than that, I’m obsessed with movies, which is where I draw most of my inspiration from.

AP: Your newest book, THE MYTH HUNTER debuts today. What wonderful adventure awaits within its pages?

PC: With THE MYTH HUNTER, you are looking at an action-packed tale bringing mythology from various regions and eras into the modern age. You’ve got shadowy organizations, legendary creatures, lost continents, and a heroine who can both kick your ass and outsmart you.

AP: Now, this project has taken some time to actually see print. What can you say about that?

PC: THE MYTH HUNTER first began with Elisa Hill, the main character. I’ve always been drawn to heroines who can hold their own against the classic hero archetypes and I wanted to create one of my own. Derrick Ferguson (creator of the brilliant Dillon series) helped me with some of the initial ideas that really led to the character’s first incarnation.

At first, THE MYTH HUNTER was intended to begin life as a comic book that Derrick and I were going to collaborate on with whatever artist we could locate. It didn’t quite work out that way and after a few setbacks, I decided to just do it as a book series. I had two artists who contributed some character designs, which will appear on my blog (percivalconstantine.wordpress.com).

AP: You’ve created a character in Elisa Hill that is multifaceted and seems to, while being your creation, draw from several ‘muses’. What were your influences in creating her and why is it important that a lead character have such variety within its personality?

PC: I’d say my primary influences for the character were Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as far as initial inspiration. Visually, I’ve always imagined Elisa as being similar to actress Kate Beckinsale. Her name was inspired by someone I knew in high school who’s a very strong woman. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was also a source of influence, as I’ve found her to be a very positive, very strong heroine and she was really the first heroine who had a massive influence on me.

Other than that, I draw influence from wherever I can find them. Elisa, like many of my characters, are drawn from a hodgepodge of influences. But the ones I mentioned are really the major ones.

AP: You’re known for writing strong female characters, particularly as leads. Do you prefer female leads and if so, why? Or does the story just sort of write its own participants in as you go?

PC: I appreciate the fact that I’ve become known for strong female characters, as that’s important to me. I’ve felt heroines are either under-represented or portrayed as inferior to the heroes. I guess part of that is because I’ve known a lot of strong women in my life, and so I want to give them their due.

I don’t have a preference for either gender, though. My first two novels featured male leads. And the next book in my Infernum series, OUTLAW BLUES (due for a release either later this year or early next year) will feature a male lead.

I’m attracted to aspects of both types and I enjoy writing them both. It’s more the characters themselves that speak to me and when they first come to me in my mind, they come with their gender already predetermined. I never thought of Elisa Hill or Angela Lockhart (of LOVE & BULLETS) as anything other than female, just as I never thought of Riker Stone (of CHASING THE DRAGON) or Gabriel (of FALLEN) as anything other than male. That’s just how they were when they first approached me.

AP: THE MYTH HUNTER treads familiar ground for Pulp fans, that of the explorer finding strange artifacts, etc. But you focus on the dichotomy of doing this for profit as opposed to doing it for betterment of mankind. Care to discuss that?

PC: The idea of profit vs. betterment of mankind has always interested me. And I know that the two aren’t mutually exclusive, which is something you see a little bit of in the book. I don’t think there’s a black and white way to look at the two. I’m someone who believes in a balance and I think I try to get that across in the book. You see aspects of both in the characters on either side of the issue. Some are doing it for profit and are completely selfish. But some aren’t doing it for profit but are still equally selfish. And some fall to a place in the middle.

Dichotomy in general is something I really love to explore as a writer. To be, the best heroes and villains are the ones that are two sides of the same coin. So that’s why I try to focus on those things in my writing whenever I can.

AP: This novel is peppered with a ton of interesting supporting characters as well. What makes a good supporting character for a Pulp tale? And why does a strong lead like Elisa even need supporting cast?

PC: It’s often been said that you can’t have a good hero without a good villain, and that’s true. But you need more than that–you need good supporting characters. The supporting characters are not just there to support the hero, they’re also there to challenge him or her in ways that the villain can’t.

The various supporting characters are there to explore different facets of the hero. With Elisa, I think you see that a lot with her supporting players because they reflect different aspects of her. Max Finch is her experience and knowledge, Laki is her innocence, Lucas is her rebellious nature and Asami is her desire for adventure. Each of them are great characters in their own right, but when they interact with Elisa, it really helps to round her out as a better character.

AP: You’re in the ranks of the New Pulp writers. What is New Pulp to you?

PC: New Pulp to me is taking these classic techniques and aspects that made “old” pulp so great and seeing how we can add to them. I think New Pulp isn’t just doing what Lester Dent, Robert Howard, and others did back in their time. It’s taking what they did as an inspiration and building on it, incorporating influences from other writers who followed a similar path.

As Bob Dylan said, the times they are a’changing. And we have to change with them. We can’t just copy what the pulp founders did, because what they did was influenced from what they knew at that time. We have to build on it. We have to take what they did, incorporate what we’ve learned since then, and use it to create something that’s different, that’s relatable to modern audiences (regardless of the time period the story is set in) but still recognizable as pulp. One of the brilliant things about Indiana Jones is that even though the films were set in the age of pulps, they were still relatable to modern audiences.

And this can be done in a number of different ways. As Indiana Jones and authors like Barry Reese have proven, you can set these stories in the age of pulps and make them relatable to modern audiences because you have the benefit of hindsight or because you understand the tastes of modern audiences. Or you can take the route that the James Bond series or authors like Derrick Ferguson have done, which is take that style of storytelling and apply it to the modern day.

There are some people who believe that it has to be either or. You can’t appeal to modern audiences without alienating fans of the past or vice versa. And this kind of thinking is really lazy and uncreative. I was born in 1983 and yet Casablanca, a movie that was made decades before I was born, remains one of my favorite films of all time, and I know many people my age who feel the same. So to say that the past holds no appeal for the present shows creative bankruptcy in my opinion.

AP: Any future plans for Elisa and company to return in future works?

PC: Oh absolutely. The sequel, DRAGON KINGS OF THE ORIENT, already has a draft that’s been completed. There’s no tentative release date for it yet, but it will be a bit of a wait. I’ve got some other tales in mind for Elisa and friends following that.

AP: Speaking of future, anything else coming from you that ALL PULP should be on the lookout for?

PC: A few things. OUTLAW BLUES, a follow-up to LOVE & BULLETS and the second book in the Infernum series, is due for a release either the end of this year or early next year. As I’ve also mentioned I’ve got DRAGON KINGS OF THE ORIENT, the sequel to THE MYTH HUNTER.

Other than that, I’m writing a Domino Lady comic story for Airship 27’s All-Star Pulp Comics anthology and Tommy Hancock and I are developing a project called THE ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS SAINT.

I also have a few other things in mind, but it’s a bit too early to talk about those at the moment.

AP: Thanks again for stopping by and great work on THE MYTH HUNTER!

PC: It’s been an absolute pleasure and I hope everyone enjoys it! Also, please keep an eye on my site, percivalconstantine.wordpress.com, because we’ll soon have some announcement about giveaways to be associated with the release of THE MYTH HUNTER!