Back after 20 years! Doc Savage and his mighty crew return in a brand-new series of nightmare exploits that can only be called…. THE WILD ADVENTURES OF DOC SAVAGE! Ferocious blood-red Things begin dropping down from the sky, the state of California is besieged by the Desert Demons—a phenomenon so fierce that it triggers a modern exodus. Only Doc Savage, the scientist-superman who was forged in the fires of scientific knowledge to battle the unknown, is equal to the challenge. From the Hollywood hills to the alligator-infested interior of Florida, the Man of Bronze wages war with cyclonic monsters that seem to possess an intelligence of their own—and a murderous malevolence that smacks of the unearthly!
Doc Savage returns! Novelist Will Murray teams up with Doc Savage originator Lester Dent for the first authorized exploit of the legendary superhero in 20 years. When the California skies fill with howling red cyclones that devour man and machine alike, the Man of Bronze rushes from his Fortress of Solitude to combat the greatest threat he ever faced. Are The Desert Demons a man-made menace — or things from beyond? Based on an unfinished novel by Lester Dent. Cover by acclaimed artist-sculptor Joe DeVito.
New Pulp Author Howard Hopkins confirmed the announcement on Amazon today that he has written a new The Lone Ranger novel for Moonstone Books. The Masked Rider of the Plains rides again in a gritty tale of the vengeance from out of his past. The paperback preorder price is $4.99 with a great cover by Artist Doug Klauba.
The novel is Black Horse Western length, the first in a new line from Moonstone books. Look for Howard’s novel The Golden Amazon: Ripper, Burning Bright coming from Moonstone as well.
About The Lone Ranger – Vendetta:
The Masked Man in a brand-new adventure! From out of the past comes a mysterious killer systematically murdering anyone with a connection to the Masked Rider of the Pains former identity. When all signs point to Butch Cavendish, a man long dead, The Lone Ranger finds himself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the life of his faithful Indian companion hanging in the balance!
A lost city in the Cambodian jungles run by a pint-sized tyrant wearing a gem-encrusted belt buckle. Beautiful women who lure Dillon and his rival, rock musician Sly Gantlet, into a clash of alpha males and a deadly set-up. A beautiful queen and a backstabbing friend. A quest for an evil artifact linked to the betrayer of Christ. FOUR BULLETS FOR DILLON includes four hard to find and never before seen stories ripped from the life of global adventurer Dillon! Ordering information can be found at Amazon.com or Pulpwork Press.
And remember that with proof of purchase of FOUR BULLETS FOR DILLON you’ll also get the 10 page illustrated “Dillon And The Escape From Tosegio” Details can be found HERE
(Melbourne, Florida – September 22): Dermatologist detective series: The Skinvestigator now available on Kindle
The first novel in a new Florida noir trilogy, The Skinvestigator: Tramp Stamp has just become available for download on the Kindle, Amazon.com’s handy digital reader. The novel follows the adventures of Florida dermatologist turned detective, Dr. Harry Poe. Author Terry Cronin describes the story as both “an inside look at the world of dermatology” and “a mystery novel that quickly escalates into a medical/political thriller involving tattoos, illicit cosmetic surgery, and murder”.
Ripped from today’s headlines about “scalpel tourism” where Americans travel to foreign nations to get cheaper cosmetic surgery, Cronin’s book has been described as “razor sharp”and “skincredible”. Reviewers have said the drama is tense, and the humor snaps like a whip crack and that Dr. Harry Poe vibes authentic throughout. The print version of the novel is distributed by Atlas Books and is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Tower Books.
The next novel in the series is called The Skinvestigator: Rash Guard and will be released at the end of September. Cronin, who is known for creating the critically-acclaimed horror-adventure comic series, Students of the Unusual and writing for Indie Comics Magazine, took advance copies of this new novel with him to the San Diego Comic-Con this year. “I’m known as a comic book writer but I found that comic readers and genre fans also enjoy reading hard-boiled detective novels and pulp fiction.” The new novel follows Doctor Poe as he tries to help the Miami Police with a new murder investigation involving surfers, syphilis, and the State department.
Cronin plans to complete The Sunshine State trilogy next year with the final novel entitled The Skinvestigator: Sunburn.
Let Them Talk Hugh Laurie Produced by Joe Henry Warner Bros. Records
Let us stipulate up front that Hugh Laurie is an insanely talented individual. He’s a comedian, a comic actor, a dramatic actor, a comedy writer, a novelist, plays piano, guitar, and percussion, and, apparently, deep down in his soul, according to the liner notes of Let Them Talk, he’s also an 80-year old, gravelly-voiced Negro ex-sharecropper blues singer.
Sure. Why not?
Most of us think he’s a dyspeptic American medical miracle man (hearing his acceptance speech for his Emmy win as Dr. House, my ex-wife, who knew Hugh Laurie only from House and Stuart Little, asked, “Why is he putting on an English accent?”), so why couldn’t this British born, Oxford and Cambridge educated actor also be Jellyroll Morton?
In Let Them Talk, Hugh Laurie sings the blues, and if he ain’t Jellyroll Morton (and who could be?), he dives into these classic numbers as though he wished he could be. “These great and beautiful artists lived it as they played it,” Laurie writes in the liner notes. “But at the same time, I could never bear to see this music confined to a glass cabinet, under the heading Culture: Only To Be Handled By Elderly Black Men. That way lies the grave, for the blues and just about everything else: Shakespeare only performed at The Globe, Bach only played by Germans in tights. It’s formaldehyde, and I pray that Leadbelly will never be dead enough to warrant that.”
Laurie offers his credentials for playing the blues: a lifelong love for the music and its performers, “I love this music, as authentically as I know how.” The love is there, and combined with some of the abovementioned insane talent, Let Them Talk comes across with some new takes on the old blues worth listening to.
“St. James Infirmary Blues” opens with a quiet, almost symphonic rendition of this great, mournful song that eventually slides into a more traditional take that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The high points include “Swanee River,” the Stephen Foster classic that Laurie weaves with the swinging, piano pounding verve of a Jerry Lee Lewis and Craig Eastman’s haunting violin accompaniment; the energetic power of Robert Johnson’s “They’re Red Hot”; the lazy Ferdinand Joseph Morton composition, “Winin’ Boys Blues,” Cosimo Matassa’s “Tipitina,” and the simple, crisp pickings on Arthur Phelps’ “Police Dog Blues.”
Joining Laurie are such guest vocalists as Dr. John on the Harry Creamer and Turner Layton classic “After You’ve Gone,” which pays no uncertain homage to the 1928 Bessie Smith and later Mac Rebennack recordings; Irma Thomas on the soulful “John Henry,” and Sir Tom Jones (yes, that Tom Jones), plaintively begging “Baby Please Make A Change,” by Armenta Bo, Carter Chatmon/Alonzo Lonnie Chatmon.
For the most part, Laurie’s voice carries him through, but polish and sophistication were never a perquisite for singing the blues. We can forgive him if he has to reach and sometimes strain to hit that note; the blues are, after all, about struggle and pain. But like the first time you heard Hugh Laurie speak without an American accent or play the piano, you’ll be delighted and surprised by what this talented individual can do. Kind of makes you wonder what he has to sing the blues about.
Paul Kupperberg is, deep down in his soul, an 80-year old phlegmy-voiced Jewish comedy writer. He also writes the critically acclaimed Life With Archie Magazine for Archie Comics and is the author of the mystery novel, The Same Old Story (available as an eBook on Amazon.com).
Pro Se Productions, a New Pulp Publisher debuted its first title in August, 2010. Entering its second year of Publishing after publishing an average of one book a month in its first, Pro Se shows no signs of slowing down with two new titles and the premiere of its first in house imprint all this month!
New Pulp Author Barry Reese, creator of the well known ‘ROOK’ series, works his storytelling magic once more with a whole new cast of characters! THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is Reese’s entry into Pro Se’s The Sovereign City Project, showcasing a hero whose own life is a mystery to himself. On the road to discovering his own secrets Gray and his Assistance Unlimited team encounter weirdness, madness, and defend society from the evil that flows in the streets of Sovereign City and beyond! Come along for the ride for this new Barry Reese adventure, seven stories of mystery, action, and adventure that make up the first collection in The Sovereign City Project! Thrill to THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY!
“There’s a lot,” Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “that goes into any concept, especially a shared universe such as the Sovereign City Project is going to be. Barry being a part of this and actually laying the cornerstone of the whole world with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is not only a tremendous start, but its also the birth of another New Pulp Classic from Barry. The characters, good and bad, jump off the page and the action moves at a breakneck speed, but there’s also this eerie disturbing undercurrent that puts a different spin on classic Pulp tropes. This is one of Barry’s best works to date.” Reese’s work is amplified by the fantastic cover art provided by Anthony Castrillo and the stylistic interior images by George Sellas.
One of the most prolific writers in New Pulp, Reese has dozens and dozens of characters, adventures, and worlds that he has written or intends to write about, a wealth of ideas with plenty of room for more, both more stories and more people to write them. “There are at least five books,” Hancock stated, “in the Pro Se Publishing pipeline that are either written by Barry or based on the cyclone of ideas whirling about in his head. Barry’s also ready to see what others can do with some of his visions. That combined with the general growth of Pro Se and the fact we intend to be an even bigger force in New Pulp in our second year made this next announcement an easy decision. Pro Se is privileged to reveal its first in house imprint, Reese Unlimited!”
Reese Unlimited, an imprint centered around both the written work of as well as concepts created by Reese that may be written by others, debuts with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY. Already known for tales of action, adventure, fantastic characterization, and compelling storylines, Barry will bring his imagination and editing skills to bear as well with Reese Unlimited, acting as Imprint Editor and essentially being the creative force behind the entire endeavor. This imprint will be the home of future Lazarus Gray adventures, as well as the upcoming Rook Trilogy written by Tommy Hancock and any other ideas from the fertile mind of Barry Reese.
Pro Se continues its one-two punch launching its second year in print with the debut novel from author Chuck Miller. CREEPING DAWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE centers on the aforementioned Centipede, Miller’s pivotal character in a mad, wild world of magic, mystery, murder, and almost more mayhem than it has historical guest stars. His dark origins tied to Lizzie Borden, The Black Centipede is a mysterious individual who has no life other than that of masked avenger, vigilante, and consort of weirdness.
“This,” Hancock reported, “is not just a novel. Chuck has breathed every bit of himself into the creation of not simply this book or this character, but the insane universe that the Centipede -populates isn’t a strong enough world. He is the axis that the lunacy of everyone around him turns on and in response he’s a valiant hero at some turns, a madman at others, and even the deus ex machina at times. CREEPING DAWN is an introductory ticket to one of the wildest rides New Pulp has ever seen!
CREEPING DAWN is a fast paced New Pulp mash up of noir, masked vigilantes, historical fiction, and more mystery and suspense than a centipede has legs. With evocative cover art by David L. Russell and interiors by Peter Cooper, CREEPING DAWN: RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE by Chuck Miller is one experience not to be missed!
Both books display the fantastic Format and Design work of Pro Se’s Design master, Sean Ali.
Pro Se is thankful for the success thus far of its books and magazines and to all the supporters and fans that caused said success. “That,” Hancock said, “is why Pro Se wants to make sure our second year kicks off in a way that our readers will enjoy, giving them a double dose of the New Pulp quality they expect from Pro Se. And that’s not the only way we’re saying thanks. Things to come this year from Pro Se will blow you all away and its all our way of saying Thank You to those who support New Pulp and Pro Se.”
Throughout the month of September, The University of Chicago Press is giving away the digital edition of The Score, the fifth book in Richard Stark’s ‘Parker’ series.
Stark’s ‘Parker’ has become an icon of action, violence, and crime fiction and has gained prominence in the last several months, due in part to graphic novel adaptations of the Stark works by Darwyn Cooke as well as renewed interest in the character as a film property.
Also currently available for an unknown length of time is the Edgar award winning comic crime novel ‘God Save the Mark.’ This book, hailed as one of the best blends of humor and crime to date, was written by Donald Westlake, the man who also wrote as Richard Stark.
Both books are available in Kindle format from Amazon. The epub edition of The Score can be had through Barnes & Noble, the PDF of The Score can be obtained from U of C, and the epub edition of God Save the Mark is available via Copia.
If you’re lucky, you won’t get this book because you need it.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s really good. Maybe even great. You should hunt it down. But it’s about something very scary – childhood cancer – and it doesn’t pull any punches, emotional or physical.
Alesia Shute was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 7 years old. She went through years of surgeries, hospital stays, discomfort (which is the polite way to describe pain) and tests. Lots and lots of tests. She also grew up, fought with her siblings, fought with her parents, dated, fell in love, fell out of love, fell in love some more, got married, and had a child. Oh, and she got cancer again after she found out she was pregnant.
Several years ago, she wrote a book about her experiences, which she self-published. With the money raised she raised, she started a non-profit organization, which raises funds for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (which she affectionately calls CHoP), her alma mater.
This fall, to coincide with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Round Table Comics is publishing a graphic novel adaptation of her book, which is available at Hudson Newstands and through Amazon at the link above. All proceeds will be donated to CHoP.
When I first heard about this project, I thought, in my condescending way, that it was for children, a way for parents to talk to their sick child (or her siblings) about cancer. I was wrong. This book is too intense to give to a young child. While neither bloody nor gory, Nathan Lueth’s artwork conveys Alesia’s pain and fear, and the loneliness she feels because she’s so different from other kids. It is, however, a great way for parents and other concerned adults to know what a child with cancer is going through.
There is none of the sentimentality that so often accompanies stories about cancer survivors. Instead, there are real emotions (not just the noble ones) that reinforce Alesia’s humanity, and make her experiences believably real.
As I write this, Diamond is not distributing this book. Perhaps if enough of us ask our local comic shops, they might reconsider.
“Just wanted to announce the official print release of Bullets and Blades: the short fiction of Bill Craig on Amazon.com. This is my first release to bear the New Pulp Banner on the back cover. I am very excited about this from the stories contained to the beautiful cover rendered by our own lovely and talented Laura Givens. Mystery author Robert J. Ray who wrote the Murdock mysteries many years ago told me it evoked memories of the Conan covers by Frazetta that he read as a teen. Heavy praise indeed!”
From Amazon-
These are some of the collected works of New Pulp Author Bill Craig, featuring tales of fantasy, hard-boiled mystery, masked heroes, cowboys, and things that go bump in the night. So pour a shot of whiskey, turn down the lights and crank up some Jazz and settle in for some edge of the seat fun!
About the Author
A journeyman author who started writing at age 6 and published at age 40, making it only 34 years to become an overnight success. His burning ambition is to break Walter B. Gibson’s world record for writing the most words in a single year…
A very intelligent man, one Dennis O’Neil (who you will also find here on ComicMix), and I were talking once about comics’ future. He noted that comics didn’t have to survive. Like the dinosaur, they could die out. Early cars had places for buggy whips; I doubt that you’ll find that feature on your car today. Food we need, water we need, air and so on. Story we need, I think, but comics as a venue for story? Not necessarily.
It’s no secret that comics sales are declining. The numbers of readers are declining, the numbers of stores are declining, the amount of cash being made is declining. It happened once before when comics were sold only on the newsstand, back in the Neolithic Era for you who are too young to remember. What saved it then was the Direct Market but that’s now killing it; the market is constricting and the numbers of readers are finite. What may save it this time is going digital – comics here on the web.
The reason is this is where the eyeballs are. As a product in comic books stores, comics are a very specific market – a destination shop for those who already know the product exists. The problem with selling comics on the internet is that will inevitably undercut the brick and mortar retailers, just as e-books are doing. (Amazon now says it sells more e-books than physical ones.) I love comic book stores. I admire the retailers who have put their hard work and passion into building businesses that cater to we the fans. I’ve made a living for more than twenty years because these people sell my stuff (and, okay, some other stuff, too). However, it’s going to happen. Comics are headed for the digital market big time.
Up until now, the majors have been releasing some titles on the web after the onsale date in stores but that changes in September. DC is renumbering its books and relaunching and all that but, to me, the bigger story is that they’re crossing the Digital Rubicon and putting everything on sale digitally the same day they’re in the stores. If that is successful, expect lots more companies to follow, big and small.
The big question in my mind is – will people buy comics on the web? If so, how much are they willing to pay? If all that happens is that those who go to the stores now buy online, this won’t fly. This has to increase the overall market – the number of eyeballs – or it will not only fail, it could sink much of what’s left of the retail market.
I’m thinking it’s part of the reason for the renumbering and rebooting (despite denials from DC) – to make the books more attractive to new readers. It will also attract some national media attention. It’s also necessary. In an era when superhero movies (and movies made from all kinds of comics – i.e. Cowboys And Aliens) attract huge numbers in the theaters, there is clearly a following for these characters. If even a small percentage of that can be attracted to the comics, it would make an enormous difference. I think DC is making a gutsy move.
Make no mistake, however; whatever happens in September, the comics biz won’t be the same. By this time next year, we may know if we’re still viable or making buggy whips.
