Airship 27 Productions & Cornerstone Book Publishers are thrilled to present the next wave in all out action pulp avengers as created by today’s finest pulp writers. During the golden days of American pulps hundreds of masked avengers were created to battle evildoers around the globe. The Black Bat, Moon Man, Domino Lady, and the Purple Scar to name only a few of these amazing pulp heroes. Now Airship 27 Productions introduces pulp readers to brand new pulp heroes cast in the mold of their 1930s counterparts. Get ready for high octane thrills and adventure with…
THE BAGMAN by B.C. Bell – A former street thug, Frank “Mac” MaCullough now fights the very gang bosses her grew up admiring in defense of the poor and helpless in his Chicago neighborhood. RED VEIL by Aaron Smith – When her beloved cop husband is gunned down and the police refuse to investigate, Irish immigrant Alice Carter downs red widow’s garb and dishes out her own brand of justice. GRIDIRON by David Boop – Crippled by the mob for not throwing a game, star football player Gordon “Gory” Burrell is tragically transformed into a bizarre metal man. Accepting his fate, he vows to destroy those who prey on the weak. DUSK by Barry Reese – Haunted by a brutal past, Sue Timlin dons a mask and becomes judge, jury and executioner to those villains the law cannot touch, all the while maintaining a unique secret that gives her the upper hand in her war on crime.
Here are four brand new action-packed pulp thrillers starring bizarre, original heroes to thrill and excite pulps fans everywhere. Features a cover by the amazing Ingrid Hardy, with interior illos and design by Rob Davis and edited by Ron Fortier. All brought to you by Airship 27 Productions – Pulps for a new generation! ISBN: 1-934935-79-4 ISBN 13: 978-1-934935-79-8 Produced by Airship 27 Published by Cornerstone Book Publishers Release date: 11-12-10 Retail Price: $21.95 Available at on-line store (http://www.airship27.com/)
AP:Barry, it’s your turn on the other side of the table.Before we dive into your writing career, tell us a little about yourself.
BR: Well, I’m turning 38 on November 11, 2010 and I’m very happily married to my high school sweetheart. Together, we have a 4-year-old son. I was born and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia. I’m currently the Library Director for the Twin Lakes Library System, which is based in Baldwin County, Georgia. I’ve always loved reading and from a very young age, I wanted to be a writer. But somewhere in my teen years, I gave up on the dream and pursued other things… thankfully, things have a way of working out and in 2003 I was approached about writing for Marvel Comics. I jumped at the opportunity and spent the next four years writing various things for them, including a volume in their Marvel Encyclopedia series (the Marvel Knights volume) and quite a few entries in their Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe line of titles. I’m a huge comic book fan, love movies and music and spend far too much time pounding away at the keyboard.
AP: Now, onto Pulp.How long have you been writing pulp fiction? How/Why did you get into writing pulp?And can you give us a rundown of some of the stories/books you’ve written?
BR: Well, I always loved pulp growing up – when I was very little, my father had all the old Doc Savage and Avengers lying around and the covers really grabbed me. Even before I could read an entire book by myself, I would carry around those Doc novels. But by the time I became an adult, it seemed like very few people remembered those old heroes and even fewer were writing in that style. This wasn’t quite true, of course, but I was unaware of publishers like Wild Cat Books and Black Coat Press at the time.
So I decided that I’d take a break from the Marvel and role-playing game stuff I’d been doing and try to write something different. I decided to do a pulp novel because it seemed like it would be a fun thing to write and I wanted to enjoy the process. So I wrote The Conquerors of Shadow, which was basically my big love letter to the John Carter of Mars series that Edgar Rice Burroughs did. Around that time I came across a copy of Hounds of Hell, a book published originally by Wild Cat Books and written by Ron Fortier. It was very exciting and pitted Doctor Satan against the Moon Man. I was enthusiastic enough to write my first Rook story and from there I ended up contacting Ron Hanna of Wild Cat to see if he’d be interested in publishing them.
So far, my pulp career consists of: five published volumes in The Rook Chronicles (with a sixth coming next year); a pirate novel called Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island; Savage Tales of Ki-Gor, Lord of the Jungle; Rabbit Heart; and The Conquerors of Shadow. I’ve also completed a novel entitled The Damned Thing that’s awaiting publication from Wild Cat Books. Then there are all the short stories I’ve done for various magazines and anthologies! I won’t list them all but I’ve been included in books like How The West Was Weird, Tales of the Norse Gods and Airship 27’s upcoming Mystery Men Volume One. I’m also currently writing a series of stories starring a new character, Lazarus Gray, for Pro Se Productions.
AP:You are probably currently best known for one of your own creations.Can you tell us a little about The Rook starting with who he is and what he does?
BR: The Rook does tend to be the first thing people think of when it comes to me… The Rook is a masked vigilante who operates out of Boston in the late 1920s and early 1930s before moving to Atlanta in 1936. His real name is Max Davies and in classic pulp fashion, he watched his father die at the hands of criminals. Soon after this tragedy, Max began experiencing painful visions of future crimes. Deciding that he had to do something about these visions, he set off on a trip around the world, mastering almost all known forms of combat, as well as learning about various sciences and the occult. Unlike most masked heroes like The Shadow or The Spider, The Rook tends to encounter actual occult menaces with astonishing frequency. In a twist on things, he later learns that his visions are actually sent from beyond by his own father, who pressured his son from beyond the grave, hoping to create an instrument of vengeance. This places a tremendous strain on their renewed relationship.
AP:Where did the inspiration for The Rook come from for you?Is he based on anyone in particular?
BR: The Rook was inspired by a number of sources, most notably: Batman, Doc Savage, The Shadow, Indiana Jones and Nexus. I took all the things I liked about those heroes, added a bit of spice and created something that hopefully stands on its own.
AP: The Rook has a rich, varied supporting cast.Would you share a few of them with us?
BR: Well, first and foremost you have his wife Evelyn. A minor star on stage and screen, Evelyn Gould Davies is introduced in the very first Rook story I wrote (“Lucifer’s Cage”) and they’re married in the second. Evelyn sometimes adventures alongside her husband though she does this less frequently after they begin having children. They have two during the course of the series: William and Emma. Both of their kids end up becoming The Rook in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively.
Will McKenzie is the Police Chief and is, according to “Kingdom of Blood” (his debut), the youngest police chief in the country. Will has matinee idol good looks and is as brave as they come. Not only does Will help The Rook in his adventures but he’s also a major character in The Damned Thing, which is set in 1939. A few years after that he marries a former Nazi agent, who defects to the Allied side after falling in love with Will.
There’s also Leonid Kaslov, dubbed “The Russian Doc Savage” by many fans. The son of genius Nikolai Kaslov, Leonid is brilliant and capable. He has his own set of aides and battles alongside The Rook in numerous adventures, most notably “Kazlov’s Fire,” which was his debut.
Later in The Rook series (Volume Five), we’re introduced to The Claws of the Rook, which unites various supporting characters like Revenant, Frankenstein’s Monster, Catalyst and Esper into their team. The Rook adventures alongside them and also sends them into the field in his stead. They’re joined by public domain Golden Age heroes The Flame, The Black Terror & Tim and Miss Masque.
AP:Is a supporting cast important to a pulp character like The Rook?If so, what purpose does it serve, for both the story and the readers?
BR: I certainly think it helps flesh out the characters, to show them in various relationships and in different settings. Little scenes where we see Max hanging out with his kids or on a date with his wife helps make him a little more human than some of the classic pulp characters were depicted. It also reinforces the notion that The Rook isn’t a one-man army; he needs help and this sometimes makes him vulnerable. One of the things I wanted to do early on was give Max a stable relationship and one in which his wife was treated as an equal. While I love Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow, I wanted a hero who was a little more human.
AP:Now, aside from the Rook, can you pick out your favorite one or two other tales you’ve written and discuss them?
BR: Sure! I love The Rook but I sometimes feel like everything else I do is cast under its shadow.
It’s not out yet but I’m very proud of The Damned Thing. It’s an occult noir set in 1939 Atlanta and is a bit of a kooky love letter to The Maltese Falcon. I had great fun writing it and it’s set firmly in The Rook universe. In fact, the main character (Violet Cambridge) shows up in 2011’s The Rook Volume Six.
Rabbit Heart was released in February 2010 and it’s a slasher horror novel with pulp influences. It’s set in my hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia and is a lot different than everything else I’ve written. It’s violent, it’s dirty and it’s just plain mean-spirited in places. But I’m very proud of it and think the main character (Fiona Chapman) was a lot of fun to write – and her partner in the story is classic pulp hero Ascott Keane (who used to fight Doctor Satan in the old days). I’m hoping that Rabbit Heart will get a few votes for Book of the Year in the Pulp Ark Awards but I don’t expect to win. The subject matter turns some people off and besides, as much as I pimp my work, there are those out there who seem dedicated to mobilizing their voters to ensure their books or their publisher’s books are the forefront of everything. I just don’t have the time or energy to engage in that much effort when it comes to awards.
The Lazarus Gray stories I’m currently writing for Pro Se Productions are good ones, too. Only one has seen print yet but eventually you’ll see the first six compiled into a collection. I’m also planning to team Lazarus Gray with The Rook for the Pulp Ark charity book.
And though I have no real idea when it will be out, I did an Avenger story for Moonstone that I really enjoyed. The Avenger is my all-time favorite pulp hero and to write an official story featuring him… that was a dream come true.
AP: This is a question that ends up in almost every interview ALL PULP does in one form or another.For Barry Reese, what does the term ‘pulp’ mean?
BR: Pulp is not an era. It is not specifically tied to the sort of paper the stories were printed on. That may have been where the origins of pulp came from and the earliest definition but it’s expanded beyond that. Pulp is a mindset. It’s about escapism. It’s about fun. It’s about excitement. Pulp doesn’t hold a mirror up to humanity in an attempt to examine what being human “means,” pulp is about telling you an exciting story that takes you out of your day-to-day life for a little while. I frequently tell this anecdote at conventions: The “point” of a Doc Savage story is this: if you build a crazy weather-controlling machine and try to take over the world, Doc Savage is going to come and kick your ass.
That’s the point of pulp. It’s beer-and-pretzels fiction.
AP:There’s the ongoing debate of whether or not pulp creators should be true to the standard set by the original writers of pulp fiction or if they should modernize/tweak/update both characters and concepts to give stories more relevance with a modern audience.What is your take on this?
BR: I think there’s room for modernization but not bastardization. If you’re going to remove the core premise and alter the characters beyond recognition, do something new and leave the old stuff alone. But you can certainly keep the spirit and update things. First Wave has gotten it all wrong but The Spirit stories by Darwyne Cooke got it right. Cooke updated The Spirit to a modern sensibility but kept all the charm of the original. First Wave has people using the names of heroes like The Avenger but nothing else.
AP: What are your strengths as a pulp author?What about your weaknesses?
BR: I think I create interesting characters and have pretty cool ideas. But I don’t think I write action scenes all that well and if you really break down my plots, I don’t think they’re particularly complex. For me, it’s all about putting the characters into situations where I can see what they’re feeling and trying to convey that in dialogue. So I’m good at characterization, not so good at the actual nuts-and-bolts of writing. I always hope that my enthusiasm will pass on to the reader and that will make up for any faults in my style.
AP:Now, you’re also one of the Spectacled Seven with ALL PULP.What are your duties with the news site and why is being a part of this important to you?
BR: I do the occasional interview, book reviews and I seem to have fallen into the role of doing the First Wave news items, just because nobody else will touch them.
I love pulp and I think anything that portrays it as a legitimate genre and community is a good thing. We’re kind of in a ghetto at present – even with the pulp “renaissance,” everyone’s sales are in the toilet and don’t let anyone lie to you. Massive pulp “hits” sell hundreds of copies, not thousands. We need to consistently improve our presentation and our message to get new readers and not just cater to the old ones.
AP: You’re also planning to attend Pulp Ark next May.You’re one of the guests and you’re doing a panel as well.Can you tell us about your panel, if you have it plotted out as of yet?
BR: I’d like to do something about capturing the spirit of pulp on the page. In other words, how do you write in that style? Is it a mindset? Are there specific techniques that can help? Does Lester Dent’s formula for writing pulp still apply today? That sort of thing.
AP:You have a project you’re working on that’s just recently been announced.Mind sharing with our readers a little about TURNING THE PAGE: TODAY’S PULP HEROES?
BR: It was a real honor to be approached about working on the project with Tommy Hancock and with Tom Johnson’s approval. We’re going to be looking at all the original pulp heroes created post 1955. Through fanzines and small press publications, there has been a steady stream of pulp characters created since the golden age ended and we’re going to shine the light on them. Many are well worthy of standing side-by-side with the classics. The first volume should be out sometime next year.
AP:You’re a librarian by trade.Does pulp have a place in our country’s libraries?And if so, why isn’t in more libraries or is it and the pulp community just isn’t aware of it?
BR: Of course it has a place in libraries. The library I run has books on its shelves by Derrick Ferguson, Maxwell Grant, Lester Dent, Robert E. Howard and many more. But why don’t most libraries stock it? The answer’s really, really simple.
Most pulp is published by print-on-demand publishers. Print-on-demand publishers are not generally listed by major resale vendors like Baker & Taylor, Ingram and Brodart. Almost all libraries do their book ordering through those vendors. My own Rook books aren’t listed in them so if I want a library to stock them, I have several routes I could take: I could sell the books to them directly or I could direct them to Amazon or Barnes and Noble or some other online source. But I can say from experience that a lot of libraries (including our own) don’t like buying from multiple vendors. It makes accounting more difficult and it’s easier to simply say “We order books from Ingram.” Print-on-demand works for the small market that is pulp but it is still regarded by libraries as being one step above a vanity press.
AP:All right, what does the future hold for Barry Reese and all his pulpy goodness?Any projects you want to share with ALL PULP?
BR: Both The Damned Thing and The Rook Volume Six are at Wild Cat Books now but I don’t think you’ll see either until sometime next year. I’m continuing to work on the Lazarus Gray stories and hope that eventually they’ll be as popular as The Rook has proven to be. And even though I always think I’m burning out on Max Davies, I’m sure I have more Rook novels in me. Another new character of mine, Dusk, will also debut in Airship 27’s Mystery Men book, so maybe folks will like her enough for me to write more.
Beyond that, we’ll see. Many of my books just came to me out of the blue and I’d imagine my next one will do the same.
By Kathryn & Stuart Immonen
Top Shelf, 136 pages, $14.95
Kathryn Immonen has made her name as a writer for Marvel, telling quirky stories in unconventional ways. Her husband, Stuart, has proven a chameleon of an artist and storyteller, going from high-gloss super-heroes in the [[[New Avengers]]] to a more impressionistic and simplified style in Moving Pictures.
The story is set in World War II, after Paris has fallen to the Nazis. As the French try and catalogue their works of art then hide them from the enemy’s grasp, the occupying Germans also want the works catalogued so they can divvy up the spoils of war. Ila Gardner has given her passport to a friend, helping her escape, and comes under interrogation by Rolf Hauptman, a German officer, and someone she is also involved with.
Kathryn weaves a story told in parallel time periods as we learn about Ila and Rolf while at the same time, Rolf questions Ila. Slowly, the truth between them is revealed and layers of artifice are stripped away from both, leaving raw emotions exposed.
We see how the French value their great works and one another. The dialogue is spare and you learn as much from body language and gesture as you do from the words. Here, Stuart does a masterful job with the black and white form and simplified drawings. He sets the characters against the artwork in question, letting the paintings loom over the people, threatening to crush them with their historic significance.
A visual trick with papers allows the couple to shift the story from time period to time period and you’re never lost. In fact, your attention does not wander as you get caught up in the tension between Rolf and Ila, wishing to learn more about both.
While set against true events from the war, this is really a slice of life that craves both a beginning and ending. You enjoy what there is but their work is crafted well enough to leave you desiring more.
MONSTERVERSE, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE HORROR COMIC and FILMS EVENING at the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE in Hollywood, CA. AN EVENING WITH BELA LUGOSI at the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE. Celebrating the career of horror icon Bela Lugosi and the launch of MONSTERVERSE’s new horror anthology comic book, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE.
Thursday, 7:30 PM October 28th, 2010 The Egyptian Theaterhttp://www.americancinematheque.com/egyptian/egypt.htm Two Feature Films starring Bela Lugosi in THE BLACK CAT and THE RAVEN. With Boris Karloff. Mainstream news coverage will be in effect for the Halloween weekend in Los Angeles, the media capital of the world. This is a major launch for the first issue of BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE horror anthology comic book.
Special Guests from Hollywood and the Comic Book Industry will be announced. Other featured guests are Bela Lugosi, Jr., and Kerry Gammill including contributors to BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE horror anthology comic book series.
There will be a Special Panel on Lugosi examing his career and the new comic book between films and a MONSTERVERSEComic Book Display with contributors featured in the lobby.
An Exclusive Preview Trailer will be screened with art of the upcoming MONSTERVERSE graphic novel, FLESH AND BLOOD, written by Robert Tinnell and illustrated by Neil Vokes. To be unleashed Halloween 2011.
TRAILERS FROM HELL. Commentaries from directors Mick Garris and Joe Dante on Bela Lugosi and his films.
Poster design by artist Charlie Largent.
This exclusive event image may be Tweeted with:http://twitpic.com/2mxwhx MONSTERVERSE is a new independent comic book company with a horror anthology book coming out in October 2010 and entitled, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE.
Here is a direct link preview of the book and its pages posted on YouTube. LUGOSI HORROR COMIC YOUTUBE PREVIEW The comic will be available at comic shops everywhere and online and is distributed by Diamond. For a new independent transmedia company MONSTERVERSE enjoys having the top talents in the world such as John Cassaday, Bruce Timm and the legendary Basil Gogos creating covers for its books. Writer/director (of the upcoming THE WALKING DEAD), Frank Darabont, gave this quote about cover artist Basil Gogos. “Basil Gogo doesn’t paint pictures of monsters, and never has. What he does is conjure their essences on canvas like a magician. More than that, he conjures our love of these subjects in a manner that defies description or analysis. How does an artist infuse an entire fan community’s love of a whole genre into his brushstrokes? I’ll never be able to explain it, but I know I’ll always be grateful for it. Seeing Gogos’ portraits is revisiting the best friends of my childhood.” – Frank Darabont Monsterverse was chosen the FEATURED COVER STORY on COMIC SHOP NEWS 1207 a few weeks back (distributed to over 500 of the top comic book shops nationwide and given out to customers with purchases). This article beat out the top comic companies in America, an impressive feat for a new independent publisher. Take a look at our official website. We are quite proud of the amazing talents involved. http://monsterverse.com/ MONSTERVERSE and BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will receive special coverage in the upcoming double-sized Halloween issue of RUE MORGUE.There is a feature story on MONSTERVERSE andBELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE also being prepped for their special Halloween issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS MAGAZINE. MONSTERVERSE publisher Kerry Gammill is creating a terrific new feature cover for the January FAMOUS MONSTERS. BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE is published by Kerry Gammill who is internationally known for his artist work at Marvel and DC Comics on titles like MARVEL TEAM-UP, INDIANA JONES, POWERMAN/IRON FIST and SUPERMAN. Kerry has also worked as a make-up effects designer on studio genre films such as VIRUS and TV programs such as STARGATE and THE OUTER LIMITS. Here is a link to Kerry’s professional art website:http://gammillustrations.bizland.com/monsterart/ This FANBOY PLANET article can give you a quick update on what is going on with the history of the company and its future plans:http://www.fanboyplanet.com/interviews/mc-monsterverse.php This link takes you to our first issue cover by the legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS cover artist, Basil Gogos.http://twitpic.com/1doadj Our variant cover is by one of the hottest artists working in American comic books today, John Cassaday, and who recently directed an episode of Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE television series. Whedon has been tapped to direct Marvel Studios’ epic feature film, THE AVENGERS.http://twitpic.com/25v1o3 The back cover is by Warner Brothers animation executive producer and Emmy-winning designer/artist Bruce Timm. To reserve a copy of the Lugosi comic book at a comic shop you need to supply them with the Diamond Item # Code, AUG101080, with the title, BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE. The first issues of the Lugosi comic book will be shipped in October to celebrate both Halloween and Lugosi’s 128th birthday. A special celebration of Lugosi films, the new comic book and its contributors is set for the American Cinematheque in Hollywood at its Egyptian Theater on Thursday, October 28th. BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will be a double-sized 48-page color quarterly and retailing for $4.99 and with no ads (except for a house ad announcing a serial adaptation of the novel DRACULA and starring BELA LUGOSI by Kerry Gammill and beginning in issue two). It is pure comic book fun and frights from front to back with a brief article on Lugosi.
BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE will feature some of the most talented storytellers working today in comic books and horror films. No other comic book series has this kind of industry talent nor do other comic book companies have these kinds of horror film heavyweights working on any comic book. This is a first in comic book publishing and dedicated to the fun and classic horror of Bela Lugosi but made for today’s audiences. Movie directors like John Landis (An American Werewolf In London, Burke And Hare) and Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) along with make-up genius Rick Baker (American Werewolf In London, Michael Jackson’s THRILLER, Men In Black), will be providing stories and art for future issues. More Hollywood horror film creators are also working up stories. The most acclaimed creators in comics will be writing and drawing stories such as Steve Niles (30 Days Of Night), artist John Cassaday (Planetary, Astonishing X-Men) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy).
The first issue contains stories and art by such notables as Kerry Gammill (SUPERMANand SPIDER-MAN ), James Farr (whose XOMBIE online animated and comic book series is being brought to theater screens by Dreamworks in a live-action production by top writer/producers Orchi and Kurtzman), Chris Moreno (WORLD WAR HULK), John Cassaday, Rob Brown (voted online as horror artist of the year for BANE OF THE WEREWOLF), Derek McCaw, Rafael Navarro (creator of the Xeric Award winning series SONAMBULO), Martin Powell and Eisner Award- winning artist Terry Beatty (THE BATMAN STRIKES), Brian Denham (IRON MAN, ANGEL), Bruce Timm and more. The book also features an article by leading Lugosi researcher and author Gary D. Rhodes.
MONSTERVERSE ENTERTAINMENT is a transmedia company headed by its publisher and editor, the comic book and film design artist, Kerry Gammill.
Keith Wilson, formerly of DC Comics, is an editor and writer/artist.
Producer/screenwriter Sam F. Park is the west coast editor and a writer/artist.
We’re very proud of BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE and what has been accomplished within our growing independent publishing venture, MONSTERVERSE. This is our first comic book project with several more in development. We plan to make MONSTERVERSE the go-to company for horror projects in all media.
I’ve included links below to help with graphics, photos or information. Please contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Sam F. Park West Coast Editor MONSTERVERSE ENTERTAINMENT “Bela Lugosi’s Tales From The Grave”http://monsterverse.com/ park@monsterverse.com 818-605-2181 Links:
So, what are you planning on doing May 3, 2013? On or about that day, unless I’ve gone to a preview, I’ll probably be seeing Iron Man 3.
If that seems like a long time, it’s only a year (almost to the day) after Iron Man and Tony Stark appear in The Avengers movie.
Amusingly, Disney will be distributing both movies. Whereas they own Marvel, the distribution rights on these projects is still in Paramount’s hands so, according to Box Office Mojo, Disney is coughing up at least $115 million to assume the privilege. It wasn’t too long ago that you could buy all of Marvel for that kind of money. Paramount maintains distribution rights to this year’s Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.
No word about cast and villains, although Robert Downey Jr. is contractually expected to repeat in the lead.
When Disney bought Marvel, the movie rights to the majority of their big-name properties were tied up. They still are.But now that writer Jeph Loeb is head
of Marvel television, he’s been pitching a bunch of properties to ABC-TV, which, of course, is owned by Disney. You might have heard that The Incredible Hulk is in development – which is not the same as being green-lighted. That’s kind of remarkable as Mark Ruffalo, movie’s third Bruce Banner, has been signed to do three Avengers movies as well several Hulks.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t do television at the same time. I think Ed Norton’s chance at going green again is only slightly better than Bill Bixby’s, but Ed’s extremely talented and, hell, Idon’t have to work with him.
There’s two more Marvel properties on the short list: Cloak and Dagger, which is presently sans comic book, and The Punisher, who is three movies shy of being a star. Maybe the small screen is a warmer environment.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Heroes for Hire is being kicked around;
this show would focus on Luke Cage; I don’t know if Iron Fist would be in it.
But “Heroes” IS plural. His comic book wife, Jessica Jones, is on the list with
her own show. It can’t be called Alias, so they’ve titled it Alter-Ego. This should not be confused with Roy Thomas’s character of the same name, nor his monthly fanzine of the same name.
Jack Kirby’s The Eternals is being considered. Even with CGI I don’t see this being as strong in live action as it would be in traditional animation, but I doubt ABC has the guts to do that. Stepping out of the pages of Marvel’s recent mega-crossover, The Hood is on the list. I guess ABC needs a nice family-oriented show starring a ruthless villain. Everybody’s favorite private eyes, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, are on the list under the title Daughters of the Dragon. If they can cast the right sexy babes, this one is a shoo-in. Not so much the other two on the list.
ABC is looking at Ka-Zar. I don’t know if the teevee world is ready for the return of Tarzan, but my guess is that if it is, it would be looking for a show called “Tarzan.” Finally, there’s Agents of Atlas. Marvel just cancelled this title, which pisses me off because I love it. Is the world ready for a talking gorilla, a guy from Uranus, and a female Sub-Mariner? Well, this is an election year.
Mind you, even though ABC and Marvel are both owned by Disney, the network is not obligated to pick up any of these shows and most certainly will not pick them all up. But it would be kind of fun if they picked up a couple so they can do Marvel-style crossovers.
John Wooley and Terry Tidwell-Creators, Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger
Terry Tidwell
AP: Tell us a bit about Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger and how these books came about?
John: The Miracle Squad is a loosely knit group of people from a Poverty Row movie studio who band together to try and prevent a takeover of the company by a powerful L.A. gangster. Running the gamut from studio head to star to handyman, they find adventure in 1930s Hollywood, and beyond. The Twilight Avenger also takes place in the late 1930s, but in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa was a progressive city, the “Oil Capital of the World,” the place to be in the Midwest. The banks were full of money, and Oklahoma had its share of flamboyant bank robbers such as Pretty Boy Floyd and Bonnie and Clyde. Reese Chambers, local college football star, suffers a loss at the hands of some of these bank robbers. With the help of a college chemistry professor, who was active in the design of gas weaponry in World War I, a gas gun is created and Reese dons a gas mask and goes after them as the Twilight Avenger.
is another ‘30s character, a costumed hero whose alter-ego is a student athlete at an Oklahoma university during the Dust Bowl.
John Wooley
These books came about for a couple of reasons. Terry, who is younger than me by several years, was a friend of my brother’s, and I found out Terry wanted to be a comic-book artist. Since I had sold a few comic-book stories to Warren’s Eerie back in the early ‘70s, my brother thought we should meet. We did, I loved Terry’s samples, and we set about trying to come up with characters we’d enjoy writing and drawing. I’m a huge fan of ‘30s B-pictures and pulp magazines, so those were definitely an influence. In fact, while I was in Viet Nam I’d written a prose story called “The Return of Mr. Mystery,” in which a dying pulp writer comes face-to-face with his creations, and some of those characters ended up as members of the Miracle Squad. That story, by the way, will be a part of the boatload of extras planned for the Miracle Squad graphic novels from Pulp 2.0 Press.
Terry: The Miracle Squad is set in late 1930’s Hollywood. Miracle Studios, a Poverty Row movie studio, is being threatened by gangsters. People working at the studio band together and fight off the gangster’s attempted takeover. The Miracle Squad consists of Mark Barron, head of the studio; Sandra Castle, actress, the studio’s ” IT” girl; Johnny Rice, the Amazing Miralco, serial movie actor, illusionist and escape artist; Robert B. Leslie, studio detective; Hamilton Wynde, character actor; Billy Caserta, prop man, mentally challenged giant, over 8 feet tall; and Tito Guzman, Mark Barron’s personal valet and martial arts whiz.
Terry:
AP: How did you hook up with everyone’s favorite Mad Pulp Bastard, Bill Cunningham, at Pulp 2.0 Press?
John: Bill actually contacted us. As it turned out, he’d bought the original issues of Miracle Squad and the Twilight Avenger off the stands in the ‘80s, and he’d enjoyed them and remembered them when he decided to start his press. One phone conversation convinced me that his heart and head were both in the right place, and we were delighted to have the characters come out again under the Pulp 2.0 imprint. Plus, Bill obviously navigates cyberspace with ease, and is hip to all the most current ways of marketing and delivering books and comics to this generation, which opens us up to a vast potential new audience. Me, I don’t even understand my own website.
Terry: Bill contacted me via Facebook.
AP: Do you have plans to tell new stories with Miracle Squad and/or Twilight Avenger?
John: We’d love to. When the black-and-white comics boom went bust, we still had plenty of ideas we hadn’t yet been able to get down on paper. Thanks to MPB and his Pulp 2.0 Press, we may just get a chance to do that – even if it is a generation later.
Terry:
AP: Both Miracle Squad and/or Twilight Avenger have a pulp vibe to them. Are you fans of the pulps?
John: As I said earlier, I’m a huge pulp fan. In fact, my love of pulps has provided me with some of my writing income over the years. I’ve either edited or co-edited a number of pulp-story collections, including At the Stroke of Midnight and Thrilling Detective Heroes for Adventure House, Super-Detective Flip Book for Off Trail Press, and Robert Leslie Bellem’sDan Turner, Hollywood Detective for Popular Press. I’m sort of considered the authority on Dan Turner, certainly one of the wackiest hard-boiled detectives to see print, and he’s been good to me. In addition to editing a couple of Turner collections, I wrote a Dan Turner series for Eternity Comics and scripted the 1990 made-for-TV movie Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective (aka The Raven Red Kiss-Off), which starred Marc (Beastmaster, V) Singer as Dan. I’m a regular attendee at the Windy City Pulp & Paperback Convention and PulpFest (as well as its predecessor, Pulpcon). At Pulpcon 35 in 2006, I was honored with the Lamont Award, given “for outstanding effort in keeping alive the memory and spirit of the Pulp Magazine Era.”
Terry: Growing up, I was a fan of Houdini. I used to practice escaping from ropes and such, and seeing how long I could hold my breath using Houdini’s methods ( such as forcing air into your stomach and burping it up, ha) . I owned a couple of books exposing how Houdini did his escapes. They were written by Walter Gibson, Houdini’s assistant. Gibson also wrote the Shadow. So yeah, I read and enjoyed the Shadow too. I think Miracle Squad has a Doc Savage feel to it, while Twilight Avenger has elements of The Shadow.
Twilight Avenger I knew of John way before I actually met him. I’d heard the talk around Chelsea, Oklahoma of this wonder boy, who sat around reading newspapers when he was four years old. They said he had a monstrous comic book collection. I had a drawer half full of them. Then , while I was in junior high, I became friends with his younger brother, Mark. One day when I was over at Mark’s house, and John was away at college, Mark asked if I wanted to see John’s comic book collection. He led me up narrow stairs to a small room over the garage. The room’s walls were covered with old movie posters and photos. In a case of huge wooden drawers was the mother lode! He had everything: Fantastic Four, Avengers , Spiderman and something I’d never heard of …. PULPS. I remember being nervous, thinking what would happen if John were to return at that moment and find his neatly stored editions strewn all over the floor.Jump to years later…… I was in college and Mark introduced us. I was trying to break into comics then and John had some cool ideas for stories. We started to work……
AP: Both Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger were originally published in the 1980’s. What makes this is the perfect time for these pulp graphic novels to return?
John: Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to be seeing a pulp renaissance, or maybe just a new pulp sensibility, out there in the zeitgeist right now. Part of the heyday of the actual pulp magazines was the Great Depression, and those wild escapist stories provided a few hours of stress relief for millions of strung-out and worried folks. We’re in some fairly hard times today as well, and the great thing is that pulps still work, still provide some beautiful alpha waves for readers beset upon by the world, or simply looking for a little entertainment. Both the Twilight Avenger and the Miracle Squad, I think, carry the true spirit of the old-time pulps. We’re not being cynical or post-modern. We love to read this kind of stuff ourselves. I read a lot, in fact, and sometimes nothing but a pulp will do. Well……hmmmm. Pulp-based projects have had a tough go of it over the years, with Indiana Jones movies being the one exception. I think a lot of pulp projects throughout the last few decades were presented tongue in cheek , with camp sensibilities. They’ve had these great properties such as Doc Savage or The Phantom, and just didn’t take the subject matter seriously. John and I love, understand and have respect for the pulps. I think our approach in Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger will be what makes this a “perfect time” for pulp graphic novels. YES!!!! We have untold stories, and ideas for new tales!I was a fan of Doc Savage. I was pulled in by those gorgeous James Bama covers!!! I have a collection of them now. The concept of Doc Savage and his band of five, working out of the top of the Empire State building engages me and sparks all kinds of images! Oh, by the way Lester Dent worked at the Tulsa World newspaper for a bit, way back then. John used to work for the World too!
AP: What does pulp mean to you?
John: Pulp is something more than escapism and nostalgia, although the best of it contains both those elements. But I think there has to be a sense of wonder there, too, a willingness to, as the saying goes, suspend your disbelief and give yourself over to the material, just as you would have when you were a kid.
Terry: The world wasn’t so well explored back in those pulp days. Who knew then? Maybe there was a Pellucidar at the bottom of the planet, a city of Opar in the jungles of Africa, or a group of Mayan miners tending to a secret gold mine in central America. I guess pulp gives me a chance to imagine what it would be like to live in that era. Of course the reality of that time was that of an economic depression. Pulps were an escape then from the economic realities of the day. Hmmmm. Maybe it is the perfect time for a pulp resurgence!Creating pulp-based comics is just pure fun!. I love the design of the cars, the airplanes, blimps and locomotives of that era. I also love the clunkiness of the machines of that time, whether it’s an autogyro or mechanical desktop calculator. I used to be an engineer before I quit to draw Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger. I love being able to look at these old machines and envision how they actually worked and how simple they were in terms of today’s high-tech wonders. The art deco buildings and streamlined designs are beautiful. AP: Where can readers find information on Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger?
John: Bill Cunningham’s doing a bang-up job of publicity, and I’m also going to try to have regular updates on my website,www.johnwooley.com
I’m also, Lord help me, tweeting @JohnSWooley
Terry:I know John has already listed his web site. I have quite a bit of stuff concerning Miracle Squad and Twilight Avenger on my blog: http://uncannymanfrog.wordpress.com/ AP: Where can readers find learn more about John Wooley, Terry Tidwell, and your work?
John: Same places.
Terry: www.miraclestudios.com is my art studio. It was named after Miracle Studios in the Miracle Squad. You can see lots of my current work there. Also at Miracle Studios’ blog at http://miraclestudiosblog.wordpress.com/An interview by Doug Kelly featuring John and me and our work on The Miracle Squad will be published soon in Back Issue magazine, published by Two Morrows Publishing . http://twomorrows.com/John and I are in an exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. If you go there you can watch videos of us going on and on about comics, ha. Art from the books is on display and the Twilight Avenger costume, complete with gas gun and magnesium light stands there in a glass case! Check it out here…..http://www.okiecartoonists.org/Information about John and me, as well as art from Twilight Avenger and Miracle Squad, is on display at the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, where we were both inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Hall of Fame. http://www.actionfiguremuseum.com/oklahoma_cartoonists.htm
AP: Any upcoming projects you would like to mention?
John: I have two books scheduled to hit the shelves next spring: Wes Craven: A Manand His Nightmares, from John Wiley and Sons, and Shot in Oklahoma, a history of movies made in the state, from the University of Oklahoma Press. With Pulp 2.0 Press scheduled to bring out the first of the Miracle Squad/Twilight Avenger books around the same time, it should be a pretty lively season for me. Thankfully.
Terry: I’m working on two new graphic novels which will debut at Comic Con next year: “Blood Code” which is a new Uncanny Man-Frog book, and “Liberty” set in a futuristic dystopia where a Joan of Arc type character, leads a boy scout army against the evil status quo.
AP: Are there any upcoming convention appearances or signings coming up where fans can meet you and pick up copies of Miracle Squad and/or Twilight Avenger?
John: At this point, I plan on making the Windy City Pulp and Paperback Convention in Chicago on April 15-17, and PulpFest in Columbus, Ohio, July 29-31. I’m sure there will be other signings and appearances for one or both of us.
Terry: I will be at Comic Con next year. Look me up!
AP: Thanks, John and Terry.
John: Thank you, Bobby. We appreciate it, and if there’s anything else you need from me, please let me know.
If you ask anyone you know whether they need someone who is going to make their life difficult, you would unquestionably get a resounding “no.” No person would say that he measures the success of his day by how soundly he manages to overcome an implacable opponent.
And yet, many of us do have “villains” in our lives. Be they oppressive bosses, obnoxious co-workers, bullies at school…on any given day we may find ourselves in a position where we have to outthink, outwit, and outmaneuver those who are in a position to make our lives difficult.
Push comes to shove, we may even find ourselves with our backs against the wall and have to slug it out with them. In such a situation, it helps to remember that comic book heroes are able to avail themselves of everything from super-science to healing factors in order to bounce back. We, being mere mortals, tend to break far more easily. So even as we discuss the ways and means of depicting heroes going toe-to-toe with villains, it helps to remember that talking one’s differences out is definitely the way to go.
Curiously, we tend to think of the hero as the mover and shaker, the protagonist. Yet the opposite is often true: It is the villain who actually drives the plot. He’s the one with the plan, he’s the one with the goal—anything from robbing a bank to world domination. There’s a variety of possibilities and directions that the villain’s foul schemes can go to satisfy his needs. The hero, on the other hand, exists for one reason only: To thwart the villain. On an average day, the Avengers sit around playing pinochle, waiting for the activities of a villain to spur them to action. On an average night, Batman is either hanging out at the Batcave dodging falling bat guano, or else he’s patrolling the city looking to find a villain whose endeavors he can thwart.
So as a writer, not only do you need to have a hero with whom your reader can connect, but you also want the reader to understand—and perhaps even sympathize—with the villain’s goals as well.
Is such a thing possible? Sure it is. Alfred Hitchcock once pointed out that an audience could be watching a scene in a movie wherein a handsome burglar has concocted an elaborate and clever scheme to gain access to a vault inside a wealthy couple’s home. As he is working on opening the safe, unbeknownst to the burglar, the couple is on their way home unexpectedly because they left their theater tickets on the bureau in the room he’s burgling.
Tension mounts as the burglar continues to crack the safe while the couple draws closer and closer to discovering. And what, asked Hitchcock, is going through the audience’s mind during that time? They’re mentally urging the burglar, “Hurry! Hurry! You’re going to get caught!” Yes, that’s right: They’re rooting for a bad guy.
It is the ingeniousness of his plans, after all, that are being asked to seize the audience’s imagination. If the villain’s plan is lame, if the villain is someone who fails to engage the reader’s attention, then not only will the reader not care about his evil doings, but the hero’s eventual triumph over his opponent will seem unimpressive.
That’s why it’s impossible to invest too much energy in either crafting new heroes and villains, or choosing unique ways in which to interpret or reinterpret already existing characters. Your stories stand or fall on your characters. If the reader doesn’t connect with the characters, then the most ingenious plot in the world will make no difference at all.
Artwork by Tom Gauld. And remember: you can follow all the NaGraNoWriMo posts here!
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, an all-new animated series featuring the best of the best in the Marvel Universe, premieres Wednesday, October 20 (8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Produced by Marvel Animation, the series stars the world’s greatest heroes — Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Ant-Man/Giant Man and Wasp — who form the Avengers, a team assembled when the powers of a single hero are not enough to save the world. Thsi essentially mirrors the line up as seen in the first 15 issues of the comic, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck.
Beginning Wednesday, Disney XD, DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com and Disney XD Mobile will roll out 20 micro-episodes introducing the team’s core members. Each five-and-half-minute episode focuses on the back story, allies and nemeses of the heroes before the Avengers were formed.
In the two-part series premiere, “The Breakout,” Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp have defeated some of the most dangerous super-villains on the planet. But when the super-villain prison system mysteriously shuts down, chaos is unleashed on the world. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must now band together as the Avengers to protect the planet from the threats that no single super-hero could face alone. Their first task is to try and stop Graviton, a being whose power dwarfs anything ever seen. He’s after Nick Fury, but will destroy the world to get to him. Individually the heroes have no chance, but together they can make a difference.
The complete multiplatform rollout is:
Wednesday, September 22
Disney XD will air a special sneak peek of the first micro-series episode, “Iron Man is Born!,” at 8:30 p.m., ET/PT directly following premiere of the network’s newest series, “Pair of Kings.”
DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com and Disney XD Mobile will unveil a new micro-episode every day, for 20 days, leading up to the micro-episodes’ premiere on Disney XD. DisneyXD.com/Avengers will also feature a gallery of each of the Avengers and offer inside information about Kang, Loki and the rest of the “most wanted” Marvel Super Villains.
Tuesday, October 5
Select micro-episodes will be made available as a free preview on iTunes.
Monday, October 11
Disney XD will roll out all 20 micro-episodes during “Avengers Week” from Monday, October 11 to Friday, October 15, with four micro-episodes stacked each night at 8:30 p.m., ET/PT.
The complete micro-series becomes available on Disney XD on Demand on AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Cox.
Wednesday, October 20
The highly anticipated series premiere of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! airs with two back-to-back episodes from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., ET/PT. The series also launches on DisneyXD.com/Avengers, Marvel.com and Marvelkids.com.
Thursday, October 21
Full episodes launch on iTunes, Xbox Live, Sony Playstation and Disney XD Mobile VOD.
Monday, October 25
The series becomes available on Disney XD on Demand on AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Cox.
Tip of hat to iFanboy for posting the photos of this insanely hilarious find. I wonder sometimes when the folks at Marvel and DC are sitting in their big leather chairs, surrounded by rich mahogany book shelves, and leather bound editions of Action Comics and X-Force…”how far is too far, when it comes to licensing out our most awesome characters?” I imagine these big shots then puff off incredibly large cigars, and quickly use their iPads to check their enormous bank accounts. They think quickly back to a time before you could buy Spider-Man toothbrushes, Hulk official shredded purple swim-trunks, and Superman collector plates. Then they laugh their insane laugh, and sign off on any number of crazy products to be slapped together with the image of one of their countless licensees.
My case in point? Look to your right. Hostess Green Lantern GloBalls and Flashcakes! Really? Before I lay into the newest pair of uselessly licensed products, allow me first to answer those people who are already typing up their counter-snarky arguments for me. I know that DC and Marvel license out their characters in a near endless parade of products… and honestly, it doesn’t bother me in the least. As a kid, I loved my Spider-Man toothbrush, Batman underoos, and Superman halloween costume (complete with chinese macro-produced superman plastic mask that pressed up on your mouth so you got that icky sweaty film between the mask and your face after wearing the ten cent piece of plastic for less than a minute!). I don’t think it’s wrong for Marvel, DC, Image, or any other comic company to use it’s characters to snag a quick dollar from time to time. It keeps the coffers full long enough to green light actual good products, like Blue Beetle mini-series, and H.E.R.O.! Are we clear on that? Do you all understand that from here on out, my snarkyness comes packaged as a joke / satire / humorous observation? This is strictly to entertain you, my most finicky of fans. That being said… Let’s snark it up.
So DC… this is what the kids are dying for? Or did Hostess call you frantically to say “HELP US! We have all this leftover green dye from the Shrek 3D movie tie-ins, that we need to get rid of, and Marvel said no to “Hulk GammaBalls”!” And then, I imagine you, the DC Executive thought for maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and fired back. “Sure, you can make em’ Green Lantern Power Battery Balls… But Geoff Johns is in my office, and he said that we need to elevate both Green Lantern and Flash, since they are his favorite characters… and whatever Geoff says, we do. So, you have to make a Flash Cake too. Make a Flash-filled Twinkie or Speed Force Fruit Pie.” And in a few short weeks, right next to the Avengers Fruit Snacks now sits GloBalls and Flash Cakes. Now, as both a comic fan, and snack cake fan, I’m down for this. But the comic fan in me has a few reservations:
1. Am I too believe Green Lantern’s power ring is making Snowball constructs? Even by the product shot on the box, I can see only the outer layer appears to be made out of the green energy that is dispensed from a power ring and battery combo. Further more, I just went through all 257 issues of Green Lantern that I keep near my computer, and not once did I see evidence that the power ring has the capability to create sustenance. And if I were to be nice and give Hostess the benefit of the doubt, I must say that the Green Lantern power rings always assist in the mental and physical prowess of the host, and I doubt that the ring would produce such unhealthy snacks… Unless… this is all a trick produced by Sinestro, Larfleeze, and Atrocitus to fatten up fanboys, so that we can’t come to the aid of Hal Jordan when they attack! Don’t eat those cakes kids! It’s a trap!!!
2. Based on the box art, I can safely assume that the Flash Cakes are a product of Barry Allen. It’s not clear if these snack cakes are produced within the speed force (the graphics on the box make it appear to possibly be speed force related…). Since we know that the speed force can create mutli-colored fully realized constructs, thanks to Wally West, these cakes are certainly plausible. What is curious to us though, is why Barry Allen would endorse a product that, like its GloBall brethren, is an unhealthy treat. The chocolate cake, cream filling, and icing are all heavily laden with high fructose corn syrup, fat, and preservatives. Why would Barry Allen, police officer, and all-around goody-two-shoes endorse a product that would lend itself so freely to the epidemic of childhood obesity… Unless… the Flash Cakes are in fact a product of that inglorious bastard Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash! His M.O., thanks to Geoff Johns, is to cause all the problems in Barry Allen’s life… and what could be worse than filling up Central City and Keystone City full of wobbling weeble children! And when they clog the hospitals with their fat-filled tummies, in diabetic comas… All the doctors will exclaim “Why? Why are all these children so fat?” And then, in his yellow and red blur, the Reverse Flash will laugh his maniacal laugh as they realize it was the fun-colored Flash Cakes that drove the children to their state of sedentary sluggishness! Don’t eat these cakes either kids! It’s another trap!
So… there you have it. Hostess and DC have been duped by Geoff Johns and the ne’er-do-wells of the DC Universe, to sell you licensed snack cakes, in hopes of lulling you into a sugar-spiked coma. We recommend you avoid these obviously villainous vittles, and opt instead for a Green-hued Granny Smith, or a Flash-friendly fiber-filled Red Delicious. You’ll get the same boost of sweetness, but with some actual vitamins and nutrients. DC may not like it… but you will, next time your lard-laden butt has to walk uphill to the comic shop.
So, what are you planning on doing May 3, 2013? On or about that day, unless I’ve gone to a preview, I’ll probably be seeing Iron Man 3. 
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, an all-new animated series featuring the best of the best in the Marvel Universe, premieres Wednesday, October 20 (8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Produced by Marvel Animation, the series stars the world’s greatest heroes — Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Ant-Man/Giant Man and Wasp — who form the Avengers, a team assembled when the powers of a single hero are not enough to save the world. Thsi essentially mirrors the line up as seen in the first 15 issues of the comic, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck.
Tip of hat to 
