Over at The Comics Journal website Michael Dean posted an article about how the Harvey Kurtzman Estate (represented by Denis Kitchen) and Al Feldstein filed to “regain” the copyrights to their EC Comics work.
Feldstein and the Bill Gaines estate reached an agreement – undisclosed, of course – but the Kurtzman situation is more complex. Kurtzman created Mad, he wrote it, he did the layouts for his artists and he drew a modicum of the material as well. But it’s Mad and Mad is owned by Time Warner. It’s a teevee show on one of Time Warner’s cablenets. The magazine might not be very profitable any longer, but the brand name most certainly is.
Be that as it may, I put the word “regain” in quotation marks because, well, Al and Harvey never had those copyrights in the first place. EC Publications and its sundry successors in interest always held them. And, as Dean and others point out, the exploitation value of the material has been well-plundered. But we’re saddled with a remarkably antiquated, unfair and pro-theft copyright law and I think Al and Denis deserve to get in the game.
But who really should own what? This is the sort of thing that gives compassionate thinkers migraines and earns lawyers their reputations. Lots of people contributed massively to the creation of this body of material, including a great many of the most accomplished writers and artists of the time. And, in my opinion, of any time.
Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Bernie Krigstein, Willie Elder, Al Williamson, John Severin – to name simply the first half-dozen creators to come to mind. They and their co-workers played as important a function in the creation of the EC legacy as Al and Harvey. Their work was not interchangeable. The then-current artist list of, say, Charlton or even St. John Comics could not have been dropped into their place – well, they could, but you wouldn’t have had EC Comics and I wouldn’t be writing this piece.
Then again, Bill Gaines took the financial risk. He selected and hired these people. He contributed to a great many of the stories, particularly those edited by Al Feldstein. Does he (or his estate) deserve to be chilled from the long-term rewards?
Maybe. Bill didn’t return any of the original art – but, then again, in those days nobody did. However, Bill kept and archived the original art, and decades later he had it auctioned off. When he did this, artists were getting their work back and those that had it returned whatever inventories of old art they had on hand. Bill did not do this. He gave the artist a taste of the revenue, at a price determined by him and him alone. The artists were unable to get their art back, to do with what they wish.
“Ethics” are tricky. The idea is to rectify wrongs without wronging others in the process. This is only somewhat easier than building a perpetual motion machine.
The conversation over at The Comics Journal is spirited, engaging and, in a few instances, amusingly over-the-top. These are three important elements in protracted online conversations. You might want to check it out.
One hundred years ago today in Spokane, Washington, Charles Martin “Chuck” Jones was born. It is quite possible there has not been a more widely influential artist in the twentieth century.
We could easily list his over three hundred cartoons that he directed; we could talk about all of the influential cartoons that he didn’t do for Warner Brothers– Pogo, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Dot and the Line, and revitalizing Tom & Jerry; we could mention his creation and co-creations Private Snafu, Charlie Dog, Hubie and Bertie, The Three Bears, Claude Cat, Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Charlie Dog, Michigan J. Frog, Marvin the Martian, Pepe LePew, the Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote; we could discuss his educational work with The Electric Company and Curiosity Shop and his works with Dr. Seuss, not to mention the multiple generations of animators he taught and trained– but we’ll simply note that three of his shorts (Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What’s Opera, Doc?) have been inducted into the National Film Registry.
A new season, a return of an old enemy, a dramatic change to a relationship, and a very surprising casting choice made the premiere episode of Doctor Who quite the rollicking ride. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times, mind the spoilers, hang tight to your jewelry (especially bracelets), mind the spoilers and here we go…
ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS
By Steven Moffat
Directed by Nick Hurran
The Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams are all captured by Dalek sleeper agents and taken to their main fleet, home of their Parliament. Rather than Exterminate him, they beg for his help. Their Asylum, a combination hospital and prison for Daleks so damaged or insane they can no longer be controlled, is in danger of being breached after a lost spaceship crashes on it. The Doctor. Amy and Rory are sent down to the surface to shut down the planetary force field defense, so the Daleks can destroy it. At the same time, The Doctor has to save the mysterious Oswin Oswald, who’s staged a single-handed defense against the insane Daleks for nearly a year, as well as fix the relationship of his Companions Amy and Rory. If he achieves three more impossible things, he can have breakfast.
Steven Moffat’s admitted that the Daleks are his favorite Who foe, and had wanted to “give them a rest” for bit, till the right story came along. Well, mission accomplished. He does what needs to be done anytime to you bring back an enemy and expand on them a bit, add to their mythos. Here we see a new ruling structure, a horrifying insight to their concept of beauty, and a look at how they treat their failures. In short, a solid story, with some great dramatic moments. Another chapter in the greatest romance in time and space, and an introduction to…well, maybe not the character, but certainly the actress who’ll be taking the reins from Karen and Arthur as the next Companion.
THE MONSTER FILES
The Daleks have been so much a part of the history of Doctor Who it’s almost impossible to talk of one without the other. Introduced in the second adventure, their innovative design seized the imagination of the children of Britain, and has never let go. Any hopes the series had of being a semi-educational show were blasted off the table when it became clear that the kids wanted scary monsters and super freaks.
Created by Terry Nation, who would go on to create the series Blake’s 7 and The Survivors, he attempted to take his creation to America and pitch a series here. The character Sara Kingdom (played by Jean Marsh and seen in The Dalek Master Plan) was to be their primary enemy in the pitched series, which never came to pass.
While the Dalek Puppets are a new addition to their weaponry, they’re scarcely the first attempt to use bipedal, opposable-thumbed minions. In addition to the endless poor suckers who think they’ll be treated well (or even differently) by the Daleks, they’ve created Robomen slaves of their prisoners, both in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and its out of continuity film adaptation starring Peter Cushing. Ogrons became a slave race of choice for a while, appearing in Day of the Daleks. Most recently, we saw Professor Bracewell, an android created to aid in The Victory of the Daleks. Indeed, since we’ve now seen how they can completely replace a human’s body with Dalek components, one could wonder if Edwin Bracewell didn’t have implanted memories, but REAL memories, those from before his conversion.
HUGE SPOILED ALERT!
Jenna-Louise Coleman (Oswin Oswald) Jenna’s career is only a few years old, similar to that of Karen Gillan, but what she’s got is cherce. Starting off with a brief run on British soap opera Emmerdale (you thought I was going to say EastEnders, didn’t you?), she also had recurring roles on Walterloo Road and starred with John Goodman on Dancing on the Edge. Most recently she’s starred in the Titanic mini-series, and had a small role in Captain America. She will be heard from again in the very near future.
Anamaria Marinca (Darla / Dalek puppet) is another case of getting the best people for even the smallest roles. Romanian by birth, she’s won dozens of acting awards for her work, including a BAFTA for the series Sex Traffic.
BACKGROUND BITS AND BOBS – Trivia and production details
CREDITS WHERE CREDITS ARE DUE – Another minor tweak to the opening of the series. The effect of the TARDIS flying through the Time Vortex is more blurred, and at the same time more colorful. We see the return of the red and blue, indicating the capsule is traveling forward or backward in time. Also, the logo of the series has changed, and will continue to change in each episode. Here it’s covered in “Dalek Bumps”, next week it’s reported it’ll have scales like a dinosaur. The font for the cast and the episode title match now, no longer using the same font as the logo.
SET PIECES – The design of the Dalek ships have a number of subtle points. The bars in the viewport window match the grille design of a new series Dalek, so it looks like they’re looking out the grille of a giant Dalek. Also note the trapezoidal doors, designed to accommodate their bodies, and of course, the utter lack of stairs. Note also that all the control panels are all shaped to fit the Dalek “plunger” hand. We’ve seen that it can change shape slightly – likely the globe serves as a haptic interface, a hemispheric iPad screen.
Once again, the classic “heart beat” sound effect appears – used since the Tom Baker years (and found on the “Doctor Who Sound Effects” album), the thumping hum of a Dalek base has been used in every new series Dalek episode. It appears as Rory accidentally awakens the sleeping inmates of the asylum.
AND NO ONE HEARD AT ALL, NOT EVEN THE CHAIR – The Beeb will re-use props and background pieces when they can. This week, the chair from Oswin’s little control room is the same one from Jenny’s ship in The Doctor’s Daughter. The Clever Theories have already started rolling.
SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTICSAHARA – The sequences on the snowy mountains of the Asylum were originally set to be filed in a set. But when preparing for a trip to Spain to film sequences for A Town Called Mercy, series producer Marcus Wilson pointed out that the Sierra Nevada mountain range was only a hop skip and jump away, and wouldn’t it make more sense (and possibly save money) to pop up there and film the exterior scenes? Caroline Skinner agreed, and off they went.
EVERY DALEK EVER – marked as the biggest conglomeration of pepperpots in the history of the series, the episode did not disappoint. Well…sort of. For all the hype and hoohah they gave the return of the Special Weapons Dalek (first seen in Remembrance of the Daleks and several novels and other off-TV adventures), it was a glorified cameo – it didn’t fire, and barely moved. You got a better look at it in the promotional photos. There were a smattering of old model Daleks – the pirouetting model appeared to be a white Imperial Dalek from Remembrance, and there were a few other “classic” series models. Can you find them all?
More surprising is which Daleks we saw the most of – the vast majority of models we saw were the “bronze” variety we’ve seen since the start of the new series. Considering all the pomp and circumstance the New Paradigm Daleks were introduced in Victory of the Daleks, they were barely there at all. Since they were seen at the center of the parliament, it is most likely that they serve as rulers/generals of the Dalek race, taking the positions once held by Black and Gold Daleks. The bronze models would continue to serve as the soldiers.
ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY RORY – Minor production error in Rory’s first scene among all the inactive Daleks – the model he pushes about has a headlamp missing in the above and reverse shots; it has both in the shots from behind Rory.
“Skaro – original planet of the Daleks” Introduced in their original adventure, we’ve seen Skaro itself a few times in the series. The Doctor and his friends traveled back to The Genesis of the Daleks with the help of the Time Lords, with the task of averting their creation. In the far future, the Emperor Dalek ruled over their empire in The Evil of the Daleks, but at another point, it was a virtually dead planet being excavated by the Movellans in Destiny of the Daleks. It was presumed destroyed by supernova in Remembrance of the Daleks, but Daleks are not unlike cockroaches – they seem to be able to survive everything.
“Out of ten? Eleven” More than just the obvious Spinal Tap “Goes to eleven” gag, this is another sly reference that this is The Doctor’s eleventh incarnation, and that Matt is the eleventh (in continuity) actor to play him.
“The Predator of the Daleks will be deployed” – Along with the earlier revealed “Oncoming Storm”, The Daleks have graced The Doctor with a title of their own. As has been pointed out before, names are a recurring theme in the series. Knowing an enemy’s name reduces their power, and increases your ability to hurt them.
“Are you actually, properly real?” Note a very subtle hint to Oswin’s malleable reality – when The Doctor calls her “Carmen”, a rose appears behind her ear. It was not there before, and is gone in the next scene.
“RoRRRYYYYYYYYYyyyyyy!” Throughout the episode, there are tells that Amy still very much cares for Rory. When she awakes, she looks for him, and not The Doctor. And that piercing scream is the same one she used to call to him in Amy’s Choice.
“Nanogenes” Steven Moffat coined that term in The Empty Child for the micro-robots designed to heal injuries, turn people into gasmask-faced monsters, and in this case, convert people to Dalek Puppets. Amy is likely (we hope) right that as a Time Lord The Doctor was immune to their effect, and will similarly be able to reprogram a few to repair any temporary changes made to Amy.
“They’re the ones who survived me” The planets mentioned are all from past battles between the Doctor and his lifelong foe:
Spiridon – Planet of the Daleks
Kembal – The Dalek Master Plan
Aridius – The Chase
Vulcan – Power of the Daleks
Exxilon – Death to the Daleks
Of course, if I were to be very picayune, I’d mention that if that were the case, these should all be older design Daleks, when it looks more like they’re all the modern Bronze variety. But do I look like that kind of person?
“They did a full conversion” – Daleks have converted humans to Dalek beings in the past, although in Victory, it was said that they’d done it so many times, the Progenitor system didn’t even recognize the surviving members as true Daleks. Presumably the automated systems of the Asylum was more interested in enhancing the security system than in the scrupulous worry about purity.
Humans and Daleks don’t usually mix. Dalek Sec attempted it in Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks with poor results, and the infection of the Human Factor caused a civil war in Evil of the Daleks, which was at the time supposed to be the final Dalek adventure.
BIG BAD WOLF REPORT While Moffat and the Who production office have maintained that there’s no over-arcing plotline this series, there are clearly themes already appearing. Matt Smith has described this five-episode run as “The Fall of the Ponds”, as it will culminate in their departure at the end of episode five, The Angels Take Manhattan. The prequel series Pond Life provided a look into the Ponds’s home life when The Doctor wasn’t around, ending with a hint of the breakup we saw here. The fourth episode, The Power of Three, is supposed to further that story a bit more.
“Life, just life – that thing that goes on when you’re not there” Most tragic is the revelation that because of the traumas from Demon’s Run, Amy can no longer bear children. That’s clearly a massive blow to Rory, so much so that Amy chooses to push him away, in the hopes he’ll find someone who can give him what he’s always wanted. There’s a clever theory boiling in my head that might well tie more than a couple threads up, but I’ll hold my tongue for the moment.
“Remember me” Clearly one theme that popped up in this episode is that of memory and remembering. From The Doctor’s advice that Amy “Make [the Daleks] remember you” to Oswin’s request of the same to The Doctor, after her ensuring that the Daleks wouldn’t remember him, it comes up more than a few times in the episode.
“DOK-TOR-WHO?” Tying back to the end of last series, The Doctor chooses to allow the reports of his death to remain greatly exaggerated, so he may work more into the background, and safe from those who wish to harm him. It’s backed up in the opening of the episode where Darla believe The Doctor to be dead. And now that the Daleks have now (at least temporarily) forgotten who he is, he’s able to fade back a bit more.
But the real “Question” is one that’s been bouncing through the entire new series – The Doctor’s Name, his real origins, and why he keeps them so secret. It’s been said that on the Fields of Trenzalore, that question will be asked, and he’ll be compelled to answer. When that will happen, and what will happen as a result, we do not know, but Moffat does not lay plot threads higgledy-piggledy.
I DON’T THINK WE’VE BEEN PROPERLY INTRODUCED – Jenna-Louise Coleman’s appearance Oswin Oswald is clearly the biggest surprise this episode had. Already announced as The Doctor’s new Companion (and scheduled to come on board in that capacity in the Christmas episode) she appears here in what is presumed either a different role, or perhaps even from another point of her life. Her Companion role’s name had been rumored to be Clara, but as we know, nothing is guaranteed in the world of Who.
Moffat and the rest of the cast and crew have shared massive accolades to both the press and the thousands of fans and bloggers who all kept this reveal utterly secret through four sneak previews of this episode over the past month.
You’re welcome.
NEXT TIME ON DOCTOR WHO – The Doctor is sick of…well, no, he seems quite excited by the idea of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. Lestrade finds his division, Ron Weasley’s dad is also Rory’s dad (so…related?) and also Queen Nefertiti. Seven days away…you busy?
One of the primary rules for writing is “Write what you know.” As I’ve discussed before, the corollary question becomes “what do you know?” I can write characters that, on the surface, are totally unlike me because underlying there are elements that true for both of us. Granted, I need to get the details of those lives correct but the essentials – the feelings, the doubts, everything that makes us human – are the same. I just have to find out where that is in me and what it looks like.
So, for me, the more important rule is “Write what is true.” That will vary from person to person, from character to character. The corollary question then becomes “What is true?” I’m not asking “What is The Truth?” because I don’t think that The Great Objective Truth exists or, if it does, it can be perceived as such by each of us through the lenses of our own existence. What I’m asking is “What is true?” for each person, be they a living and breathing reality or a fictional creation.
Socrates famously said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I would add: “The unquestioned belief is not worth having.” As kids, we’re all given a set of beliefs, be they about God, country, family, love, values and so on. That’s fine; we all have to start off somewhere. Parents have their beliefs about what is right and wrong, good and bad and it is both their job and their duty to instill those in their children. As the children grow and come to adulthood, it is their job to examine those beliefs and see if they are true for them. Do you believe something because your own experience, your own questioning, has brought you to that place or are you there because someone told you that is true and it’s what you must believe?
That’s my problem with dogma. It tells me that this is the truth and this is what I must believe whether my own experiences agree with it. It may be that my own experiences and my own questioning will bring me to the same place, the same conclusion or belief and that’s fine. I will have then earned that belief; it’s not a hand-me-down. It’s mine.
Dogma, whether religious, political, social or what have you, is easier. Questioning takes time, takes effort and may take you to places that you’re not comfortable to visit. It can shift your foundations. My questions about the existence of God made me feel like I was on a trapeze in the dark. I had just let go of one bar but I couldn’t see if there was another trapeze swinging towards me or if there was a net below. It’s still that way. I’m on a boat in the ocean but I don’t know which port is the destination or how long it will take to get there. The voyage, however, is necessary.
Where I wind up may not be your truth, and that’s fine. I accept that what is true for you is your truth and valid. It just may not be mine. Our truths could be opposite and we both may feel compelled to act on our truths and that may bring us into conflict. That’s also fine. I can oppose you and respect your truth without accepting it for my truth.
As for us, so with the characters we write. The best stories challenge the characters on a deep level, on what they regard as true. The situation challenges or shatters the character’s beliefs. They must find out what is true. If you as the writer have never done that yourself, how can you write it? First you must live it and understand the process and then it becomes useful to you as writer. Aside from talent, aside from skill, all you have to offer as a writer is who you are as a person and your own strengths and weaknesses as that person will become your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.
Joe Kubert, one of the greatest masters of the comics art form, died today after a short illness, three weeks short of his 86th birthday.
Best known as the artist of the long-running war feature Sgt. Rock, Joe was almost equally well-known for his work on both the golden age and silver age Hawkman and on such features as Enemy Ace, Tarzan, Firehair, Tor (which he created for St. John’s comics in the 1950s and owned and returned to throughout his life), the Tales of the Green Beret newspaper strip, and numerous other features and countless covers. In his later years he wrote and drew a great many graphic novels, both original creations (Jew Gangster, Fax from Sarajevo, Yossel) and based upon his well-established Tor and Sgt. Rock characters. DC is currently publishing his work as an inker on Before Watchman: Nite Owl, pencilled by his son Andy. He also served as an editor at DC Comics in the 1970s.
Over the years Joe received numerous awards, including the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. These honors are dwarfed by his legion of respecting collaborators, fans, students, and medium fellows.
Perhaps his greatest and most enduring contribution to the medium was his establishment in 1976 of The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey, which teaches the craft of comics and boasts such graduates as Timothy Truman, “Rags” Morales, Amanda Conner, Shane Davis, Tom Mandrake, Stephen Bissette, Jan Duursema, Rick Veitch, Matt Hollingsworth, Karl Kesel, Scott Kolins, Steve Lieber, Dave Dorman, Eric Shanower, Alex Maleev, and Bart Sears. His sons, Andy and Adam, received special live-long training from their gifted father.
Joe’s wife Muriel had served as a model — intentionally and, one strongly suspects, unintentionally — lending her image to many of Kubert’s female characters. Muriel passed away in 2008. Their marriage ran an incredible 57 years.
In addition to Andy and Adam, the Kubert family also consisted of sons David and Danny and daughter Lisa Zangara, as well as numerous grandchildren.
A man whose broad smile triggered an enormously infectious laugh, Joe Kubert was one of those artists who looked like he had drawn himself into creation. A fast artist, he often amazed convention-goers by producing a fully-formed intricate Hawkman image in ink within minutes after starting with a couple simple lines drawn on paper. Much of his original art reveals he often did not produce finished pencils, relying upon sketchy blue-lined (non-reproducing) layouts before going on to final inks.
Much can — and will — be said about this pillar of American comics history. For now, we report his passing and our most profound condolences to his family, friends, and students.
Noted Comic Writer Mike Bullock contributed as one of the authors to TALES OF THE ROOK, the first ever anthology set in veteran New Pulp Author Barry Reese’s universe and featuring his best known character, The Rook!
The Anthology debuted in May under the Reese Unlimited imprint from Pro Se Productions and features works by Reese, Ron Fortier, Bobby Nash, Percival Constantine, Tommy Hancock, and Bullock. Best known for his work on Moonstone’s THE PHANTOM and his own LIONS, TIGERS, AND BEARS, Bullock has jumped feet first into New Pulp as an active member of the New Pulp Movement. His Runemaster Studios is quickly becoming a fantastic source of New Pulp stories and characters, including his latest creation which saw life first in his TALES OF THE ROOK contribution. Bullock joins All Pulp for an interview about the mysterious XANDER!
ALL PULP: Who and/or what is Xander?
MIKE BULLOCK: He is the Guardian of Worlds, a man, a spirit and a legend. Over two thousand years ago, the first Xander stumbled on an ancient tomb in Capernaum. Inside he found a scroll, staff and armband lying in a sarcophagus. When he read the scroll, a transformation took place anointing him as the first Guardian of Worlds, charged with locating and closing the nether-portals opened from worlds below into our own.
Mentored by the spirit of his dead Grandfather, Xander employs a variety of martial and mystical arts to complete his tasks and prevent those who dwell in darkness from wreaking havoc on Earth.
AP: What characters/ideas/creators influenced you in the creation of Xander?
MB: I had just finished reading a few of the Rook novels and had sat down with my beautiful wife to watch Fringe when a feeling of incredible creative inspiration came over me. As the show went on, I recall suddenly picturing Xander in my mind, and his totems of power (the armband and staff). I continued to watch the show but something triggered a memory and I recalled a story I’d seen as a child, where a boy’s shadow had a mind of its own, but was attached to the boy’s feet so they were forever linked. While the shadow wanted to do one thing, the boy wanted something else, which created an interesting tension with the character. I took that and molded it into the ‘legacy hero’ model from Phantom, painted all that on my original bit of inspiration and within 45 minutes had what would finally be named Xander: Guardian of Worlds.
AP: What about this opportunity to be a part of the Tales of the Rook appealed to you enough to introduce Xander into it?
MB: It made perfect sense, since Xander was born out of a moment of inspiration catalyzed by Barry Reese’s work. It’s an honor to have Barry give me the keys to his character and I hope he’s as happy with the outcome as I am.
AP: For you, what is it about New Pulp that draws you in as a creator and inspires you to add characters and tales to it?
MB: I fell madly in love with pulp fiction the first time I laid eyes on A Princess of Mars back in the 70s. Since I have this compulsion/need to write and be creative, it seems only natural that I would do so in the New Pulp field. I love what others are doing in the field and just thank God I get to be part of that.
AP: Any future plans/teasers about what we’ll see from Xander down the road?
MB: Right now I’ve laid the groundwork for his first novel, a series of short stories coming soon from Pro Se. In that, Xander will travel to Texas, New York and abroad hunting down demons, devils and the like in an effort to banish them once more to the hells they crawled from. We’ll learn more about who currently wears the totem, what it means to bear the strain of being the Guardian and maybe get a glimpse of his love life. Oh, and there will be lots and lots of action and adventure.
TALES OF THE ROOK is available at www.amazon.com and www.prosepulp.com in both print and ebook!
Pull up a seat and strap yourself in for another edition of Table Talk, the (semi) regular column where New Pulp authors Barry Reese, Bobby Nash, and Mike Bullock answer questions and offer their viewpoints on a wide array of topics relating to New Pulp Fiction.
Join the conversation. Leave us a comment on the blog and let us know your thoughts on this topic. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.
Have a question you want the Table Talk Trio to answer? Send it to newpulpfiction@gmail.com with “Table Talk Question” in the subject line. Also, let us know if you want attribution for the question, or you’d rather remain anonymous. Please, keep the questions pertinent to the creation of New Pulp and/or writing speculative fiction in general. We’ll get the questions worked into future columns.
Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher in the New Pulp Movement, proudly announces the release of its latest volume, the first of a new size and type of books from Pro Se. THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY is the first extra sized omnibus edition of a writer’s works produced by Pro Se Productions!
From a leading New Pulp Author comes The First Family of Adventure! Barry Reese, creator of the Rook, Lazarus Gray, and more brings together the classic early adventures of a cast of characters that are truly a family. THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY collects the hair raising, action packed tales of Eobard Grace and his family of adventurers, always on the edge of Hell ready to save the world!
Featuring stories that have never appeared together in one volume, THE FAMILY GRACE is an omnibus spotlighting Barry’s creativity and skill at universe building! And features his seminal creation, THE ROOK!
This volume is also the first omnibus under Barry’s own imprint, Reese Unlimited! Featuring stunning cover and logo work by George Sellas and fantastic design by Sean Ali as well as being newly edited by Lee Houston, Jr., THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY is full of all the best action, adventure, chills, and thrills New Pulp has to offer! From Reese Unlimited and Pro Se Press- Puttin’ The Monthly Back Into Pulp!
PULPTRESS, ARMLESS O’NEIL, AND PROJECT ALPHA AVAILABLE AS E-BOOKS!
Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher in New Pulp, proudly announces the release of three of its latest titles in Ebook format!
BLOOD-THE PRICE OF MISSIONARY’S GOLD- THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ARMLESS O’NEIL- In the Heart of the Dark Continent, the Man Known as Armless O’Neil Hunts for Legendary Treasures, but Discovers a World of Shadowy Secrets, Wild Danger, and Sensational Adventure! Thrill to Five Fantastic Stories of Savage Mystery, Amazing Action, and Incredible Excitement from Sean Taylor, Nick Ahlhelm, R. P. Steeves, I. A. Watson, and Chuck Miller! Follow Armless O’Neil as he makes his way in bold new stories from the finest in New Pulp today! Featuring a stunning cover by Mike Fyles and wonderful cover design by Sean Ali as well as excellent interior design by Matt Moring (Print) and Russ Anderson (Ebook), Pulp Obscura Proudly Presents Blood-Price of the Missionary’s Gold: The New Adventures of Armless O’Neil! From Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press! ONLY $2.99!
PROJECT ALPHA- PROJECT ALPHA from Lee Houston, Jr. is a prose love letter to the wonder, magic, awe, and power of Silver Age Comics! The once peaceful planet of Shambala is on the verge of extinction. A menace of their own creation now considers himself the high and mighty ruler of all, determined to have the realm of his dreams regardless of the cost to others. Now the scientist responsible for the danger seeks to perform the experiment again on another world. But this planet is home to a far more primitive culture than his own. Even if he is successful, can ALPHA save Shambala before it’s too late? Lee Houston, Jr. presents an incredible new hero embarking on an amazing adventure that will push him to the limits of his newfound abilities and beyond! ONLY $2.99!
THE PULPTRESS- She appears, an enigma, a guardian angel in a mask and fedora, her past shrouded in mystery. Where did she come from? What secrets in her past drove her to become a crusader for justice? Who is The Pulptress? This masked woman of mystery, makes her debut on the New Pulp scene in a collection of stories sure to thrill and amaze you. Leading off with an introduction by The Pulptress’ creator, Tommy Hancock, this collection features stories by Terry Alexander, Ron Fortier, Erwin K. Roberts, Andrea Judy, and Tommy Hancock! With a fantastic cover by Mitch Foust and beautiful design work by Sean Ali, this collection is a must have! It’s time You met The First Lady of New Pulp! The Pulptress! From Pro Se Productions! ONLY $1.99!
Each E-book, wonderfully designed by Pro Se’s own Russ Anderson, is available for the Kindle at www.Amazon.com, for the Nook at www.barnesandnoble.com, and in multiple formats at www.smashwords.com!
Pro Se Productions- Puttin’ the Monthly Back Into Pulp!
Swedish news outlet The Local reports that their Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of manga translator Simon Lundström on child pornography charges relating to manga files on his computer. The court’s decision reflects the viewpoint of free speech advocates, including the CBLDF, that sexually explicit manga images are protected artistic expression and not child pornography. The court stated, “The criminalization of possession of the drawings would otherwise exceed what is necessary with regard to the purpose which has led to the restriction on freedom of expression and freedom of information.”
The Local reports:
Lundström, described by Swedish media as a top manga expert, was found guilty by two lower courts of having 39 drawings portraying figures in sexual poses stored on the hard drive of his computer.
In his initial trial, he explained that he had retrieved the pictures in order to stay up to date with the latest developments in the Japanese comic genre.
A district court fined him 25,000 kronor ($3,500) but an appeals court lowered the sum to 5,600 kronor.
CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein welcomed the ruling, stating, “This is an important victory for free expression and for manga. The Swedish Supreme Court has correctly drawn the boundary that governments have a compelling interest in prosecuting criminal behavior, not ideas or expression. Child pornography is an abhorrent crime because real people are harmed, and the creation, distribution and possession of that content are criminal behaviors that contribute to creating victims. Today’s ruling that drawings of an imaginative nature where no victim is created cannot be child pornography is clear-minded and will hopefully provide guidance here in the United States and around the world when similar cases arise in the future. We congratulate Mr. Lundström and his attorney Leif Silbersky for their courageous efforts in reaching this important decision.”
Over at The Comics Journal website Michael Dean posted an article about how the Harvey Kurtzman Estate (represented by Denis Kitchen) and Al Feldstein filed to “regain” the copyrights to their EC Comics work.
