Tagged: Doc Savage

FORTIER GOES BACK TO THE THRILLING DAYS OF ‘YESTERYEAR’!

ALL PULP FICTION REVIEWS by Ron Fortier
YESTERYEAR
By Tommy Hancock
Pro Se Press
180 pages

One of the most widely recognized facts regarding American comic book heroes is that they actually evolved out of the Depression Era pulp magazines.  Fans of both media are well aware that the likes of Batman and Superman were the literary children of characters such as the Shadow and Doc Savage.  Tommy Hancock employs this historical theory against which to set his first novel, “Yesteryear.”  Hancock, the winner of this year’s Pulp Ark Award for Best New Writer, had earned that title based on his short fiction. Now with this novel length drama, he cements that position soundly with a work of deft imagination heralding past days of American glory.

J.C.Smithenson is a one time crime fighting boy detective who has grown up to become a writer and publisher.  He has put his hero days behind him, though his good friend, Detective Donovan Bradley, suspects he still harbors longings to get back into the fray.  Then one day a mysterious package is left on Smithenson’s steps containing the journal of newspaper man, Ramsey Long, who was part of the Golden Age of Heroes back in the 30s and 40s.  Thought to be a myth, Ramsey’s musings are said to be a tell-all book that honestly rips aside the veil of public relation mumb-jumbo to detail the true history and exploits of those early mystery men and women.
Which is why when it is learned that Smithenson possesses the book, factions both political and private, begin targeting him and his loved ones to guarantee the journal never sees the light of day.  For J.C., it is an eye-opening revelation that some of the people he once admired are flawed enough to want to destroy him rather than have their human failings exposed publicly.  Still, he is determined that the truth will be told regardless of the consequences.
“Yesteryear” is a marvelous homage to all those great pulp characters and golden age comic heroes who followed in their footsteps wonderfully told with a true sense of time and place.  Hancock knows his history and the richness with which he paints the times adds much to the book’s plot and appeal.  So on a purely literary basis, I recommend this book highly, it was tons of fun to read.
But I do have one criticism and it deals with the book’s packaging, not the story.  I don’t often make mention of actual production values but in this case felt compelled to do so because in the end, it did lessen my overall enjoyment of “Yesteryear.”  Hancock is also the book’s producer and he’s filled many of its pages with some truly fantastic drawings of many of the fabulous characters described in the text.  All to the good.   Alas, that’s where his design musings should have stopped.
Instead he also chose to change the fonts and styling of the text throughout the entire book so that the reader is confronted with bold type, cursive scribbles, light, thin fonts constantly changing, many difficult to adjust to after finishing a chapter presented in an entirely different way.  I understand the concept he was trying to achieve with this mixing, but it does not work and instead becomes a physical flaw to an otherwise stellar offering.   Hopefully his next book will have a more conservative presentation.

RADIO ARCHIVES LATEST AND GREATEST!


Welcome to Another Weekly Newsletter from RadioArchives.com!

* New in Old Time Radio: The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 2
* New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47
* The Best Deals are in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest
* Also New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Archie Andrews
* Coming Soon: Pulp Audiobooks from RadioArchives.com

New in Old Time Radio: The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 2 The first half of the 20th century was a great time for entertainment, with amazingly talented performers dominating the Broadway stage, vaudeville, and nightclubs. But, in the annals of show business, few entertainers achieved the lengthy and enduring career claimed by Jimmy Durante.

Nicknamed “Schnozzola” for his oversized nose, Jimmy Durante first came to prominence as a teenager, playing New York’s restaurant and nightclub circuit as Ragtime Jimmy. Bitten by the show-biz bug, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade and soon teamed up with fellow entertainers Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson to form a musical comedy trio that wowed nightclub audiences with its boisterous unpredictability, Durante’s aggressive interaction with the musicians, and his penchant for destroying pianos in mock frustration. Clayton, Jackson, and Durante quickly gained a reputation as one of the most hilarious acts in town – and, by the mid-1920s, the team was being featured in vaudeville, culminating in a lengthy run at New York’s Palace Theater. In 1929, Broadway called them for a featured spot in “Show Girl” and, by the time Cole Porter’s “The New Yorkers” opened in 1930, Durante was a star.

Jimmy continued his Broadway success in a string of popular shows and revues throughout the 1930s, but it was his role in “Jumbo” that brought him the most acclaim, playing the brash owner of a circus in an extravaganza that brought all of the delights of the Big Top to New York’s massive Hippodrome Theater. But he didn’t limit himself solely to the Great White Way; thanks to appearances in a series of films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a guest star spot on Rudy Vallee’s Fleischmann Hour, by 1933, Durante had taken over for Eddie Cantor as the host of radio’s “Chase and Sanborn Hour”. On the air, Durante’s broad delivery, overwhelming personality, and penchant for mangling his words only increased his popularity with laugh-hungry Depression-era audiences and his next radio series – “Jumbo”, based partially on the Broadway show – kept him a welcome visitor in American homes.

For a time, aside from an occasional radio guest appearance, Durante devoted himself solely to the stage and nightclubs. But, in 1943, Hollywood beckoned once again with the offer of comedic roles in a series of motion pictures. For this opportunity, Durante relocated to Hollywood, where he was also signed to headline a CBS series titled “The Camel Caravan”. The new series found the Schnozz co-starred with a fresh voiced young comedian named Garry Moore in what initially seemed to be an odd and highly unlikely pairing. As so often happens, however, the mismatched duo instantly clicked as a team, ratings went through the roof, and Durante’s patented brand of language mangling and outraged interaction with the orchestra introduced him to radio audiences all over again. Durante and Moore enjoyed four successful seasons together until Moore decided to pursue a solo career at the end of the 1946/47 season.

With Moore’s departure, in the fall of 1947, Jimmy Durante signed a contract to host a new series on NBC for the Rexall Drug Company, costarring vocalist Peggy Lee and character actor Victor Moore. Loud, boisterous, and wildly entertaining, “The Jimmy Durante Show” proved just as popular as its predecessor – so much so, in fact, that the following season found Durante back on CBS and back with Camel Cigarettes for another two years before the Schnozz finally moved full-time to television in the early 1950s.

The ten shows in this second compact disc collection, priced at just $14.98, showcase Jimmy Durante at his bigger-than-life best, complete with the fractured English, gravel voiced musical numbers, and warmhearted buffoonery that made him a show business legend. As an added bonus, this set includes two shows broadcast while Jimmy was in the hospital recovering from surgery – and it’s a mark of his reputation among show people that the personalities filling in for him include the Wizard of Oz himself, Frank Morgan, as well as the World’s Greatest Entertainer, Al Jolson. Taken directly from original master recordings and fully restored for sparkling audio fidelity, this second volume of “The Jimmy Durante Show” offers an additional selection of shows that are just as fresh, alive, and vibrant as they were when they were first aired over sixty years ago. If you love a good belly laugh, you’ll want to stop by RadioArchives.com and pick up your copy right away.
New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47

At RadioArchives.com, we love the thrills, chills, and excitement that only a great pulp fiction story can provide. That’s why we’re excited to announce that three brand new reprints featuring the top heroes from the 1930s and 1940s are now available from RadioArchives.com:

Pulp fiction’s legendary Master of Men returns in “The Spider Volume 19”, featuring two classic novels written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in “Slaves of the Dragon”, white slavery is stripping America of its wives, sisters and sweethearts. Richard Wentworth, valiant champion of human rights, knows that an Oriental master criminal is captaining the slavery syndicate and has guessed the unspeakable purpose behind these wholesale abductions. Can the Spider outwit his most formidable foe and save America’s doomed womanhood? Then, in “The Spider and his Hobo Army”, murder and destruction has stupefied the nation. The zero hour has come and the vast and insidious Order of the Double Cross is ready to blast America from the face of the earth. Can The Spider crush the minions of the Double Cross, with only a handful of ragged hobos to aid him? This beautifully reformatted double-novel version of these two pulp classics, priced at just $14.95, features the original cover art and interior illustrations that accompany each story.

Next, in “The Shadow Volume 48”, the Dark Avenger continues the celebration of his 80th anniversary in an extra-length issue that pairs his explosive second adventure with a gripping novel of international intrigue. In “The Eyes of The Shadow”, the Knight of Darkness assumes the identity of Lamont Cranston to investigate a series of baffling serial murders in a groundbreaking novel that introduced the Shadow’s famous alter ego and his enigmatic agent, Burbank. Then, can The Shadow stop “The Money Master” before his financial machinations destroy the global economy? This instant collectors’ item, priced at just $14.95, showcases the classic cover paintings by George Rozen and John A. Coughlin, the original interior illustrations by George H. Wert and Paul Orban, two never-before-published articles by the Shadow’s creator Walter B. Gibson, and historical commentary by Will Murray.

Finally, in “Doc Savage Volume 47”, pulp fiction’s legendary Man of Bronze returns in three action-packed thrillers by Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson. First, when a man claiming to have found the secret of eternal life is murdered, Doc Savage journeys to Mexico searching for an answer in the remote “Weird Valley”. Then, only the Man of Bronze can provide a beautiful con artist with an antidote for murder in “Let’s Kill Ames”. Finally, a lost city of Incas battles over the strange power of “The Green Master”. This classic pulp reprint, priced at just $14.95, features the original color pulp covers by George Rozen, Modest Stein, and Walter Swenson, plus Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray.

If you’ve been collecting these beautifully reformatted issues as they are released, you’ll want to place your order for these new books right away. And if you’ve never read a pulp novel – well, you’re in for a real treat! Be sure to stop by RadioArchives.com today and check out our pulp fiction section, where you’ll find more of the exciting and engrossing tales of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, the Whisperer, and The Avenger.
The Best Deals are in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest
If you’re a regular visitor to our website at RadioArchives.com, we don’t have to tell you about our Treasure Chest Bonus Deals. They’re right there on our home page, with new ones posted all the time, and they give you the chance to add something very special to each and every one of your orders with us.

But if you’ve never heard about our Treasure Chest, well, it’s high time that you did! You see, when you submit an order for $35.00 or more at RadioArchives.com, you get the chance to add a Treasure Chest Bonus Deal to your order. On the weekends following their release, you’ll find our newest compact disc collection there – and it will be priced at just 99 Cents! During the week, you’ll find other great deals, including pulp fiction reprints, books, DVD sets, and other CD collections containing hours of great sounding radio entertainment. But no matter what day you happen to stop by, you’ll find a great deal waiting for you on the home page of RadioArchives.com.

This week, for example, you’ll want to circle the dates on your calendar to remember to take advantage of these great deals:

* Today through Monday May 23rd, you can get our newest CD set – “The Jimmy Durante Show, Volume 2”, a $14.98 value – for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* On Tuesday May 24th, the Man of Bronze and his Fabulous Five are featured in “Doc Savage Volume 16”, featuring two exciting adventures from pulp fiction’s Golden Age. First, in “The Secret in the Sky”, Doc journeys to Oklahoma to investigate the murder of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. Then, in “The Giggling Ghosts,” a toxic outbreak of uncontrollable hilarity is causing New Jersey residents to literally laugh themselves to death. This beautifully reformatted double-novel reprint, chock full of special features, is normally priced at $12.95 – but you can enjoy these two exciting adventures for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* On Wednesday May 25th, you’ll laugh along with one of radio’s most hilarious and innovative comedy teams in “Matinee with Bob and Ray, Volume 1”, an hilarious ten-CD set featuring 20 rare broadcasts from Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding’s earliest days at radio station WHDH in Boston, Massachusetts. This ten-hour collection of improvisational entertainment, transferred from the original one-of-kind transcriptions and fully restored for impressive audio fidelity, normally sells for $29.98 – but it can be yours for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* In the 1930s, nobody combined high style, romantic comedy, and drama better than Carole Lombard. A talented comedic actress with the face of an angel, Lombard illuminated the silver screen with her sparkling wit and dazzling beauty. Now you have the chance to enjoy six of her most hilarious and heartwarming films in “Carole Lombard – The Glamour Collection”, featuring such top name costars as Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, William Powell, John Barrymore, and Ralph Bellamy. This set, offering two double-sided DVDs, normally sells for $26.98 – but on Thursday, May 26th, it can be yours for Just $3.99 when you place an order of $35.00 or more.

We’re sorry but, at these low prices, multiple orders cannot be combined into single shipments. Each separate order must be placed on the days on which the specials are offered and no early or late orders will be accepted.

Make it a habit to visit RadioArchives.com often and see what’s waiting for you in the Treasure Chest. It’s great way to stretch your entertainment budget and add to your personal library of radio, pulp, and movie favorites.

New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Archie Andrews When we look back at American family life in the late 1930s, many of us view it not through the eyes of reality but, instead, thru the rose colored glasses of popular culture. If you were young yourself at that time, you have a more realistic memory of those years – but, if you’re a baby boomer and beyond, you’re more likely to imagine a typical American home, circa 1940, as being in Carvel where a teenager named Andy Hardy lives: clean, pleasant, prosperous, and where every challenge, crisis, or misadventure is resolved in time for a happy ending – complete with the occasional musical number.

It’s not surprising that we have this rosy vision of the past; after all, every entertainment medium did its best to create and sustain this image. Hollywood gave us a seemingly endless series of Andy Hardy movies, the Broadway stage gave us “What a Life!” which introduced the perpetually teenaged Henry Aldrich, and radio quickly turned Henry and his friend Homer into comedy characters that would endure for over a decade. As the 1940s progressed, the trend continued: perky teenager Corliss Archer came to radio in 1943, as did “A Date with Judy” – both sit-coms featuring a typical teenage girl dealing with her boyfriends, her often baffled parents, and the overwhelming dramas of high school social life. But it wasn’t the stage, screen, or radio that would bring us our most enduring and innocent image of teenaged life; it was, instead, the comics.

In December of 1941, just two weeks after Pearl Harbor, Pep Comics introduced a new character that continues to entertain readers to this very day – and his name is Archie Andrews. From the beginning, Archie was the epitome of the American teenager of the 1940s: dressed in a polka dot bow tie with a letterman’s sweater that proclaimed his loyalty to Riverdale High, he drove a souped-up jalopy, hung out with the perpetually lazy Jughead Jones, and spent most of his time in a lovesick haze. Aside from occasional crushes on movie goddesses, Archie divided his affection between two teenaged beauties: Betty Cooper, a bright and down-to-earth blonde, and Veronica Lodge, a wealthy brunette who loved to toy with Archie’s affections. Hitting just the right mix of familiarity, slapstick comedy, and small-town warmth, Archie and his pals were an instant hit with teen readers – and, in less than a year, the characters had made their way from comic books to a daily newspaper comic strip and to radio.

In its first incarnation, “The Adventures of Archie Andrews” was a daily fifteen-minute radio series, aired over the Blue Network. Ratings were respectable and, after a brief move to a half-hour weekly slot, the five-a-week format returned on Mutual in 1944. But the series really hit its stride in June of 1945, when a largely new cast was introduced and it premiered over NBC in a Saturday morning slot that it would happily occupy for eight years. For the majority of the Saturday morning run, Archie was played by Bob Hastings, a talented young actor who had already made his reputation playing juveniles on dramatic programs. Woman-hating food-loving Jughead was played by Harlan Stone, perky Betty was played by Rosemary Rice, and the honey-voiced Veronica was played by Gloria Mann. If you were looking for subtlety or teenaged angst, you were never going to find it on “The Adventures of Archie Andrews”; in typical sit-com fashion, the plots usually revolved around some simple misunderstanding that quickly turned into bedlam. Aimed straight at a pre-teen audience, the programs were designed to be nothing more than loud, goofy, and fun – and, from the reactions of the studio audience that attended each live broadcast, the show was clearly adored by its listeners.

Priced at just $20.98, “The Adventures of Archie Andrews” offers fourteen original NBC broadcasts, taken from the original network master recordings and fully restored for sparkling audio fidelity. If you’ve enjoyed the other comedy collections released by RadioArchives.com – and especially if Archie and his pals were a big part of your youth – this is a collection you simply won’t want to miss.
Coming Soon: Pulp Audiobooks from Radio Archives

You’ve thrilled to their exciting adventures in print! Now enjoy your favorite pulp stories in a whole new way in a brand new series of audiobooks, coming soon from RadioArchives.com!

For decades, the novels of Doc Savage, The Spider, and other classic heroes have occupied a special place in the hearts of readers everywhere. Now, by special arrangement with the authors, owners, and publishers of these thrill-packed adventures, Radio Archives.com will soon be offering full length unabridged audiobook adaptations of these timeless tales.

The first series of audiobooks, scheduled for release in the late Spring of 2011, will be the Doc Savage novels written by renowned writer Will Murray – starting with his classic adventure story, “Python Isle”. Future series will include the exploits of The Spider, the Master of Men, and Secret Agent “X”, as well as other well-known crimefighters from pulp fiction’s Golden Age. These new audio productions will feature the talents of some of the top voice actors in the country and will be produced and directed by Roger Rittner, who created the “Adventures of Doc Savage” full-cast radio series, now available from RadioArchives.com.

For more information on these exciting new releases, click here: Audiobooks from RadioArchives.com

Be watching for updates on our website and also special features in our weekly newsletters as we begin the “Countdown to Adventure” with pulp audiobooks, coming to you soon from RadioArchives.com!

MOONSTONE MONDAY-WHAT’S COMIN’ IN SEPTEMBER!!!

MOONSTONE SEPT ’11 RELEASES
Moonstone Pulp Fiction Magazine #1
Story: CJ Henderson, Mike Bullock
Art: misc
Cover: Doug Klauba
96pgs, grayscale, 8” x 11.5”, $7.99
A “Return of the Originals” MEGA event!
New comic and prose stories, of classic pulp characters like The Spider, The Black Bat, The Phantom Detective, Secret Agent X, G8, and so many more!
*Plus a special new crime fiction prose story of the Green Hornet only available here!
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Airboy/G8 Limited Edition HC
Story: Chuck Dixon
Art: Ken Hooper
Cover: Tom Grindberg
50pgs, grayscale, 7” x 10”, HC $14.99
ISBN: 978-1-936814-11-4
Join us for this very special “Return of the Originals” event!
A once in a lifetime aerial extravaganza!
Two high-flying ace legends meet for the very first time in a brand new all out adventure by action-master Chuck Dixon!
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Savage Beauty- limited Edition HC
Story: Mike Bullock
Art: Jose Massaroli
Colors: Bob Pedroza
Cover: Paul Gulacy
70pgs, color, 7” x 10”, $29.99
ISBN: 978-1-936814-09-1
Collecting issue #1 and the never-before-published issues #2 and #3!
Ripped from today’s world news comes a re-imagining of the classic jungle girl genre debuting a new hero for the modern age!
Join the Rae sisters, recent UCLA grads, as they travel across modern-day Africa finding their place and making a difference. Guided by the mysterious Mr. Eden, they assume the identity of a mythical goddess and reveal their Savage Beauty.
     Mike (The Phantom) Bullock presents a fresh new spin on the genre, featuring real-world conflicts in Africa and beyond.
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Buckaroo BANZAI #2
Story: Earl Mac Rauch/Paul D. Storrie
Art: David Daza
Colors: Patrick Williams
Covers: Malcolm McClinton, Kyle Henry
32pgs, color, $3.99
Rated: PG-13
The man, the marvel, the human achievement, is back!
From the cult movie starring Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, and Jeff Goldblum!
The creators/film makers are telling NEW stories!
Your favorite neurosurgeon/rock star/adventurer returns, along with his Hong Kong Cavaliers, in: TEARS of a CLONE!…where a Death’s Head tank squad lurks in suburbia, talking bouncer-robots attack, expensive love wants to erupt, and Lectroids run with scissors, and then… shotguns! The world may never be the same.
(————————————————————————-
The Spider: Satan’s Seven Swordsmen GN
Story: Norvell W. Page
Art: Gary Carbon
80pgs, 7” x 10”, grayscale, $9.95
ISBN: 978-1-936814-10-7
A Wide-Vision Graphic Novel!
The Spider—cloaked, fanged nightmare in black— delivers swift justice with a pair of .45 automatics! Set against a world at war, this epic adventure is laced with great over-the-top action foreshadowing James Bond!
The Spider battles the sinister Dr. Fuji and his deadly ring of assassins spearheading a large-scale terror attack on  America! 
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The Spider #3/4
Story: Martin Powell, Gary Phillips
Art: Hannibal King, Jay Piscopo
Cover: Dan Brereton
56pgs, grayscale, $5.99
The never-offered issue #3 and #4 together in one brand new book!
The Spider faces a monstrous flesh-eating evil that attacks invisibly from the
filthy shadows, leaving doomed New York City in a panic-stricken state of
hysteria and gruesome sudden death. None are immune to the plague of the
Creeping Hell, not even Nita Van Sloan, the Spider’s beloved.
PLUS: more Operator5
DOC SAVAGE: Python Isle – Unabridged Audiobook
Written by Will Murray, based on a concept by Lester Dent Narrated by Michael McConnohie Produced and Directed by Roger Rittner Cover Art by Joe DeVito
8 CD’s, $25.98
ISBN: 9781610814010
The greatest pulp fiction hero of the 1930s returns in the first of a new series of audiobooks! Doc Savage, the legendary Man of Bronze, captivated adventure readers of the 1930s and 1940s in his own pulp magazine and in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in the million-selling paperback series for Bantam Books. In 1990, Will Murray, heir apparent to Doc Savage originator Lester Dent, revived the famous Street & Smith superhero in a new series of exploits based on Dent’s unfinished works. Writing as Kenneth Robeson, Murray brought Doc Savage back with “Python Isle”, a dramatic account of a long-lost pioneer flyer who returns to civilization with an exotic woman who speaks a lost tongue. From his towering skyscraper headquarters in New York, through a dangerous Zeppelin journey to Cape Town, climaxing on a serpent-haunted island in the forbidden reaches of the Indian Ocean, Doc and his iron comrades race to untangle a weird puzzle so deep the only clues can be found in the Bible!
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RES: Honey West #5
Story: Elaine Lee
Art: Ronn Sutton
Colors: Ken Wolak
Covers: Marat Mychaels
32pgs, color, $3.99
The ALL NEW adventures of the first female private eye continue!
Join Vertigo’s (“Vamps”) writer Elaine Lee for the conclusion of “Murder on Mars” as Honey goes undercover on the set of the sci-fi film Amazons of Mars to investigate the mysterious death of Zu Zu Varga, queen of the B-movies. It looks like murder, but who had motive? Was it the scheming ingénue, the down-on-his luck director, the jealous agent, or the ageing teen heartthrob? Robots, aliens and murder in 1960s CA!
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RES: KOLCHAK: the Night Stalker Files #3
Story: Chris Mills
Art: Jaime Martinez
Cover: Woodrow Hinton III
32pgs, grayscale, $3.50
New format! Cheaper price!
Deep in the heart of the wild Everglades, a bloodthirsty swamp beast is on
the hunt for human prey. But, when reporter Carl Kolchak sets out with a
U.S. Marshall to find the creature, he learns – the hard way – that not all
monsters are what they seem to be.
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RES: Airboy Presents: AIR VIXENS#1
Written by Mike Bullock
Art: Ben Hansen
Colors by: Bob Pedroza
Cover A : Ben Hansen
Cover B, C :Franchesco!
32pgs,grayscale, $3.50
More story pages than ever before!…new format, cheaper price!
From the pages of Air Fighters comes the first issue of Air Vixens starring Black Angel, Bald Eagle and Valkyrie.
     When Der Furher sent Valkyrie to smuggle secret weapons and intelligence across Europe in a zeppelin, he didn’t expect Black Angel and Bald Eagle to crash the party, and neither did they.
     Tune in for the first issue featuring the high flying femme fatales of the Air Fighters in this oversized, bombastic first issue!

PULP ARK DAY THREE-AS THE CURTAIN FALLS

Sunday, May 15, 2011

After another wonderful gathering for breakfast, the guests and vendors that made PULP ARK such a success convened one final time at The Cinnamon Stick, 151 West Main, Batesville, Arkansas, for the final day of the First Annual Pulp Ark Conference/Convention. 

9-10:00 AM-PULP FACTORY PANEL-Why The Current New Interest in Pulps Moderator – Ron Fortier

RON FORTIER leads the Pulp Factory Panel

PANELISTS
Bobby Nash
Wayne Reinagel
Art Sippo
Ric Croxton

Helmed by Comic Veteran and New Pulp pioneer Ron Fortier, this panel discussed and analyzed just what is behind the current resurgence of Pulp in general as well as interest in New Pulp tales.  Not only was this panel manned by excellent writers, but also by the geniuses behind The Book Cave, considered by many to be the best Pulp Podcast airing today.



 10-11:00 AM-CLASSROOM-All You Ever Wanted to know about Sun Koh!-Art Sippo

ART SIPPO (on right) with his SUN KOH books

Taking on a monumental task, Art Sippo tackled the writing as well as the ‘rehabiliation’ of a Germanic character based on Doc Savage.  This class focused on the controversial history behind Sun Koh as well as steps taken by Sippo to cast the character in a plainer, more favorable light.

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND BULLDOG EDITION 5/6/11

ALL PULP NEWSSTAND
BULLDOG EDITION
5/6/11
RADIO PULP RIDES AGAIN!
From Radio Archives-
The Latest News from RadioArchives.com!

* New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2
* New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider, Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47
* Bargain Deals in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest
* Coming Soon: Pulp Audiobooks from Radio Archives

New in Old Time Radio: The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2 
When we consider the great pulp characters of the past, we tend to think of the top heroes of the 1930s: Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, and the other larger than life figures that captivated our imaginations. But decades before these crimefighters came on the scene, another character was filling the imaginations of millions of avid readers and inspiring them to follow his example.

The late nineteenth century marked the true beginnings of the pulp era, thanks to the introduction of “dime novels” – an inexpensive mix of newspaper and magazine that specialized in attention grabbing stories that always left readers wanting more. Aimed directly at American youth, many of the stories emphasized that, with a combination of pluck, dedication, and clean living, any American boy or girl could rise to any height that they chose – and indeed, become a hero themselves.

In the winter of 1895, a writer named Gilbert Patten created such a character for a new magazine called “Tip Top Library”. His publisher, Street and Smith, had instructed him to give his new hero admirable attributes like good looks, intelligence, good sportsmanship, ethics, and an outgoing personality – and so, based on these standards of excellence, Frank Merriwell was born.

The first Merriwell story appeared the following spring and was an instant success with readers. Thanks to Patten’s exciting, fast-paced writing style, the characters of Frank Merriwell and his friends Bart Hodge and Inza Burridge quickly became an institution; Street and Smith published their adventures for nearly two decades and an enduring literary legend was born.

After World War II, when the stories were largely a nostalgic part of the past, many of Merriwell’s readers retained a lingering fondness for this role model of their youth. Recognizing this, the National Broadcasting Company decided to reintroduce him to a contemporary audience. And so, in the fall of 1946, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell”returned in a half-hour series of weekly radio adventures. Broadcast from New York, the new series starred Lawson Zerbe as Frank, with Hal Studer as his pal Bart Hodge and Elaine Rost as his girlfriend, Inza Burridge. NBC chose to make the series a period piece and, like many of the original stories, the programs were written as mini-mysteries – fast-paced tales in which Frank, Bart, and Inza investigated mysterious happenings, robberies, and underhanded deeds. True to its origins, each program subtly emphasized that success and popularity were best obtained through good sportsmanship, academic study, and athletic achievement. Thus, Merriwell and his cohorts continued to be the sort of positive role models they had been for half a century.

Heard today, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell” may well remind you of the mystery stories of your own youth, reminiscent of characters like the Hardy Boys, the Three Adventurers, or Encyclopedia Brown. Priced at just $20.98, “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2” is a seven-hour CD set from RadioArchives.com that features fourteen exciting and original stories. It’s a collection you’ll want to add to your personal library right away – and be sure to share these wholesome and inspiring tales with your children and grandchildren too!New in Pulp Fiction: The Spider Volume 19, The Shadow Volume 48, and Doc Savage Volume 47

At RadioArchives.com, we love the thrills, chills, and excitement that only a great pulp fiction story can provide. That’s why we’re excited to announce that three brand new reprints featuring the top heroes from the 1930s and 1940s are now available from RadioArchives.com:

Pulp fiction’s legendary Master of Men returns in “The Spider Volume 19”, featuring two classic novels written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in “Slaves of the Dragon”, white slavery is stripping America of its wives, sisters and sweethearts. Richard Wentworth, valiant champion of human rights, knows that an Oriental master criminal is captaining the slavery syndicate and has guessed the unspeakable purpose behind these wholesale abductions. Can the Spider outwit his most formidable foe and save America’s doomed womanhood? Then, in “The Spider and his Hobo Army”, murder and destruction has stupefied the nation. The zero hour has come and the vast and insidious Order of the Double Cross is ready to blast America from the face of the earth. Can The Spider crush the minions of the Double Cross, with only a handful of ragged hobos to aid him? This beautifully reformatted double-novel version of these two pulp classics, priced at just $14.95, features the original cover art and interior illustrations that accompany each story.

Next, in “The Shadow Volume 48”, the Dark Avenger continues the celebration of his 80th anniversary in an extra-length issue that pairs his explosive second adventure with a gripping novel of international intrigue. In “The Eyes of The Shadow”, the Knight of Darkness assumes the identity of Lamont Cranston to investigate a series of baffling serial murders in a groundbreaking novel that introduced the Shadow’s famous alter ego and his enigmatic agent, Burbank. Then, can The Shadow stop “The Money Master” before his financial machinations destroy the global economy? This instant collectors’ item, priced at just $14.95, showcases the classic cover paintings by George Rozen and John A. Coughlin, the original interior illustrations by George H. Wert and Paul Orban, two never-before-published articles by the Shadow’s creator Walter B. Gibson, and historical commentary by Will Murray.

Finally, in “Doc Savage Volume 47”, pulp fiction’s legendary Man of Bronze returns in three action-packed thrillers by Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson. First, when a man claiming to have found the secret of eternal life is murdered, Doc Savage journeys to Mexico searching for an answer in the remote “Weird Valley”. Then, only the Man of Bronze can provide a beautiful con artist with an antidote for murder in “Let’s Kill Ames”. Finally, a lost city of Incas battles over the strange power of “The Green Master”. This classic pulp reprint, priced at just $14.95, features the original color pulp covers by George Rozen, Modest Stein, and Walter Swenson, plus Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray.

If you’ve been collecting these beautifully reformatted issues as they are released, you’ll want to place your order for these new books right away. And if you’ve never read a pulp novel – well, you’re in for a real treat! Be sure to stop by RadioArchives.com today and check out our pulp fiction section, where you’ll find more of the exciting and engrossing tales of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, the Whisperer, and The Avenger.Bargain Deals in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest

Each week in this newsletter, we tell you about the great Treasure Chest deals that are always waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. But here’s something you may not know: every Friday, when we introduce our brand new CD set, we also put that new CD set into the Treasure Chest and offer it to you for Just 99 Cents. Throughout the weekend – all the way from Friday thru the following Monday – you can get this brand new release for less than one dollar when you place an order for $35 or more. What a great chance to get our newest products at bargain prices!

Check out the Treasure Chest bargains coming your way this week at RadioArchives.com – including our just released Frank Merriwell collection!

* Today through Monday May 9th, you can get our newest CD set – “The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2”, a $20.98 value – for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* On Tuesday May 10th, the mighty Man of Bronze is featured in “Doc Savage Volume 4”, featuring two thrilling pulp adventures novels by W. Ryerson Johnson and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson: “Land of Always Night” and “Mad Mesa”. This beautifully reformatted double-novel reprint, chock full of special features, is normally priced at $12.95 – but you can enjoy these two exciting adventures for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* On Wednesday May 11th, the legendary mastermind of evil returns in “The Shadow of Fu Manchu”, an action-packed ten-CD set featuring 45 rare and fully restored broadcasts from 1939 and starring such familiar radio performers as Gale Gordon, Hanley Stafford, Paula Winslowe, Edmond O’Brien, and Frank Nelson. This collection of exciting entertainment normally sells for $29.98 – but it can be yours for Just 99 Cents when you submit an order of $35.00 or more.

* On Thursday May 12th, when you submit an order of $35.00 or more, you can get “John Wayne: The Screen Legends Collection”, a 3-DVD set featuring five of the Duke’s best films, including “Reap the Wild Wind” with Ray Milland, “The Spoilers” with Marlene Dietrich, “The War Wagon” with Kirk Douglas, “Hellfighters” with Vera Miles, and  “Rooster Cogburn” with Katherine Hepburn. This impressive collection normally sells for $26.98 – but, thanks to the Treasure Chest at RadioArchives.com, it can be yours for Just $3.99 – that’s only seventy nine cents for each movie!

We’re sorry but, at these low prices, multiple orders cannot be combined into single shipments. Each separate order must be placed on the days on which the specials are offered and no early or late orders will be accepted.

Make it a habit to stop by RadioArchives.com often and see what’s waiting for you in the Treasure Chest. It’s a great way to save money and bring some delightful entertainment into your home. And don’t forget that the Treasure Chest deals at RadioArchives.com make great gifts to give to your friends and family – and we promise to never tell them how little you paid for them!

Coming Soon: Pulp Audiobooks from Radio Archives

When you think of the exciting adventures of Doc Savage, you think of the best selling double-novel reprints offered by RadioArchives.com. But soon, you’ll be able to enjoy the action-packed tales of The Man of Bronze and many of his Golden Age counterparts in a whole new way.

This June, RadioArchives.com will introduce a brand new series of audiobooks featuring Doc Savage, The Spider, and the other classic heroes of pulp fiction. By special arrangement with the authors, owners, and publishers of these thrill-packed adventures, these full length and unabridged  audiobook adaptations will soon be available in compact disc collections, produced in digital stereo and featuring narration by many of the top names in the audiobook field.

The first series of audiobooks will be the Doc Savage novels written by renowned writer Will Murray – starting with his classic adventure story, “Python Isle”. These new audio productions are being produced and directed by Roger Rittner, who created the “Adventures of Doc Savage” full-cast radio series, now available from RadioArchives.com. All of these exciting and collectable audio editions will feature cover art by Joe DeVito, as well as a wide variety of special features.

For more information on these exciting new releases, click here: Audiobooks from RadioArchives.com

Be watching for updates on our website and also special features in our weekly newsletters as we begin the “Countdown to Adventure” with pulp audiobooks, coming to you soon from RadioArchives.com!

Reviews from the 86th Floor: Barry Reese reviews Gideon’s Sword

Reviews from the 86th Floor: Barry Reese reviews Gideon’s Sword

  • News
  • April 21, 2011

Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
9780446564328

Preston & Child are the authors of the much-loved Special Agent Pendergast series, the most recent of which (FEVER DREAM) introduced several layers to the series that further cement it as one of the best New Pulps out there. Pendergast is the Shadow, Doc Savage and The Spider, all rounded into one. It’s a tremendous tour-de-force and is highly recommended by this reviewer.

GIDEON’S SWORD is a new series, introducing Gideon Crew, who witnessed his father die in a suspicious manner. Gideon grew up believing his father was a traitor to his country and mentally unbalanced… but the truth is that his father was the fall-guy in a government conspiracy. Armed with this knowledge, Gideon sets out to get revenge — he does so (surprisingly easily) and is then recruited into a shadowy organization (one that was featured in other Preston & Child books, most notably ICE LIMIT). Gideon is also informed that he’s dying and has less than a year to live. He elects to live his life to the fullest and along the way has romantic relationships with both a prostitute with a heart of gold and a lovely CIA agent.

This felt like two books — the story of Gideon’s hunt for his father’s killer and then the story of his becoming a secret agent. The first part was simply awful and almost prompted me to give up on the book. It was trite, silly and at times, just stupid. The way people just gave up sensitive information or engaged in info-dumps for the benefit of the reader was very frustrating. Thankfully, once Gideon is recruited for his later work, things do improve, though they never come close to approaching the quality of every other Preston & Child book that I’ve read. As much as I enjoyed the character of Orchid, how many hookers-with-a-heart-of-gold have we seen in fiction? And while Gideon’s master-of-disguise talents appeal to the pulp lover in me, I didn’t get a clear indication of how Gideon mastered these skills and thus it felt convenient to me. The entire story was utterly predictable, which is not something I would usually say about these authors. Until this book, I would say that their worst work was still better than most authors’ best… but this was a disappointment, from page one.

There are enough signs of hope here that makes me think they could still salvage the series (the authors say they’ve already sold the film rights to (shudder) Michael Bay) but to be honest, I’d prefer to simply pretend this book didn’t happen and go back to enjoying the Pendergast books and the various one-offs that the authors have done (like the excellent ICE LIMIT or RIPTIDE).

I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

MOONSTONE MONDAY-RADIO ARCHIVE ANNOUNCES PULP AUDIOBOOK SERIES

  • News
  • April 18, 2011

NEW AUDIO PRODUCTION DIVISION WILL DO DOC SAVAGE, THE SPIDER, SECRET AGENT “X”

Spokane, Wash., April 15, 2011-Radio Archives today announced a new series of audiobooks, based on favorite pulp novels of the 1930s and 1940s.  The audiobooks will begin Radio Archives’ new line of original audio productions based on classic pulp fiction.

The first series of audiobooks will be the seven Doc Savage novels penned by pulp author and Doc Savage authority Will Murray.  Future series will include the exploits of pulp heroes The Spider and Secret Agent “X“, as well as other pulp fiction properties.  The new audio productions will utilize the talents of some of the top voice actors and recording talents in the United States.  The first audiobook release is scheduled for June 2011.

“We’re thrilled to have Will Murray’s excellent Doc Savage novels as the lead-off offerings in this exciting new series,” said Harlan Zinck, president of Radio Archives.  “The audiobooks and other new audio productions will nicely complement our classic radio and pulp reprint offerings.”

Murray’s Doc Savage stories were published in the 1990’s and were the first new Doc Savage stories in more than 40 years.  “Creating audiobooks of these extensions of the Doc Savage canon brings a new dimension to this classic pulp character,” Murray said.

The new audiobook line, which will be released in digital stereo, will be produced and directed by audio producer Roger Rittner, who created The Adventures of Doc Savage full-cast radio series in 1985, available in a deluxe CD set from Radio Archives.  “I’m delighted to be able to bring the superb quality of Radio Archives productions to these exciting stories,” said Rittner, who has a 30-year history of both recorded and live classic radio and audio productions.

Radio Archives is a manufacturer and distributor of fully restored old time radio programs and pulp fiction reprints.

Moonstone Entertainment, Inc. is a venue to purchase the current Doc Savage collection as well as other Doc Savage related material at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/!

THIS WEEK ON THE BOOK CAVE-DOC SAVAGE WITH A TWIST!

THIS WEEK ON THE BOOK CAVE-DOC SAVAGE WITH A TWIST!

  • News
  • March 17, 2011

THIS WEEK ON THE BOOK CAVE, ALL PULP’S OFFICIAL PODCAST!!

http://www.thebookcave.libsyn.com/

The Book Cave Episode 118: Mark Eidemiller
Mark Eidemiller is this week’s guest, writer of a take on Doc Savage from a Christian perspective

Adrienne Roy, 57 (1953-2010)

Adrienne Roy, 57 (1953-2010)

  • News
  • December 17, 2010

Adrienne Roy, whose colorful storytelling was a fixture throughout two decades of Batman and other best-selling DC comic books, lost a year-long battle with cancer on December 14th.

The premier DC Comics colorist during the “Bronze Age of Comics” provided dramatic coloring and storytelling for nearly all of the company’s top titles, but is best remembered for her 15-year, 189-issue run on Batman, her 16-year, 202-issue run on the company’s flagship Detective Comics, and a 14-year tenure on The New Teen Titans, plus many years coloring other Bat-titles including Brave and the Bold, Robin, Batman and the Outsiders, Gotham Knights and Shadow of the Bat.

Though her initial Bat assignments were for legendary editor Julius Schwartz, she was recruited to color the entire Batman line by editor (later DC president) Paul Levitz, who explains, “Adrienne combined the ability of a set designer to create beauty with the ability of a lighting designer to create drama and storytelling focus, and wrapped it in a sweet professionalism. No wonder we editors chose her again and again, keeping her on favorite titles like Batman literally for decades.”

Adrienne Roy’s coloring enhanced the artwork of comicdom’s top artists, from Golden and Silver Age legends like Jack Kirby, Irv Novick, Gene Colan and Superman’s Curt Swan to modern greats like George Peréz, Jim Aparo, Don Newton, Keith Giffen and Todd McFarlane.

The Verona, NJ native was a veteran of science fiction, comics, Star Trek and horror film conventions, and was one of the first female comics fans to break into the ranks of New York comics professionals. After marrying and moving to Manhattan, she briefly assisted her husband, DC Comics staffer Anthony Tollin, on his own freelance work before being recruited for solo assignments by vice president/production manager Jack Adler, who recognized by her third story that she would soon be “DC’s best colorist.” Under the tutelage of Adler and DC president Sol Harrison, Roy quickly moved into the ranks of DC’s top freelancers, with continuing assignments on a variety of titles including Superman, Green Lantern, All-Star Comics (featuring the Justice Society), G.I. Combat, House of Mystery and Batman Family. She was also the regular colorist on DC’s World’s Greatest Super-Heroes and Batman syndicated newspaper strips.

“For more than a decade, it seemed like Adrienne Roy was coloring virtually every DC comic,” recalls inker and comics historian Jim Amash, “but in truth she was only coloring most of the top sellers, the titles that everyone was reading!” Adrienne was the only DC freelancer with her own desk in the company’s Manhattan offices, and was the first colorist signed by DC to exclusive, multi-year employment contracts.

(more…)

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