The National Capital Panthans, founded in September 1996, are the Washington D.C., Baltimore, Annapolis and Northern Virginia area Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles. Meetings are generally held on the firs…t Sunday of the month and are hosted by various members in their homes.
There are approximately 50 members from around the United States and one each from England, Canada and Germany. The Panthans hosted the 1998 Burroughs Bibliophiles Dum-Dum, the 1999 and 2003 ECOF Gatherings, and will again host the 2006 ECOF in Rockville, MD. Generally so many members go to ERB fan conventions hosted by others that the Panthans can be counted on to assist with registration. The Panthans have published a book, entitled “ERB – The Second Century,” which includes fan-produced fiction, scholarly deductions and many great illustrations!
To become a member and receive a monthly newsletter informing you about Panthans activities send your annual subscription fee of US $15.00 to:
John Tyner, Treasurer 5911 Halpine Road Rockville, Maryland 20851-2410
Based on the Novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs Adaptation by Roger Langridge Art by Filipe Andrade Cover by Skottie Young The comic-book adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ tale continues! See John Carter meet the beautiful but deadly Princess Dejah Thoris! Watch him make a dangerous enemy! And discover the fate of those who dare to cross the Martians, when Carter takes the life of a Thark warrior! The world of Barsoom continues to unfold in this brand new interpretation of a great classic. 32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99
JOHN CARTER of Mars: world of mars #1 (of 5)Based on the Novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs Written by PETER DAVID Art by LUKE ROSS Cover by ESAD RIBIC If you thought all the action on Mars began with the arrival of John Carter—are you in for a shock! John Carter: World of Mars is the official prequel to the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures blockbuster film releasing March 2012 and reveals the shocking events that transpire before the hotly anticipated motion picture! Plus it features some of the greatest characters ever conceived by Edgar Rice Burroughs, including Princess Dejah Thoris, the valiant, four-armed Tars Tarkas, John Carter and Burroughs himself! Dejah Thoris has yet to meet the love of her life, but she has her hands full with the malicious Sab Than, would-be ruler of Zodanga, who sees kidnapping the princess of Mars as a short-cut to winning the thousand year war between his people and her city of Helium. Meanwhile Tars Tarkas is not yet the leader of his people, but instead an unambitious warrior who is caught between the desires of the female he loves and his best friend who needs Tars’s help to become Jeddak of the Tharks…assuming that his ambitions don’t kill them all. It’s a compelling tale of romance, court intrigue and an unending war on a distant world. Take an unforgettable journey to Barsoom. It’s a trip you can’t afford to miss! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
DOROTHY & THE WIZARD IN OZ #2 (Of 8)Written by ERIC SHANOWER Art & Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG The Wizard of Oz is back and the Mangaboos have him! These deadly vegetable people also have Dorothy, her cousin Zeb, their horse Jim and kitten Eureka. To save their lives, the humbug Wizard must win a contest of magic against a real Sorcerer—using only his wits and nine tiny piglets. The beloved Oz adaptation continues with the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award winning team-up of Eric Shanower and Skottie Young. 32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99
BLACK PANTHER: THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN ALIVE #524Written by DAVID LISS Pencils & Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA SPIDER-ISLAND TIE-IN! First it was American Panther, now it’s…Six-Armed Panther? The arachnid infection griping Manhattan hits T’Challa, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop trying to protect Hell’s Kitchen! And when Overdrive breaks into the quarantine zone, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Panther swings into a deadly race across the streets of New York City. What has the Spidey villain stolen that’s worth smashing through a hero-protected border, and why is the lethal Lady Bullseye trying to keep him from getting back out? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
AVENGERS 1959 #1 & #2 (Of 5)Written and Penciled by HOWARD CHAYKIN Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN EXPLODING FROM THE PAGES OF NEW AVENGERS… It’s the tail end of the fabulous fifties. NICK FURY and his AVENGERS roar into their secret mission, hunting down NAZI SUPER VILLAINS…men and women relentlessly preparing to unleash hell on a troubled world barely holding onto peace…only to find the Avengers have what appears to be serious competition in their manhunt for these escaped ubermenschen…when their mission is suddenly compromised by interference from an unlikely source. 32 PGS. (each)/Rated T+ …$2.99 (each)
CAPTAIN AMERICA #4Written by Ed Brubaker Pencils & Cover by Steve McNiven Fantastic Four Anniversary Variant by MARKO DJURDJEVIC Brubaker and McNiven continue their heart-stopping run on Cap with a nightmarish trip down memory lane – and that’s bad news when your memory lane goes right through World War 2! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
RED SKULL #4 (of 5)Written by GREG PAK Art by MIRKO COLAK Cover by DAVID AJA The life of Johann Schmidt has been a tragic, tortuous road. As his destiny and doom drag the future Red Skull to his inevitable crossroads, Johann plots a shocking assassination…one that could change the course of history… By the acclaimed writer of MAGNETO: TESTAMENT, Greg Pak, and the breakout SECRET WARRIORS artist, Mirko Colak 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #623Written by ED BRUBAKER & MARC ANDREYKO Penciled by CHRIS SAMNEE Cover by ED McGUINNESS Behind enemy lines! Bucky and Cap have faced the horrors of war on many fronts, but this issue, they go further into the depths of evil than our young heroes realized possible. And what is the secret that connects the Cap and Bucky series to the modern day stories – the clues begin to add up this issue, as Brubaker, Andreyko, and Samnee keep the pedal to the medal. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
THE PUNISHER #4Written by GREG RUCKA Penciled by MARCO CHECCHETTO Cover by BRYAN HITCH MORE PAIN. MORE GAIN. Last month, the Punisher fell. Hard. Now Frank Castle is a man brutally and violently broken and barely grasping onto life. And for Frank Castle… it means he’s more dangerous than ever. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
KA-ZAR #5 (Of 5)Written by PAUL JENKINS Pencils & Cover by PASCAL ALIXE The Pangean people confront their utmost limits as the calamity in the Savage Lands hits its critical apex. Corporate oil has seeped throughout the jungle and children perish from foreign remedies. Now two battles erupt that will ultimately decide the fate of Pangea. One man stands alone in the austere chambers of the United Nations, while one nation must finally rise against the threat from within. Amidst the bloodshed, can Ka-Zar protect the integrity of the land and people he swore to? Or will exploitation and internal strife ensure the destruction of his beloved home? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
LEGION OF MONSTERS #1 (Of 4)Written by DENNIS HOPELESS Art & Cover by JUAN DOE A monster adventure to scream over! Elsa Bloodstone hates monsters – and when the trail of a mysterious serial killer leads to their underground city, Elsa’s ready to kick some horrific butt. Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, the Living Mummy and the slithery Manphibian have news for her, though; the monsters are innocent, and the real killer is out there…a creature so terrifying and vicious that even monsters are scared to death! Elsa Bloodstone and the Legion of Monsters are on the case! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
PUNISHERMAX #18Written by JASON AARON Penciled by STEVE DILLON Cover by DAVE JOHNSON The Punisher is at his lowest point. Homeless, penniless, gun-less. But none of this changes the fact that he’s got his sights aimed squarely on the most powerful man in the country: the Kingpin of Crime. Fearing for his life and paranoid, the Kingpin brings in a new bodyguard, the best money can buy: a hard-as-nails woman going by the name of Elektra. 32 PGS./Explicit Content …$3.99
PUNISHERMAX: FRANK PREMIERE HCWritten by JASON AARON Penciled by STEVE DILLON Cover by DAVE JOHNSON His final confrontation with Bullseye left Frank Castle wounded and reeling in more ways than one. Now confined to a prison hospital bed, Frank must begin the long painful process of healing — not just his broken body, but also his horribly scarred soul. To do that, he’ll have to face the darkest secret of his past — one he’d hoped would stay buried forever. Collecting PUNISHERMAX (2010) #12-16. 120 PGS./Explicit Content …$19.99 ISBN: 978-0-7851-5208-8 Trim size: standard
Michael Hudson posted some artwork by artist Will Meugiot for the upcoming Sequential Pulp Comics graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Caspak: The Land That Time Forgot, written by New Pulp Author Martin Powell, on the Sequential Pulp Blog. You can see the entire article at http://sequentialpulpcomics.blogspot.com/.
On his blog, New Pulp Writer Martin Powell offers a sneal peek at Tom Floyd’s atmospheric in-progress piece for their graphic novel called Number 13, based on Edgar Rice Burrough’s The Monster Men. This authorized edition, licensed by ERB, Inc., will be published by Sequential Pulp and Dark Horse Comics.
PULP CLASSIC- Reviews by Joshua Pantalleresco TARZAN OF THE APES by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Ask me to pick my all time Edgar Rice Burroughs creation, and I think most people would say John Carter. To me, however, Tarzan was Burroughs at his most refined.There is a level of sophistication in Tarzan that is unsurpassed with any other of Burroughs’ characters.In fact, I’ll go so far to say that Tarzan of The Apes is probably Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most complex book in terms of character development, as the Tarzan that starts the novel is not the Tarzan that finishes it.Part origin, part coming of age and part adventure, I’m amazed with just how layered Tarzan really was, and it makes me realize just why this character is still so popular to this day.
Tarzan of the Apes begins with his parents arriving in to the harsh unforgiving jungle.Alice and Clayton battle the jungle valiantly, yet ultimately succumb to the harsh terrain, leaving baby Tarzan alone in the jungle, where he is eventually adopted by apes.The first half of the book is about Tarzan growing up in this environment.This stuff is among my favorite writing of Burroughs period.From covering the harsh realities of the jungle, to Tarzan discovering how to use tools, Burroughs does a great job separating Tarzan from a conventional savage and was able to show that Tarzan had a lot of cunning, reason and a little bit of a sense of humor.
One of my favorite scenes is Tarzan discovering his parent’s house and discovering the books in the library.The fact that he spends his time learning how to read astounded me when I first read it as a kid and still astounds me now.The thing I tend to hate with Tarzan in most of the television shows is that they make him out to be an above average ape man and nothing more.I can’t think of anything cooler than the fact that he used a children’s book to teach himself how to read in English.That’s an incredible feat and I’ve always thought that always having him be the simple ape man he is in most movies and television shows takes away a real important aspect of his character – his desire to become more than he is.
This facet of him is presented best when Jane enters the story.He sees her and feels an instant attraction.He starts communicating with her with the English he learns through letters.He is sprung into action when one of his local enemies captures Jane, which leads to Tarzan rescuing her.When he attempts to woo her with a very simplistic approach and is rebuked, he takes the first steps into becoming the gentleman English lord he is descended from.When she leaves, Tarzan seeks her out, learning more how to communicate, act like a man, and all the while making some acute observations about the ways of men he doesn’t approve of.
In the end, he saves Jane from a marriage that would have made her miserable, yet doesn’t walk away with the girl.All in all, it left me wanting more, just like it did when I first picked up the book years ago.Tarzan is everything you want in a great story.Despite the savage setting, there is something we can all relate to in Tarzan in this first book.It’s one of my favorites.I can’t recommend it enough.It’s a solid five out of five stars.
Not being an historian I’m not sure if Edgar Rice Burroughs created the Planetary Romance genre.But I am certain that he refined it into something so unique and special that all anybody has to do is say “John Carter” or “Dejah Thoris” or “Barsoom” and most everybody even remotely acquainted with Pulp will know what you’re talking about.Planetary Romance or Sword and Planet as some like to call it is a wildly popular genre in its own right.Burroughs having struck great success with his Mars books pulled off the same trick with his Carson of Venus books.In the 1980’s I discovered other books/series in the genre written by Lin Carter, Michael Moorcock, Alan Burke Akers and even…sigh, the “Gor” books written by John Norman.
Suffice it to say without going into detail that some of them I enjoyed and others I shook my head in downright disbelief that they ever got published.I can happily say that DIRE PLANET by Joel Jenkins is one that I’m glad got published as it’s a wonderful example of what New Pulp is about.Joel embraces the conventions of Burroughsian Planetary Romance but it does it with a modern day eye.As a result it’s a book that at once feels familiar and fresh.Just when you think you know which way the plot is going to go, Joel manages to find another fork in the road that takes you someplace else.
The Earthman taken from his native world to the planet Mars this time around is Garvey Dire and he doesn’t get there by mystical means.He gets there by spaceship, the NASA Mars Orbiter.Garvey Dire’s mission is not just one of exploration and discovery.His mission is one of vital importance to the continued security and safety of The United States.China wants to establish their own base on Mars.And so the race is on.
It’s a race that ends in disaster when Garvey’s ship crash lands on Mars.With his leg broken, losing air and blood, it seems as if Garvey’s story is over.But that all changes when he sees the image of a gorgeous green skinned swordswoman in armor. And it’s because of that image his life is saved as he’s transported 50,000 years back into the past and to a Mars unlike any he’s ever dreamed of.
It’s all here; flashing swords against ancient super science.Hideous beasts and their even more hideous masters.Noble warriors battling against grotesque humanoid creatures of astounding cruelty.Captures.Chases.Escapes.Fates worse than death.And romance.Garvey Dire finds it all on ancient Mars.
But what really makes DIRE PLANET a cut above other Burroughs inspired Sword and Planet stories is the political element.Once Garvey gets hurtled back to ancient Mars, Joel doesn’t forget the U.S./China conflict and indeed, the way he cuts back and forth between the two time periods is in true Burroughs tradition as he was expert at juggling two sets of characters, leaving one set in a nail-biting cliffhanger at the end of a chapter then bouncing over to the other set of characters for a chapter then leaving them in a inescapable trap then going back and-
Well, you get the idea.It’s a good technique that never failed to work for Burroughs because it’s a surefire way of keeping the story going.Joel even manages to resolve the conflicts in both time periods in a manner that while it’s clever it also involved just a little too much bouncing back and forth through time for my taste.Not that I’m opposed to time travel, mind you.But I think that Joel figured that the only way out was to pinball various characters back and forth between the two time periods.It’s a little bit dizzying but hey, if you’ve hung on with Garvey Dire all that way, you’re going to go on to the end and you won’t be disappointed.
I can’t finish this review without mentioning two of my favorite bits in the book; Number one is the revelation of who The President of The United States. And number two is that Joel apparently is psychic because he predicted one of the most popular devices in use today way back in 2005 when this book was first published.
So should you read DIRE PLANET?You certainly should.If you’ve never read anything by Joel Jenkins this is the perfect place to start.Joel has been writing what we’re now calling New Pulp as long as I’ve known him and we’re talking roughly around 15 years.And in all that time he’s built up quite the respectable amount of work.DIRE PLANET is one of his best.
For more information about Joel Jenkins please visit:
After years of seeming neglect, now everyone seems to be jumping on the John Carter bandwagon. No, not the Noah Wylie character from ER, but Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic hero. A Civil War vet suddenly finds himself on a strange new world, with powers and abilities that make him far above your normal human. The Mars novels are great pulp fiction and have longed to be revived for a new generation and that time appears to be today.
Not only is Dynamic Forces producing comics material based on the novels, but now Marvel Comics is jumping onto the bandwagon with a series of authorized comics based on the parent comapny’s 2012 spring release, John Carter. Directed by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton, the trailer was released to universal acclaim.
Now comes word of the October arrival of John Carter: World of Mars, a prequel miniseries from Peter David with interior art by Luke Ross and covers by Esad Ribic.
According to a press release, John Carter: World of Mars #1 reveals the shocking events that transpire before the motion-picture story begins by showing fans just how John Carter, Princess Dejah Thoris and Tars Tarkas are set on the path that would bring them all together. Amidst this brutal thousand-year war, find out what decisions were made that let events escalate this far—and why.
“We’re thrilled to bring fans their first look at the world of John Carter before the blockbuster film wows audiences next year,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor In Chief. “It’s been a pleasure working with Disney, Peter and Luke to craft a powerful story that will appeal to both the legions of John Carter fans and those who are new to this exciting world.”
Stanton adds, “I am really thrilled to be collaborating with Disney & Marvel on this project and look forward to audiences exploring the world of John Carter via this exciting comic offering. I have wanted to see this property on the big screen since I was a young boy and hope that John Carter: World of Mars will excite and inspire fans of the series much like I was inspired many years ago.”
The miniseries debuts in October with a trade collection expected in time for the March 9, 2012 feature film release.
Growing up, there was nothing more captivating than Frank Frazetta’s amazing cover paintings for the Science Fiction Book Club editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter series of novels set on Barsoom, er, Mars.
While there have been many abortive attempts at adapting John Carter as a cartoon or live-action film, we’re finally getting one with a strong pedigree. Pixar’s first live-action film, directed by Andrew Stanton, is shaping up to be 2012’s first blockbuster. Opening March 9, it leads a super-heroic slate of films and now the first trailer for the feature is available.
From a screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon the movie stars Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, with Thomas Haden Church and Willem Dafoe.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, here’s the studio’s official synopsis: The studio goes on to note: From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
Notes:
Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in Chicago and is best known for writing and creating Tarzan—still one of the most successful and iconic fictional creations of all time. John Carter is based on Burroughs’ first novel, A Princess of Mars.
Academy Award®–winning director/writer Andrew Stanton directed and co-wrote the screenplay for WALL•E, which earned the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award® for Best Animated Feature of 2008. He was Oscar® nominated for the screenplay. He made his directorial debut with Finding Nemo, garnering an Academy Awardnomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003. He was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar nomination in 1996 for his contribution to Toy Story, and went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on subsequent Pixar films A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and WALL•E.
The award-winning below-the-line team includes Production Designer Nathan Crowley, Oscar®- nominated for both Dark Knight and The Prestige, and Costume Designer Mayes Rubeo, whose work is showcased in Avatar and Apocalypto.
Michael Chabon, who won the Pulitzer Prize in Literature for his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is a co-writer on the screenplay.
Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino has received numerous accolades for his work on previous Disney•Pixar films Up (Oscar® winner, Best Original Score; BAFTA winner, Best Music; Golden Globe® winner, Best Original Score for a Motion Picture; GRAMMY® Award winner, Best Score Soundtrack Album), Ratatouille (GRAMMY Award winner, Best Score Soundtrack Album; Annie Award winner, Best Music in an Animated Feature Production; Oscarnomination, Best Original Score) and The Incredibles (Annie Award winner, Best Music in an Animated Feature Production; GRAMMY nomination, Best Score Soundtrack Album).
Long on the list of Pulp classics fans have been waiting to get a proper treatment from Hollywood, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic tale of a soldier from Earth transported to a savage Mars populated with warring tribes and exotic creatures may actually be getting the due it deserves. Follow the link below to the first trailer from Disney’s upcoming JOHN CARTER!
