A couple of weeks ago Paul Smith asked rather or not Milestone would be better off away from DC.
Last week I addressed his question—but must now admit I did so in a drugged out haze. The drugs (some legal) affected my thought process and I’m afraid what I wrote was a result of such.
Either way here’s the non-drugged (much) and/or non-gag answer.
Paul, every partner in any partnership be it personal or professional will at some time or from time to time ask if they would be better off with someone else. Its human nature at it’s most pure.
I’ve asked that question, many times.
Regardless if business or personal relationship after I ask that, I ask the following, what’s my goal?
Paul Smith asked one question last week that would have been answered an entirely different way if not for a call where it was made clear that the only way Milestone will get any damn respect is the way I’ve gotten respect all my damn life.
Loudly.
What I’m about to say is my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of Denys Cowan and Derek Dingle both of which told me to calm down and ‘not do anything stupid.’
Paul, you my friend are about to become a very real part of Milestone history. It’s doubtful that after this that history will include me but just think what a story you will have to tell.
Paul, you wanted to know if I thought Milestone would be better off away from DC?
Yesterday morning the answer was no.
Yesterday late morning the answer was oh, HELL YEAH.
There’s a new editor at DC. She’s a woman and a person of color she has been given an editorial position which includes overseeing future Milestone projects.
How is that anything but great for Milestone?
I’ll tell you why: because she’s about as knowledgeable of the Dakota Universe as the Pope is about who killed Tupac and Biggie.
From the very little I could understand she headed up a pretty successful comic book company in India and was been hand picked by Jim Lee to head DC’s new diversity push.
The new head of diversity at DC had no idea Static was Black.
Really.
But wait—there’s more!
The new head of diversity and DC’s new Milestone point person is spearheading the Milestone Audio Books being announced at this year’s Comic Con.
Oh…damn.
Did I let that tightly guarded little secret slip?
My bad.
I’m overreacting right? So what if she did not know anything about the Milestone universe? Who cares if she didn’t know Static was Black? She could learn all those things right?
She could and very well will. However there’s another and bigger reason I’m FURIOUS!
It’s impossible to understand her!
She has the thickest accent known to man; of this I’m positive. She sounds like a freakin’ customer service rep from the lowest bidding company in the history of India an American company ever outsourced to.
“What?”
“Hun?”
“Say Again?”
That was the extent of most of the Milestone side of the conversation. I swear at any moment I just knew she was going to ask me for an account number—and who knows, she may have.
I’m sure this is a knee jerk response to Marvel’s recent success with diversity. Marvel’s timing on the Black Avengers, Black Spiderman and Muslim Ms. Marvel seemed perfect. Perhaps DC thought they were running out of time to make a big diversity splash and couldn’t wait until Comic Con when the series will be announced.
Sometime timing isn’t everything. I wrote an entire damn article apologizing for missing my ComicMix Tuesday deadlines and yes I’m well aware its freakin’ Wednesday but you can still understand what you’re reading, can you not?
The head of diversity at DC Comics should not have to be told Static is Black. Anyone charged with a product where SOUND is the single most important element MUST be heard loudly and clearly.
Hey, 2013! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. Aside from my personal losses, I thought it was a pretty good year for comics. Not so much in terms of quality (we all have our own opinions and tastes, and often, it takes time to recognize the great books), but in terms of variety. It’s been a great year for people who like to read graphic stories about all kinds of different subjects, told in all kinds of different styles.
And it’s been a great year for the industry.
This is the year that the industry reached critical mass in terms of the participation of women. Yeah, the executive positions are still held overwhelmingly by men, and that has to change. Yeah, most of the mainstream books, and even most of the books from the so-called indie press, are written and drawn by men.
That said, the proportions are changing. There is more work by women out there. More important, there are more women in the audience, looking for (and buying) books that speak to them. At some of the conventions I attended this year, it seemed as if at least half the people who walked by the ComicMix booth were female.
These women weren’t necessarily at the show because their boyfriends / husbands / brothers / fathers were fans. More often, they were fans themselves, dragging along the significant men in their lives. They loved comics (or animation, or cosplay or steampunk or fantasy) for the same reasons as all fans – because we love the creativity and imagination of the media.
Duh!
This is a huge change from the first conventions I worked nearly 25 years ago, when a woman (the wife of a prominent writer) told me that a man had once followed her into the ladies room and crawled under the stall because he didn’t believe a woman was at the show. However, there is still an attitude present that if a woman is at a comic book convention (or office), she is there for the amusement or education of the men who belong there.
Which is why this happens. If you read the link, you’ll see it is the first-person account of a woman who was sexually harassed while participating in a panel at a comics convention. The offending party was identified as writer Scott Lobdell.
I’ve been to a lot of conventions, of all kinds. Besides comics, I’ve been to book conventions, library conventions, licensing shows and shopping center conventions. Even at the latter, which had more than its share of booth babes, I’ve never seen that kind of unprofessional disrespect in a public setting as part of the convention programming.
Here’s my horrible comic convention story. It’s about 20 years old, from the time I was working at DC. We were at a show, and one of the marketing guys was entertaining a group of people, all men, with his stories. The people were freelancers, editorial staff, maybe a retailer or two. As I walked past, he made some remark about my body, which tied into the story he had just told. I stopped (because I heard my name mentioned) and gave him a look. The look. Everyone who had been listening to him walked away sheepishly.
Now we have the Internet, which works even better. Scott Lobdell isn’t someone I know. We may have met, but not in any kind of memorable setting. He never particularly offended me until he ruined Starfire, but I didn’t particularly think he was more of a stupid rube than anyone else in the business. He still might not be.
Here’s what’s different: We’re talking about it. We use the Internet to share our experiences and gather our strength. We inspire our allies (such as Mark Waid, in the comments on the ComicsBeat link) to stand with us.
With luck, we also change the Lobdells of the world. Look, I’ve said some stupid crap in my time. I’ve tried to make a joke and hurt someone’s feelings in the process. I’ve been unaware of my position of privilege and spoken in an insensitive manner. What’s different is that I’ve learned from the process (I hope). I don’t say, “I’m sorry if you were offended.” I say, “I’m sorry I offended you. I spoke poorly and thoughtlessly. I did not express myself well.” That way, the mistake is clearly mine. In the best case, I learn how another people hears my words and how they think. It’s not only good politics, but it’s an aid for good writing.
It is my sense that there are parallel stories and alliances going on within other fan communities, including those for people of color, the LGBTQ community, and more. I hope their stories get told in a way that I get to hear them.
It seems like every day I read about another editorial cartoonist losing his job, and that’s a real shame.
Editorial cartoons are one-panel comics that told an entire story that commented on the news of the day. It wasn’t long ago that this stuff was run on the front page of many, if not most, great American newspapers. Everybody had one on staff – except the Metropolis Daily Planet, which, oddly, didn’t seem to hire many cartoonists. Most newspapers also deployed syndicated editorial cartoons as well. Many weekly newsmagazines reprinted them, and The Week still does.
There were brilliant editorial cartoonists. And by “brilliant,” I mean text-book phenomenal. My favorite was Bill Mauldin; other greats include Ron Cobb, Paul
Conrad, John Fischetti, Herblock, Thomas Nast, Carey Orr, John T. McCutcheon (there’s a rest stop on the Indiana Toll Way named after him) and Theodor Geisel. Yep, that’s Doctor Suess. There are brilliant cartoonist out there today, although they’re a bit harder to find. These include Steve Brodner, Mike Luckovich, Pat Oliphant, Mike Peters, Ted Rall, and Tom Toles.
Just to name a few. If you’re unfamiliar with either the concept of editorial cartoons or of any of these great people, go Google around. You’ll be glad you did.
What confuses me is that this is simply another part of newspapers divesting themselves of that which makes newspapers unique, in the name of “being contemporary” and in the cause of losing less money. That’s throwing out the baby and drinking the bathwater.
The Chicago Sun-Times recently fired all its staff photographers and gave iPhones to its remaining street reporters. Newspaper photography shows us a moment in time that does not, and cannot, exist on television or in any streaming media. Historically, newspaper comic strips were the second-most read part of the paper – just below baseball box scores (in winter, the football betting line). Now that there are very few two-newspaper markets, everybody has pretty much the same comic strips, reduced to the size of postage stamps.
The Sunday newspaper supplements are a thing of the past. A few survive, but have little worthwhile. Some gossip, a nice puff piece about some ersatz celebrity, the horoscope, and now that Macy’s owns all the department stores, a dwindling number of advertising pages. It’s been so long that even I had to count on my spell checker to make sure “rotogravure” was spelled correctly. It was, but that’s because my nostalgia gene is hyperactive.
And now, editorial cartoons rapidly are going the way of the buggy whip.
It’s all very sad, and I can say that without tingling that nostalgia gene. The editorial cartoon is an important part of what makes a newspaper great.
Oh, yeah. I know. Some of you younger folk are going to have to Google the phrase “newspaper” as well. Go ahead. You’ll learn something about what made this nation great.
In the last week, DC Comics has made me exhausted. I can’t keep up with my own outrage.
At first report, DC reportedly drove off J. H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman from the pages of Batwoman by decreeing that Kate Kane could not marry Maggie Sawyer, a storyline that they had been developing for more than a year.
How could this happen? DC had always been a leader in creating a diverse universe, or at least it did during my tenure there. We were so LGBT-friendly that I was able to work with GLAAD to get an awards category established for comics and graphic novels when they gave out their yearly prizes. And now they’re going all reactionary? That made no sense. The Internet rumor that they were doing this to suck up to Orson Scott Card made even less sense, and, happily, turned out to be complete paranoid speculation.
Was I going to have to boycott DC Comics, which I’ve been reading for 55 years?
Then, as it turned out, the news story was more complicated. The editorial edict was not against gay and lesbian marriage, but all marriages. I don’t think this is what we had in mind when we wanted marriage equality. The editorial theory is that a married hero can’t be interesting, but instead must be miserable and lonely to have a dynamic emotional life with a lot of story opportunities.
I understand what they’re saying here, but I think it’s lazy. It would be like saying that a hero can’t have a successful career, because poverty has more dramatic potential. However, having an editorial edict about marriage does make it easier to manage the stories from a brand perspective, as potential Hollywood blockbusters. Hollywood loves single heroes, considering them to be sexier and more appealing to the coveted 14-25 male audience. It’s letting marketing trump editorial, and, even worse, it’s letting paranoia about movie marketing trump comic book creativity.
Batwoman is currently one of my favorite books. It’s one that I show people who don’t think they would like superhero comics. Even when the story isn’t necessarily to my taste (Killer Croc doesn’t interest me that much), the artwork is always lushly gorgeous, the lay-outs intriguing, and the characters both enigmatic and engaging.
While I don’t know J. H. Williams, I consider myself to be a huge fan, and it upsets me to see him and his colleague treated so poorly. Editors are an important element of the creative process, and nothing I say should be considered anti-editor. However, it’s bad management for editorial to swoop down and demand changes at the last minute, especially on a story-line that was already approved. It’s no way to treat talent. It’s no way to run a company.
Was I going to have to boycott DC Comics, which I’ve been reading for 55 years?
The latest news as of this writing is that Mark Andreyko will take over Batwoman. I enjoy his work a lot, and, while I don’t think we’ve met, we’re Facebook friends and we seem to share a sensibility. I’m curious to see what he’ll do with Kate Kane, so I guess a boycott isn’t really an option, at least not for me at this point.
Here’s the thing. It’s been taking me longer and longer to read my comics every week. The pile will sit there for days, waiting for me to get interested. I’m writing this on Monday, and the “Villains Month” books have sat there since Wednesday. I’m not sure I care anymore. Treating artists and writers like cookie-cutters has made reading the books a chore. I don’t have to spend money for more chores. Chores surround me, for free.
Nagging about chores is something that ruins a lot of marriages. Way more than being the hero.
The CBS Radio Workshop debuted at the end of the Age of Classic Radio, which was a time of innovation and experimentation, especially in terms of radio drama. Volume 3 of the series includes “Subways are for Sleeping”, an adaptation of the novel by Edmund Love, who actually slept on the subways in the Fifties (and, who, with the profits from his book, ate at every restaurant in the New York Yellow Pages, in alphabetical order); “An Analysis of Satire” by Stan Freberg, a comedian, author and actor who is best known today for his voice actor work with Warner Brothers animation; “A Pride of Carrots, or Venus Well Served” is narrated by its author, Robert Nathan, best known for films made from his novels (The Bishop’s Wife, with Cary Grant, and Portrait of Jennie, with Jennifer Jones); he also contributed “Report on the Weans”, which “documents” what future archaeologist might deduce about twentieth century life by examining its artifacts; an adaptation of Mark Twain’s Roughing It, a semi-autobiographical travelogue that was published in 1872 as a prequel to Innocents Aboard, and covered Twain’s travels in the American West 1861-1867; “The Legend of Annie Christmas”, the title role of which was played by Amanda Randolph, the first African-American actress to star in a regularly scheduled network television show; an adaptation of Charles Ferdinand Ramuz’s 1935 novel, When the Mountain Fell.
The man behind CBS Radio Workshop, which debuted in 1956, was William Froug. Inspired directly by the work of Norman Corwin on the original Columbia Workshop, Froug put all the pieces together to produce a program that took the best of what had come before it and succeeded even further in production, performance and storytelling.
CBS Radio Workshop not only continued to push boundaries in terms of utilizing story, music, voice and more in exciting, modern ways, it broke new ground in radio drama. In short, the CBS Radio Workshop set the standard for modern audio drama.
Blending sound effects with story, music with voice, and quality with substance, the episodes on CBS Radio Workshop, Volume 3 shows how boundless storytelling can be with audio drama. 10 hours $29.98 Audio CDs / $14.99 Download.
“If trouble is around, yours truly will most likely get a chunk of it.”
“Richard Diamond, Private Detective” proved to be the perfect radio vehicle for actor-singer Dick Powell, combining his tough-guy image, showcased in the 1944 film “Murder, My Sweet” and the 1945-46 radio series “Rogue’s Gallery,” with his tremendous talent for a song, as all those 1930s Warner Brothers/Fox musicals will bear out. The detective series, created by an aspiring screenwriter named Blake Edwards, featured a hard-boiled detective who rarely took himself too seriously; Edwards, the future director of the “Pink Panther” film series, conceived the Diamond character as an ex-cop who had decided to hang out his own shingle in the investigation business.
Richard Diamond bore a not-unintentional resemblance to another wisecracking detective of the airwaves, namely Sam Spade (as in “The Adventures of”). Both shamuses – Powell as Diamond, Howard Duff as Spade – demonstrated a breezy insouciance that added a much-needed touch of levity to the type of detective show that was often in danger of sinking under the weight of its own clichés. The lighthearted tone of “Richard Diamond” was even evident in the program’s weekly opening, which featured Powell whistling a jaunty “Leave it to Love.” It was not uncommon, after cracking each weekly case, for “the singing detective” to sit down at the piano in the penthouse apartment of Helen Asher, his wealthy, red-headed love interest played by Virginia Gregg and also Frances Robinson, and serenade her with a number from the Hit Parade. In-jokes were rampant on the show; Richard would often make reference to other detectives (notably Sam Spade) and he had a particularly pronounced fondness for actress June Allyson — in real life, Mrs. Dick Powell.
Just as Spade had a love-hate relationship with Lieutenant Dundy, Diamond shared a similar bond with his contact on the force, homicide detective Lieutenant Walt Levinson. The sarcastic badinage between the detective and his easily agitated cop pal provided many a memorable moment on the series. Diamond reserved his suffer-no-fools disdain for Sergeant Otis Ludlum, a cop who had such a force field of stupidity surrounding him that you just know he had to have a relative at City Hall looking after his job. Otis was played by actor Wilms Herbert, who also doubled on the show as Francis, Helen’s faithful retainer; Francis had an uncanny, mood-killing knack of barging in at the most inopportune times, like when Diamond and Helen were getting ready to turn down the lights and pour the wine…
“Richard Diamond, Private Detective” debuted over NBC Radio on April 24, 1949 as a sustaining series, but picked up a sponsor in Rexall Drugs (complete with announcer Bill “Whistler” Forman and your Rexall family druggist) in June 1950. Camel Cigarettes picked up the tab as of January of 1951, just before the show moved to ABC, but by June the show was back with Rexall again, which continued its sponsorship until the program left the airwaves on June 27, 1952. (The series would return briefly during the summer of 1953 for CBS, recycling earlier scripts from the 1950-51 season.)
10 hours. Regular Price $29.98 – Specially priced until July 18 for $14.99 Audio CDs / $7.49 Download.
From out of the pages of Operator #5 magazine steps a dramatic hero who pits himself against threats to national security from all origins. Whether it’s a subversive internal threat, or a full-scale invasion from an enemy land, James Christopher stood ready and resolute to defeat it.
James Christopher did not technically belong to the U. S. Secret Service. He was a top agent for an America’s unnamed Intelligence Service. It was in his blood. His father, John Christopher, retired from the same agency years before. Answerable only to his superior, Z-7, and carrying a letter from the President of the United States identifying him as Operator #5, Jimmy Christopher played for keeps. He carried a rapier sewn into his belt, and in a golden skull hanging from his watch-chain was a reservoir of poison to be swallowed in the event of capture.
Aided by a small group of trusted assistants, ranging from his twin sister Nan to scrappy street urchin Tim Donovan, Jimmy Christopher was a one-man defense force. Proud and patriotic, expert marksman and swordsman, he is the best America has to offer in a time of severe trial.
Fresh from his epic battle with the malevolent forces of the Yellow Empire in the previous exploit torn from the pages of Operator #5 magazine, James Christopher once again grapples with the machinations of the belligerent Asian Island nation in The Yellow Scourge.
One moment good-will bound the United States and the great Power across the sea—the next, shells screamed their death wails into Coast homes and factories. No citizen was safe from the bloody holocaust when the Yellow Empire struck without warning from the Pacific. With fiendish artifice the world was turned against us. And somewhere in this country, covertly completing the terrifying work of wholesale destruction, lurked the ruthless agent of the invading hordes. Operator #5 alone guessed the dread secret and matched his individual might against a million war-drunk terrorists…while the nation trembled on the brink of red wreckage!
Back in 1934, pulp writers didn’t name names—if they could help it—but Frederick C. Davis, writing as Curtis Steele, was prescient in that seven years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he depicted the forces of Nippon as bombarding coastal California!
This Total Pulp Experience audiobook contains all three stories from the third issue of Operator #5 magazine, June, 1934. 6 hours $23.98 Audio CDs / $11.99 Download.
RadioArchives.com and Will Murray are giving away the downloadable version of the newly released Strange Detective Mysteries audiobook for FREE.
If you prefer the Audio CDs to play in your car or home CD player, the coupon code will subtract the $11.99 price of the download version from the Audio CDs. That makes the Audio CDs half price.
Add Strange Detective Mysteries to the shopping cart and use the Coupon Code AUDIOBOOK.
“Strange Detective Mysteries #1 is one of my favorite pulps and I am excited to produce it as an audiobook with my good friends at Radio Archives. It leads off with Norvell W. Page’s bizarre novelette, “When the Death-Bat Flies,” and includes thrilling stories by Norbert Davis, Paul Ernst, Arthur Leo Zagat, Wayne Rogers and others. Popular Publications went all-out to make this 1937 debut issue a winner. And they succeeded!”
Happy listening,
Will Murray
New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
Over the tabernacle meeting rose the old man’s shout, “This is a phony religion, you dumb psalm-singers! There is only one true religion, and that is — ” Then, horrified, incredulous, the victimized worshipers beheld that defiant figure suddenly snuffed out in fire and smoke. For a new hysteria was sweeping the nation — headed by one who called himself the reincarnation of Zoroaster. His god was the Fire God, and men must pay tribute in money and adoration — or die! Hundreds perished in flames, and the police were paralyzed. It was Richard Wentworth, as the Spider, who took up the trail of the flame-master — to lock grips with the greatest murder-menace that men had seen since the time of ancient priests and human sacrifice! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
Criminals quaked at the name The Secret Six. And for four glorious issues, this team of six crimefighters took on some of the weirdest and most fantastic antagonists that ever reared their heads in the pulp magazines. It was where weird menace met six normal men with no strange gadgets or outlandish skills. The utterly amazing stories were written by Robert J. Hogan, better known for writing the G-8 and his Battle Aces stories. But after four issues, the over-the-top action came to an end and Popular Publications pulled the plug on the series. These vintage pulp tales are now reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, all written by Henry Treat Sperry, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, all written by Paul Ernst, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
99 cent eBook Singles
Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.
What devil’s power was it that sent fierce terror prowling through the shadowed rooms of the ancient house of the Ravilliacs? In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
In modern New York, the Medieval Inquisition lived again! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
The woman I love is so overpoweringly lovely that she awakens in my being a monster that thirsts for beauty — and destroys it! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird me most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
Salty little Arly went all-out to out-glamour a gorgeous Eastern girl. One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available at:
Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from one of the pulp era’s best selling magazines. First, in “Slaves of the Murder Syndicate” (1936), tiny darts tipped with a strange and deadly drug are wreaking havoc on the city and spreading fear and panic throughout the population. Victims, struck with the darts, die horribly, convulsing with the deadly rhythms of an evil and sinister dance of death. The Spider is desperately needed or help battle this terrible menace from the east but, as Richard Wentworth. he finds himself betrayed into the hands of the police – by his own fiance! Then, in “Pirates From Hell” (1940), a buccaneer calling himself LaFitte recreates history and plunders not ships of sea, but trains and their vital cargo. Like his pirate predecessor, LaFitte hands out death and fates worse than death to those he crushes in his path: white slavery, fiendish tortures — no method is too foul for the pirate and his savage crew of murdering cut-throats. Can The Spider defeat LaFitte? These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
The Knight of Darkness proves that crime does not pay in two pulp classics by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, The Shadow follows a trail of murder to retrieve the priceless rubies known as “The Seven Drops of Blood.” Then, to prove the innocence of a man accused of an impossible crime, the Dark Avenger must uncover the strange secret behind “Death from Nowhere.” BONUS: The Whisperer brings true sight to “The Eye of Zion” in a thriller by Alan Hathway writing as “Clifford Goodrich.” This instant collector’s item features the classic color pulp covers by Graves Gladney and George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Edd Cartier, and commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The pulps’ original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, smuggled “Pictures of Death” are only the sinister prelude to deadly sabotage and mass destruction. Then, Justice Inc. hunts for the antidote to a deadly malady that transforms men into apelike monstrosities in “The Green Killer.” Will the cure bring death to The Avenger? PLUS “Calling Justice Inc.,” a bonus Avenger thriller by Spider-scribe Emile Tepperman! This classic pulp reprint showcases the classic color pulp covers by Lenosci and William Timmons, Paul Orban’s interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.
The Man of Bronze and his daredevil cousin Pat Savage return in two classic pulp novels by Lester Dent and William Bogart writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage is accused of serial murders and jailed. Can Pat and Doc’s aides help unearth the strange secret of “The Invisible-Box Murders” and prove the Man of Bronze’s innocence? Then, Doc journeys to Honolulu after a strange letter makes Pat’s friend, Sally Trent, a “Target for Death.” BONUS: “The Hang String,” a rare 1933 tale by Lester Dent from the back pages of The Shadow Magazine. This double-novel collector’s edition leads off with a classic color cover by Emery Clarke, and showcases all of Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.
This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $35.00.
Continuing to Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Doc Savage and King Kong
Eighty years ago in February, 1933 the Street & Smith company released the first issue of Doc Savage Magazine, introducing one of the most popular and influential pulp superheroes ever to hit the American scene. Doc Savage was the greatest adventurer and scientist of his era, and while his magazine ended in 1949, he influenced the creators of Superman, Batman, Star Trek, The Man from UNCLE and the Marvel Universe—to name only a few.
While that first issue of Doc Savage was fresh on Depression newsstands, RKO Radio Pictures released one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Everyone knows the story of how King Kong was discovered on Skull Island and hauled back to New York in chains, only to perish tragically atop the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building.
As it happened, that was where Doc Savage had his world headquarters. For decades, fans have wondered: Where was Doc the day Kong fell?
On the eightieth anniversary of these fictional giants, Altus Press is proud to release the first authorized clash between The Man of Bronze and the Eighth Wonder of the World—Doc Savage: Skull Island. Written by Will Murray in collaboration with Joe DeVito, creator of KONG: King of Skull Island,Doc Savage: Skull Island is a new pulp epic.
The story opens when Doc returns from his secret retreat in the North Pole to discover the cold corpse of Kong lying on his doorstep.
“I know this creature,” Doc tells his dumbfounded men.
Tasked to dispose of the remains, the Man of Bronze then relates the untold story of his epic encounter with Kong back in 1920, after Doc returns from service in World War I, long before Kong became known to the civilized world as “King” Kong.
Doc Savage: Skull Island is a multi-generational story in which Doc and his father—the man who placed him in the hands of scientists who made him into a superman—sail to the Indian Ocean in search of Doc’s grandfather, the legendary Stormalong Savage, whose famous clipper ship has been discovered floating, deserted, her masts snapped by some incredible force.
The quest for Stormalong Savage leads to the fog-shrouded Indian Ocean and—Skull Island! There, Doc Savage faces his first great test as he encounters its prehistoric dangers and tangles with the towering, unstoppable Kong.
“When Joe DeVito brought this idea to me,” says Will Murray, “I knew it had to be written with reverence for both of these immortal characters. So I used the locale of Skull Island to tell a larger story, an untold origin for Doc Savage. It all started back on Skull Island….”
“Pulling off the first ever face-off between Doc Savage and King Kong was both challenging and exhilarating,” adds DeVito. “Will’s unique take on the tale scatters the primordial mists surrounding Skull Island long enough to reveal secrets of both classic characters hidden since their creation.”
Doc Savage: Skull Island has already been hailed as “The Doc Savage novel that Doc fans have been waiting on for 80 years!”
Doc Savage: Skull Island is the fifth entry in Altus Press’ popular Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series. Cover by Joe DeVito. $24.95.
A silver pleasure sloop is found adrift by the Coast Guard. On it are fifteen bodies bloated and sun-burned beyond recognition. One of the bodies belongs to a woman whose throat has been cut by a well-known philanthropist who himself lies dead next to her. Reviewing the passenger’s list one passenger is missing: Velma Crale, female adventurer, aviatrix, and all around daredevil. She had just completed an aerial trip around the South Polar region but rather atypically claimed she had found nothing of interest. Now she has disappeared while everyone else on her ship has been killed by what appears to be severe sun exposure.
One week later, Velma Crale calls Doc Savage. He and his men are told to board the liner Regis sailing from Southhampton for New York and to watch out for a man named Thurston H. Wardhouse. No sooner are they underway when mayhem and violence stalk them. Then just as Doc and his crew seem to get the upper hand, the Regis is bathed is a powerful blinding light unlike anything they have ever seen. This secret weapon was what Velma Crale encountered at the South Pole. It so frightened her that she kept quiet about it until she could get to Doc Savage for help. Now the Regis has been taken over by cutthroats who change its course to take the ship to the South Pole?
Why is this ship being hijacked? What is the secret that Velma Crale discovered at the South Pole? Who is Thurston H. Wardhouse? Who has taken over the ship? What is this deadly weapon that kills with bright light? Is it too late now to stop the nefarious plot?
Don’t miss this exciting adventure as Doc and his iron crew combat the South Pole Terror! Double Novel reprint $12.95
Comments From Our Customers!
Ivan Watson writes:
Thank you again for all that you do to preserve America’s invaluable radio heritage and for providing me with many hours of wonderful radio listening.
Joseph Wrzos writes:
I’ve bought quite a few of the Radio Archives audio series, which I love. Enjoying the curious sensation of “listening” to pulp stories of old read aloud, though “not” converted into radio dramas. So far, I’ve particularly liked THE SPIDER, DOC SAVAGE, DR. YEN SIN, THE GREEN LAMA, STRANGE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES, TERROR TALES, and (most particularly) THE MOON POOL AND OTHER WONDERS.
Editor: Joe suggests a number of ideas for future audiobooks which we are considering. Take Joe’s advice and pick up a copy of The Moon Pool and Other Wonders. It is mesmerizing.
If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
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Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson died at 6:30 this morning, June 19, at the age of 56. “He was my partner and close friend for 36 years,” said Fantagraphics co-publisher Gary Groth.
Thompson was born in Denmark in 1956. He grew up in Europe, a lifelong comics fan, reading both European and American comics in Denmark, France, and Germany. He was an active fan in his teen years, writing to comics — his letters appeared in Marvel’s letter columns circa early 1970s — and contributing to fanzines from his various European perches. At the age of 21, he set foot, for the first time, on American soil, in late 1977. One “fanzine” he had not contributed to was The Comics Journal, which Groth and Michael Catron began publishing in July of 1976. That was soon to change.
“Within a few weeks of his arrival,” said Groth, “he came over to our ‘office,’ which was the spare bedroom of my apartment, and was introduced by a mutual friend — it was a fan visit. We were operating out of College Park, Maryland and Kim’s parents had moved to Fairfax, Virginia, both Washington DC suburbs. Kim loved the energy around the Journal and the whole idea of a magazine devoted to writing about comics, and asked if he could help. We needed all the help we could get, of course, so we gladly accepted his offer. He started to come over every day and was soon camping out on the floor. The three of us were living and breathing The Comics Journal 24 hours a day.”
Thompson became an owner when Catron took a job at DC Comics in 1978. As he became more familiar with the editorial process, Thompson became more and more integral to the magazine, assembling and writing news and conducting interviews with professionals. Thompson’s career in comics began here.
In 1981, Fantagraphics began publishing comics (such as Jack Jackson’s Los Tejanos, Don Rosa’s Comics and Stories, and, in 1982, Love and Rockets). Thompson was always evangelical about bandes dessinées and wanted to bring the best of European comics to America; in 1981, Thompson selected and translated the first of many European graphic novels for American publication — Herman Huppen’s The Survivors: Talons of Blood (followed by a 2nd volume in 1983). Thompson’s involvement in The Comics Journal diminished in 1982 when he took over the editorship of Amazing Heroes, a bi-weekly magazine devoted to more mainstream comics (with occasional forays into alternative and even foreign comics). Thompson helmed Amazing Heroes through 204 issues until 1992.
Among Thompson’s signature achievements in comics were Critters, a funny-animal anthology that ran from 50 issues between 1985 to 1990 and is perhaps best known for introducing the world to Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo; and Zero Zero, an alternative comics anthology that also ran for 50 issues over five years — between 1995 and 2000 — and featured work by, among others, Kim Deitch, Dave Cooper, Al Columbia, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sacco, David Mazzuchelli, and Joyce Farmer. His most recent enthusiasm was spearheading a line of European graphic novel translations, including two major series of volumes by two of the most significant living European artists — Jacques Tardi (It Was the War of the Trenches, Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot, The Astonishing Exploits of Lucien Brindavoine) and Jason (Hey, Wait…, I Killed Adolf Hitler, Low Moon, The Left Bank Gang) — and such respected work as Ulli Lust’s Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, Lorenzo Mattotti’s The Crackle of the Frost, Gabriella Giandelli’s Interiorae, and what may be his crowning achievement as an editor/translator, Guy Peelaert’s The Adventures of Jodelle.
Throughout his career at Fantagraphics, Thompson was active in every aspect of the company, selecting books, working closely with authors, guiding books through the editorial and production process. “Kim leaves an enormous legacy behind him,” said Groth, “not just all the European graphic novels that would never have been published here if not or his devotion, knowledge, and skills, but for all the American cartoonists he edited, ranging from Stan Sakai to Joe Sacco to Chris Ware, and his too infrequent critical writing about the medium. His love and devotion to comics was unmatched. I can’t truly convey how crushing this is for all of us who’ve known and loved and worked with him over he years.”
Thompson was diagnosed with lung cancer in late February. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Emmert, his mother and father, Aase and John, and his brother Mark. Our condolences to his friends and family.
According to this story, which is a rumor on a rumor-mongering site (which I love!), Dan DiDio recently apologized to DC creative talent at an editorial retreat. He admitted that there had been problems in the communication between editorial and talent, including editorial demanding changes to work that had already been approved.
Since, on my other soapbox, I have recently complained that men rarely apologize, it feels like I should do something to acknowledge this.
I should make my own apologies.
For the purposes of this column, we’re going to limit my apologies to the field of comics. Even the Internet doesn’t have enough space for everything else.
10. Kevin Smith, I’m sorry it feels like I’m stalking you. About 20 years ago, we met at an exhibit of original comic book art. I liked Clerks. Later, when your movies made more money, I would point to you at conventions and tell people I knew you. That must have been creepy for you, some strange old woman pointing and staring.
9. And, while I don’t know Dave Sim (nor do I wish to), I’m sorry that Friends of Lulu contributed to pushing him over the edge. I don’t think it will make him feel any better to know that we considered neither him nor his feelings one little bit.
8. When I would meet booksellers at Book Expo America who said they didn’t read comics because they didn’t like superheroes, I would ask them to tell me a movie they liked, and then recommend the appropriate title for them. This is fine in a sales environment, but not great at parties in my real life. I’m so sorry, and completely understand why you walked away as quickly as you could, Patti Smith. Still, I thing you would like Rogan Gosh.
7. At the same time, there are books that were everything I ever wanted between two covers, like Leave It to Chance, and, despite buying at least 20 copies of each issue to give away, plus multiple copies of the trade, I did not do enough to keep them alive. I wish it was still around so I could do more to make amends.
6. Despite Alan Moore’s objections to the projects even existing, I went to see From Hell, V for Vendetta and Watchmen in movie theaters. And, to varying degrees, liked them. I feel like I’ve betrayed one of my favorite writers.
5. And, by going to see Watchman, I inadvertently encouraged Zach Snyder. His sense of production design is admirable, but he has no sense of pacing, much less, you know, character or story. I tremble in fear about what he’s going to do to Superman.
4. Neil Gaiman always drew a long line when he was signing things at the DC booth during convention season, even way back in the 1990s. It was often my job to be “the bitch at the end of the line,” meaning I had to tell people that there would be no more books signed. It was necessary so Neil could do other things besides sign books (eat, pee, sleep), so I’m not sorry that I was looking out for him. Rather, I’m sorry I performed my duties with so much glee.
3. And while we’re on the subject, it was my fault, and I regret that I caused you such anxiety, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, when I didn’t provide adequate information to you or your driver to get to that morning interview on the FX Network back when DC published Mr. Punch. I’m sure it was really nerve-wracking to be driving around Manhattan at six in the morning, lost. On the other hand, Tom Bergeron was really nice. And a fanboy.
2. The biggest story of my time at DC was the Death of Superman. People remember that he died, then came back. They don’t remember that the narrative point was the next storyline, “World Without a Superman.” DC wanted to show how important Superman was, and how we responded to his absence. And now they’ve killed off Damien Wayne, just when I was starting to like him. This is no legacy for a pacifist.
1. When Image Comics started, I admired their defense of creator rights, but didn’t particularly like the books they published at the time. As a result, I didn’t pay enough attention to their work as the company matured. I’ve missed a lot of good stuff, and it’s my own damn fault. Please forgive me, and please keep releasing complete runs digitally so I can catch up.
I guess they’re not kidding about this “dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return” business. After 1,699 issues and 42 years of publication, what began as the brainchild of 17-year-old Alan Light and, after a few earlier names was finally and best known as The Comics Buyer’s Guide – CBG for short – has reached its end.
I don’t think I ever paid for an issue of the paper but, thanks to the generosity of its publishers, I read a lot of them. When I was sitting behind various editorial desks CBG would appear in the mail once a week and when I had some spare time I’d page through it, reading this and that. It wasn’t a big part of my professional life, but it was nice.
Eventually, I did a short article for it. My idea was to make CBG’s readership aware of Harvey Pekar and his self-published and strange and unique comic book, American Splendor. Since Harvey didn’t truck in the usual comic book stuff, I thought that maybe CBG’s readers might be missing something that was unlike anything else on the market, something they’d like. I now wish I had a do-over. Though my intentions were pure, the piece I produced, I think, was patronizing, maybe because I didn’t, and don’t, know how to describe Harvey’s episodic autobiographies. He was an American original and his work doesn’t classify easily.
That regrettable bit of quasi-journalism printed and, one hopes, quickly forgotten, I no doubt thought I was done with CBG except for my weekly reading of it. But the best was yet to come. CBG played a small, but crucial, part in events that shaped the rest of my life. Cue organ chord.
Getting married is generally considered to be a life-shaper, no? And getting married to a teenage sweetheart you haven’t seen in 30 years, well…
To be brief: Marifran Reuter, nee McFarland, was teaching a parish school of religion in a St. Louis suburb. Talking to a student’s mom, she mentioned that she once dated a guy whose brother had the same name as the student’s father. Mom and teacher compared facts and, yes, the student’s dad was, indeed,the brother of the guy teacher had dated, long since moved to New York and working as a writer. Teach wrote writer a letter and, on the writer’s next midwestern visit, they met and talked until three in the morning. A bit later, during a phone conversation, Marifran told the writer that she’d be selling text books in Omaha during summer vacation. Uh-huh! So the writer, me, looked into CBG and found the name of a comic shop in Omaha. I called the shop and persuaded the proprietor to invite me for an autographing session on the June day that Marifran was hawking textbooks in the area. Then I called her and said that she wouldn’t believe what just happened – I had a gig in Omaha on the same day and why don’t we meet in Missouri and go together…
Would it have happened without CBG? I don’t know. But happen it did, and on a warm Nebraska night, we sat on a hillside and spoke the truth as we knew it and created the rest of our lives.
The Age of Classic Radio was a time of innovation and experimentation, especially in terms of radio drama. A program that took the best of what had come before it and succeeded even further in production, performance, and storytelling actually debuted at the end of Radio’s Golden Age. This tour de force of radio drama can now be enjoyed in CBS Radio Workshop, Volume 1.
A direct descendant of the Columbia Workshop, CBS Radio Workshop not only continued to push boundaries in terms of utilizing story, music, voice and more in exciting, modern ways, it broke new ground in radio drama. From having author Aldous Huxley narrate the adaptation of his Brave New World for the show’s debut to producing an interview with William Shakespeare to turning a stirring folk ballad into a mix of rhyme and performance by William Conrad in The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes, the CBS Radio Workshop set the standard for modern audio drama.
The man behind CBS Radio Workshop, which debuted in 1956, was William Froug. Inspired directly by the work of Norman Corwin on the original Columbia Workshop, Froug put all the pieces together to produce not only a great radio program, but shows that would inspire and move its audience as well as its cast and crew.
Blending sound effects with story, music with voice, and quality with substance, the first twelve episodes on CBS Radio Workshop, Volume 1 shows how boundless storytelling can be with audio drama. 6 hours $17.98 Audio CDs / $8.99 Download.
Read by Michael C. Gwynne, Roy Worley, and Roger Price
In the Fall of 1937, Popular Publications launched a new type of detective magazine, one that combined the Weird Menace-style stories that had made Terror Tales and Horror Stories so hot with readers of hardboiled detective-action tales. They called it Strange Detective Mysteries.
In his first-issue editorial, Managing Editor Rogers Terrill set the stage:
“Remember the time you read that one perfect knockout, detective story—bizarre, mysterious, thrill-packed, different? It still remains the detective story for you. You’ve wondered why you never found another. You searched bookstores, library shelves, newsstands—but you just couldn’t find that brand!
“Beginning with this issue—we give you Strange Detective Mysteries—not only one bizarre, thrilling eerie-laden mystery story such as you’ve searched for, but a whole magazine full of them!
“Because you have sought for this highest type of detective story, without finding it, you can understand at what cost we bring you this magazine. Months of planning and effort have gone into its making. The best known and most able detective-story writers have been called upon—for their best. Only the smallest proportion of a flood of manuscripts has been chosen.
“Crime-detection, adventure, baffling mystery—all this you will find in Strange Detective Mysteries. In addition, you will find that quality which appears in a detective story only once in a blue moon—the bizarre!”
Terrill used the word bizarre no less than five times in his editorial, italicizing it twice. He was serious! Strange Detective Mysteries was beyond weird.
For his lead novel, Terrill served up “When the Death-Bat Flies,” by the writer he called “America’s No. 1 Master of the Extraordinary Mystery Tale”—The Spider’s Norvell W. Page. Starring master magician Aubrei Dunne, it was a wild excursion into a criminal cult dedicated to murder and mayhem.
In “Madame Murder—and the Corpse Brigade,” Paul Ernst offered an even more bizarre hero—Seekay, the man with no face!
The detective protagonist of Wayne Rogers’ “The Headman’s Hat-Box” witnesses a murder committed by—himself!
In George Armin Shaftel’s “The Miracle Murder Case,” a prison break is engineered by an unknown mastermind who terrorizes society with a strange super-weapon!
Terror Tales favorite Arthur Leo Zagat’s “Patents for Dr. Death” revisits the realm of Jack the Ripper—but with an uncanny twist.
Finally, Norbert Davis’ “Idiot’s Coffin Keepsake” takes us to a weird mansion and the grisly mystery of the missing hand.
Narrated by Michael C. Gwynne, Roy Worley and Roger Price, this RadioArchives.com audiobook brings to vibrant life one of the most exciting first issues of any pulp mystery magazine ever published! Don’t miss it! 6 hours $23.98 Audio CDs / $11.99 Download.
Join the eBook Team!
Radio Archives is seeking motivated, excited people to help us proof our eBooks. We created 200 eBooks in 2012 and our goal is 300 eBooks this year. If you have a love for classic Pulp tales as well as a good grasp of spelling, punctuation, capitalization and basic formatting, then you may be just the person we’re looking for! Send an email inquiry to Service@RadioArchives.com for more details!
New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks
The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
Without warning the green death ray struck at New York City — burning to charred cinders the helpless humans who crossed its path! Upon America’s proudest city, the Eye of Flame had loosed his fire-fiends, and now the triumphant underworld, freed from prisons by his hand, stalked unchecked among the smoking embers. Alone of all men, Richard Wentworth, in the Spider’s weird disguise, dared fight for a doomed people against the mightiest menace the world had yet seen — a monster who had made millions out of men when he turned them into flaming torches! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.
Down from Kentuck’s bleak hills swept the avalanche of stark-naked albino killers — sacking and slaying as they advanced upon New York! Neither bullet nor cold steel could halt that eerie grey mob, invulnerable against all attack, and as they emerged from Manhattan’s subways, loosing the Underworld’s cohorts upon our proudest city, it seemed that America was doomed. Only one individual — Richard Wentworth, in the Spider’s black guise — dared combat this unheard of menace — fighting an epic battle against a master of murder who had turned civilization back five thousand years in order to loot its coffers! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.
Men fought snarling in the streets over crusts of bread or ferreted, beast-like, through the charred ruins of some once-majestic building in search of food scraps… To such dire state had the city fallen when the Spider, weakened by weeks of illness, returned to take up his seemingly hopeless battle against the Food Destroyers. Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
New England and the Eastern Seaboard were already in the hands of the invaders from the Central Empire! The brutal Purple Emperor, War-Master of Europe and Asia, was beating America to her knees, using his horrible Green Gas, beheading all who resist! With the American Defense Forces routed, only Operator 5, Ace of the Intelligence, and his tiny band of loyal guerillas could hope to check the mad conqueror. A true-to-life, thrilling episode, dramatized from Jimmy Christopher’s own personal history of the Second War of Independence! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. As a special bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of eBooks. $2.99.
In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine by Nat Schachner, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.
Newspapers throughout the civilized world screamed the headlines — “WU FANG” CAPTURED! And within the escape-proof walls of Scotland Yard, it was a fact, accomplished through the clever hands of Val Kildare. Yet somewhere within the evil haunts of fog-bound London, sinister agents knew the unspoken desires of the Crime Lord and advanced with the single thought, ESCAPE! — Ever onward, weaving their patterns of Death and Despair! Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. Wu Fang is a Chinese criminal mastermind and scientific genius. With his hybrid monkey-men, he plans to conquer America. He is member of various secret societies and has spies everywhere. Opposing him is Val Kildare of the F.B.I. His aides, reporter Jerry Hazard, archaeologist Rod Carson and newsboy Cappy, help him in his battles against the sinister man of evil known as Wu Fang! $2.99.
In their final adventure, Curt Newton and the Futuremen are called on to save the Universe itself from a madman’s destructive whim! Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. With his Futuremen, Grag the giant robot, Otho, the shape-shifting android and Simon Wright, the Living Brain, he patrols the solar system in the fastest space ship ever constructed, the Comet, pursuing human monsters and alien threats to Earth and her neighbor planets. This is one of the legendary “final seven” Captain Future tales. After a run of twenty pulp issues, the quarterly magazine closed. But that was not the end of Captain Future. He returned in a series of short stories published in Startling Stories magazine, beginning with the January 1950 issue. Edmond Hamilton, creator of Captain Future and author of the majority of the full-length novels, returned to pen seven more Captain Future stories. His style had matured, as had his original audience, and these final seven Captain Future stories are considered to be some of his best. Captain Future left the pages of Startling Stories with the May 1951 issue, but editors left open the possibility that Captain Future might return some day. True fans are still waiting. Until then, Captain Future returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in theKindle store, Barnes and Noble Nook store, and RadioArchives.com! Search for RadioArchives.com in iTunes with over 200 eBooks are available.
Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.
See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.
Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!
Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from the 1930s. First, in “Death’s Crimson Juggernaut” (1934), horror stalks the city as helpless victims are found brutally murdered — by crucifixion! Whole buildings are burned to the ground to further a mad scheme, and no crime is too terrible for the Torture Killers. Richard Wentworth joins the fray as The Spider, and finds himself blinded! Can a sightless Spider hope to win against these odds? Then, in “Claws of the Golden Dragon” (1939), A sinister carving of a scarlet scorpion warns Richard Wentworth of a Chinatown crisis. As soon as he investigates, Nita and Ram Singh are captured and destined to die by torture! Devious traps bring sudden death to all who oppose The Dragon, a horrible death as parasitic orchids burst from the chests of the doomed! These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story.$14.95! On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! The Knight of Darkness explores deadly enigmas in the Walter Gibson thrillers that introduced Margo Lane into the Shadow pulp mythos. First, The Shadow and Margo Lane (in her pulp debut) confront the deadly lightning of Thor, The Thunder King. Then, The Shadow investigates the strange machinations of the Secret Six whose giant sapphire, The Star of Delhi. is the centerpiece for serial murders. BONUS: The Witch Drums, a long-lost thriller from Orson Welles’ legendary Shadow broadcasts! This instant collector’s item showcases both classic pulp covers by Graves Gladney plus the original interior illustrations of Paul Orban, with historical commentary by Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. who pays tribute to the late Margot Stevenson, “the Woman who was Margo Lane.” $14.95.
The pulp era’s legendary superman returns in two action-packed novels by Alan Hathway and Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, the Man of Bronze confronts the deadly menace of The Headless Men, decapitated zombies commanded by a mad genius in the landmark 100th Doc Savage novel. Then, in his first solo adventure, a disguised Doc Savage travels to King Joe Cay to infiltrate a gang of schemers. This double-novel collector’s edition features the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke and Modest Stein, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of ten Doc Savage novels. $14.95.
What manner of men were these who burned their victims alive — and in public! With flaming pyres adding their nightly terror to a city already tasting the grim pangs of slow starvation, the Spider, revealed at last, is forced to disappear! Can Richard Wentworth, unmasked and in hiding, successfully combat the Flame Men?in this finely produced replica, including all the material from the original magazine, yet packaged for easy storage and enjoyment of modern readers!
This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $35.00
The Doc Savage exploit that went untold for 74 years—Death’s Dark Domain!
In the aftermath of the evil John Sunlight’s pillaging of the secret Fortress of Solitude, a dreadful super-weapon has fallen the hands of a Balkan dictator intent upon seizing control of the vampire-haunted zone of desolation known as Ultra-Stygia. War is imminent. Monsters are loose in the disputed region. A strange darkness falls over the sinister landscape. Only Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, understands the terrible threat to humanity. And only he can prevent the terror from spreading…
There are unknown Things prowling the darkest patch of land on the planet. Haunted by creatures that might have emerged from the Hell’s lowest regions, ancient Ultra-Stygia has turned into a cauldron of conflict between rival countries. Monster bats careen through the night sky. Invisible Cyclopes patrol the scorched battleground. And a power beyond understanding robs men of their vision.
Can the 20th century’s premier scientist and superman untangle this Gordian knot of carnage before neighboring nations are drawn into an apocalyptic new world war? Or will the Man of Bronze succumb to an unstoppable power he himself has unleashed upon mankind?
From the frozen Arctic to the war-torn Balkans, Doc Savage and his fighting five follow a winding trail of terror to a blood-freezing climax.
Death’s Dark Domain features a fantastic cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.
Back in print after 20 years! The rare Lester Dent-Will Murray collaboration resurrecting the original pulp superman…
Also available is the first Altus Press edition of Will Murray’s 1993 Doc Savage adventure, The Forgotten Realm. Deep in the heart of the African Congo lies a secret unsuspected for thousands of years. Doc Savage and his men embark on a quest to discover the secret of the strange individual known only as X Man, X for unknown. Before they come to the end of the trail, they find themselves fighting for their lives like gladiators of old!
No one knows who—or what—the strange being who calls himself “X Man” truly is. He was found wandering the ruins of a crumbling Roman fort, dressed in a toga, speaking classical Latin—and clutching a handful of unearthly black seeds.
Declared insane, the X Man patiently tends his weird plants until the day, impelled by a nameless terror, he flees Wyndmoor Asylum to unleash a cyclone of violence that is destined to suck the mighty Man of Bronze into the blackest, most unbelievable mystery of his entire career. For far from Scotland lies a domain of death unknown to the world and called by the ancient Latin name of Novum Eboracum—New York!
From the wild Scottish moors to the unexplored heart of darkest Africa, Doc Savage and his indomitable men embarked upon a desperate quest for the Forgotten Realm….
The Forgotten Realm features a spectacular cover painted by Joe DeVito! $24.95.
The Spider finds himself jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire almost literally in this adventure. The Spider is again wrongly accused of a murder, but this time Richard Wentworth finds himself in the hands of the police for this crime. Having gathered what they believe is concrete evidence that he is the Spider, the authorities are taking no chances on him once again gaining his freedom. Though Wentworth and Kirkpatrick are the best of friends, Stanley can’t shirk his duties. Richard Wentworth’s fate is left to the few companions that he can always count on as well as his vast knowledge if he is to avoid the chair!
Meanwhile a homicidal maniac seems to be looking to set ablaze the world’s food supply. One after another, major food suppliers in the area are watching not only their product, but in many cases their workers being burnt to a crisp by the hideous figure known as ‘The Red Mask.’ He appears to have no rhyme or reason, but the Spider has it all figured out. He knows that the man must be tied into the food business in some form, and therefore is looking to drive the market up.
The odds are stacked against the Spider as he is literally held in wrist and ankle shackles, but somehow must escape to put a stop to this new menace that threatens the world’s food supply.
Yonkers! That’s right, I said Yonkers, but not as an expression. This is the place in New York state where the Spider brings all the wits and daring he can against a man that will stop at nothing to further his own personal greed. The lives of many mean nothing as they are literally set ablaze in an all consuming hellfire caused by special incendiary bombs. The bombs are fast acting, and whatever they touch, erupts into a blazing infernal of high temperature fire.
The action is as fast paced as we Spider fans like it, and the heat is on from start to finish, but fear not, the Spider always has the last laugh! Thrill to this Spider tale.
Girasol Replica #6 $35.00 / eBook $2.99.
Comments From Our Customers!
Larry Black writes:
You are a great respite from this hustle, bustle world we live in. I really enjoy going back to the days when entertainment was more of an audience-interactive thing that required a vivid imagination, and your service definitely supplies that. Keep up the great work!
David Ward writes:
I purchased from the RadioArchives site direct because, just as Amazon has a half dozen Terror Tales volumes not listed on RadioArchives, there are also a half dozen volumes on RadioArchives which aren’t listed on Amazon. I wanted them all so I had to buy from both sites. I prefer RadioArchives.com as the cheaper prices and multiple formats is better value, and it’s good to be kept informed of future releases, etc. It’s great to hear that more ebooks and especially audiobooks are planned. The two readers on Terror Tales are perfect for the spirit of these stories. I never envisaged a day when 30’s horror pulp tales would be available on audiobook (aside from the usual Lovecraft, etc), let alone done so incredibly well! Happy New Year!
Joseph Weeg writes:
You all are doing a wonderful thing keeping these books in print and I want to make sure I’m doing my part too.
Gerald Cooper writes:
Hello, absolutely love the new Doc Savage audio books. I am hooked on them. I only wish that there were more of them. Can you give us some idea of what and when the next releases will be? Thank you
If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!
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A couple of weeks ago Paul Smith asked rather or not Milestone would be better off away from DC.
Featured Girasol Replica: Operator #5 #3 The Yellow Scourge June 1934 [Pulp Replica]
