The third adventure in this series created by Clive Cussler and taken over by Justin Scott is another fine entry relating the cases of Isaac Bell, the top agent of the Van Dorn Detective Agency.When foreign spies from Japan and Germany launch acts of murder and sabotage aimed at crippling the Navy’s battleship program, the noted detective agency is brought into the case.This happens at the request of a young lady whose father, a gun battery expert, is found to have committed suicide after taking a bribe. Incensed by this slur of her father’s good name, the woman begs the agency to dig deep and prove what she suspects; that her father was actually murdered and the charges against him false.
The start is slow going for Isaac Bell, but bit by bit, oddities in the case begin to surface while at the same time, supposedly unrelated accidents continue to plague the Navy’s shipyards on both the East and West coast until the pattern of these events is just too coincidental to be ignored.Once on the case, Bell becomes the bulldog man-hunter we’ve come to enjoy in his previous outings and he soon comes to realize he is chasing a deviously cunningly spy with no loyalties to any single government.This shadowy manipulator is in fact a mercenary attempted to create a world conflict that will line his own pockets with riches.War is good business.
From the docks of the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the ports of California, Bell and his courageous team of agents find themselves racing against the clock to prevent the Spy Master’s ultimate coup, a terrorist attack that will set the country’s defense plans back by decades and leave American vulnerable to its enemies abroad. Once again Scott sets his suspense thriller against a backdrop of historical accuracy, detailing the emergence of a young republic about to claim its place on the world’s stage.But will this Manifest Destiny end long before it is born?
Filled with colorful characters and a beautiful glimpse of another, more innocent time, THE SPY is a worthy addition to this already much acclaimed series.Issac Bell is clearly the Nick Carter & James Bond of his times.
Like most Americans, I learned about Alexander Dumas’ Three Musketeers from their countless adaptations on screen and in print. For me, it was probably Sheldon Mayer’s Three Mouseketeers reprints along with the rallying cry of “One for all, and all for one” shouted by just about every cartoon, sitcom and prime time drama at one point or another. Sure, there was the delightful two film adaptation made by Ilya Salkind that was instrumental in their approach to Superman the Movie and my kids grew up adoring the somewhat boiled down, tongue-slightly-in-cheek version from Disney with a great cast (Oliver Platt, Kiefer Sutherland, Tim Curry, etc.). It wasn’t until last year that I actually read the book in its entirety and it was a revelation.
Billed as a modern retelling, The Three Musketeers from Summit Entertainment, was therefore eagerly awaited. It had been over a decade since the Disney film so the time must have felt right and director Paul W.S. Anderson, certainly knew how to make commercial fare to appeal to today’s younger audiences. Screenwriter Alex Litvak certainly knows how to handle action given his work on Predators and the casting sounded right: Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) versus Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) and Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen). There was the sex appeal of Milady (Milla Jovovich) and her would-be lover Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). (more…)
TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews of All Things Pulp By Tommy Hancock
SUN KOH: HEIR OF ATLANTIS, VOLUME 1 by Dr. Art Sippo Published by Age of Adventure 2010
Although many of us who write and publish New Pulp sincerely and honestly feel we are producing work that needs to be read, stories that people will love to read, and books that bring life back to a genre/arena/style that so many have forgotten or never even knew, it is truly rare that a single book not only does all of that from one cover to another, but does it with such style and finesse that it could simultaneously fit right into the literature of the era which inspired it and stand on its own as a modern novel, cognizant of all the sensibilities and nuances that that would require.
Rare, but not impossible. How do I know this, you may ask? Because I’m holding an example of such a feat in my hand right now. Yup. Written by the ever fascinating Dr. Art Sippo, whose Pulp Adventures I still hope to write someday, the book in question is SUN KOH: HEIR OF ATLANTS, VOLUME 1!
Sun Koh, a character from the German Pulps of the early 20th Century, is often referred to as Germany’s answer to Doc Savage. This is most definitely true, as answered by Sippo in his fantastic introduction to this volume, but the author also works wonders with a character that many claim to find abhorrent and reprehensible. This agitated feeling toward a literary character comes from the fact that with the change of political climate in Germany in the 1930s and 40s, Sun Koh was used basically to further the ideological views of Hitler and his Nazi Party. What Sippo does with this situation instead of shying away from it in any form or fashion is essentially reboots Sun Koh keeping his Atlantaean heritage intact as well as his rather limited views of politics, women, and humanity in general.
That is what Sippo does to kick off his volume. What he does by the end of HEIR OF ATLANTIS is the truly wonderful part of this book. Through a natural organic process, Sippo builds up Koh as a hero, not so much loyal to Germany, but loyal to his heritage and seeking his true place as Prince of all he surveys. His time in the modern world (the 1930s) and his interaction with people who become his team of associates, however, changes Sun Koh’s view on several subjects and actually works on the character to bring out questions. Questions of his own morality, questions of what Hitler’s plans and goals, and most importantly questions about what is truly important to Sun Koh as the hero of the tale. Like no other writer I’ve ever read, Art Sippo takes a character from being essentially a lifeless automaton with tyrannical tendencies to being a real person, an individual who has an evolving innate sense of right and wrong and is learning, by the end of the book, to follow that compass.
Add into that compelling story lines, exciting and interesting supporting characters that could carry (and did in their original incarnations) stories all their own, and a fantastic pacing and attention to plot, and you have Art Sippo’s SUN KOH: HEIR OF ATLANTIS, VOLUME 1. You also have one of the best books I’ve ever read, period.
FIVE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-Truly deserving of every accolade it has, does, and will receive.
For a movie based on a comic book set in the 1930s, The Rocketeer was actually ahead of its time. The movie was released as Disney’s big summer film in 1991, backed with tons of marketing, and planned as a big tent pole for their future.
The problem was, in 1991 there were precious few superhero movies creating a genre to support the fan following. When it opened that June there was nothing out there to support it and the groundswell of geekdom had yet to reach critical mass. Therefore, despite relatively positive reviews, the movie did minimal business, finishing 27th for the calendar and largely forgotten. Its director, Joe Johnston, went on to make a number of other hits and misses until he scored big earlier this year with Captain America. Now, taking his fame and the 20th anniversary into account, Walt Disney Home Entertainment has released [[[The Rocketeer]]] on Blu-ray and DVD today.
Britain’s favourite war comic, Commando, reached a major milestone in June 2011 when it celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first publication on 27th June 1961. Part of the Dundee-based DC Thomson & Co. Ltd stable of comics and magazines, Commando publishes 4 stories every fortnight — 2 new and 2 re-issued classic stories — and maintains its place as the home of comic action and adventure.Although it retains the classic illustrated cover and the iconic black and white comic artwork which has made it so beloved of the UK public, Commando has moved with the times over its 50 years and the stories contained within its pages now span a range of conflicts, right up to the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. Commando’s current editor, Calum Laird, who took over in 2007 said, “As someone who read Commando in the 60s and 70s, worked on the title as a junior member of staff in the 80s and 90s, and became editor in the 2000s, sitting in the hot seat for the 50th birthday is a great honour. Not everyone can have my career path but if Commando can entertain others as well as it did me, I’ll be very happy indeed!”
Visitors to the website (www.commandocomics.com) can also get their hands on some famous Commando cover posters (in A1 size format), exclusively, for the introductory price of £19.99. This September will also see a brand new collaboration for Commando, with the launch of the “Draw Your Weapons” exhibition – celebrating the iconic artwork from 50 years of the comic – at the National Army Museum in London. The exhibition will open on 1st September and Calum commented, “Everyone is delighted that this major exhibition of Commando artwork is to be hosted by the National Army Museum, as one of the key activities of our 50th anniversary celebrations. We’re sure that fans of Commando old and new, will revel in this display of comic art at its best, exhibited so dynamically by the National Army Museum.
Commando No 4447 Colours Of Courage
The proudest possessions of any regiment are its colours — the flags which it carries into battle. Its history is recorded on these colours, the victories it has won. A regiment guards its colours fiercely. To have them captured by the enemy is a terrible thing. But when a man hands over the colours to save his own skin it is a disgrace that brave soldiers can hardly bear think about.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
If there are two things difficult to get right in a Commando they are French Resistance stories and ghosts. Resistance stories could easily be 63 pages of skulking about avoiding searching German soldiers and ghosts could easily look like normal characters drawn without enough ink. Thanks to ace story-teller Cyril Walker, Colours Of Courage cracks along with plenty of action to break up the tension. And Arthur Fleming — an art teacher from Glasgow — manages to skilfully depict a glowing figure despite only having black ink and white paper to work with. Wrapped in one of Ian Kennedy’s superbly drawn and laid-out covers it’s got all it needs for a cracking Commando.
Colours Of Courage, originally Commando No 1182 (December 1977), re-issued as No 2412 (October 1990)
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Arthur Fleming Cover Art: Ian Kennedy
Commando No 4448 The Four Scars
Corporal Bill Kirk felt the tiny life-raft rock lazily as the Jap struggled aboard. Both turned to look at the sinking Jap prison-ship they’d been on — Bill a prisoner, the Jap a guard. Then they turned back, to look at each other; and what that Jap read in Bill Kirk’s eyes made him start back in fear. But there was no escape for him. With only the vast empty ocean and the sharks circling the raft for witnesses, they grappled in a fight to the finish.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
I’ve mentioned before that I my childhood Commando issues at the back of the garage a few years ago. Some I had to look at again to refresh my memory, but not this one. I don’t know how many times I read and re-read this in the 60s but it must have been a lot because I had almost total recall. Ken Barr’s cover with its ethereal hand hovering over the action, Victor de la Fuente’s action-packed, high-energy inside art and Eric Hebden’s crackerjack of a story with its startling twist were just what the doctor ordered in 1965…and are equally so today. I think so anyway and I hope you’ll agree. As an aside, Ken Barr used a sheet of transparent plastic sheet with the outline of the hand painted on it to get that ghostly effect. I certainly didn’t know that in 1965.
The Four Scars, originally Commando No 185 (October 1965), re-issued as No 831 (April 1974)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Victor de la Fuente Cover Art: Ken Barr
Commando 4449 Days Of Danger
Simon Katz was a young German and a fervent anti-Nazi. A brilliant mathematician, he escaped Germany by the skin of his teeth and went to work as a code-breaker for the British. Not long after, Sergeant Barney Taft also made an escape – from the bullet-strafed beaches of Dunkirk. Though they were on the same side, when circumstances threw the pair together, they clashed bitterly. But could they manage to work together against a ruthless enemy? They would have to if they were to survive.
Story: Stephen Walsh Art: Vila Cover Art: Nicholas Forder
Commando No 4450 The Nightmare War
Private Franz Bauer, a German Army engineer wounded during the invasion of France, was haunted by the deaths of his comrades in the same battle — wiped out by a mine. When he recovered he threw himself into his new job developing the remote-controlled Borgward IV demolition vehicle, hoping it might save other German lives. His chance to save thousands of lives would come, but he would be working alongside an unlikely ally — someone who had nightmares every bit as bad as Franz’s.
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Keith Page Cover Art: Keith Page
It has been documented that the first word a child learns to utter is, most commonly, “no”. Michele Lang’s historical urban dark fantasy, Lady Lazarus(Tor, trade Sept. 2010 $14.99, mass market June 2011 $7.99), and her heroine Magda make a fine art of “no” that turns into a resounding “yes” on the eve of WWII (up to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Sept. 1st, 1933 and the Hitler-Stalin pact), from the cafes of Buda-Pest through Austria, Germany, and Paris, to the booksellers and brothels of Amsterdam and back again. The first installment of the story, this book is as good as it gets. You cannot guess where she will take you, even in the historical bits but, once Lang gets there, it is perfectly logical and believable, even at its most outrageous.
Why? Because Lang has done her history, theology, and Bible homework and Knows her Kabbalah in a way that even some whiskery old masters do not. And she makes you believe. Even her undead, demonic, and angelic characters are utterly human and thus you are compelled to watch this tragic train-wreck of a story (after all, we know the atrocities of WWII) that is not without the insanity of hope. Her prose sings—even in her English translations the music of the German, Hungarian, Hebrew, and Aramaic remains. Amidst all the darkness, the light shines, even in some romance with an angel, Raziel (Secrets of God), whose description really is like that of a Greek god (trust me, I know one…wink). But no clichés, here, and no punches pulled, ever—no flinching. People suffer exquisitely for what they believe in, to save their way of life, their people (Jews, witches, vampires, demonesses). Lang tortures her characters in ways unimagined by those not acquainted with the depths of the mystical lore in all its facets, beautiful and horrifying. All to a purpose.
Imagine a world where the daughters of men perpetuate their legacy since primordial times, since Eve, where angels fall for their beliefs, and a line of daughters can return from the dead and work great magics, but always at a great price (and Lang’s word painting is worthy of renderings in movies and graphic novels)? Can you stop a war? Can you stand back and not even try—hide or run? The entire story hinges on the last two lines of the book: “Who do you love? Do you seek the darkness or the light?” Only, once you read this, and I dare you to be unaffected by it, your definitions of dark and light may not remain so neat and tidy. Sweet dreams. Call on your guardian angels. They will come. They are real.
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
You realize there are books reviewers are predisposed to like by the title alone.When the good folks at the New York Journal of Books offered to send me this book, it was because I’d already reviewed an earlier book by the same author and liked it a great deal.But being brutally honest here, I’d forgotten what that title was until they showed me the cover image to “Blood of the Reich.”Ah, yes, William Dietrich, I thought, the fellow who created that Revolutionary version of Indiana Jones in his first book, “Napoleon’s Hero.”Yes, I had enjoyed that historical romp and was curious as to what this new stand alone offering might contain in the way of a fun reading experience.
Once I read the marketing copy, I was hooked.Nazis scientists racing to Tibet in hopes of finding a hidden mystical power in the lost city of Shambhala.These plot elements scream pulp pleasure and I knew immediately this was my kind of book.Dietrich’s background as a naturalist and historian allow him to create outlandish plots against authentic, real world settings and it is that richness of historical data that catapults “Blood of the Reich” into action from page one.
In 1938 Kurt Raeder, a German archeologist, is given an assignment by Hitler’s personal advisor, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler.Raeder and a handful of loyal Nazis scientists are to travel to Tibet, seek out the lost city of Shambhala and there retrieve an ancient power known as Vril.Himmler and the members of the arcane Thule Society believe this Vril could tip the balance of the coming war in Germany’s favor and fulfill Hitler’s mad dreams of a Third Reich world conquest.
Raeder is an intellectual sadist and the temptation to achieve personal glory, maybe even immortality, through the success of such an undertaking is much too great for him to resist.And so the mission is launched.At the same time, American intelligence agencies discover Raeder’s purpose and recruit their own academic agent, zoologist Benjamin Hood, to go after the Nazis and beat them at their own game.Failing that, he is to sabotage their efforts and assure Vril never becomes a German weapon.
Now this rollicking race across the world is exciting enough but Deitrich ups the ante by creating a second storyline; this one taking place today.Rominy Pickett is a computer publicist living in Seattle when she is kidnapped by a mysterious, handsome journalist, who claims her life is in danger from Neo-Nazis.They believe her to be the great granddaughter of Benjamin Hood.These want-to-be Nazis have uncovered the records of Raeder’s Tibetan mission and hope Rominy will lead them to rediscover what was found in those rugged mountains back in 1938.Thus is a smart, witty, normal young woman suddenly hurled head first into a life-or-death race around the globe accompanied by a charismatic stranger who appears to be a physical embodiment of all her romantic fantasies.But is he really her knight-in-shining armor or someone with ulterior motives using her to achieve his own dark agenda?
“Blood of the Reich” is a barn-storming novel that sets its sights high and never fails to deliver on them.My singular criticism is that the convoluted mystery of Rominy’s past and her evolution from frightened victim to pistol toting survivalist challenged even my willing suspension of disbelief.Deitrich’s prose is much more accomplished when dealing with the 30s whereas his modern sequences aren’t as assured.Still, this book has so much pulp goodness within its pages, I can’t help but recommend it enthusiastically.It would make one hell of a great film.
It takes a lot to make a noticeably different vampire film these days. The genre has been seemingly mined to death through the inanity that is the Twilight series to the more visceral thrills offered in the HBO adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ work in True Blood. Maybe that’s why it fell to a foreigner to offer us something messy but thought-provoking. Director Dennis Gansel conceived of his story, We are the Night back in 1996 and let is gestate in his mind before finding willing financial backers. Apparently, vamps don’t inspire moneymen in Germany so when the film failed to launch in 2006, Gansel went off to direct his acclaimed film, The Wave, and that finally got him his money.
The director says his inspiration came from the 1872 novel Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and it shows. Louise (Nina Hoss) has been seeking the reincarnation of her one true love, thinking she has found her time and again in attractive young women she converts into vampire lovers. Spotting the punk-styled thief Lena (Karoline Herfurth) at a throbbing nightclub, Louise doesn’t hesitate to bring her over to the dark side and only then begins the seduction, which backfires when Lena rebuffs her advances. Louise gives in to her needs rather than slowly explain things to the terrified young woman.
As a result, we get some sense that the male vampires have been killed off by the women and that very few vampires remain active in the modern world. Louise, therefore, fronts a trio of vamps, the other two being women she incorrectly thought had been the reincarnation she sought. There’s the lustful Nora (Anna Fischer) and the smoldering Charlotte (Jennifer Ulrich) and the three have reveled in being vampires, giving in to their temptations without a second thought. They eat, dance, drink, fornicate, and drive real fast, sexy cars. All the while, Louise works on Lena, who rebuffs her attempts without a real sense of why.
Meantime, Lena has encountered a cute cop, Tom (Max Riemelt),just before her transformation and he is the only one she thinks she can turn to when it’s clear this is not a lifestyle she wants forever. Tom, though, is investigating cases that bring their worlds onto a collision course.
Shot in and around Berlin, the film is dark and gritty when it’s not being slick and seductive. The dialogue is sparse which is a shame since more character development would have been appreciated. There are some story logic flaws mixed in with some terrific character bits. Gansel can certainly evoke mood, creating an erotic vampire thriller without nudity or copious amounts of blood and gore.
This should be Louise and Lena’s story but instead, the emotional core of being a vampire is stolen by Charlotte, the one-time silent film star, who has the most emotionally powerful scene in the film.
As vampire films go, this one is way above average but far from perfect. It’s currently playing the festival circuit in America and IFC films has already made it available as a digital download. A DVD will be released later this year and it’s certainly worth a look.
International superstaractor reality-tv judge drunk semi-naked hamburger eater, David Hasselhoff, worked the crowds of thousandshundreds dozens in attendance as he strutted his stuff to promote his next TV hit show The Hasselhoffs. Hoff, who hasn’t been seen since his YouTube starring role as “drunk idiot that quit “America’s Got Talent” too soon” (but he’s beloved in Germany folks…) walked the streets amidst a police escort behind a few mock KITT’s, dancing Baywatch cheerleaders, and a bus wrapped to promote the upcoming A & E reality show, whilst the crowd was pelted with the PA version of the Knight Rider theme and a few of Hoff’s hits covers.
David Hasselhoff can be seen soon at his upcoming Comedy Central Roast on August 15th, led by his emcee, Fox’s only living creator Seth “I have 3 shows and only 1 set of jokes” MacFarlane. If this isn’t a sign of the impending apocalypse folks… I don’t know what is. Go ahead, and watch the video clip for proof of the impending doom and downfall of civilization itself.
International 
