Tagged: Martin Powell

Mike Gold: Forward, Into The Past!

Regular readers of this space know my first true love is the city of Chicago, and that I’ll use any excuse to cop a visit to my fatherland. That’s where I was this past week, and I did not need an excuse. The 15th annual Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention was in town, and, therefore, so was I.

It’s a great chance to meet up with old friends and make a couple new ones, all the while gawking at ancient publications printed on ever-deteriorating paper, more permanent facsimile reprints of same, and brand new efforts that replicate the mood, techniques and often the characters of those thrilling days of yesteryear. As my pal Jim Wisniewski says, the comradery echoes the days when comic book conventions were social occasions accessible to all… and were actually about comic books.

pulp-cover-5For the few of you who may be unaware – and who have yet to obtain the first volume of Jim Steranko’s History of Comics – comic books characters and comic book publishers got their start in those sense-of-wonder inspiring lurid tales of adventure. The Shadow, Doc Savage, John Carter of Mars, Nick Carter and The Spider, among many others, begat super-hero comics. Archie, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics, among many others that did not survive Fredric Wertham et al, got their start by publishing pulp magazines. It’s our roots.

And it’s slipping away. Paper was not meant to last forever, and pulpwood paper wasn’t meant to survive more than a month. That’s why I am so supportive of all the reprint projects. Yes, one man – another old pal, Anthony Tollin – has the lion’s share of the most popular characters but he is hardly alone in these endeavors. He’s already reprinted half of all The Shadow stories.

I am equally amazed and pleased to see so many small-press publishers (defining “small-press” as, say, not as large as Abrams and Simon and Shuster and their pals) doing “new pulp.” This is exactly what it sounds like: new stories written in the style of the classic pulps. Many of the new pulp authors are comic book veterans: Chuck Dixon, Martin Powell, CJ Henderson, Ron Fortier, John Ostrander, Paul Kupperberg, Will Murray, David Michelinie, Rob Davis… the list is as long as the long arm of the law. And it appears that I’ll be joining that stalwart group.

JimWiz laments the days when conventions were social occasions, and he’s most certainly not alone. Way back in those days, comics fans enjoyed more than comics, television and new movies. We enjoyed the pulps, sure, and we enjoyed newspaper comic strips, science fiction, mysteries, dramatic radio, illustration art… all kinds of stuff. We had a well-rounded education in America’s popular culture.

I’m not saying today’s comics fans avoid these important and closely related media, but you can’t ascertain their interest from going to shows such as this weekend’s C2E2 or the New York Comicon or the San Diego Comic-Con. Indeed, if you walk around these megashows and their ilk, you’d have a hard time ascertaining the level of interest in comic books. These shows have very little to do with comic books per se, and some of these convention organizers (note I said “some” and not “all”) clearly could not care less.

So when I go to shows such as the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention – and there are many others; check out Pulp Coming Attractions for all the news in the pulp world, including these shows.

This stuff has little to do with nostalgia. It’s all about our cultural heritage.

And the folks doing the new stuff, the reprints, and the conventions are true cultural warriors.

 

 

Who’s That Girl?

Art: Diana Leto

Artist Diana Leto shared in-progress preview art for the upcoming Cave Girl online comic strip, premiering Friday, July 19th and coinciding with the ERB Inc. San Diego Comic Con panel and the original novel’s centennial celebration. Diana Leto and writer Martin Powell will have promo cards, sketch cards, and a painting to raffle off at the convention.

Don’t miss the debut of THE CAVE GIRL by Martin Powell and Diana Leto, from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Subscribe now at http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/

The War Chief Premiers!

Art: Nik Poliwko

Art: Nik Poliwko

THE WAR CHIEF premieres LIVE from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Incorporated!

New Pulp creators, Martin Powell (writer) and Nik Poliwko (artist) bring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The War Chief to the internet. The first strip is now live.

Tune in now for the start of a new weekly comic strip based upon Edgar Rice Burroughs’ historical novel of life and death during the final days of the Apache Wars. It is the fascinating adventure of Shoz-Dijiji, born as Andy MacDuff, and raised as a proud Apache. An honest and sympathetic portrait of Native Americans, ERB drew from his real experience living among them during his early years before becoming the world’s best-selling author. Burroughs himself considered THE WAR CHIEF his best and personally favorite novel among his nearly one hundred books.

Art: Nik Poliwko

Also Featuring the All New Weekly Comic Strips:
TARZAN OF THE APES™ by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg
CARSON OF VENUS™ by Martin Powell, Thomas Floyd, and Diana Leto
THE ETERNAL SAVAGE™ by Martin Powell and Steven E Gordon
THE CAVE GIRL™ by Martin Powell and Diana Leto — Starting in July!

All for ONE LOW PRICE of $1.99 PER MONTH! SUBSCRIBE NOW!!
http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/ 

Art: Nik Poliwko

WAR ARRIVES JUNE 29TH!

Art: Nik Poliwko

Starting June 29th, writer Martin Powell and artist Nik Poliwko bring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The War Chief to life in a new webstrip from Edgar Rice Burroughs Comics.

For only $1.99 per month you can subscribe to Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, featuring these All New Weekly Comic Strips:
TARZAN OF THE APES™ by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg
CARSON OF VENUS™ by Martin Powell, Thomas Floyd, and Diana Leto
THE ETERNAL SAVAGE™ by Martin Powell and Steven E Gordon
THE CAVE GIRL™ by Martin Powell and Diana Leto — COMING IN JULY!

Don’t miss the Adventure at www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics.

Art: Diana Leto

THIS MEANS WAR!

Art: Nik Poliwko

Starting June 29th, writer Martin Powell and artist Nik Poliwko bring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The War Chief to life in a new webstrip from Edgar Rice Burroughs Comics.

For only $1.99 per month you can subscribe to Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, including the all-new Tarzan comic strips by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg, Carson Of Venus by Martin Powell, Thomas Floyd, and Diana Leto, and The Eternal Savage by Martin Powell and Steven E Gordon.

Don’t miss the Adventure at www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics.

Monnstone Announces The Spider and a New Printingof the Domino Lady Sex as a Weapon Coming in October

Moonstone Books has released their October 2013 solicitations.

Cover Art: Dan Brereton

THE SPIDER: MASTER OF MEN softcover
Story: Martin Powell
Art: Hannibal King, Pablo Marcos
Cover: Dan Brereton
7” x 10”, grayscale, 106pgs, $12.95

Previews Exclusive!

**Includes the never-before-published issue #3, and a brand new illustrated short story!**

The original Spider, the most ruthless and relentless crime fighter of all time, (hated by both the Law and the Underworld) mows down crime in these Moonstone pulp action tales!

This volume also includes reprints “The Spider #1 & #2, “Return of the Monsters: The Spider vs Werewolf”, The Spider XMAS , plus the prose short story “City of the Melting Dead”.

*includes a foreword by Elizabeth Bissette, the great niece of the man who wrote the majority of original Spider tales: Norvell Page!

Cover Art: Uwe Jarling

THE DOMINO LADY: “SEX AS A WEAPON” softcover
Story: Nancy Holder, Chuck Dixon, Bobby Nash, and more
Edited by: Lori Gentile
Interior Art: Ver Curtiss
Cover: Uwe Jarling
222pgs, Squarebound, 6” x 9”, $16.95

Previews Exclusive!

New printing of this long sold-out collection!

Stunned and enraged by the murder of her crusading politician father, beautiful socialite Ellen Patrick becomes determined to bring her father’s killers to justice…at any cost.  A talented Berkley graduate, she knows that to truly fight the men who killed her father she must break all the rules.  Donning a distinctive white dress and a black domino mask, she becomes The Domino Lady, one of the sexiest –and most elusive—crime fighters of all time.

Guest-starring: SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE BLACK BAT , & AIRBOY!

Nine all-new tales of one of the world’s first female masked crime fighters, by Nancy Holder, Chuck Dixon, CJ Henderson, Martin Powell, Ron Fortier, James  Chambers, Bobby Nash, Gail McAbee. Introduction: Mystery Writers of America Raven Award winner Joan Hansen!

Carson of Venus Webstrip is Live!

CARSON OF VENUS, an all-new full color online weekly comic strip of interplanetary romantic adventure by writer Martin Powell and artists Thomas Floyd and Diana Leto is now live at http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/

Brought to you by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Incorporated, Carson of Venus is part of ERB Inc’s comic subscription service. For the low price of $1.99 per month you get Carson of Venus and the all-new TARZAN comic strip by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg. And there are more new ERB comic strips on the way. Plus, fun free collectible premiums! If you love pulpy comic strips, subscribe today at http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/

Get Ready to Blast Off With Carson of Venus!

CARSON OF VENUS is an all-new full color online weekly comic strip of interplanetary romantic adventure brought to you by writer Martin Powell and artists Thomas Floyd and Diana Leto. Carson of Venus is produced by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Incorporated. Look for Carson of Venus’ launch on June 1st!

Join the Excitement! For only $1.99 per month you can get Carson of Venus and the all-new TARZAN comic strip by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg– and there are more fantastic ERB comic strips on the way– at no additional cost!

Subscribe Today at http://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/