Dick Prather’s inimitable, incomparable SHELL SCOTT returns in a series of graphic novels scripted by Mark Ellis with art by his Justice Machine partner, David Enebral. Publisher Michael Hudson says, “We owe a lot to Linda Pendleton for making this a reality. I’ve been planning this for over three years and can’t wait to see what our team does with the property.”
Ellis had this to share. “Shell (Scott) is the first literary private eye I was exposed to. Dick Prather’s books were what ignited my interest in the genre. I don’t think people now realize just how enormously popular and even influential the Shell Scott series was for 20 plus years. What’s even more amazing is that the entertainment value still holds up today.”
The first three books to be adapted are Kill The Clown, Dead Man’s Walk and Pattern For Panic. The adaptations should run 44 pages in length and are expected to come out bi-annually through Sequential Pulp joint publishing partner, Dark Horse Comics.
When last we saw Garvey Dire, he was doing pretty well for himself.Oh sure, his mission to Mars had gone wrong, leaving him near death.But then he was miraculously transported 47,000 years into the past.And in that past, Mars is not a dying planet.Indeed, it thrives with life including the Muvari tribe which is mostly populated by warrior women.The males of the tribe are few and are guarded as they assure the continued survival of the tribe.
Garvey survives a number of harrowing adventures to rise to a level of prominence in the Muvari tribe as well as marrying the gorgeous and deadly Ntashia, the finest swordswoman of Mars.Garvey even managed to prevent World War III back on Earth in his native time period and save the life of his best friend.Salt-N-Pepa could very well have been talking about Garvey in their song “Whatta Man”
When we catch up again with Garvey Dire he’s facing an army of Galbran.They’re a rival tribe of cannibals who have an old score to settle with Garvey and an older one to settle with the Muvari.And while he’s trying to hold off this army in a remote outpost with but a handful of Muvari warrior women, he’s also trying to figure out how to handle the Muvari custom of a man having more than one wife.It’s not as hard one might think since his first wife Ntashia has made the arraignments for the marriage and is actively encouraging it.It’s custom, y’know and when on Mars, do as the Martians do.
It’s almost a relief for Garvey to discover that his old rival and fellow Earthman Arnold Stechter survived the events of “Dire Planet” and is alive and well.He’s lost his memory of his life on Earth and doesn’t recall that he and Garvey are bitter enemies.But Stechter hasn’t forgotten his ambition and desire for power.He has gathered together outcast warrior women from a dozen different tribes and forged them into a savage, bloodthirsty army.And with these EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET he intends to conquer and rule Mars.But it’s a plan that has to begin with the overthrow of Ledgrim, the hidden Muvari capital city.And it’s Garvey Dire who will unwittingly help Stechter achieve that goal…
If you’ve read and enjoyed “Dire Planet” then you’ll certainly want to read the sequel.Not only does Joel continue to explore and reveal new layers of his Martian culture but he also gives us new layers of his protagonist.Garvey’s naturally hesitant about entering into another marriage when he’s already got a wife he’s perfectly happy with.Garvey Dire exhibits more maturity in this multiple marriage thing than you would expect from a hero in this genre.Garvey’s still learning his role and place in this world and he sometimes wishes things would go a little slower.
One thing he’s not slow at is facing down the hoards of enemies thirsting for his blood in this one.If this book doesn’t have the highest body count of any of Joel’s books, its right up there in the top three.Just the first fifty pages of the book has a higher death rate than most complete novels.And this is before Garvey finds out about Stechter and his army of exiles.
EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET is an enjoyable book but a demanding one.Joel seems determined to give readers more bang for their buck and while he certainly does that it also means that there’s a lot more you to pay attention to attention to and keep track of.The only complaint I have with the book is that in order to get in as much information as he can, Joel will occasionally have characters explain some aspect of Martian life and culture to Garvey, even during scenes where it seemed to me that concerning themselves with surviving whatever is trying to kill them should be of paramount importance.Also there’s the character of Naegrik the Galbran.While he provides Garvey with a sidekick who’s just as much of an outsider as he is, Garvey’s acceptance of his conversion from full-blown cannibalism to bosom buddy and lifelong pal is a bit too quick for my taste.I liked how the other characters kept an eye on Naegrik when he was around and constantly reminded Garvey that hey, this guy grew up eating people.
But the main thing here is the adventure and Joel delivers it with great style and tight control over the half dozen subplots he’s got going.And EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET ends with a cliffhanger that will demand that you get the third book in the series; “Into The Dire Planet” to find out what happens next.And for my money that’s exactly what Pulp, whether Classic or New is supposed to do.Enjoy.
For more information about Joel Jenkins please visit:
And Joel has kindly provided a Dire Planet Compendium that you can find at The Vaults of Caladrex if you go to the right side of the blog and scroll down until you hit the keyword ‘Dire Planet Compendium’
News reported by Joshua Reynolds, All Pulp Staffer
*PULP FICTION ON THE BBC!
Starting August 20th on BBC Radio 4 Extra, the BBC presented readings of five stories from the classic era of pulp crime fiction, read by Peter Marinker!
*19 NOCTURNE BOULEVARD PRESENTS…THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP!
19 Nocturne Boulevard: Your Address for Strange Stories
has just released an audio version of Lovecraft ’s pulp-tastic tale of body-swapping , “The Thing on the Doorstep”. Go give it a listen, then maybe cycle through the rest of the episodes…you won’t be disappointed!
The Robert E. Howard Foundation is proud to present their newest collection of hard-to-find REH work, Spicy Adventures! Available now for pre-order, the collection contains eight full-length stories as well as odd bits and bobs of miscellanea as well as a kick-butt cover by Jim & Ruth Keegan! For information:
Look for them in your favorite bookstore and on-line retailer as well in a few days.
Procopio Cover
The Green Hornet Casefiles SC
Item #: gh2s
Price/ea: $18.95
336pgs, b/w, Squarebound, 6″x9″, sc $18.95
The Green Hornet Casefiles HC
Item #: GH2hc
Price/ea: $43.95
336pgs, b/w, Squarebound, 6″x9″, Ltd Ed HC $43.95
The Green Hornet Casefiles
Edited by Joe Gentile and Win Scott Eckert
Written by: Joe McKinney, Jim Mullaney, John Everson, Paul D. Storrie, Eric Fein, Vito Delsante, Win Scott Eckert, Dan Wickline, Paul Kupperberg, Howard Hopkins, Bobby Nash, Arthur A. Lyon, Bradley Sinor, Matthew Baugh, F.J. Desanto, David Boop, Barry Reese, Micheal Uslan, Joe Gentile, Tim Lasiuta, Rafael Nieves
Covers by Ruben Procopio and Michael Kaluta
Kaluta Cover
The long-awaited return of the Green Hornet & Kato and their rolling arsenal the Black Beauty!
Back again with all-new stories!
Moonstone is proud to present The Green Hornet Casefiles, our second anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunts the biggest of all game, public enemies that even the FBI can’t reach!
It’s the mid 1960’s, the political climate is shaky, there’s civil unrest, freedom and equality issues erupt everywhere from film to music to out in the streets.
On police records, the Green Hornet is actually a wanted criminal, a master manipulator, a crime boss who has his fingers in every pie. In reality, The Green Hornet is actually Britt Reid, owner-publisher of the Daily Sentinel. Alongside him rides his partner Kato, who is not only is a martial artist of unsurpassed prowess, but a skilled driver, and educated engineer as well. Their goal is to destroy crime from within by posing as criminals themselves!
The Matthew Baugh story, the Win Scott Eckert story, and the Howard Hopkins stories are sequels to their stories in the first volume!
Following up the announcement made on 8/17 that Dynamite Comics will be bringing the Pulp icon THE SHADOW back to comics, Dynamite announced today that fellow Pulp legend THE SPIDER will be joining the company’s growing cast of characters.
On board for Dynamite’s take on the millionaire turned somewhat horrifying hero will be writer David Liss, currently writing Marvel’s MYSTERY MEN mini series, artist Colton Worley and cover artists Alex Ross and John Cassaday.
Based on the art released thus far, Dynamite’s visual take on the character hews more toward how The Spider appeared in serials produced in the late 1930s and early 1940s by Columbia Pictures than how he has been portrayed in the original Pulps or in other comic adaptations, most recently that done by Moonstone Entertainment.
THE COMICS CONNECTION-A column discussing, exploring, and theorizing about the link between Pulp and Comics- By Joshua Pantalleresco
GREEN LANTERN-PULP THROUGH A COMIC LENS?
Green Lantern is one of the richest concepts in superheroes. I mean, just how awesome is it to talk about someone that has a ring that can make any wish come true as long as you have the willpower for it?
The concept has evolved since the beginning. Before there was Abin Sur, before the guardians, the corps, Sinestro and all the mythology we know today, Green Lantern was originally a riff on Aladdin. It was a magic ring that was part of an old Chinese prophecy. It came to earth in the form of a meteor, promising three things; death, life, and power. The meteor killed a village, restored a man to sanity, and finally fell into the hands of our hero.
In the wake of a train wreck caused by one of Alan Scott’s competitors during a trial, Alan finds a lantern and by talking to the green flame inside it he learned how to make a ring. He fashions a costume and seeks revenge of Dekker, the man that sabotaged his train. After defeating him, Alan Scott feels the call of destiny and decides to become a hero. He forges his costume and becomes the Green Lantern.
Like the Shadow or Batman before him, Alan emerges from the tragedy a changed man. He becomes a larger than life figure and battles the underworld, whether they were mobsters or the truly villainous Solomon Grundy.
That isn’t to say there wasn’t a light hearted side to the character. When he first moved to Gotham City, Alan Scott met Dolby Dickles, who would become his sidekick and drove a cab named “Goitrude”, a rocket powered cab, which would signal emergencies to the Green Lantern. A lot of these stories were more light hearted and fun. Dolby added much needed levity to the series when needed.
Contrary to the space stuff in the more modern incarnations, the original Green Lantern dealt with more traditional crime or adventure stories with a touch of the supernatural. It wasn’t until the sixties until we came closer to the concepts we know and love today.
Hal Jordan is a test pilot that finds an alien spaceship crash landing to earth. Inside, a mortally wounded Green Lantern, Abin Sur, tells Hal that he has been chosen to be a Green Lantern. With his sidekick, Tom Kalamaku, mechanic and able bodied assistant, Hal battled foes such as Hector Hammond, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Doctor Polaris.
This version of Green Lantern has more similarities to The Lensmen than say The Shadow. The two strongest connections are The Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe. While they don’t try to breed a solution to their problems, the Guardians do share the evolved tendencies of the Arisians and the mental energies projected by the Arisians could be similar to the energy projected by both the guardians and the power rings.
As for the Corps themselves, they are at the very least influenced by the Lensmen. Although DC initially denied it, two corps members were named Arisia and Eddore in honor of the Lensmen series. Arisia still appears regularly in the pages of Green Lantern.
Through many revamps and reincarnations, Green Lantern’s mythology has grown and expanded into what we know and love today, the concept both from its beginnings with Alan Scott, to today with Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner and company can trace its roots back to a pulpy beginning.
After sixteen years, The Shadow will once again be haunting the comic book shops. The classic character who starred in both pulp magazines and his popular radio show will be returning in the hands of Dynamite Entertainment. Dynamite currently publishes pulp-related properties The Green Hornet, The Phantom and John Carter of Mars. Dynamite’s President and Publisher were quoted in a press release, saying “pursuing The Shadow has been a lifetime quest.”
Sequential Pulp Comics, a highly anticipated new graphic-novel line distributed by Dark Horse, launching in September has announced their new company blog to help keep readers in the know on the happenings at Sequential Pulp Comics. You can visit the blog at http://sequentialpulpcomics.blogspot.com/.
BEN Books is proud to announce that the Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” comic book by New Pulp Creators Bobby Nash and James Burns is now available in digital format (PDF) at The Illustrated Section. http://theillustratedsection.com/lance-star-sky-ranger-one-shot
Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!”
November, 1941. Ace Air Adventurer Lance Star accepts a dangerous mission into an enemy stronghold to stop the Nazi’s from uncovering plans for a weapon long believed destroyed. Lance flies a solo mission to Kiev where he is to plant explosives and destroy a weapons facility when he runs into an old enemy. Now, Lance is faced with a choice. Complete the mission? Or take down the Sky Ranger’s greatest adversary? He’s only going to get one shot at this. Will he choose the mission or revenge?
Featuring high-flying adventure, aerial dog fights, explosive action, and stunning artwork, Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot!” is pure New Pulp fun from start to finish.
Pulp Aviation Ace, Lance Star takes off for another thrill-packed collection of four brand new action tales. In this third volume, Lance and his Sky Rangers face off against Oklahoma rustlers, Chinese warlords, jungle magic and a saucy British femme fatale who flirts with danger. New Pulp witers, Bobby Nash, Bernadette Johnson, Van Allen Plexico and Sean Taylor spin their yarns of incredible bravery and daring among the clouds that will hold the most jaded reader spellbound.
So release the chocks, kick the props and pull back on the stick as adventure once again takes to the skies in Airship 27 Productions latest high flying anthology. All the art for this book was provided by talented newcomer, Shannon Hall, to include twelve black and white interior illustrations and a stunning, fully painted cover. Designed by Rob Davis and edited by Ron Fortier, LANCE STAR – SKY RANGER Vol III is another quality addition to this soaring pulp series you won’t want to miss.
