You can listen to the entire show here. The Will Murray interview starts around the 19:20 mark.
You can read Jim Beard’s review of Wordslingers here.
Doc Savage “The Miracle Menace” Cover by Joe DeVito
In other Will Murray news, above is a sneak peak at the finished front cover for the author’s next Doc Savage novel, ‘The Miracle Menace’ by celebrated cover artist Joe DeVito. This cover will also appear as a full wraparound painting to celebrate Doc Savage’s 80th anniversary.
A Cutting Edge Independent Publisher, Pro Se Productions introduces another groundbreaking imprint, one aimed at the future fans of Genre Fiction and New Pulp. From the Creative Mind of Fantasy and Pulp Author Nancy A. Hansen comes COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME ONE, the first volume in Pro Se’s newest line of top quality fiction!
COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME ONE: A FAMILIAR NAME marks the debut of a new universe of action and excitement created by Hansen and authors Lee Houston, Jr. and Roger Stegman. Nancy A. Hansen (Fortune’s Pawn, Prophecy’s Gambit) brings her top notch, beloved Fantasy style to a tale full of magic and wonder as well as its own brand of action and adventure.
In A FAMILIAR NAME, the first volume of COMPANION DRAGONS TALES, Nancy Bittergreen is a busy author. She’s also a witch who regularly travels to the wondrous worlds brought to life by magical writing. A dangerous occupation to say the least. Nancy decides she needs a familiar– a small, intelligent creature who can be trusted to watch over things while she’s gone or come to her rescue when situations get just a little too weird. The very best familiars are miniature dragons, but they come with a high price and no instructions. Unfortunately there are powerful people who would prefer all magical creatures be registered, regulated, or even eliminated! Bringing a familiar home with her becomes a race against time with a dangerous opponent as this middle aged witch has to find out her new companion’s true name before sunrise turns him to stone.
COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME ONE: A FAMILIAR NAME introduces Pro Se Productions Young Reader Imprint- YoungPulp! Aimed at introducing younger audiences to the style of Pulp Fiction while providing them with engaging tales, YoungPulp features stories from all genres written both appropriately and intelligently for Young Readers to discover, enjoy, and explore! Written with intelligence and style that adults can appreciate as well, YoungPulp aims to add to the growing numbers of GenreFiction and New Pulp Fans with tales that excite and appeal to pre teen and adolescent readers.
This fantastic volume features beautiful cover art by Heidi Black as well as format and print design by Sean Ali and Ebook formatting by Russ Anderson.
See a side of magic, action, and fun that has never been seen before as Pro Se’s YoungPulp and Nancy A. Hansen bringyou COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME ONE: A FAMILIAR NAME!
For interviews, review copies, or further information, please contact Morgan Minor, Director of Corporate Operations at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com. For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. And stay tuned for further releases concerning YoungPulp.
Jungle Jim! The very name conjures up images of exotic locales, wild beasts and hostile natives. Jungle Jim braved these with the aid of his faithful Hindu companion, Kolu, as he traveled the wilds of southeastern Asia in search of adventure.
Jungle Jim is best remembered as the star of sixteen Columbia B-movies starring Johnny Weissmuller, fresh off his twelve-year stint as Tarzan, beginning in 1948. But Jungle Jim’s history goes back more than a decade.
Produced by Jay Clark and often written by Gene Stafford, The Adventures of Jungle Jim was on the air weekly from 1935 to 1954. A combination of jungle danger and colonial politics, the show brought listeners tales of slave traders, pirates, foreign spies, wild beasts, poachers, hostile tribes, and, during World War II, the Japanese, as Jim often served as an Allied operative. Armed with his trusty .45 automatic, the adventurer searched for lost treasure and investigated such mysteries as ghosts and unknown islands. Throughout it all, Jungle Jim maintained a cool head.
Beginning with Tarzan, the twentieth century was full of jungle characters. Jungle Jim is one of the unique ones, in that he wasn’t a barely-literate loincloth-clad tree-dwelling wild man, but rather Jim Bradley, a professional hunter in the mold of heroes of earlier popular fiction such as H. Rider Haggard’s Allan Quatermain and Lord John Roxton from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World.
Jungle Jim was the archetypal Great White Hunter who usually explores the kind of “lost worlds” which filled the pages of adventure magazines, and later, movie serials. He was everything one could ask for in a pulp protagonist – handsome, brave, resourceful.
This volume contains 40 fifteen-minute episodes from 1936 and 1937, including the conclusion of The Purple Triangle (#41-53) and the beginning of The Tiger’s Claw (#54-80), for ten hours of exciting and intelligent adventure. 10 hours $29.98 Audio CDs / $14.99 Download.
New Radio Digital Downloads now Available
For fourteen years, Radio Archives has been known for the amazing audio quality of our classic radio audio CD collections and it’s no wonder. We insist upon finding the absolute best quality masters, then carefully restoring them so that they retain all of the audio luster of the original recordings with none of the crackle, pops, hiss, or muffling so often heard in radio shows from other sources.
So, when we decided to start offering digital downloads of these same collections, two years ago, we knew that you’d accept nothing but the absolute best quality.
If you enjoy audio entertainment on your computer, your cell phone, or a portable device, you’ll be glad to hear that we’ve just added another sizable batch of digital downloads. Included are such long-time customer favorites as Suspense, The Best of the Big Bands, Boston Blackie, Archive Masters, Mystery is My Hobby, Night Watch, and Crime Club!
Digital downloads from RadioArchives.com give you the best of everything. Top quality shows in sparkling audio fidelity, available to you for instant delivery around the clock and, with digital downloads, you’ll pay no postage or delivery charges! Whether you live in Beijing, Basingstoke, or Bakersfield, just place your order and, within minutes, you’ll be enjoying some great entertainment.
We have 239 radio collections and the final 12 sets are now being converted to the Digital Download format. We are very pleased to announce that 4 radio collections are available for the first time today as digital downloads. The remaining 8 sets will be released in the next month. Great shows, great sound, and great prices, too!
It was CBS News commentator/curmudgeon Andy Rooney who once observed, “A lot of people think, as I do, that they appreciate Bob and Ray more than anyone else does.” Included in that “a lot of people” are undoubtedly old-time radio fans, many of whom have delighted in the offbeat radio antics of Messrs. Elliott and Goulding for the past half-century. Both men capitalized on their uncanny ability to intuit what each other was thinking to carve a small niche in the field of entertainment, generating big laughs by gently skewering and mocking the banality and pomposity of the business in which they had devoted both their careers: radio.
Boston native Robert Brackett Elliott was hired by 5000-watt radio station WHDH shortly after the start of World War II and, upon completing his stint in the service, returned to continue working the station’s morning drive time slot as a disc jockey. At that same time, the station also hired Raymond Walter Goulding to do WHDH’s hourly newscasts. Goulding was also a fellow New Englander, having been raised in nearby Lowell. The two men soon discovered that they enjoyed a real rapport over the airwaves and, after Goulding’s newscast was over, he would often join Elliott in witty, ad-libbed skits that slowly and surely developed a devoted fan base. When WHDH obtained the rights to the Braves-Red Sox games, management offered the two men twenty-five minutes before the start of each game to showcase their unique buffoonery, and dubbed the proceedings with the catchy title “Matinee with Bob and Ray.”
“Matinee with Bob and Ray” continued on WHDH in various formats and time slots until 1951. Thanks to the efforts of Bob and Ray fan Sheryl Smith, who helped us to gain access to the original 16″ WHDH transcriptions, Radio Archives is able to present the two men at their finest, with a collection of hilarious “Matinee” shows that now sound better than ever before. 10 hours. Regular Price $29.98 – Specially priced until August 29 for $14.99 Audio CDs / $7.49 Download.
Read by Nick Santa Maria. Liner Notes by Will Murray
For ten grim years, The Spider battled the Underworld, imprinting his scarlet seal on the bodies of the criminals he slew. No one knew his name. His face was unknown. Pursued by the police, sought by the mob, The Spider crushed crime with a blazing intensity never witnessed before or since. Now he’s back with a vengeance in a new series of audiobooks retelling his pulp-pounding exploits, as chronicled by Norvell W. Page, writing as Grant Stockbridge.
Never before or since has there been a hero like him. Driven, hunted, and violently committed to exterminating criminals of all calibers. A self-appointed savior of humanity, driven manic-depressive, and possibly undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, The Spider was known as the Master of Men.
The most compelling of the classic pulp heroes, Richard Wentworth had a fiancé, a coterie of equally committed aides, and a tense relationship with New York Police Commissioner Stanley Kirkpatrick, Wentworth’s best friend, but also a dedicated lawman sworn to send The Spider to the electric chair—no matter who he turns out to be.
Garbed in a black silk cloak, slouch hat and wearing an assortment of masks and strange disguises to make him look as fierce as his namesake, The Spider ran roughshod over a vicious legion of thugs and hoodlums, leaving behind him a trail of cold corpses branded by his calling card, a scarlet spider burned into their foreheads.
After three years of writing The Spider, Norvell Page suddenly dropped out in the Fall of 1936. No one is sure why this was, but nervous strain due to overwork, along with making unforgiving monthly deadlines, are the likeliest explanations for Page abandoning The Spider series.
For several months, Emile C. Tepperman ghosted the series as Grant Stockbridge. Suddenly, Norvell Page returned. And he returned with a vengeance! Tepperman introduced a new character to the series, Ben Lasker, but Page ruthlessly obliterated him in the beginning of his return novel, The Man Who Ruled in Hell. Not content with that, Page introduced a new alternate identity for Richard Wentworth, safecracker Blinky McQuade.
The Man Who Ruled in Hell pits the Master of Men against The Red Hand, a vicious supercriminal who has audaciously unionized New York’s Underworld. But how can Richard Wentworth overcome this new threat when he himself has been cast in prison?
This thrilling Spider audiobook features acclaimed voice talent Nick Santa Maria, who has made The Spider his own! Also included is Arthur Leo Zagat’s “Doc Turner–-Slave Buyer,” read by Roy Worley. 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 TheOctopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
Must New York bow down in abject terror before the relentless onslaughts of the IRON MAN — the super-criminal who could direct gigantic steel robots to spill the blood of hundreds at his merest whim?… Richard Wentworth said no! Yet his only weapons with which to back his heroic denial were his few loyal aides, and the garb of The Spider, Master of Men!… The greatest Spider story ever told! 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.
Out of the caverns of the lost came the deathless beast-men of Herr Goulon, Hunland’s Master-mind of Murder and to save the world he was fighting for, the Ace American Flying Spy had to undertake a solo flight beyond the grave! 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.
Bill Combat stands beside the dead body of his mother and swears an oath, before God and man, which her murderers shall perish by his hand! Here is an American Ace, thrown into the hell and misery of Europe’s war, offering his life, his courage, his guns and his flying skill, that dictators may vanish from a troubled world! Fly the skies of early World War II with Captain Bill Combat — the war ace who fought across Europe through the smoke of human liberties as it vanished from the earth. Fearlessly he battled the minions of the Nazi war machine. The Nazi evil had murdered his mother and uncle, and he vowed vengeance. It was a rousing call to America, which had not yet entered the war. But it was a call that only lasted for three issues of Captain Combat magazine: April, June and August of 1940. Captain Combat was a symbol created by author Barry Barton to do and say the things that America couldn’t officially say in those perilous times. Read along as blue skies turn red above, as green pastures become the barren homes of the dead. Today it stands as a rare glimpse of what fear fanned across America in the days when war was an ominous threat upon a bloody horizon. Captain Combat returns in these vintage pulp tales, 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 John H. Knox, 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.
I let my wife stand witness to Dr. Klitgard’s monstrous experiments with a giant ape — against my will… Good God! Could I have only known the ghastly plan went further… 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.
Enden built his setting with the genius of the damned — and the mad gods laughed when his vengeance plan proved a deadly boomerang! 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 the abandoned clipper’s rotting hold, Bruce Cameron saw his sweetheart go mad with a strange and frightful greed! 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.
Sourapple Gulch was a city of dreary, unhappy women. Pert Cinnie was sure she had the right remedy to liven up the girls — even though handsome Rand thought her a frivolous brat. A story of new love and ancient hatred in the grandeur of San Gabriel Canyon. 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 1939 and 1942. First, in “The Silver Death Rain”, The Silver Falcon, aided by The Vixen, has a bizarre plan to wreak havoc on the city: he’s trained a flock of crazed owls to kill at the sight of the color red! Then, in “Hell Rolls on the Highways”, The Evangelist seeks to take over the nation’s truck and bus systems, aided by his beautiful slave girl Kalimumtaz. The Spider’s efforts to defeat his evil plans are complicated by the fact that his faithful friend Ram Singh has fallen violently in love with the girl. 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 to accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00
The Knight of Darkness battles diabolical supervillains in classic pulp thrillers by all three “Maxwell Grants.” First, the Master of Darkness confronts his greatest superfoe, Shiwan Khan, “The Golden Master,” in Walter Gibson’s landmark novel that inspired the blockbuster 1994 movie. Then, The Shadow battles The Light in “Death’s Bright Finger,” a violent thriller by Theodore Tinsley. Finally, The Shadow and his agents are faced with a “Reign of Terror” in Bruce Elliott’s final (and best) pulp novel. This instant collector’s item showcases the classic color pulp covers by George Rozen and Graves Gladney and the original interior illustrations by Edd Cartier and Paul Orban, with commentary by popular culture 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.
Philip José Farmer tribute edition
The pulp era’s greatest superhero returns in two imaginative novels by Laurence Donovan and Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” What is the strange connection between a snowstorm in July and the death of a woman transformed into a shadow? Doc and Pat Savage journey to the Syrian Desert to unravel the strange secret of the “Murder Mirage” in the novel that inspired a 1940 Superman story! Then, a mysterious animal pelt leads Doc and his aides through a crack in the Earth to the prehistoric dangers of “The Other World.” Pulp historian Will Murray provides historical commentary and a tribute to the late Doc Savage writer Philip José Farmer. This deluxe pulp reprint showcase a stunning cover painting by the legendary James Bama, the classic color covers by Walter Baumhofer and Emery Clarke and all the original interior illustrations by Paul Orban. $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.
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. $25.00.
Celebrating 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.
Doc Savage announces to the world that he has succeeded in a quest that has eluded man for thousands of years. He has discovered a way to resurrect the dead! Doc asks the general public whom they think he should resurrect. The consensus is that he should revive the man reputed to have been the wisest man to ever live, King Solomon. But nefarious forces are at work. They substitute the mummy of the evil Egyptian Pharaoh Pey-deh-eh-ghan for King Solomon. This Pharaoh was reputed to have hidden a secret treasure which was never found.
Doc does not discover the substitution and the Pharaoh is resurrected. The villains who made the switch come to claim their prize but they soon discover that Pey-deh-eh-ghan is more crafty and nefarious than they thought. He adapts well to the 20th Century and lights out on his own to recover his treasure wreaking havoc and destruction at every turn.
Meanwhile, Doc Savage and his Iron Crew continue in pursuit hoping to stop the mad Pharaoh and the criminals who have unleashed him on mankind.
Can Doc stop this reign of terror? Will he be able to bring Pey-deh-eh-ghan to justice? Does the fabled lost treasure even exist after thousands of years?
Don’t miss this one! Double Novel reprint $12.95
Comments From Our Customers!
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Well. This might be the easiest review I’ve written.
If you liked the first Kick-Ass movie, you’ll like this one. If you would have liked the first film if it didn’t have Nicolas Cage in it, you’ll be even happier.
If you are a fan of the Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. comic book series, you’ll like this movie. It’s a fairly faithful adaptation of Kick-Ass 2 and the Hit-Girl prequel series, hitting most of the points and only making cosmetic changes (no final battle in Times Square, for example.)
If you are a fan of Chloe Grace Moritz, you’ll love this film. Even more fun this time around, yet still growing up. Between this and the upcoming Carrie remake, we have learned one very important lesson: Do. Not. Mess. With. Her.
If you think that the story is a decent examination and a snappy satirical commentary about trying to be a superhero in the real world, you are completely right. If you happen to think that the first film and/or the comic book is overwrought and overviolent and expect the sequel to be the same, you are completely right too.
If you think this is a way for comic book movies to keep things simple and get decent returns on their original investments by controlling costs instead of making R.I.P.D., you’re correct. If you think this is a cynical attempt to cash in on an easily extendable franchise, you’re right as well.
If you’re looking for surprises– well, there we have a problem. There really aren’t any if you’ve seen the first film, and especially if you’ve already read the source material. There are only two real areas for surprise here: will they keep all the levels of violence from the comics in the films, even the hyper-brutal and the completely ludicrous, and is it still going to be fun to watch knowing what’s coming next? The answer to both questions, BTW, is “yes”.
So go. Have fun, if this is the sort of thing you like. You know pretty much exactly what you’re going to get, and it’s going to be well-executed executions. It doesn’t quite live up to its title, it doesn’t quite kick ass too. But it’s not a bad way to spend an evening.
The Shadow Fan returns for Episode 44! This week, Barry Reese reviews two tales that are sure to stir up strong emotions from fans. First up: Reign of Terror, one of Bruce Elliott’s Shadow novels (1948). In Elliott’s final stab at the character, we finally get to see how the author would have handled the “traditional” version of the hero. Our second review: the final issue of Andrew Helfer’s controversial run on the DC Comic puts The Shadow’s head on top of a robot body! The Shadow # 19 (1988) can either be seen as one of the most unique moments in the character’s long history — or, perhaps, its absolute darkest.
If you love The Shadow, then this is the podcast for you!
Duck Tales Remastered is out, and it is glorious perfection.
The original gameplay of the original Capcom NES classic (largely considered the finest platformer on the system) is reproduced perfectly. Nothing has been “improved”, nor need it be.Yes, there are difficulty settings now, but if you want to reproduce the original in its infuriating awesomeness, it is there for you.
Note that I only said the gameplay had not been improved. The rest has been catapulted into the 21st century by spectacular game developers WayForward, makers of the Mighty Switch Force series, and also just reinvigorated Shantae. The graphics are still 2-D, but they are as sharp as the animation from the series, and thanks to the advances in technology, includes voiced narration and dialogue…by the original cast, wherever possible. Almost everyone is back; June Foray as Magica deSpell, Chuck McCann as Duckworth and half the Beagle Clan, and Frank Welker as the other half of the Beagle Boys, Hal Smith, original voice of Flintheart Glomgold, passed some years back – voice and character actor Brian George has stepped in expertly, and Eric Bauza steps in for the late Hamilton Camp as Fenton Crackshell, AKA Gizmoduck.
And as for the hero of the game…I will not lie to you, once again hearing Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck brought tears to my eyes. There have been others to voice the world’s richest duck, but none so often, and as long as the illustrious Mr. Young. It’s a voice he’s used often, most famously in The Time Machine as various members of the Filby family.
I look forward to hours of maddeningly reliving the frustration of my…well, not quite my youth, more like my early married days. I beat this thing one, I can do it again.
History is important. Understanding the history of a subject leads to the understanding and interpretation of current events. Knowing where you were can help you in comprehending where you are now. For instance, want to understand the current Mideast conundrum? Learn about World War I and the break-up of the Ottoman Empire by the British Empire and its allies because that’s where our modern Middle East troubles really started.
“But history is so boring!” you say?
Then pick up a good book. I don’t mean a “bustier and boudoir” romance novel – I mean a novel that explores, through its characters and situations, the mores and creeds and ethos of its time. War And Peace, To Kill A Mockingbird, Marjorie Morningstar, Tales Of The South Pacific – well, okay, James Michener’s book is a collection of short stories – The Grapes Of Wrath; even Gone With The Wind will help you understand the South of today.
I bring this up because I’m currently reading Watergate: A Novel by Thomas Mallon, a noted historical novelist who is also a frequent contributor to TheNew Yorker and The New York Times Book Review.
Yes, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post wrote a wonderful non-fiction book about the botched break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex, and All The President’s Men was a brilliant movie starring Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein and Jason Robards as Washington Post Editor-in-Chief Ben Bradlee. I thought the book and the movie were the last words on the scandal, too.
But Mallon does a brilliant job in imagining the emotions, thoughts, and personal ambitions of those involved in what Vanity Fair called, in its review of the book, “the operatic drama of Watergate.” The scandal was truly a Greek tragedy, a tale of moral bankruptcy and the corruption of leadership that still echoes in the hall of the United States government today, and not to the good. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the Tea Party, the obstructionists, the corporatists, the Mitch McConnells, the Eric Kantors, the John Boehners, the Koch Brothers, the Dick Cheneys and their ilk took away from the Watergate scandal the wrong lessons.
As in: Be cleverer as you undermine the Constitution of the United States.
On July 21st, John Boehner sat with Bob Schieffer of Face The Nation and actually said that Congress passes too many laws and that it “ought to be judged on how many laws it repeals.” And what laws would those be, Mr. Speaker of the House? You mean Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act?
As in: Lie until people believe it.
Iraq.
As in: Don’t fight the media. Use the media.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Fox News.
As in: The right to work without a union.
Yes. The right to work for less pay, worse benefits, more hours, and less environmental protection.
As in: Corporations are people.
Citizens United.
The Washington Post, home to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the paper that took down a President and his cabal of co-conspirators, was sold this past week to Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com. Bezos hasn’t said anything about his plans for the Graham-owned icon.
But we all know how great Amazon has been for Barnes and Noble and Borders and the great publishing houses like Random House and Penguin and Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
New Pulp has been around long enough that there are literally 100s of new works that have come out in the last few years. So many that a list of Essentials can now be compiled as fans debate theirfavorites whenever and wherever they gather.
Well, you can add PROHIBITON to yourlist. Terrence McCauley has given us a gem of a novel – the best New Pulp I’ve had the pleasure to read in years. This one, folks, is required reading.
With absolute authenticity and compelling narrative drive, McCauley guides us into the world of former boxer turned mob enforcer Terry Quinn. The year is 1930, the Depression reigns and booze means money to those who control it. There’s always money for vice and Quinn’s boss, Archie Doyle, is raking it in. But there are challengers to Doyle’s power out there and the clock is ticking.
That’s the set up. What follows is a truly inspired reading experience. McCauley not only recreates the speech rhythms and attitudes of Doyle and his crew but drops you in the middle of the action. PROHIBITIONis a time machine and you better have a Tommy gun close at hand before you crack the cover.
Quinn leaps off the page – a fully three-dimensional protagonist you can’t help but root for as the bullets fly and power plays are put in motion. The action is visceral, bloody, fast-paced and realistic. The character dynamics amongst the cast are fleshed out and interesting.
The end result is a must-read. It’s as simple as that. If you’re a fan of gangster fiction from Little Caesar to the Godfather and the Sopranos, then PROHIBITION is for you. If you love toughguy/hardboiled fiction, then McCauley delivers. Fans of fast-paced action take note as well. This novel delivers on all fronts.
Featuring a great cover and interior illustrations by the incomparable Rob Moran, the book is rock solid from top to bottom. Do not miss this one. You read that a lot in reviews, but it’s never been more true than it is for PROHIBITION. The novel is a stunningachievement. Bravo!
New Pulp Author Ron Fortier returns with another Pulp Fiction Review. This time out Ron takes a look at Sweet Money Won by Mycroft Magnusson.
SWEET MONEY WON
By Mycroft Magnusson
ISBN -13:978-1481952811
401 pages
Here’s a trick question for you. Can any well written book ever be too long for its own good? I would have thought that impossible until reading “Sweet Money Won.” Which is going to make this review a delicate balancing act as I want all of you to understand how much I truly liked this book; in many, many ways. Save one. So allow me to applaud what is a truly superbly well crafted crime comedy reminiscent of Elmore Leonard’s best efforts.
Rick and Liam are two small time conmen living in the seedy Koreatown section of Los Angeles. They survive hand to mouth on their meager rewards for the small cons they perpetuate, mostly on middle-class tourist visiting L.A. for the first time. Magnusson deftly defines both their personalities so that they immediately appealed to this reader. Liam, the smarter of the two, is the philosophical gambling addict who loves the Boston Patriots whereas Rick is the more reckless, by-the-seat-of-his-pants character who has a problem with pornography and sex, the latter being what gets them both into a world of hurt.
When Rick takes their entire money reserve to rescue a Russian porn-princess named Svetlana, whom he’s met on-line, from her muscle-bound pimps, he puts them both in harms way. Liam had placed a bet on a Patriot’s game, the cash being his debt should the Pats lose. Of course the Pats lose and the Korean strong-arm bookies are none too pleased when Liam doesn’t have the money to cover his bet. Now he and Rick have just twenty-four hours to come up with twenty thousand dollars. It is at this point when Svetlana agrees to help the boys by having sex with and then blackmailing a rich, up and coming congressman.
Reading “Sweet Money Won” is a truly engrossing, fun literary escapade that plays fast and loose with gunfire pacing. Again, Magnusson’s prose is both insightful and inventive when it needs to be. His writing is what is excellent and why I’m recommending you pick up a copy of this top-notch crime novel.
But Magnusson has to learn when scenes are extraneous and should be cut. Any scene that does not serve the plot should be excised and there are several of these that frustrated me. Rick’s Mexican weekend and Liam’s sports ticket scam are both unnecessary. A good editor could have trimmed this book by a hundred pages and helped shape it into an even better story. I hope that’s a lesson he learns soon. Rick and Liam and awesome characters and I’d love to see them in action again.
If you’re a Fringe fan like me, you’re probably feeling some withdrawal by now. So having the chance to dive into THE ZODIAC PARADOX by tie-in queen Christa Faust was welcome relief. But does the novel deliver? Read on.
The first thing readers should know is that the novel is a prequel with a capital P. It begins in 1968 and moves ahead into the 1970s so if you’re expecting Olivia and Peter to appear, then you’ll have to wait for the next two books inthe series. What you do get in the pages of THE ZODIAC PARADOX are healthy doses of Walter Bishop, William Bell and a smattering of Nina Sharp for some seasoning.
The novel kicks off with Walter and Bell performing their LSD experiments (which will ultimately culminate with the invention of Cortexiphan in the TV show) that result in their temporarily opening up a portal between universes. If you don’t know what any of the above means, then stop reading and get yourself some Fringe boxsets as you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Still with me? Okay. Now through this portal, a serial killer flees the police in the alternate universe and enters ours and immediately takes up here where he left off over there. This killer will come to be known as the Zodiac Killer. When Zodiac killings begin to resemble Walter’s and Bell’s remembered visions when the portal opened, they realize that they are responsible for unleashing this monster and must do something about it.
What follows is an engaging read that will satisfy Fringe fans and should please newcomers to the Fringe world. Faust can write and, although her other work tends to be gritty, intense and sexual, she knows how to rein that in for her tie-in work. If you’ve read her award-winning version of Snakes on a Plane (the best tie-in novel I’ve ever read), you know what I’m talking about.
Her characterizations are accurate and you find yourself hearing the actors’ voices as you read the lines. Walter, especially, is well drawn. Given John Noble’s unforgettable performance in the series, this comes as welcome relief. Yes, he’s not the focused, unfeeling monster portrayed in flashbacks on the show, but he has no reason to be. He’s young, brilliant, untouched by tragedy and yet, when the situation demands it, he will exhibit that iron will that will, ultimately, lead to his downfall and eventual redemption. Bell, too, comes across accurately. He’s the rock star of the group and his megalomania is hinted at here. Nina Sharp is a little farther along than the two leads. She’s focused, smart and her won’t take crap from anyone is balanced with her genuine empathy.
The action of the book is the only weak link here. Although most of the sequences are well thought out and exciting, these brilliant people often do stupid things, which I suppose can be explained by their being out of their depth. Two academically inclined youths, bookworms for lack of a better term, can’t be expected to act like Rambo and that’s as it should be. They are, however, geniuses, and their smarts occasionally go out the window. This is a minor nit-pick but it did take away from the reading experience a time or two.
So, should you read THE ZODIAC PARADOX? If you’re a fan of the show, definitely. There are insider nods throughout the book that will go unnoticed by newbies. And what about you newbies? Can you get anything out of the book? As a long-time fan of the show, it’s all but impossible for me to answer that question but I’ll give it a try. The answer is yes. The novel captures the genre smash-up that was the show. Using science and dimensional portals against a radiation-spewing killer from an alternate universe is what Fringe, the series, was all about and the novel should grab you right out of the gate.
I enjoyed THE ZODIAC PARADOXand am looking forward to Book 2 with a Olivia front and center. Fringe fans take note, the show lives on!
Featured Girasol Replica: The Magic Carpet #2 April 1933 [Pulp Replica]
Duck Tales Remastered is out, and it is glorious perfection.
