AUSTRAILIAN NOIR!

AUSTRAILIAN NOIR!

THE ABOVE GRAPHIC IS SEAN PHILLIPS COOL ILLUSTRATION FOR AN UPCOMING ARTICLE I(BY RYAN K. LINDAY) N THE BACK OF AN UPCOMING ISSUE OF SEAN PHILLIPS AND ED BRUBACKERS TOUGH AS NAILS CRIME COMIC, CRIMINAL.

IF YOU AREN'T READING CRIMINAL, YOU NEED TO JUMP ON THE WAGON. NOT ONLY ARE THE STORIES WONDERFULLY HARDBOILED, BUT THE FEATURE ARTICLE IN THE BACK PAGES ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING.

TO CHECK OUT PHILLIP'S BLOG CLICK HERE

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ DOUBLE PLAY!

THE MESMER!

THE MESMER!

THE SECOND I SAW THIS MOCK COVER FROM ARTIST ALY FELL, I IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO HANG IT ON MY WALL . . . HELL, I WANTED TO READ WHATEVER PULP STORY WAS BEHIND THE COVER. THIS IS COOL STUFF!

TO SEE MORE OF ALY’S WORK CLICK HERE

TO READ ALY’S BLOG CLICK HERE

HAIKU ~ ANDREW VACHSS!

HAIKU ~ ANDREW VACHSS!

VACHSS IS NEVER AN EASY READ - BLEAK, RAW, RELENTLESS - BUT ALWAYS A WORTHWHILE ONE . . .

Ho was a revered sensei, but when his dismissive arrogance caused the death of a beloved student, he renounced not only his possessions but also his role as a master, and now roams the streets in search of a way to atone. Drawn by his presence, a group forms around him: Michael, an addicted gambler who has lost everything, including himself; Ranger, a Vietnam veteran with a tenuous grip on reality; Lamont, a once-fearless street-gang warlord turned hopeless alcoholic; Target, a relentless “clanger” who speaks only by echoing the sounds of others; and Brewster, an obsessive collector of hardboiled paperbacks he stashes in an abandoned building even vermin avoid.

Y/A CORNER ~ MILLION DOLLAR THROW!

Y/A CORNER ~ MILLION DOLLAR THROW!

MIKE LUPICA

"Lupica's football action engages, and his delineation of the athlete's thought process and emotional highs and lows of competition feels visceral and real." ~ Kirkus

What would you do with a million dollars, if you were 13?

Nate Brodie is nicknamed “Brady” not only for his arm, but also because he’s the biggest Tom Brady fan. He’s even saved up to buy an autographed football. And when he does, he wins the chance for something he’s never dreamed of—to throw a pass through a target at a Patriots game for one million dollars.

Nate should be excited. But things have been tough lately. His dad lost his job and his family is losing their home. It’s no secret that a million dollars would go a long way. So all Nate feels is pressure, and just when he needs it most, his golden arm begins to fail him. Even worse, his best friend Abby is going blind, slowly losing her ability to do the one thing she loves most—paint. Yet Abby never complains, and she is Nate’s inspiration. He knows she’ll be there when he makes the throw of a lifetime.

Mike Lupica’s latest sports novel is also his most heartwarming.

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ TRIPLE PLAY!

PIRATE LATITUDES!

PIRATE LATITUDES!

IT’S A PIRATE NOVEL, SO I’M GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE THIS ONE A TRY EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH MUCH OF CRICHTON’S WORK.

AND HOW MANY OF US BELIEVE THE BIT ABOUT THE MANUSCRIPT FOR THIS NOVEL BEING DISCOVERED IN ITS COMPLETE FORM AMONGST CRICHTON’S PAPERS AFTER HIS DEATH? CAN YOU SAY GHOST WRITER? I KNEW YOU COULD . . . (OKAY, SO I'M A CYNIC)

From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease—or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure. . . .
Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

Michael Crichton's novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, and The Andromeda Strain. He is also known as a filmmaker and the creator of ER. One of the most popular writers in the world, he has sold over 150 million books, which have been translated into thirty-six languages; thirteen have been made into films. He remains the only writer to have had the number one book, movie, and TV show at the same time. Pirate Latitudes was discovered as a complete manuscript in his files after his death in 2008.

THE DEIGHTON FILE ON RADIO 4!

THE DEIGHTON FILE ON RADIO 4!

FELLOW C.O.B.R.A.S. AGENT ROB MALLOWS OVER AT THE DEIGHTON DOSSIER FORWARDS THIS INTELLIGENCE . . .

Today on BBC Radio 4 The Deighton File - the 30 minutes radio documentary about the life and work of Len Deighton first broadcast in May 2009 - was re-broadcast. It will be available for another week to listen to on iPlayer. It's worth listening to to hear some new angles on familiar stories and understand how Deighton developed some of his key characters.

This was an excellent piece of storytelling by the producer Patrick Humphries, who as well as interviewing Deighton - his first broadcast interview for a few years - talks to Edward Milward-Oliver, novelist Jeremy Duns and Sir Max Hastings among others about the significance of Deighton's works and their impact on popular culture.

I HOPPED ONTO MY NERD OF THE HERD BBC DOWNLOADER AND FOUND THE SHOW READY AND WAITING FOR DOWNLOAD. VERY COOL. THANKS ROB!

THE CAT'S MEOW!

LIGHTSABERS MAKE EVERYTHING COOLER!

LIGHTSABERS MAKE EVERYTHING COOLER!

So says Mathue Shell of Geekstir, who is (presumably) the creator of this photoshop. It’s an adaptation of John Trumbull’s 1795 painting “The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton”, owned by the Yale University Art Gallery.

THANKS TO NEATORAMA

GIANT GUITAR HERO PLAYED WITH SOCCER BALLS!

GIANT GUITAR HERO PLAYED WITH SOCCER BALLS!

This video is a promotional gimmick for the British rock band Kasabian. It begins with craftsmen creating enormous functional buttons on the wall of a London warehouse. These and additional visual effects make a giant version of the video game Guitar Hero. Participants play by kicking soccer balls at the buttons in the right order to the tune of one of Kasabian’s songs.

THANKS TO NEATORAMA

SAMMY SINGS!

SAMMY SINGS!

MY FRIEND AND BLOG BUDDY LEE GOLDBERG HAS DUG UP SOME PRETTY STARTLING SAMMY DAVIS JR. TAKES ON TELEVISION SHOW THEMES. WITH HIS TONGUE IN HIS CHEEK, LEE REFERS TO THEM AS CRAPTASTIC. YOU CAN JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.



TO SEE MORE ON LEE'S BLOG CLICK HERE

COCKTAIL NATION #98 ~ CAPTAIN PHARAOH MAKES SOME TIKI MUGS!

COCKTAIL NATION #98 ~ CAPTAIN PHARAOH MAKES SOME TIKI MUGS!

Thanks to Koop’sr good friends on the Big Island, Brad Parker and the crew at Tiki Shark, it's Koop Kooper and the Cocktail Nation broadcasting across the world from Sydney’s home of Swank ~ Koop’s Penthouse!

On the show this week, Koop checks out some tiki mugs from Captain Pharoah, Brad Parker swings by for a chat, Koop solves some problems in the swankiest way possible with his new segment, Ask Koop.

There's also Koop’s regular gig guide looking at the world of Swank, plus the very best classic and neo lounge and exotica .

Martini Heaven ~ Gigolo
Waitiki ~ Sweet Piki Serenade
Tiki Joes Ocean ~ Sacred Island
Hugo Montenegro ~ Heat Wave
Chet Baker ~ Tenderly
Jimmy Vargas ~ Striptesia Blues
Acca Daiquiris ~ Love is the Drug
Wayne King ~ An Affair To Remember
Dave Pell Octet ~ My Heart Belongs to Daddy
Lucas Vigor ~ So Daco Samba
Robert Drasnin ~ Warm Night Wind
Skip Heller ~ El Tiradito
Vikki Carr ~ No Other love
Preston Epps ~ Bongo Party
The SG Sound ~ Red Desert Springs
Esquivel ~ Malaguena Salerosa

TO DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN CLICK HERE

BEAT TO A PULP #48!

BEAT TO A PULP #48!

ONE NIGHT NEAR HANGTOWN BY JAMES REASONER

HERE'S THE WORD FROM BTAP EDITOR DAVIN CRANMER . . .

Labor Day 2009, I’m checking my inbox and sitting there is an email from James Reasoner... with a story. Now, it wasn’t completely unexpected because we had talked about it before but still... it’s a story from James Reasoner! I’ve been a fan for years, so I let the moment soak in and then wondered: Is it a western or a crime story or maybe another sea yarn like he wrote for Dave Zeltserman’s superb final issue of Hardluck Stories.

The title, One Night Near Hangtown, might suggest a western, right? And while James had mentioned to me that it involves early western movie star, Buck Jones, it’s not what you’re thinking when he pairs up Buck with an unlikely friend, just in time for more Halloween thrills. He called the story "whimsical"—I call it truly unique.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Reasoner has been a professional writer for more than thirty years and in that time has produced everything from cult classic mystery novels such as TEXAS WIND to popular historical sagas of the Civil War and World War II. His most recent novels include the critically acclaimed hardboiled crime story DUST DEVILS and the first book in the Gabriel Hunt adventure series, HUNT AT THE WELL OF ETERNITY. Under various pseudonyms, he is also one of the most prolific and best-selling Western authors writing today. He lives in a small town in Texas with his wife, fellow author Livia J. Washburn.

It’s a great honor to have James Reasoner at BEAT to a PULP with One Night Near Hangtown.

TO READ ONE NIGHT NEAR HANGTOWN CLICK HERE

NEXT WEEK: "MORTIFICATION" BY SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD

SINATRA: NEW YORK!

SINATRA: NEW YORK!

Five-Disc Boxed Set Features All Previously UnreleasedLive Performances Of Ol’ Blue Eyes In “The Apple”

Collection Highlights Performances Recorded Between 1955 and 1990 At Iconic New York City Venues

Available From Reprise November 3

Frank Sinatra may have been born in Hoboken, New Jersey, but the Chairman of the Board always held a special place in his heart for the city that never sleeps—“The Apple,”as he called it. From a surprise appearance with Tommy Dorsey in 1955 to a 1990 concert at Radio City Music Hall, SINATRA: NEW YORK follows the singer onstage at various iconic New York City venues, living out one of his most famous lines: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” The five-disc boxed set (4-CD/1-DVD) of previously unreleased live performances will be available November 3, at all retail outlets, including www.Sinatra.com, for a suggested list price of $79.99 (physical) and $34.99 (digital).

The 71 previously unreleased performances gathered here (55 on CD/16 on DVD) capture the singer giving his electricifying best, reminding listeners why Sinatra’s celebrated baritone has been hailed as the “The Voice.” The set, produced by Charles Pignone, features deluxe packaging with rare, never-before-seen photos, tributes from Martin Scorsese, Tony Bennett, Yogi Berra, and Twyla Tharp, liner notes by Nat Hentoff, and essays by William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist and French Connection; George Kalinsky, official photographer for Madison Square Garden for over 40 years; Tom Young, engineer for Sinatra; Joe & Sal Scognamillo, owners of Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York City; and Frank Sinatra Jr.

SINATRA: NEW YORK begins in February 1955, at the Manhattan Center, where Sinatra made a surprise appearance with Tommy Dorsey and his band during a concert celebrating the group’s 20-year anniversary. Sinatra, who first became a star singing with Dorsey in the early ’40s, sang a trio of his biggest hits with Dorsey: “Oh! Look At Me Now,” “This Love Of Mine;” and “I’ll Never Smile Again,” a song that spent 12 weeks at #1 in 1940. The remainder of the first disc was recorded in September 1963, at the United Nations. To celebrate U.N. Staff Day, Sinatra sang at the organization’s Manhattan offices, accompanied only by pianist Skitch Henderson, who incidentally played on Sinatra’s first solo recording session in 1942. During the show, the duo performed “I Have Dreamed” and “My Heart Stood Still” from The Concert Sinatra, an album released earlier that year.

Sinatra “retired” in 1971, at the age of 55, but returned in 1973, with Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back. A year later, he launched a tour to benefit an international children’s charity that included a show at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The second disc features classics such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Come Fly With Me.” Sinatra also performed Joe Raposo’s “There Used To Be A Ballpark” and “You Will Be My Music” from Ol’ Blue Eyes.

From October 1974, the third disc contains the first night of Sinatra’s two-night stand at Madison Square Garden. The second night was televised and dubbed ‘The Main Event’ concert. With the famous arena set up for a boxing match—complete with ringside seats—Howard Cosell introduced Sinatra before the singer took the stage wearing boxing gloves. Bill Miller conducted Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd as the band accompanied Sinatra on signature hits (“The Lady Is A Tramp,” “My Way”), ballads (“Let Me Try Again,” “Angel Eyes”), and “Autumn In New York.”

The final CD returns to Carnegie Hall for a sold-out June 1984 show, and Sinatra taps his extensive songbook for an eclectic evening of music that spans four decades: “Fly Me To The Moon”; “Pennies From Heaven”; “My Way”; and “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” The second half of disc four, from Radio City Music Hall in June 1990, finds Sinatra performing with an orchestra conducted by his son Frank Sinatra Jr., and includes such hits as “Strangers In The Night,” “Mack The Knife,” and “Theme From New York, New York.”

SINATRA: NEW YORK closes with a DVD containing the singer’s June 25, 1980, concert at Carnegie Hall. At the time, the two-week engagement set a record for the venue by selling out in just a day. The shows followed the release of 1980’s Trilogy, Sinatra’s ambitious triple-album comeback that featured “The Theme From New York, New York.” Sinatra mixes “Summer Me, Winter Me” from that album with his hits “I’ve Got The World On A String” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Foreshadowing the follow-up to Trilogy is “The Gal That Got Away”/“It Never Entered My Mind,” a medley that would appear on She Shot Me Down in 1981.

COME DINE WITH ME: SINATRA AT ENCORE!

COME DINE WITH ME: SINATRA AT ENCORE!

DOUBLE CLICK THE PHOTO TO READ THE ARTICLE

JAVA’S BACHELOR PAD!

JAVA’S BACHELOR PAD!

JAVA'S COSMIC HALLOWEEN SPEICAL 2009

Get lit up with this year’s all-new, “lid-scorching” incarnation of – “JAVA’S 2009 COSMIC HALLOWEEN SPECIAL”…!

This time around, Java finds himself “Pad-jacked” by the platoon of poisonous pumpkins in Crumpkin’s Pumpkin Patch, in league with the last four (“hiccup!-flame-scream!) – um, make that the last three zombies left behind last year (that didn't go up in flames from the 151), now under the spell of a “Mystic Power” back on YoYo Island – one who seeks the powerful mojo in the pumpkin leaves from Crumpkin's Pumpkin Patch, who’s hell-bent on raising Cain – and just about everybody else who’s shuffled off their mortal coils!

Stowaway with Java and his “lycanthropically-inclined” lunatic acquaintance, Miss Lauren Talbot (yes, she’s one of those “Talbots”), on a “hair-raising” adventure back to the wackiest island in the world, as Java suavely tries to recapture the keys to The Pad, while tussling with a girl who’s got more than a mere Smith & Wesson in her personal arsenal, especially when the moon is full!

It’s a crazy cauldron stew that blends Java’s always entertaining musical Treats, with Crumpkin’s Pumpkins’ gleefully wicked dirty Tricks, and a pumpkin-vine-tangled tale that features thrillingly saturated submarine fun, small-arms leaf-wrestling, and the Pirate Zombies of ‘Porte La Morte”, who are always glad to see fresh visitors during the Yoyo Island “Zombie Gras”!

The on-line version is available now for your official fright night enjoyment.

Tune in to join Java for a nice big steamin’ cuppa Halloween mayhem and musical madness, that puts the “Tea” in Terror, and may show Crumpkin’s Pumpkins that there’s a steep price to pay for brewing up a scheme that could well put them all in the bag…

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE # 75!

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE # 75!

Join the BIG W, with a bag of candy in hand, as he explores the mid-century sounds of HALLOWEEN on tonight’s episode of "An Evening At The Buddies Lounge" presented in LIVING STEREO!

PLAYLIST:

• Bewitched - Steve Lawrence
• Alfred Hitchcock Theme - Ralph Marterie
• Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra
• Mystery Movie Theme - Henry Mancini
• Zombie Jamboree - Kingston Trio
• Old Devil Moon - Mel Torme
• The Black Cat - Buddy Morrow
• Headless Horseman - Thurl Ravenscroft
• You’re The Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley
• The Munsters - Billy Stange
• Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Sammy Davis, Jr.
• Batman - Jan & Dean
• Monster Mash - The Beach Boys
• Ghost Riders In The Sky - Lorne Greene
• The Blob - The Five Blobs
• That Old Black Magic - Keely Smith & Louis Prima
• The Mummy - Bob McFadden & Dor
• Return Of The Zombie - Billy May
• With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm - Kingston Trio
• Purple People Eater - Judy Garland

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

PULP MEISTER GIL BREWER!

PULP MEISTER GIL BREWER!

STEVE HOLLAND HAS POSTED A COOL PIECE ON PULP WRITER GIL BREWER OVER AT HIS BEAR ALLEY BLOG

Brewer spent three years at high school before dropping out to work. He was wounded in action whilst serving with the army in Belgium and France, which meant he received a VA disability pension. His family had moved to Florida and Brewer went through the usual variety of jobs—warehouseman, cannery worker, bookseller, gas-station attendant—associated with those learning their trade as a writer. With money an issue, Brewer's mother insisted he get a proper job. When he refused she ordered him to leave.

Brewer found a boarding house where the other residents would help feed him; he was already a heavy drinker but was also young, handsome and dynamic. He was involved in an affair with a married woman, Verlaine Morris Lee, who subsequently divorced her husband. The two married in South Carolina, telling no-one.

Back in St. Petersburg, Florida, he sold tales to Detective Tales and Detective Fiction before trying his hand with a novel, written in a white heat and completed in five days. He wrote a second almost as quickly and this was placed with Gold Medal (Fawcett Publications) who had then recently launched a line of original paperbacks and were seeking the best writers from the pulps, both established writers and new. Satan Is A Woman was published in 1951, followed quickly by So Rich, So Dead—Brewer's five-day novel—and 13 French Street, which was his first million seller.

TO READ THE FULL POST AND SEE MORE COVERS CLICK HERE

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ HALOWEEN EDITION!

10 THINGS THAT SOUND DIRTY ON HALLOWEEN!

10 THINGS THAT SOUND DIRTY ON HALLOWEEN!

1. So...What'd you get in the sack?

2. Once you get under the sheet, start moaning and groaning!!!

3. Just hop on that broomstick and ride it!

4. Those small suckers are gone in a few licks!

5. I got the best piece from that house.

6. Quit screwing around on the porch!!!

7. Stick your hand in and guess what you're feeling....

8. It was so filled and heavy, I had to use TWO hands!!

9. They'll suck you dry if they get their teeth in you.

10. I bobbed and bobbed, but couldn't get my mouth around it!

THANKS TO MISS CELLANIA

SIGNS THAT YOU'RE TOO OLD TO TRICK-OR-TREAT!

SIGNS THAT YOU'RE TOO OLD TO TRICK-OR-TREAT!

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.

9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.

8. You ask for high fiber candy only.

7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.

6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.

5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and can't remember the rest.

4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.

3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.

1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.

THANKS TO MISS CELLANIA

FRANK SINATRA ~ SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS (1956)!

FRANK SINATRA ~ SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS (1956)!

ANOTHER COOL AND SWINGIN’ DOWNLOAD FROM JENSEN BRAZIL . . .

TRACKLIST:

01. You Make Me Feel So Young
02. It Happened In Monterey
03. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
04. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me
05. Too Marvelous For Words
06. Old Devil Moon
07. Pennies From Heaven
08. Love Is Here to Stay
09. I've Got You Under My Skin
10. I Thought About You
11. We'll Be Together Again
12. Makin' Whoopee
13. Swingin' Down The Lane
14. Anything Goes
15. How About You?

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

PHANTOM: JULIE WALKER!

PHANTOM: JULIE WALKER!

Two-time Bram Stoker winner Elizabeth Massie delivers a previously unknown adventure tale of danger on the high seas of the only female Phantom that Lee Falk ever created! Julie Walker is forced to take over the Phantom role and guard her friend, Nellie Bly on her historic trip around the world! Something or someone does not want Ms Nellie to finish this record breaking trek!

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

CAPTAIN FLY-BY-NIGHT!

CAPTAIN FLY-BY-NIGHT!

BY JOHNSTON MCCULLEY

PULPVILLE PRESS - NOW AVAILABLE!

Famed as the creator and author of Zorro, McCulley wrote a novel in a similar vein which was published in 1916 and subsequently made into a silent film.

Captain Fly-By-Night was stirring up trouble in California between the red men and the white. Rojelio Rocha, betrothed by his parents to Anita Fernandez, heads to San Diego for his marriage. All three end up in a rollicking historical drama of Southern California life in the early 1800's.

Hardcover
182 pages
$29.95

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

AIRFIGHTERS #1!

AIRFIGHTERS #1!

COMING IN JANUARY!

Written by Chuck Dixon and Tom DeFalco, art by Oscar Celestini, covers by Tom Grindberg and Rob Schwager.

It's an all out air war as Dixon, DeFalco and Celestini rev up Airboy and his Airfighters' return to the comic page! This 72-page extravaganza features the all new high-flying exploits of Airboy and his revamped compatriots in their very first Moonstone appearance: Skywolf, Black Angel, Flying Dutchman, Iron Ace, Bald Eagle, and the Flying Fool! Plus, a special first tale of Moonstone's Captain Midnight!

72 PAGES
BLACK AND WHITE
$5.99.

MOONSTONE BOOKS

THE CAT'S MEOW!

SUPER-DETECTIVE JIM ANTHONY!

SUPER-DETECTIVE JIM ANTHONY!

THE COMPLETE SERIES VOLUME 1

Another complete series collection from Altus Press, this time focusing on the classic Doc Savage clone Jim Anthony, complete and uncut from the pages of the SUPER-DETECTIVE pulp magazine from 1940-43. Volume 1 contains the first three adventures, collecting the Rado Ruric trilogy: "Dealer in Death," "Legion of Robots" and "Madame Murder." These also include editor notes and correspondence, and this edition contains an all-new introduction by Will Murray.

NOW AVAILABLE IN HARDCOVER!

SOFTCOVER EDITION COMING SOON!

389 PAGES

LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER

(ONLY 100 MADE)
$39.95

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

DR. WATSON ON THE CASE!

DR. WATSON ON THE CASE!

FROM AIRSHIP 27

SEASON OF MADNESS is a Doctor Watson adventure by Aaron Smith.

When a deadly drug begins infecting the people of London, it is up to Dr.Seward (of the Dracula novel) to discover the origin of the deadly powder. He seeks out Sherlock Holmes only to discover the great detective is out of the country on a secret mission for the government and so he enlist the aid of Dr.Watson.

Together they must solve the mystery before more people fall victim to a Season of Madness. The book features interior illustrations by artist Pedro Cruz and a gorgeous cover (very appropriate for Halloween) by Rob Davis and Shane Evans.

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

INVICTUS!

INVICTUS!

I'M THERE OPENING DAY!

SATAN'S PLAYMATES: THE ADVENTURES OF MOLLOY AND MCNAMARA!

SATAN'S PLAYMATES: THE ADVENTURES OF MOLLOY AND MCNAMARA!

COMING IN NOVEMBER FROM AGE OF ACES BOOKS

Mike Molloy and Tommy McNamara were the Twin Terrors of the Western Front.

They flew as if they had been born in Spads, they drank like thirsty whales, and they'd fought by each other's side through every mile of air along the lines and in every bar from the Front to Paris. If there were no more pressing targets, they pounded each other to a pulp, for any reason at all, and were strangely happy.

Leading the 24th Pursuit Squadron across WWI Europe's blood red skies, Molloy and McNamara were the bane of the German Air Force. Their names and reputations were known wherever fighting men met with blazing guns or flying fists. Written by William Hartley, the twenty tales of Molloy and McNamara appeared in Dare-Devil Aces between 1936 and 1942. Age of Aces has collected the first eleven of them for this volume.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

DOWNLOADABLE AIR WAR PULP STORIES!

DOWNLOADABLE AIR WAR PULP STORIES!

AGE OF ACES is now offering a new feature on their web site called Age of Aces Presents.

NEW THIS WEEK:

“The Squadron in Scarlet” by Donald E. Keyhoe from the November 1931 SKY BIRDS

Featuring “Cyclone” Bill Garrity and The Devildog Squadron

For months the grim spectre of that German staffel had stalked up and down the Front, dropping its sinister messages of death upon British and French squadrons. And now at last it struck at the flying Marines. For out of the cloud mists over that Devildog drome a white-winged German plane swooped low, and from it came the threat of doom—a black coffin holding the body of a Devildog pilot.

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

JAMES BOND COMIC COVERS FOR YOUR iPHONE!

JAMES BOND COMIC COVERS FOR YOUR iPHONE!

Customise your iPhone or iPodTouch with a wallpaper from MI6. This pack includes retro artwork from the late 1960's/early 1970s when James Bond comics were published in Scandinavia by Semic Press. Click a thumbnail below to display and save the full resolution image for use as a wallpaper.

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

ICEBOX RADIO THEATER ~ PICKAXE HILL!

ICEBOX RADIO THEATER ~ PICKAXE HILL!

There is no month like October for a good ghost story, and we hope we've cooked one up for you here. Starring the incomparable Neill Smith and Victoria Olson, "Pickaxe Hill" tells the story of a happy couple, a house with a past, and man obsessed with both. Happy Halloween, everyone. Dim the lights, put on the headphones (make sure no pranksters are in the house who might sneak up on you) and enjoy what's waiting for you in the house on ~ Pickaxe Hill.

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

IT TAKES A THIEF ON DVD!

IT TAKES A THIEF ON DVD!

I remember It Takes A Thief, the 1968 to 1970 television show starring Robert Wagner (doing a serviceable Cary Grant impersonation), fondly. In fact, my love for caper films can probably be traced back to this show from my childhood and my father’s descriptions of the films Topcapi and To Catch A Thief, which I only actually saw much later.

Now, TV Shows On DVD has heard rumor It Takes A Thief will be out on DVD in 2010. It’s about time. I recently watch several episodes of the series on Hulu, and they hold up pretty well.

In the series, Alexander Mundy (Wagner) is a playboy and cat burglar released from prison to steal for the United States government. His boss was Noah Bain (Malachi Throne) was the typical crusty individual, but was excellently portrayed by character actor Malachi Throne (which I’ve always thought would make a create name for a fictional character.

In an attempt to shore up ratings for the final season, Fred Astaire was brought in to star as Mundy’s father – another master thief.

Amusingly tongue-in-cheek, It Takes A Thief is the perfect example of the lightweight entertainment of its time. Give me Thief over Lost any day.

FORGOTTEN BOOKS ~ FIRST BLOOD BY DAVID MORRELL!

FORGOTTEN BOOKS ~ FIRST BLOOD BY DAVID MORRELL!

Personally, I think it’s all Rambo’s fault.

Stick with me, this rant make take a while.

Long ago, in a genre far, far, away, heroes battled not just villains but also every element nature could throw at them. This genre was known as high adventure. Authors such as Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley, Ernest Gann, Gavin Lyall, Wilber Smith, and Hammond Innes reigned as gods.

Somewhere along the way, as the halcyon days of high adventure waned, the genre went through a transformation, a distillation of its character, and a label change, to eventually emerge as what we now call the modern thriller.

Suddenly, some of the greatest writers of a generation – who had honed high adventure into an art form – almost completely disappeared from bookstore shelves and, eventually, from the public consciousness. At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon (going on and on about how the past was better), I miss the high adventure genre as I find myself rarely satisfied by its bastard step-child.

Let me say up front, there are some excellent authors writing modern thrillers who stand side by side in literary skill with their high adventure counterparts. This rant is not about the quality of writing found in the two genres, but an exploration of where this transmogrification of genres has brought us – and where, perhaps, it can take us next.

In the pre-Internet and e-mail world, there were aficionados of the mystery field who communicated by snail mail, in fanzines, and through armature press associations referred to as DAPAs (a shout out to DAPA-EM, you know who you are). I remember a thread from back in the day when we all drew the line on never reading a book if it had a swastika on the cover. Over the years, this rule of thumb enlarged to include books with covers displaying stabbed fruit, pets, and any suggestion of recipes inside. Obviously, we all violated these blatantly silly prejudices with impunity (they said far more about personal reading tastes than the quality of writing between the covers), yet I can’t say I would have missed much by applying them as ridged guidelines.

Today, my personal rule of thumb in this area includes books with covers mentioning terrorism, the Middle East, and in particular, thrillers promising NON-STOP ACTION! If those latter words appear, I know I am going to be craving lost high adventure novels long before I reach my personal fifty page decision to continue reading or toss a novel aside.

What the heck am I going on about? Let’s look at a quick example. Arguably, Alistair MacLean’s magnum-opus is The Guns Of Navarone. I cut my high adventure genre teeth on this WWII novel that had the grace to be published without a swastika on the cover.

In The Guns Of Navarone, the destruction of the namesake weapons delivers an obvious, yet extremely satisfying conclusion. However, the heart of the novel lies in the man over nature battle both on the rough seas and in the scaling of the unscalable cliffs protecting the guns.

The even deeper heart of the novel, and why it works so well, is because of the everyman believability of the characters facing the rough seas and unscalable cliffs. On a subconscious level, readers are so caught up in the fears, foibles, and flaws of the characters they are transported to a belief they too could have the same strength, skill, and intestinal fortitude to succeed over huge odds.

In contrast, I recently broke my own rule and picked up the non-stop action novel The Gray Man by Mark Greaney while stuck for four hours in the El Paso Airport. The Gray Man is the perfect example of the modern thriller genre. It is well written, smoothly (oh, so smoothly) executed, polished to a high sheen, and delivers what it promises, non-stop action – but unfortunately nothing else.

The Gray Man of the title is the standard greatest-assassin-the-world-has-ever-known, a man more deadly and dangerous than a crate of cobras (we are told The Gray Man is so dangerous unarmed that weapons are merely props – even though he is intimately familiar with every weapon in existence).

From page one, the action never stops as The Gray Man is betrayed and finds himself facing a gauntlet of ten of the best international assassination teams and vicious killers between himself and his version of the guns of Navarone (a maguffin is a maguffin). For 400 or so pages, The Grey Man kicks, shoots, blows up, kills, maims, and otherwise seriously traumatizes forty or so highly trained, nasty, unquestionably evil pieces of cannon fodder before the final confrontation. The Gray Man himself is shot, stabbed, beaten, gutted like a fish, has to be given a blood transfusion while driving (remember, this is non-stop action, the hero can’t even stop to get a blood refill), goes days without sleep, yet still manages to keep fighting until he is the last man standing – sort of.

The Gray Man is very well written, pushing me to keep reading and finish the novel. However, I found myself at the midpoint of the novel thinking, okay, he’s killed off five of the assassination teams, which means there’s another five to get through before this gets resolved – a thinking/stopping point which never occurs in a good high adventure novel, let alone a great high adventure novel.

The hero of the modern thriller is so removed from everyman reality as to render the reader at a distance, never feeling part of the action.

I never doubted The Gray Man would make it through the killer hordes. In a high adventure novel, especially one written by Wilbur Smith, you are never sure if the hero will make it to the epilogue.

Sure, the maguffin will be found/destroyed/saved, but which character will accomplish the task and which one or ones will be wiped out by the avalanche/hurricane/tsunami is always in doubt. Wilbur Smith, in particular, could never be trusted. Halfway through a novel, he’d kill off a protagonist in a plane crash or the like without a second thought, or have a protagonist half eaten by an alligator and be removed from the action. As a reader you couldn’t relax for a moment. That’s tension. Action is not a substitute.

In another recent thriller, Beat The Reaper by Josh Bazell (WARNING: SPOLIER AHEAD), the nominal hero kills the villain by removing an unnecessary bone from his own already broken leg and using it as a rapier. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think any of my bones are unnecessary, and there is no way I’m ever going to remove one to use as a weapon. And therein lies the failure of the current state of the thriller – it’s gone too far into the world of the action movie and has become untethered from literary reason.

So how did this transition from high adventure to overblown thriller happen?

Personally, I blame Rambo.

Thriller master David Morrell unleashed decorated, traumatized, Vietnam vet John Rambo on the world in 1972 in his brilliant debut novel, First Blood. In Madison, Kentucky, the shaggy-haired Rambo is passing through looking for a hamburger until he gets harassed by Wilfred Teasle, the local redneck chief of police (a decorated Korean war vet). Teasle just can’t stop pushing Rambo until Rambo can’t help but use the mad killer skills he developed in Vietnam to push back.

The action here leaps off the page, this is full strength non-stop action, but Morrell’s brilliance – and what makes First Blood such an iconic novel – lies in Morrell never forgetting he is telling a story about something. In First Blood, Rambo is the force of nature, so often unleashed in high adventure novels, he is malevolent and out of control. Morrell balances the story, Teasle is not all bad (in fact many readers thought Teasle was the hero of the novel), and Rambo is certainly not all good – once started, Rambo is on a quest to destroy everything and everyone. He is psychotic and out of control.

Morrell is not simply racing from action scene to action scene for action sake. Instead Morrell uses action as an overlay for an examination of an American experience polarizing a generation.

The surprise for those who have only seen the movie based on the novel, is that the novel First Blood is far more violent than the Sylvester Stallone film. In the novel both Rambo and Teasle have opportunities to back down and let things go. Neither can, and in the process destroy not only themselves, but a good part of Madison.

(WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD)

First Blood is a thinking man’s thriller where the actions of the characters carry consequences for their actions and for the action. Morrell ends the book the only logical way it can end – with the death of Rambo. Yes, folks, Rambo does a Lazarus act for the movie and it’s sequels. In the book he dies – dead, gone, over – and we are secretly relieved.

In its power and breathless storytelling, First Blood became the tipping point for the transformation of the high adventure novel into the modern thriller – the tipping point where action became the be all and end all of storytelling.

It’s all Rambo’s fault.

What those authors who emulated Morrell’s ground breaking novel –
and those who have emulated the emulators, ad infinitum – have forgotten is the action was not the point of First Blood – the story was!

So, for me, until today’s thriller writers pull back on the action reigns and begin telling stories where I can again willingly suspend my disbelief, I’m sticking with those old high adventure novels. I’ve got Desmond Bagley’s Vivero Letter in my hands right now and I can’t wait to start scuba diving in the dangerous pools of the wild tropical rain forests of Yucatan for Mayan gold while pursued by greedy men who wish my demise.

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ NATIONAL CAT DAY NOVEMBER 29TH!

THANKS FOR THE REMINDER TO LOL CATS

MOVIE MAGIC ~ RETRO STYLE!

MOVIE MAGIC ~ RETRO STYLE!

CINEMA RETRO MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES MOVIE MAGIC TOUR OF BRITISH FILM LOCATIONS, APRIL 23 – MAY 1, 2010!

Since 1996, Cinema Retro publishers Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall have planned and hosted numerous London-based film tours, most planned around premieres of specific films. Each of these events, which were conducted by Lee and Janet Pfeiffer's T.W.I.N.E. Tours company, allowed attendees exclusive access to sites, stars and filmmakers.

Now, due to popular demand from their tour alumni and readers, Cinema Retro has created the most exciting tour yet. Movie Magic 2010 will be an 8 day event commencing in London on April 23. They will celebrate British film heritage and tour some of the most beautiful parts of the country, stopping at historic film locations, studios and meeting with some of the stars and filmmakers who were part of the great films of the 60s and 70s.

If you enjoy:

James Bond
The original classic film version of The Haunting
The legendary TV series The Prisoner
The classic WWII movie The Eagle Has Landed
The magnificence of Cinerama

Then you will not want to miss this historic, once-in-a-lifetime celebration of British filmmaking.

Details to be announced shortly- but make sure you sign up for their e-mail news letter to ensure you are notified!

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

BOBBY DARIN ~ VENICE BLUE (1965)!

BOBBY DARIN ~ VENICE BLUE (1965)!

KELLEY’S LOUNGE SOUNDZ STRIKES AGAIN WITH THIS COOL LOUNGE DOWNLOAD . . .

Venice Blue was released in May of 1965 and was Bobby Darin's follow-up to the artistically (but not financially) successful "From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie". Surprisingly Darin stuck with his previous approach and offered another selection of romantic songs and contemporary Broadway tunes. The album peaked at a disappointing 132 (worse than From Hello Dolly's 107) and remained on the Billboard charts for only four weeks.

Though the album did poorly upon release some of the tracks have been mined for later compilations, most notably "The Good Life". A curious double album available through import-only packages, "You're the Reason I'm Living", has an album apparently called "I Wanna Be Around", but which is actually "Venice Blue".

The title track sounds like a cover of a Bobby Vinton ballad with its sweeping strings and sentimentality. Standout tracks include the Johnny Mercer song "I Wanna Be Around" (similar here to "Don't Rain on my Parade"),"The Good Life", Henry Mancini's "Dear Heart", and Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere" from "West Side Story".

Venice Blue also includes two Darin originals: "You Just Don't Know" and "In a World Without You". "Venice Blue" is not a dramatic departure for Bobby Darin, but a solid collection nonetheless. Really of interest to fans looking to complete their collection. Well-arranged and well-sung, but not the most accessible album for the neo-swing set. ~ J T Griffith

TRACKLIST:

01) Venice Blue
02) I Wanna Be Around
03) Somewhere
04) The Good Life
05) Dear Heart
06) Softly As I Leave You
07) You Just Don't Know
08) There Ain't No Sweet Gal
09) Who Can I Turn To
10) A Taste Of Honey
11) In A World Without You

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE