28 May 2004 21 May 2004 14 May 2004 07 May 2004
28 May 2004
24
Although 24 is coming back for a fourth (and uninterrupted) season starting in January on FOX in the US, some of its key players won't be making the journey for another go. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actors who play Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) colleagues at the Counter Terrorism Unit on the Fox drama have been informed that their options as series regulars will not be picked up for next season. Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle Dessler), James Badge Dale (Chase Edmunds) and Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida), could return next season for guest appearances. The fact that Aylesworth, Dale and Bernard won't be back next season as regulars doesn't mean that they won't have recurring roles and the fact that they only have recurring roles won't prevent them from appearing in multiple episodes. 

Also up in the air is the "24" future of Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe), Zachary Quinto (Adam), and Daniel Dae Kim, who played CTU members on a recurring basis this year. Elisha Cuthbert, who plays Jack's daughter and CTU analyst Kimberly Bauer, is fielding film offers and is expected to recur next season subject to her availability (so hopefully there'll be a decent Kimmy subplot for once). 

Argosy 
The slipcased "Connoisseur edition" of ARGOSY  #2 will begin shipping to retailers and subscribers the week of May 24th. Visit the ARGOSY website for a complete contents listing and to order online.
Copies of ARGOSY No. 2 (March/April 2004 issue) can be ordered directly from the publisher.
Send $12.95 per copy, plus $2.05 p&h to: 
Coppervale International
P.O. Box 1421
Taylor, AZ 85939
COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE - New issue available with a Will Murray article!
COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE #111 features a new article by Will Murray.
The article is titled Pulp Roots of the X-Men and runs 8 profusely illustrated pages. 

COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE is available in comic shops or direct from Gemstone Publishing.
MasterCard or VISA orders call 800-322-7978. 

CONAN #1 - Available June 3rd!
The third printing of Dark Horse's CONAN #1 will reach stores on June 3rd, sporting a new cover by artist Cary Nord.  All back orders on the series as well as future orders for #1 will be filled with the Nord cover. 
CONAN #5
The Official Conan website has posted two preview pages from the upcoming CONAN #5.
CONAN #5 will be available June 23rd.
CONAN OF CIMMERIA Volume 2 Limited Edition
CONAN OF CIMMERIA Volume 2 Limited Edition By Robert E. Howard and Gary Gianni can now be pre-ordered from Bud Plant.  Visit Bud Plant's website to preview some of the Gary Gianni art from this volume and to place your order.

All three editions will be available in June 2004 and can be pre-ordered from The Book Palace.
Limited Edition - $221
This Edition is limited to just 1950 copies worldwide.
Artists Edition - $391
The Artists Edition is limited to just 50 copies worldwide and comes with extra preliminary drawings.
Leather Ultra Edition - $552.50
The Ultra Edition is limited to only 100 copies worldwide and is leatherbound and comes with a leather slipcase and extra preliminary drawings. 

The Limited Edition can also be pre-ordered through your local comic shop.
The Diamond Item Code is APR043231.

Dark Shadows 
According to Dark Horizons, The WB is reportedly shopping Dark Shadows around to other networks, so it's not entirely dead (or undead) yet. A pilot episode review is available on the Dark Horizons website.
DOMINO LADY - Coming June 30th!
Want to check out one of the new STERANKO illustrations for COMPLIMENTS OF THE DOMINO LADY?
Visit The Art of Jim Steranko website at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/8650/

COMPLIMENTS OF THE DOMINO LADY will be available from Bold Venture Press June 30th!
Steranko has outdone himself on this volume, which raises pulp fiction anthologies to new levels. 
Cover price is $14.95, 96 pages, six stories by Lars Anderson, original pulp illustrations, new cover and six new title page illustrations by STERANKO.  Norman Saunders’ original covers from SAUCY ROMANTIC and NEW MYSTERY ADVENTURES are reproduced on the back. 

The Bold Venture Press website is at http://www.boldventurepress.com/
Send orders to:
Bold Venture Press
P.O. Box 64
Bordentown, NJ 08505
boldventurepress@aol.com

Click here or on the image at the right for a larger image of the spectacular STERANKO cover for COMPLIMENTS OF THE DOMINO LADY.

Vanguard Publications will be publishing a hardcover edition in August.
Click here for more information.

E-texts on the net this week
The Shadow Magazine
The Golden Pagoda is reviewed this week.
Luck of the Four Leaf Clover by Adam Younce is this week's Two-Minute Shadow Mystery.

ShadowPDF:   Nothing new this week.

Blackmask Online: Nothing new this week.

Larry Estep-Online Pulps:    Now with over 400 stories online!
Too Many Diamonds by Ellery Watson Calder from SPICY DETECTIVE STORIES [November 1935] 
A private dick decides there are handfuls for the taking in the new case that walks through the door. 
The Key of Death by Vance C. Criss from POPULAR DETECTIVE [October 1939]
A cop uses his artistic sensibilities to solve a kidnapping--his own! 
The Tunnel of Death by Harold F. Cruickshank from BATTLE STORIES [July 1929] 
Sgt. Maguire is called upon to solve a murder--in No-Man's Land. 
A Man's Problem by Meredith Davis from TOP-NOTCH MAGAZINE [December 15, 1922] 
When a one-armed night watchman crosses paths with a shrunken gnome of the underworld, someone's gonna get hurt. 
The Sky Hawk by Graham Deane from GANGLAND STORIES [August-September, 1930] 
The Sky Hawk, a high-flying bandit who terrorizes the skies of the west. Can a couple of young operatives for Air Couriers, Inc. bring him to the ground? [2004-05-25]

Isaac Asimov
The Stamp Development program of the United States Postal Service is currently considering issuing a stamp with the likeness of Isaac Asimov sometime after 2006.  Americans can write letters in support of this proposal to: Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, C/O Stamp Development, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 5670, Washington, DC 20260-2437.

Thanks to Curt Phillips for this story. 

Lone Ranger Flashlight
The Lone Ranger Tin Flashlight is perfect for lighting the Western night. Flashlight includes a Morse Code Flash button and a code key chart to signal your friends. Require 2 C batteries, not included. Measures 7½" tall.
The SRP is $5.99.
The Lone Ranger Flashlight can be ordered from Schylling.
Lone Ranger Pocket Watch with tin
This authentic Lone Ranger Pocket watch captures the old comic book style. With decoration on the cover and the watch face, as well as the Comic Book Tin package, this watch is a collectors item! Clock face measures 1½" diameter. Watch is battery operated with quartz movement. 
The SRP is $19.99.

The Lone Ranger Pocket Watch can be ordered from Schylling.

Lone Ranger Tin Wind Up Rocking Horse
This vintage tin, wind-up toy depicts the Lone Ranger on his horse, ready to lasso!
The SRP is $24.99.

The Lone Ranger Tin Wind Up Rocking Horse can be ordered from Schylling.

The Lone Ranger Rocking Horse can also be ordered from the June PREVIEWS (now available). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN043782.

Lone Ranger Wrist Watch with tin
This watch features a leather band and the face features the Lone Ranger. Comes packaged in a tin box covered with Long Ranger art. 
The SRP is $20.00.

The Lone Ranger Wrist Watch can be ordered from Schylling.

The Lone Ranger Wrist Watch can also be ordered from the June PREVIEWS (now available). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN043783.

Moonstone Books - Available June 3rd!
BULLDOG DRUMMOND 
Written by William Messner Loeba, art by Brett Barkley, cover by Tim Seeling. 
Britian's supreme two-fisted adventurer (from movies and radio) returns! Bored with life? So was Bulldog. Here's how he got over it: after a tour of the trenches of WW1 he heads back to London, right? Set's himself up with a nice private detective agency with some of the lad's from his squadron, but the passive gumshoe-type he ain't! Oh no, our Bulldog's a bit of head-first guy, just the guy you'd call when a pair of brilliant criminals hit town with an insiduous plan to capture a scientist who's whipping up a secret weapon. Not that Bulldog's all-brawn-no-brain mind you, but these cad's may not have anticipated how much guts our man is packing. The only thing that may trip him up is a gorgeous set of eyes and the greedy she-devil who's wielding them... 

48 pages, black and white, $4.95. 

Visit the Moonstone Books website at http://www.moonstonebooks.com/

ShadowPDF website - A new Amazon Anne story is now available!
The ShadowPDF website has a new home and a new name, SHADOWS OF THE PULPS.
The website can be found at http://home.comcast.net/~clayburnham/shadows.htm
All of the old non-Shadow stories are available again, including Amazon Anne. 
In fact, her newest adventure, Knights of the Flaming Death, is now available, free for the download.
More Amazon Anne adventures are on their way.  The fourth is The Ghost of Broadway and the fifth and sixth is a two parter that might be joined together in one full-length Flash Gordon-style pulp novel called The Orphan From Neptune

In other news ... Steve Kaye's first novel, a western, Valley of Hate, very briefly became a top seller at AmazonUK, based on their ranking system.  Steve thanks any of you who purchased this book, and for those who haven't the book is still in print and available at a 29% discount.  Still, with the exchange rate being what it is, the book may cost non-British buyers about $26 to purchase.  A hefty price for a standard length, small-sized hardcover.  It is, however, a first edition.

Valley of Hate is also not Steve's last western.  Two more books from the same publisher will appear soon.  The next is Saddled for Vengeance, scheduled for August; the third is Bloody Montana (tentatively scheduled for mid- to 
late-2005). 

For anyone interested in westerns, and especially this publisher, please visit http://www.blackhorsewesterns.com/.  You will be able to visit pages explaining some of the history of Black Horse and also read, for free online, a newsletter  written by Black Horse writers.  Previews of upcoming books are available. 

Steve writes westerns under the pseudonym Clay Burnham. 
You can visit the Clay Burnham website at http://home.comcast.net/~clayburnham/.


SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
The SKY CAPTAIN website has been relaunced with new content.
You can checkout the site at http://www.skycaptain.com/.
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW will be in theaters September 17th!
Transylvania
Nine months ago, NBC pacted with Universal Network Television for "Transylvania," a drama set in the universe of "Van Helsing" and exec produced by Stephen Sommers. Hopes were high that a pilot would be in this month's upfront lineup where it could benefit from a summer's worth of movie promos. 

Now it appears that NBC 'quietly cooled' on "Transylvania" just a few months after the project was announced - long before the merger with Universal or a single ticket for "Van Helsing" was sold. The reason? Execs decided the show was simply too expensive. "Transylvania" may still happen as other networks outside the NBC universe are said to be interested. 

Wildside Press ADVENTURE TALES!
ADVENTURE TALES -- A magazine of all classic pulp reprints. #1 (Winter 2004/5)  is a special Hugh B. Cave issue, with 2 unreprinted Cave stories (chosen by Cave as his best unreprinted work), an interview with Cave, and a review by Mike Chomko of all of Cave's recent collections and reissues. Also includes stories by H. Bedford-Jones,
H. de Vere Stacpoole, Vincent Starrett, Harold Lamb, and others. Poetry by Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and others. Column on ERB by Mike Resnick.

This is a 68-page magazine, color covers, printed on newsprint (and in a special edition on book paper, with extra content -- a serialized novel by J. Allan Dunn -- at slightly higher price.)

Wildside Press is hoping to have the final artwork in this week and will try to rush the printing and debut ADVENTURE TALES at PulpCon. If not, it will debut at WorldCon in Boston this year. 

The contents of the first issue include:
Columns:
THE BLOTTER, by the Editor 
This is the editor’s fifth magazine—and the most fun of all!

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, by Mike Resnick
Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Held the Hero’s Horse . . .

THE PULP REPRINTS OF HUGH B. CAVE, by Mike Chomko
Pulp expert Chomko looks at Hugh B. Cave’s recent publications.

ADVENTURE TALES TALKS WITH HUGH B. CAVE
Author of more than one thousand stories, Cave is a legend in the field.

THE MORGUE
Letters from our readers

Fiction: 
SKULLS, by H. Bedford Jones
Three explorers lost to savages . . . two bowls made from human skulls . . . and one gruesome revenge!

UNDER THE FLAME TREES, by H. de Vere Stacpoole
Armand Duplissis sailed to New Caledonia to break his brother from prison . . . at any cost!

RATS ASHORE, by Charles C. Young
After it finished off the rats, a writhing death came for the men . . .

THE EVIL EYE, by Vincent Starrett
A detective named Lavender vs. the mystic powers of the East—and bank robbery!

“WATSON!” by Captain A. E. Dingle
Sherlock Holmes finds a most unusual case aboard the steam yacht Vagrant . . .

ISLAND FEUD, by Hugh B. Cave
In port after port, in lie after lie, the island trader had done his best to destroy Harty. Now he had a chance to finish the job — if he could!

THE MAN WHO COULDN’T DIE, by Hugh B. Cave
He was a beachcomber, a despised tropical tramp. She was a freak product of some teeming oriental slum, lovely, half-starved and wholly savage. Together they faced the mystery, the terror, and the stalking horror of Fortune Island!

Verse: 
BRITANNIA VICTURA, by H. P. Lovecraft
THE SKULL IN THE CLOUDS, by Robert E. Howard
THE SINGER IN THE MIST, by Robert E. Howard
EXOTIQUE, by Clark Ashton Smith
AN OPEN WINDOW, by Robert E. Howard
BY ANOTHER SEA, by George Sterling
SOUTHWARD BOUND, by Edmund Leamy
OLD SONGS MODERNIZED, by Corine Rockwell Swain
TO ONE WHO GOES ABROAD, by Barry Kemp
THE STREAM, by Clinton Scollard

Wildside Press - Recent releases!
The Mysterious Wu Fang series: The Case of the Suicide Tomb, by Robert J. Hogan
(completely retypeset, includes original artwork)
Trade paperback: $14.95   Hardcover: $24.95

Operator #5 series: Blood Reign of the Dictator, by Curtis Steele
(completely retypeset, includes original artwork) 
Trade paperback: $12.95

Pulp facsimiles: Ghost Stories (June 1931)
A reprint of the June 1931 issue of the classic pulp magazine, GHOST STORIES, which features contributions from Conrad Richter (best known as the author of THE LIGHT IN THE FOREST) and a story by E. and H. Heron (pen name for Mrs. Kenneth and Mr. Hesketh Prichard) featuring their psychic detective, Flaxman Low. 
Trade paperback: $14.95

Reference/non-fiction Books: 
The Gernsback Days, by Mike Ashley 
(about Hugo Gernsback before, during, and after Amazing Stories)
Trade paperback: $29.95   Hardcover: $49.95

The Barbaric Triumph, edited by Don Herron
(follow-up to his book, The Dark Barbarian. All Robert E. Howard-related essays.)
Trade paperback: $19.95   Hardcover: $35.00

Fiction: 
Gates of Empire, by Robert E. Howard
(Crusade stories -- 600-copy Smythe-sewn hardcover)  $39.95

Harmon's Galaxy, by Jim Harmon
(collection of short stories by this pulp writer and Old Time Radio personality) 
Trade paperback: $15.00

Fritz Leiber and H.P. Lovecraft: Writers of the Dark, by Fritz Leiber and HPL.
(Leiber's essays and stories of a Lovecraftian nature)
Hardcover: $39.95

All books are available from the publisher at: http://www.wildsidepress.com/


21 May 2004
24 - No repeats next season, but the premiere is delayed until January 2005!
FOX announced their Fall schedule on May 20th and as expected, 24 has been renewed.
The further good news is that 24 will air entirely without repeats next season. 
Additionally, 24 will move to Monday night at 9PM.
The bad news is that it won't premiere until January 2005.
Adventure House - Now available!
HIGH ADVENTURE #76 featuring Ki-Gor in The Sword of Sheba and Lost Priestess of the Nile is now available. It was the strangest army of all time . . . from the distant waters of the Blue Nile came the giant, white-robed Watusi, the sullen and deadly Shilluks—from Central Africa, the Tofoke and Bankutu cannibals, the dread Akkha leopard society . . . marching, killing as they came, to attack and destroy Ki-Gor's jungle kingdom. And leading them, a beautiful woman who bore a name of ancient terror . . . Bilqis.
$7.95 plus $2.50 shipping (Media Mail) for a single copy.
HIGH ADVENTURE #76 will be available in comic shops on May 26th.

Coming soon:
HIGH ADVENTURE #77 features the Green Ghost in The Case of the Clumsy Cat.  (July 2004)
HIGH ADVENTURE #78 features high seas adventures!  (September 2004)

G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES #13 featuring The Spider Staffel.  (July 2004)
G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES #14 featuring The Mad Dog Squadron.   (October 2004)

Adventure House -  Now available!
THOSE MACABRE PULPS by Darrell C. Richardson is now available.
THOSE MACABRE PULPS  features a complete issue by issue breakdown of some of the scarcest pulps ever produced.  Plus, the indexes contain pictures of every cover of every issue being indexed!

Pulps included in this volume are: THRILL BOOK, DOCTOR DEATH, STRANGE TALES, STRANGE STORIES, TALES OF MAGIC AND MYSTERY and more.  Magazines were deliberately chosen which had short runs and thus tended to be little known and scarce. Not included in this volume are bibliographies of some of the major magazines of supernatural, horror, and weird menace such as WEIRD TALES, GHOST STORIES, HORROR STORIES, TERROR TALES, DIME MYSTERY and THRILLING MYSTERY. These may be covered in future volumes. 
THOSE MACABRE PULPS will be available in comic shops on May 26th.
This is a full color, 9x12, 112 page, softbound book for $22.
For complete details, visit the Adventure House website at http://www.adventurehouse.com/advance/macabre.htm

ALIAS - No repeats next season, but the premiere is delayed until January 2005!
ABC announced their Fall schedule on May 18th and as expected, ALIAS has been renewed.
The further good news is that ALIAS will air entirely without repeats next season. 
The bad news is that it won't premiere until January 2005.
McPherson -- the former head of Touchstone TV, which produces the series -- says the show's location-heavy shooting schedule made it difficult to deliver a large number of consecutive episodes. Delaying the show will help solve that problem. Viewers won't have to worry as much about repeats and pre-emptions either.  "I felt like it made a lot of sense to come on in January and run consecutive episodes without repeats from start to finish of the season, and to really get some momentum," McPherson says.  Although ABC claims the rough production schedule is why ALIAS was pushed back to midseason, the critically acclaimed drama has never been a ratings hit and probably never will be.  ALIAS Season 3 will be available on DVD in September.
THE ARCANUM - Now available!
THE ARCANUM by Thomas Wheeler is now available.
1919, New York City: With body after mutilated body discovered in the Bowery, an alliance of investigators known as the Arcanum takes matters into its own hands.  The Arcanum consists of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, H. P. Lovecraft, and voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. 

Hardcover,  336 pages, $22
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 055380314X 

 

Bold Venture Press - Coming in August!
THE SPIDER #7: SERPENT OF DESTRUCTION by Norvell Page
The Bloody Serpent challenges the Department of Justice to halt his control on the growing illegal narcotics rings - unless the Spider can remove those lethal fangs! Includes the complete text and original artwork from the April 1934 issue of THE SPIDER magazine. 
Soft Cover, 96 pages, $10.00

This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN043143.

CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #44: LONE RANGER - Now available!
CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #44: THE LONE RANGER arrived in comic shops on May 19th!
Dark Horse continues its successful series of “Classic Comic” statues with The Lone Ranger, the famous masked man who has appeared on radio, in the movies, on television, and in comic strips around the globe. Along with his sidekick Tonto, The Lone Ranger is a beloved everyman’s hero, helping those in need and avenging the innocent. With his call of "Hi-Yo Silver. Away!", his trusty steed would gallop toward trouble, battling indecency with virtue and honor. 

The 44th statue in the series is offered in an extremely limited edition of 600 numbered pieces. Tonto comes packaged in a special litho-printed full-color tin box and includes a vintage-style pinback button, and booklet about the characters and their creator, Fran Striker. 

5 1/4" tall, packaged in a full-color tin w/pinback button and booklet, $49.95.

Request Diamond Item Code OCT030084 at your local comic shop.

CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #44: LONE RANGER can be ordered online from Things From Another World.

CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #45: TONTO - Now available!
CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #45: TONTO arrived in comic shops on May 19th!
Dark Horse continues its successful series of “Classic Comic” statues, inspired by the “Syroco” statues of the 1940’s, with Tonto, The Lone Ranger’s faithful sidekick. Tonto collectibles are very scarce, so a new one is cause for nostalgia buffs to jump up and shout “Hi Yo, Silver”.  This statue is sculpted by Yoe! Studio.

The 45th statue in the series is offered in an extremely limited edition of 600 numbered pieces. Tonto comes packaged in a special litho-printed full-color tin box and includes a vintage-style pinback button, and booklet about the characters and their creator, Fran Striker. 

On sale March 10, 5 1/4" tall, packaged in a full-color tin w/pinback button and booklet, $49.95.

Request Diamond Item Code NOV030076 at your local comic shop.

CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #45: TONTO can be ordered online from Things From Another World.

CONAN #4 - Available May 26th!
The fourth issue of the new ongoing Conan series by Kurt Busiek with art by Cary Nord (pencils), Tom Yeates (Inks), colored by Dave Stewart and a cover by Joseph Michael Linsner will be in comic shops May 26th.

A captive Conan is brought north in chains and learns just how far off the mark was his vision of Hyperborea as a land "of gleaming cities, of riches, and wonders, and exotic women, who live lives of serenity and contemplation, in peace with all manner of bird and beast, from the lamb to the griffin and milk and honey flow in streams from the hills."  Robert E. Howard hinted at the nightmares that his character Conan suffered in Hyperborea, but Busiek and company reveal them here for the first time in livid detail.

Full Color, 32 pages, $2.99

CONAN #7 - Coming in August!
Written by Kurt Busiek, art by Cary Nord and Thomas Yeates, colors by Dave Stewart, cover by Joseph Michael Linsner. 

Conan leads a rebellion against the slave masters of Hyperborea but can even he face the mightiest sorcerers of the oldest, most corrupt civilization of the ancient world? The answers bring pain, death, and heartbreak, and reveal the truth about Hyperborea--and the source of Conan's lifelong hatred for that dark and cheerless land. 
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on August 25.

This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN040016.

CONAN: GLADIATOR LITHOGRAPH
Dennis Calero is illustrating a series of officially licensed Conan posters, 12 in all, tracing his progress from gladiator, to thief, to King!  Conan Properties International has been supportive of this project from day 1.  They believe that while Frazetta's and all previous iterations of Conan are fantastic and will always be there, that there is also room for a new artist to throw in his creative two cents, and more: they believed in the quality of Dennis Calero's work.  In this first of 12 stunning 12" x 18" lithographs from his oil paintings, a young Conan faces the Gladiatorial arena. Ships flat. 
Lithograph $14.95

This lithograph can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN043724.

Visit Dennis Calero's website at http://www.denniscalero.com/  to see the artists other works.
This looks like it will be a great series of posters that everyone will want to own!

CONAN: TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT LITHOGRAPH
Acclaimed Atomic Paintbrush artist Dennis Calero received permission to create an officially sanctioned 12-painting series of Conan illustrations, based on Robert E. Howard's epic hero. This second offering, "Tower of the Elephant," shows a young Conan stealing the fabled jewel, the Heart of the Elephant. Ships flat. 
Lithograph, 12x18, Full Color, $14.95

This lithograph can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN043725.

CONAN SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES - Coming in August!
McFarlane Toys has released information and photos of the upcoming Conan Series 1 line of action figures. Inspired by the Hyborian legends as originally written by creator Robert E. Howard, this line of figures represents several characters from the Conan mythos, each accompanied by a written legend.

These action figures look absolutely phenomenal!  Click here to view all six action figures in the set.
An exclusive image is also up on The Official Conan Website.

The Conan Series 1 action figures are in the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th).
Unfortunately, the action figures are NOT available individually. They are only available in a case lot of 12 action figures. Additionally, McFarlane Toys WILL NOT guarantee the action figure assortment in each case.  Hence, retailers cannot be assured of receiving two of each action figure in a case. 

The McFarlane Toys website also says that there are many other Conan projects in development include a live action film from Warner Bros., anime-style direct-to-video features and a variety of other digital entertainment.

THE DARK MAN: THE JOURNAL OF ROBERT E. HOWARD STUDIES
THE DARK MAN: THE JOURNAL OF ROBERT E. HOWARD STUDIES #7 is now at the printers and should be shipping to subscribers by the end of June(or possibly even sooner).

Contents for this issue include articles by Ed Waterman and Glenn Lord on the Bancroft Library's collection of Robert E. Howard material, Steve Tompkins on THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON and a review by Fred Blosser on the first Conan volume from Del-Rey.

Further information and book sellers selling TDM #7 can be obtained from: http://www.seele-brennt.com/
Information on back issues of TDM can be obtained from: http://www.robert-e-howard.org/TDM/

Dark Shadows - Not on the WB 2004-2005 schedule!
The WB announced their Fall schedule on May 18th and Dark Shadows did not make the cut.
DIDN'T YOU USED TO BE WHAT'S HIS NAME? by Denny Miller
Go swimming with Kate Hepburn; shake hands with King Hussein; kiss Juliet Prowse; log roll with The Six Million Dollar Man; take Peter Sellers' pants off; ride into the sunset with Ward Bond; play "Slam Back" with Lucille Ball; sail through icebergs as the Gorton's Fisherman; help Bob Hope sell Texaco gas; warn Dean Martin that he's going to get shot; ride an elephant with Jane and a chimp; be drowned by Jack Palance... all in a day's work for character actor Denny Miller.

Denny has been Tarzan, King Arthur and the scout Duke Shannon on Wagon Train. He played Juliet Prowse's husband on Meet Mona McClusky, Tongo the Ape Man and the surfer on Gilligan's Island, and for the past fourteen years he has been the Gorton's Fisherman. 

DIDN'T YOU USED TO BE WHAT'S HIS NAME is $34.95 plus $6 postage and handling.
Order from: To Health With You Publishers, LLC, 8550 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117.

DOMINO LADY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION - Coming in August!
DOMINO LADY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION will be published by Vanguard Productions in August.
From Indiana Jones to Captain America to The Shadow, Steranko has visualized more classic fictional icons than any other American artist - and now he's added another, in a spectacular volume which incorporates four favorite Steranko themes: pulp fiction, noir mystery, art deco, and beautiful women. A new painted Steranko cover sets the tone for this volume, which was also designed from first page to last by the artist, a total Steranko package! Each adventure pits the sultry femme fatale against vicious gangsters and secret societies, all of which are captured by evocative Steranko double-page title illustrations. And as a special bonus, he has also authored and illustrated an all-new thriller that reveals the sin-tillating secrets of the Domino Lady's lethal origin - for the first time ever! Also available in a special Slipcased Edition (limited to 500 copies), signed by Steranko and including a 16-page full-color folio of Domino Lady art, also by Steranko! 
Hard Cover, 8x11, 120 pages, $29.95
Deluxe Hard Cover, 8x11, 136 pages, $49.95
This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN042887 for the hard cover edition.
The Diamond Item Code is JUN042888 for the deluxe hard cover edition.
E-texts on the net this week
The Shadow Magazine
The Blur is reviewed this week.
The Scarlet Clue by John Olsen is this week's Two-Minute Shadow Mystery.

ShadowPDF:   Nothing new this week.

Blackmask Online: Nothing new this week.

Larry Estep-Online Pulps:    Now with over 400 stories online!
Nothing new this week.

Fritz Leiber - Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - Coming in June!
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: Book Four - Swords Against Wizardry featuring a cover illustration by Jim Steranko is scheduled for a June release from IBooks!

This is a 432 page trade paperback for $14. ISBN: 0743493001

The Green Hornet
Writer-director Kevin Smith announced that The Green Hornet won't be his next project after all. The hero's big-screen return was expected to begin filming later this year for a summer 2005 release. That's not going to happen now.  The reason for the delay is that Smith has yet to finish the Hornet script. "It's coming. Was fifty pages in. Then, I s***-canned everything and started over," Smith advised his fans. "Now I'm sixty pages in and digging it much more. I'm figuring the first draft's gonna come in at around 180 pages."

Source: Coming Soon

Hippocampus Press
Hippocampus Press will publish TALES OUT OF DUNWICH, a Robert M. Price edited anthology set in and around H. P. Lovecraft's fictional locale. Short story contributors are Jack Williamson, Stanley C. Sargent,  Brian McNaughton*, Richard A. Lupoff, Don D'Ammassa, Nancy A. Collins, Gerard E. Giannattasio, Eddy C. Bertin, and Price himself.  The anthology will also include the two complete novels: Harper Williams' The Thing in the Woods (1924) which provided the original inspiration for Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," and the scarce novelization by Jerrold Mundis of a 1960s film set in Dunwich, The Shuttered Room. [*We were saddened to learn of the death of our friend, World Fantasy Award winner Brian McNaughton last week. Bob Price has indicated that the anthology will now be dedicated to Brian.]

Hippocampus Press have also arranged with Dick Tierney to publish his novel DRUMS OF CHAOS, a Cthulhu Mythos story featuring Yahweh as an avatar of Yog-Sothoth! The tale features characters from two different Tierney story cycles: Simon of Gitta (past) and Taggart (future). There is an introduction penned by Bob Price for the story. We do not yet have a release date for this novel, which will probably appear in a hardcover first edition. 

An additional new project not previously announced is THE FREEDOM OF FANTASTIC THINGS, a collection of critical essays on Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Smith biographer Scott Connors. This book will be released, again probably in hardcover, in early 2005.

Visit the Hippocampus Press website at http://www.hippocampuspress.com/

James Bond 21 
According to reports streaming in from Britain, Pierce Brosnan has patched up his differences with the Bond stable and they've worked out an agreement that will see Brosnan headlining the next Bond movie.  Originally, it looked like the suave actor (currently starring in "Laws of Attraction") wouldn't be back for Bond 21, with everyone from Heath Ledger to Clive Owen being either mentioned or approached to take over.  Apparently it was Brosnan's words against the franchise and the family behind the film series that nearly lost him the gig, not what many believed - his age. Barbara Broccoli forgave Brosnan for his recent outbursts, saying their tiffs were nothing compared to the ones her father, Cubby, had with ex-Bond Sean Connery. Hopefully there will be something official on this soon. 

Meanwhile, 'Belle', in Cannes, tells us that the Broccoli family are seriously considering making that next movie "Casino Royale". "Something's cracked over there because word is they actually like [Quentin] Tarantino's idea to remake it. He's pushing it to anyone that will listen over here. It'd definitely introduce a new audience to the series that's for sure, which is their no.1 priority at the moment". 

Source: Movie Hole

JSA: STRANGE ADVENTURES #1 - Coming in August!
Written by Kevin J. Anderson, art by Barry Kitson and Gary Erskine, painted cover by John Watson, 
A 6-issue mini-series starring the World's First Super-Team. Set during the Golden Age, Strange Adventures begins when fumbling Johnny Thunder decides to become a big-time pulp writer by chronicling the adventures of the JSA. Taken under the writing wing of legendary, real-life science-fiction Grand Master Jack Williamson, Johnny tries his best -- and when a deadly new villain called Lord Dynamo appears on the scene, flying a deadly zeppelin crewed by robot zombies, it¹s up to Johnny and Jack to help Hawkman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Sandman and the rest of the JSA save the day. 
40 pages, $3.50, in stores on August 18. 

This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN040407.
 

JUDGMENT NIGHT by C.L. Moore - Shipping in May!
JUDGMENT NIGHT by C.L. Moore is scheduled for publication in May from Red Jacket Press.
Originally released in 1952 from Gnome Press, JUDGMENT NIGHT collects five Moore novellas from the pages of editor John W. Campbell, Jr.’s ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION magazine. Chosen by the author herself as the best of her longer-form writing, these stories show a gifted wordsmith working at the height of her talents: JUDGMENT NIGHT (first published in August and September, 1943) balances a lush rendering of a future galactic empire with a sober meditation on the nature of power and its inevitable loss; “The Code” (July, 1945) pays homage to the classic Faust with modern theories and Lovecraftian dread; “Promised Land” (February, 1950) and “Heir Apparent” (July, 1950) both document the grim twisting that mankind must undergo in order to spread into the solar system; and “Paradise Street” (September, 1950) shows a futuristic take on the old western conflict between lone hunter and wilderness-taming settlers. Except for “Judgment Night,” all of these pieces were originally published under the pen name Lawrence O’Donnell.

JUDGMENT NIGHT is 352 pages for $39.95.
Each limited edition "facsimile" reprint volume is a complete reproduction of the original first edition, and includes a full-color dust jacket, protective slipcase, and biographical information about the author.

All Red Jacket Press titles are available from Pathway Book Service at 1-800-345-6665.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN VOL. 2 TP - Coming in August!
Written by Alan Moore, art and cover by Kevin O'Neill. 
The second volume of the series is finally in paperback. Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill return with the further adventures of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman in this collection that reprints the second 6-issue mini-series.  It's one month after the events in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1, and the skies over England are filled with flaming rockets as Mars launches the first salvo of an invasion. Only our stalwart adventurers -- Allan Quatermain, Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, Hawley Griffin, and Mr. Edward Hyde -- can save mother England and the very Earth itself. But there are many startling revelations along the way, including the blossoming of love and the uncovering of a traitor in their midst!   Also included in this volime is an almanac of fantastic places that spans the entire globe as well as special supplemental material by Moore and O'Neill not found in the original periodicals.  228 pages, $14.95, in stores on August 4. 

This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN040814.

LOST - New Fall show from the creator of ALIAS!
LOST is a sci-fi action adventure about plane-crash survivors who find themselves stranded on a strange island teeming with the weird and dangerous, created by "Alias" mastermind J.J. Abrams. It stars Matthew Fox (“Party of Five,” “Haunted”), Maggie Grace (“Oliver Beene”), Ian Somerhalder (Adam Knight on “Smallville”), Dominic Monaghan (the “Lord of the Rings” series), Harold Perrineau (the “Matrix” series), Daniel Dae Kim (“Angel,” “24,” “Hulk”), Naveen Andrews (“The English Patient,” “Rollerball”), Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly. The show can be seen next Fall on Wednesday nights at 8PM on ABC.
LOVECRAFT'S WEIRD MYSTERIES - Now available!
LOVECRAFT'S WEIRD MYSTERIES #7 has been printed and is now available. 
Creeping terror and lurking fear await in "The Magazine of Classic Horror". 
Here is the lineup of fearsome fiction for this issue:

THE NIGHTMARE OF THE SPHERES by R. Michael Burns
"Something lurked there, in the boundless darkness, a thing vast and shapeless, ever-shifting. I can recall seeing it as a nightmarish conglomeration of sparkling, transparent spheres, always changing, globes merging and dividing, all of it moving and glowing with an abhorrent, malign unconsciousness."

THE GLORY HAND by James S. Dorr
"'The ancients called this a Hand of Glory', he said as, steeling myself, I took it. 'The hand of one who died on the gallows -- it must be one killed thus -- kept safe and dry until the fat of its flesh has turned to tallow. The vulgar nowadays call it The Thief's Friend'. He paused, then smiled. 'But it will cost dearly'".

THE INHERITANCE OF BARNABAS WILCOX by Sarah Monette
"He got into some weird things. He used to write me these long letters saying he'd figured out how to cheat death and was going to live forever. I couldn't understand half of what he said."

THE JEWELS OF LIVING FEAR by Magnus
"The naked girl, her bleached platinum hair spread out in a nimbus around her young but distressed face, arched her voluptuous body against her restraints. Curiously, though, outside of the obvious discomfort of her bare
skin against the cold stone she did not cry out. Instead, she seemed to be waiting -- almost patiently -- for something to happen next."

And that's not, all fear-folks. . . 

Brother Grimsly opens his Cabinet of Curiosities and presents The Weird World of Shrunken Heads! Inside you'll see photos of authentic shrunken heads! Inside you'll see the strange rite of head shrinking before your very
eyes! Inside, you'll read exactly "How to Shrink a Head"! Read on . . . if you dare!

Monster Viewer takes us to the 1950's-era of B-Horror films with an illustrated retrospective of Vogue Pictures' 1959 production of "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake"!

Put on your X-ray specs and  feed the Sea Monkeys, LWM takes the pop-culture time machine back to the days of "pre-code" horror comics! Thrill to the terrifying adventure, "Nothing He Couldn't Do"! Don't let the title fool you --this is one whacked-out, gruesome illustrated tale!

All this and more can be found in the latest issue of LOVECRAFT'S WEIRD MYSTERIES, the Strangest Stories You Have Ever Read!

To order, please send $5.00 US & CANADA/$7.00 INTL. in US cash, check or money order, payable to John Navroth and sent to PENTAGRAM PUBLICATIONS c/o John Navroth, PMB 270, 11410 NE 124th St., Kirkland, WA 98034-2168 U.S.A.

Moonstone Books - Coming in August!
KOLCHAK: TALES OF THE NIGHT STALKER #4  by Dave Ulanski, Pat Olliffe, Keith Williams, & Ken Wolak. 
"It was a dark and stormy night..." Yeah, we've heard that cliche' before. But it's a perfect setting for Tony Vincenzo to experience the strange world of Carl Kolchak a little bit better, as the two attempt to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house. But things go from creepy to deadly, when they become trapped inside, hunted by a killer in the mirror! The two may walk away with a much better understanding of each other... if they walk away from this one at all! Whatever you do, don't say her name three times... This special issue is guest-pencilled by fan-favorite artist Pat Olliffe! Two covers, ship in a 50/50 split, by Monte Moore and Dave Ulanski.
Full Color, 32 pages, $3.50
This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN042661.
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 
Coming Soon  reports that Johnny Depp's wish has come true - Keith Richards, of 'Rolling Stone' fame, will be playing his characters father in the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean". 

Dark Horizons reported that the entire cast and production team will be back for Pirates 2 & 3 and that production would begin shortly. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 will be released six months apart in 2006. 

A Princess of Mars
IGN FilmForce has confirmed that Robert Rodriguez is no longer the director of Paramount's A Princess of Mars (a.k.a. John Carter of Mars). IGN FilmForce  was tipped off that Rodriguez wasn't going to be directing and that his decision was final. Rodriguez's reps at ICM have confirmed that the Spy Kids filmmaker has indeed departed the Paramount/Alphaville project.

Rodriguez's recent decision to resign from the Directors Guild of America had placed his ability to helm the big-screen adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic sci-fi novel in jeopardy. As a DGA signatory, Paramount was not allowed to hire a non-union director.  Just last month, however, Rodriguez advised Entertainment Weekly, "I can still do that movie because I was assigned to it before I left the DGA. I'll occupy that island of misfit directors like Quentin Tarantino and George Lucas."  Sources also advised us that Paramount approached Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro to replace Rodriguez but he turned them down three times.

A Princess of Mars is slated to go into production next year. Mark Protosevich penned the screenplay. 

The Pulp Rack - New update!
"Clarence Herbert New: A Bibliography in Progress," compiled by Victor A. Berch. C.H. New was one of the more prolific early 20th Century magazine writers, who wrote well over 400 short stories. As Victor states, "The bulk of his fiction appeared in BLUE BOOK magazine, where, for 25 years (1908-1934), he had the distinction of appearing in almost every issue of that magazine, with a total of 396 stories, including one serial novel. Only H. Bedford-Jones with 370 stories and 7 book-length novels and serials published over a greater span of years (1915-1948) came close. Like HB-J, New often had two stories (and series) running in the same issue, requiring him to use a pseudonym."

To check out the New bibliography, visit this URL: http://pulprack.com/arch/000176.html#000176
Many thanks to Victor for this fine piece of work. And thanks for your continued patronage!
Duane Spurlock, proprietor, The Pulp Rack

REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #6 - Available in just 2 weeks!
Publication of REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #6 is just a few weeks away!
Pre-order your copy of the sixth issue of The Definitive Robert E. Howard Fanzine now! Issue #6 made will make its debut next month at the 2004 Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas. If you can't attend, this is the quickest way to get a copy. Pre-orders will be mailed on June 15th.

Contents include:
•Solomon Kane cover by Charles Keegan
•Inside front and back covers by Stephen Fabian
•Back cover by Gene Day
•"Under the Baobab Tree" by Robert E. Howard, Illustration by Ken Raney
•"The Vengeance Sword of the Norman-Gael" by Damon C. Sasser, Illustration by Bill Cavalier
•"Red Nails: A Conan Portfolio" by Gene Day
•"Dreams Darker than Night: Reflections on Drugs and Writing" by Karl Edward Wagner
•"Sheathed in a Virgin's Skin or the Desires of Man?: Booking Passage on the Mythos Train of Thought" by Benjamin Szumskyj, Illustration by Bill Cavalier
•Other illustrations by Arnold Fenner and Fred Bobb

Price is $12.75 ($9.95 + 2.80 for postage and handling).

A set of preliminary sketches were done by Charles Keegan in preparation for the cover drawing Charles is doing for REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #6.  These are his first attempts at drawing Solomon Kane and he is putting a tremendous amount of work and research into the finished drawing.
Visit the Black Coast Press Yahoo Group to view the sketches. 

REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #5 is also still available for $12 postpaid.
Contents include:
Cover by Stephen Fabian
Inside Front and Back Covers by Arnold Fenner
Back Cover by Ken Raney
“A Horror in the Night” by Robert E.  Howard, illustrated by Don Herron
“The Sins of Our Tastes, the Sins of Our Trade” by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, illustrated by Jeff Easley
“El Dios Diabólico de Tlasceltec” by Damon C. Sasser, illustrated by Fred Bobb
“Almuric Folio” by Stephen Fabian
“Two Against the Post Office” by Keith Taylor
“Fists of Cross Plains” by Charles R. Saunders, illustrated by Gene Day
“Was Robert E. Howard a Hack?” by Darrell Schweitzer, illustrated by Greg Vander Leon

Order from and make checks and money orders payable to:
Damon C. Sasser
905 Littleport Lane
Channelview, Texas 77530

Payment also accepted via PayPal through dcsasser@yahoo.com


The Robinsons: Lost in Space - Not on the WB 2004-2005 schedule!
The WB announced their Fall schedule on May 18th and The Robinsons: Lost in Space did not make the cut.
RGK: THE ART OF ROY G. KRENKEL - Coming in August!
RGK: THE ART OF ROY G. KRENKEL will be published by Vanguard Productions in August.
This volume is Edited by J. David Spurlock & Barry Klugerman
Influenced by early masters J. Allen St. John, J.C. Coll, and Franklin Booth, Roy G. Krenkel has in turn inspired generations of fantasy artists with his portrayals of futuristic cities, prehistoric beasts, Mongol hordes, jungle men, and bodacious beauties. From pulp-styled drawings of the late '40s to early work on EC Comics' Weird Science, and defining art on Tarzan, Conan, and Wizard of Oz, RGK: The Art of Roy G. Krenkel will enthrall anyone whose imagination has been inspired by the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard! Profusely illustrated with over 250 illustrations (many never-before-published ) and photos that provide a rich overview of the artist's life and works. Featuring commentary by Krenkel's associates, including Star Wars illustrator Al Williamson. The Deluxe Hardcover Edition includes an additional 16-page color gallery, and comes packaged in a handsome slipcase.
Hard Cover, 8x11, 132 pages, $34.95
Deluxe Hard Cover,  8x11, 150 pages, $49.95
This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN042884 for the hard cover edition.
The Diamond Item Code is JUN042885 for the deluxe hard cover edition.
Star Wars
The long-awaited final Star Wars blockbuster will be called Birth Of The Empire, movie insiders have revealed to British tabloid The Sun and the highlight of the space epic will be a thrilling lightsabre clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) while surfing on lava.

The Hollywood source said: "Anakin and Obi-Wan fight on platforms on the lava. They control these like surfboards". Meanwhile in regards to the title, the source added: "There's going to be a big announcement soon. They've tried lots of titles but the most popular is Birth Of The Empire."

Studies in Fantasy Literature
Studies in Fantasy Literature, Issue One is now available!
A Scholarly Journal for the Study of the Fantasy Genre.
Edited by Benjamin Szumskyj; with contributions by Aaron Davis ("Holy Elven Light: A Religious Influence of The Lord of the Rings"), Steve Tompkins ("Coming in from the Cold: 'Incursions of Outsideness' in Smith's Hyperborea"), Jenifer D'Elia ("Sometimes There is Nothing You Can Do: A Critical Summary of Gaiman's Neverwhere") and Dr. Harold Dorton ("Michael Moorcock, Postmodernism and (not) Fantasy: A Primer"). Cover artwork by David Burton.
Perfect Bound softcover magazine; 5 ½ x 8 ½ size; 50 pages.; Suggested Retail Price: $7

More information is available at: http://sifl.seele-brennt.com/one.html

TERRA OBSCURA VOLUME 2 #1 - Coming in August!
Written by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan, art and cover by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story. 
Tom Strange and the heroes of Terra Obscura return for another outing following 2003's critically acclaimed series! The heroes have finally adjusted to the society that spent 30-years without them...and more importantly, society has acclimated to having science heroes again! Things have returned to normal for the members of S.M.A.S.H., until a mysterious object appears on the edge of their galaxy -- on a collision course with Terra Obscura! 
What's more, the object appears to be the spacecraft of long-lost legendary hero Captain Future, but in a twisted and distorted way. And as the ship nears, time anomalies begin to crop up over the entire planet, wreaking terrible havok. Can Tom Strong and the other heroes unravel this mystery before it spells doom for the entire planet? 
32 pages, $2.95, in stores on August 18. 
This book can be pre-ordered from the June PREVIEWS (available May 26th). 
The Diamond Item Code is JUN040813.
VCI Entertainment - Available May 25th!
UNDERSEA KINGDOM - A 12-chapter serial in which a rocket-powered submarine is used to investigate the undersea kingdom of Atlantis.  The SRP is $14.99 for DVD and $19.99 for VHS.

CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT - In this exciting 15-chapter adventure, Ivan Shark is after a secret range finder that will enable his bombers to engage in a furious reign of terror and Captain Midnight is called upon to stop him.  The SRP is $19.99 for DVD and $14.99 for VHS.

14 May 2004
Back Numbers Can Be Easily Procured
Warren Harris's apa-zine, BACK NUMBERS CAN BE EASILY PROCURED #11 (April 2004) is now available.
This issue features:
The Men Who Made The Argosy: Samuel Cahan, Charles M. Warren, Hugh Pentecost, Robert Carse, Gordon MacCreagh, Richard Wormser, Donald Barr Chidsey, Chandler Whipple, Louis C. Goldsmith, Allan R. Bosworth, M. R. Montgomery, John Myers Myers, Wyatt Blassingame, William Benton Johnston, Roger B. “Mori” Morrison, Herbert McNary, Stanley Maxwell, Sidney Herschel Small, Max Brand, William Templeton, John Myers Myers, Henry Kuttner, and C.L. Moore. 
Some items of REH Bibliographical Interest
Robert E. Howard Collector’s Checklist
Argosy Biography Report
SF Illustrator Orai Noriyoshi 
The Round Table: Letters of Comment
Mailing Comments
Books Bought/Books Read

If you have not read Warren's excellent apa-zine, click on over to Bill Burns' eFanzines website at http://efanzines.com/ and download #1 through #11.  All issues are in PDF format.

Bill Burns has many other great efanzines on his site that you might also want to investigate.

Clifford D. Simak 
THE STORIES OF CLIFFORD D. SIMAK Volume 1: ETERNITY LOST & OTHER STORIES will be published by Darkside Press this summer. 

Clifford D. Simak produced over 140 short stories during his long and illustrious career. Until now, there has never been an attempt to collect his entire output in book form. Darkside Press is pleased to announce the first in a project twelve-volume series which will at long last gather all of the short fiction of Clifford D. Simak into book form. Editor Phil Stephenson-Payne has painstakingly assembled twelve volumes with an eye toward each book serving as an overview of the great author's output. Each volume will contain approximately 125,000 words and feature a mix of the well-known and the obscure. Each volume will feature a guest introduction by a well-known author in the genre and each volume is strictly limited to 500 copies (as are all of our Darkside Press titles). Volume one is planned for an early summer release (just prior to the centenary anniversary of the author's birth). The price is $40.  Click here for ordering instructions on the Darkside Press website.

Contents: 
Introduction by John Pelan 
The Answers 
Buckets of Diamonds 
The Call from Beyond 
Carbon Copy
Eternity Lost 
Founding Father 
How-2 
Jackpot 
Kindergarten 
The Observer 
Sunspot Purge 
Way for the Hangtown Rebel 

For those wishing to support this project and guard against possible price increases, Darkside Press is offering a subscription plan. $400.00 will guarantee a full set of matching numbered volumes. You get two books free and a matched set! For payment instructions e-mail jpelan@cnw.com

Crippen & Landru
Working with the agents for the Earl Stanley Gardner estate, Bill Pronzini (the modern master of the private-eye story) will edit and Crippen & Landru will publish collections of never previously reprinted stories from pulps, slicks and digests by the great creator of Perry Mason. The following titles are planned:

THE DANGER ZONE AND OTHER STORIES
THE CASEBOOK OF SIDNEY ZOOM
THE EXPLOITS OF THE PATENT LEATHER KID
THE INVESTIGATIONS OF SMALL, WESTON & BURKE
THE ADVENTURES OF SENOR LOBO
THE FEATS OF THE MAN IN THE SILVER MASK
THE RETURN OF ED JENKINS, PHANTOM CROOK
THE RETURN OF LESTER LEITH

Crippen & Landru plan to release one new Gardner book every 10-12 months as part of their "Lost Classics" series, beginning with THE DANGER ZONE AND OTHER STORIES, slated for publication this month. No prices have been announced yet.

Also coming soon is BANNER DEADLINES, a collection of impossible crime stories featuring Senator Brooks U. Banner that were written by Joseph Commings. 

For more information of these and other books being published by Crippen & Landru, please visit their website at http://www.crippenlandru.com/default.asp

Mike Chomko is also now accepting reservations for these books.
Orders over $30 are discounted 10% and shipped postpaid. 
For shipments to Canada, please add $4 to your order.
Orders under $30 are no discount and add $3 ($5 for Canada) for shipping and handling.
Mike accepts cash payments (but not credit card payments) through Paypal at chomko@enter.net.
Checks and money orders can be sent to Michael Chomko, 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA  18104-6542 
Contact Mike by email at chomko@enter.net.

Conan Official Website
The Conan Official Website has posted an interview with Gary Gianni, artist of the upcoming Conan of Cimmeria Volume 2. Several illustrations from the book are included with the interview.
E-texts on the net this week
The Shadow Magazine
Alibi Trail is reviewed this week.
Death Visits The Black Ship by John Olsen is this week's Two-Minute Shadow Mystery.

ShadowPDF:   Nothing new this week.

Blackmask Online: Nothing new this week.

Larry Estep-Online Pulps:    Now with over 400 stories online!
Nothing new this week.

F. Paul Wilson - New Repairman Jack novel!
F. Paul Wilson's 8th Repairman Jack novel, CRISSCROSS, is now available.
Jack is back in New York and working on two unrelated fix-its.  The first involves a nun being blackmailed by someone who has photos of her that she does not want made public. Who or what is in those photos, she won’t say, but with her meager savings just about exhausted, she hires Jack to help her.

The second fix-it seems straightforward enough:  Elderly Maria Roselli hires Jack to find her missing son.  He joined the Dormentalist Church years ago and seemed happier than she’d ever seen him.  But it’s been weeks since she’s heard from him and she’s worried.  The deeper Jack digs, the more certain he becomes that the Dormentalist Church has a secret agenda hidden not only from the public, but from most of its members as well.

The suspenseful finale reveals a side of Jack that is darker than we’ve ever seen as he crisscrosses the two fix-it jobs to settle deadly scores.

This is the 475-copy Numbered edition (signed by F. Paul Wilson).
The cover price is $55 plus postage and handling.
Orders can be placed on the Gauntlet website.
A trade edition will be available in the fall.

JONNY QUEST SEASON ONE DVD SET - Now available!
The JONNY QUEST SEASON ONE DVD Set is coming this May from Warner Home Video! 
Follow young, intrepid adventurer Jonny Quest, his scientist father Dr. Benton Quest, bodyguard Race Bannon, boyhood companion Hadji, and pup Bandit, in the globe-trotting, harrowing exploits featured in this DVD set collecting all 26 Season 1 episodes of Hanna/Barbera's 1964-65 animated classic! 

The suggested retail price is $64.92.

King Conan
IGN FilmForce has learned who is poised to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as the title character in the long-in-development King Conan: Crown of Iron. Confirming rumors first reported last fall, Warner Brothers and writer-director John Milius have indeed settled on wrestler-actor Paul Michael Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, to play Robert E. Howard's barbarian hero. It should be noted, however, that it isn't a done deal just yet.

There's also no word on when King Conan might finally go before cameras. Triple H was previously rumored to be up for the role of Kon, Conan's estranged son.  Click here for the complete story.

Lost In Space Season 2 on DVD
Fox Home Video has announced that Lost In Space Season 2 will probably be released in two volumes instead of a complete Season 2 package. In an ideal world,  Fox Home Video would like to produce a complete Season 2 package. According to Fox Home Video's Sr. Vice President, Peter Staddon, the sad reality is that although Season 1 sold ok, it did not sell well enough for many accounts that carried it to carry Season 2. Dividing it into two volumes and lowering the shelf price is a way of getting the series into distribution. Fox is not trying to gouge the fan base.  Fox is trying to get the product on the shelf!

The combined pricepoints of Volumes 1 and 2 should be pretty close to the pricepoint of Season 1.  We can expect Lost In Space - Season 2, Volume 1 in September, and we probably will get Lost In Space - Season 2, Volume 2 in November. 

The Pulp Rack - New update!
"William J. Makin: A Bibliography in Progress," compiled by Peter Ruber and Victor A. Berch. 
Makin (1894 - 1944) was a prolific author for BLUE BOOK. Many thanks to both gentlemen for this work.
This bibliography is a nice complement to the three articles about Makin that are already posted to The Pulp Rack (see the "Fictioneer Biography" section).

You can visit the bibliography at this URL:http://pulprack.com/arch/000174.html#000174

Duane Spurlock, proprietor, The Pulp Rack

Wandering Star
Jim Keegan posted the following Wandering Star news on the Dark Horse Comics message boards.

Conan Volume 2 is at the printers and it should be arriving on these shores around the beginning of June. Gianni's art is spectacular. The Del-Rey trade edition will be out in the fall. 

Wandering Star will be at the San Diego Con, and Gary Gianni and Mark Schultz will both be there. Stop by if you're in town. We'll have a Robert E. Howard Poster Book there, with all new exclusive REH themed paintings by Gary Gianni, Mark Schultz, Mike Mignola, Scott Gustafson, Glen Orbik, Tom Kidd, Jim Silke, Ruth and myself, and others. It'll also have a Conan painting by Greg Manchess, and a Kull painting by Justin Sweet. 

Conan Volume 3, with art by Greg Manchess will probably be out around this time next year. Sometime after that will be "Kull" with art by Justin Sweet. And "The Complete Poetry of REH" with art by Mike Mignola. 

WEIRD TALES - Now Available!
The March-April 2004 issue of WEIRD TALES (#335) is now available.
The cover is by Rowena Morrell.  The contents include:
LAMBERT, LAMBERT by Ian Watson
THE COFFIN MERCHANT by Richard Middleton
MIDNIGHT by Tanith Lee
FIG by Robert Ferrigno
THE SACERDOTAL OWL by Michael Bishop
The Eyrie

This issue retails for $5.95 ($7.50 Canada) and is available in better bookstores.
Subscriptions are available from DNA Publications.

Wild Cat Books - Another new title is now available!
Wild Cat Books has another new title that is now available at Lulu.com. 

THE HYBORIAN HERESIES by DALE E. RIPPKE.
Description: THE HYBORIAN HERESIES: A Scholarly Excavation into the World of Robert E. Howard by Dale E. Rippke... This noted Sword-and-Sorcery historian has collected together his essays into Robert E. Howard's worlds of the Hyborian Age! Includes articles on Conan the Cimmerian, the Age of Acheron, the Great Cataclysm, the mystery of Belit, and many others! Edited by Benjamin Szumskyj with Cover Art by David Burton... A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Project Pride, the civic group that preserves and maintains the Howard museum in Cross Plains, Texas... This is a must-have for all fans and scholars of Robert E. Howard, one of pulp fiction's finest writers that ever lived... and whose life ended too soon... 6"x9" Trade Paperback with color covers by David Burton...103 pages... $14.99

Both titles are available from the Wild Cat bookstore at http://my.lulu.com/wildcatbooks

Zorro 2
Antonio Banderas has spoken out recently on the "Mask of Zorro" sequel at last weekend's "Shrek 2" press junket - "Last night I had dinner with Martin [Campbell, Director] and they're putting together the whole thing now. But it's green lit, we are going, and on the 26th of July, principal photography starts". Comparing the sequel to its predecessor Banderas says the new film “is a little bit more mature. It still keeps the adventure feeling and it keeps us with a hero, which I think is fundamental for Zorro. But this one is more based on jealousy and concepts that are more for us than for kids.” 
07 May 2004
2004 Film Release Dates
May 7
May 21
May 28
June 4
June 11
June 16
June 30
July 7
July 16
July 23
August 13
September 17
Fall/Holiday 
VAN HELSING
SHREK 2
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
SPIDERMAN 2
KING ARTHUR
 I, ROBOT
CATWOMAN
ALIEN VERSUS PREDATOR
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
SAHARA
Amazing Adventures of the Escapist TPB - Available May 12th!
MICHAEL CHABON PRESENTS . . .THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE ESCAPIST VOLUME 1 TPB 
By Michael Chabon, Glen David Gold, Howard Chaykin, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kyle Baker, Jim Starlin, Gene Colan, Steve Lieber, Scott Morse, Eric Wight, Kevin McCarthy and Mike Baron. 

Master of Elusion, foe of tyranny, and champion of liberation--The Escapist. Operating from a secret headquarters under the boards of the majestic Empire Theater, the Escapist and his crack team of charismatic associates roam the globe, performing amazing feats of magic to aid all those who languish in oppression's chains. The history of his creators, Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay, was recently chronicled in Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The best of the Escapist's adventures are now collected into one volume. 

This volume of Michael Chabon Presents...The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist collects the first two issues of the comic book and features an original story penned by Michael Chabon, the comics debut of novelist Glen David Gold, a new story written and drawn by Howard Chaykin, the painted artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz, and a wraparound cover by Chris Ware. 

152 pages, $17.95

Amazing Saturn
NASA has fashioned a Cassini poster after the AMAZING STORIES pulp magazine.
The poster celebrates the Cassini-Huygens exploration of the planet Saturn.
Insertion into Saturn's orbit will occur on June 30, 2004.
The Huygens probe will be released on December 24, 2004 to enter Titan's atmosphere.
BRIMSTONE by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Available August 2004!
BRIMSTONE, the ninth collaboration of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, features Agent Pendergast in his most dangerous outing to date.  BRIMSTONE will be published by Warner Books in August 2004.

Behind the gates of a fabulous Hamptons estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast comes upon the carnage of a gruesome crime: one that recalls the legendary horrors that befall those who make a Faustian pact with the devil. Surrounded by the chocking stench of brimstone, the smoldering remains of art critic Jeremy Grove are found in a locked, barricaded attic next to a hoofprint singed into the floorboards. Unable to resist a case that defies all but supernatural logic, Pendergast reunites with police officers Vincent D'Agosta (RELIC) and Laura Hayward (RELIQUARY) to search for a more earthly explanation. But their investigation soon takes them from the luxury estates of Long Island and penthouses of New York City to the crumbling, legend-shrouded castles of the Italian countryside, where thirty years ago four men conjured up something unspeakable. . .

Chapter 1 is now available for reading! You can find it here.
 
 

 

CONAN #7 - Coming in September!
Dark Horse Comics has release solicitation information for CONAN #7!
KURT BUSIEK (W), CARY NORD (A), THOMAS YEATES (A), and DAVE STEWART (C), and
JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER (Cover)
Conan leads a rebellion against the slave masters of Hyperborea—but can even he face the mightiest sorcerers of the oldest, most corrupt civilization of the ancient world?  The answers bring pain, death, and heartbreak, and
reveal the truth about Hyperborea—and the source of Conan’s  lifelong hatred  for that dark and cheerless land. Conan’s February debut led to an immediate sellout and rave reviews. See what the sensation is all about!
On sale August 25, 32 pages, $2.99
DEATH MATCH by Lincoln Child - Now available!
Lincoln Child's second solo novel is now available in bookstores everywhere.
Lincoln Child, with his frequent collaborator Douglas Preston, has authored such bestselling thrillers as THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, THE ICE LIMIT, THUNDERHEAD, RIPTIDE, RELIQUARY, MOUNT DRAGON, and RELIC. 

The Thorpes were the perfect couple: young, attractive, and ideally matched. But the veil of perfection can mask many secrets. When the Thorpes are found dead in their tasteful Flagstaff living room—having committed double-suicide—alarms go off in the executive offices of Eden, Incorporated, the worldwide matchmaking phenomenon that uses its astonishing artificial intelligence to create supercouples and guarantee its customers just one thing: lifelong happiness.

Enter Christopher Lash, a gifted former FBI forensic psychologist who is brought in by Eden to perform a quick—and quiet—investigation. As Lash conducts his detailed “psychological autopsy,” he delves deep into the seemingly ordinary private lives of the Thorpes, all the while trying to suppress a personal tragedy of his own that has been kept buried in the past. But when another perfectly matched couple commits double-suicide, Lash finds himself suddenly pulled in to the many hidden layers of Eden, Incorporated. It is an astonishing world—one inhabited by Eden's genius, reclusive founder, Richard Silver—a world that inadvertently may bring Lash face-to-face with his own demons. The publisher is Doubleday. 368 pages, ISBN: 0385506708, $24.95

Two sample chapters are now available for reading! You can find them here.

E-texts on the net this week
The Shadow Magazine
The Radium Murders is reviewed this week.
The Unfortunate Mr. Pollard by Jonathan Blade is this week's Two-Minute Shadow Mystery.

ShadowPDF:   Nothing new this week.

Blackmask Online: Nothing new this week.

Larry Estep-Online Pulps:    Now with over 400 stories online!
Mansion of the Walking Dead by Leo Hoban from DETECTIVE AND MURDER MYSTERIES [Feb. 1941]
I would call this one a 'Wade Hammond wannabe'.  Detective Mike Turner investigates a disappearance and a walking corpse in a gloomy mansion.
The Court of the Wicked Queen by Marion Shaler from 10 STORY BOOK [August 1937]
An early fantasy about a young man's coming of age.
Body Ransom by Arthur Wallace from SPICY DETECTIVE STORIES [November 1935]
Hot, torch-singing dame; slobbering gangster giving her the full-court press; cat fight. Good one!
So This Is Flanders! by Harold F. Cruickshank from BATTLE STORIES [July 1928]
Two hardened soldiers worry that the effeminate, green officer leading them into No-man's Land is going to get them killed by his foolishness.

El Cazador #6 - Available May 12th!
EL CAZADOR #6 is written By Chuck Dixon and penciled By Steve Epting 
Captain Sin and Redhand Harry finally meet blade-to-blade as their boats collide! The undermanned and outgunned El Cazador fights for its life against Harry Newcomb and his newly refitted ship! Can Cinzia rally her unwilling crew…and when the two ships crash together, who will survive? 

32 pages,  $2.95 

Fading Shadows - Now Available!
ACTION ADVENTURE STORIES #137 featuring: 
The Case of the Poison Formula (Phantom Detective) by Robert Wallace 
(originally published 12/45 V46 N3)
Trap of the Mongoose by Johnston McCulley
(originally published in DETECTIVE FICTION WEEKLY 5/27/33)

BEHIND THE MASK #68 featuring:
Candid Camera Kid in Focus on Murder by John L. Benton from THRILLING DETECTIVE [10/30]
The Black Bat in The Blue Ghost Patrol by Lester Dent from FLYING ACES [10/33]
The Griffin in The Hour Appointed by J. Allan Dunn from DETECTIVE FICTION WEEKLY [01/03/31]
Taxi to Trouble by George A. Starbird from DETECTIVE FICTION WEEKLY [12/22/34]
The Blue Ghost Patrol is reprinted through arrangement with Will Murray

DETECTIVE MYSTERY STORIES #48 featuring Tinseltown, Illnois by Bill Rapp, The Hunter by Derek Muk,
Runners on the Corners by L.A. Wilson Jr, The Manhunt by Larry K. Wellman, The Garbage Day by John Bruni,
The Futility of Resistance by Ricky D. Cooper, and Evil Under the Sun (part 5 of 5) by Lawrence Harvey.

Click here or on the images to the right for a look at larger cover images.

Each issue is 5.5 by 8.5 inches in size and runs approximately 80 pages.
One issue is $6.30 postpaid. Two or more issues are $6 each postpaid.
Not responsible for packages lost in the mail.
Insurance is $1.10 per $50.00 value and highly recommended.

Order from: 
Fading Shadows, Inc.
504 E. Morris Street
Seymour, TX 76380-2212
http://www.geocities.com/fadingshadows1/



Cover by Ron Wilber
Fading Shadows - Coming Soon in ACTION ADVENTURE STORIES!
Brand of the Quanahy Clan (Masked Rider) by Val Masterson
Death In The Desert (Phantom Detective) by Robert Wallace
Girasol Collectables - May Pulp Replicas!
Girasol Collectables is pleased to announce four more issues in its ongoing series of Pulp Replicas.
Click here or on the images to the right for a look at larger Pulp Replica cover images.

Girasol Collectables Inc. is pleased to declare May a bonus month!  We have, not three but four new Pulp Replicas for the month of May. We are also offering an extra price break so please pay attention, it gets complicated!  Anyone that purchases all four of this month's Replicas will pay a reduced price of $115 versus the actual total of $130, saving $15. Purchase any three of this month's offerings and take $10 off the actual total.

We lead off the month with the next issue of THE SPIDER. The date is December 1933, issue #3 and this is the start of Norvell Page's tenure on the title.  $35.

Our second Replica this month is THE SCORPION, Apr./May 1939. A classic weird menace one-shot and a tough book to find, also the sister publication to THE OCTOPUS we featured last month. $35.

We're pleased to offer another early SPICY DETECTIVE, November 1934. This is issue #7 and sports the classic "bathtub" cover. $25.

Lastly, the bonus issue for this month is another WEIRD TALES bedsheet. The issue is Dec. 1923 / Jan. 1924; #9 for those who're counting. The good news is that those that bought the Feb. '24 issue can now read the first half of the story; The Abysmal Horror. It also gives you another of the instalments of Draconda, a 6-part epic! This issue also contains stories by Lovecraft and Poe. $35.

Coming Soon:  SPICY DETECTIVE #2 (First Dan Turner), SPIDER #4 and up, TERROR TALES #4 and up.

As always, these reprints are exact copies including the illustrations, ads and back-up stories and have been printed on off-white paper, staple-bound and finished off with a high quality reproduction of the original cover.
The only thing missing is the smell (alas) and the flaking newsprint.


Here is a complete listing of the Pulp Replicas currently available for $25 or $35 each postpaid within North America. Overseas will be a few dollars more.

DAN TURNER  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
Dan Turner Hollywood Detective No. 1 (January 1942)

THE OCTOPUS ($35 each postpaid within North America)
February/March 1939

ORIENTAL STORIES ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#1  (Oct./Nov. 1930) featuring the Robert E. Howard story, TheVoice of El-Lil.

THE SCORPION ($35 each postpaid within North America)
April/May 1939

SPICY ADVENTURE  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#8   (May 1935) featuring a Great Middle Eastern motif cover
#22 (July 1936) featuring a Parkhurst cover
#26 (November 1936)

SPICY DETECTIVE  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#7   (November 1934)
#10 (February 1935)
#17 (September 1935) featuring Dan Turner and a terrific HJ Ward cover
#20 (December 1935) featuring a HJ Ward cover and a Dan Turner story
#30 (October 1936) featuring an incredible, truly classic HJ Ward cover
#76 (August 1940) featuring a great HJ Ward cover, Dan Turner, Eel stories

SPICY MYSTERY  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#2   (June 1935) featuring Fangs of the Bat
#3   (July 1935) featuring a nice Parkhurst cover
#4   (August 1935)
#8   (December 1935) featuring a nice Parkhurst cover
#10 (February 1936) featuring Batman

SPICY WESTERN  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#14 (December 1937)  Great HJ Ward cover

THE SPIDER  ($35 each postpaid within North America)
#1  The Spider Strikes! (October 1933)
#2  The Wheel of Death (November 1933)
#3  Wings of the Black Death (December 1933)

STRANGE TALES  ($25 each postpaid within North America)
#1  (September 1931)
#2  (November 1931)
#3  (January 1932) featuring Wolves of Darkness by Jack Williamson
#4  (March 1932)
#5  (June 1932)
#6  (October 1932) Famous 'Worm Monster' cover
#7  (January 1933)

TERROR TALES  ($35 each postpaid within North America)
#1 (September 1934)
#2 (October 1934)
#3 (November 1934)

WEIRD TALES  ($35 each postpaid within North America)
#1   March 1923
Available in 2 cover choices: the 'regular' cover, or the recently discovered 'rarer' version. 
Exactly the same, except the black and orange of the cover illustration are switched.
#2   April 1923
#5   July/August 1923
#9   December 1923/January 1924 
#10 February 1924
#12 April 1924

Email Girasol Collectables at: girasol@interlog.com.
A complete listing, along with other items such as books, fanzines and of course pulps, can be found on
the Girasol Collectables website at http://www.girasolcollectables.com/

All payments must be made in $US payable to Girasol Collectables and mailed to:
Neil Mechem c/o Girasol Collectables
3501 Glen Erin Drive, Apt. 1409, Mississauga, ON, Canada L5L 2E9



Last Months Replicas


 

Lost Treasures from the Pulps - The Moon Man Volume 2 Stand-alone Edition! 
THE COMPLEAT MOON MAN by Frederick C. Davis was announced as a Summer 2004 release.
The Moon Man was Stephen Thatcher, the son of the city police chief, Peter Thatcher. Stephen was a 25-year-old police Sergeant with what seemed to be a normal life, including a fiancee (the gutsy Sue McEwen, an amateur sleuth who often got involved in the Moon Man’s cases) and friends. But at night he put on a domed helmet (with one-way Argus glass) and a long black cloak and did the Robin Hood thing, robbing from the criminals to pay the poor.  This two volume set will include all of the Moon Man stories ever published.  The price is $175. 

Back in 1984, Purple Prose Press published THE NIGHT NEMESIS.
This was the first volume in a projected two volume set collecting all the Moon Man stories.
Unfortunately, Volume 2 was never published.

For collectors who have that first volume, Battered Silicon Dispatch Box will be publishing a stand-alone edition of the second volume of Moon Man stories. This volume will only be available with the initial print run. The cost will be $75 for this stand-alone volume.

To order direct from Battered Silicon, contact George A. Vanderburgh, Publisher
email: gav@bmts.com     FAX: 519-925-3482

If you are interested in purchasing just the second volume of Battered Silicon's THE MOON MAN from Mike Chomko, he needs to know by May 15, 2004.  email: chomko@enter.net

Click here for information on upcoming Lost Treasures from the Pulps

The Pulp Rack - New update!
The Cinco de Mayo update has an international flavor. 
Our featured fictioneer is prolific writer and world traveler James Dwyer.

First is a brief biography contrbuted by Peter Ruber. You'll find it at this URL:
http://pulprack.com/arch/000170.html#000170

Second is a bibliography in progress for Dwyer compiled by Peter Ruber, Victor Berch & Mike Ashley (with assistance from Richard Bleiler and Larry Estep). This is a nice listing sure to help any pulp treasure hunters looking for Dwyer stories. You'll find the bibliography at this URL:
http://pulprack.com/arch/000172.html#000172

Duane Spurlock, proprietor, The Pulp Rack

Renaissance E-Books - Now Available!
Now available from Renaissance E-Books:

Nemesis Magazine #4: Femme Noir in "Hell's Hungry Darlings" by Stephen Adams
SAVE 50% OFF THE REGULAR COVER PRICE OF $4.00 - ONLY $1.99!
SHE WAS THE NEMESIS OF HELL'S RESTLESS SPIRITS! When a mysteriously traumatized young woman begs for asylum at the Chapel of the Saints of Night, Father Tomansino must come to grips with one of the gravest errors he has made during his lifetime of stewardship. A moment’s negligence is all it has taken to open a conduit of pure evil and release an invasion of creatures from the pit of Hell upon unsuspecting humanity. His own desperate efforts to halt the release of the demonic hoards having failed, the terrified priest has only one hope. As the bloody monstrosities roam the city, slaughtering and devouring its citizenry, Tomasino turns to the shadowy, Femme Noir, Dread Nemesis of Hell's Restless Legions. From the depths of her sanctum, the shadowy Chapel this Champion of Light issues forth to wreak destruction upon the forces of Hell, before humanity can become food for their gluttonous appetites. As her only mortal friend and ally, Detective Rick Harrell, rallies his forces to fight a desperate holding action against Hell's most fearsome creations, Femme Noir battles single-handed through the blood-thirsty demons in order to risk her soul in a face-to-face confrontation with the sorcerer who has unleashed "Hell's Hungry Darlings." Cover: Stephen Adams

ROBERT E HOWARD COMICS DISCUSSION GROUP
The Robert E Howard Comics Discussion Group is dedicated to the characters created by Robert E Howard that  have appeared in comic book form from Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Cross Plains Comics.  Now with the launch of the new Conan Dark Horse series by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, and Dave Stewart a new dawn of seeing Robert E Howard's characters in comic books may be on the horizon . Hopefully, if this is a success Kull, Solomon Kane etc. may return too.  The group is now open for new members interested in discussing the world of Robert E. Howard in the comics. 

Anyone already a member of YahooGroups that is interested in joining this group can send  an email to TheREHcomicsgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.   To visit the REH discussion group on the web, go to:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheREHcomicsgroup/.  You will be rerouted to join Yahoo Groups if you are not already a member.

Robert E. Howard Days - June 11 and 12, 2004
Robert Weinberg was named Guest of Honor for the 2004 Robert E. Howard Days
Project Pride in Cross Plains is proud to announce that the Guest of Honor for the 2004 Robert E. Howard Days is none other than two-time World Fantasy Award winner Robert Weinberg. Bob’s name has long been legendary in Howard fandom: writer, editor, bookseller, critic, collector, owner of WEIRD TALES magazine—over the last 40 years he’s done it all. Howard fans everywhere own Bob a deep debt of gratitude for his decades of Howard promotion, and we can think of no greater way to say thanks than to have him come down to Howard’s hometown of Cross Plains as the 2004 Howard Days Guest of Honor.

While in Cross Plains Bob will be giving the keynote address at the annual Howard Days Banquet, a 20 minute speech entitled “Sacred Ground: My Life With Robert E. Howard”. He’ll also be sitting on several panels expounding on all things Howard, and several of his Howard books will be available at the Robert E. Howard museum for you to purchase and get signed. It’s not every day that Howard fans get to meet and mingle with such a longstanding icon of Howard fandom. 2004 is shaping up to be the best Howard Days ever, with more to see and do than ever before, so be sure to make your reservations early.

In anticipation of Bob’s forthcoming appearance, Project Pride presents here a comprehensive interview conducted especially for this occasion. See y’all in June!  http://www.rehupa.com/weinberg_interview.htm

For more information, visit http://www.rehupa.com/news_2004.htm#04-03-2004

SerialFest 2004 - May 21-22-23, 2004
The Serial Squadron has announced the 4th annual SerialFest.
The 4th annual all-cliffhanger film festival will present some of the rarest silent and sound serials of all time on the big screen in 16mm and 35mm including Spy Smasher complete over 3 days! Mark May 21-22-23 on your calendar to join us at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania so you won't miss live entertainment, special themed dinners, costumed serial characters, Ace Drummond's Serial Jeopardy game, and presentations by serial experts and authors!

FEATURED SERIALS this year will be: 
SPY SMASHER, shown in its entirety over all 3 days,
THE SPIDER'S WEB, featured on Friday evening,
ADVENTURES OF TARZAN, chapters shown on Saturday,
FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS, shown on Friday afternoon
SON OF THE GUARDSMAN, shown on Sunday

Visit the Serial Squadron website for complete details.

Star Wars TV series
Moviehole reports that the new Star Wars TV series that's being rumored is one step closer to being a reality. 
Supposedly,  the series will be set between the events of next years "Star Wars Episode 3" and Episode 4, better known as "Star Wars: A New Hope". "It's a 7 year deal and that is why the Optical Folks at Lucasfilm had their contracts extended through 2012".  According to the insider, "Star Wars: The series" would fill the void left by some of the recently departured science fiction series and the 'on the bubble' "Enterprise". The new series will likely be a Fox project if it comes to pass. 

TheForce.net heard from a scooper who heard something similiar. "Sean writes in with this cool report to confirm work on a SW TV Show is most definitely happening: I asked him about Star Wars' future and he got really excited and told me in thinly veiled comments that it is going to TV (live-action) . He couldn't go into details because he was under a legal contract. So I asked this gentlemen if the show was pre-Episode 4, he said maybe with a smile, then I asked about Vader, and he had the same response, same with Chewbacca, same with Tarkin. Anyways he said Lucasfilm was really excited about this, and he did mention that there were to be no Episodes 7-9". 

TERRA OBSCURA - Available May 12th!
Written by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan; art and cover by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story

Collecting the critically acclaimed 6-issue miniseries! How would you adjust to the world if you'd been frozen for 30 years? That's the problem the heroes of Terra Obscura have faced. But now a threat unlike anything they've seen before is spreading across the United States - a mysterious plague spreading like a cancer, making all technology useless and reverting mankind back to the Stone Age. Where are the heroes when their world needs them the most?

160 pages, Softcover, Color, $14.95

August will also see the return of the world of Terra Obscura, as Alan Moore and Peter Hogan again team with Yanick Paquette and Karl Story for Terra Obscura Volume 2. In it, the heroes of Terra Obscura have finally adjusted to the society that spent 30-years without them, only to have a mysterious object appear on the edge of their galaxy – and take on a collision course with their world.

Wild Cat Books - Two new titles now available!
Wild Cat Books has two more titles now available at Lulu.com. 

THE BOOK OF THE DAMNED by Charles Fort
Written in 1919, this scholarly dissertation deals with the many strange happenings that have occured throughout history... Extensively documented with footnotes and source material... A classic of esoteric events! 
341 pages, $15 

THE LOST CONTINENT by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne
Considered by many to be one of the finest novels about the lost world of Atlantis ever written! 
Classic pulp adventure. 194 pages, $10.99

Both titles are available from the Wild Cat bookstore at http://my.lulu.com/wildcatbooks

Wildside Press - Now Available and coming very soon!

Operator #5: Blood Reign of the Dictator, by Curtis Steele
$12.95 (trade paperback - available next week)

Operator #5, a secret service ace, appeared in more than 48 novels in a classic pulp magazine bearing his name. From April 1934 to November 1939, Jimmy Christopher fought villains from inside the United States and
invaders from without. With World War II looming on the horizon, the Operator #5 books became a reflection of the times -- none more so than when a fascist dictator appears to take over the U.S. government! One of the most violent pulps ever produced, full of thrill-a-minute action and peril, Blood Reign of the Dictator is a classic entry in the series.

The Mysterious Wu Fang: The Case of the Suicide Tomb
$14.95 (trade paperback - available now).
$25.00 (hardcover -- available in 2 weeks)

The ancient Indian tomb had been sealed for a thousand years; its discovery was an archaeological find. But few guessed its horrible secret, or knew that a certain Oriental super-villain, the fiendish Wu Fang, wished to enter its portals . . . not to study the withered bones, but to capture the death germs buried there -- deadly germs of a rare plague of madness which he meant to use to control the world!

The Case of the Suicide Tomb originally appeared in the December, 1935 issue of THE MYSTERIOUS WU FANG, a classic pulp magazine, and is presented with its original cover and interior artwork.

The Barbaric Triumph, edited by Don Herron
19.95 (trade paperback - available next week)
35.00 (hardcover - available next week)

The Barbaric Triumph examines all aspects of the life and work of Robert E. Howard -- the originator of the sword-&-sorcery fantasy genre and the creator of Conan the Barbarian. Featured are essays by Leo Grin, Edwrad A. Waterman, Charles Hoffman, Paul Spencer, Mark Finn, Steven R. Trout, Lauric Guillaud, Scott Connors, George Knight, Don Herron, and more. From the  phantoms of Hate simmering beneath Howard's blood-drenched prose to Howard's lifelong interest in philosophy, from Howard's visionary use of the American Frontier Myth to his tales of boxing, The Barbaric Triumph builds on the pioneering research of Herron's previous book on Howard, THE DARK BARBARIAN, and takes it to new levels.

The Frozen Pirate, by W. Clark Russell
19.95 (trade paperback - available now)

"I read it in youth -- and was utterly fascinated by it . . . writing several yarns of my own under its influence." -- H.P. Lovecraft

THE FROZEN PIRATE (originally published in 1887) is the bizarre story of Paul Rodney, a sailor who narrowly escapes death by shipwreck and exposure in the Straits of Magellan, then faces further peril. Embedded in the Antarctic ice is an ancient vessel, a pirate ship, filled with what seem to be frozen, contorted corpses. But they are not dead. When one of them revives, Rodney must fend off (and cooperate with, if he hopes to survive) one of the most bloodthirsty and black-hearted scoundrels ever to sail the seven seas!

W. CLARK RUSSELL (1844-1911) was an English author, and a sailor for several years before he turned to journalism and fiction. He was well-regarded in his day for THE WRECK OF THE GROSVENOR and for THE DEATH SHIP, A STRANGE STORY (sometimes reprinted as THE FLYING DUTCHMAN). He wrote much on nautical topics and campaigned to improve working conditions for seamen.

These books can be ordered direct from Wildside Press.

Mike Chomko is also now accepting orders for these books.
Orders over $30 are discounted 10% and shipped postpaid. 
For shipments to Canada, please add $4 to your order.
Orders under $30 are no discount and add $3 ($5 for Canada) for shipping and handling.
Mike accepts cash payments (but not credit card payments) through Paypal at chomko@enter.net.
Checks and money orders can be sent to Michael Chomko, 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA  18104-6542 
Contact Mike by email at chomko@enter.net.

YUGGOTH CREATURES - Available in July!
YUGGOTH CREATURES #1 by Antony Johnston, Juan Jose Ryp, Jacen Burrows, Matt Martin & Various will be available in July from Avatar Press.

First there was Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures, now Antony Johnston carries on the Lovecraftian spirit with Yuggoth Creatures! Read the incredible memoirs of Anders Ericsson, Professor of Anthropology at the notorious Miskatonic University in Arkham! Join the Professor as he starts an amazing journey through the Lovecraftian mythos, from the queer inhabitants of New Surrey to disaster on the ocean at the hands of unseen forces, and the mysterious Dagon... Can he stay sane in the face of the universe's secret history? Six all-new Lovecraft Mythos stories from the pen of Antony Johnston are illustrated by an awesome collection of today's hottest artists, including Juan Jose Ryp, Jacen Burrows, Matt Martin, Mike Wolfer, Sebastian Fiumara, and more! Cover by Juan Jose Ryp.

This comic can be ordered through your local comic shop.
REGULAR-b&w, 40pg (1 of 3) $3.99           The Diamond Item Code is MAY042363.
WRAPAROUND-b&w, 40pg (1 of 3) $3.99   The Diamond Item Code is MAY042364.

Visit the April News Archive for older stories.