The Sons of Thor

The Sons of Thor (Book One)

By Erwin K. Roberts (Robert E. Kennedy)

Pro Se Productions www.prosepulp.com

ISBN #978-1475250671

96 Pages

Price $5.82

Rating 5-Stars

It’s the 1930s: The Phantom Detective, while trailing a suspect through the subway tunnels, watches as the man plants a bomb on the tracks. Acting quickly, there is a gunfight and the man is fatally wounded. His last words are familiar to the Phantom. Twenty years previous, as a young officer serving in France during WWI, Richard Curtis Van Loan encountered a vicious unit of German soldiers calling themselves The Sons of Thor. He thought they had disbanded at the end of the war, but now it appears they are back, and in America.

The first book is a fun action novel that covers the period in 1918 France, as well as the present 1930s, as the Phantom chases down The Sons of Thor. A plot by the current group is to kidnap rich university students for ransom, plus an unknown famous person. The Phantom, in fine form, rushes to crush the scheme. He is given some assistance by The Crimson Mask towards the end. The author has fun dropping names of other pulp characters in the story. Captain Midnight helps Van Loan in France in WWI, while George Chance, Jethro Dumont, K-9 (the government official head of Secret Agent X), are all mentioned. The Phantom has a secret apartment in a building that also houses such names as N. Wind Investigations (The Nightwind),  Dale Foundation (Jimmy Dale), B. Jonus (The Shadow), and Hidalgo Trading Company (Doc Savage). Although the current case comes to a satisfactory end, the Sons of Thor are still around, and will be back for Book Two, the conclusion.

The Sons of Thor (Book Two)

By Erwin K. Roberts (Robert E. Kennedy)

Pro Se Productions www.prosepulp.com

ISBN #978-1477513934

109 Pages

Price $8.96

Rating 5-Stars

The first part of Book Two features Jim Anthony in “Home On The Pandemic Range”, where the Sons of Thor are working on a virus to release around the world. As best I can figure the story takes place in the late 1930s. Felix Thomas, the Railway Post Office car employee, is reading Doc Savage Magazine, “The Munitions Master” from 1938. Tiger Standish, Howard Hughes, Wrong-Way Corrigan, and The Phantom Detective are in the story.

The second half of the book brings in The Black Bat, Carol, Butch, and Silk, In “The LaGuardia Action”. Frank Havens, acting as CONTROL, brings in other pulp heroes of the time to battle The Sons of Thor. Rex Parker is called, but he has not as yet become The Masked Detective. Mike Axford makes an appearance, as does Jim Anthony and Hooks McGuire. The Celluloid Burglar & the Green Ghost (Johnston McCulley, maybe) are mentioned, Bob Clarke (The Crimson Mask), Dr. Skull’s free clinic is mentioned. Some of these characters were not around in 1938, so I’m not positive about the timeline, but WWII is not mentioned, although Nazis and Hitler are. Also showing up towards the end is Sergeant Harrison “Pretty Damn” Hasty. The Sons of Thor appear to be planning on replacing important people with look-alikes.

Although each book can be read separately, The Sons of Thor is the theme of both books, and highly recommended to be read together. The novel is well written, and entertaining from beginning to end. Pulp fans will enjoy all the cameos of their favorite pulp characters, and the action is fast paced. A good read!

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories

The Crimson Mask Volume One

The Crimson Mask Volume One (Crime Fiction)

By Terrence McCauley, Gary Lovisi, C. William Rosette, and J. Walt Layne

ISBN #978-0615909639

Airship27 Productions

Price $15.29

172 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Pulp Hero Returns In New Adventures”

In this anthology containing four new stories featuring the Crimson Mask, a character pulp that originally ran from August 1940 to January 1945, created by Norman Daniels but written by various pulp scribes for 16 tales. The hero is pharmacist, Doc Bob Clarke, who put on a red domino mask to bring justice to criminals after they kill his policeman father.

Terrence McCauley brings us The Crimson Mask Takes Over, a nice yarn, with a solid feel of the time period. Then Gary Lovisi brings us an interesting yarn, The Mystery Man, about a bank robber with deeper plans. C. William Rosette’s story, The Blood of The Mob has good action, and keeps us turning the page. The final story, J. Walt Layne’s Carnival of Lost Souls was a bit muddy, and very little action from our hero, though an interesting tale.

All in all, the stories were pretty good, and I’m glad to see the Crimson Mask back for new adventures. Since this is volume one, I’m hoping there will be a volume two down the road. There were some minor problems with this volume, but nothing too extreme. I wasn’t sure when some of the stories take place. Rosette’s story included ex Army Rangers, which was curious, as Darby’s Rangers were started in 1942, so for us to have ex Army Rangers you would figure it had to be after 1945. Could be, but curious none-the-less. The lack of action in Layne’s story was a bit of a drag too. The story actually begins in the winter of 1932, eight years before the Crimson Masks began (hmmm). The cover by Andy Fish was pretty nice, but the interiors, though good art, left a bit to be desired. Most of the scenes illustrated were non-action scenes. The pulp interior art always featured our hero in action, not standing around talking or otherwise. I liked the art, but think the artist illustrated the wrong scenes too often.

Overall, this is a fine anthology of Crimson Masks short stories, and highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories

Tales of Masks & Mayhem V4

Edited by Ginger Johnson. Continuing in a great tradition, five stories in pulp action, adventure, and thrills are included in this anthology! "The Hooded Hunter" by Max Scarlatti. "Prophet of Peril" (a Masked Avenger story) by Lamont Wentworth. A new Crimson Mask story, "The Crimson Mask's Justice" by Frank Johnson. Doc Atlas returned in "His Master's Voice" by Michael A. Black and Ray Lovato. Tom Johnson's Black Cat story, "Partners In Crime" rounds out the volume. With a great cover by Matt lovato. If you like PULP this is the place to be!

Now available for $15.95 from Amazon and NTD www.bloodredshadow.com/