My Blog

Retirement. Publishers, thank you for the many years of reading pleasure you gave me, but all good things must come to an end. Due to failing eyesight I am forced to retire. I can no longer review your books, and any that you send will be donated to the local library, unread. Do not send any more. I can only read for a couple hours every day, and this does not allow me to finish a book in reasonable time. I will be devoting time to my own books from now on, and reading on a personal level. Books that interest me. I prefer paperbacks and hardbacks, not eBooks. My eyesight has been failing the last few years, and I cannot handle hundreds of review books any more. My books are still available for review. Anyone interested in reviewing any of them, they are found in the Link to Tom’s Books On Amazon. Contact me for pdf copies at fadingshadows40@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Pulptress

“Black Mask, Big City” by Tommy Hancock is a short story scheduled for an upcoming collection from Pro Se Press featuring the new pulp heroine, The Pulptress. This little 7,000-word story is short on character background, but has the requisite fight scenes. Contemporary pulp, the setting is in New York. Names like Fortier, Plexico, and Dilan pop up, as the author gives homage to his writing partners. Ron Fortier, Derrick Ferguson, Robin Bailey, and Barry Reese are writing other stories for this collection. More will likely be added.

Lots of colorful prose in the author’s writing, and “Black Mask, Big City” is a neat story to introduce the readers to The Pulptress. I’m sure we will see more adventures of this masked heroine down the road.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Interview With Barbara Custer of NTD

I have known Barbara Custer since Ginger and I were publishing our line of new pulp magazines back in the 1990s. At the time we were publishing numerous top-notch writers and artists, and she was one of them. Since those long ago days, Barbara has continued her own writing, as well as entering the publishing world with the NTD imprint. With her busy schedule, I was finally able to sit down with her for this interview.

TJ: Barbara  (or is it Popple?) why don’t you begin by telling the readers a little (or a lot) about yourself? Who is Barbara Custer, and what should the world know about you?

BC: I go by two nicknames: Popple and Balloon Lady. I’ve written Twilight Healer and Dark Side of the Moon, and coauthored Blood Moons and Nightscapes, Alien Worlds, and Starship Invasions. These books have enjoyed decent reviews. I also publish Night to Dawn magazine, and every so often, paperback books under the Night to Dawn imprint. These works have enjoyed decent reviews. 


TJ: What is Night to Dawn, and how did it come about? I guess this should be broken into two parts, your magazine and your books under the NTD imprint. Who are your authors and artists, and what genre are you interested in? I’m sure our readers will be interested in the genesis of both magazine and book imprint.

BC: Night to Dawn features vampire / dark fantasy short fiction, poetry, and illustrations. It comes out every six months. In 2003, the original editor, Dawn Callahan, was publishing my work for Night to Dawn. She had to retire, and I offered to take over. I knew nothing about publishing magazines, but Ginger Johnson had been a great mentor, teaching me about Word and other programs I needed for a magazine. People like Marge Simon, Margaret L. Carter, and Cathy Buburuz have supported the magazine from the get-go.

Around 2003, a small publishing house published my novel, Twilight Healer. The company folded after a year, and some of the other authors asked me to publish the books under the NTD imprint. So I started with Twilight Healer, and took on several authors. I publish different genres under the NTD imprint. The book process has been a baptism by fire. I knew little about the process, and neither did most of my writer buddies. It necessitated getting a new website.  

I now have a new website, and I have access to software to make epub books. I found several distributors for the NTD books. God has been good. 

TJ: Where can your books be purchased?

BC: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, and Nook are the chief publishes. Easiest way: go to www.bloodredshadow.com. Click on the title of the book under its respective author, and it will give you the direct purchasing links.


TJ: What does Barbara Custer do when she’s not involved in the editing and publishing of the NTD books?

BC: She’s revising her novel, Steel Roses, a tale about aliens living in an underground city, and the humans who fear them. It started as a sequel to Dark Side of the Moon, but now has its own cast of characters and plotline. For her hobby, she collects Mylar balloons.  

TJ: What is in the future for Barbara Custer and NTD? Where do you want your publishing imprint to be in five or ten years?

BC: I would like to continue publishing the magazine and books. The process goes slow since I work a day job. My hope in five or ten years is that someone might partner with me, or perhaps I can hire someone to help with editing / formatting. I also hope to have more of my own books in print.

TJ: If our readers are interested in writing or drawing for your magazine, or book covers, where can they contact you with proposals or questions?

BC: My contact email is barbaracuster@hotmail.com. Submissions are tight at the moment, but I am actively seeking 3 good mummy horror tales incorporating the vampire theme.

TJ: Is there anything special coming up soon that you wish to tell the readers to watch for? Do you have a website where potential buyers can read about what’s coming up from NTD?

BC: I am holding a sales special with some of the Night to Dawn books available at reduced rates. Occasionally I do radio interviews, and I will post this on my website. You can find out about my projects at:

TJ: What is the most difficult part the publishing process?

BC: I find formatting book covers the most difficult. The front cover will make or break sales, and finding right combinations of colors for the lettering against the illustration has been a challenge. Some good buddies have helped me with this.


TJ: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Be ready to do a lot of promoting. That means having a website, seeking out reviews (there are folks out there who will give new authors a chance).

Get a fresh pair of eyes to read / edit the manuscript. When you’ve gone through your writing so many times, you become too close to the work to notice problems, and no writer can see their own mistakes. I’ve noticed this with myself.

When you get your printed novel, savor the moment.

TJ: Barbara, thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to answer these questions. Ginger and I were a two-person operation and we had very little time to catch our breath, so I can imagine what you must go through with the NTD imprint. Good luck in all your future endeavors!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The New Pulp Heroes

Writers who have a love for the old pulp hero often create their own characters in similar mold to the original pulp heroes, but bringing in their own slant to the old stories. Over the last few years these new characters have been popping up quite regularly. In selecting this list, I chose only those characters appearing in print, not electronic pastiches, so there may be others out there. I’ve also added the name of the creator where known. Again, the list is only preliminary and is far from complete. Pulps were called such because of the pulpwood paper used to print the magazine, so I felt only characters in print should apply. However, if you feel that I have missed anyone, please let me know, or cop this list and add to your data.

New Pulp Heroes

Agent 13 (Flint Dille/Dave Marconi)
The Armadillo (1957 Jerry Page)
Astro Athena (Tom Condacure)
Birdman (Ginger Johnson)
Black Dragon (T.J. Glenn)
The Black Ghost (Tom Johnson)
Black Guardian (Steve Mitchell)
The Black Mask (Steve Mitchell)
The Black Star
The Blue Eagle
Captain Steve Danger (Tom Johnson)
Captain Liberty (Steve Mitchell)
Chu Jung (Eric Turowski)
The Crimson Bat (Thomas V. Powers)
The Dark Avenger (T.J. Moore)
Deadline (Jeffrey T. Zverloff)
Detective Callahan & Monahan (Lance Curry)
Detective Devlin (John French)
Devil B'Tonga (Tom Johnson)
Doc Atlas Michael A. Black)
Doc Sidhe (Aaron Allston)
Doc Wilde (Lance Curry)
Doctor Pagan (Steve Mitchell)
The Domino Mask (Ray Capella)
Don `Daredevil' Donovan (Tom Johnson)
Dreadstone (Steve Mitchell)
Dr. Shadows (T.J. Glenn)
The Eagle (Bob Kennedy)
Eddie Dart (Rod Marsdon)
Eddie Edwards - UFO Hunter (Tom Johnson)  
The Eel & Adder (Joel Jenkins)
El Charo (Octavio Ramos)
The Exceptionals
The Fox (Marilyn Morey)
The Forever Man (Tom Johnson)
Freedom's Spirit & Samuel (Bob Kennedy)
Gabriel Hunt (Various Authors)
The Ghost (Ron Capshaw)
The Ghost (Gary Lovisi)
Ghost Squad
Grey Monk (John French)
Haakon Jones (Aaron B. Larson)
The Hooded Hunter (Steve Mitchell)
The Leopard Lady (Steve Mitchell)
Lance Star (Lance Star Anthology 2006)
Lone Justice
Madame Thirteen (Steve Mitchell)
Mars McCoy
Martin Gort – Undertaker (Nick Carr)
The Masked Avenger (Tom Johnson)
Midnight Skull - Skullmask
Midnight Warriors (T.J. Glenn)
Midnight Sentinel (Jens Altmann)
Moon Girl (Steve Mitchell)
Mr. Minus (Ginger Johnson)
Mr. Midnight (Paul Fornatar)
Mr. (Doctor) Mystery (Dale J. Roberts)
The Nemesis (Gary Lovisi)
The Night Hawk (Will Murray)
NightStar (Steve Mitchell)
Nightwind (Tom Johnson)
Number Nine (Shawn Danowski)
The Omen (Steve Mitchell)
Pandragon (Steve Mitchell)
Professor Stone (Wayne Skiver)
Ravenshroud (Shawn Danowski)
The Red Death (Steve Mitchell)
Roc Callahan (Gene Girardier)
The Rook (Barry Reece)
The Sandman (Will Murray)
The Scarecrow (Debbie DeLorme)
Senora Scorpion (Tom Johnson)
Sergeant Martin (Tom Johnson)
Shadowhawke (K.G. McAbee & Tom Johnson)
The Shape (Steve Mitchell)
Skullrider - Skullmask
Stuanofu - UFO Hunter (Tom Johnson)
The Soul Stealer (Tom Johnson)
The Suppressor (Steve Mitchell)
The Tarantula (Steve Mitchell)
The Tiger (Steve Mitchell)
Timothy Locke (T.J. Glenn)
Turquoise (John French)
The Visage (Shawn Danowski)
The Voice (Bob Kennedy)
The Whispering Skull (Steve Mitchell)

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Book Review "Yesteryear"

YESTERYEAR (Super Hero Prose)
By Tommy Hancock
CreateSpace (Pro Se Productions)
ISBN #978-1461061595
Price: $12.00
190 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars

The story begins in the 1950s, when Kid Detective, J.C. Smithenson discovers a clue to a missing book, written by Ramsey Long, detailing the private lives of the Golden Age Super Heroes. But shortly after the rumored book was written, Ramsey Long and the book had disappeared. Now jump forward to the current period, and mysteriously a package is left for a much older Smithenson, who now publishes a city newspaper. In it, he finds the mysterious manuscript of Ramsey Long.

As J. C. Smithenson discovers information long kept secret, several groups – including the government – wants the manuscript destroyed before it’s made public. Modern Super Heroes are suddenly being murdered, and we find that our Golden Age Super Heroes may not have been perfect.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, as the reader will want to discover the secrets behind “Yesteryear” as it plays out. I enjoyed the author’s writing, which is filled with adjectives, adverbs, and clichĂ©s. This is what I miss about modern books. Professional editors tend to toss every extra word they see from a sentence. But Tommy Hancock has recaptured the old form of writing very well. I have not read comic books in thirty years, and for a reason. During the Golden Age, we were given heroes when we needed them, and they were pure and All-American. So I’m not a fan of flawed heroes. The format of the pdf I read had many problems also. I’m not sure if the printed book contains these mistakes, but the problems in the pdf were quite a bit distracting. Paragraphs would quit suddenly, then continue as the next paragraph. There were a few wrong words, but these were minor and acceptable.

For comic book fans, this is an excellent prose book. For the dedicated pulp fan, unless they want heroes who can fly, I think they’ll be disappointed in the concept of “Yesteryear”. However, for a great, entertaining read, I do highly recommend this book.

Cover Correction "Revenge"

When I posted my review of "Revenge", Osguards: Guardians of The Universe #4, I grabbed the wrong cover from my Files to add to the Review. My apologies to the author and readers. It was not intentional. Here is the cover I should have posted with the review.

Friday, May 27, 2011

First New Original Pulp Stories

First New Stories (of original pulp characters)

I think the “awakening” of Pulp Renaissance began about 1965, less than fifteen years after the so-called death of the character pulps, with the fanzine, BRONZE SHADOWS, by Fred Cook. The appearance of Doc Savage and The Shadow in paperback certainly helped in the awakening. This brought awareness to new fans, as well as reconnecting many old readers of the pulp magazine heroes. Many fanzines followed in the wake of BRONZE SHADOWS, plus researchers began digging deeper into the history, including speaking with publishers, editors, authors and artists from the period, and the pulps were laid bare for the following generations. Numerous research books were published, making the data available not only to fans, but the general public as well. The Renaissance reached its peak around 1994 with Will Murray’s new Doc Savage novels, and James Van Hise’s short stories of Operator #5 and The Spider. Where the current Renaissance will take us, there’s no telling, but right now it appears to still be strong and growing, not only with research books (mostly reprints of older books) coming out in newer and better editions, but there are more writers churning out new adventures featuring the old heroes, as well as many new characters in the pulp tradition. For the pulp fan, this is a great time to be alive, and I think the new generation of readers will carry the tradition into this new century with enthusiasm. In only twenty-one years The Shadow will be 100 years old. Did someone say the pulp heroes died in 1953? I think not. Many of the current generation will be around to see the anniversary of The Shadow in 1931. I hope there will be a big party!

Following is the list of First Appearances as best I can figure the records. I will keep my list open for future updates, so if anyone has information on something that is missing, send me a note, and I will add the data to a later updated Posting.

Alias Mr. Death: “Coffins of Death” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
The Angel Detective: The Devil of A Case by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
The Avenger: The Man From Atlantis (Ron Goulart – 1974)
The Bat: “Blind As A Bat” by Tom Johnson, Pulp Tales, 2011
Bill Barnes: “Barnstorming: Goodbye, Cy” by Bud Overn. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #1, June 1995
Black Bat: “The Black Bat’s Vengeance” by Tom Johnson. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #2, July 1995
Captain Hazzard: “The Citadel of Fear” by Ron Fortier & Martin Powell. Wildcat Books, 2006
The Cobra: “Curse of The Viper” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
The Crimson Clown: “The Crimson Clown – Killer” by Tom Johnson, Pulp Tales, 2011
The Crimson Mask: “The Mask of Anubis” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
Dan Fowler: Anthology (2009)
Doc Savage: Pick one of Will Murray’s new novels
Doctor Death (Harold Ward Character): “Trail of Death” by Dale J. Roberts. Classic Pulp
Fiction Stories #4, September 1995
Doctor Death (Edward Norris Character): “Till Death Do Us Part” by Tom Johnson. Pulp Stories, 2011 
Doctor Thaddeus C. Harker: “The Trail of The Beast” by Frank Philipp. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #1, June 1995
Domino Lady: “Aroused, The Domino Lady” by Jim Steranko. Vanguard Productions, August, 2004
The Eagle: “The Gibbering Gas of Madness” by Tom Johnson. Triple Detective #4, February 2010
Flash Gordon: “The Sun Men of Saturn” by Tom Condarcure. Alien Worlds #25, April 2002
Funny Face: “The Star of Africa” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
Gentle Jones: “Nazis Over Washington” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
The Green Ghost: “The Case of The Blind Soldier” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
Green Lama: Anthology (2009)
The Griffon “Conspiracy of Terror” by Van Allen Plexico (Lance Star #2 Anthology 2010)
Jim Anthony: Anthology (2009)
Jim Hatfield (Texas Ranger): “Lone Star Fury” by James Reasoner. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #2, July 1995
Ki-Gor: “Blood-Crypts of The Serpent Cults” by Steve Mitchell. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #1, June 1995
The Lone Eagle: “The Nazi Spider Staffel” by Tom Johnson. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #16, September 1996
Masked Detective: “The Masked Detective’s Dangerous Trail” by Tom Johnson. The Pulp Detectives, February 2010
Masked Rider: “Double-Cross Justice” by Frank Philipp. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #3, August 1995
Moon Man: “Midnight Moon” by Terry Nudds. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #10, March 1996
Operator #5: “Return of The Death Master” by James Van Hise. Pulp Heroes of The Thirties, January 1994
Phantom Detective: “Satan’s Minions” by Tom Johnson. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #1, June 1995
Purple Scar: “The Skull Killer” by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
Ravenwood: “The Choice” by Steve Mitchell Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #19, 1996
Red Falcon: “The Red Falcon Returns” by Burt Leake. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #6, November 1995
Red Finger: “Obituaries Are Final” by Tom Johnson. The Hand of Red Finger, February 2010
Secret Agent X: “Horror’s Monster” by Tom Johnson. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #9, February 1996
Seven-Foot Saunders: “A School Ma’am For Indian Springs” by Frank Philipp. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #2, July 1995
The Shadow: Dennis Lynds’ Belmont Shadows in 1964.
Sheena: “Jungle Terror” (as Jungle Queen) by Tom Johnson, Exciting Pulp Tales, 2011
The Spider: “The Spider And The Murder Brigade” by James Van Hise. Pulp Heroes of The Thirties, January 1994
The 3 Mosquitoes “Two Outs, Bottom of The Ninth And The Shadow of Death” by Aaron Smith (Lance Star #2 anthology 2010)
Wade Hammond: “Fangs of Death” by Terry Nudds. Double Danger Tales #8, September 1997
Zorro: “Disney’s Zorro” by Steve Frazee. Whitman 1958

Note #1: Since the Anthologies consist of four or more stories of the character, there in no “first” story to identify, so I’ve left the titles out. I’m not sure of the dates on several of the Anthologies, but have listed what I believe the year of release was. The individual authors can argue about whose story was first (lol).

Note #2: There were a few early appearances by some other characters, though the main stories featured another hero. Dan Fowler makes an appearance in “Cartel of Crime”, a Phantom Detective story in the August 1995 issue of Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #3. Ravenwood appears in “The Choice”, a Leopard Lady story in Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #19, December 1996. Plus, there were many thinly disguised characters that popped up every now and then.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Pulp Heroes

The following list is merely a starter kit for the new pulp enthusiast. I’ve tried to list the main pulp hero characters, many with their own magazines, some as back up stories in the magazines. But these were the most popular of the genre. There are undoubtedly many others that readers may have found to their liking. If your favorites are not listed, merely copy this list and add your character to it. In the meantime, I hope the list helps the new fan in finding interesting pulp heroes to read and collect. 

The Pulp Hero

The Angel (Gabriel Wilde)
The Angel (Steve Oakes)
Anthony Hamilton
The Avenger
The Avenging Twins
The Bat
Big Chief
Bill Barnes
The Black Bat
The Black Hood
Blond Adder
The Blue Ghost
Captain Combat
Captain (Alan) Danger
Captain (Hazard) Danger
Captain Future
Captain Hazzard
Captain Satan
Captain V
Captain Zero
Carrie Cashin
The Cobra
The Crimson Clown
The Crimson Mask
Dan Dunn
Dan Fowler (G-Men Detective)
Dan Jordan
Doc Harker
Doc Savage
Doc Turner
Doctor Zeng
The Domino Lady
Don Diavolo
Don Winslow
Dusty Ayres
The Eagle
Eddie Sand
Flash Gordon
Funny Face
G-8
Gentle Jones (John Paul “Gentle” Jones)
The Ghost
The Ghost/Green Ghost
The Gray Seal
The Green Ghost
G-X
The Green Lama
Hollywood Detective
Hopalong Cassidy
The Hornet
Jerry Wade (The Candid Camera Kid)
Jim Anthony
Jim Hatfield (Texas Rangers)
Jimmy Gilmore (Alias Mr. Death)
Jimmy Holm (Ward’s Doctor Death)
Jongor
Ka-Zar
Ken Carter
Ki-Gor
Kioga
Kwa
The Lone Eagle
The Lone Ranger
Lyn Vickers (Federal Agent)
The Man In Purple
The Man In The Red Mask
Mark Hazard
The Masked Rider
Matalaa
The Masked Detective
Michael Traile (Dr. Yen Sin)
The Mongoose
The Moon Man
Nibs Holloway (Norris’s Doctor Death)
Nick Carter
Norgil
Operator #5
Paula Demaree (The Scarlet Adventuress)
The Pecos Kid
Pete Rice
The Phantom Detective
Philip Strange
Polly Verdun (The Scarlet Adventuress)
Public Enemy
The Purple Scar
Ravenwood
The Red Falcon
Red Finger
The Rio Kid
Satan Hall
Secret Agent X
Secret Service Smith
The Secret Six
Senorita Scorpion
Seven-Foot Saunders
The Shadow
Sheena
The Silver Buck
The Skipper
The Skull Killer (Octopus & Scorpion)
The Spider
Sue Carrigan (The Scarlet Adventuress)
The Suicide Squad
Tailspin Tommy
Tarzan
Terrance X O’Leary
Thunderbolt
Val Kildare (Wu Fang)
The Voice
Walt Slade
The Whisperer
The Wizard
Zorro

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Original Pulps

First and foremost, I am a pulp fan of old. The original pulps. But there
seems to be a strong movement on the new pulp pastiches, some of which is pretty
good, though a lot of it is awful. But I think we have to support it, as more
and more of us old timers are disappearing every year. Bob Sampson once said,
"We can only talk about Doc's trilling, and The Shadow's laugh just so long!" I
just wish the new crowd would remember "who" did all the original research into
the pulps. The Will Murrays, Bob Sampsons, Nick Carrs are the ones that laid out
the information for them years ago, but you never see mention of them by the new
writers. They are taking credit for someone else's work. A shame.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Book Review: Revenge

“Revenge” (Book #4 of Osguards: Guardians of The Universe)
By Malcolm Dylan Petteway
Rage Books, LLC  www.ragebooks.net
ISBN-10: 9780984364534
ISBN-13: 978-0984364534
262 pages
Price: $14.00
 Rating: 5-Stars

“World Building At Its Best!”

Everyone has a defining gift. For Michael Genesis, the First Osguard of the Universal Science, Security and Trade Association of Planets-USSTAP, that gift is vision. Just as Michael is being prepared to assume position as Chief Executive Osguard and President of the Universal Science, Security and Trade Association of Planets, a space storm causes havoc, sending him to an alternate universe.  Similarly, Billy Red, a street thug, murderer, pimp and drug dealer, becomes intertwined with his world situation. When their paths had crossed as teenagers, Michael and Billy became bitter enemies. Billy Red carries his thirst for revenge to the end.

In this fourth entry, the author spins a complicated plot in which the main character must deal with political intrigue in the universe, as well as survive on Earth in a drug infested neighborhood. It seems that everyone is out to kill him, including Billy Red. Personally, I felt the author was at his best in military war strategies and space battles, and was a little distracted by the urban fantasy element in the adventure. But the story was well told, and kept my interest throughout. The Star Trek Prime Directive element didn’t escape me, either. I even got a kick out of the main character’s “escape phrase”.

There is one closure at the end concerning Earth, but I’m not sure if this is the final volume in the series, or if more stories are planned. I can certainly see possibilities for future novels in the series, but would like to see the author move away from the urban background on Earth, and give us a better look at the many worlds comprising his universe; the galaxies, planets, moons, and races that inhabit them.

Tom Johnson, Editor
Fading Shadows

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Cold War Reunion

The May 13th weekend, a bunch of old Army grunts got together in South Texas for a reunion after 45 years. A group of us went into town for a steak dinner. From left to right, Rich (Italian boy), me, Roger Egdorf, Earl Hibbs, and John Runion. Roger and I made a career in the military, he went through OCS and retired a major. He was in the 1968 Tet in Vietnam. We were both at the same area in Vietnam, but I was there in 1969 and '70. He was there in 1967 and '68. The other guys in the picture were one term only, and we served together in France in the early 1960s.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Cold War In Europe

The Cold War began after WWII and lasted until the Berlin Wall came down. During that time, it heated up numerous times, including the Cuban Crisis, the Cypress Crisis, South America, Korea, Granada, and elsewhere. While American Forces in Germany had the Berlin Wall, and the Eastern Block controlled by the Russians, American Forces in France had the Communication Zone, with Top Secret Coded radio transmissions. The Russians were trying their best to decode those transmissions. Pictured above is my Squad in France (I’m the SP/4 kneeling in front). Here I am (Corporal now, with Sultan) in Turkey during the Cypress Crisis.

DMZ Patrol

Patrol duty on the Korean DMZ. The situation was hot in 1959, and it’s still hot today. I was with the 3rd MP Detachment. Our Post (compound) was located at Youngjugol, but our Headquarters was at Camp Howze. The 1st Cavalry would leave Korea for Vietnam in the mid 1960s. I would head for Vietnam in June 1969.

Monday, May 9, 2011

White Horse 9th Division

From Jae-sung Chung, English Moderator and Webmaster of the ROK website http://www.rokfv.com/ In 1964, the 1st ROK Mash unit was deployed to Vietnam. In 1965, the ROK Army’s Capital (Tiger) Division, the 2nd ROK Marine (Blue Dragon) Brigade, the Construction Support Group and the 100th Logistic Command were deployed. In 1966, the ROK Army’s 9th (White Horse) Division, the Naval Support Group, and the Aerial Support Group were deployed. In all, over 320,000 fighting men and women joined the fight alongside their U.S. comrades. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Korean_DMZ/?yguid=321995096

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Blue Dragon Marine Brigade

From Jae-sung Chung, English Moderator and Webmaster of the ROK website: In 1964, the 1st ROK Mash unit was deployed to Vietnam. In 1965, the ROK Army’s Capital (Tiger) Division, the 2nd ROK Marine (Blue Dragon) Brigade, the Construction Support Group and the 100th Logistic Command were deployed. In 1966, the ROK Army’s 9th (White Horse) Division, the Naval Support Group, and the Aerial Support Group were deployed. In all, over 320,000 fighting men and women joined the fight alongside their U.S. comrades. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Korean_DMZ/?yguid=321995096

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Tiger Division Alternate Patch

During America’s involvement in Vietnam, we often forget that the soldiers of other countries fought along side of us. I spent a year in Vietnam, serving in two areas, Nha Trang and Bien Hoa. As an MP, we had many occasions to interact with our brothers in arms, the ROK (Republic of Korea) units. These were brave fighting men, who performed their duty with heroism and the ultimate sacrifice. It’s time we acknowledged their contribution to the war against communism. In 1959 and ’60, I was a young soldier assigned to the 1st Cavalry on the DMZ, where we patrolled the border with Korean soldiers. Even then we were still under fire, and the Korean soldiers distinguished themselves with high honors. Over the next few days, I will be posting the ROK Patches of the units that served in Vietnam alongside our American troops. Let’s remember to acknowledge and honor our Korean brothers in arms. The Korean DMZ Group is at  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Korean_DMZ/?yguid=321995096

Friday, May 6, 2011

Tiger Division

During America’s involvement in Vietnam, we often forget that the soldiers of other countries fought along side of us. I spent a year in Vietnam, serving in two areas, Nha Trang and Bien Hoa. As an MP, we had many occasions to interact with our brothers in arms, the ROK (Republic of Korea) units. These were brave fighting men, who performed their duty with heroism and the ultimate sacrifice. It’s time we acknowledged their contribution to the war against communism. In 1959 and ’60, I was a young soldier assigned to the 1st Cav on the DMZ, where we patrolled the border with Korean soldiers. Even then we were still under fire, and the Korean soldiers distinguished themselves with high honors. Over the next few days, I will be posting the ROK Patches of the units that served in Vietnam alongside our American troops. Let’s remember to acknowledge and honor our Korean brothers in arms.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Starship Invasions Release

Now available from NTD. Barbara Custer and Tom Johnson bring their respective experiences to the printed page, blending it into tales of intergalactic adventure.

Johnson introduces us to Eddy Edwards, a UFO hunter searching for alien life. In the process he meets Stuanofu, the pilot of a flying saucer! Plus, return to the 1940s, when three young men discover that dinosaurs have found an opening to the world above. Can they be returned to Earth’s hidden pocket?

Custer’s characters live in a world where a person must have a job and health insurance; otherwise they forfeit the right to medical treatment. All of them struggle with painful pasts as they compete in cutthroat work environments. They must seek help from aliens when an exploding star threatens to incinerate the earth. These aliens challenge their world views, and the lessons come hard when they learn that sometimes humans make the worst enemies.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Today's Pulp

After reading Johnston McCulley’s 1913 story in TOP-NOTCH Magazine, “Force Inscrutable”, I was struck by the difference in the moral acceptance within stories from that period to the heyday of the pulps, just two decades later. In this story, Betty Gladstone and Dick Wellington worry over the fact that traveling together by train could be construed as immoral, since they were only betrothed, and not married. Now jump ahead twenty years, to 1933, when Dick Wentworth and Nita Van Sloan are apparently living together – betrothed but not married.  In the teens, we were treated to gentlemanly thieves, which gave way to the violent Roaring Twenties, molls and gun rule. With the 1930s came the heroes and heroines, who were equally as tough as the mobs, and we now saw a milder drop in the moral appearance between men and women. This would be the ground rule for the next two decades, until the pulps began to fade, and the age of the paperbacks brought sex and language to the printed stories. It wasn’t long until the aggressor novels threw out all semblance of morality in the new fiction. Today’s new pulp appears to be anchored in a mixture of the original and the modern, sometimes difficult to recognize, but the readers in 1913 likely felt that away about the 1930s.