Echoes From The Pulps

From a comic book historian’s viewpoint of the book, “Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels: A History of Comic Art,” we find this statement, which clearly defines comics as an artistic medium.

“For many years, those interested in the history of the art of comics--from scholars to fans--had very few options. The available books were either filled with glaring errors or far too limited in their scope. Along comes Roger Sabin and his near-definitive history. The best thing about this book is that it begins with a strong foundation--that comics is a separate and unique artistic medium--and goes on to leave practically no stone unturned, from mainstream superheroes to underground work to Japanese manga to the new alternatives to the strong European tradition. There's even an entire chapter on comics by and aimed toward women, hopefully dispelling the myth that comics are just for boys.”

Although literature can be classified as an art form in text, it is not an art medium. There are distinct differences in areas of media, from literature to television, movies, radio, and comics. That each may have influenced the other is unmistakable, but to paint them all with the same brush is also wrong. A simplistic view of mass-market literature can be categorized thusly: Story Papers, Dime Novels, Pulps, Digest, Paperbacks & Hardbacks (yes, there were a number of mass-market hardbacks produced). These were not genres. Genres are westerns, science fiction, mystery, romance, thrillers, action, adventure, etc. Pulp is not a genre it is a mass-market literary media.

 Trying to define what we write today, or see on TV or in the movies, as pulp may be a mistake. Even the so-called New Pulp has not become a mass-market product, though the pulps may influence it. As a writer, I am not writing, “pulp”, though I may be writing new stories about characters that appeared in the pulps. Many of the pulp novels and short stories have crossed over to other medias, including comic books, television, radio, and movies. But The Shadow, Doc Savage, and the other great characters originally were products of the pulps. So we can call them pulp. My character of The Black Ghost was not a product of the pulps, only influenced by them. I can’t really call it a new pulp.

Nick Carter is a product of the Dime Novels, Pulps, Paperbacks, Radio & Television. Each incarnation was slightly different from the previous version. The paperback, Nick Carter – Killmaster series was so vastly different from the early Dime Novel series, the character isn’t recognizable today. These paperback vigilante/spy series have been named Aggressor novels to distinguish them from other genres.

In my upcoming short story collection, PULP ECHOES (original title, ECHOES FROM THE PULPS), I wanted to purvey the message that my stories were merely an echo from the pulps. Nothing more. Like many of the new pulp writers, the pulps also influenced me. Hopefully, this book will show homage to the stories that I loved. Included in the book are new stories of The Black Ghost, The Black Cat, The Crimson Clown, Doctor Death, Captain Anthony Adventure, The Bat, and Senora Scorpion. Some characters originated in the pulps, while others are my own creation, all are echoes from the pulps.

The edits should be completed soon, and the book will (hopefully) be ready by the end of October.