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.

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:

www.bloodredshadow.com

 www.facebook.com/barbara.custer

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!

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)

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 clichés. 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.

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.

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