The Black Bat in Behind The Mask, Volume 2

Coming soon from Fading Shadows. Contains four stories: Satan’s Minions, a Phantom Detective story, The Star of Africa, a Funny Face story, Guns of Vengeance featuring The Black Bat, and Seven Men of Greed featuring The Man In Purple. Kindle edition only for now.

Guns Of Vengeance guest-stars The Phantom Detective and his entourage.

Coming Later This Month: Black Bat Tales #2!

The first issue of Black Bat Tales from Lucky Comics came out late last summer and the second is now close enough to release that the publisher is comfortable with promoting it on social media.

The original plan was for this issue to feature a short story (prose) by Lou Mougin. That has since changed and we are getting another comics story while Mougin's tale is being saved for a book called Pulp Legends. Presumably we are getting the 1930s version as opposed to the current-day Bat character that guest-starred in Lucky's Beetle Girl title recently.

Speaking of Beetle Girl, some time back Lucky Comics announced a book called Girl Commandos which would team that character with Flame Girl and Miss Fury. That book should come out at around the same time as BBT2 and its cover was recently revealed as well. Looks sharp.

The Black Bat's appearance in Beetle Girl was drawn by one Saulo Silva. I stumbled into Mr. Silva's Facebook page this weekend and found the sketch below which teams The Bat and Beetle Girl with, I believe, a Brazilian superhero.

At first glance, I couldn't help but wonder if Lucky hadn't created its own "trinity" to match DC's Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman team. I guess we'll find out before too long if Lucky Comics has something along those lines brewing.

Digital and print versions of the Lucky line of comics are available from Indyplanet.

Shipping in June from Sanctum Books: The Black Bat, Volume 8!

The Nemesis of Crime returns in classic pulp novels by THE SPIDER’s Norvell Page and Norman A. Daniels writing as "G. Wayman Jones." 

First, the Masked Avenger of Crime fights to save a city from sinister looters, pitting himself against evil murderers with blank faces in “The Black Bat’s Summons.” 

Then, a Master Hypnotist materializes the Grim Reaper in his audience, hurling Tony Quinn into the bizarre mystery of “The White Witch." 

GOLDEN AGE OF COMICS BONUS: The Mask returns in an illustrated adventure by Kin Platt from Nedor's EXCITING COMICS plus the origin of Super-Mouse, the ONLY non-DC Golden Age superhero to continue into the Silver Age! 

This instant collector's item showcases a knockout voodoo cover by Rudolph Belarski and interior illustrations by V. E. Pyles, with historical commentary by Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. 

(Sanctum Books) 978-1-60877-231-5 Softcover, 7x10, 112 pages, B&W, $14.95

Ladies And Gentlemen, Carol...Quinn!

Several of the Black Bat stories published in Germany included "extras" such as a blueprint of stately Quinn manor and character sketches.

I believe the one below, of the now married Carol Baldwin, was the back cover to one of the books and displayed during a sale on ebay.

I was going to comment that she looked a bit older than I'd imagined her to be but then if Anthony Quinn and Carol Baldwin got married, it would be at the tail end of their crime-fighting careers. So in fact her appearance is probably quite appropriate.

Very nice. Hope to stumble into quality images of the rest of the cast at some point as well.