Fighting Crime One Dime At A Time

I don't know how much "face time" the masked nemesis of crime gets in this book but the fact that his name appears in the sales pitch is promising, even if he doesn't appear on the cover.

The Shadow, The Spider, The Avenger, Doc Savage, The Black Bat, The Phantom Detective — these swashbuckling heroes of mid-20th-century pulp fiction all had one thing in common: They fought crime from outside the law, unhindered by red tape and unmindful of such legal niceties as due process. They fought with fists and guns, for the most part hiding their true identities beneath outlandish costume and grotesque disguises. 

This collection of essays by distinguished pulp-fiction aficionados chronicles the era of single-character magazines from offbeat angles and with keen insight. The pieces herein analyze key stories and characters while offering rare, behind-the-scenes glimpses of authors and editors at work, crafting and polishing the pulp-paper fever dreams that enthralled millions of young readers during the Great Depression, World War II, and beyond. Ed Hulse, editor of Blood ‘n’ Thunder, the award-winning journal of adventure, mystery and melodrama, has assembled these affectionate essays with loving care and a discerning eye for the high-water marks in this phase of American popular culture. 

This third volume of Blood ‘n’ Thunder Presents, like its predecessors, is profusely illustrated with pulp-magazine covers and original artwork.

Order here.

APN's Black Bat Story Preview Art

Work on Always Punch Nazis, a comic book anthology which will include a Black Bat story, appears to be coming along nicely.

A few days ago, artist Stuart Berryhill shared a page from that Black Bat story and since he seemed open to making it public, well, here it is.

Evidently we're going to get a traditional version of the character, based on the full-face mask. I also assume that's "Team Bat" as a whole in the second panel; Butch and Silk at left and Carol at bottom right.

I think I'm going to avoid seeing additional preview material so there's still some newness in it for me when I buy this book. But it's interesting to watch it being built up.

Black Bat Omnibus Volume Three Now In E-Book Format

Are e-books your thing? If so, you're the target market for one of Altus Press' most recent releases, announced last week.

The Black Bat returns! This collection contains the next three adventures of the Black Bat: “The Black Bat’s Flame Trail,” “The Black Bat’s Triumph,” and “The Black Bat and the Trojan Horse,” uncut and restored. It’s the next volume of the complete reprinting of the series.

By purchasing them at altuspress.com for $4.99, you'll receive a .zip file containing both .mobi (for Kindle devices) and .epub versions (for IPhones, IPads and Nook devices.

The print versions are at volume 6 but I suspect 7 is on the way soon.