"Stay Strong, Black Bat Fans..."

"...he and the Domino Lady will return in a huge Moonstone Comics collection this winter."

These words appeared on the Black Bat facebook page some time yesterday evening.

I assume this refers to a compilation of a Black  Bat / Domino Lady mini-series which has been in the works for years but for a variety of reasons, has yet to see the light of day. In mid-2017, we were told that the book would instead be collected with the three issues of Guns Of The Black Bat from a couple of years ago.

At the time, I'd said "This is Moonstone. Make yourself comfortable, it could be quite some time before this thing sees the light of day."  And here we are almost 18 months later. I would issue the same warning, however that we now have a cover to ogle is certainly cause for optimism.

Let's Look In On Miss Fury

This blog initially split its attention between the Black Bat and Miss Fury around the time that Dynamite Entertainment was preparing to release series about each character. When news and material involving Miss Fury dried up, the blog was made Black Bat-specific.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the situation would one day reverse itself. While there are a few projects involving the Black Bat on the horizon, we're pretty much in a holding pattern for the time being. Miss Fury is recapturing some of her spotlight, however.

Dynamite Entertainment announced in July that they will be publishing a third volume featuring the character. The first issue should be available on October 3rd.

The debut issue marking the return of one of the most influential characters in Comics History comes this October with "Miss Fury - Joy Division."  

Multi-Eisner nominee Billy Tucci (Shi, Sgt. Rock) and rising star Emma Kubert recapture the legend of the original "Cat Woman" Marla Drake and her army of "Black Furies" that take readers from the warring skies above NYC and into the heart of Hitler's Third Reich in spirit of an all-female "Inglourious Basterds."

The above cover is by Ken Lashley is one of several variants, in standard Dynamite fashion.

I may be more interested in a smaller publisher's offering, mind you. Miss Fury will appear in a book called Sleuth Comics by Atomic Pulp. The series will focus (at least initially) on another public domain character named The Black Owl.

Ooh, so close...Miss Fury will show up at least in the second issue. She shared the "regular" cover with the lead character but a variant was revealed on which she is the main focus.

Ain't that pretty?

I actually hadn't realized that Atomic Pulp had already published a couple of books. I thought they were strictly webcomics at this point with plans to kickstart their way into publishing in the future.

As a (small, granted) gesture of support today, I purchased digital copies of two of their titles; Perils On Planet X and Femme Noir.

Looks like something I can get into...As for Sleuth Comics, I believe the plan is for that title to appear some time next year so hopefully Dynamite satisfies our Miss Fury appetite in the meantime. Here's a  glimpse at what else Atomic pulp has in store for us for 2019.

Get your Atomic Pulp news here while we wait. 

The Killer Who Wasn't

It's not entirely necessary to read the original Black Bat material in order of release but it had been my intention to do so when I began collecting the Altus Press Omnibus volumes some years back. I was happy to hear that Altus were "ramping up" (I believe that was the term they used) production of those compilations at one point but after releasing volumes 4-6 over the course of a few months, they have not issued one in almost two years.

If Altus still intends to reprint a complete collection of Black Bat stories, at this rate I'll be long dead before it's completed. Those stories became shorter deeper into the series so perhaps Altus can include four of them instead of three going forward but even if that's the case it would require another ten volumes or so to complete the series as promised.

So I've decided to treat myself recently (through ebay) to the last Black Bat story written by Norman Daniels, entitled The Killer Who Wasn't. If I can not continue reading the series in order from the beginning, I shall start anew at the end and work my way back.

In The Black Bat Companion, Tom Johnson writes that this story would have been a good choice with which to complete the series. Having read it now, by and large I agree with him.

The only downside is that it's a "road game" for the Black Bat and his team. Rather than solve a crime in New York, he travels to a town called Haverton. By then, commissioner Warner was no longer involved in the series and the Black Bat cape was long gone but the rest of the team is there, including McGrath.

In fact, once the mystery is set, when Tony Quinn first appears in the book he is at home playing checkers with McGrath. The dialogue is like that of two old friends who share a long, colourful history. Their relationship had evolved a great deal by then. I can't say with absolute certainty that Mr. Daniels knew this was to be the last Black Bat story he would write, and perhaps I'm simply projecting, but that opening segment had something of an air of finality.

Daniels did a good job of creating suspense in this one by dedicating a chapter towards explaining the outcome of the previous one. For example, one chapter ends with Silk getting a phone call and being told that Quinn has been kidnapped from the house in which they're staying. The following chapter explains how it happened while Silk was elsewhere in the house. Daniels applies that method of story telling a couple of times to set, then explain, an in-story cliffhanger and it works well.

The majority of these original Black Bat stories include a member of the team being abducted at some point and in this case, it is Quinn. His kidnapping creates concern among members of the team, naturally.

The book concludes with Carol jumping into his arms when Tony is reunited with his full crew. While Quinn acknowledges that there's plenty of work to be done as The Black Bat and as a special prosecutor in New York, he also wonders when he finally "won't have to let go" of Carol in order focus on his ongoing mission.

It may not have been intentional at the time but knowing how things worked out in the real world, that question, inserted in the final paragraph as it is, adds a small amount of doubt about Quinn's desire to continue putting his life at risk as The Black Bat. As a result, it would indeed have worked well as a conclusion to the series.

And to my mind, it is exactly that. Again based on the Black Bat Companion, the next story (called Hot, Willing and Deadly) lacks most of the features that made the Black Bat enjoyable including, you know...The Black Bat. Tony Quinn's alter ego is only mentioned occasionally and briefly. Furthermore, the story includes the following line:

...But it had been largely at her (Carol's) insistence that he'd agreed to drop his duel (dual?) role of public prosecutor and private avenger for one (sic) and forever..."

We are then led to believe that some time following the end of The Killer Who Wasn't, Quinn had an epiphany and hung up the black mask for good.

I can live with that. By all appearances, HW&D can only be marginally considered a Black Bat tale anyway. Fans of the character probably would want the series to end with Tony and Carol finally able to be together. As The Killer Who Wasn't ends with them in each other's arms, and is Norman Daniels' last contribution to these characters, let's consider it the final chapter and dismiss the material that came after. "Killer" is a perfectly respectable and satisfying way to go out.

The Bat #2 Coming Soon From Lucky Comics

We don't have a specific release date for the second issue of Lucky Comics' The Bat series but we do have a Daniel Solano cover to feast our eyes on.

It can't come too soon because the last issue ended on a cliffhanger. It is almost inevitable that #2 will also include Cyber Jane, another popular character for Lucky Comics who's had four issues of her own series published thus far.

Lucky's Black Bat offerings can be found on Drivethru Comics. If you're just joining us, note that there are two versions; one set in the late 30s using the traditional version of the name and the above, apparently a modern-day legacy character.

More Black Bat Awesomeness From Andres Labrada

I have a spot on my wall dying to be covered with Black Bat art and while there are many images available that I would love to purchase, doing so doesn't appear to be particularly easy. Many artists display their work, but few of the ones I would purchase from offer that option. Perhaps it's more complicated than I realize, I truly don't get it.

In any event, I thought I would seek out one Andres Labrada about buying a print of the following image.

I love this and it would be perfect for my blank wall spot. It appeared in the second volume of Airship 27's Black Bat Mystery.

In my search, I came across a blog that the artist used to manage between 2010 and 2013 and some other scans of his from work done for that book. The two below caught my eye.

The blog post in which they're displayed is entitled "Pulp Covers" yet I doubt a cover would have the word "Meanwhile" running across the top.

It is further puzzling to note that a similar image appears in BBM2.  Same idea; a Frankenstein-looking monster crashes through a wall towards the Black Bat. It is far less detailed and makes me wonder why it would have been chosen over the above.

Doesn't make this one any less awesome though.

The Black Bat – The Politics of Murder

If things proceed according to schedule, we might get ourselves a double dose of Bat goodness come the early fall.

The following is an excerpt from an interview that Pro See Productions did with writer Gordon Dymowski recently.

I’m really excited about what’s coming out from Pro Se later this year – in fact, I’m proud to announce that my novel, The Black Bat – The Politics of Murder will be released in late September. Think of it as “two-gun avenger has a Leverage-style backup team” and you have a great idea of what to expect. 

Yes, it’s the classic character done in modern times. Yes, it stays true to the spirit of the original pulps. But its plot – focusing on how a racial incident leads to the revelation of political corruption – has its roots in the 21st century. I’m proud to take the lead on such a character, and yes, we will see Tony Quinn and his aides take on more adventures!

Dymowski might be the only writer to work with this characters in both prose and comic book format. He recently contributed a Black Bat story to the Always Punch Nazis anthology book and a few years ago his story "The Magnificent Anderson" was included in the third volume of Airship 27's Black Bat Mysteries series. He described the inspiration for that story on his own blog here.

New Pulp Fiction Clarified

Moonstone Books recently announced the upcoming release of a book called New Pulp Fiction, but its contents weren't particularly clear to me. Ron Fortier's explanation on various Facebook groups clears everything up.

Last year Moonstone published a limited edition novella, Faces of Fear by Ron Fortier with illustrations by Rob Davis. That book was available exclusively on their website. At the same time Fortier & Davis published the first ever Secret Agent X comic book from Davis’ Redbud Studio. Now both the novella and the comic will be offered in a new package called, New Pulp Fiction, being solicited via Diamond to be released in comic shops this September.

So it's a Fortier/Davis double bill.

While I have no particular fondness for Secret Agent X, I've only read the Kindle version of Faces Of Fear so getting a print one for the collection will be swell. I thought I had seen illustrations (by Davis, naturally) for that book that were not included in the digital copy so there'll be new material to take in along with the Secret Agent X story. Looking forward to this.

Moonstone's New Pulp Fiction Scheduled for September

Upon laying eyes on the cover below, I had to assume that this was the solicitation for the new edition of the Faces Of Fear book that was released by Moonstone last fall. It is a vertically flipped version of that cover with a purple colour scheme rather than orange.

Writer: Ron Fortier
Artist: Rob Davis
Cover: Dennis Calero 

7”x10”, squarebound, grayscale, 146 pgs, $12.99
ISBN: 978-1-936814-53-451299
COMICS & ILLUSTRATED PROSE! 

From Blood and Thunder Alley…dealing out Maximum Justice:
New complete action thrillers starring the Black Bat (can-see-in-the dark two-gun crimefighter), Secret Agent X (man of a thousand faces), and the Purple Scar (who wears a mask of his murdered brother)!

The text above confuses matters a bit though. If it is a "deluxe" edition of Faces Of Fear from last October, can it be called a new action thriller? It actually sounds like three new stories but I can't see applying a re-coloured cover to such a book. Unless that cover is not final.

Also, I don't recall much involvement from Secret Agent X in FOF so does he get a story all his own in this edition, or has he been worked into FOF?

I'll be eager to get a look at a table of contents but since I could only read the Kindle version of Face Of Fear, this will be making its way into the collection even if it is "just" a reprint with a few extras.

Update on Sanctum's Black Bat Reprints

A week ago, Sanctum Books' Anthony Tollin commented on a discussion about tardiness with the publisher's Spider reprints. He included The Black Bat in his response. I've copied most of it below, adding only paragraph breaks and removing a portion about recent health issues.

BLACK BAT #10 is completed and WILL soon be resolicited. Sales and income are down, and THE SPIDER and THE BLACK BAT simply were not selling well enough to justify their continuation (at least not with the added cost of the bonus Sanctum Books extras). It costs a lot of $$$ to include all the extra features and articles that are part of the Sanctum Book format, but those extras don't appear to pump up sales at all, at least not on SPIDER and BLACK BAT.  

Altus, like most other pulp reprint companies, relies on print-on-demand printing, while Sanctum has always gone exclusively with actual print runs and real warehoused first printing inventories. Hopefully, Altus will be able to make a go of THE SPIDER and BLACK BAT with the lessor print-on-demand advance overhead.  

Also, THE SPIDER and THE BLACK BAT took much more time editorially and production-wise to produce than THE SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE, and I recently had to concede that I was sabotaging/delaying several important upcoming book projects (including THE SHADOW newspaper strip collection and the revised, expanded color edition of THE SHADOW SCRAPBOOK) by devoting so much time to two time-consuming ongoing series that were not producing an actual profit. Things would have been different if THE SPIDER and BLACK BAT could have sold just a couple hundred more copies per issue, but they simply didn't.

Probably nothing that shocks anyone but it's still good to hear it from the dachshund's mouth, if I may alter the expression to refer to another interest Mr. Tollin and I share.

Last we'd heard, the books were going to come out annually. Now we're not sure if there will be an 11th issue. Too bad, but business is business.

The Graham Hill Bat

It's been a while since I had a post specific to art. This one is the result of a Facebook image search which led me to Graham Hill's page when I spotted the following sketch.

There was something familiar about the style so I looked into Hill's portfolio further and came across virgin art for Airship 27's third volume of Black Bat Mystery.

I find it looks significantly better without all the text that blocked out the moon and lightning.  I hope Hill has more opportunity to work with the character soon.

Unknown Tales #2 (cover B) Now Available!

The Black Bat themed cover to this book was added to the Lucky Comics page above a couple of weeks ago when the book was first being promoted. That caused me to think I'd already mentioned it on the blog and therefore forget to announce its release. So...Here it is!

Lucky's issues are only eight pages long and this one features two four-page origin stories including, obviously, The Black Bat's.

This is the 1930s version of the character and as usual, Lou Mougin wrote the story and the art is by Lucky Comics regular contributor Eric Douthitt.

It's a fairly faithful origin with a couple of twists. 

Can't help but wonder what the future might bring for this series. We know that a current-day Bat book is coming. Will his origin be revealed in his own series or will it be featured in an issue of Unknown Tales down the road? Since the Black Bat character is popular for Lucky, I doubt it will be long until we find out.

Black Bat Tales #4 Available This Week!

Lucky Comics announced this morning that the fourth issue of their Black Bat Tales series would be available from Drive Thru Comics some time this week.

The $2 price tag is for the print version of the book. Digitally, they tend to be priced at all of $0.75.

If things are proceeding according to plan, I believe the character shooting at The Black Bat is actually Eliot Ness, who was introduced in an earlier issue of this same series. It seems the two are going to have a little rivalry.

The story is by Lou Mougin, the art by Brazilian Kaio Neves. Sample below.

Second Edition of Faces of Fear Being Produced By Moonstone Books

The information below was revealed in the Airship 27 podcast that was released earlier today. The original version of Faces Of Fear was only available for purchase directly from the Moonstone Books website or digitally from Amazon. Evidently, the new edition will be easier to obtain.

I'm quoting illustrator Rob Davis as best as I can.

Now (Moonstone Books) is producing a second edition which, when finished, will be distributed by Diamond to comics shops everywhere.  

The new edition also includes a special essay by Ron (Fortier) revealing some of the hidden "Easter eggs" that are featured throughout the tale, a fun feature that you won't want to miss.   

Swell news, being that the book's availability was an issue for me. I was only offered one shipping option when attempting to purchase from the Moonstone website. It would have cost me $50 to have a $10 book shipped to me. I love me some Black Bat but that was too rich for my blood.

If the book is available in comic stores then hopefully it will also hit Amazon and I can purchase it that way. It sucked to have to wait, but the extras that come with the new edition will make up for it, no doubt.

Mr. Davis states that there's a format issue to work out but it should be solicited before long. My guess is that it will be available around mid-summer.

Amazon lists the original print length at 145 pages.

The Black Bat by Rod Reis

Let's start the year off with a little art. The eye-popper below is the work Rod Reis.

I've struggled to locate any information about it. I assume it was commission work done right around the time of the Dynamite 12-issue series since that's obviously that publisher's version of the character.

I'd initially hoped it might be a teaser for a new book but sadly, that seems unlikely to happen.