Black Bat Graphic Novel On The Way!

Man, I can't believe I missed posting this. 

Based on art found on social media, I speculated on February 12th that a Black Bat comic might be in the works.

Four days later, writer Ron Fortier gave a pretty thorough description of the product to come during an Airship 27 podcast. I thought I shared it here but evidently I failed to do so.

I've tried to set the video below at the right spot but if I've failed to do that too, Mr. Fortier begins talking about the project at the 58:40 mark or so. 

Mr. Fortier also wrote about it on the Airship 27 Flight Log a couple of days later.

Compared to some other past projects involving this character, it sounds like it's moving along at a pretty good clip. Being that it's going to be a print-on-demand graphic novel, it seems reasonable to assume it will considered an AMK Comics products and sold from their Indyplanet store. 

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.

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.

Black Bat Collection Coming From Moonstone Books

This post from The Black Bat Facebook page, managed by writer/publisher Ron Fortier, catches us up on Moonstone's plans for the character, specifically the mini series with Domino Lady.

Having bought the Guns mini series already, I'm not wild about paying twice for the same material, but so long as the price is reasonable, I'm still getting four issues worth of new stuff. And it's stuff I've waited several years for, so I'm fairly pleased. Maybe the original books will decorate my secret crime fighting lab.

That said...This is Moonstone. Make yourself comfortable, it could be quite some time before this thing sees the light of day. Not trying to be clever, it's just the way it is.

Reluctant Review: Guns Of The Black Bat

I was stoked when this series was announced, bummed (but not surprised) when it turned out to be late, then excited when I saw all three issues available for order from Moonstone's website. I ordered them that morning and they hit my mailbox two weeks later.  Pretty good turn around time, Moonstone, so thank you for that.

So was it worth the wait?

I don't like to review books, frankly.  I've never had a damn thing published and my art skills are at toddler levels. Who the hell am I to judge someone else's work when they're clearly better than I am?

I'll share impressions, knowledge of content and personal opinion but with a reminder that whether or not *I* happen to like something (or not) doesn't make it good or bad. Different strokes and all that.

First things first; I've long had the impression that this project encountered a lot of challenges. Both writing and art credits changed since the covers for the first issue (at right) were revealed. Fortier's name remains, but with co-writer Eric Esquivel taking Shaps' place and art by Paul Delacroix. Also, some pages of art are more detailed than others which makes me wonder if there wasn't a bit of a rush to get the book finished. Entirely speculative on my part, mind you.

As to the cast, I very much enjoyed the variety among the Guns. Staying with the first issue, let's refer back to the solicitation text for a moment.

Dateline 1938.
Hitler and the Nazis have begun their plans to conquer the world. In the states, the crimefighter known as the Black Bat encounters German spies exhibiting strange, unworldly powers. Have aliens infiltrated the Third Reich and is the threat to mankind greater than imagined? Hurriedly the Bat assembles a team of specialists to help him confront this unknown foe: Airboy, Domino Lady, Moon Man, Golden Amazon, and more! They will become known as The Guns of the Black Bat.

More signs of changes in original plans. The book actually takes place in December 1940, not 1938. Domino Lady does not appear in this book, however another character does and a few more are referred to. There are a number of Easter eggs for long-time pulp fans, which is always fun.

The book assumes you have some basic knowledge of the characters. Golden Amazon, for example, has some sort of evil voice-in-head deal going on, but it is never explained.

This doesn't take anything away from the book. If anything, it adds an element of mystery. But it does feel as though the first issue might have better served as the third issue out of four or more (and makes one question whether that wasn't the original plan). Several aspects of the book make it feel as though the story of the Guns was meant to continue but as we move to issues two and three, none of the material from number one is acknowledged.

Numbers two and three take place in 1937. Again, being that they are earlier chronologically, they probably should have been released first. In fact, Sylvestre Szilagyi's art is so gorgeous that I feel that releasing issue two as issue one (and three as two, obviously) instead would probably have made a stronger first impression.

Different cast in this two-part story called The Final Phase, but many similarities among the characters. Instead of Air Boy flying overhead, we have Ron Fortier's original creation, Nighthawk. Instead of The Golden Amazon providing a strong female presence, we get the Domino Lady.

These issues do a great job of building the suspense and desparation of a very dire situation, explained in issue two's solicitation text:

Someone has poisoned Manhattan’s water supply and is turning both humans and animals in to de-evolved monsters and beasts. Only the Black Bat and his assembled team, Phantom Detective, Domino Lady, I.V. Frost and Nighthawk can hope to stem the nightmare tide and save their city before it is too late.

I can tell you one thing, there is none of that "decompressed writing" crap. There is a lot of character interaction, dialogue and narration because so much happens so quickly. All three books have a very quick pace. No panel is wasted.

And while there are many "Guns" featured in these three issues, the Black Bat is undeniably the star of the show. A fine balance has been struck.

So yeah, very enjoyable ride and fun concept. I would love this idea to become a Moonstone regular.

It would probably work best as one-shots or two-parters. I can imagine a "core" group of guns (I.V. Frost as the resident scientist type, Nighthawk as the regular provider of air support, etc.) with an otherwise rotating cast. Something like Marvel's Defenders; a "non-team" which nonetheless featured some characters while others came and went.

We'll keep our fingers crossed while we wait for the Black Bat / Domino Lady mini to be solicited and released.  But to those of you who have read and enjoyed these books, take the time to provide feedback to Moonstone if you would like to see more. It may have more of an impact than you realize.

Beyond "Faces Of Fear"

I almost gave up. Almost. I normally listen to the Airship 27 podcasts right to the delightful closing tune but when it seemed like there would be no Black Bat discussion during episode 18, I came this close to shutting her down at the 53:48 mark. But they were moving on to fan questions, there were only about six minutes left in the show, so I said "what the hell" and finished the show.

Quite glad I did. At the last minute (very nearly literally), Ron Fortier brought us up to date on Faces Of Fear, the team up book with The Purple Scar to be published by Moonstone.  A choppy partial transcript of Fortier's conversation with Rob Davis follows (Fortier is speaking throughout):

You and I have done a book for Joe (Gentile, Moonstone Books) called Faces Of Fear in which The Black Bat teams up with The Purple Scar. 

Well Joe was so happy with that particular novella, which should be out (in) maybe another month...Well, at Windy City this year, Joe and I got to talking and Joe said "Would you and Rob (Davis) consider doing another one of those?"

And I said "'m pretty sure we can fit it in our schedule later, for the start of next year". So I said "Are we talking novella and, you know, Rob's illustrations, and all that stuff?" and he said "Definitely". 

And he turned around and told me this: "I'd love for it to feature The Black Bat and Domino Lady". And I went "Okay... " and he goes "Remember that character that you like so much on radio, Ron?...Could we incorporate that character in the story as well?".

So it's basically going to be two classic pulp heroes and the premiere of this classic radio character in print, in prose, for the first time ever.

So what do we know about this character? Prior to relating the details of that conversation, Fortier explained that the character was an inspiration to Stan Lee for the creation of a specific Marvel character.  The obvious answer would be The Spider but he doesn't meet the criteria of being a prose first-timer.

So I'm a little stumped, but it makes for a fun mystery. And it's encouraging to know that the flow of Black Bat material is not on the verge of stopping for a while.

Guns Of The Black #2 Bat Preview Art

Courtesy of Ron Fortier. I've been away from the internet for a few days.  The message below is from Mr. Fortier, originally posted on August 4th on his Facebook page  .

I want to personally thank all of you who picked up Moonstone Comics' GUNS OF THE BLACK BAT # 1 yesterday upon its release to comic shops. Writer Erick Esquivel and artist Paul Delacroix were the stars of that issue, I being brought on board at the 11th hour to do a little script doctoring. With issue # 2, my participation grew a bit more with artist Sylvestre Szilagyi joining the team. Here's a peek at page #1 of issue #2 as my way of saying thanks for your wonderful support.

It seems like publishing this book has been quite a battle. If my memory is sound, the first issue was scheduled for April but only finally reached stores this past week. And at the moment, Previews World display a release date of December 28th for issue #2. Yikes.

Looks gorgeous though.

Guns Of The Black Bat #3 solicitation

Writer: Ron Fortier
Art: Silvestre Szilagyi
Cover: Michael Stribling 

32pgs, grayscale, $3.50 

UPC: 685239899108 

Domino Lady and the Phantom Detective travel to the Congo to find a life-saving plant as the Black Bat and the rest of his team continue to battle prehistoric humans and animals on the streets of Manhattan..

Might have me a new banner picture coming soon...

Edit: In response to a question asked by a fan on Facebook, writer Ron Fortier identifies the two men on either side as I.V. Frost and Jim Anthony. And Ki-Gor in the middle, but most people probably figured that part out based on past solicitation material.

Faces Of Fear Solicitation!

Good stuff! Maintaining a fairly steady monthly stream of Black Bat content starting next month, our hero's team-up with The Purple Scar will hit stores in July.

The BLACK BAT & The PURPLE SCAR
“Faces of Fear”
Illustrated novel 

Story:  Ron Fortier
Art: Rob Davis 

Cover: Dennis Calero
100pgs, grayscale, 7” x 10”,
$9.99 

ISBN: 978-1-944017-04-0 

When dead gangsters begin appearing all over New York, the Black Bat and his team find themselves on the trail of a merciless crime boss known as Mr. Mask. 

At the same time a strange vigilante known as the Purple Scar enters fray, but is he friend or foe? 

Will even the pairing of the Black Bat and this mysterious new crime-fighter to solve the mystery of the Faces of Fear?

And dig that killer cover by Dennis Calero. This should be a blast.

The Black Bat Swoops Into All-Star Pulp Comics #3!

A pleasant surprise turned in the press release announcing All-Star Pulp Comics #3 from Redbud Studio / Airship 27.

Airship 27 Productions in conjunction with Redbud Studios is thrilled to announce the release of ALL STAR PULP COMICS # 3. 

“We’re thrilled to offer up another great collection,” says Airship 27 Managing Editor Ron Fortier, “comic strip adventures of classic pulp heroes. The contents in this third volume is really eclectic representing a wide variety of pulp genres by some of the finest writers and artists in the graphic world.” 

The eight featured stories include : 

“Sinbad and the Isle of Stone”
Scott “Doc” Vaughn   

The Black Bat in “Blind Justice”
Ron Fortier & Eric Johns 

The Purple Scar in “Breaking Point”
Percival Constantine & Carl Yonder  

Lance Star Sky Ranger in “Gods of the Molten Sea”
Bobby Nash & Rock Baker & Jeff Austin  

Mars McCoy Space Ranger in “Crazy Horse”
Mike Baron (with Ron Fortier) & Eric Hurley & Warren Montgomery  

The Crimson Mask in “Killing Rain”
Aaron Smith & David Nehaus  

The Moon Man in “Dance of the Black Flamingo”
Michael Leonard & James Lyle & Greg Keyzer  

The book has a cover by Rob Davis with colors by Warren Montgomery and features the Moon Man battling side-by-side by Lt. Betty 12 from the Mars McCoy Space Ranger pulp series. 

The book is now available from...Amazon.

Several of these stories had been talked about while the book was in production, with no mention of the Black Bat. I'd believed he was not included but there he is, making a clean sweep of a all three ASPC books. Hope it becomes tradition.

Faces of Fear update!

Some good news from pulpmeister Ron Fortier (from his Facebook page).

It's finished!! My new novella FACES OF FEAR, teaming the Black Bat & the Purple Scar was sent off to Moonstone Books yesterday. Took just about a month to write and many were the times I found myself scratching my head wondering where the damn story was taking me. Then I'd look at this sketch my pal Rob Davis had provided me with...and every time it did the trick, it kept pushing me, inspiring me to keep writing and follow the characters. Now it is done, the editors at Moonstone will do their thing...and then Rob will get to draw 10 fully detailed, gorgeous pencil illustrations. I can't wait to see what he does. Thanks Rob, one picture was worth...everything!!!

So probably still a few months away, but reaching us soon!

Highlights of Ron Fortier's appearance on the Art's Reviews podcast

This is a rare two-post day on this blog, but I take that as additional proof that 2015 will be the year of the Bat.

Airship 27's Ron Fortier was a guest on Art's Reviews podcast yesterday and talked about the huge amount of projects occupying his time over the next few months. The bulk of the first half of the conversation was about Sherlock Holmes projects (past and future) but at about the 30 minute mark, the attention turns to The Black Bat for a few minutes.

I attempted to capture the information as best as I could, starting with a project that I'm hearing about for the first time. All quotes are by Mr. Fortier (host Art Sippo may as well have not been involved, he contributed very little besides the occasions "wow").

"Last year I wrote a long Black Bat vs. Doctor Satan story which will be appearing in a new Black Bat anthology from Moonstone."

Fantastic! I was getting tired of The Black Bat appearing in one story in anthologies for Domino Lady, The Spider, and so on. About time the tables were turned in that regard. I knew little about Doctor Satan but have done a little research and this could be quite cool. More on him later.

We are also given a bit more information about the team-up with The Purple Scar.

"Basically it's a novelette...It will have ten interior illustrations by none other than Rob Davis."

Onwards from prose books to comic book projects. The image below is several months old, but for those who may not have seen it yet, you could probably guess that it is meant to be the cover to the Black Bat / Domino Lady book. The art is by Mike Dorman.

"I've taken over writing two series for Moonstone. One of them is called 'Black Bat and Domino Lady: Danger Coast to Coast'...

What I've done is, every two issues we tell a complete story. In the first storyline, the Black Bat story is the 'A' story whereas interspersed between it is the 'B' story of Ellen Patrick out in Los Angeles.

When you get to issue #3, it reverses. The A story becomes the Domino Lady story, in between some of those pages you're going to find the continuation of the Black Bat saga but it's the B story now."

"And then as if that wasn't enough to fill my plate, he (Moonstone's Joe Gentile) turns around and had another comic project in the works that for whatever reason, the gentleman who was writing it took a hike...And it was going to be a pulp team book, much like a pulp version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but with The Black Bat as the primary, central force collecting these pulp heroes...The series itself is going to be called Guns of The Black Bat".

"Any public domain character that you can possibly imagine is sooner or later going to pop up in this series. In the first two issues we've got...Domino Lady is there, The Phantom Detective, Air Boy, I.V. Frost, Ki-Gor The Jungle Lord, Jim Anthony Super Detective and...I got to throw in my own character Nighthawk (sp?), is going to appear there, in comic book form."

So basically, in terms of Black Bat content, the exact opposite of Mask and Masks 2. Where he appears to be a bit part player in those books, he will be the hub character in Guns.

There was also a brief reference to a third volume of Black Bat Mystery. So all very good news, aside from the fact that we don't have a release date for any of them yet.