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.

Behind The Mask by Tom Johnson

According to Pulp Coming Attractions...

An anthology series by Tom Johnson returns in Kindle format in early February with Volume One. Right now only four issues are planned between February and July.

Behind The Mask was an anthology series that ran from the late 80's to about 2005, I believe. It reprinted pulp stories from the genre's heyday.

That is not quite the case with this edition, at least not with this first issue.  Murder Under The Big Top, unless Mr. Johnson used the exact name twice for some reason, is a Black Bat story of his that has found its way into a number of anthology books.

If you're into detective books, I probably don't have to announce which pulp character appears in The Masked Detective's Deadly Trail story (here's a clue, just in case: He's a detective and he wears a mask).

The Skull Killer is a Purple Scar story, while Fangs Of Death and The Legend are short stories. It is difficult to comment on Fangs without ruining it a bit so I won't, and I believe The Legend is a Tom Johnson original creation.

Might there be more material of interest to Black Bat fans in future releases? Absolutely. Tom Johnson has written several stories featuring The Black Bat. Mind you, he's written many stories NOT featuring the Black Bat, too, so perhaps the masked nemesis of crime gets bumped so I guess there are no guarantees. But we'll be watching.

Here's what we might get (and most, if not all of them, have been covered here to some degree):

The Black Bat's War: In the trenches of war-torn Germany, soldiers were dying from the medicines they received for their wounds. The Army generals blamed America for the bad drugs, yet nothing could be done until the source of the deadly medicine was uncovered and replaced with good drugs. While investigators are stymied, The Black Bat and his team of crime fighters take up the challenge in New York, uncovering a giant plot by a master criminal. But would they be in time to save brave young soldiers dying of their wounds in a far off No-Man’s Land? 

City Of Phantoms / Guns Of Vengeance: When an old case resurfaces, the world's greatest detective is pulled back into a new battle with a deadly enemy, while ex-fighting district attorney Tony Quinn's lovely secretary, Carol Baldwin is kidnapped by a vicious mob, hoping to force the prosecution to drop its case against their boss. Two champions of justice meet in a race against time!

There are a couple of other Black Bat stories by Tom Johnson for which I need clarification. They are The Black Bat's Crisis (1995) and Crimson Harvest (1999).

Some of these stories have changed names since being written. The Black Bat's War above, for example, was originally known as Drugs Of Destruction. So it may be that I've already read them under a different name without knowing it. If not, I hope the second coming of BTM provides the opportunity.

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.

"Ready for some more Moonstone Black Bat?"

Moonstone Books' monthly newsletter was issued earlier today. Since Moonstone has had a number of Black Bat projects in the works, there's always a sense of anticipation when it arrives.

The February newsletter did mention The Black Bat a fair bit, but unfortunately it was a little light on details. It made reference to two hardcover books; the recently-released The Black Bat Returns and a reprint of the "Return Of The Originals" version. All right.

Then the "Moonstone News" section displays four headlines, two of which involve The Black Bat.

The second issue of The Guns of the Black Bat by Ron Fortier & Silvestre Szilagyi in PREVIEWS magazine! 

The BLACK BAT & PURPLE SCAR

original graphic novel by Ron Fortier & Rob Davis

Great! But...That's it. No images, no release date...One assumes that both are scheduled for May since one of the other books mentioned in this section (Domino Lady: Threesome) was also said to appear in Previews magazine. Presumably Moonstone is referring to the same issue of Previews.

But in the meantime, the following image appeared on the Black Bat Facebook page:

"Ready for some more Moonstone Black Bat?"

Uhm...yes.

Still nothing on the Black Bat / Domino Lady book but that may not be a terrible thing. Much like Dynamite went a bit overboard when they began publishing The Green Hornet books, you don't want to release a boatload of series at the same time and compete against yourself for dollars.

So if Moonstone wants to average a Black Bat book a month or so, between Guns, Purple Scar, Domino Lady and the occasional prose project, we'll take it.

Over to you, Dynamite.

Faces of Fear update in the Airship 27 Podcast

The Airship 27 podcast is presented by pulp veterans Ron Fortier and Rob Davis. Being that both men are working on the Black Bat / Purple Scar book from Moonstone, they don't mind discussing a project from a "competitor".

The Podcast is an hour long and the two discuss upcoming Airship 27 projects (which involve Secret Agent X and Ravenwood, if you happen to be a fan of one or both of those characters) prior to moving on to Faces of Fear at the 27-minute mark or so.

Click on the Airship logo below to listen in. Davis' plans for the interior illustrations sound interesting.

Artist Needed for Black Bat / Domino Lady: Danger Coast to Coast

Interesting call sent out by writer Ron Fortier on Facebook earlier today:

The Black Bat - Domino Lady - Danger Coast to Coast I'm writing for Moonstone Comics is in need of an artist. If you have the skills and would like to work on a pulp era series like this, then now would be the time to get your samples off to Joe Gentile at Moonstone Comics. Please, DO NOT send such to me.

Too bad I suck. I'd kill for that gig.

I believe I heard earlier that the artists were determined for the first and second issues of the book. Hopefully this is for the 3rd and/or beyond and not an indication that one of the artists has backed out.

So if you don't suck and are interested, you'd probably be best to contact Gentile through his Facebook page, or by using the Moonstone website contact page.

The above image, which was included with Facebook posting, does not display any Domino Lady I've ever seen. The best guess is that's actually from the team-up with The Purple Scar, (Faces of Fear) but probably indicative of what Moonstone is looking for. Unless the guy in the background is just some thug, or Silk/Butch.

In any event, it's cool as all hell. Credit to whomever drew it.

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.

The Bat and The Scar

It looks increasingly like Spider fans' loss are The Black Bat's fans' gain.

Moonstone Books gave The Spider a lot of attention over the past few years but now that they no longer have publishing rights to the character, they appear to be directing their energy towards Black Bat projects.

The Black Bat Facebook page recently made reference to a team-up book between our man and a character named The Purple Scar to be published by Moonstone.  I admit to not being particularly familiar with The Purple Scar so a little research was required.

There were only four stories published during the pulp era featuring this character. Altus Press has reprinted them in one volume.

The Purple Scar is a famous plastic surgeon, Miles Murdock. Dr. Murdoch's brother, a police officer, is murdered and during the attack, acid is poured onto is face causing tremendous damage to his features. His outrage at the brutality of the attack inspires Miles Murdock to create a mask based on his late brother's disfigurement and to fight crime.

Evidently, the fine folks at Airship 27 found The Purple Scar interesting enough to shine the spotlight on him.  They released a four-story anthology (176 pages in total) based on the character this past October and as you can see from the cover below, they made the scar mask far more graphic than that of the original.

How cool is that?  Click here to order the book from Amazon.

The frequency with which The Black Bat is cast into team-ups with characters such as Zorro (in Masks), Domino Lady, Captain Action, etc. is an unexpected treat.  I didn't anticipate that when I became heavily interested in the character. In this case, there appear to be quite a few similarities between Scar and The Black Bat so I'll be curious to see how the creative team (Ron Fortier and Rob Davis) gives each his own voice, so to speak.