Branching Out

Alright, as of yesterday, I made three video blog episodes with my friend Andrew, that's right folks, I'm now on youtube! Just click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-FgyK5PUvU to watch the three videos, feel free to comment, subscribe cause I will be getting more stuff out there. Well that's all I've got to say for today, keep on keeping on fans.

Smallville News: More Heroes and Villain Updates

Hold on to your socks and shoes readers, big news on the Smallville front. With the shows return we are of course getting new episodes, with the plot thickening like motor oil on water. As of the last episode "Scion", we are finally given a decent look at the villain-in-the-shadows, Darkseid! The overlord of Apokolips appears in a more physical form to Lionel Luthor at the end of the episode, but as for what reason we have yet to find out! And with the upcoming episodes we are going to see the return of Clark's evil alternate earth double, Ultraman. But that's not all, fans of the show, and of DC Comics, will on April 22 get to see two more DC heroes hit the small screen, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle! For those who have no idea who these characters are, let me break it down for you in some quick origin stories. Booster Gold was Michael Jon Carter, born in Gotham City of the 25th Century. While abandoned by his father growing up, he managed to get a sports scholarship to Gotham University and was the star quarterback. That was, until his father reentered his life, and convinced him to bet on games and throw them. Michael was found out and banned from ever playing sports again. Taking a job as a night watchmen at the Metropolis Space Museum, he began studying displays on superheroes and villains, particularly of the 20th century. With the aid of a security robot named Skeets, he steals a Legion of Super-Heroes flight ring, Brainiac 5's force belt, along with other devices and makes a battle-suit for himself. Using Rip Hunter's time bubble, also on display, he travels back to the 20th century to become a superhero and form a corporation around his name in order to create a more comfortable lifestyle for himself. Over time, he has become more of a hero and less of a selfish, self-styling pig, but this episode will feature him during the early parts of his career, hence the corporate logos seen on his battle-suit. Now the second character featured will be the third person to be the Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. Jaime's origin story is quicker: he finds the mystic scarab that falls from the shattered Rock of Eternity, home to the wizard Shazam, and in the night it attaches itself to Jamie, giving him a extraordinarily powerful suit of battle armor. But we are told to also expect an appearance by the second and most popular man to hold the Blue Beetle title, Ted Kord. What these and the rest of the season 10 episodes will be like, who can say? But I hope that they are spectacular.

Movie News: DC is branching out

After having confirmation with my news source, I am surprised to learn that the powers that be at dear old DC are planning on ever more films revolving around their characters. According to my source, they want a Justice League movie in theatres by 2013, and are working on scripts already for Flash and Wonder Woman films. And with the upcoming Wonder Woman tv series, they have promised that this won't conflict with the new show. Batman will still be a franchise "centerpiece" after director Chris Nolan finishes his final film The Dark Knight Rises and this means that more than likely, Batman will be rebooted after the final film, presumably for the Justice League movie. What does all this mean for the media future of DC Comics? What, if any chance of there being Wonder Woman and Flash films, actors could play the roles of these two legendary icons of justice, who would play the villains, what villains would there be? And one final question for you dear readers, who do we want to see on the big screen in the Scarlet Speedster's costume, Barry Allen or Wally West? Post your comments people! Lets get the discussion ball rolling!

New Items to Look For

Alright then, a lot of my posts have been about old stuff, so now its time to give you lot some new stuff. From Marvel, the latest issue of Captain America will be on sale, along with several new trade paperbacks and the latest issue of Wolverine. There is nothing new coming out from DC Comics as of this week, but no doubt there will be more exciting material hitting the shelves soon. And on a long term note, Dynamite Entertainment will be releasing Issue 0 in May of its newest series Kirby Genesis. This 8 issue min-series will be reintroducing various characters of the great Jack Kirby's creation from his tenures with comic book companies Pacific Comics and Topps Comics. As you can see by the cover art above that it looks like it will be an amazing series. So don't hesitate, get your copies of these new comics today!

Star Wars: The Old Republic

The buzz around the campfire these days for Star Wars fans is the eventual 2011 release of the latest Star Wars computer game The Old Republic. The game takes place 300 years after the events of the two previous games and pits the Republic against a returned and strong Sith Empire. The game so far will have a new range of species and different classes, as well as updated game-play, characters and will be BioWare's first entry into the MMORPG market and the second Star Wars MMORPG since Star Wars Galaxies. Publicity for the game so far has been high, with a novel written by Sean Williams released in the summer of 2010, two internet comic book series released by Dark Horse Comics and if you click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOvbv-LkK6w&feature=fvst you can see a trailer for the game. While I am not a avid Star Wars fan, this game looks very promising and I cannot wait to play it upon its release.

Captain America movie: Differences and Connections

In response to Matt's comment on yesterday mornings post, I thought I'd set the record straight. Historically Matt, (meaning in terms of being published), Captain America came first. He first appeared on newsstands in Captain America #1 (1941), while Iron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 (1963).  And the storyline is different in this way: This is obviously set during WWII, and Steve Rogers desperately wants to join up and help fight the Axis Powers. After being declared unfit for combat, he is conscripted by Colonel Chester Philips (played by Tommy Lee Jones) to be a part of the Super Soldier Project, which will use the Super Soldier Formula of Dr. Abraham Erskine (played by Stanley Tucci). Steve then of course goes on to combat the Axis menace, coming into constant conflict during the war with the Red Skull, Hitler's right hand man (played by Hugo Weaving). Now the connection to the Iron Man films is that in the trailer, we see Dominic Cooper playing Howard Stark, Tony's father. Now if anyone who has seen the first movie recalls, Tony defends his father's legacy by commenting that he was a part of the Manhattan Project during the war, but in the case of the movie Howard was also secretly part of the Super Soldier Project. Now another reason why this movie may seem like Iron Man is because of the men in clunky Iron Monger type armor. Well those are HYDRA troops Matt. In the Marvel Universe, HYDRA is a terrorist organization that has been a constant enemy of SHIELD over the years. In the Marvel Movie Universe, they are having HYDRA been developed during WWII, and headed up by the Red Skull. Hope that clears things up for you Matt.

A Day Early

Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain America movie trailer has hit the web a day early! Hey I'm not complaining. Click this link http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=75527, and view the first full trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger, hitting theatres July 22. I think it's awesome, but I am interested in everyone else's opinions as well. Make comments at your leisure.

Captain America Trailer is on it's way!!

Fans, the first trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger is almost here! The word has gone out from the bigwigs at Marvel that we will see the first trailer tomorrow!! After all the hype set up by the posters and the teaser during the Superbowl, fans will get to see the first full trailer of the most highly anticipated movie of 2011. But now the question is, with Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class having already showed us what they are bringing to the table and in 24 hours Captain America, I repeat the question is, which movie will steal the summer of 2011? Only time will tell dear friends, only time will tell.

Bob Hope

A lot of kids and teenagers today have never heard of Bob Hope. But if you ask your parents, they'll tell you he was many things, TV and movie star, patriot, but he was first and foremost, a comedian. Bob Hope was regarded as one of the premier comedians of the 20th century. His first actual appearance on anything was the airwaves during the late 30's, into the 40's and so on. After radio folded, Bob quickly made the transition to television, where he was even more popular than before. Hope also made a series of movies, the "Road" series with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Bob was also well known for doing USO shows for soldiers during the various conflicts of the 20th century. An avid golfer, Hope later integrated a golf club into his USO shows and television appearances. For those who read this blog, and wish to purchase any collections of the classic Bob Hope radio show, just click this link http://www.radiospirits.com/ and search for Bob Hope. Trust me when I say that if you appreciate comedy, than Mr. Hope's style of humor will have you in stitches.

New Comic, New Future

Since the death of Jonathan Storm, the Human Torch in the pages of Fantastic Four #587 in January, there has been a buzz about what new direction will the Marvel Universe's Finest Family? The answer ladies and gentlemen... the Future Foundation! With Spider-Man filling the spot previously held by Johnny, Reed and Sue's children Franklin and Valeria, along with the the rest of the children of the Foundation, they are dedicated to creating a better future for humanity through scientific advancements. There are even rumors that Doctor Doom will be along for the ride, after he agreed to Valeria's proposition that he help her father in exchange for her restoring Doom to his full intellect after he suffered his mental stroke. FF #1 comes out Wednesday, so reserve your copies folks, you are not going to want to miss this.

'Avengers' News: Villains and Lineup

With all the hype over the next two Marvel Comics hero films coming out, there has been equal hype with the release of their huge hero team film. A quick breakdown for non-comic book fans, the Avengers are the Marvel Comics equivalent of the Justice League, with all of their big hitter heroes joining up to well fight evil. The roster has changed over the years, but for the movie the roster is going to be as follows. Captain America played by Chris Evans; Thor played by Chris Hemsworth; The Hulk/Bruce Banner played by Mark Ruffalo after negotiations with Edward Norton broke down; Samuel L. Jackson returning as Colonel Nick Fury; Jeremy Renner is to play Hawkeye, expert archer of the Avengers team. Scarlett Johansson will be returning as the Black Widow, and Tom Hiddleston will also be returning as Thor's evil half-brother Loki, who will be the main villain in the Thor movie opening in May. Now villain wise, there are rumors floating around that we can expect Loki yes, but also the alien race known as the Skrulls. This shape changing, empire expanding race has been a constant menace to both the Avengers and Earth for years, so the chance to see them on the big screen would be huge. The film is slatted to open May 4 of next year, but if there are any changes I will be sure to keep you all informed.

New stuff: Red Panda Adventures and DC's holiday sale

Big news readers, as of a few days ago, the latest episode of The Red Panda Adventures from Decoder Ring Theatre is here and boy is it a winner! Just go to http://www.decoderringtheatre.com/index.php?id=home and you'll find the latest episode "Small Wonders", plus the last one "Sword of the Sun King" on the websites main page.  And in celebration of Saint Patrick's day, DC Comics is having a "Green Sale" with over 200 of their digital comics on sale today for only $.99 a piece! That's a bargain no fan should pass up. To take advantage of this one day only sale, just go to https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#. And even if you miss the sale, there's still tons of great stuff to buy. So don't hesitate, take advantage of all the amazing new stuff out there on the internet today!

Captain America: First Avenger News

As of yesterday, Marvel has officially released the plot synopsis for the upcoming film. It is as follows: "Captain America: The First Avenger will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving)." Now the only thing two things that have bugged me so far are 1.) Every time I read "HYDRA" I feel like I should be reading "Nazis" but that's not as big of a concern if the movie turns out to be fantastic. And issue 2). is why has there been no actual trailer beyond the Superbowl spot so far? I mean come on, the movie opens in 5 months. Are they building up the hype, because the movie may suck? Or have the powers that be just decided not to release a trailer yet, in order to build up a much larger appeal for the movie itself? I guess we'll find out eventually. Oh and for those of you who follow this blog and read Captain America comics, and have some beef with the movie costume as seen in the top picture. My advice is to get over it. Now in the movie, they have Howard Stark attached to the Super Soldier project, so he is the designer behind Cap's costume. Now to me that costume there in the picture looks more like something someone would wear going into combat against HYDRA shock troops. I know that's not what you would expert dear readers from a fellow comic book enthusiast, but I am willing to get over it for the sake of what could be an exceptionally awesome movie. I'll report more news as it comes out true believers, so once again, July is coming up, so get those tickets and costumes ready everyone, cause I have a feeling that this movie is gonna be spectacular.

Nero Wolfe

He is one of America's most well-known fictional detectives, and also one of its largest. Nero Wolfe, is, in the words of assistant Archie Goodwin, "He weighs between 310 and 390, and he limits his physical movements to what he regards as the irreducible essentials." Wolfe is one of the most widely read and widely known of America's fictional sleuths, first brought into existence in 1934 by author Rex Stout in the book Fer-de-Lance. Nero Wolfe, is a detective yes, but he is also by and large many other things. In addition to solving crimes, in which case it is Archie or one of Wolfe's other footmen, Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin or Orrie Cather who often actually goes out and gathers the information for Wolfe, but then, in that grand display of near Sherlockian brilliance, puts all of the pieces together, the guilty are punished and justice prevails once again. But I digress; Mr. Wolfe, in addition to solving crimes, is a connoisseur of fine food, beer and orchids. The New York City brownstone in which Wolfe lives, and sometimes Archie as well yes, is described as having three floors, with a rooftop greenhouse in which Nero Wolfe has over 10,000 orchid plants he himself has grown and breed. Wolfe has two servants, Fritz Brenner who is Wolfe's chef, but also fills the roles of majordomo and butler; and there is Theodore Horstmann, an orchid expert who assists Wolfe in the greenhouse. Nero Wolfe's fame over the years has lead to many branch offs in the media, including two films made in the late 1930's, three different radio shows and three different tv shows, the most famous of these being the A&E series which aired from 2001-2002. The show was entitled A Nero Wolfe Mystery, ran for two seasons and starred Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. For those who read this blog, you can find all 87 of his adventures, to some degree, online or in any bookstore. And for those who have a zeal for radio much as I do, simply click this link www.radiospirits.com and type Nero Wolfe in the search bar. I guarantee good readers, that you will not be disappointed, and almost certainly get hooked on the adventures of this eccentric but brilliant detective as I have. 

The Green Hornet: Man of the airwaves and silver screen

One of the most popular mystery-men of all time, the Green Hornet first appeared not as a character of the pulps, the Hornet and his faithful valet Kato were brought into the homes of listeners on radio station WXYZ Detroit in January of 1936, which was the same station that originated other classic shows The Lone Ranger and Challenge of the Yukon, the show took off almost immediately, and lasted all the way until 1952 when it finally came to an end. An interesting note is that before Pearl Harbor, Kato was mentioned in the opening of the show as being Japanese, but after Pearl Harbor, due to the anti-Japanese sentiment in the American public, Kato was listed as being Filipino. Another interesting note is the tie in of the Green Hornet and Lone Ranger radio shows. The Lone Ranger is in fact Dan Reid, the great-uncle of Britt Reid, who fought fictional crime during America's early Western days with his Indian friend Tonto. The success of the characters lead to several comic books series during the 1940's, and two movie serials, The Green Hornet: produced by Universal Pictures in 1940 with Gordon Jones as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and Keye Luke as Kato. The second serial The Green Hornet Strikes Again was produced in 1941: also by Universal Studios, this time with Warren Hull in the lead role, with Keye Luke returning as Kato. In the 1960's, going off of the success of the Batman tv series, the Green Hornet series aired on the ABC Network from 1966-1967, with Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato. Several other comic books were produced throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the longest running ones from NOW Comics, and in March of 2009, Dynamite Entertainment began a new Green Hornet comic, about the son of Britt Reid and Kato's daughter taking up their fathers roles and continuing to fight crime. And of course there is the recent Green Hornet movie with Seth Rogen in the lead role as Britt Reid and Jay Chou as Kato. If anyone wishes to hear any episodes of the classic radio series, simply click this link http://www.radiospirits.com/ and search Green Hornet, you will not be disappointed with the selection. And if anyone wishes to see what groundbreaking strides Dynamite has made in the Green Hornet comic books, simply click this link http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/ and search under titles for the various Green Hornet books being published by the company. You won't regret it!

The Phantom Detective

To date, there must have been thousands of characters published in the pulp novels of the 1930's, this one was by far the most successful, next to the Shadow and Doc Savage, with his book running from February of 1933, a month before Doc Savage appeared on newsstands, until 1953, with a total of 170 issues. The stories have been credited to several different pseudonyms, the first eleven being published under the Better house name "G. Wayman Jones", the rest being published under the house name of Robert Wallace.The Phantom was in reality wealthy playboy Richard Curtis Van Loan. In his first few stories, he was introduced as a world famous detective whose identity was known only to one man, Frank Havens, publisher of the Clarion newspaper. Orphaned at a young age, Van Loan soon inherited wealth. During WWI, he became a pilot and shoot down many German planes. When he returned home, he found that the life of the idle rich was not for him. At the suggestion of Frank, Richard solved a crime that the police could not. Believing that he had found his true calling at last, Van Loan immersed himself in the art of detection and forensics, as well as escape artistry and disguises. When he was dealing with law enforcement officials, he carried a platinum badge in the shape of a domino mask, so that all police would know who he was. To any and all who follow this blog and wish to read the adventures of this masked man of mystery, simply click this link http://www.adventurehouse.com/contents/en-us/d203.html. So get out there and expand your imaginations with more thrilling fiction today!

Nick Carter

One of the oldest private detective characters in the United States, Nick Carter was busting bad guys long before Dick Tracy, the Shadow or Doc Savage came on the scene. First appearing in the dime novel adventure The Old Detective's Pupil; or The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square, published in September of 1886 from a story by one of the founders of Street and Smith. The character became very successful and in1915 Nick Carter Weekly became Detective Story Magazine and in the 1930's, due to the financial success of the Shadow and Doc Savage, Nick Carter was revised as a pulp hero that ran from 1933 to 1936. This lead to the Nick Carter, Master Detective radio show which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting Network from 1943 to 1955. Following the success of the James Bond series in the 1960's, Carter was updated again, this time for a series of long running novels featuring him as secret agent Nick Carter aka the Killmaster. The first book, Run Spy Run was published in 1964 and more than 260 books followed, published until 1990. Nick's adventures were also the source of many original film's on the character, the first one dating back to France in 1908. If anyone who reads my blog wishes to read any of the Nick Carter books, whether it's his pulp reprints or Killmaster books, simply click this link http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Nick+Carter&x=0&y=0#/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Anick+carter+detective&keywords=nick+carter+detective&ie=UTF8&qid=1299987959. Or if you readers wish to listen to the classic Nick Carter radio show, go to http://www.radiospirits.com/ and search Nick Carter.  So get out there and sink your teeth into the adventures of America's original private detective today!

Chester Gould

Born in November of 1900 in Pawnee, Oklahoma and in 1919 his family moved to Stillwater, where he attended Oklahoma A & M (now OSU) until 1921. It was in that year he moved to Chicago where he transferred to Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies. A fan of the comics since he was a child, Gould found work as an artist, and created several popular comic strips for the newspapers. It was in 1931 when Chester was hired as a cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune that he introduced Dick Tracy to the papers, and the popularity of the character and comic grew. During Gould's run on the comic, which he drew for 46 years from his home in Woodstock, Illinois, the stories were rarely pre-planned, as Chester liked to improvise stories while drawing them. While fans praised this exciting story approach, they were often uncomfortable with the strange plot developments it created. Chester was also accused of making Dick's character too politically right-wing, perhaps even using the character to channel his own political ideas. Nevertheless, Chester Gould has created a dynamic character that has remained popular over the years, and still continues to grow in fame with new readers. Chester Gould died on May 11, 1985 at the age of 84. Mr. Gould, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for giving the world Dick Tracy, because he'll always be to me, America's #1 plainclothes detective.

Dick Tracy

Alright so today I'm going to blog about one of the most recognizable fictional detectives in the funny pages, Dick Tracy. Created by Chester Gould and first appearing in October 1931 in the pages of the Chicago Tribune, Dick Tracy has been fighting the good fight for the past 80 years. Over the years he has fought against many enemies, all of whom have made up his rouges gallery, including, Flattop Jones, 88 Keys, Itchy, Big Boy Caprice, the Brow, Breathless Mahoney etc. Dick has been primarily a plainclothes detective, but also had stints as a G-Man (Federal agent), Lt. Second Grade in the Naval Reserve during WWII, working for the Navy Department tracking down enemy spies. Over the years Tracy has made many friends in his adventures, many of whom have stayed with him since the early days, including his girlfriend Tess Trueheart whom he married on Christmas Eve 1949, Dick Tracy Jr. a young orphan Dick took in as his sidekick and later adopted, Police Chief Brandon, who retired after the death of Brilliant, a young inventor who was under the departments protection, after retiring the role of Chief went to Dick's first partner Pat Patton, who just recently retired the position to Policewoman Liz Grove and Sam Catchem, Dicks partner after Pat became police chief. His popularity has spread over into comic books, a radio show during the late 1930's, multiple movie serials, cartoons, and the 1990's movie starring Warren Beatty as the famous detective. IDW Publishing has recently been reprinting the classic Chester Gould Dick Tracy strips in a series of volumes, with each book containing three years of comic strips, both dailies and Sundays. So if you want to see what the character of Dick Tracy has grown to become over the years, get out there and read, watch and listen to all of the classic Dick Tracy material today!

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Most of you probably haven't heard of Buck Rogers, and its understandable. But if you ask your parents or grandparents, they can probably tell you who is he. He is one of the most famous science fiction characters of the early 20th century, alongside Flash Gordon. Created by Philip Francis Nowlan, the character of Anthony "Buck" Rogers first appeared in the August 1928 issue of the science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. The story tells of Buck Rogers, a veteran of the Great War (WWI) who is put into suspended animation by a bombardment of radioactive gases. He awakens after being asleep for 492 years. Rogers quickly adapts to his surroundings, and joins up with one of the many gangs, and meets Wilma Deering, who enlists Rogers help in a revolt against the Han's, who have ruled America for the past 15 years from several large cities spread out across the continent. Rogers appeared in a sequel story Airlords of Han, in which he and the gangs all unite against the Airlords. The popularity of the character lead to a long running comic strip, movies, radio show, action figures etc. For all who follow this blog and would like to read the original stories that gave this character life, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0809510952/buckrogerscom/ and order your copy of the book today! And be sure to look for the collected volumes of the original comic strip, and if you crave more, comic book company Dynamite Entertainment has been publishing a Buck Rogers comic book for the past two years. I can personally say that the Dynamite comic book is top notch stuff, something no science fiction fan would want to miss out on. So get out there and read more about the man of the past who is now a hero of tomorrow!

Alex Raymond

Alex Gillespie Raymond was born in October of 1909. He was encouraged from an early age by his father in drawing, but after losing his father at the age of 12, Alex felt that drawing was not such a viable career choice and enrolled at Iona Prep on a sports scholarship. After quitting his job as a Wall Street clerk in the wake of the 1929 crash, he enrolled Grand Central School of Art in New York City while working as solicitor. After quitting his job in 1930, he approached former neighbor Russ Westover, Raymond assisted him on his Tillie the Toiler comic, which lead to his being introduced to King Features Syndicate, where he worked as a staff artist and produced his greatest work. In 1933, King Features assigned him to do artwork for espionage, action-adventure strip Secret Agent X-9, scripted by novelist Dashiell Hammet. Towards the end of 1933, Raymond was approached by King Features to come up with a Sunday page that could compete with Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Alongside ghost writer Don Moore, the two created the visually amazing Flash Gordon comic, which quickly surpassed the audience of Buck Rogers. Raymond's artwork was eye catching and fantastic, leading him to be among the most highly regarded and imitated of artists, even to this day. Another contribution he made was evolving the layout of comic strips from a four tier strip to a two tier strip, reducing the panel number but doubling the size, and replacing speech balloons with caption boxes at the bottom of the page. During his tour for the Allies during WWII, Raymond also did a series of covers for various war magazines. In addition to creating Flash Gordon, Alex also created and drew the police daily strip of the adventures of Rip Kirby. Alex Raymond died in a car crash in September of 1956. To all who read my blog, I implore you to read the collected volumes of Raymond's original Flash Gordon series. You'll be glad you did.

Flash Gordon

Today's post is about one of the most classic science-fiction comic strips in American history. Flash Gordon, created by Alex Raymond in 1934, was a newspaper comic that detailed the adventures of Earthling Flash Gordon, his girlfriend Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov, who find themselves on the planet Mongo after traveling there in Zarkov's experimental rocket. There they are caught up in war between the people's of Mongo and the dictator Ming the Merciless. Over the years these three had many adventures on Mongo, and the success of the strip lead to multiple movies, TV series, a radio series, multiple comic book series and other commercial enterprises. For those who follow this blog and wish to read any of the original Alex Raymond strips, they have been reprinted into 7 volumes which can be found at reasonable prices on http://www.amazon.com/ref=gno_logo. Just search for Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon under the books section. So don't hesitate, get out there and expand your imagination today!

Lester Dent

Born in La Plata Missouri in 1904, Lester Dent was an only child, and had a lonely childhood growing up, this is what may have lead to developing his talents as a story-teller. He graduated from Chillicothe Business College in Chillicothe Missouri in 1923. Originally wanting to be a banker, he became a telegraph operator for Western Union after hearing how much better their salaries were. It was in Ponca City, Missouri in 1925 that he met his future wife Norma Gerling. They were married in August of that year. A year after they moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma where Dent worked as a telegraph operator for Western Union. After reading a fellow operator's pulp story that had gotten published, Dent wrote his first story "Pirate Cay" which appeared in the 1929 issue of Top Notch magazine. Shortly after publication, he was contacted by Dell Publishing, who offered him $500 a month for him to write exclusively for their magazines. The Dent's moved to New York City in 1931, where Lester quickly learned the the trade of pulp author's, teaching himself how to write and with very few rewrites. After Dell's pulp line imploded in May 1931, Dent retreated back to Missouri, but was soon after writing for other pulp chains. In 1931, Street and Smith Publishing contacted him about creating another magazine centered around a central character, to build off the fame of the Shadow. Despite his unhappiness that the stories would be published under a house name, with the $500 a novel contract, he happily accepted. In 1933, Doc Savage magazine number 1 hit the stands, in 6 months it was one of the top selling magazines on the market. Lester was able to use his new-found financial security to learn and explore. An avid reader, he also earned his amateur radio and pilot's licenses, passed the electrician's and plumbers exams and was a avid mountain climber. His method was learn a subject thoroughly, then move on to the next. In the late 30's, Dent purchased a 40 foot two-masted schooner, which he and his wife lived on for several years, sailing up and down the East Coast of the US. Their extensive travels allowed him to be admitted membership in the Explorers Club. In 1940, the Dents returned to La Plata for good, with Lester continuing to write for Doc Savage and still finding time to work on other projects. When the magazine folded in 1949, Dent had written 179 of the 181 novels published by Street and Smith under the house name Kenneth Robeson, and all but twenty had been written by Dent. He continued to write for magazine's, his last published story was a Western entitled "Savage Challenge" for the February 1958 issue of Saturday Evening Post. Lester Dent died on March 11, 1959 after being hospitalized earlier that year for a heart attack. Dent's fame continues on in the various reprints of Doc Savage books, the ones I read can again be found at http://members.cox.net/comingattractions3/SanctumBooks.html. So don't hesitate, get out there and read more about the Man of Bronze today!

Doc Savage

A decade before Kal-El became the Man of Steel, there was another Superman, that appeared in the pulps, and his name is Clark Savage Jr! Appearing in Doc Savage Magazine in 1933, he was created by pulp writer Lester Dent for Street and Smith Publishing under the house name Kenneth Robeson, Clark Savage was raised by his father and a team of scientists in an environment to deliberately train his body and mind to near-superhuman perfection. Known as Doc to his close friends and cousin, Doc Savage, in addition to being a skilled surgeon, is a master musician, physician, scientist, inventor, explorer etc. He was nicknamed the Man of Bronze by the press, due to his skin being constantly tanned a golden bronze color. Gathering five men, each of whom is skilled in a certain area, they have formed a team that go's where they are needed, helping those who need help and bringing evil-doers to justice! They abide by a code, which states "Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man." His comrades, also known as the Fabulous Five are: Andrew "Monk" Mayfair, skilled chemist; Theodore "Ham" Brooks, attorney; John "Renny" Renwick, construction engineer; Thomas "Long Tom" Roberts, electrical engineer and William "Johnny" Littlejohn, archaeologist and geologist. Along with Doc's cousin Patricia, or Pat to the group, who is constantly getting into trouble, leading to the boys getting her out of it, they hold their headquarters on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, which houses Doc's offices, laboratory etc. a kind of Hall of Justice (the headquarters of the cartoon team the Superfriends). His popularity over the years lead to several radio shows, comic books, and in 1975 the movie Doc Savage: Man of Bronze was produced, but suffered due to being a critical failure and box office flop. For those who wish to read the reprints of Doc's classic adventures, go to http://members.cox.net/comingattractions3/SanctumBooks.html, where you can also find as in my previous character post, the reprint volumes of Walter Gibson's classic character the Shadow. And for anyone who is interested in the Doc Savage radio series's, go http://www.radioarchives.com/default.asp for the cd's. Don't hesitate, get out there and "do right to all, and wrong no man" today!

Walter Gibson aka. Maxwell Grant

Today, for all the folks out there who read this blog, you are going to meet a man who I have come to admire and respect through reading his books. Walter Gibson ladies and gentlemen, or as he was better known back in the 1930's, Maxwell Grant. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1897. He graduated from Colgate University in 1920, and afterwards began working at newspapers for his native city as a reporter and cross-word puzzle writer. In 1931, due to the popularity of the Shadow's character on the Detective Story Hour radio show, the sponsors, Street and Smith Publishing, asked Gibson to translate the character into print, and so Gibson, under the house name of Maxwell Grant, published the first 75,000 word Shadow story, which appeared in the first quarterly Shadow pulp magazine. The magazine's popularity grew, causing it to go to a twice-a-month printing, and leading Gibson to produce 24 novels a year. A compulsive writer, Gibson wrote 282 of the 325 Shadow novels, which was an estimated 1,680,000 words. In addition, Gibson was a accomplished magician and wrote over a hundred books on magic, rope tricks etc. He also ghosted several books for magicians Harry Houdini, Howard Thurston, Harry Blackstone and Joseph Dunninger. Gibson was also responsible for introducing many foreign magic tricks to the American public and published several books on them. Walter died on December 6, 1985. Mr. Gibson, many may not know who you are until now or what your legacy is, but the Shadow knows.

The Shadow

For all those who live in the Chicago-land area, the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention is coming up in a month folks! This convention offers it all, from classic pulp novels, to science fiction, OTR (Old Time Radio) and so much more. So I've decided to do a series of posts about famous pulp novel characters, their creators, and some of the other things that are showcased at the convention. Today's is about one of the more legendary characters of the pulp novels, the master of the night and stalker of crime, The Shadow! Created by Walter Gibson, under the pseudonym Maxwell Grant, the character actually first appeared as host of The Detective Story Hour radio show in the early 1930's. Pulp publishing house Street and Smith, assigned Gibson to do a pulp story on the character and in 1931, The Shadow magazine hit the stands, and hit hard. The character became instantly popular, gaining his own radio show in the late 30's (with Orson Wells playing the lead character for awhile) and being the subject over the years of films, comic books, comic strips etc. The Shadow is the alter ego of Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town, who uses the hypnosis he mastered in the Orient to fight crime as the Shadow. But in fact, the Shadow is famed fictional WWI aviator Kent Allard, who uses Cranston's identity as a cover for his own, due to Cranston being abroad so much. With a network of agents, the men and women he has saved and put into his service as his eyes and ears, the Shadow has let the underworld know fear for the past century and continues to do so in the hearts and minds of all who love adventure and mystery. If anyone who reads this blog wishes to know more about this character and his adventures, Sanctum Books is publishing a series of reprints of the classic Shadow pulp stories, two to a volume, with the original artwork and articles related to the character or aspects of him and his world. Visit http://members.cox.net/comingattractions3/SanctumBooks.html to order the books, and if you wish to listen to episodes of the classic radio show, check either Itunes, http://www.radiospirits.com/ or any other website that sells collections of classic radio shows on cd, cassette tape etc. Don't hesitate, become a fan of the Shadow today!

Abin Sur

Before Hal Jordan became Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, Abin Sur held that position. Originally a history professor on the planet Ungara, Sur took the position of Green Lantern in the mid 1860's. He fought on Earth during the American West and during WWII, helping Starman and Alan Scott combat Mister Mind. After a mission to the planet Ysmault, where he encounters the Five Inversions, he is told of a  prophecy, the Prophecy of the Emotional Spectrum and that he will die, filled with fear unable to stop the prophecy. That death comes to fruition when, as he lays dying, the victim of fear, something a Green Lantern cannot have, his ring summons Hal Jordan to succeed him. Abin Sur will be played by Temuera Morrison in the upcoming Green Lantern movie.

Hector Hammond

One of Hal Jordan's frequent enemies, Hector Hammond first appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 2 #5, 1961) was given massive psionic abilities when he was exposed to the same meteor that gave Gorilla Grodd his abilities. But that came later on, first he exposed four scientists to the meteor, causing their intellects to increase rapidly while sapping their free will. Hammond forced the scientists to build amazing inventions that he sold as his own, building enormous wealth for himself, until he was stopped by Hal Jordan. Upon escaping from prison, he deliberately exposed himself to the meteor. This is when he gained his psionic powers and immortality as well, but at the cost of immobilization and loss of speech, being able to communicate only telepathically. He was responsible for the creation of the second Royal Flush Gang in Justice League of America #203 (1982). When he appears in the series Blackest Night crossover, he escapes from prison, swallowing the orange lantern of Larfleeze and becomes the new host for Ophidian, the embodiment of greed, who attempts to make Larfleeze his slave after being forced to live in the lantern for years. After Hector's desires start to override his own, he leaves Hector's body in search of Carol Ferris. Hector will appear in the upcoming Green Lantern movie, portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard gaining his powers after absorbing a small piece of Parallax that was housed in Abin Sur's body.