Who Else in This Burg Just Completed a Feature Film Script?

Yeah baby!

What?!

That many...?

Bastards...

Meet the New Boss...

Same as the old boss...

I Got Wood...

Over the poster and trailer for this no-budget pure pulp movie...DEAD
WOOD.

You don't need a lot of money to create cool.

You don't need an all-star cast.

You need story and skill.

Would You Like Some Cheese to go With That Whine?

From Video Business:

"When Joss Whedon launched made-for-Internet tuner Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog last July, it repped a landmark in the development of the online economy.

"It was the first significant example of a creator bypassing traditional network outlets and bringing high production values to the Web," says Arash Amel, head of broadband media at Screen Digest.

Users flocked in the hundreds of thousands to watch the three-parter and paid $1.99 an episode for the privilege. Demand was so great -- some 200,000 hits per hour -- that the website crashed a few hours after the launch.

It had been generally assumed that consumers wouldn't pay for made-for-online content; the success of the show made it clear that they would.

But sadly, most creators of online content don't have the pulling power of Whedon, and for them, other rules apply."

--------------------------------

Okay, does one imagine that Sam Raimi was "Sam Raimi" when he first unleashed the Evil Dead franchise?

Or Wes Craven when Freddy Kreuger was born?

Or Stuart Gordon when Re-Animator re-imagined the "walking dead?"

So because they didn't have a "name value" - did that stop them from trying and succeeding? No! What they did was work harder, did more press interviews, took meetings, and so on. In fact, the first Evil Dead movie didn't make any money for Raimi's investors so he made a deal with Dino DeLaurentis for them to be paid on ED2.

They kept at it. They worked it.

And these days - it's a hell of a lot easier. You CAN do it yourself and not have to pay huge percentages for distribution, promotion, marketing, publicity and so forth.

You're not Joss Whedon. So what?

That doesn't mean you can't make something cool and make money off of it. It just means you'll probably have to work harder and longer and yes, smarter.

If you can't do that. If you don't want to do that - then please - get the fuck out of this business right now, you pussy. You're clogging the system. You're stealing from the rest of us - our energy, our resources and our reputations.

People don't care when they click on that little play button. They want to be entertained first and foremost. If it's from someone who's entertained them before - it's a little easier, but it's not the most important.

Entertain first. The "name value" will come later.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

Sitting in my file box right now is my interview with the crazy guys who want to take you on a Mysterious Adventure. I will post it next week after my fingers quit bleeding from the script I'm writing.

But go ahead and order now.

Tell them a bastard sent ya.

H/T to Rolf.

(and remember if you see something pulpy cool, drop us a line here at the HQ and let us know)

Welcome...

Via my sitemeter, I see that many of you are visiting Pulp 2.0 from John August's site and his post regarding writing a D2DVD movie.

Welcome. Sit down. Take your shoes off and have a beer. Feel free to look around and ask questions. We aren't fancy just entertaining (well, we try anyway).

If you're wondering about the Pulp 2.0 monicker, let me just say that profitable indie film screenwriting and movie-making today is like the old pulp magazine business model:

Make it fast. Make it cheap, but for gosh sakes above all make it entertaining.

To get you started with some of our pulp film-making philosophy (though I really hate that word) I would suggest you start here.

We also take a look at the world of new media, comics, and publishing because these days it's all entertainment. If you want to survive as a writer in today's economy it helps if you can do it yourself. We try and help you do that as much as possible. No bullshit.

Hailey Hacks...Everything

Hailey Hacks: Press Release

via Running With My Eyes Closed

NEW WEB SERIES TEACHES KIDS COMPUTER SAVVY THEY DON’T LEARN IN SCHOOL

Thirteen-year-old web wizard, Hailey, makes technology cool

TORONTO, March 25, 2009 — Story2.OH and giraffesoft introduce Hailey Hacks, a series of web videos starring Toronto grade 6 student, Marlee Maslove. Hailey (Maslove) is the Hermione Grainger of web wizardry showing 8-13 year olds all kinds of cool things they can do with their computers.

“Kids have these very powerful machines at their fingertips,” says series creator Jill Golick, “but no one’s teaching them the incredible scope of what they can do with them.” The mandate of the series is to broaden tweens’ use of the computer beyond games, Google and YouTube to include the wider world of blogs, widgets, RSS feeds, social bookmarks and the amazing tools that exist on the web for creating, collaborating and communicating.

“Computers will become increasingly important in every aspect of kids lives – for entertainment, communication, work, everything. Yet there’s virtually no computer instruction in the classroom before grade 9,” says Golick.

By that time, many girls have already turned off maths and science and as anyone who has ever attended a geek event knows, women in technology are few and far between. Hailey presents an alternate view of technology for young girls, making it relevant, fun and cool.

Recently web series are springing up on an almost daily basis, but very few are aimed at the preteen demographic even though the age group has clearly embraced online video entertainment. Hailey Hacks fill the gap, bringing kids multiplatform entertainment. Not only can they can watch the videos, they read Hailey’s blog, share lolcats with her on Icanhascheezburger, subscribe to her YouTube channel and Twitter feed and exchange twitter-length videos with her on 12seconds. She even has a fan page on Facebook

The Hailey Hacks videos are available in two length. The shorter versions are available at no cost across the web on YouTube and other popular video sharing sites. The full versions are available for DRM-free download at a cost of $2 per episode at www.haileyhacks.com.

While some adults may have a knee jerk reaction to the word “hack” in the series title, Hailey points out, hacks don’t deserve their bad reputations. A hack isn’t about breaking or wreck ingthings. Rather, hacks are elegant but simple, solutions using technology. (Wikipedia defines a hack as “a clever or quick fix.”)

Outline of scheduled video episodes:

Hailey Hacks April Fools: Hailey demonstrates some favourite low- and hi-tech April Fools tricks, including the famous Desk Top Hack in which the desk top is replaced with a photo. (This drives parents crazy as they try to figure out why nothing works when they click on it.)

Hailey Hacks lolcats: Hailey helps viewers master www.icanhascheezburger.com.

Hailey Hacks Wish Lists: Hailey shows you how to create and share wish lists so everyone knows exactly what to buy you for your next birthday.

In future episodes, Hailey shows viewers how to make a wiki, customize Google maps for school projects, use online tools to throw a party, use privacy settings on social networks, share bookmarks, collaborate using Google docs and how to set up your own blog.

About the Story2.OH and giraffesoft:

Story2.OH is a Toronto-based digital drama production company, which specializes in cross-platform innovation and in telling stories through social media. giraffesoft is a boutique web app development shop based in Montreal, Qc.

Hailey Hacks creator, Jill Golick, and star, Marlee Maslove, are available for interviews.

Story2.OH
Jill Golick
Tel: 416-538-6509
E-mail: story2oh@gmail.com
Website: www.haileyhacks.com

links to Hailey’s social networking:
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
YouTube
12seconds

----------------------------------------------

Okay, you're asking why this - a web video series aimed at young girls - is on Pulp 2.0. It's because Jill is not only a friend, she's a smart cookie. You can learn a lot about how Jill and her partners in this endeavor discovered an under-served niche in the web video market. This isn't a parody video series, or a 20-something series, or a ripoff of THE OFFICE. She looked to the audience first. She saw what wasn't being done and seized the opportunity.

Secondly, she's using free social networking tools to get the word out. She has a web configuration in place, but Jill's plan looks loose enough to "go with the flow." She can adapt to where they hang out (Twitter) and since she's making a series for kids that is also educational (entertaining first, educational second) she can expand her marketing to get teachers and school systems on her side if she wants. Let's face the fact that if you have an audience of kids who need to learn how to use the web and their computer and you can do it in a fun way - teachers are going to love you. It gives them a subject they can bring up and get the kids interested right away.

And I'm sure there will be Hailey merchandise to purchase soon - if there isn't already. I can see a Hailey Hack Book, a DVD of episodes with special exclusive 'hacks,' a t-shirt or netbook bag that says "I Hack with Hailey"or "Hailey taught me How to Hack...Everything," ad infinitum...

There it is guys and gals. Now go out and hack it to what you're doing.

Stuff Hanging around my Desk...

Comics folk:

How come I can go to my local Mexican grocery / liquor / cigar store and pick up two - yes, two - 48 page adult digest comics (Pistolero #'s 124 and 127) in a plastic bag for $1.30, and you guys want to charge me $3.99 for 22 pages of story?

(I will scan the covers for you guys to marvel at)

On the other hand, I just read Mark Waid's The Incredibles comic from Boom. It will be on my "buy list."

Farscape fans are clamoring for more Farscape comics. Good. It's a good comic direct from the source.

I have an interview coming up with the guys who did something really pulpy cool.


Movie Folk:

John August is discussing D2DVD movies.

Read Screenplays by David S. Cohen. Quick read. Great read. This is the book for everyone who's ever asked, "How did that get made?" If you want to be in the business then you need to read this book.

I'm going to have to start a "Low Budget Movie Production Consulting Service" if things keep going the way they are...been answering questions/emails from a variety of sources. I can see why people are discussing it though. There isn't any money around with which to make movies. We're all going to have to learn to do more with less and do it better.

I am finishing the 1st draft of script this weekend. 95 pages +/- of pulp.

MARVELous Writers Wanted

From Nikki Finke:

"Marvel Studios has started a writers program. The goal is to put more than half a dozen film writers on staff, give them an office, and "work them like horses!," one of my sources says. I've confirmed this smart move. (Makes you realize how backwards Warner Bros is by comparison on their DC Comics film development.) No Marvel comic book writers are allowed to apply for the program."


Further details in the article.

Terms of the deal and so forth are what they are.

H/T to Shawna.

Mad Pulp Bastard meets Save The Cat!

As I have preached inumerable times--

It is ALWAYS much better to tell a simple story stylishly than to add 50 ideas or themes to a story to make it more "sophisticated."

But don't take my word for it.

From Blake Snyder's Blog:

"But one idea, well told, is actually the way to make your script more meaningful. Finding the “one idea” makes your story spine stronger. Yours must be a tale in which we “follow the bouncing ball” of a hero who changes from beginning to end. Your hero must learn a lesson — pick one– and you are telling us what that is by clearly planting your Theme Stated up front… and tying it to the “lesson learned” at the end.

The “one idea” rule also helps you decide if it’s a love story… or a thriller. And don’t you wish more moviemakers would decide this? We can understand multiple levels of meaning, as long as your intention as the writer is clear. Sticking to the “one idea per movie” rule helps us focus on what we’re really saying."

So whether you're making a movie, making a comic, making the poster to a movie and so on...stick to the one idea rule. It's marketing 101 and it makes your audience's lives so much easier and richer. [This is especially true for posters. If you don't follow the one idea rule then you end up here]

The audience can follow what you are doing, and then you can surprise them by showing them some aspect of that one idea they hadn't considered. They will love you for that.

So, Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

AIG v. The Flying Saucers

Fred Olen Ray is playing with the internet again... using some footage and software available from www.detonationfilms.com in their "April Fools Abuse the AIG Building Contest."

Free Comics, Kids!

Warren Ellis says there's free comics to download here.

Lucha!

Latinos more likely to download movies and music.

"Content providers have an opportunity to take advantage of a Latino population whose adoption of the Internet has grown at a faster pace over the past five years then the general population, and whose adoption of broadband is increasing lockstep with the rest of the country. About 54% of Latino consumers used the Internet last year, compared with 69% of the overall population.

"Younger Hispanics are avid content downloaders," according to a statement from Scarborough, a joint venture between Nielsen and Arbitron. "Downloaded material—from videogames to podcasts—could be a way that Hispanics are interacting with media content for the first time."

As good an excuse as any to make a cool lucha-styled movie. You up for it Drew ? (after we get done with this one we're currently working on of course!)

I want more of this...

From Sean Phillips whose work graces CRIMINAL and INCOGNITO.

(not to forget my header image above)

Warner Archive DVD's

Warner Bros. has launched their "Warner Archive" series of DVD-on-Demand releases that ushers in a new era of DVD distribution for the studios. There are several things that will be of interest and education for those out there looking at this model (whether via Createspace or other):

1) This is a perfect example of the value of a library of content. While these title may not sell all the time in wide release, they are what we call "evergreens." That means there are minimal sales over a longer period of time.

2) This ushers in a possible new era of acquisition by the studios for lower-budgeted product they can sell in the rental arena (BB, Netflix, other) and then through this D-O-D model. You could actually get your movie distributed by Warners, which if they promote properly and effectively (something they are slowly learning) could yield some good profit for you. It also opens up the idea of more in-house D2DVD productions which could be sold via this method. Imagine a line of $1m movies (something Sony is doing with ANGEL OF DEATH) promoted, marketed and sold online and internationally.

[And let's put it out there - if they could ever get their relationship with DC Comics flowing smoothly they could have an interesting line of movies featuring 2nd tier characters in the lineup...but that would take a lot of marketing, coordination and egoless cooperation. It would also mean building that area of the business over time]

3) It allows us to finally get cool movies we haven't seen in years - like this. We could also start to see things like packages of TV pilots put together in TV DVD packages.

4) This could be VERY competitive for the indie distributors out there. Warner Bros. has a lot of leverage with their product.

But as the name says, they are only releasing "Archive" material. I would hope that Paramount, Lionsgate, Universal and others would follow suit so we could start seeing some of the Republic serials available again.

No Explanation Required: Cat Sh*T One

The New Buck Rogers...

Courtesy of John Cassaday and Alex Ross (cover artists) and Dynamite Entertainment (publisher)

If Only More Movies had the Energy of GOLDEN BAT!

See?

Meet Sunny...

The newest member of Clan Cunningham.

From my Sister-in-law:

Hey Uncle Bill,
We have a new addition to the family. Her name is Sunny and she’s a golden retriever mix we rescued yesterday. She’s one year old, house trained, micro-chipped, spayed and knows several commands. She’s so sweet! Her family had a child who was allergic, so they had to let her go.

Yet Another Sign of the Apocalypse...

The Robert Halmi Co. -- the same rapists who gave us the SciFi Channel's FLASH GORDON series a year or so ago -- have set their eyes on THE PHANTOM.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Phantom” is getting a fresh take in a Sci-Fi miniseries. Rather than be daunted by the character’s past cinematic failures, producer Robert Halmi Jr. sees it as a chance to redefine the character.

“That there hasn’t been a successful ‘Phantom’ leaves the door wide open for us,” said Halmi, “since nobody has made it their own yet.”

Sci-Fi was drawn to the masked man because of his realistic setting, and lack of superpowers. “It’s not a guy in purple tights,” notes Mark Strong, Sci Fi channel executive. If the miniseries does well, Sci-Fi may turn it into an ongoing series in the hopes that they can fill the void left by “Battlestar Galactica.”

I predict disaster.

They Tried To Make Me Go To Rehab...

Been busy of late with the latest script. I'm past the halfway point which for me means an unending projectile vomit of words until the end. So this next week will be especially quiet as I finish this ambitious action-adventure script up and huddle in the corner, shaking like a meth addict.

Will it be Oscar-worthy prose? Oh hell no! (Fuck no, even)
But there will be a movie in there somewhere, and that's the point of a first draft.

A writer IM'd me the other day wanting to chat about his career. He' d (re) written two scripts in the 6 years he'd been writing. Of late he felt that he didn't want to write, felt blocked, etc...

The long and short of my advice was this:

If you can walk away from it. Then run.

I wouldn't want to wish some of the moments I've had in my writing career on anyone. And yet, I wouldn't trade them either. That's how insidious this writing thing is - you have to do it. And I'm not a great writer by any means, but if I want to see the images that I want to see onscreen (or on computer screen or page or iphone) then I'm at least going to write their first drafts.

I have to do that. That's how sick I am about writing this stuff. I mean - look at me - I'm relaxing from writing by... writing a blog post ABOUT writing.




But don't worry dear reader for the mental health of your completely mad pulp bastard. I take great solace in the fact that at least I'm not an actor.

Now that's nuts.

No Explanation Required: Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde

From our friends at Trailers from Hell.

The Future of Pulp is a Double Espresso

From Legionnaire Extraordinaire Jim Henshaw comes this post regarding book rights, authorship and the future:




Don't be a monkey. Be an 800 lb. Gorilla (or is that Guerrilla?)

Addendum to the discussion.

The Best Superhero Movie You Will See All Year

Courtesy of Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts.

"So basically what I learned was that as long as the passion to tell the story is big enough, and I'm willing to just keep going, everything else always seems to fall into place (sort of)."

Crank 2

Tune in Tonight!

Tonight on Geekerati we will be talking with Ron Fortier of Airship 27 and Wayne Skiver of Age of Adventure regarding their new ventures in the world of new pulp publishing!

Geekerati can be found here. Tune in at 7pm PST.

Don't be late!

IMDB Sees Future in Streaming...

IMDB announced that one of their long term goals is to offer one-button steaming for all of the movies listed on their site.

"Obviously, the vision is a long-term one, Needham acknowledged, and it faces hurdles from the slew of content owners who control the vast library of titles the Internet Movie Database provides information about, but as a leading movie-oriented site, it's a very important goal to articulate in public. "

The full story here.

Back in the Analog Days...

Movies used to look like this.

Seriously.

And we had to walk five miles in the snow, uphill both ways, to get our VHS tapes... dodging dinosaurs along the way.

Good Design Speaks for Itself

This is absolutely one of those situations that I love:

Making what you have work.

The only images of The Bat available were scans from the yellowing wood pulp pages... how do you make a cover out of that?

By turning your weaknesses into strengths.

Kudos to Altus Press.

Stock is Rising

Register now and this place allows you to download a free stock shot each week.

Pulp Painting...

I like first drafts...I really do.

There's nothing like the excitement and tension you feel after typing FADE IN and realize you are going to fill approximately 95+/- pages until you reach FADE TO BLACK (but in this case it's more like CUT TO BLACK since this is an action movie).

But there's a whole other level of excitement at work in the process beyond writing something like:

"Our heroine races headlong at the oncoming tram, bullets striking all around her as she..."
[REDACTED]

No, the real excitement is knowing that after you get through with the first draft - you can get to the real work of layering everything. Because the script isn't the final product - the movie is - and after you write that first draft, then you can begin to write the movie.

"Writing the movie" is that point (for me) when you have the canvas in front of you. It's the right size and shape and you've spent all this time thinking about what you're going to paint. The first draft is that coat of white gesso paint you apply to the canvas so that everything else sticks to it:

Your background, your foreground, your mid-ground, your highlights, your shadows and then your detail.

That's how paintings are built and that's how screenplays are built - in layers. This is especially true for screenplays for low budget films because those layers have to work together to "paint the picture" effectively without you running out of paint.

But what are the analogues of story to painting?

Your background is the world your story takes place within.
Your foreground is your main character(s) - the subject of your focus.
Your midground is your supporting characters - spaced between your focus and your world.
Your highlights refer to your main characters' best qualities.
Your shadows refer to their worst qualities - their weaknesses or flaws.

• Your heroes or villains can't be all highlight or all shadow or else they don't work with (or against) the background.
  

• You can't put too many characters in (your mid-ground) or else you lose focus on your foreground (your hero).

• And your background can't be all one color (emotion) because you lose all the wonderful, interesting detail.

Have a good weekend. I'll be slapping paint.

Storming the CASTLE: And You Wonder Why There Are Pirates?

Much has been made of the recent PirateBay.org trial in Europe and what file sharing means to intellectual property holders everywhere. I don't think there has been a definitive legal decision as yet, however let me relate a simple story that should clue most people in as to why there are pirates in the first place.

I watched the ABC Television series CASTLE the other day, but was pulled out of the final two acts of the show because of a phone call. I didn't worry though, knowing I could go to the ABC website the next day and stream the rest of the show to catch up.

I went to the ABC site and clicked several buttons, waiting for the show to load up.

Nothing.

Then the website said that I needed to download an "optimized player" in order to watch the show. It was a plug-in that added to Firefox.

Great. Did that.

Then it informed me I had to restart Firefox with the possibility it wouldn't be able to restore my previous session and that I would have to click around again to find the show.

O-kay. Did that. Clicked around. Found the show.

Clicked start.

Sputter. [Excuse me, "optimized sputter"]

Pause. Allow to buffer. Play. Sputter.

Repeat as insanity.

Then I clicked off the site, went to an "unauthorized stream" and two clicks later I was watching the show with no interruption, full-screen and great audio.
--------------------------------------------

FYI - I liked CASTLE. Light-hearted, fun and a good cast. I could easily see half a dozen stories right away, and different directions you could take the premise. It's a helluva lot better than BONES and 11th HOUR combined.

And if I miss it on television, I won't be catching up with it on the network's website.

Unleash Hell...

Blog2print.com is a website that allows you to print your blog as a professionally published "Blog Book."

While I take exception to the term "professionally published" - I think this might be a good idea to file posts. However I do not like the pricing and I think that should keep most folks away from this service. Only 20 pages for $14.95 ? Should be 200 pages for $14.95.

News You Can Use: Razorfish Digital Outlook Report 2009

In setting up any business - media or otherwise - it's important to find out what the "experts"*** are reporting. Below is a link to the Razorfish Digital Outlook Report for 2009.

It promises to be an interesting future.

Download PDF report here.

*** Note: My quotes around the term experts isn't a jab at them. It's a comment on the fact that many of these reports are sales tools and you have to take them with a grain of salt. As with ANY report YMMV.

More Watchmen Debate from Nikki Finke

Here.

[And let me point out that Nikki asks, "What price fidelity?" when a feature film version of the story is not faithful]

Once the pic opened, “either you were familiar with the source material, or you had trouble following the bouncing ball,” one studio marketing exec analyzed for me. Exit polling showed that the audience didn't really like the movie (as shown by a Cinemascore of only "B"). "Alan Moore always said that Watchmen the graphic novel couldn’t be successfully made into a movie. Maybe he was right. Because, at the end of the day, Zack Snyder’s slavish attention to detail in making Watchmen such a literal translation is what ultimately doomed the film. He cared more about the appeasement of the fanboys than in a cohesive, coherent movie meant for everyone.”

Watchmen Opening Credits Are On The Internet Forever Now (CLIP)

Watchmen Opening Credits Are On The Internet Forever Now (CLIP)

Posted using ShareThis

More Watchmen Debate

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Writer's Room

John August points us to a post by Mystery Man containing a pdf download of a transcript of the story conference which generated RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

A great resource (120+ pages) to learn how they started, what sources they took from, and what they were concerned with along the way.

My Problems With Watchmen...

Can be found here at The Wrap.

I'll add more to this here.

Edit to add:

Okay, so Aric Blue says, "I think yer nuts!" and maybe I am...but not about this. Maybe the 3.5 hr version will be better, but I still get the sneakin' suspicion that it would have more impact as a TV mini-series.

Imagine if you will 12 episodes spaced out over 3 months. Each episode mirroring its printed counterpart. Bits and pieces from one episode adding meaning to another episode - much like LOST which I compared it to earlier. WATCHMEN IS like that delicate watch we see young Jon Osterman repairing in the movie. The variety of pieces have to be fit together in the right order in order for it to work properly.

More later I'm sure.

Internet v. TeeVee

Essay here by Paul Graham.

Discuss. Dissect. Not necessarily in that order.

H/T to Ted Hopefor finding this.

Rushing off to see Watchmen.

No Explanation Required: Dr. Manhattan on G4

Wrapping Up Watchmen...

TheWrap.com has posted my editorial/ blog post regarding the "Significance of WATCHMEN" to the comic book community.

Read it with the sarcastic tone for which I am known...

Though, this is serious. Really.

An Inspirational Moment With Your Mad Pulp Bastard...

Many people have been discussing the dire state of indie film and ask me:

"How are we going to survive?!"

(Said many a time with a "Save us Mad Pulp Bastard, Save us!" tone)

Well, let's face the fact there's no easy answer to any of this, except that we have to go out and find what works for each of us. I personally don't think we are in dire straits, we're in an economic recession and we have to do the workaround wherever we can - finding work, building relationships, building value - all of it. We have to build a better mousetrap (something I will discuss when I dissect the ANGEL OF DEATH series) and quit "old" thinking.

So to kick off the new way of looking at film (maybe we should kill that word and just call it digital media. Most of us aren't shooting film.) I offer this:

We aren't alone. (PDF Download)

I urge you all to read this. I urge you to seek inspiration. I urge you to keep the faith.

Pulp Legion Electrogram - Errata

For those of you wondering....

- Drew Bellware said it was his second bong hit...

- There is a section of the Electrogram missing so I will place it here:

"This is your school. I'm writing this script for Drew... not only to write another pulp script ( a form and story I really like) , but to put into practice the theories and so forth I've developed over the years in making these small movies with big ideas. This is my graduate school thesis, business plan and blueprint. "

Extry! Join The Pulp Legion!

And you too can learn all sorts of arcane secrets and machinations direct from the thinkmeat of the Mad Pulp Bastard:

- What the Legion is all about.
- What I've been up to for the past 8 months.
- The details for the new movie I'm writing - FLY BY NIGHT.
- Links to free stuff you can use for your cool pulp movies.

The first issue of the Pulp Legion Electrogram has gone out. Join now so you don't miss out on future issues!

See the sidebar to the right.

Oh and in Other News...Captain Canuck!

IDW didn't send me this press release, but I found out through the channels they are re-publishing the classic CAPTAIN CANUCK!

I remember reading this comic back in the early 70's (?) one summer at my grandparents house in the bustling metropolis of Grinnell, Iowa. There was a local newsstand that was near my grandfather's plumbing business that held paperbacks, newspapers, magazines (which I later learned were the "Men's Sweats" from publisher Martin Goodman. I just knew the same guy was on every cover - Steve Holland.

It was the same summer that I discovered The Shadow... and yes, THE WEALTH SEEKER was the first Shadow novel I read.








And the radio version of The Green Hornet (I purchased a radio cassette at the airport on the way to Iowa and had to wait the entire summer before I could get back to SC and listen to the programs!).


So yes, the good Captain holds warm memories for me. Not just because I associate him with that great summer, but because CC was a comic that was different. The art by George Freeman and J-C St. Aubin was different in that it took a more classic, comic strip approach to comics than what I was getting from Marvel or DC. The coloring wasn't slapdash but rather "painted" in a technique similar to what I was seeing in PRINCE VALIANT.

I'm glad to see the Captain has returned and that he'll sit proudly on my shelf and in my heart.

THE COMPLETE ROCKETEER from IDW

Two Versions, Including A Deluxe Edition Featuring Many Never-Before-Seen Images

(San Diego, CA; February 28, 2009) -- IDW Publishing is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Complete Rocketeer by Dave Stevens, collecting the classic series in its entirety for the first time ever.

After more than a decade out of print, The Rocketeer makes a triumphant return to stores this October with a comprehensive hardcover edition featuring artwork digitally re-mastered from Stevens’ own lovingly maintained collection of originals, and all-new coloring by Laura Martin, the Eisner-Award-winning colorist handpicked by Stevens himself.

The Rocketeer, a rollicking tribute to pulp novels and Saturday morning matinee serials, follows the high-flying adventures of stunt pilot Cliff Secord and his girlfriend Betty, after Cliff finds a mysterious jet pack and takes to the sky. The graphic novel went on to become a much-loved major motion picture directed by Joe Johnston.

In addition to the mass-market hardcover, a very special deluxe edition is planned. Presented in a larger format, the deluxe edition will be filled with behind-the-scenes material, a treasure of additional pages featuring previously unpublished Rocketeer designs, preliminaries, and sketches by Dave Stevens, many taken from his personal sketchbooks.

“It is an honor to work on The Rocketeer,” said IDW Special Projects editor Scott Dunbier, “I’ve been a fan of Dave Stevens and The Rocketeer since I first read it in the early 80s. It was a dream of Dave’s to see his creation return to the shelves in a complete collection. We are dedicated to making this the definitive edition, a book Dave would have been proud of.” This October The Rocketeer will fly once more.