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August 31, 2007
The Mountains of Madness: 1931
By examining Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym we took a look at one of the authors and books that helped set the stage for pulp magazine writing in the 20th Century. It’s now appropriate to look at a work strikingly influenced -- perhaps inspired -- by Pym.Posted by ds at 07:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 28, 2007
Inspector Porky Neale: a Detective Fiction Weekly series
by Monte Herridge. Inspector Porky Neale was an interesting series by Roland Phillips that ran in DFW from about 1930-34. Porky was a nickname, and his real name was rarely if ever mentioned.Posted by ds at 07:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 22, 2007
Cities of the Fantastic: A Contemporary Series of Verne-inspired Graphic Novels
by Duane Spurlock. Jules Verne’s works continue to influence and inspire artists today. For contemporary examples, readers need only look at the graphic novels – or albums, to use the word typically given European works of this type – in the Cities of the Fantastic (Cités Obscures) series by Benoit Peeters and Francois Schuiten. Written by Peeters, who is French, and drawn by Schuiten, who is Belgian, the books in the series present a picture of the present or future as seen from the past – specifically, a future depicted according to a 19th Century extrapolation of mechanical science that is part steampunk, part world of marvels, part dystopia. The result is rather Vernian in its feel, thanks greatly to Schuiten’s art style, which suggests the engraving style used for reproducing illustrations in 19th and early 20th Century publications. Further, such consistently amazing architectural wonders haven’t been seen in the graphic storytelling form since the days of Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo.Posted by ds at 08:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 16, 2007
Talbot Mundy’s “Kitty” Stories
Mundy wrote four stories about actress/woman about town Kitty Crothers. I’m very pleased to share them here, because it’s doubtful they would find their way into print these days, as they offer settings far from the exotic locales Mundy is famous for in “Soul of a Regiment,” King—of the Khyber Rifles, and his JimGrim tales.Posted by ds at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 14, 2007
"Kitty Burns Her Fingers"
by Talbot Mundy. Mundy does a very nice job -- with some chuckles along the way -- of demonstrating how trying to recreate a person in one's own image (even when it's "for their own good") usually has problematic consequences.Posted by ds at 07:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
