Frankenstein Lives Again! by Donald F. Glut

I don't usually pitch books from other writers on my personal blog, but this is a Frankenstein book, and it's very special.

I've wanted to read Don Glut's The New Adventures of Frankenstein ever since I first saw ads for the books in the back pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, when I was a teenager. Now I have an advance Kindle copy of the first novel in the series from the fine folks at Pulp 2.0 Press, and it's every bit the frightfully fun page-turner I always thought it would be.

If you love the Universal Frankenstein films, and the pulps, this novel can soon be yours on Kindle for a mere 99 cents!

The magnificently monstrous cover was painted by Mark Maddox.

Check it out: http://pulp2ohpress.com/coming-soon-frankenstein-lives-again/

(A deluxe print edition with lots of special features will follow soon.)

The National Theatre's FRANKENSTEIN

Folks who know me well are aware my favorite novel is Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN.

I can't count how many times I've read it, always finding fascinating new layers with each experience. I love the Boris Karloff films, too, but I'm especially excited to see The National Theatre's new stage play this April, just in time for my birthday!













If you're a Frankenstein fan, too, click on over to the fine folks at Rondo-nominated Frankensteinia, my favorite blog, and learn lots more about this extraordinary, and controversial, dramatic adaptation.






























http://frankensteinia.blogspot.com/2011/02/images-from-national-theatres.html

The Winter of Halloween

I'm revising and writing new chapters of The Halloween Legion today for Wild Cat Books, so I thought this photo would be nicely appropriate and inspirational. I captured these images while strolling through our neighborhood last Halloween night.

I could really feel the magic in the air.

The Halloween Legion © Martin Powell. Artwork © Danny Kelly

From the Past and Toward the Future

I had an amazing moment, when my friend artist Seppo Makinen emailed me a couple old comic book pages I hadn't seen for over two and a half decades. This splash page from "A Tonic for the Homesick" was the very first comic book story I ever wrote.

I saw samples of Seppo's science fiction artwork printed in an amateur press journal we both belonged to, and I sent him my script, asking if he might be interested in drawing it. About a couple weeks later Seppo mailed me the finished pages, which he had even lettered. This was a Rod Serling inspired sci-fi morality tale, from 1985.

Although I have many warm memories of this story, it was never actually published. Hopefully it will see print soon.

The page posted below is from my very first published story, "The Dinosaur Doctor", from 1986, penciled by Seppo Makinen and inked by the late Alan Larsen. Interestingly, I composed a story where the title character created modern dinosaurs by extracting their DNA from the dino-blood trapped in the bellies of prehistoric insects fossilized in amber, beating the Jurassic Park novel to the punch by several years.


















I'll always feel great gratitude for Alan for giving me my start and my first paycheck as a writer. A couple years later Seppo and I teamed-up again with our Sherlock Holmes/Dracula mystery adventure, Scarlet in Gaslight, and our careers finally ignited. Without Alan Larsen's encouragement, I don't know if that would ever have happened.

Thanks, Alan...where ever you are.

(Click on the pictures for larger images.)

"A Tonic for the Homesick"and "The Dinosaur Doctor" © Martin Powell. Artwork © Seppo Makinen.

Our Happy Valentine's Day

Lisa and I had our first date on Valentine's Day. Exactly a year later, we moved in together. That was eight years ago today. She deserves a medal, or possibly sainthood, for sticking by this moody, insomniac all this time. I may have lost my mind long before we met, but Lisa has my heart.

Pulp 2.0 Previews

Coming in 2011 from from Pulp 2.0.

Shown above is the first page of my Sherlock Holmes/Dracula mystery-adventure SCARLET IN GASLIGHT, as illustrated by Seppo Makinen.

And a page of my adaptation of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN, as brought to life by artist Patrick Olliffe.

Lots more to come...!



















(Click on pictures for larger images.)

Scarlet in Gaslight and Frankenstein © Martin Powell. Artwork © Seppo Makinen and Patrick Olliffe

Add a caption

Brief preview of things to come from Pulp 2.0. This is the first page of my Sherlock Holmes/Dracula mystery-adventure SCARLET IN GASLIGHT, as illustrated by Seppo Makinen. Scarlet in Gaslight © Martin Powell

My New Books for 2011 from Pulp 2.0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 7th, 2011

www.pulp2ohpress.com

Pulp 2.0 Press Acquires Rights to Four Acclaimed Graphic Novels

by Powell, Makinen and Olliffe

Pulp Publisher to Bring More Pulp Graphic Novels into Collector’s Hands

Los Angeles, CA - Pulp 2.0 Press CEO Bill Cunningham today announced that the company has acquired the publishing and media licensing rights to four graphic novels from acclaimed comic book creators Martin Powell (The Phantom Unmasked, The Spider, The Halloween Legion), Seppo Makinen ( Neil Gaiman’s Mr. Hero - The Newmatic Man, Three Musketeers) and Patrick Olliffe ( Spider-Girl, Amazing Spider-Man Digital, The Atom, The Mighty Samson) . These four graphic novels include the Eisner award nominee Scarlet in Gaslight (The historic meeting of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula), A Case of Blind Fear (Sherlock Holmes vs. The Invisible Man), Ghosts of Dracula ( Dr. Van Helsing and Harry Houdini vs. The Lord of the Undead) and Frankenstein ( a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel). All were written by Powell with artistry by Makinen (Scarlet, Fear and Ghosts) and Olliffe (Frankenstein). These graphic novels will join other recent company acquisitions The Miracle Squad and The Twilight Avenger.

The Washington Post had this to say about Scarlet in Gaslight:

“Powell's florid story and Makinen's elegant draftsmanship create a vision of Dracula more satisfyingly cinematic than many of the movies, and almost inevitably give both him and Holmes a super-villain and hero look, which seems appropriate.”

We are incredibly pleased to be bringing these books out in new collectible editions for our pulp-loving audience. Many of these titles have fallen out of print, and when Martin approached us with the opportunity to license them for Pulp 2.0, I jumped at the chance,” said Pulp 2.0’s Mad Pulp Bastard Bill Cunningham. “Readers have always loved these ‘mash-ups’ and the timing couldn’t be more perfect with the upcoming Christmas release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie. The big bonus is we also get to revive Martin and Patrick’s acclaimed Frankenstein graphic novel adaptation and add it to our library as a companion must-have to our New Adventures of Frankenstein series of prose novels."

"I'm absolutely delighted to see the books in print again, getting the sort of treatment I've long dreamed of," said writer Martin Powell the 2010 Moonbeam Gold Award winner for Best Children's Graphic Novel (The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan). "In many important ways creating these stories defined me as a writer, and I have a great affection for all of them. I'm excited that there will electronic editions, as well. Pulp 2.0 is really presenting the best of both worlds for the fan and the collector, and it's an honor to have my books included alongside those of such a wonderfully prodigious author as Don Glut, whom I've admired for many years, and who has been a definite influence to me."

“We are now assembling the artwork and bonus materials for these books - material that hasn’t been seen before in any of their incarnations. Our goal is to always do right by the story and the fans. That means creating books, merchandise and other media that is entertaining and collectible, distinct from previous editions. Both Scarlet in Gaslight and A Case of Blind Fear are authorized by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate so we have that added ‘pressure’ of making these graphic novels something extra special,” said Cunningham.

About Pulp 2.0:

Pulp 2.0 is a publishing and media company that creates and distributes quality pulp entertainment media in every manner possible for its audience all over the world to enjoy. The company licenses, redesigns and republishes classic pulp, exploitation paperbacks and magazines through a variety of print and digital media; breathing new life into many of these ‘lost’ properties.

The company also creates new pulp entertainment for its target audience including the original vampire blaxploitation novel Brother Blood by Donald F. Glut, an internet radio adventure serial “The Murder Legion Strikes at Midnight” (produced in association with Toronto’s Decoder Ring Theater), and the upcoming book tribute to legendary radio adventure historian Jim Harmon, Radio Western Adventures and features a lost western tale by Doc Savage creator Lester Dent. In addition, the company is developing the re-release of Glut’s widely acclaimed horror-adventure book series The New Adventures of Frankenstein in collectible editions for print and digital.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Bill Cunningham at the information at the top of the page. Further details will be released as they become available.

Scarlet in Gaslight, A Case of Blind Fear, Ghosts of Dracula, Frankenstein © Martin Powell. Artwork © Seppo Makinen and Patrick Olliffe.

Missing Marion

This is my cousin, Marion David Powell.

Guys don't come cooler. He was a mischievous joker, a spell-binding story-teller, a sensitive poet, and a dazzling musician. Marion could make a guitar talk. I looked up to him, and he influenced the creative direction of my life.

Marion died heroically in Viet Nam when I was ten years old. I had shamefully forgotten that Marion's birthday was last Wednesday, but I will never forget him. Not ever.

He still lives in my memory.

Boris Karloff Nov. 23, 1887 – Feb. 2, 1969

He was more than merely my favorite actor. He inspired and creatively influenced my life since I was five years old, and has made an indelible mark on my writing career.

I still vividly remember when he left us forty-two years ago on this date.



















































Star of stage, screen, radio, television, and comic books ...there will never be another Boris Karloff.