The essay below was done as a promotion for the short story collection BLACK PULP edited by Gary Phillips and Tommy Hancock. Enjoy!
On B-Boys and Pulp
Culture:
Black Pulp edited by Gary Phillips and Tommy Hancock
by Michael
A. Gonzales
Gonzales.gonzo@gmail.com
Planet Hip-Hop has always
overflowed with folks into various forms of pulp culture. Over the years,
I’ve interviewed many rap artists and producers who shared their love for
Star Wars, crime movies, karate flicks and the novels of Iceberg Slim and
Donald Goines. Still, I was surprised when Queensbridge legend Nas told me in
1999 that he had once created a Black Pulp hero when he was a kid.
“I
used to used to draw my own character called Sea God,” Nas told me. “I copied
the body of Conan the Barbarian, but had him standing on the corner instead
of in the forest.” Without a doubt, I’m sure Nas isn’t the only one with a
stash of drawings and/or writings detailing the bugged adventures of urban
champions.
Last year, when respected crime novelist/comic book writer
Gary
Phillips invited me to contribute a short story to his latest
project BLACK PULP (Pro Se, 2013), co-edited with Tommy Hancock, I
immediately thought of that long ago conversation with Nas and decided I
too wanted to create a hood hero.
Leaning back in my office chair, I
closed my eyes and thought of my own pulp filled childhood growing-up in
Harlem: of listening to old Shadow radio programs that were released on
records, watching blaxploitation and kung-fu flicks every weekend, devouring
the Marshall Rodgers/Steve Englehart’s version of Batman, discovering
the weird worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard,
watching Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon serials on PBS and falling in love with
the work of pulp artist supreme Howard Chaykin, the dude George
Lucas requested to illustrate the first Star Wars comic book.
After an
hour of drifting on those dusty memories, quicker than I could say, “Batman
and Robin, Green Hornet and Kato or Easy Rawlinsand Mouse,” my own pulp
heroes Jaguar and Shep were born. The lead character Coltrane (Jaguar) Jones
owns a Harlem rap club called the Bassment and drives through Harlem cool as
Super Fly in a fly sports car. His murderous friend Shep, who just got out of
prison, becomes his badass sidekick as the two self-appointed crime fighters
go in search of a music minded kidnapper.
Although I’ve never been big
on constructing strict outlines for fiction, I knew that I wanted the period
to be 1988, the last year Mayor Koch was in office. Crack was at its height,
Public Enemy’s brilliant It Takes a Nation of Millions was rockin’ the
boulevards, Dapper Dan was creating his bugged designer fashions and New York
Citywas still on the verge exploding.
Recalling Fab 5 Freddy, who
also appears in the story, telling me about the jazz/hip-hop shows he did
with Max Roach at the Mudd Club in the 1980s, the finished story told the
tale of a be-bop lover trying to rid b-boys and their music from the streets
of Sugar Hill. While working on the story, I consulted with my good friend
Robert (Bob) Morales, himself an accomplished comic book writer,
co-creator of the black Captain America graphic novel "The Truth" and a
pulp culture aficionado. Although he was working on a graphic novel
about
Orson Welles at the time, he always found the time to talk. Once,
when I thought the Paul Pope/John Carpenter-Escape from New York
inspired climax might be too crazy, Bob reminded me, “It’s a pulp
story…there’s no such thing as too wild.”
So, after several weeks of
calling Bob, sometimes a few times a day,and writing, “Jaguar and the
Jungleland Boogie” was finally finished. Sadly, Bob Morales died suddenly on
April 17, so I’d like to dedicate the story to him.
In addition to my
b-boy/be-bop tale, Black Pulp has a cool line-up of creators of color that
include famed novelist Walter Mosley, who penned the introduction, Gar
Anthony Heywood, Christopher Chambers, Kimberly Richardson, Mel Odom and
others.
BLACK PULP
WALTER MOSLEY INTRODUCTION
BLACKADELIC POP
Showing posts with label New Pulp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Pulp. Show all posts
Monday, June 17, 2013
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Kickin' The Willy Bobo With: LUCAS GARRETT Part Two
Derrick Ferguson: Do you ever feel
uncomfortable with the rampant racism, sexism and stereotypes in Classic Pulp?
Do you ever get questioned by your friends and acquaintances on your choice of
reading material?
Lucas
Garrett: To be honest, I would rather read fiction of that period because it
was so honest in their sentiments about race, sex, and class. There was no
“political correctness,” and there was nowhere to run and hide. Granted, I
don’t care for the blatant racism in books such as Tarzan, Tom Swift, Hugo
Drummond, and Fu Manchu. Moreover, the Spicy Pulps of that period were
generally horrible towards women. However, the stories were part of that time
period. Right or wrong. And those times were very harsh. That’s why characters
such as Dillon, Fortune McCall, Mongrel, Diamondback, Damballa, Changa, and
Imaro are very important for New Pulp. I feel that one of the greatest literary
tragedies of the 1890’s, all the way into the 1940’s, is that black communities
throughout the United States did not have their own dime novel and pulp writers
to give opposing viewpoints to what was being published at that time. Try to
search “black pulp writers” or “African-American pulp writers” in Google and
see what you get. Nothing. Nothing at all. And that is a shame.
And the
best time for it to have happened would have been the Harlem Renaissance of the
1920’s. That’s why having writers such as Charles Saunders, Milton Davis, and
you, Derrick, is very important. We are playing catch up for over a century of
racial bigotry and prejudice. Better late, than never. As far as anyone knowing
about my interest for pulp literature, they equate it with early
adventure/action fiction. It’s nice, but it’s not interesting enough to due
proper research. If my father were alive, he would understand the history of
pulp literature. Moreover, I think he would realize that I was adding my
perspective to that genre, and “redeeming” it to some extent. If that’s
possible.
DF: Do you feel New Pulp is
addressing and correcting the racism, sexism and stereotypes of Classic Pulp?
LG: Yes. I
do. In my opinion, New Pulp represents a multicultural melting pot of
characters, and civilizations, that approach perils and situations on a
realistic and non-biased perspective. Furthermore, New Pulp use issues such as
racism, sexism, and other bigotries and prejudices to reveal layered reasons
behind them better than Classic Pulp did during the 1920’s. 1930’s, and 1940’s.
DF: In what way does Classic Pulp
speak to you?
LG: Classic
pulp shows me the mindset of the men and women in the racial majority, and in
places of power and prestige, during that time. For a young Caucasian male or
female between the ages of say, 10 to 45, the South American, African, Near
East, Far East, Arctic and Antarctic continents would appear “alien.” The
predominant racial worldview was different back then. Political correctness had
not yet set in on a global scale. Therefore, people, who were not Caucasian,
were considered subservient, or savages to be subdued.
Initially, early pulp
literature (an outgrowth of the dime novel industry of the Gilded/Victorian
period of the 19th century) capitalized on this shared racial worldview. In
addition, you had the Physical Culture movements at the turn of the last
century in countries such as England, Germany, and the United States that mixed
religion with physical fitness, racial hygiene, and perhaps eugenics. Then we
have the wartime trauma of the First World War, and the period of Prohibition,
and the need for “superhuman” vigilantes and heroes to permeate the public’s
consciousness.
When I look
at pulp literature during that time, I also look at the period in which the stories
are published. And they are very telling when it concerns race, politics,
economics, and the infrastructure of societies throughout the world, whether
the information in the stories are factual or assumed. Classic Pulp literature,
whether it is adventure, action, spy, detective, femme fatale, space
opera-based is the mythology based on the racial, sexual, and classist
worldview of the early to mid-20th century. Classic pulp literature
consciously, and unconsciously, taught the societal mores and ethical systems
to generations of children who came of age before, during, and after the two
World Wars.
By the
1950’s, the era of Classic Pulp began to wane and was overtaken by other forms
of literature and other media. However, the serialized and standalone story
structure, and pacing, informed the serials, television series, and films that
came after. Therefore, to a certain extent, Classic pulp never went away. When
you watch films such as the Usual Suspects, Sin City, LA Confidential, Last Man
Standing, The Quick and The Dead, The Rundown, Star Wars, Star Trek, and
Serenity, you are watching Classic Pulp.
When you watch television series such
as Mission: Impossible, Alias, Lost, Nikita, 24, Bones, The Finder, Dollhouse,
Fringe, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, Heroes, and The Event, you are
watching Classic Pulp. Classic Pulp is the truest form of American Mythology
because it continues to permeate all forms of media, and evolve with the times.
Therefore, Classic Pulp has become New Pulp for a new era.
DF: What do you think of New Pulp?
LG: New
Pulp is the literary equivalent of the best action, adventure, detective, and
espionage films and television series being viewed, or in syndication. It
allows the reader to imagine interesting people, cultures, civilizations, and
other worlds in their own minds that are as immersive, and engaging, as going
to see a film in 3-D. And since I’m an immersive reader and thinker, using all
of my senses, I can enjoy novels like Dillon and the Voice of Odin, Dillon and
the Legend of the Golden Bell, and Philip Jose’ Farmer’s Wold Newton-centric
novels such as Time’s Last Gift and The Other Log of Phileas Fogg. I am present
in those stories, viewing every detail written by the author.
What people
get out of virtual reality, video games, television, and film, literature can
do as well. And with New Pulp, reader get more for their dollar, because it is
time they are taking away from watching a television program, or film, playing
a video game, or any other activity. Therefore, the stories had better be worth
the time. New Pulp is not an easy literary industry to be in because of the
competition coming from other forms of literature such as comic books, graphic
novels, and other visual media. However, the material being produced is worth
the struggle, in my opinion. That’s why I read New Pulp.
DF: I’ve been separating the eras of
Pulp into Classic and New but do you think the two should be spoken of and
evaluated as two separate eras?
LG: In
terms of Classic Pulp and New Pulp, I see it as being one continuous link that
has times of prosperity, and times of extreme setback. Call it Classic Pulp or
New Pulp, it’s still Pulp. Pulp literature has evolved to survive, and thrive,
through the times. We happen to be living in a time when it is a thriving
literary industry. The reason I make this statement is that Pulp literature
made a noteworthy comeback in the 1960’s and 1970’s in literature and comics.
Then it somewhat fizzled out in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Furthermore, during
times of economic downturn, Pulp literature seems to come back, and do well.
Usually, because of the rise in criminal activity that accompanies economic
downturns in those societies affected.
The thing
is, because of how Pulp has evolved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, I
would say that it will survive regardless of such activity. Because it has
become the unseen force behind the media mythology of America and the rest of
the known world. The entertainment industries that exist today owe a huge debt
to Pulp literature. Instead of declining, it has grown in various forms of
entertainment. In Internet terms: Pulp has gone viral. We couldn’t get rid of
it if we wanted to. It’s completely engrained in our popular culture.
DF: You’re a fan of the Wold Newton
Universe. Can you tell us what it’s all about and how you discovered it?
LG: My love
of classic/new pulp comes from my love of the Wold Newton Family and Wold
Newton Universe, which I discovered online between 1999 and 2000. I am a fan of
Timely Comics’ (Marvel Comics’ predecessor) The Invaders, a superhero team that
fought in the Second World War, which included Captain America, Bucky, the
Human Torch, Toro, Sub-Mariner, Spitfire, Union Jack, Miss America, and the
Whizzer. Therefore, I went online to see if there were any articles about them,
and I found an article written by Victorian and Pulp literature historian, Jess
Nevins. The article was entitled “The All-Aces Squad,” and the premise of the
article was that The Invaders, and its predecessor team, the All-Winner’s
Squad, were based on “real” individuals that Stan Lee, Timely Comics’
Editor-in-Chief, had heard about while he was a playwright for the U.S. Army.
In the article, Nevins identified the “real” members behind the All-Winner’s
Squad/Invaders myth, and kept referring to the Wold Newton Family.
Curiosity
got the better of me, I typed ‘Wold Newton Family’ into the AOL search engine,
and I saw numerous websites that talked about the Wold Newton meteor event of
December 13, 1795. The foremost website being Win Scott Eckert’s Wold Newton
Universe website, a website dedicated to
expanding the Wold Newton Family concept developed by a writer by the
name of Philip Jose’ Farmer, who wrote about it in two fictional biographies:
Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke (1972), and Doc Savage:
His Apocalyptic Life (1973).
The premise of the Wold Newton Family is that
on December 13, 1795, a meteor fell in the in a wheat field in the town of Wold
Newton, East Riding, Yorkshire, England, and that within a ten-foot radius of
the impact zone, there were two coaches carrying a total of fourteen
passengers, and four coachmen. This party had several individuals who were
written about in the popular literature at that time such as Percy Blakeney,
also known as the Scarlett Pimpernel, Fitzwilliam Darcy and his wife, the
former Elizabeth Bennett, and the ancestors of the literary figures in popular
fiction at the turn of the last century such as Sherlock Holmes, Arsene Lupin,
Fu Manchu, Hugo Drummond, Sexton Blake, George Challenger, The Time Traveler,
Tarzan, Doc Savage, etc.
The thing is, these eighteen individuals were exposed
to the “ionizing” radiation that emitted from the meteor. I put the nature of
the radiation in quotation because I believe that there is more to the meteor
than meets the eye. Furthermore, I do not believe that what the meteor emitted
cannot be considered radiological, and definitely not “ionizing”. I am one a
very few who share this belief. One of whom is Dr. Arthur “Art” Sippo, M.D.
Nevertheless, the meteor affected the genetic structures of those exposed, and
due to intermarriages with the group, as well as other relationships,
descendants were born who were slightly more than human.
DF: What is the fascination that the
Wold Newton Universe has for you?
LG: The
biggest attraction I have to the Wold Newton Family/Universe concept is the
conceit that most literary figures are based on actual people who lived, or are
alive in our “real” world. Therefore, using this concept, Doc Savage is based
on Dr. James Clarke Wildman, Jr., who is the son of Dr. James Clark Wildman,
Sr. who was fictionalized as a young man in the character of “James Wilder” in
the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Priory School,” and as an
older man, as the character “Daniel Hardin,” in Philip Wylie’s proto-Superman
pulp novel, “Gladiator.” It also made the “real” world appear more fascinating
than it actually is. Ironically, the Wold Newton concept has inadvertently
caused me to delve into other literature, which has broadened my literary
horizons. Because without it, I never would have read a novel by Jane Austen.
It wasn’t going to happen. Philip Jose’ Farmer changed my mindset. And, for
that alone, I am indebted to him.
DF: Do you subscribe to the Tommy
Westphall Theory?
LG: No. I
look at Pulp literature, Classic Pulp in particular, as being stories based on
something that may have happened, or could have happened, if the conditions were
right for it during the periods in time in which the stories are published, or
set. The Tommy Westphall Universe Hypothesis is both a genius concept, as well
as a cop out, in my opinion. Because it shattered the Fourth Wall of
storytelling, and caused the viewer to feel that they shouldn’t have invested
their time and thoughts in the lives of the characters from St. Elsewhere.
Personally, I think that the writers just ran out of steam. It was similar to
what happened in the television series, Dallas, when Pamela Ewing woke up to
find Bobby Ewing alive; after all season seeing her, and the rest of Ewing
family, deal with Bobby’s death. You can’t mess with fans like that, and think
there won’t be consequences. If you are dealing with exposing the viewer, or
the reader, to the fact that the world you are immersed in is not “real”, then
it needs to be explained at the beginning of the story, or people will not
understand. That’s what made the Matrix film trilogy successful. The first
Matrix film established that everything we see is an illusion. Therefore, when
things started to look a little bizarre in the “real” world of the Matrix, such
as towards the end of Matrix Reloaded, the viewers have that concept to anchor
them.
DF: Do you have any ambitions of
being a writer? If so, are you working on anything right now?
LG: Yes, I
do aspire to become a published writer. I’m working on an outline project for a
book about Steampunk-era werewolves set in turn of the 20th century Atlanta,
Georgia. The plot revolves around a family of southern Black werewolves who are
bred by a certain well-known Victorian literary mad scientist to be ferocious
slave catchers before the Civil War. However, this family used their abilities
to liberate plantations throughout Georgia and to form “Free Towns” that are
patrolled night and day by them. The story starts with the grandchildren of the
patriarch who was given the serum by the doctor while in utero in the 1830’s.
In fact, the patriarch of the family was born on November 11, 1831, the day Nat
Turner is executed in Virginia for his attempted slave uprising earlier that
year. I take elements from Philip Wylie’s novel, “Gladiator,” and postulate
that there may have been induced superhuman programs, independently funded, and
conducted, for nearly a century prior to the First World War.
DF: What’s
a typical Day In The Life of Lucas Garrett like?
LG: Working
mostly. I work an eight-hour shift from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM for five days, and
the two days I am off, I read for research purposes to help me craft my
outlines. I take short breaks, play with my dog, exercise, and I get on
Facebook to see what is going on in the Forum groups I’m involved in. And from
time to time, I go on dates. Nothing serious. That’s it.
Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we
need to know about Lucas Garrett?
Lucas
Garrett: Not at this time. Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity
to share my interest in Pulp literature
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Kickin' The Willy Bobo With: LUCAS GARRETT Part One
Derrick
Ferguson: Who is Lucas Garrett?
Lucas Garrett: I am a thirty-three year old African
American, a former United States Marine, and a concierge security officer with
over fourteen years of experience in the security industry. I am the second
oldest of seven children (five sons and two daughters). In addition, I write
unpublished fan fiction, and I am a fan of various forms of literature,
television, films, and video games. In particular, those forms of media that
focus on crossovers.
DF:
Where do you live and what do you do to keep the bill collectors away?
LG: For a year and a half, I have lived in a suburban
subdivision in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I work for Allied Barton Security
Services as a concierge security officer at a high-rise office complex near the
CNN Center, in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
DF:
You are a major Science Fiction/Comic Book/Movie/Classic Pulp/New Pulp/Wold
Newton Universe fan. Where did all this begin for you?
LG: That’s a loaded question. My love for science
fiction, comic books, movies, classic pulp, new pulp, and the Wold Newton
Family/Universe comes from my Dad. He was a voracious reader, mostly of classic
literature, history, anthropology, archaeology and linguistic studies. It is
because of him that I have a strong love for reading.
When he was younger, my Dad was a fan of the
short-lived television series, “The Green Hornet”, starring Van Williams and
Bruce Lee. In fact, one of the first comic books my father bought for me, when
I was a kid, was Now Comics’ The Green Hornet #2, written by Ron Fortier. The
Green Hornet, and later The Phantom, were characters who intrigued me because
the mantle of The Green Hornet and The Phantom were passed down from generation
to generation. In the case of The Green Hornet, the mantle is transferred from uncle
to nephew, whereas for The Phantom, the mantle is transferred from father to
son. I loved the family dynamic. And even though The Green Hornet and The
Phantom were not Pulp heroes per se (The Green Hornet originated from Old Time
Radio, and The Phantom began as a comic strip character), I see Pulp literary
elements in the characters and their world.
DF:
What are some of your favorite Science Fiction TV shows and Movies?
LG: Science fiction is the final frontier of the mind
for me. Therefore, I gravitated to it very early on with movies such as the
original Star Wars trilogy, the Star Trek films, Enemy Mine, The Brother From
Another Planet, The Final Countdown, The Philadelphia Experiment, Tron, the
Terminator films, and the Predator films. Action adventure films such as the
Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy, the James Bond films starring Sean Connery,
the John Carpenter films (Escape From New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in
Little China, in particular), Highlander, The Rocketeer, The Shadow, and The
Phantom prepared me for my early foray into pulp literature. And, of course,
when I was younger, television shows like Star Trek: The Original Series and
Star Trek: The Next Generation were big in my home. Although, of the various
Star Trek series, including Star Trek: Voyager, I gravitated more towards Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine. Captain Benjamin Sisko, portrayed by Avery Brooks, is my
favorite character from the series.
In fact, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and J. Michael
Straczynski’s Babylon 5 were the two television science fiction series I
routinely watched in the 1990’s. Moreover, I am a fan of old television series
like Automan, Voyagers!, Misfits of Science, the A-Team, Magnum P.I., Simon
& Simon, Miami Vice, MacGyver, Mission: Impossible, Airwolf, M.A.N.T.I.S.,
Kindred: The Embrace, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Jack of All Trades,
Hercules, Xena: The Warrior Princess, Angel, etc. Currently, on the SyFy
Channel, I watch Eureka, Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, Lost Girl, and Alphas. On
CBS, I watch NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. On Cinemax, I watch Strike Back.
Furthermore, I am a big fan of Doctor Who, and J.J. Abrams’ Alias, and I watch
them on DVD whenever I get the chance.
DF:
Do you think Science Fiction in print has lost some of the fun and sense of
wonder that it used to be known for? And if so, why?
LG: I think it has since we live in a
technologically-advanced period in human history. We are literally one-step
away from Star Trek. All we need now are faster-than-light space vessels, and
teleportation. We pretty much have everything else that Gene Roddenberry
envisioned. Those who read science fiction, in the past, were trying to make it
possible in real-life. I don’t see much of that drive these days. Scientists
and engineers have become so successful in giving the public new technological
tools and toys, that we have become complacent. Despite the recent launching of
the Mars Rover, Curiosity, being a success for the scientific and academic
world, very few outside those circles cared. Furthermore, literary works of
fantasy, such as the Harry Potter and Twilight series, are usurping literary
works based on hardcore science fiction, or science fiction based on scientific
fact and logical speculation. The primary reason why books like Harry Potter
and Twilight are doing so well is that there is little explanation needed to
understand them, if and when, they become feature films.
The K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) approach is being
used to make money off literary science fiction and fantasy properties; because
the aim of the publishers is to get enough buzz about a book series, so that it
is optioned as a series of feature length films. That’s my take on it. Comic
books are in the same boat too. Literary works are now source material for big
or small screen adaptations. The literary property is a vehicle to launch a
multimedia enterprise that not only markets the books, but also other connected
merchandising properties. Very few people write books for the sake of having
books published. The Internet and other multimedia enterprises have changed the
nature of the game forever.
DF:
Who are your favorite Science Fiction writers?
LG: Philip Jose’ Farmer, Win Scott Eckert, Christopher
Paul Carey, Rick Lai, Arthur “Art” Sippo, Ron Fortier, Derrick Ferguson, Howard
Hopkins, Charles Saunders, Milton Davis, Barry Reese, Jason Jack Miller, Heidi
Ruby Miller, William Patrick Maynard, Will Murray, Lester Dent, Walter Gibson,
Norvell Page, Philip Wylie, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov,
Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Michael Crichton, Howard V. Hendrix, Caleb Carr,
Leslie Silbert, and J. Gregory Keyes. A lot, I know.
DF:
What were the last five movies you saw and how’d you like ‘em?
LG: THE AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER,
THOR, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and BATTLE: LOS ANGELES. I loved them. In particular,
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, since I’m a former U.S. Marine, and I enjoyed seeing what
type of battle plan the Marine Corps would have in the advent of an
extraterrestrial incursion into our known space and planet Earth. Aaron Eckert
was superb in his role as a Staff Sergeant, who had planned on leaving the
Corps, but due to circumstances beyond his control, winds up leading a platoon
of Marines, and other service members, in launching a counterattack against the
alien invaders. I went away thinking that this would be a great prequel to
Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers novel. That’s how my mind works. I see
crossover potential in almost any media.
THE AVENGERS was fantastic. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST
AVENGER was outstanding. Initially, I wasn’t a fan of Chris Evans taking on the
role of Steve Rogers. Specifically, because Evans had played Johnny Storm in
The Fantastic Four films. However, and surprisingly, Evans won me over. Any
actor willing to put in the time, and energy, to play an iconic character on
film, as Evans did, deserves my respect. And director, Joe Johnston,
masterfully told a great story about the first true Avenger in Marvel Comics
history, and the world in which he fought. I couldn’t have asked for anything
else.
THOR was also very good. Better than I expected, actually.
I especially, loved the way the writers showed that advanced technology and
science would be perceived by lesser civilizations as being magical in nature.
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS was perhaps the best X-Men film I have
seen since X2: X-MEN UNITED. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were
outstanding as the younger versions of Charles Francis Xavier (Professor X) and
Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto.) And the actor
to watch, in my opinion, is Fassbender. If a Hollywood studio ever decides to
make a feature film about the pulp vigilante, The Spider, then Fassbender is
the man you need to play the title role. I can see Fassbender portraying
Richard Wentworth, alongside Lena Headey, as Nita Van Sloan. Of course, what
won me over about Fassbender was his range in the film, as well as the
intentional references to the Sean Connery James Bond films. Fassbender looks
like he could be Connery’s son, or grandson. Overall, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS shines
because of how logical the evolution of the X-Men, from a top-secret CIA assault
team during the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the personal strike team of the Xavier
School for the Gifted seemed. It makes complete sense that the X-Men would cut
their teeth during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. The
Children of the Atom would save the world from nuclear holocaust. It was pure
genius, on the part of the scriptwriters, to bring that remarkable idea to the
silver screen.
DF:
What three Classic Pulp characters would you like to see adapted to movies?
LG: The Spider, Operator #5, and The Avenger.
DF:
How long have you been reading comic books and what are your favorites?
LG: I rarely read comics anymore. The last comics I
read were Moonstone’s The Spider #1, The Spider #2, and The Spider vs. The
Werewolf. The last comic book series I read was Warren Ellis and John
Cassaday’s Planetary series. That was two years ago. Since then, I haven’t read
any other comics. When I was ten years old, my Dad bought me Classic X-Men #44,
Batman #441, and Now Comics’ Green Hornet #2. Therefore, from September 1990
until March 2010, I collected and read comics books of various genres. Mostly
superhero comics. Now, unless it comes from Moonstone, or Airship 27, I don’t
even bother. Even Alan Moore has disappointed me with his last series about the
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
DF:
What's the biggest difference you've seen in comic books between when you first
started reading them and now?
LG: How complicated they have become. There is too much
serialization and tie-ins needed to understand most of the comics out today.
There are very few standalone stories in superhero comics being printed these
days. And, of course, way too much political pandering, and agendas, in today’s
comics that I don’t particularly think need to be in a comic book geared toward
preteens and adolescents. When I was coming up, the comics I read the most were
Uncanny X-Men and X-Men. Now, there are numerous X-Men, or X-related, titles to
look at, and they’re all interconnected. If I had been a ten-year old coming up
today, I doubt very highly that my Dad would purchase these comics.
First of all the prices for comics have gone way up.
When I was younger, comics ranged from $0.50 to $1.25. Now you have comics that
cost four to five dollars, at the minimum. Secondly, in order to follow the
story arc for most Marvel and DC comics, you have to purchase tie-in comics.
Thirdly, there are too many monumental events happening every three, or four,
years. And finally, the characters are not allowed to grow up, grow old, get
married, have children, and have a life. It’s idiotic, in my opinion, to have
the original X-Men not age, and have lives, and families of their own. Cyclops
should not look like a thirty-five year old man. A superhero can be all he or
she can be, and still be a normal human being. The problem that I see from the
two “big houses” is that they have run out of ideas. It’s easier to invest your
attentions in an established character, or world, as opposed to expanding it
through time, or creating a brand new one of your own. When I realized that
unfortunate fact, I lost all interest in superhero comics.
DF:
We're seeing an awful lot of Classic Pulp heroes being adapted into comics
these days. What are your thoughts on that?
LG: I am happy if it is done right. When it is not done
right, it affects the properties greatly. A great example of it not being done
properly is the recent fiasco infamously known as “DC: First Wave.” The writers
cannot take characters like Doc Savage and his Amazing Five, The Avenger, and
his team, Justice, Inc., and expect them to function properly in a modern day
setting.
These characters were tailor-made for the world in
which they operated: The Depression era. It was easier in those days to yearn
for the ‘Superman.’ Now such a person would be ostracized, and viewed with
suspicion, by many people. Because that person would be perceived as being a
threat to societal mores, and the wellbeing of the public, and could
potentially, inadvertently, or intentionally, change the cultural and political
climate of society. Back then, people were on the lookout for the “Great Man”
who would save them, and take care of their problems. It was in the cultural
psyche. And the pulps gave the readers what they wanted. To modern readers,
they would seem antiquated. Obsolete. But they are not. Pulp heroes and
villains who are set in their natural settings can still be used to tell great
stories. But you cannot change the nature of the character, and their world,
and expect longtime fans of these characters to come along. It’s not going to
happen.
Derrick Ferguson: When did you first discover Classic
Pulp?
Lucas Garrett: It happened around the fall of 1999. At
around this time, I was reading Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s Planetary
comic book series for WildStorm Productions, the now defunct imprint of DC
Comics. Issues #’s 1 and 5 drew me to the Pulp Hero archetypes that were clear
homages to characters such as Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, Tarzan, G-8,
Operator #5, Tom Swift, Shiwan Khan, and Fu Manchu. I had remembered The Shadow
from the 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin. It was a decent film. The main
intrigue for me was The Shadow himself. How could he affect people’s minds?
Furthermore, around this time, I became aware of the pulp historian and
annotation expert, Jess Nevins, through his Wold Newton website, and his
annotation works on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One. It was
the perfect situation for me because I had had enough of superhero comics. I
wanted to read something rooted in reality. The introduction of Planetary, The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the Wold Newton Family, and Universe, and
the classic pulps, helped to direct my reading habits as I began to wean myself
away from superhero comics. I would occasionally read Mark Millar and Bryan
Hitch’s The Ultimates, Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men, and Chris Claremont’s
run on X-Treme X-Men. But that was about it. It was primarily Planetary and The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volumes 1 and 2.
Stay
tuned for Part Two as I continue to Kick The Willy Bobo with Lucas Garrett and
we talk about Classic Pulp, New Pulp and The Wold Newton Universe
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Heart of Fortune #1
Welcome back. Hope you’ve been enjoying the discussions we’ve been having so far as much as I have. Our next one is going to take us from Sebastian Red’s mystical Wild West for a bit. But don’t worry; we’ll be going back there soon enough. It’s just that I thought you’d appreciate some insight into the current project I’m working on so let’s go visit 1933 and Sovereign City, the current home of Doc Daye, Lazarus Grey and Fortune McCall
Fortune McCall is a character who, like most of my characters has been around for a long, loooong time. More than ten years in fact. He first found life in a fanfiction series I wrote for DC Legends entitled “Blackhawk International” where I created a 21st Century team of Blackhawks and Fortune McCall was handpicked to head up a new team by the original Blackhawk, now aged and running a worldwide multi-billion corporation.
It didn’t take me long to realize that Fortune and his team had far more potential as original creations so I requested that story be removed from the site and reworked the character. He was still set in the 21st Century but now he was an independent adventurer, sailing around the world on his luxury gambling ship, The Heart of Fortune and still assisted by his team of six close friends, all specialists in their fields.
And now that I had set him firmly in what my friends laughingly refer to as The Fergoverse, I reworked his background: Fortune McCall is a prince of the North African country of Khusra which I’ve mentioned in a couple of Dillon stories. As a prince he has enjoyed a spectacularly diverse education in America, Switzerland, England and France in disciplines both academic and martial. Equally at home in a laboratory, a classroom or a dojo, Fortune (I haven’t revealed his true name yet) is equally dangerous in a boardroom or a battlefield.
You see, his father wanted all of his sons and heirs to be equally capable of taking over as king so he never favored one over the other, making sure they all received the same education and training. However, tradition must be observed and the line of succession goes from oldest to youngest. And guess who the youngest is? Yep. Fortune. He’s the youngest of eight brothers.
Now, while some may find this a sucky situation, Fortune saw it as a wonderful opportunity. Enjoying considerable wealth as a Prince of Khusra, he didn’t have to worry about money. And since there are seven potential kings, the chances of him ever having to rule were slim to none. He could therefore enjoy all the benefits of his royal birth with none of the responsibilities.
So Fortune has his gambling ship built, takes on a whole mess’a his people to crew and work the ship and with his friends set off on adventure galore. As a huge fan of Marvel Comics’ The Black Panther, I envisioned Fortune McCall as a seafaring T’Challa, not bound to any one country. I could do one story with him in Italy fighting The Decided Ones and then in the next he could be in Australia hunting down packs of mutated dingoes roaming the streets of Perth.
Cackling wildly, I set about writing a Fortune McCall novel and got about 16000 words into the sucker when I got an invitation from Tommy Hancock. And that’s a name you’re going to hear a lot as we get deeper into this tale. So let me give you a brief background on this chap:
Tommy Hancock is a writer, living in Arkansas who I’ve known for a good 15, 16 years, now. We only met face-to-face for the first time at Pulp Ark but online we’ve collaborated on many a project and stayed up late many a night chatting on IM about characters, stories and ideas. In recent years Tommy has really made a name for himself as the spokesman and spearhead of The New Pulp Movement. But for our purposes here, we’re more concerned with his status as a publisher and editor.
Tommy and his partner run Pro Se Press which is creating quite the respectable reputation as a publisher of quality New Pulp fiction and Tommy also is largely responsible for the previously mentioned Pulp Ark.
The first thing you have to understand about Tommy Hancock is that he gets more ideas in a week than the average person has in a month. Even if he lived another 77 years he’d never be able to give adequate wordage to all the characters, concepts and stories packing the inside of his already full-to-busting brain.
One of these ideas is The Sovereign City Project. Tommy contacted Barry Reese and myself and asked us to each create a character for this city, which would be a shared environment between the three of us. The idea being that we’d lay the groundwork and foundation for Sovereign City and then after a year, the Project would be thrown open to other writers.
Now, I originally had no idea of placing Fortune McCall into this as I already had other plans in mind for the character, including a team-up with Dillon and indeed, pitched Tommy another character who was more or less a Shadow-analog to compliment Barry’s Lazarus Gray (an analog to The Avenger) and Tommy’s Doc Daye (a Doc Savage analog)
Tommy contacted me after reading my initial pitch and said that while he loved the character, he was puzzled as to why I hadn’t created a black character. Yeah, that’s right; the character I had pitched to Tommy was a white one.
My thing was this: at the time I’d never written a pulp character in the 1930’s. Since then, that’s changed (Details Later) and to be brutally honest, I wasn’t confident in my ability to credibly create and portray a black adventurer in the 1930’s. Given the climate, the culture, the racial issues…I admit it, I folded like Robert Duran in the seventh round of the Duran/Leonard rematch because I didn’t think I could pull it off.
However, Tommy had a little more confidence than I did…and we’ll talk about that the next time we get together.
Until then, feast your eyes on this: the artist is the infinitely talented Peter Cooper and I consider it the definitive look of Fortune McCall. I dunno if you can but I see a lot of Eisner and Simonson in there. And yeah, there will be more about Peter later on as well.
As always, thank you for your time and kind attention. Go read something good and I'll talk to you soon.
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