Kickin' The Willy Bobo With: RONALD JOHNSON

Derrick Ferguson: Who is Ronald Johnson?

Ronald Johnson: Ronald Johnson can be thought of as an equilateral rhombus living in a circular world. His angles are too sharp to fit in easily. However on those rare times when his second derivative smooth’s him out, he along with his brother-in-law, Dennis Cruz, are the co-creators of Maddjeeper, an awesome 3-D web-comic. Dennis is the Graphic Artist and I put the words on the page, or more precisely, the characters demand that I speak for them.

DF: Where do you live and what do you do to keep the bill collectors away?

RJ: I live out in the wilds of Queens Village, NYC in a rambling Victorian house with my family. To keep me in writing parchment and quilled pens I find I must trade my time and juggle numbers for the finance division of a major NYC University.

DF: MADDJEEPER is a webcomic that combines so many genres and elements from different forms of entertainment that it defies my limited ability to describe it. So tell us: what is MADDJEEPER?

RJ: Maddjeeper, from the future, originally contacted me in my sleep and made me tell the tale of a post-apocalyptic Lesser Earth, circa 2170, in which he seeks vengeance on whoever bombed MaddFatt City.  As the Maddjeeper runs roughshod in his pursuit, other forces on Lesser Earth, in order to keep their secrets, are determined to put him in the ground.

In the future there is less earth, so there is no time for fronting. You have to defend, strongly, what is yours or it will be taken away. The things of old Earth are relics and in certain circles of MaddFatt City the ancient music of Hip-Hop has been elevated to a high societal construct. In MaddFatt City the vitality of Hip-Hop is so strong, according to the Rapper Mos Def … “it speaks for itself."

So therefore in order to tell a story that big … it has to a rich bouillabaisse.

Smack … smack, yeah … that’s tasty.

DF: Where did the concept begin and where is it going?

RJ: Paraphrasing from the movie 'Inception': the most dangerous parasite on Earth is an idea.

Maddjeeper, the character, began in the teenaged mind of Dennis Cruz as a sketched superhero. Advance the clock some 315 million seconds and the Maddjeeper is being resurrected to help M.C. Globe (of Planet Rock & Soul Sonic Force fame) get background material for a superhero based rap demo. As the story was told and the lyrics written the Maddjeeper began to grow and take on an undeniable life of its own. One of the memorable lines written by M.C. Globe from the title track Maddjeeper was …”Straight out your speaker, here comes the Maddjeeper, putting on a show like tonight’s main feature. Now I’m a Jeeper, he’s a Jeeper, she’s a Jeeper, if you’re not a Jeeper let’s see what we can do.” We had a blast laying down seven tracks for the demo.

Unfortunately the demo didn’t lead to a record deal for M.C. Globe but the Maddjeeper stood tall in our minds for years until we were able to translate him and the other citizens of Lesser Earth into to the two dimensions of comics.

As to where the concept is going, in a systemic development mode, we now have 257 characters in the Lesser Earth world and some of the factions like: QuadroForce, Doggmen and Uni-Rebels are clamoring to make their breakout debuts. So far the 21 completed chapters only cover three days in the life of the Maddjeeper so the sky’s the limit.

DF: Why do it as a webcomic?

RJ: There certainly are challenges in producing Maddjeeper as a web-comic however we found that this method allowed more “creative” control of the process. While we studied and tested 3-D software we used the format of digital photography of action figures for the first 16 chapters of Maddjeeper. Then when we switched over to 3-D software we had to re-create all of our action figure characters as their 3-D equivalents. That was work but it gave us expanded options. Before our characters were limited by what we could find. In the 3-D realm options were increased exponentially. As with working with all software there will be the obligatory upgrades and patches that have the potential to wreak havoc on your character library. We have tagged a line that goes “Maddjeeper is the future of web-comics”… so I guess it’s true.

DF: Why not as a traditional comic book?

RJ: When we first started developing the storyline neither of us had the artistic talent to draw, pencil, ink and color all the characters in all of positions. Also, there was grave concern about the prospect of turning over the concept to a DC, Marvel or Image Comics.

DF: There’s a lot of cinematic elements in the presentation of MADDJEEPER. Do you see this as someday being an animated series or live action/CGI movie?

RJ: Each genre has its strengths and as I prepare to write out the scenes, panels, and narration and camera angles for the Maddjeeper I definitely say, to myself, “Roll tape ... ACTION!” Dennis puts so much artistry into his finished images that you can see the potential the movement of animated series or live action CGI movie.

The tip of the hat to Hip-Hop music in Maddjeeper can be seen in the inclusion of song lyrics as dialogue throughout the chapters. For example in Chapter 16 there are 9 different lyrics as dialogue included. Everyone from BB King to the Wu Tang Clan echoes back to us from the future. Can’t you just feel the bass line?

DF: One element I love about MADDJEEPER is the multi-cultural aspect. Was that a deliberate choice right from the start or did that evolve as the story itself evolved?

RJ: The multi-cultural aspect of Maddjeeper was most definitely present right from the beginning. It is said that you should write what you know so that it comes out real. We are both New York City born and raised. Dennis came up in housing projects in upper Manhattan and I was raised in housing in Bed Stuy, both of us love music (Dennis was a DJ for years) and both of us were avid comic book readers. We just wanted this future fantasy story to have a hero who was a person of color, like us and for him to dig Hip-Hop, like us. After we did five chapters we did some Career Day events at Schools in Queens & Brooklyn and the children’s eyes really lit up when they saw characters that they could identify with.  That gave us the encouragement to continue on. 

DF: Are there any other projects you’re working on now?

RJ: Sure. As I type we have a few things spinning ‘round the wheels of real. An outside group has expressed interest in developing a demo game for the iPad. Let me tell you; playing them is one thing …. Attempting to design them …. INTENSE.

Also we are about to revamp the MADDJEEPER.COM website to coincide with the reboot of the storyline. We are about to go back, way back, to Chapter 1 and re-present the story, the way we originally intended to, in a graphic novel style. These images are going to be so rich they will have to ask Mitt Romney for tax advice. We are planning to launch the new look before Thanksgiving 2012.

DF: What is a typical Day in the life of Ronald Johnson like?

RJ: I guess it’s rather ordinary for a person who sleeps about five hours a night and multi-tasks his remaining time to work, spend time with the family, do seasonal gardening, write & plot out future sequencing for the Maddjeeper.

Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we need to know about Ronald Johnson?

Ronald Johnson: I’m married almost 30 years, to my lovely wife, Kim, and we live with five of our seven children plus two grandsons. I have received my BS & MBA degrees in Finance from New York University.

Kickin' The Willy Bobo With: SAMUEL JAMES WHITE

Derrick Ferguson: Who is Samuel James White?

Samuel James White: Samuel James White is a young writer from Leeds, but I suppose in reality he is just part of a variety of different alter egos I possess. I also write under the name of Samuel Shiro, who is grumpy, pessimistic, and hateful. In the past, I’ve played other characters as well, although they’ve never actually being involved within the realm of published work. I suppose Samuel James White is just my original name since I’ve played so many characters over the years and they have now become mixed up with the original.

DF: Where do you live and what do you tell the government you do for a living?

SJW: I reside in the city of Leeds in England. As for what I tell the government I do for a living, well that’s a more complicated matter. I suppose I tell them that I run my own publishing company, Tranquillity Publishing, but I don’t actually take a salary from it. By trade I’m a freelance writer, but since most of that is wired through various means I don’t actually tell the government anything.

Since my intention is to keep moving around the world I don’t suppose I will ever be revealing too much to them. Then again, with the performance of our governments I could tell them and then they’d most likely lose the forms!

DF: How long have you been writing?

SJW: I couldn’t really say. I’ve always dabbled in it since I first started reading, and I was always way ahead of the expected reading levels for my age. I used to write little things, but then I stopped for a long time when I discovered World of Warcraft. Five years of addiction later and I drifted back into writing. On a professional level, though, I’ve written for just over a year.

DF: Before we go into your fiction writing let’s talk for a bit about your professional article writing service. How did you get into that?

SJW: I got into that by accident as a friend came to me and claimed that another friend said I was a writer. I really wasn’t and I told him that, but I gave it a try anyway. It was for some website content for a local hair salon called Room 112, which you can find on my website www.mrshiro.com. I then took another job for him when I found out I enjoyed it. He said he liked my work, so then I started learning about freelance writing. Steadily, I picked up clients from some of the bidding websites and now I have a healthy pool of clients.

DF: What’s the best advice you can give for someone wanting to become a professional article writer?

SJW: I would say that unless you are really lucky expect to work for very little in the beginning whilst you build up a portfolio. Ultimately, the best thing you can do during this time is to make yourself a website. Make a website with all of your best work on it and then link it when you apply for every single job. Even add it to the bottom of your CV, or even make an online resume and just send them the link.

DF: What’s the best thing about dealing with clients? And the worst?

SJW: I think the best thing about dealing with clients is when you can work on a personal level with them. After a while the professional barriers are broken down as you become more familiar with each other and you both begin to learn little things. They turn more into writing friends than clients. Just remember that this won’t happen if you are working directly with a company, normally.

The worst thing is clients who have no idea what they want or what they are talking about. The ones that are overly critical about things they don’t understand I just throw out. It’s not worth the effort and you can’t reason with them because their criticism is rarely based on fact. You know more than them and yet they think it works in a different way. I have no problem with criticism, but I won’t deal with unwarranted criticism.

DF: Tell us about Tranquillity Publishing.

SJW: Tranquillity Publishing, which you can find at www.tranquillitypublishing.com, is a publishing company that I set up in 2012 to help writers find a way into the market. I’m more interested in providing a route via print than just an eBook service, although that usually comes on top of the print package, as print is the holy grail of writing. Every writer wants to see their name in a book. And the problem with the big publishing companies is that it’s all about profit. They won’t take a chance on what could be the next big thing because their only concerns are the company profit margins.

It’s a move away from the joy of writing towards facts and figures. I believe it’s diluting the publishing industry and it’s why I’m only too happy to hasten its downfall by providing other options. Independent publishing and small publishing houses are the future.

As of this interview, we are publishing an anthology that’s expected sometime before Christmas, and we already have our first signed author in the form of Matthew Head. We have our own office just outside the centre of Leeds and have taken on an intern to help with various functions within the company itself.

DF: Why have your own publishing house?

SJW: Well, as I said, I believe that the mainstream publishing industry is nothing but diluted rubbish these days. New writers and new forms of literature won’t be touched, and that’s stunting the creative process as a whole. And to add insult to injury, the writers that are rejected get nothing but a pathetic automated rejection letter. That’s disgraceful.

It’s why when we reject or accept a piece for publication we state the reasons why. We add some advice on how they can improve in the future and wish them good luck. I answer each email personally. Now, why can’t the big publishing houses do that? If they can spend time reading the manuscript and preparing the rejection letter then they can take a minute or two to outline their reasons why they didn’t like something.

These actions damage writers, sometimes irreparably, and we aim to change that.

DF: Tell us about Psychopomp. What is it and what do you have to do with it?

SJW: The name or the entity itself? I’ll tell you about both. The Psychopomp as a name is taken from the imaginary creature that supposedly conducts souls to the afterworld. The entity is an anthology of short stories from new, unpublished, and upcoming writers. The project was conducted mainly by Jacob Milnestein, who I first got in touch with early this year. I believe it was February or something? I know it was before April because I wrote the story whilst on a work trip to Brighton.

Apart from writing ‘My Train Ride’ I didn’t really have a lot to do with it. But either way, I’m thankful that I was a part of the first volume because for the first time I was able to speak to another writer. It sounds weird, but I’m a very sheltered individual. I’ve never connected with another writer in Leeds, so this was my first experience. I hope to meet up with Jacob in person sometime, but in the meantime it’s given me an insight into the creative writing community as a whole.

DF: ‘My Train Ride’ is a very internal story and one that I found very ‘literary’ and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Quite the opposite, in fact. Would you say ‘My Train Ride’ is representative of your fiction?

SJW: Only in how I happen to be feeling at a given moment in time. I wrote ‘My Train Ride’ after I gained the inspiration whilst on the train to Brighton. The inspiration came from me wishing I had chosen the first class option whilst sitting in cramped conditions praying that nobody would sit next to me. A lot of it is taken from imagination, yet at the same time a lot of it is taken from fact.

Although, before we move on I must make a point on the concept of good and bad in fiction. I don’t believe that it’s necessarily a negative thing when somebody calls my work, or any piece of work, ‘bad’. If you read a recent review of mine for ‘My Train Ride’ by an LA-based author he said that he wanted to tell my character to either cheer up or hang himself, and then he went on to say that the character was vile. Now, on the face of that it would appear to be quite a bad review. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. The point is I got some sort of a reaction. Writers should only consider something a failure if the only thing it generates is apathy. No reaction is the writer’s worst enemy, and it’s something that 90% of writers will see when they put their work out into the public eye.

DF: What’s your theory on writing fiction?

SJW: Honestly? I don’t really have a theory on it at all. I know that lots of writers have these philosophical views on fiction writing, but I can’t really identify with them as I just don’t believe in it. I think that it’s something to do when you’re bored or where you are experiencing extreme feelings. Even people who wouldn’t consider themselves as ‘writers’ have created a diary, wrote a letter, or wrote their feelings down at some point in their lives. What separates a writer of fiction from everybody else is that the writer refined their skills and took it up as a goal.

DF: You also enjoy writing poetry. Does writing poetry exercise a different set of creative muscles than the ones you use for fiction and for article writing?

SJW: They are all different forms of writing and require different skills. Article writing is mainly based on fact. What separates the good from the bad are the creative techniques that are masterfully slipped into the folds created by the facts. That requires a certain degree of skill, and I would argue that it’s the most sensitive skill since bringing creativity and facts to the table can turn out to be a very volatile mix.

Writing fiction is mainly about the story. Ok, I don’t necessarily always stick to that since ‘My Train Ride’ was more of an internal story, but it’s mainly about the story. Of course, you add various metaphors, similes, and other literary techniques in there but they are all worthless without the story. Poetry is definitely something entirely different because it doesn’t have to have a story. You can concentrate on your descriptions, and I would say it’s an exercise in your depth of vocabulary.

I think what separates poetry from everything else is you can’t attempt to please somebody with poetry. People have very strong opinions on what makes a good poem and what doesn’t. I have friends who believe that if it doesn’t rhyme it’s just disjointed lines of prose. On the other hand, I have friends who write prose in disjointed lines and think that’s an example of good poetry. You should write poetry for yourself, mainly, and if you try to get it published then don’t get disheartened when somebody refers to it as something that could only come out of the Daily Mail or Fox News. I’ve gone through that, and when I submitted that poem elsewhere it was published.

DF: What can we expect from you in 2013? More fiction, hopefully.

SJW: 2013 is something that I don’t know a lot about. I don’t normally plan ahead with my fiction at all. The only things I’ve locked in at the moment are the advancement of my professional writing career and the release of Matthew Head’s first book in The Chronicles of Darkness series, which is called The Box of Annihilos.

Of course, I will still keep writing fiction, but I can’t really tell whether it will reach the light of day or not. Later this year one of my pieces is going to be published in a short story anthology on Love and Tragedy, which you will inevitably find out about on my website, and next year another story may be seen in another anthology from Writing.com. I also have my sights set on producing another piece for one of the future volumes of Psychopomp, although I will say that it will differ heavily from ‘My Train Ride’.

As for novels, I don’t really have my sights set on writing one of those yet. It’s not something I really want to dedicate my time to as of this moment.

DF: What’s a typical Day In The Life of Samuel James White like?

SJW:A typical day for me is that I get up very early, normally before 7am, and I go to work at the Tranquillity Publishing offices in the city. Here, I spend most of my time with my professional freelance writing work combined with work for Tranquillity Publishing; it’s all linked very closely.

I then return home about 3pm most days. When I get home I normally read a book or continue with writing. Of course, I do all the usual human maintenance jobs of eating food and showering, but most of my days are dominated by reading and writing. I may spend some time watching sports, playing computer games, and being lonely if I’m feeling generous though!

Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we should know about Samuel James White?

Samuel James White: Well, I run the Looming Dawn Charity, which you can find at www.loomingdawn.com. It’s where I dedicate some of my time every so often to helping out people. Recently, I just donated some money to an impoverished teenager who wanted to work towards accomplishing his dream of becoming a professional poker player, which I will be providing regular updates on. I’ve also lent my services to Experience Himalayan Nepal and Planet Whale to aid them with their operations.

I also share the phenomenon known as ‘catmania’ with Jacob Milnestein!

Fight Card: Brooklyn Beatdown

If you've been hanging around the New Pulp community for a significant amount of time then you've probably heard of the FIGHT CARD series of books. And if you haven't then trust me, you've been missing out on some really good reading. Here’s where you can find my review of "The Cutman" my favorite of the three FIGHT CARD books I've read so far. And I've got two more on my Kindle waiting to be read.

Short and simple the FIGHT CARD books are monthly 25,000 word novelettes, designed to be read in one or two sittings, and are inspired by the fight pulps of the ’30s and ’40s – such as Fight Stories Magazine – and Robert E. Howard’s two-fisted boxing tales featuring Sailor Steve Costigan. For the full lowdown on the entire FIGHT CARD story, bounce on over here and check it out. You can thank me later.

So what has this got to do with me? Paul Bishop, the co-creator of the FIGHT CARD series and I have been in touch ever since I co-hosted an episode of PULPED! where he was our guest. Paul and I briefly discussed the possibility of my writing a FIGHT CARD book. A few days ago, Paul emailed me and basically said; “It’s time and I'm not taking no for an answer.” And seeing as how the man’s a decorated veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and I believe in co-operating with the police, what else could I do?

After a few details were worked out and Paul read my pitch, gifts were exchanged, promises were made and so FIGHT CARD: BROOKLYN BEATDOWN was placed on the schedule for February 2013. And as an added treat here’s the pitch I threw at Mr. Bishop. Read and enjoy:

Levi Kimbro, like most of the other FIGHT CARD protagonists went into the Army after he was too old to continue living at St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys in Chicago. Like all the orphan boys living in St. Vincent’s, Levi learned “the sweet science” from Father Tim Brophy. The fact that Levi was black made no difference to Father Tim. He treated all his boys the same no matter what their ethnic background and instilled in them all the values of respect for themselves and others and in the ring gave them all the tools they needed to become men that could stand on their own two feet.

Levi returns to his old Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and gets a job at Napoleon "Nappy" Johnson's gym since during his time at the orphanage he learned how to take care of boilers and do maintenance work from Cholly Dougan, the alcoholic black janitor who lived in the basement. The janitor also instilled a love of reading and education in Levi that inspires Levi to go to school on the G.I. Bill, taking courses in Business Administration as he wants to own and operate a boiler repair business.

Levi's saving up money for his dream and he's doing so the best way he knows how: illegal bare-fisted brawls held in the backrooms of ghetto bars, poolrooms and abandoned warehouses. Levi's made something of a reputation for himself, gaining the nickname of "The Dancer" due to his extraordinary light-footedness in the ring. Nappy Johnson acts as he corner man. He's trying to push Levi into legitimate boxing but Levi insists he doesn't want to make a career out of boxing. he just wants to get enough money so that he can start his business up and not owe anybody. And Levi does make a lot of money...enough to attract the notice of “Duke” Williamson,  a Brooklyn gangster who thinks he can make some really big money with Levi in his stable of fighters who battle champs of the other NY boroughs and then even go on the road to fight the underground champs in other cities.

Levi's not interested in any of that that. At least not until he meets Dorothea McBricker, a mocha skinned knockout that he falls in love with at first sight. Nina's kid brother Teddy "T-Bird" McBricker is a snot-nosed punk definitely headed down the wrong path and looking to hook up with Duke Williamson.  

Duke’s chief enforcer “Deathblow” Ballantine  is also his best fighter and it soon becomes apparent that in order to save T-Bird from his influence, Levi is going to have to take on this mass of killing muscle in a good ol’ fashioned, winner-take-all BROOKLYN BEATDOWN.

35 Writers Who Have Influenced Me The Most

Over at Sean Taylor's excellent Bad Girls, Good Guys and Two-Fisted Action blog he's got this wonderful post "35 Writers Who Have Influenced Me The Most." Operating on my favorite principal that great artists steal, I immediately informed Mr. Taylor I was stealing his topic for my blog. So I'm gonna go over here and cackle evilly while plotting my next theft while you read. Enjoy.

1: Piers Anthony

2: Steven Barnes

3: Leigh Brackett

4: Ray Bradbury

5: Edgar Rice Burroughs

6: Stephen J. Cannell

7: George C. Chesbro

8: Clive Cussler

9: Samuel R. Delaney

10: Lester Dent

11: Alexandre Dumas

12: Will Eisner

13: Harlan Ellison

14: Ian Fleming

15: Dashiell Hammett

16: Chester Himes

17: Robert E. Howard

18: Langston Hughes

19: Joel Jenkins

20: Joe R. Landsdale

21: Stan Lee

22: Robert R. McCammon

23: Walter Mosley

24: Larry McMurtry

25: Michael Moorcock

26: John Ostrander

27: Ishmael Reed

28: Mike Resnick

29: Joshua Reynolds

30: Charles Saunders

31: Jim Steranko

32: Andrew Vachss

33: Jules Verne

34: Cornell Woolrich

35: Roger Zelazny

Sinbad-The New Voyages

SET SAIL FOR ADVENTURE!

Airship 27 Productions announces the release of their newest pulp anthology title, SINBAD – The New Voyages. 

The greatest seafaring adventurer of all times returns to the high seas, Sinbad the Sailor!

Born of countless legends and myths, this fearless rogue sets sail across the seven seas aboard his ship, the Blue Nymph, accompanied by an international crew of colorful, larger-than-life characters. Chief among these are the irascible Omar, a veteran seamen and trusted first mate, the blond Viking giant, Ralf Gunarson, the sophisticated archer from Gaul, Henri Delacrois and the mysterious, lovely and deadly female samurai, Tishimi Osara.  All of them banded together to follow their famous captain on perilous new voyages across the world’s oceans.

“This was another opportunity for us to explore another classic pulp genre,” Managing Editor Ron Fortier explained.  “Fantasy high adventure was a popular setting in many of the more exotic themed pulp titles of the 1930s.  Doing one starring Sinbad seemed a natural choice for us.”

Writers Nancy Hansen, I.A. Watson and Derrick Ferguson offer up three classic Sinbad tales to rival those of legend while adding a familiar sensibility from the cult favorite Sinbad movies of FX master, Ray Harryhausen.  SINBAD – The New Voyages will enthrall and entertain all lovers of fantasy adventure in a brand new way; featuring cover art by Bryan Fowler and twelve black and white illustrations by Ralf van der Hoeven.

“From inception to realization, this was one of the fastest titles we’ve ever put together,” Fortier added.  “In fact we received so many submissions that we had enough to fill two books.  You can expect volume two to sail over the horizon soon.  And we couldn’t be happier.”

So pack up your you traveling bags, bid ado to your loved ones and get ready to sail with the tide as Sinbad El Ari takes the tiller and the Blue Nymph sets sails once more; its destination worlds of wonder, mystery and high adventure.  

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction For A New Generation!

Now available as $3 PDF download.

(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html)

From Create Space

(https://www.createspace.com/3988204)

Later from Indy Planet.com POD.

(http://indyplanet.com/store/)

And finally Amazon & Kindle.

Derrick Ferguson Hunts Down The EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET

 Paperback: 256 pages

 Publisher: PulpWork Press; 1ST edition (September 15, 2009)

 Language: English

 ISBN-10: 0979732921

 ISBN-13: 978-0979732928

When last we saw Garvey Dire, he was doing pretty well for himself.  Oh sure, his mission to Mars had gone wrong, leaving him near death.  But then he was miraculously transported 47,000 years into the past.  And in that past, Mars is not a dying planet.  Indeed, it thrives with life including the Muvari tribe which is mostly populated by warrior women.  The males of the tribe are few and are guarded as they assure the continued survival of the tribe.

Garvey survives a number of harrowing adventures to rise to a level of prominence in the Muvari tribe as well as marrying the gorgeous and deadly Ntashia, the finest swordswoman of Mars.  Garvey even managed to prevent World War III back on Earth in his native time period and save the life of his best friend.  Salt-N-Pepa could very well have been talking about Garvey in their song “Whatta Man”

When we catch up again with Garvey Dire he’s facing an army of Galbran.  They’re a rival tribe of cannibals who have an old score to settle with Garvey and an older one to settle with the Muvari.  And while he’s trying to hold off this army in a remote outpost with but a handful of Muvari warrior women, he’s also trying to figure out how to handle the Muvari custom of a man having more than one wife.  It’s not as hard one might think since his first wife Ntashia has made the arraignments for the marriage and is actively encouraging it.  It’s custom, y’know and when on Mars, do as the Martians do.

It’s almost a relief for Garvey to discover that his old rival and fellow Earthman Arnold Stechter survived the events of “Dire Planet” and is alive and well.  He’s lost his memory of his life on Earth and doesn’t recall that he and Garvey are bitter enemies.  But Stechter hasn’t forgotten his ambition and desire for power.  He has gathered together outcast warrior women from a dozen different tribes and forged them into a savage, bloodthirsty army.  And with these EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET he intends to conquer and rule Mars.  But it’s a plan that has to begin with the overthrow of Ledgrim, the hidden Muvari capital city.  And it’s Garvey Dire who will unwittingly help Stechter achieve that goal…

If you’ve read and enjoyed “Dire Planet” then you’ll certainly want to read the sequel.  Not only does Joel continue to explore and reveal new layers of his Martian culture but he also gives us new layers of his protagonist.  Garvey’s naturally hesitant about entering into another marriage when he’s already got a wife he’s perfectly happy with.  Garvey Dire exhibits more maturity in this multiple marriage thing than you would expect from a hero in this genre.  Garvey’s still learning his role and place in this world and he sometimes wishes things would go a little slower.

One thing he’s not slow at is facing down the hoards of enemies thirsting for his blood in this one.  If this book doesn’t have the highest body count of any of Joel’s books, its right up there in the top three.  Just the first fifty pages of the book has a higher death rate than most complete novels.  And this is before Garvey finds out about Stechter and his army of exiles.

EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET is an enjoyable book but a demanding one.  Joel seems determined to give readers more bang for their buck and while he certainly does that it also means that there’s a lot more you to pay attention to attention to and keep track of.  The only complaint I have with the book is that in order to get in as much information as he can, Joel will occasionally have characters explain some aspect of Martian life and culture to Garvey, even during scenes where it seemed to me that concerning themselves with surviving whatever is trying to kill them should be of paramount importance.  Also there’s the character of Naegrik the Galbran.   While he provides Garvey with a sidekick who’s just as much of an outsider as he is, Garvey’s acceptance of his conversion from full-blown cannibalism to bosom buddy and lifelong pal is a bit too quick for my taste. But I liked how the other characters kept an eye on Naegrik when he was around and constantly reminded Garvey that hey, this guy grew up eating people.

But the main thing here is the adventure and Joel delivers it with great style and tight control over the half dozen subplots he’s got going.  And EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET ends with a cliffhanger that will demand that you get the third book in the series; “Into The Dire Planet” to find out what happens next.  And for my money that’s exactly what Pulp, whether Classic or New is supposed to do.  Enjoy.

For more information about Joel Jenkins please visit:

The Vaults of Caladrex  http://www.joeljenkins.com/

Pulpwork Press   http://www.pulpwork.com/

And Joel has kindly provided a Dire Planet Compendium that you can find at The Vaults of Caladrex if you go to the right side of the blog and scroll down until you hit the keyword ‘Dire Planet Compendium’

And if you buy EXILES OF THE DIRE PLANET direct from PulpWork Press you get a 20% discount by entering the following code: 5YRZ6A8W

Also, this same code is good for a 20% discount on all of Joel Jenkins’ titles and most of the other Pulp Work Press titles!

Derrick Ferguson Takes A Trip To The DIRE PLANET

 Paperback: 248 pages

 Publisher: PulpWork Press; 1St Edition edition (September 15, 2009)

 Language: English

 ISBN-10: 0979732948

 ISBN-13: 978-0979732942

Not being an historian I’m not sure if Edgar Rice Burroughs created the Planetary Romance genre.  But I am certain that he refined it into something so unique and special that all anybody has to do is say “John Carter” or “Dejah Thoris” or “Barsoom” and most everybody even remotely acquainted with Pulp will know what you’re talking about.  Planetary Romance or Sword and Planet as some like to call it is a wildly popular genre in its own right.  Burroughs having struck great success with his Mars books pulled off the same trick with his Carson of Venus books.   In the 1980’s I discovered other books/series in the genre written by Lin Carter, Michael Moorcock, Alan Burke Akers and even…sigh, the “Gor” books written by John Norman.

Suffice it to say without going into detail that some of them I enjoyed and others I shook my head in downright disbelief that they ever got published.  I can happily say that DIRE PLANET by Joel Jenkins is one that I’m glad got published as it’s a wonderful example of what New Pulp is about.  Joel embraces the conventions of Burroughsian Planetary Romance but it does it with a modern day eye.  As a result it’s a book that at once feels familiar and fresh.  Just when you think you know which way the plot is going to go, Joel manages to find another fork in the road that takes you someplace else.

The Earthman taken from his native world to the planet Mars this time around is Garvey Dire and he doesn’t get there by mystical means.  He gets there by spaceship, the NASA Mars Orbiter.  Garvey Dire’s mission is not just one of exploration and discovery.  His mission is one of vital importance to the continued security and safety of The United States.  China wants to establish their own base on Mars.  And so the race is on.

It’s a race that ends in disaster when Garvey’s ship crash lands on Mars.  With his leg broken, losing air and blood, it seems as if Garvey’s story is over.  But that all changes when he sees the image of a gorgeous green skinned swordswoman in armor.  And it’s because of that image his life is saved as he’s transported 50,000 years back into the past and to a Mars unlike any he’s ever dreamed of.

It’s all here; flashing swords against ancient super science.  Hideous beasts and their even more hideous masters.  Noble warriors battling against grotesque humanoid creatures of astounding cruelty.  Captures.  Chases.  Escapes.  Fates worse than death.  And romance.  Garvey Dire finds it all on ancient Mars.

But what really makes DIRE PLANET a cut above other Burroughs inspired Sword and Planet stories is the political element.  Once Garvey gets hurtled back to ancient Mars, Joel doesn’t forget the U.S./China conflict and indeed, the way he cuts back and forth between the two time periods is in true Burroughs tradition as he was expert at juggling two sets of characters, leaving one set in a nail-biting cliffhanger at the end of a chapter then bouncing over to the other set of characters for a chapter then leaving them in an inescapable trap then going back and-

Well, you get the idea.  It’s a good technique that never failed to work for Burroughs because it’s a surefire way of keeping the story going.  Joel even manages to resolve the conflicts in both time periods in a manner that while it’s clever it also involved just a little too much bouncing back and forth through time for my taste.  Not that I’m opposed to time travel, mind you.  But I think that Joel figured that the only way out was to pinball various characters back and forth between the two time periods.  It’s a little bit dizzying but hey, if you’ve hung on with Garvey Dire all that way, you’re going to go on to the end and you won’t be disappointed.

I can’t finish this review without mentioning two of my favorite bits in the book; Number one is the revelation of who The President of The United States. And number two is that Joel apparently is psychic because he predicted one of the most popular devices in use today way back in 2005 when this book was first published.

So should you read DIRE PLANET?  You certainly should.  If you’ve never read anything by Joel Jenkins this is the perfect place to start.  Joel has been writing what we’re now calling New Pulp as long as I’ve known him and we’re talking roughly around 15 years.  And in all that time he’s built up quite the respectable amount of work.  DIRE PLANET is one of his best.

For more information about Joel Jenkins please visit:

The Vaults of Caladrex  http://www.joeljenkins.com/

Pulpwork Press   http://www.pulpwork.com/

If you buy it direct from PulpWork Press you get a 20% discount by entering the following code: 5YRZ6A8W

Also, this same code is good for a 20% discount on all of Joel Jenkins’ titles and most of the other Pulp Work Press titles!