Caught My Eye

 

THE SHADOW is a character that has lasted through decades on the pages of pulp magazines, over the radio airwaves, thru the silver screen, and in the panels of comic books. Shrouded in mystery, his origins have been explored and hinted at over the years...but never fully revealed. Much is known of Kent Allard/Lamont Cranston's years spent in the Orient and Central America-wherein he gains his powers and purpose...but not how he first developed his persona as the Master of Darkness. Eisner Award-winning author, Matt Wagner is joined by artist Wilfredo Torres in an exhilarating 8-issue limited series that will explore the dynamic events that first drew Cranston back to the States, how he first met his companion and lover, Margo Lane, how he began to assemble his vast network of agents and how he first adopted the famous black hat and cloak as his alter-ego's disguise-all secrets that, up until now...only The Shadow knew!

 

Don't know how I feel about all of the Shadow's secrets being revealed, but Matt Wagner is a good writer.  Should be fun.

This is Cool

 

They're doing them for all 50 states, but it's still neat to see the flag of Oklahoma on the cover of a Justice League comic.

Seduction of the Innocent

 

It's 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books - especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own - leaving his opponents in hot water.

Can Jack Starr, private eye to the funny-book industry, and his beautiful boss Maggie unravel the secret of Dr. Frederick's gruesome demise? Or will the crackdown come, falling like an executioner's axe...?

 

I love these books by Max Allan Collins.  They're mysteries that focus on the early roots of comic books and comic strips.  A true pleasure to read and a lot of trivia/history thrown in as well.  I encourage you to pick up all the Jack Starr mysteries.  This is the third one.  They all stand alone.

 

You Say You Wanna Publish On Kindle?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free 2/20/13


FREE for a short time!!!

New Rancho Diablo: Songbird!

 

Bill Crider wrote this one, folks, and he did an awesome job if I have to say so myownsellf.  Our cover model is the beautiful Kasey Lansdale, daughter of author Joe Lansdale, and she is a songstress in real life as well.

 

This story is truly a riot, part Western, part tall tale, and part action.  It's a blend that's just a blast to read.  When I sat down to go over it (Bill, James, and I always look over each other's stuff), I was swept away in the story and forgot what I was supposed to be there doing time after time.  Bill makes Shooter's Cross come to life, builds on the existing characters, and adds more fuel to the fire.  The Rancho Diablo world just comes to life with him spinning tales.

Grab this one.  You'll enjoy it.

Liberty Awakened by Alicia Dean

This one's by one of my best buds!

Evil lurks beneath the surface in the beauty of the tropics…

After graduation from her small, Oklahoma high school, Liberty Delacort is looking forward to a fun-filled summer before college. But when the people she trusts the most betray her, and a letter arrives claiming the father she thought was dead is still alive, she jumps at the chance to travel to an exotic island to meet him.

But her excitement is short-lived. Her father is dying, and he doesn’t want her around. In spite of its outward tranquility, the island is filled with danger and ominous secrets. Before long, the secrets begin to unravel. She learns she is a descendant of Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, and she must fulfill her destiny in order to save humans from a faction of vicious vampires. The only man who can help her learn the skills she needs is a volatile, hostile, vampire who wants her off the island.

Will her inexperience lead to her death—and the death of others—or will she rise to the challenge and realize her full potential as a Hunter?

I've been reading Bill Dietz's action SF for years and really enjoy his books.  Now there are two new ones for readers -- and for me.  I picked them both up.  You should too if you like fast-paced SF adventure.