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Post by dem bones on Apr 14, 2011 7:43:37 GMT
Out now (ish)!Justin Marriott (ed.) - Paperback Fanatic #18 (May, 2011) Fanatical Thoughts Fanatical Mail Arcane Lore A look at the paperback appearances of King Kull and Solomon Kane - Justin Marriott Campbell on Kane Legendary horror author Ramsey Campbell on one of his earliest commissions; to finish a number of incomplete Solomon Kane stories - Ramsey Campbell Der Heftroman A title by title guide to some of the longest running and most interesting titles generated by the German pulp industry - Andreas Decker The macabre ones Cult author Lionel shares his memories of working on Supernatural Stories at the parsimonious Badger Books - Justin Marriott and Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe. Sergeant Fury A look back at the WW2 pulp series; The Sergeant by Gordon Davis and The Rat Bastards by John Mackie - Justin Marriott Mythmaker A personal and informative essay on the science fiction stories of cult author Frederic Brown - Nigel TaylorI gather that Justin is in the middle of moving home right now and chances are you might have to wait a few weeks until these are mailed out, but it will be worth the wait. How to write about the issue without ruining the surprises? Those who've followed the magazine's progress from the early days ( Pulp Mania/ Paperback Dungeon) could never have imagined the incredible visual experience that is the Fanatic in 2011. Andy Decker has treated vault to much lurid German pulp cover artwork over the years, but the selection for his incisive round-up, Der Heftroman, has to be the most outrageous to date - and that is saying something. John Ball's torture-crazed Dr. Morton is surely worth a gallery to himself! Again, back in the mid-late 'nineties, it was hard to envision a day when Ramsey Campbell and the Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe would make the contributors list (we are sure they have both been trying for years!), but each of these worthy gents make their debut in #18. Rev. Fanthorpe's reminiscences are maybe a little too consistent with those he shared with Debbie Cross in Down The Badger Hole, but it is undeniably jolly stuff and, once again, the full colour cover reproductions set the article off just so. Ramsey's piece on the research he put in before completing three Solomon Kane stories is somehow both slightly incongruous and completely at home in Fanatic. "These collaborations are the nearest I ever came to being a pulp writer. Because I respected the job, I enjoyed it ..." You can take out a three-issue subscription at the Paperback Fanatic online superstore, or for single issues, you might like to try the usual stockists interzone@TYPE and Simon Gosden's Fantastic Literature. 'Proper' commentary when the world has had time to catch up, and Mr. Fanatic, if you are reading this, thank you so much for your kindness, good luck with the move and please let me know your new address.
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Post by noose on Apr 14, 2011 8:37:25 GMT
This is by far the most jaw dropping issue I've ever had a chance to get my grubby hands on. The magazine really suits its format, with more colour than ever - and the results are breathtaking. Right, now for the juicy stuff: Shame to see that "Sennitt Sez" will no longer be featured in the PF, was always entertained by his articles, but wish him all the best for the future. Great Fanatical Mail, love to see that everyone's just so passionate about the magazine, and I love the little vintage NEL advert on each page. Have never been a fan of Howard's KANE, and probably never will be - but enjoyed Justin's article on the whole mythos and Ramsey Campbell's essay on his Kane tales is fascinating. Stand out for the magazine is Andreas Decker's take on the "Groschenroman" phenomenon - the variety of covers and Decker's synopsis' make me want to brush up on my schoolboy German and buy some! Next up is the Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe and his story of how he became a one-man writing machine, bringing out book after book for Badger, an entertaining insight, with some gorgeous covers. Last up is Justin's essay on THE SERGEANT series and Nigel Taylor's thoughts on Frederic Brown - and PARDON MY GHOULISH LAUGHTER has shot up to the top of the wants list. Congrats to Justin on his new baby AND moving house - am really looking forward to the next issue of PF - you're in for a treat with the David Case and Basil Copper interviews, let me tell you... Jx
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Post by justin on Apr 14, 2011 11:03:30 GMT
Very flattered by the kind words gents. I can't take very much credit as the majority of the issue was written by the likes of Andreas, Nigel, Rev Lionel and Ramsey. I'm lucky to have such a group of talented contributors and enthusiastic readers. God bless you all!
Anyway I intentionally printed up a couple of extra copies to act as bait to interested Vaulters who may have wanted to check out the Badger article or just the mag generally. Just a one-off with the intention of luring in new subscribers. Drop me a mail if you're interested £4.75 by paypal.
The house move is mid-May so I have managed to post out all subscriber copies and will be about to fulfil any orders. So far I've packed up about 6,000 of the 8,000 books in The Fanatic collection. It's quite a sight!
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Post by rolnikov on Apr 14, 2011 13:40:28 GMT
Really enjoying this issue so far. All the colour looks fantastic, and I can never read enough about Rev. Fanthorpe.
I was thinking about him just this week - some very Fanthorpian passages in the latest Andy Remic book.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 14, 2011 13:59:46 GMT
Anyway I intentionally printed up a couple of extra copies to act as bait to interested Vaulters who may have wanted to check out the Badger article or just the mag generally. Just a one-off with the intention of luring in new subscribers. Drop me a mail if you're interested £4.75 by paypal. I'd be very surprised if there are no Ramsey Campbell or Rev. Fanthorpe completists out there who will simply HAVE to get a copy. Incidentally, I love the vintage ads idea and will see if I can rustle up some. This, from 1972 seems appropriate in the circumstances.
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Post by pulphack on Apr 14, 2011 16:22:30 GMT
well, mine arrived yesterday and have read it already. wonderful stuff. The Rev seems as eccentric as you'd expect, and somehow he innocently got fixed up with a dodgy outfit like Badger via poetry. he strikes as the kind of man who could never do anything the usual way - not because he was awkward, but just because he had no idea of the 'rules'. of course i loved that bit...
sad to see no sennit for the forseeable as his column was a very interesting miscellany of stuff - and while i think of it (writing this on the hoof), i remember Popular Bookshops like Bam! there was one in Tottenham that i frequented as a boy and from which i graduated from the silver surfer to warren monster mags and from paddington bear to moorcock and (ulp) frank herbert. the guy that ran it in the seventies looked uncannily like guy smith (not that i knew this at the time), and it was a joy to stretch the pocket money by doing part exchange on stuff you didn't want to keep. i suspect he did 'special' deals for regulars and kids, as he was always pointing out stuff that you might like if you liked what you'd just picked up. i can't imagine there was a lot of money in these shops, so they must have been afficiandos; there was one in Pimlico i used to hang about when i went to school up there. a sadly missed chain that i hadn't thought about for years.
anyway, back to PF! i've tried many times to get into REH over the years, as many chums are fans and enthuse in a way that makes me want to like him. but i can't. however, justin's piece was still interesting and had some lovely art. and set up mr campbell nicely. i always like writers talking about writing, so found it fascinating.
The Rat Bastards sounds like a dodgy '77 band who did a couple of singles before the singer went into acting, but seems a very grim series. again, i'm not a fan of war fiction per se, but it's another strain that has been a little neglected by collectors, espeically considering 'our' generation (ie those who recall and read this first time around) must have grown up on a diet of war strips in comics. because of a love of stuff like The Steel Claw i pick up old annuals, and am always astounded at how much of it was WWII based. i don;t remember it that way, but maybe that's because those stories didn't stick in the mind? upshot of all this rambling being that it's vital stuff like this gets covered, as it was a big part of a hack's income and also fed into the make-up of other populist fiction: strands of what is accepatble and the zeitgeist in a society at any given time do so much to explain the fiction. stories top and tail bits of reality and hyper reality (whether intentional or not) in order to help us explain why we're here. it's not just entertainment, oh no... though how Hank Janson would help me in an existential quest for the meaning of life is entirely another matter.
Fred Brown - unassuming man, and too easily forgotten. particualrly as i always think of him as primarily a crime author (The Screaming Mimi!!!!). what was great about Nigel's piece was that it looked at him from the other side of his career and reminded me how wide ranging his talent could be.
Best til last (apart from the Rev, of course) - heftromans!another piece of excellence from the good mr Decker. well done, sir! some amazing pulp ideas in the series charcaters and titles, and some great covers. it's just a pity that a) they're in german, and b) if andy's judgement is anything to go by the constraints of the german society at that time mean that the text would be a big let down. but again, a wonderful insight into the wide world of cheap fiction (god bless it).
Finally, before i end - the subject of dictation. Certainly it was why Barbara Cartland was able to churn out so much, as the mjority of her books were from her last twenty years and seem to have been dictated rather than typed. My favourite dictator (!?) was Edgar Wallace - using early dictaphones, he would sit down with a fag and a pot of tea and dictate his books, breaking off to remind his secretary to bung a few bets on as he switched to a racing tipster column he did, returning to the book, then breaking off again to dictate a short story that he'd been paid for. not only is it amazing he could keep track of it all (mind you, that would explain police inspectors becoming sergeants halfway through a book), especially as he thought it actually saved him effort physically (if not mentally?), but pity his secretary having to unravel it all. first it was violet, who he married (and was mother of penny, herself a crime writer and very nice old lady when i knew her), and then bob curtis, who used this all this practise to novelise (and rather well) those plays EW hadn't got round to in his lifetime.
right, that's enough rubbish. just remains to say congratulations on yet more sleepless nights, justin (but worth it), and hope the move goes well. i know what he means about the packing and unpacking of books. i did it 3 years ago and mrs ph is only just getting over it now...
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Post by severance on Apr 17, 2011 19:19:23 GMT
Got my copy yesterday, only just realised as it was under a bill that I wasn't in a hurry to open I'm sure it'll be just as stunning as every other issue has been so far, only read the two Kane pieces as yet. What I really did like was Justin's use of the two gatefold covers from the Bantam editions as the actual page with the text overlaid - an effect that can be used badly, but not in this case. Must dash, I want to read Andreas' article. More later...
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Post by jamesdoig on Apr 20, 2011 22:09:02 GMT
My copy arrived in Canberra yesterday. Those German pulp covers are great - and Callgirl 2000 must be a modern day classic.
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Post by ramseycampbell on May 14, 2011 8:47:40 GMT
Proud to be part of it, Justin! Great little magazine!
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