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Post by Calenture on Nov 15, 2007 16:36:56 GMT
Amen to that! It's absolutely beautiful! I think you once mentioned that with the Pulpmania debut the only thing people weren't too keen on was the cover art. If you'd had this beauty available at the time, talk about "problem solved!" I was stunned when I saw this earlier. I still am! Somebody has finally given Ade Salmon an opportunity to do what he does so uniquely and so well. And that's a lovely nod of the artist's head to Frank Miller's Dark Night Returns (could be wrong on that, but it looks great anyway). I already felt proud to be involved with this magazine. I knew it was tops when I saw the proofs. And you've more than done it justice, Ade. Thank you!
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Post by killercrab on Nov 16, 2007 3:16:35 GMT
Thanks guys - a lotta fun to draw! Rog - wish I could say it was a nod at DK RETURNS - but your comment has me stumped - though in fairness it's been years since I read the book!
Like the rest of you I can't wait to read the mag - it's been great to be involved .
ade
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Post by Calenture on Nov 16, 2007 10:39:14 GMT
Rog - wish I could say it was a nod at DK RETURNS - but your comment has me stumped... I've decided that this will remain one of the great mysteries of Vault of Evil. Annoying, right? But I was struck by the curiously angular lines you'd used drawing things like bat wings and crab shells - which works perfectly and reminded me of DN. Whatever, it's a great cover.
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Post by Calenture on Dec 6, 2007 0:22:02 GMT
Wolf Kruger will frog-march onto the scene in the next issue. (Spoke to the printers today and they should be done by the end of next week. Buy one for your relatives this Xmas!) Response to the article on Sven Hassel and co has been luke-warm to say the least, so it was touch and go whether I went with the second part, but as it features Kruger/Hutson and also the controversial Devil's Guard, it may be of more interest to teh casual observer so I've gone for it! But it's only about 5 pages, so it hasn't stolen too much away from the When Animals Attack study! Even Justin is getting confused which number or thread the coming issue is. Just as well it's marked on the cover. I'll further confuse him by moving his post over to a more recent thread. I was a bit worried when I saw that bit about The Devil's Guard "...it's only about 5 pages, so it hasn't stolen too much away from the When Animals Attack study!" I should hope not! Anyway, leaving the animals to fend for themselves, I've recently been reading this entertaining and LARGELY FACTUAL study of necrophilia by Mr Tralins, who is interviewed by the intrepid Mr Marriott for this very issue. Ghoul Lover is actually pretty damn good, written with a real feeling for the genre, and really is based on a real-life (or real-something) case, and I'll be posting further on it in due course. For now, just enjoy the Eddie Jones cover. And be sure to email justinATjustincultprint.free-online.co.uk (replacing AT with @ as usual) to place your order.
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Post by redbrain on Dec 6, 2007 11:45:57 GMT
Judging from the cover, she looks like a nice ghoul.
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Post by justin on Dec 14, 2007 17:34:06 GMT
Dependant upon Xmas post, over the next few days a number of contributor/subscribers may well find their letter-boxes invaded by hordes of crabs, locusts, slugs, scorpions, spiders and other critters.
With the exception of a couple of sentences disappearing in the editorial, I'm pleased with how it turned out and I hope you all enjoy it....
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Post by dem bones on Dec 17, 2007 17:23:30 GMT
How very odd! The postman just stumbled out of the lift at close on 4pm! I thought "blimey, that's a bit late even for a casual!" but I didn't have a go. Funny thing, he was wearing a space helmet and white boiler suit like the blokes who came to remove the asbestos that time. At least, I think it was white. Hard to tell seeing as he was covered head to foot in toads, cockroaches, mutant scorpions and a big fat pike. Anyway, I couldn't make out a word he said at first on account of his mouth being stuffed with worms and he was clearly a little agitated about his goggles (the perspex had shattered and these pesky cyber-insects had eaten away his eyes) but eventually I made out something that sounded like "for you. meddy crithmuth. Aaaargh". And then a f**k**g great crocodile crawled out of the communal bin and bit the poor guy in half! Crumbs! I really must remember to give him a 5p tip this year. Still, all in the line of duty, eh? I wonder what he wanted. Hello. What's this slimy brown envelope doing sticking out of the letter box ..... vaultofevil.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/paperback-fanatic-5/
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Post by Calenture on Dec 18, 2007 14:45:52 GMT
I've been looking through my copy of Paperback Fanatic, which arrived an hour or so ago, and of course it just looks sooo different to the proof that I saw before.
There seem to be at least a couple of new backgrounds, or that could be my memory. And the David Pelham article - which was pretty brief - has now gone. For all that Pelham's an iconic cover designer and one who helped shape the Seventies, I think it fitted least comfortably. Taking its place now is an extended editorial - necessarily extended given Peter Haining's death. And the additional space that was freed up has been put to good use. Looking at the detail of a very large scan of Ghoul Lover I see now that the cover that I thought was by Jeff Jones was actually by Gray Morrow. Ade's front cover continues to impress.
I wouldn't like to get Justin all self-conscious and serious by saying this, but these magazines are building into a reference work which I suspect will become more sought after in time.
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Post by dem bones on Dec 18, 2007 17:26:22 GMT
I wouldn't like to get Justin all self-conscious and serious by saying this, but these magazines are building into a reference work which I suspect will become more sought after in time. The bride was reading it earlier (i had to wrestle her to get it back ) and she suggested you should get an ISSN number for the very same reason. It's not really Chrissie's subject matter but she loved ade's cover, guffawed at some of the more racey covers and had a 'Good God! You mean other people read this junk?' moment of realisation during that epic 'When Animals Attack' feature. I'm really pleased you've added the 'Fanatical Thoughts' section, Justin, and not just because it was swamped with comments from Vault members. It really does make it seem more of a club newsletter. I'm sure people will read it and think 'this is how I can get my name in here!" Well done too, to Rog for taking on the proof reading. I'll have some more to add but I'd like to know the others have received theirs before I start ruining it. One final thought for now: I could only nod in rabid agreement when I read that swipe at Ghastly Beyond Belief. Can anyone be smugged to death?
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Post by andydecker on Dec 18, 2007 20:28:00 GMT
Thanks for the info! Appreciated!
Just ordered the new one.
It is really great work for everyone interested in paperbacks.
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Post by justin on Dec 18, 2007 21:21:04 GMT
I think you're right regarding the ISSN number. The mental anguish of having to chase distributors has faded sufficiently for me to feel brave enough to offer it to the likes of Diamond again. Without an ISSN number that's a non-starter.
I hope people do keep the mags and use them as a reference guide. I constantly revisit the likes of Paperback and Comic Collector and discover nuggets of info that may not have been of interest a year back, but now...
I have been toying with experimenting with format, maybe an A5 perfect bound book to encourage people to keep it on their book-shelf, but think the layouts would be a bit dull compared to the freedom A4 gives, and that the minimum print run for perfect bound might be too high. Any votes one way or t'other?
My plan has always been to use the mags as some sort of dry-run for a book, but you can't beat the instant gratification of three mags a year as opposed to the five years it would take me to complete the book. I enjoy the design as much as the writing to be honest.
Hopefully people will see the Fanatical Thoughts section as an open invite to participate, as I think I may have given off the impression I'm a man on a solo mission and not interseted in suggestions and contributions. Also more than happy to be considered the Vault's unofficial newsletter!
Rog was a huge help and the improvements he noticed between the proofs I sent him and the final version are down to many of his suggestions. Also Moneygivers Colourprint of Cheddar do a cracking job on the print considering the mag's small print run. The manager confessed to being suitably inspired by the job to dig out a few of his old sci-fi books! (Don't worry I'll be checking to see if he has any hidden stashes of NEL 70s psycho-smut!)
Thanks to everyone for their support. This issue was along, hard slog, but your comments mean a lot to me. And don't anyone worry about throwing a few criticisms my way as I do want to improve the mag. Although I really don't want to be held responsible for anyone purchasing copies of Captives of Gor.
I am glad that 'wrestling' for possession of the mag may well have spiced up Dem's domestic life. Obviously she hasn't been sufficiently brainwashed by Gorean pulp to realise this is unbecoming of a female...
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Post by Dr Terror on Dec 18, 2007 22:52:00 GMT
Brian McNaughton - mentioned in the animals attack article - apparently also wrote porn novels as Mark Bloodstone, and romance as Sheena Clayton.
Another possible candidate for in the tradition of Conan are the Imaro books by Charles R. Saunders. The third book even has 'Imaro follows in the footsteps of Conan...' on the cover.
Pennington's cover for Flashing Swords 2 reminds me of his cover for Thieves' World 4: Storm Season.
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Post by pulphack on Dec 20, 2007 9:34:38 GMT
my copy arrived yesterday, and it really is the case that you raise the game every time, justin. the cover looks wonderful. inside, the production is up a notch - these are damn' good printers, as the scans are much sharper than in previous issues. the features are just what you'd expect: full of information, nd written in a style that stops them being dull repititions of facts. they've got a unique and engaging stye and perspective. hellfire, i've never been interested in books about rampaging critters before, but that long piece made me want to give several of 'em a try. the war and conan 'homages' also took me back to childhood reading i haven't revisited for some time.
i particularly liked the bob tralins interview. as with robert lory, he was someone i don 't recall ever reading, though the name and some of the titles were familiar. not even sure if i want to search out any of his books. BUT - and this is where you're really scoring - to have interviews with writers who lived through that era, and to learn what the working environments were like, informs the way you look at any piece of pulp you pick up. makes you more tolerant of faults; makes you appreciate that any good work could be produced under such conditions; and gives an insight into a world that's all but gone.
it's true - the material here begs to be collated into a bok at some point. but getting it out in amagazine form first allows interaction and feedback that can add to the wealth of information that's already been amassed.
and on a lesser note, it was nice to see you dismiss gaiman and newman for their snobbery about the nasties. gaiman is a good writer who seems to take himself too seriously (a fault many us-bound comics writers other than alan moore seem to have suffered - i mean you, grant morrison). as for mr newman: love the fact that even when i disagree with his critical writings they engage and make you debate the issues. and his fiction is mostly great. but how 'jack yeovil' can have the nerve to diss the nasties and purple prose pulp writers: hand-bite-feed anyone?
and as any fule kno, it's the purple passages that make pulp so great. where else can you revel in such things?
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Post by dem bones on Dec 20, 2007 18:32:23 GMT
it's true - the material here begs to be collated into a book at some point. but getting it out in a magazine form first allows interaction and feedback that can add to the wealth of information that's already been amassed. Definitely agree with the book idea: I've even thought of a favoured template: Haining's The Dracula Scrapbook for NEL. Right size, right length. I think a 'best of' - with perhaps two new articles put aside - would be brilliant. Put it this way. I'd buy it. That swipe at Gaimen and the Nooms kind of leaped out of the page at me. Worst of it is, I've had many an opportunity to purchase a cheap copy of Ghastly Beyond Belief down the years but passed, having once loaned it from the library and detested it. Now I actually want one just so I can wake up and hate it every day for the rest of my unlife.
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Post by bradstevens on Dec 20, 2007 22:53:19 GMT
Justin - My copy arrived on Monday. Many thanks for sending this. You should try talking to the people who run The Cinema Store to see if they might be interested in stocking the magazine.
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