Paperback Fanatic #26

[dem bones]

This just in from the house of fanatic ....

Justin Marriott (ed.) - Paperback Fanatic #26 (May, 2013)

Hector Garrida

Regular departments:

Fanatical thoughts:
Fanatical mails: Alaister Durie, Coplin Clynes, Mark Savage, Murray Ewing, Johnny Mains, Winston Whitmarsh, Sarah Morgan, Stan Wedeking, Stephen Sennitt, Tom Tesaruk, Stuart Williams, Nigel Taylor, Scott Carlson, Clive Davies, Andrew Kerston
Top Tens: Tom Tesaruk, Stuart Williams.

Features

Justin Marriott - The Delicate Vice: A history of sleaze publishers Midwood Books
Lynn Monroe - The Midwood Style: The distinctive artwork of Paul Radar.
Graham Andrews - "Had I But Known, Dear Reader ...": The works of crime author Mary Roberts The Bat Reinhart.
Justin Marriott - The Original Soprano. True crime with Joey the Killer
Justin Marriott - Breakfast In The Ruins: Thirty years of classic Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction cover artwork.
Graham Andrews - To Hell or Connaught: A review of John Christopher's Nazi leprechaun novel, The Little People
Justin Marriott - Made Of Stone: Men's adventure author Alan Caillou
James Diog & Graeme Flanagan - James Holledge - Master of Sensational Journalism: An Aussie pulp legend remembered.
Nigel Taylor - One Of The Best Was Bob Shaw. A tribute to the SF author.
Cameron Fowler - Beatnik pulps
Cranston McMillan - Detecting The Seventies. TV detective tie-ins including Kojak, Cannon, Police Woman and McCloud.
Frank Frazetta Midwood illustrations.


A mere ten weeks have passed since the mighty Weird Tales special, but stone me if Justin's not already knocked together another 120 pages of fanatical fun 'n sleaze. We horror heads were spoiled rotten last time, so only fair that this typically eclectic issue hops about all over the place - we even delve into true crime which, if memory serves, is a first for PF. It's so just arrived that have only had opportunity to ogle the galleries and jot down the contents, but some thoughts on it all will follow ASAP.

Subscription details from the Fanatic Megastore

Thanks, Justin!

[dem bones]

To belatedly get this show on the road ....

Paul Radar

Hot on the heels of the horror-SF extravaganza that is the Weird Tales special, issue 26, a triumph of genre-hopping insanity. The crash-course in Midwood sleaze is crying out for a sequel in which Justin remembers to provide an inkling of what the books are like TO READ: or is it that the racy cover blurbs - "Take girls in tight skirts, and loose morals, and plenty of overtime - the result is FRINGE BENEFITS" - really do tell the whole story? Regardless, the spicy history of Midwood (circa late' fifties through to the end of the 'seventies when, allegedly, the Mafia called in a debt) makes for an instructive read, as does Lynn Monroe's companion piece, The Midwood Style, detailing his long and eventually, fruitful pursuit of the elusive Paul Radar.

Continuing PF's love affair with Australian pulp, James Diog & Graeme Flanagan on James Holledge, Horwitz publications' resident one man News of the Screws. Was once fortunate enough to snag a copy of Holledge's Sex And The Sun King which, despite a delightfully lurid cover painting (which, thanks to James & Graeme, we now know to be the work of Col Cameron), didn't make for the most riveting read. But then the Chambre Ardente affair has since been done to death, and I would not be the least surprised if King's Cross Black Magic (1965, as by 'Attila Zohar') and The Cult Of The Bosom (1966) are as must have as they come.

The Mob return for what, if addled memory serves, is PF's first venture into the world of True Crime, though there seems to be some dispute as to the veracity of Joey the hitman's colorful reminiscences. From the information provided, there's no disputing that his murder was real enough, and, while Joey's exploits make for a thoroughly absorbing read, it will be interesting to see how they go down with the readership.

Cranston McMillan, the man from Kontinental X, is informative as ever on the once prevalent TV 'Tec tie-ins. The Police Woman trio sound especially interesting, and I can vouch for the sheer brilliance of Richard Gallagher's Cannon: The Stewardess Strangler. Anyone know if McCloud Meets Dracula and/ or Starsky & Hutch: The Vampire ever receive novelization treatment? How about the famously banned Klansman episode of The Professionals?

more to follow when i've written it!.....

[andydecker]

Jun 7, 2013 17:26:41 GMT dem bones said:

I don't think so. The Professionals novelisations are mostly an odd duck as they put at least two episodes into a novel. Later they followed the one on one model most novelisations do. As far as I know Klansman never got the novel treatment. Never understood why it was banned when I watched it on DVD.

But there is a S&H novelisation of Murder on Playboy Island, a two-parter which had some pseudo Voodoo in it. I happened to catch this while zapping some time ago. What a waste of time. I had forgotten how stupid this show was in its last season.

[dem bones]

Jun 7, 2013 20:23:30 GMT andydecker said:

I don't think so. The Professionals novelisations are mostly an odd duck as they put at least two episodes into a novel. Later they followed the one on one model most novelisations do. As far as I know Klansman never got the novel treatment. Never understood why it was banned when I watched it on DVD.

But there is a S&H novelisation of Murder on Playboy Island, a two-parter which had some pseudo Voodoo in it. I happened to catch this while zapping some time ago. What a waste of time. I had forgotten how stupid this show was in its last season.

Much obliged, Andy. I thought that might be the case. There's also a voodoo-themed episode of Murder She Wrote titled Night Of The Tarantula. Tuned in toward the end but just in time to catch a scene where a guy in rotting bandages runs amok. Way way back on Vault Mk I we had a thread devoted to horror-supernatural episodes of popular TV shows - they all seem to have had at least one - so perhaps its time to revive it.

Back to Fanatic 26 and, as ever, cover galleries galore, more of a 'fifties/ 'sixties slant than usual as typified by the sleazy Beatnik beauties. Graeme Andrews' review of The Little People apart, the 18 pages devoted to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ignore the authors altogether, in favour of a tribute to the talents of Emsh, Jack Gaughan, Mel Hunter & Co., so perhaps a sequel or two to be had further down the line (horror fiction in MFSF could make for a decent stand alone article)? Graeme also contributes a lengthy appreciation of Mary Roberts Rhinehart who sounds very Vault in Gothic Romance mode, so three cheers to clever bollocks here for giving away a copy of The Bat unread.

Paperback Fanatic. Every issue an education and, in my case, this issue more than most. And i've still not commented on the Fanatical Mails. Can you believe Seabury 'is God .... sometimes' Quinn comes in for flak? Who would dare? !!!

[ssppookkyy]

Nazi Elves, fantastic! They don't write them like that anymore!