Paperback Fanatic #42

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Justin Marriott [ed.] - Paperback Fanatic #42 (House of Fanatic/ Marriott Escort Agency, Nov. 2019)

A NEW PEAK IN HORROR
Darrin Venticinque reveals the secret cover art for cult horror Eat Them Alive.

THE DEVIL IS A GENTLEMAN
James Doig conjures up correspondence between legendary collector Graeme Flanagan and Britain's occult author Dennis Wheatley.

DARK FORCES AT WORK
The Fanatic uses dark forces rather than a correct address to go book-shopping.

THE VOYAGE OF CARLSON
Scott Carlson recreates the film Bullitt, but with a trunk/boot (delete as applicable) of sleaze paperbacks.

YOUNG, SHARKEY AND WILSON
Nigel Taylor forms a quartet with three lesser-known SF authors.

TRIPPING THE INK FANTASTIC
S M Guariento talks about Light Into Ink his new book on movie tie-ins.

STANTON UNMASKED
Richard Perez Seves whips The Fanatic into shape on the importance of fetish art and his book on Eric Stanton

THE MAD PULP BASTARD
Bill Cunningham escapes from his straight-jacket to talk about his mission to preserve some of pulp culture's finest.

STICKING IT TO THE MAN
Andrew Nette continues to revolutionise the study of paperbacks with his latest.

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Pretty much read 75% of #42 on bus journey home from recent pulp fair, but, as ever its a struggle to find new things to say about an issue of the virtually all-genre embracing wonder that is PF. So let's just plough ahead and see how it goes.

Off to a cheering start as, between them, Darren Ventinque and art dealer Jane Frank identify the man responsible for the NEL Eat Them Alive cover painting. The artist in question was so disgusted with the crop job of his original that he has since good as disowned it. Only now can the tale be told ...

Back to 1967, and two chatty typed replies from Dennis Wheatley to a then nineteen-year-old Graeme Flanagan, future Aus pulp legend, who'd been won over by the Duke De Richleau's Black Sorcery thrillers. Article also provides excuse for editor to reproduce Arrow's uniform '70's Wheatley photo-covers featuring Vault pin-up Flame Babe.

When it comes to hunting down and wasting money we don't have on really tragic paperbacks, Scott Carson's mega American road trips put our pitiful take-a-15-minute-stroll-to-local-charity-shop efforts to shame. More to the point, as titles snagged during his latest marathon attest, he knows what he's about - we're most certainly not talking a fellow who would overlook that pristine copy of Boris Vian's I Spit on your Grave on the 50p table in favour of a soiled What Rugby Jokes Did Next from the £5 box next door. Not that anyone ever has, you understand.

Highlight to date is an interview with S.M.Guariento celebrating the joys of film novelizations, tie-ins & Co., particularly the more ambitious efforts wherein the diligent author does his or her all to pump life into the flimsiest of screenplays. Have made two false starts on an appraisal of SMG's Light Into Ink - truly it is A LOT of book to "review" - but initial forecast that we were likely looking at a Vault must-read were, for once, deadly accurate.

TBC ....