Pulps Archives | Otaku No Culture

[Preview] Vault Comics Announces PULP & PAINT Variant Covers to Honour a Bygone Era

Vault Comics is thrilled to announce PULP & PAINT, a new line of variant covers by Tim Daniel and Nathan Gooden inspired by the aesthetics of the pulp era of novels and magazines. Following in the footsteps of 2018’s Women In Front and 2019’s Vault Vintage variant cover initiatives, PULP & PAINT draws from the very origins of genre fiction, harkening back to an age when pulp magazines and novels were commonly fronted by exquisitely painted covers.

“There’s been a resurgence of interest in richly rendered imagery stoked by alternative movie posters from Mondo and Bottleneck, publishers like Hard Case Crime, or deep dive studies of the form such as Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix,” says Tim Daniel, EVP Branding and Design. “Readers and collectors have shown a real desire for something authentic and striking in the age of digital perfection.”

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War Bears, A Tribute to the Yesteryears

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date: March 27, 2019
Format: FC, 104 pages; HC; 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
Price: $19.99

War Bears is a fond tribute to the comics of yesteryear and is, more importantly, a look at the troubled times which plagued smaller publishing houses. In a time when the war effort hurt the local economy, cutting costs and exports made life tougher. Enter Al Zurakowski, an artist struggling to make ends meet. He’s optimistic about the future and thinks achieving the American dream is possible. But hold on, this is Canada! Life is tougher and colder. The reality is that not every publisher struck gold with their comic book creations.

He has an idea to make a francophone heroine, Oursonette. I looked at the first issue and loved the world Margaret Atwood and Ken Steacy crafted. The era came alive with Steacy’s artwork. The attention to detail with the drab and the idealized romance was an easy sell.

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100+ years of Cinema and the Sequential Art, A Retrospective

Neither does cinema and the sequential art medium needs to involve Sony, Fox or Disney (merger-driven or not). As long as the work has more substance than style, people will flock to it.

Movies based on comic strips/books are big business, and not all of them were based on superheroes. The idea to adapt popular titles began way before Marvel and DC comics formed and this essay offers a highlight reel of these other popular works. Not everyone realises cinema and the sequential art medium go hand in hand.

In the early days of cinema, French journalist Georges Sadoul believed Louis Lumière‘s L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895) was an adaptation of L’Arroseur (The Gardener), a strip by artist Hermann Vogle. [1] The next work which followed was based on the British comic Ally Sloper (1867). Three films were made.

In the golden age of cinema, superheroes did not command the screen. Instead, these projections were humourous looks at everyday life. Harold Teen (1928) may well be the first to arrive on the big screen in North America. Blondie (1930) was immensely popular because of its look at middle-class suburbia. The early years followed the romance of this eponymous character to Dagwood, the comic relief, and the media buzz upon their marriage is comparable to the media hoopla when Peter Parker aka Spiderman married Mary Jane.

To be fair, certain key heroes like Batman and Superman will be explored. Also, television played an important role in popularizing this genre. Periodic looks at what happened on this front will also be offered.

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Puppet Master: Axis Termination Arrives Sept 15th, A “War Toys” Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Before watching Puppet Master: Axis Termination, getting caught up is a must! It will help those who have not seen the films in a while to make sense out of the introduction, and remember who the major players are for this conclusion to this trilogy.

Although many years have passed in the real world (the last film was released in 2012), the wait for the conclusion to this subset of films is worthwhile. Crowdfunding was required to help get this final chapter off the ground. Charles Band wrote and directed this piece. His pulp style narrative is tinged with a taste for the mystic arts. I became a die-hard fan of this series because of the loose Ancient Egyptian connections. The god Sutekh (Set) holds the secrets to the reanimation process which gives life to Blade and his team. Of course, the Nazis want it! This connection may well come into play with the conclusion. However, “War Toys” is part one and it’s a 30 minute tease. This segment will release September 15th, with the next pieces to come on the 22nd and 29th.

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This New Tarzan Aims High In Style But Swings Low

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Not even Tarzan can save the pulps from getting a new life in cinema in the 21st century. Many movies made in the past 16 years tried to rescue this genre and sadly not many of these action heroes from long ago can withstand the test of time. Just ask The Lone Ranger (he made his first appearance in radio). When compared to the genre movies released around 1990, more of those cinematic heroes proved to be memorable.

While The Legend of Tarzan is a pop cultural icon, not every iteration has been as well received. The last jungle movie I recall enjoying was Chris Lambert in the role before Disney turned it into an animated action comedy. After seeing this film, I felt more inclined to tune in to the animated version since I enjoyed the Disney Afternoon version of this hero constantly saving Jane from threats from the Jungle. This movie lacked a certain oomph to make it a tentpole product for Warner Bros. Entertainment.

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