Pulp Modern [v2 #8, Winter 2022] ed. Alec Cizak (Uncle B. Publications & Larque Press, $9.99, 140pp, digest, cover by Michael Neno) 1 • From the Editor • Alec Cizak • ed 4 • The Irregular • Misha Burnett • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera 16 • Pandemic of the Gay Plague—The Musical • Tia Ja’nae • ar 22 • Sin-Eater • Jeff Esterholm • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera 34 • Armageddon 2013—Some Thoughts on The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past • Anthony Perconti • ar 42 • Sea Change • Brian Asman • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera 64 • Escape from New York: Hip-Hop 1981 • Roy Christopher • ar 68 • Hunting Jimmy • Robb White • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera 80 • The Best Picture of 1981 • Ronin Heck • ar 84 • Obituary: The High Flying Life of Mike Hunt • Tia Ja’Nae • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera 94 • The Death of Switchblade or How I Sharpened the Axe • Scotch Rutherford • ar 102 • Let’s Make a Deal • Scotch Rutherford • ss 116 • The Year of the Slasher • Alec Cizak • ar 122 • Last Stop of the Night • Shannon Hollinger • ss; illustration by Carmelo J. Guarnera
Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website. FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.
Pulp Modern [v2 #7, Summer2021] ed. Alec Cizak (Uncle B. Publications & Larque Press, $9.99, 143pp, digest, cover and interior artwork by Ran Scott) 1 • From the Editor • Alec Cizak • ed 4 • Fame at the Mini-Mart • Karen Harrington • ss 18 • Trooper • Anthony Neil Smith • ss 35 • Tides Now Lost • C.J. Dotson • ss 46 • The Surfing Green Beret • Andrew Miller • ss 62 • Hardboiled Chivalry: Walter Mosley’s Fearless Jones in the Hero Pulps • Anthony Perconti • ar 70 • Ravaging Jackals • Edward A. Grainger • ss 90 • Work Life Balance • Nathan Pettigrew • ss 102 • Billboard Bound • Tia Ja’nae • ss 112 • Small Rubber Duck • Stephen J. Golds • ss 124 • End of the Line • Sarah Cannavo • ss
Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website. FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.
Pulp Modern [v2 #6, Winter 2020] ed. Alec Cizak (Uncle B. Publications & Larque Press, $6.99, 132pp, digest, cover by Ran Scott) 1 • From the Editor • Alec Cizak • ed 4 • Twenty Minutes in Riverdale • John M. Floyd • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 16 • With Hindsight • Stephen D. Rogers • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 28 • Just Another Necky • Dustin Walker • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 44 • Tall Tales • Lousie Taylor • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 60 • Armed and Dangerous • Anthony Perconti • ar 70 • A Lesson in Footwork • Matthew X. Gomez • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 86 • Art Model Noir • Patrick Whitehurst • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 98 • Hara-Kiri • Stephen J. Golds • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 110 • Rotten Meat • Nils Gilbertson • ss; illustrated by Ran Scott 126 • Contacts • lk 127 • Independent Fiction Alliance • ms
Highlights of this issue include two articles on mermaids, a report on nature spirits, and a piece by dowser Marty Cain.
Get a copy on newsstands now, or order directly from fatemag.com
Status Updates The print proof of Oddities and Other Grotesques by Roman Scott arrived this week from Marc Myers. The overall package looks great, but quite a few pages require some tweaks. Mostly image adjustments to make the artwork reproduce in its best light. A little time consuming, but I progressed about half way through the book by week’s end. More to do next week.
Alec Cizak sent a few ads for the next Pulp Modern. And Ran Scott completed another illustration. We’re making good progress, and hope to wrap things up before the end of the year.
The second print proof for The Digest Enthusiast No. 13 is in St. Paul on its way to Vancouver. Although next week is probably a lousy week to release a book, I’ll do it anyway ‘cause I’m an indie publisher and there are a few folks who’ve been patiently waiting. Watch for an update next week.
In the meantime, our current issue: The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print at Lulu.com and Amazon, and in digital formats at Kindle Books and Magzter.
This audio biography of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci by Michael Specter provides an excellent overview of the famed doctor’s career, along with excerpts from interviews recorded along the way. Covering more than three decades of work and discovery, from his childhood in Brooklyn to his pioneering research and advocacy for patients with AIDS, up to the current global pandemic with COVID-19.
In addition to its fact-based case for science, its also an illustration of the power of grounding yourself in facts. Faced with a tidal wave of emotion, and too often misinformed rage, Fauci kept his cool and his self-esteem intact by sticking to facts as the foundation for his even-handed, often generous, response to his critics and those intent on bullying. A casebook for going high, when your critics go low.
WIP Update The proof copy of The Digest Enthusiast No. 13 arrived this week. The book will be manufactured by Lulu.com and was originally spec’ed on their 60 lb. interior stock. The proof looks good, but the color cover repros were not quite as crisp as I’d like. When I went back to upgrade to Lulu’s 80 lb. option, I found the selection no longer available since the book had already reached the proofing stage. This didn’t make sense to me, but there may be good reason(s) of which I’m unaware. I filled out a customer support request, but the response was an automated email that didn’t address my problem. I ended up “retiring” the project and opening a new one using 80# stock. A fresh print proof is in progress. Probably unnecessary, but I want to be sure everything looks good before the book’s release. The heavier stock is more expensive, so the price will be $20 for the print version. The release will likely be the week of the Christmas holiday. Watch for the announcement here.
Marc Myers finished reviewing the proof copy of his latest book Oddities and Other Grotesques by Roman Scott. Several pages are a bit dark, so he’s forwarded the proof to me. I’ll adjust the contrast/density to the pages that need it and upload a new interior file in the next week or two.
Ran Scott completed several more interior illustrations for the next Pulp Modern and sent some cover sketch ideas to editor Alec Cizak and I. We make the selection and now things are back in Ran’s capable hands. Still no hard date for release, but late Dec/early Jan seems realistic.
Our current issue: The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print at Lulu.com and Amazon, and in digital formats at Kindle Books and Magzter.
Nostaglia Digest Winter 2021 The remarkable life of OLIVIA de HAVILLAND, Hollywood legend The screen partnership of NELSON EDDY and JEANETTE MacDONALD How THE SHADOW became one of radio’s great heroes From Teddy Bears to Barbie dolls: The world’s most famous Christmas gifts The career of DANNY THOMAS, and a promise he kept Agnes Moorehead, Richard Widmark and other radio actors who became movie stars A complete listing for Steve Darnall’s Those Were The Days! FLOYD GIBBONS, the globe-trotting reporter who became a radio star PLUS: Memories of mimeograph machines; the way televisions used to be; more! Ordering Information
Status Report Finished up The Digest Enthusiast No. 13 and ordered a print proof from Lulu.com this week. Hopefully, the proof will show up next week and everything will align with the targeted Dec. 18th release. Meanwhile, prep on the Kindle and Magzter versions kept me busy.
Here’s a cover preview of the issue, with a painting by Brian Buniak.
In other updates, Ran Scott continued his work creating artwork for Pulp Modern Vol. 2 No. 6.
No news from Marc Myers on the print proof from Lulu.com on his Roman Scott collection–with a little luck he can release it next week.
Our current issue: The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print at Lulu.com and Amazon, and in digital formats at Kindle Books and Magzter.
Marc Myers, Jonathan Falk, and I were hard at work on the Roman Scott anthology this week. Marcus Reed sent in a piece about his work with Roman on Pastime Publications. The book’s page count is now at 168.
Alec Cizak secured final drafts on three stories and final edits on the others for Pulp Modern No. 6. We’re trying out a two-column layout this time around, to bring the look-and-feel closer to past pulp digests. Bob Vojtko gave us three new cartoons to fill out the pages that needed them. Ran Scott is hard at work on the illustration and cover art. The book should be out in late December or early January.
News items are coming in for the next Digest Enthusiast and I’m proofreading the rest of the book as I await more. This issue will likely be printed by Ingram, like issue No. 11. We’ve picked up a new advertiser this time: Fenham Publishing. If you’re an H.P. Lovecraft fan, be sure to check out their website.
Our current issue: The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print at Lulu.com and Amazon, and in digital formats at Kindle Books and Magzter.
New Releases Black Cat Mystery Magazine No. 7 Special Private Eye Issue Contents Page Michael Bracken: From the Cat’s Perch Robert Lopresti “The Charity Case” Andrew Welsh-Huggins “The Whole Story” Josh Pachter “The Stopwatch of Death” Bev Vincent “The Fugitive with the Dragon Tattoo” O’Neil De Noux “Love Pirate” Graham Powell “Pictures of Lily” Gordon Linzner “Show and Zeller” John M. Floyd “Mustang Sally” E.E. King “Funeral Potatoes” Robert Jeschonek “The Makings of a Killer” Fletcher Flora “Loose Ends” (Classic Reprint)
Black Cat Mystery Magazine No. 7 Publisher/Executive Editor: John Gregory Betancourt Editor: Michael Bracken Production: Sam Hogan, Karl Wülf 6” x 9” 168 pages Print $13.00 Wildside Press Website
Digest Magazine Blogs Phyllis Galde talks with Zecharia Sitchin, eminent Orientalist and biblical scholar at Fatemag.com.
LaToya Jovena, whose “The Winner” appears in the upcoming EQMM Nov/Dec 2020, explains where she gets story ideas at Something is Going to Happen.
Abi Marie Palmer’s “The Cult of Huggy Hamster” at Pulp Modern Flash.
TDE Contributors’ Corner Uncle Jack (Seabrook) and Cousin Peter (Enfantino) review Eerie No. 49, Vampirella No. 26, and Creepy No. 55 at bare•bones e-zine.
TDE Booksellers Bud’s Art Books’ latest weekly NEW ITEMS blog post headlines Spectrum 27.
Readin’ and Writin’ This week’s reading included wrapping up the current issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, an ecclectic mix of entertaining fiction and features. My favorite stories were Marc Laidlaw’s “Weeper,” Leah Cypess’ “Of Them All,” James Sallis’ “The Cry of Evening Birds,” and Brian Trent’s “The Dog and the Ferryman.” The introduction to Laidlaw’s yarn also highlights his Games column with the promise “We think you’ll appreciate his insights into the narratives of this new-ish medium, even if you don’t play games.” I don’t, but it did prove to be an issue highlight. I also greatly enjoyed Jerry Oltion’s Science column on the science of printing. If you hurry, you can still find the issue on newsstands or order a copy directly from the publisher online.
Alec Cizak sent me the first batch of stories he’s selected for Pulp Modern Vol. 2 No. 6 and I’ve begun the layout. We’re going with a two-column layout this time to look more like the pulps and digests of old.
Rick McCollum sent the final art for my story that will appear in The Digest Enthusiast No.13. Fab as usual. It’s already in place in the issue, which is progressing nicely. Also completed the retouch on the covers for Steve Carpers’ new article.
Our current issue: The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print at Lulu.com and Amazon, and in digital formats at Kindle Books and Magzter.
New Releases Mystery Weekly Magazine Aug. 2020 Contents Page Bill Kelly “Lucid” Josh Pachter “The Odds Are Good” Michael Bracken “Bone Soup” Gerard J. Waggett “Suicide Insurance” Leone Ciporin “The Power of the Dog” Rachel Amphlett “A Grave Mistake” Michael Mallory “Only the Desperate Come Here” David Bart “A Little Housecleaning” Bruce Harris “A Numbers Game” (You-Solve-It)
Mystery Weekly Magazine No. 60 Aug. 2020 Publisher: Chuck Carter Editor: Kerry Carter Cover: Robin Grenville-Evans 7.4” x 9.7” 85 pages Print $7.99 Kindle $3.99 MWM Website
Jul/Aug 2020 Digests
Digest Magazine Writers’ Roundup David Erik Nelson discusses his F&SF Jul/Aug 2020 cover story, “All Hail the Pizza King and Bless His Reign Eternal,” at Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Adam Ford on the secret origin of his poem “Dog Day Afternoon” from Asimov’s Jul/Aug 2020 at From Earth to the Stars.
James Morrow on “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 37: The Jawbone” from F&SF Jul/Aug 2020 at Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Tom Purdom talks ray guns, personality mods, and quotes about his story “We All Lose if They Take Mizuba” from Asimov’s Jul./Aug 2020 at From Earth to the Stars.
Digest Magazine Reviews Robert Lopresti reviews “Only the Desperate Come Here” by Michael Mallory from Mystery Weekly Magazine Aug. 2020 at Little Big Crimes.
Suz Jay reviews Pulp Modern Vol. 2 No. 5 and awards it 4.5 stars at Goodreads.
Victoria Silverwolf reviews Fantastic Sept. 1965 at Galactic Journey.
James Reasoner reviews Commando: Raging Metal at Rough Edges.
Storytime Alec Cizak reads three poems from The Five-Two on ACTV.
TDE Contributors’ Corner Jack Seabrook and Peter Enfantino review Batman No. 326, The Brave and the Bold No. 165, Detective Comics No. 493, and The Untold Legend of Batman No. 2 at bare•bones e-zine.
Jack Seabrook presents The Hitchcock Project—Harold Swanton Part Five: “Summer Shade” (adapted from an AHMM Oct. 1960 story) at bare•bones e-zine.
Zine Scene Jim Main’s latest mini comic Brain Freeze No. 4 is available for $5.00 postage paid from Main Enterprises PO Box 93, New Milford, CT 06776. The 40-page issue includes work by well over a dozen cartoonists including John Lambert, Brad W. Foster, Doug Halverson, and many, many others.
Also, Michael Neno’sHorse Crime Comics mini comic is now available at Nenoworld.
Readin’ and Writin’ Finished listening to Victor E. Frankl’s Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything this week. The book consists of three lectures Frankl gave shortly after his liberation from concentration camps after WWII on the meaning of life. Surprisingly uplifting and of course, thought provoking.
Also read the second edition of Amazing Selects with Edmond Hamilton’s Captain Future starring in The Guns of Pluto by Allen Steele. This adventure is the second installment of Steele’s trilogy of The Return of Ul Quorn, sequel to Avengers of the Moon. Great read with clever plotting. Can’t wait to get my eyeballs on the conclusion. Plus this edition includes a bonus reprint of Hamilton’s “The Harpers of Titan,” a story in which the Brain takes center stage, with the rest of the crew in supporting roles.
Finished writing an article/review of Flying Eagle’s 1953 digest magazine Verdict and submitted it to Peter Enfantino of Cimarron Street books for a future edition of bare•bones.
Also gained feedback on my sword and sorcery story “The Children of Aldwier” from my writing group. After some tweaks, the story will appear in TDE13, scheduled for January 2021.
Karl awarded The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 a five-star rating on Goodreads this week. Thank you, Karl! The issue is available in print from Lulu.com (and amazon), and in digital formats for Kindle and Magzter.
Vintage SF Digest Thrilling Science Fiction No. 24 April 1972 Contents Page Ivar Jorgenson “Children of Chaos” Les Collins “The Seventh Planet” art by Schroeder C.H. Thomas “World Beyond Pluto” art by Novick Henry Slesar “Legacy of Terror” art by Virgil Finlay Tom Godwin “Cry From a Far Planet” art by Martinez O.H. Leslie “The Creators” A. Bertram Chandler “It Started with Sputnik” art by Llewellyn G.L. Vendenberg “Moon Glow” A. Morris & Malcolm Smith “The Thing on the Moon”
Thrilling Science Fiction No. 24 April 1972 Ultimate Publishing 5.25” x 7.75” 132 pages 60¢
New Releases Black Cat Mystery Magazine No. 6 Contents Page Michael Bracken: From the Cat’s Perch Trey R. Barker “Seven Card Joker High” Robert Guffey “The Loser” Michael Bracken “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” John Hegenberger “The Magnificent Score” Robert Lopresti “Worse than Death” Patricia Dusenbury “The Last Thing He Remembered” Laird Long “Paint the Clown Red” Bryce Walton “The Contagious Killer” (Classic Reprint)
Black Cat Mystery Magazine No. 6 (Vol. 2 No. 2) (June 2019) Publisher: John Gregory Betancourt Editor: Michael Bracken Production Team: Sam Cooper, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Sam Hogan, Yamini Manikoth Cover: Uncredited 6” x 9” 132 pages Print $14.49 Kindle $3.99 Black Cat Mystery website
Analog, Asimov’s Ju./Aug 2020
The Jul/Aug 2020 issues of Analog and Asimov’s are now available. For contents click on their titles.
Pulp Modern editor Alec Cizak provides an update on the fiction digest at No Moral Center and introduces Pulp Modern Flash, a new online genre fiction website.
Tales from the Magician’s Skull No. 4
Tales from the Magician’s Skull No. 4 Contents Page John C. Hocking “Guardian of the Broken Gem” Adrian Cole “On Death Seed Island” James Enge “Masks of Silence” James Stoddard “Cage of Honor” C.L. Werner “The Witch’s Hand” Ryan Harvey “The Dead Queen’s Triumph” Tom Doyle “Thieves of the Fallen World” Milton Davis “Apedamak’s Army” Terry Olson’s Appendix: Game Statistics
Tales from the Magician’s Skull No. 4 Publisher: Joseph Goodman Editor: Howard Andrew Jones Cover: Doug Kovacs Design: Lester B. Portly Interior Art: Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jannell Jaquays, Doug Kovacs, Brad McDevitt, Russ Nicholson, Stefan Prag 8.5” x 11” 72 pages Print $14.99
Analog July 1965 and World of If Aug. 1965
Digest Magazine Reviews Robert Lopresti reviews Mark Thielman’s “A Beastly Trial” from AHMM Jul/Aug 2020 at Little Big Crimes.
Stephen Mazur is leaving his post as Assistant Editor of F&SF. C.C. Finlay writes a farewell tribute at Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Stephen Mazur interviews Richard Bowes about “In the Eyes of Jack Saul” (F&SF May/Jun 2020) at Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Jacqueline Freimor whose story “That Which is True” debuts in EQMM Jul/Aug 2020 responds to the question: “Where do you get your ideas?” at EQMM’sSomething is Going to Happen.
Batman 323, Brave & Bold 162, Detective 490
TDE Contributor Corner Jack Seabrook and Peter Enfantino review Batman No. 323, The Brave and the Bold No. 162, and Detective Comics No. 490 at bare•bones e-zine.
Jack Seabrook presents The Hitchcock Project—Harold Swanton Part Two: Portrait of Jocelyn at bare•bones e-zine.
The Confession and Eddie’s World
Readin’ and Writin’ (6-28-20) Finished reading The Confession by Domenic Stansberry, Hard Case Crime, 2004 (HCC-006) this week. A criminal psychologist tells his first-hand story of the criminal justice system when he finds himself facing trial for the murder of his lover amid an avalanche of circumstantial evidence.
Second read of the week was Eddie’s World by Charlie Stella, from Stark House Press’ Black Gat imprint. It’s Black Gat Books No. 2. The copyright is 2001, first published by Carroll & Graf. Cover photo by Peter Rozovsky, book design by Mark Shepard.
Eddie is a sometimes gangster, sometimes word processor. He takes on his latest caper mostly to help out a friend who is in deep financial straits. It’s an after-hours heist for $15K in cash, split three ways between Eddie, Tommy, and the inside-gal Sarah. Like the rest of Eddie’s life, things get complicated, get worse, and get hard to see anyway free and clear of the noirish muck he’s mired in. Plot, characters, prose—this one’s terrific from every angle.
Updated several larquepress.com webpages this week, adding The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 and Pulp Modern No. 5 to their respective webpages and a complete redo of the links page.
Barb Goffman shares proofreading tips at SleuthSayers.
DreamHaven Books now has copies of The Digest Enthusiast No. 10–12 and bare*bones No. 1 and No. 2 for sale online and at their landmark store in Minneapolis.
Jack Seabrook wrapped up a terrific article on Mystery Book Magazine author Leo Marr that’s locked in for The Digest Enthusiast No. 13, due in January 2021.
John Shirley on Weirdbook No. 42
While you’re waiting you might want to check out the current issue that includes an interview with John Shirley about his special issue of Weirdbook No.42. The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 is available in print from select booksellers and Lulu.com–and in digital versions for Kindle and Magzter.
Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Feb. 1959
Vintage Crime Digest Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Feb. 1959 Brett Halliday: First Appearances Brett Halliday “Keep Me Out of the Morgue” (Mike Shayne) Lewis Horne “Strangers in Gideon” Art Crockett “Murder Begins at Home” Johnston McCulley “Thubway Tham’s Double Play” Henry Slesar “Something Borrowed” John Jakes “The Crooked Three” Charles Beckman, Jr. “Framed” Dennis Weigand “Child’s Play”
Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Vol 4 No. 3 Feb. 1959 Publisher: Leo Margulies Editorial Director: Cylvia Kleinman Production: Walter P. Dallas 5.5” x 7.75” 128 pages Cover Price: 35¢
