DEBUTING AT PULPFEST 2019: A guest post by Mike Chomko…


EDITOR’S NOTE: Mike Chomko is one of the founders and main organizers of the annual PulpFest convention that will held this year in Pittsburgh from August 15 to 18. Recently, Mike wrote a post for the PulpFest Facebook page and website that discusses some of the new books that will be debuting at PulpFest 2019 and events scheduled during the 3-day con. Thanks to Mike for allowing me to reprint his post here.

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DEBUTING AT PULPFEST 2019: An overview by PulpFest Programming Director Mike Chomko…

PulpFest has become a top venue for writers and publishers to roll out their newest titles. Following are some of the books that will be premiering at our 2019 convention…

Bob Deis and Wyatt Doyle — the editors and publishers of THE MEN’S ADVENTURE LIBRARY series — will have their latest book, POLLEN’S ACTION, at this year’s PulpFest. It collects the cream of the Samson Pollen’s high-octane action paintings for the men’s adventure magazines. They’ll also have a limited number of copies of EVA: MEN’S ADVENTURE SUPERMODEL. These are being produced exclusively for members of PulpFest. This special edition — predating the title’s wide release by several months — will look at actress, pin-up model, and men’s adventure magazine artist’s model Eva Lynd.

Interestingly, Eva often posed with Steve Holland — James Bama’s model for the Bantam DOC SAVAGE paperbacks — for the men’s adventure magazine cover and interior illustrations painted by both artists Al Rossi and Norm Eastman. After checking out their books, please don’t forget to catch Bob’s and Wyatt’s presentation ARGOSY, ADVENTURE and BLUE BOOK — The Men’s Adventure Pulps, a look at the metamorphosis of these “pulp giants” into men’s adventure magazines. It’s on Friday evening, August 16. [See a preview of the presentation in the posts here.]

The beautiful painting of Eva Lynd shooting a machine gun on EVA: MEN’S ADVENTURE SUPERMODEL was painted by Norm Eastman. It was originally created as the cover art for the December 1968 issue of NEW MAN. Eastman’s wild and often politically-incorrect cover paintings are among the most famous (and infamous) ever done for the men’s adventure magazines.

Age of Aces Books is a publisher of pulp fiction treasures with a keen eye for design. At this year’s PulpFest, Chris and David Kalb will be releasing two thrilling collections from the tattered pages of the air war pulps: Donald E. Keyhoe’s CAPTAIN PHILIP STRANGE: STRANGE DEATHS — their eighth collection to feature the so-called “Brain-Devil” of G-2 Intelligence — and THE X-GUN FLIGHTthe fourth volume in Ralph Oppemheim’s Three Mosquitoes series from Popular Publications’ BATTLE ACES.

Writer and editor Jonathan Sweet — the owner of Brick Pickle Media — will be representing new pulp publisher Airship 27 as their authorized agent at PulpFest. He’ll have a wide selection of their latest offerings including BULLDOG DRUMMOND: ON POISONED GROUND, DOMINO LADY, VOLUME 3, IKE MARS: BLOODY KEY (set in Pittsburgh), MARTY QUADE, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, and SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE, VOLUME 13. Jonathan will also have his own book, THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PULP FICTION: THE HEROES, THE VILLAINS AND THE WRITERS. Consider it the 101-level course on the pulp magazine writers, heroes, and villains that dominated popular entertainment in the first half of the 20th century.

Roger Alford is best known as the author of THE BLACK SPECTRE series. Featuring five gritty noir thrillers, the books effortlessly combine new pulp with a classic 1930s style. Inspired by the masked heroes of the great pulps, Alford’s series is published by Black Hood Press. Come meet Roger Alford in person Saturday afternoon, August 17, at PulpFest and let him introduce you to both THE BLACK SPECTRE and HOLLYWOOD NEWSHAWK. The latter is a new series detailing the exploits of Tom Miller, hardboiled reporter in 1940s Los Angeles. Roger will be releasing THE CITY BURNS AT NIGHT — the first book in the series — on August 13, just in time for PulpFest 2019. “When a mysterious firebug is loose in 1947 Los Angeles, adventurous reporter Tom Miller will have to risk everything to find the truth. Including his life!”

Bold Venture Press is a heroic little publishing company, specializing in quality editions of new and classic pulp fiction. Their publications span many genres — mystery, science fiction, horror, western, romance and humor. We’re pleased to welcome Audrey Parente and Rich Harvey back to PulpFest after an absence of some years. They’ll have copies of the latest issue of PULP ADVENTURES, more from pulp great Johnston McCulley, the newest adventure of The Twilight Patrol — “equal parts H. P. Lovecraft and G-8 and His Battle Aces” — and more. One of our nominees for the 2019 Munsey Award, Rich will also be saluting “A Century of Zorro” during our evening programming on Thursday, August 15.

Please welcome Brad Braddock — the award-winning author of MEMOIRS OF MURDER, a prequel to the 1932 film classic, WHITE ZOMBIE — to his first PulpFest. The award-winning author’s novel has been praised by Bela Lugosi scholars and fans of classic horror alike. His other published works include fiction and non-fiction based on folklore, history, and horror. Brad’s writing is sometimes serious, sometimes quirky, but always fun!

PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko will be exhibiting six new volumes in the Altus Press DIME DETECTIVE LIBRARY. He’ll also be selling a pair of Frederick Faust titles and three by H. Bedford-Jones, plus the third volume of L. Patrick Greene’s THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF THE MAJOR. Thanks to a special arrangement with publisher Matt Moring, Mike will also have the deluxe editions of Ray Cummings’ THE COMPLETE TALES OF THE SCIENTIFIC CLUB and Donald E. Keyhoe’s DR. YEN SIN: THE COMPLETE SERIES on hand for PulpFest 2019.

You’ll also be able to get copies of Camille Cazedessus’ long-running PULPDOM fanzine from Mike Chomko, Books. Started in 1989 as THE FANTASTIC COLLECTOR, it was retitled at the beginning of 1997. Now published online, Mike will have printed copies of PULPDOM ONLINE #15 – 23 and the H. Bedford-Jones classic, THE BUDDHA’S ELEPHANT.

Courtesy of Sinister Cinema, comes the Armchair Fiction Library of pulp yarns. Mike will have several volumes from the publisher’s HORROR GEMS series — collecting great tales of the supernatural from WEIRD TALES and other sources — plus their Richard Shaver collections of Richard Shaver and a variety of science fiction and lost race classics.

Mike Chomko, Books — one of the leading purveyors of pulp reprint books and periodicals since the early 1990s — will also be representing Stark House Press at this year’s PulpFest. The publisher is planning several new titles for the convention, including the Fredric Brown 1953 classic, MADBALL. This short novel concerns “all manner of thieves, murderers, strippers, carnival barkers, knife throwers, drifters, fortune tellers, and others . . . all linked by greed.” Mike will also have a brand new anthology of 1950s noir fiction from Lion Books and THE BEST OF MANHUNT, featuring stories by David Goodis, Fredric Brown, Donald E. Westlake, Harlan Ellison, James M. Cain, Evan Hunter and many more.

Dog Star Books will have a PulpFest exclusive hardcover, lettered edition of Heidi Ruby Miller’s first novel AMBASADORA: MARKED BY LIGHT available for $40 during the convention. Both Heidi and artist Amy Gartley have signed a special interior page graced with one of Amy’s woodblock prints. Dog Star Books is also offering a package of the special edition book and a signed print from Amy for $50. If you’d like to pre-order your copy or package to pick up at PulpFest, please contact Heidi at [email protected].

Christopher Paul Carey — the Director of Publishing at Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.will have copies of the first hardcover edition of TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD by Fritz Leiber. It’s part of the newly announced Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe. Chris will also have his own books — SWORDS AGAINST THE MOON MEN and THE GRANDEST ADVENTURE: WRITINGS ON PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER — and more. He will be moderating a panel on Burroughs on Friday and appearing as a “Contemporary Pulp: Writing Genre Fiction” panelist on Saturday.

2019 Munsey Award nominee Win Scott Eckert launched the first Wold Newton website in 1997. Since that time, he has written or co-written novels and short stories featuring characters such as Philip José Farmer’s Patricia Wildman, cult favorites Honey West and T. H. E. Cat, and classic properties such as The Green Hornet, Zorro, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, The Green Ghost, Phileas Fogg, The Domino Lady, and Sherlock Holmes. Win will be selling copies of his latest novel, HUNT THE AVENGER, along with his other books at the Meteor House tables. On August 17, Win will be part of our “Contemporary Pulp: Writing Genre Fiction” presentation and one of the panelists on “Farmer of the Pulps: A Harvest of Influences,” presented by FarmerCon XIV. He will also be part of our author signings on Friday afternoon.

Please welcome Jim Dyer of Fenham Publishing to his first PulpFest. Jim is the grandson of C. M. Eddy, Jr., perhaps best known for his gruesome work, “The Loved Dead,” published in the May, June, July 1924 number of WEIRD TALES. Jim will be selling a collection of thirteen tales of classic horror, mystery, supernatural and fantasy, written by his grandfather. He’ll also have IN THE GRAY OF THE DUSK: A COLLECTION OF TYPEWRITTEN TREASURES, collecting the prose and poetry of his grandmother, Muriel E. Eddy. This volume is comprised of eight short stories and four poems that are a combination of mystery and the macabre, fantasy and the supernatural. Muriel’s tales will conjure up visions and imagery to captivate your imagination.

PulpFest is very pleased to welcome David and Daniel Ritter of First Fandom Experience to our 2019 convention. First Fandom Experience is a collaborative publishing project that aims to honor, preserve, and bring to life the experience of the pioneering fans who defined, drove, and grew science fiction in the 1930s and beyond. At PulpFest 2019, First Fandom Experience will be debuting the Deluxe Preview Edition of the forthcoming THE VISUAL HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM. This special edition is a sample of the story of early science fiction fandom, told through the original artifacts of the time alongside historical commentary and an illustrated graphic novel segment.

John Bruening, co-publisher of Flinch Books, will have copies of his newly released second Midnight Guardian novel, THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN: ANNIHILATION MACHINE. John will also have copies of various Flinch Books anthologies on hand, including QUEST FOR THE SPACE GODS: THE CHRONICLES OF CONRAD VON HONIG and other titles. And be sure to catch John’s appearances at our “Flinch Fest” and “Contemporary Pulp: Writing Genre Fiction” panel, both on Saturday, August 17.

R. David Fulcher is the co-editor of SAMSARA, a small press magazine that has showcased the work of writers and poets for over a decade. An author of poetry, science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction, his major literary influences include H. P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allan Poe, Fritz Leiber, and Stephen King. R. David is also a fan of horror films and will be selling THE MOVIES THAT MAKE YOU SCREAM! — a book new to PulpFest — as well as other work.

Lucina Press‘ second illustrated pulp story, ANCHOR: A STRANGE TALE OF TIME, will make its PulpFest premier at our 2019 convention. This time, author/illustrator, Sara Light-Waller, created a time travel/horror story in the manner of WEIRD TALES from the 1930’s. The book is lavishly illustrated with works in pen & ink, pencil, and scratchboard. The cover art is hand-painted. Light-Waller’s first pulp story, LANDSCAPE OF DARKNESS: A NOVELETTE OF THE SPACE PATROL , debuted at PulpFest in 2018. Sara Light-Waller will be reading from ANCHOR on Saturday afternoon, August 17. Come meet her in person at PulpFest 2019 and take a home copies of both of her science fiction thrillers.

Kurt McCoy is a West Virginia writer with a lifelong fascination for monsters, ghost stories, and folklore. He’ll be selling THE WEREWOLF’S HEART, a sequel to the very first werewolf film ever made. The story is a rousing pulp western horror tale about a gang of desperate outlaws who try to elude capture by hiding out on a haunted mountain. They are soon struggling to survive against a werewolf and the other dark spirits that dwell on Ghost Mountain. Kurt will also be offering his affectionate satire of classic beach horror movies, MONSTER BEACH PARTY. A 2019 nominee for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, Kurt will be exhibiting at PulpFest 2019 with fellow writer Brad Braddock.

In his new historical thriller, ONCE A WORLD, Craig McDonald tells the story of teenage Hector Lassiter, an aspiring pulp author inspired by propaganda and a siren’s song of throbbing war drums. He lies about his age, mounts a horse, and storms across the Mexican border behind General “Black Jack” Pershing and George S. Patton to bring the terrorist and Revolutionary General Pancho Villa to justice. Soon, the still underage Hector is shipped off to the bloody trenches of France, fighting the so-called “War to End All Wars.” There he meets fellow novelists-in-waiting, John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway.

Craig McDonald is an award-winning novelist, journalist and editor. The HECTOR LASSITER series chronicles the exploits of a fictional BLACK MASK author and his encounters with such notable figures as Hemingway, Orson Welles, Ian Fleming, and Lester Dent. Visit PulpFest 2019 on Friday afternoon, August 16, to meet Craig McDonald and become a fan of Hector Lassiter’s adventures.

Meteor House will be releasing its newest title at PulpFest 2019.  Pick up your copy of the first hardcover publication of Philip Jose Farmer’s GREATHEART SILVER AND OTHER PULP HEROES, a collection of six stories inspired by the author’s life-long love affair with the pulps. Michael Croteau and Paul Spiteri will also be selling items from the author’s estate and works created by attendees of FarmerCon, returning to PulpFest for the ninth consecutive year.

Ed Hulse of Murania Press has decided to revive his much admired pulp journal, BLOOD ‘N’ THUNDER. He’ll have a brand new issue at PulpFest 2019, available in a smaller format and at a cheaper price, but with the same exceptional quality. The first issue will feature articles by Will Murray, David Saunders, Rick Lai, David Kalb, and Ed Hulse, himself. He’ll also have all ten volumes of the terrific Murania Press series, “Forgotten Classics of Pulp Fiction,” William Corcoran’s THE PURPLE EYE — the template for countless hero pulp stories of the 1930s — and two other recent fiction reprint collections, THE JOHNSTON MCCULLEY OMNIBUS and SATAN LIVES FOR MY LOVE. And don’t forget about Ed’s presentation on Thursday evening: “Hollywood Pulp — From Pulp Page to the Silver Screen.”

The author of over sixty novels and assorted works, Will Murray will be selling copies from his various “The All-New Wild Adventures of . . .” series including DOC SAVAGE: MR. CALAMITY, THE SPIDER: THE DOOM LEGION, and KING KONG VS. TARZAN. Expect to see some of Will’s non-fiction books, too. Of course, he’ll be glad to sign your purchases. Will publishes his books under the Adventures in Bronze umbrella, in association with Altus Press. You’ll also get to meet Will at our Friday author signings, just outside the PulpFest dealers’ room. Additionally, he’ll be appearing as a “Contemporary Pulp: Writing Genre Fiction” panelist on Saturday afternoon.

Join us on Friday evening, August 16, for “The Key of Imagination: Pulp Television,” our sixtieth anniversary celebration of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Nicholas Parisi will be discussing the creation and history of Rod Serling’s fantastic program and its relationship to the science fiction and fantasy pulps and digests. Before and after Nick’s presentation, stop by his table and pick up a copy of his excellent book, ROD SERLING: HIS LIFE, WORK, AND IMAGINATION. In great detail and including never-published insights drawn directly from Serling’s personal correspondence, unpublished writings, speeches, and unproduced scripts, Nicholas explores Serling’s massive body of work. You’ll also have an opportunity to meet Nicholas Parisi at our Saturday afternoon author signings, just outside of the PulpFest dealers’ room.

The recipient of the 2018 Horror Writers Association Specialty Press Award for outstanding horror, dark fantasy, and weird fiction, Raw Dog Screaming Press is dedicated to putting into print the highest quality literature from the fringe. Publishers Jennifer Barnes and John Lawson are attending PulpFest for the first time to celebrate sixteen years of publishing “fiction that “foams at the mouth.” In addition to selling their fine publications in our dealers’ room, Jennifer will be the hostess of the “Raw Dog Screaming Press Rapid-Fire Read & Sweet Sixteen Celebration” on Friday, August 16. On Saturday morning, join John at the “Dog Star Books Rapid-Fire Read & Sweet Sixteen Celebration.” Dog Star Books is the Raw Dog Screaming Press imprint for Science Fiction Adventure titles.

Please welcome audio artist Mark Redfield of Redfield Arts Audio to this year’s PulpFest. Mark is an actor, writer, artist and filmmaker. He’s also the publisher and editor of POE FOREVERMORE, a print magazine specializing in original horror, science fiction and mystery and detective short stories. Mark will have copies of his recent audiobooks including Mark Wheatley’s SONGS OF GIANTS: THE POETRY OF PULP, William Patrick Maynard’s THE TERROR OF FU MANCHU, and more. Sound designer, video editor, web designer, and actress Jennifer Rouse will also be appearing at PulpFest 2019.  Many thanks to Redfield Audio Arts for their very generous contribution for the convention’s 2019 hospitality suite.

Author Christopher Ryan is returning to his second PulpFest. Chris pens the novella-length adventures of Alex Simmons’ Blackjack. The character — first introduced in 1996 through a comic book miniseries — is an African-American soldier of fortune globetrotting during the turbulent 1930s. In addition to his Blackjack novellas, Christopher will have his award-winning Mallory and Gunner series, as well as other books. He’ll be accompanied by Blackjack creator Alex Simmons. As a PulpFest exclusive, Chris will be debuting a free 32-page excerpt from a new project, SANDS OF TIME. It’s a potential mystery series set on the Jersey Shore that combines Chris’s fast-paced storytelling and humor with a touch of . . . romance?

Pittsburgh’s Donald E. Simpson is the cartoonist/creator of the comic books MEGATON MAN, BORDER WORLDS, and BIZARRE HEROES. Don has taught workshops in cartooning and figure drawing for a number of years. He earned a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in History of Art and Architecture in 2013. He’ll be selling copies of his dark and visionary graphic novel, BORDER WORLDS, a nice Kong-themed print, and more at his table at PulpFest 2019. Catch him near the Meteor House tables in our dealers’ room.

The author of the UTGARDA pulp adventure series, Joab Stieglitz has crossed his love for cosmic horror and fantasy and role-playing games into a Lovecraftian occult horror series that will appeal to pulp fans, Cthulhu Mythos acolytes, gamers, and horror movie fans in equal measure. The UTGARDA trilogy comprises three titles: THE OLD MAN’S REQUEST, THE MISSING MEDIUM, and THE OTHER REALM. The UTGARDA trilogy is a fast-paced, well-written supernatural thriller that channels H. P. Lovecraft’s and August Derleth’s Cthulhu Mythos in detailing the unspeakable entity that was unleashed upon the world in the 1920s by The Cabal. Come meet Joab Stieglitz in person Friday afternoon, August 16,  at PulpFest as he ushers UTGARDA into the 21st Century.

One of the highlights from PulpFest 2018 was the art show featuring the work of illustrator Mark Wheatley. Inducted into The Overstreet Hall of Fame in July 2017, Mark is a long-time Edgar Rice Burroughs fan and admirer of the work of Philip José Farmer. He’s also painted covers for Norvell W. Page’s THE SPIDER: SATAN’S MURDER MACHINES and AMAZON NIGHTS by Arthur O. Friel and, in collaboration with G. D. Falksen, created the book DOCTOR CTHULITTLE. How’s that for some top-notch pulp credentials?

At PulpFest 2019, Mark will have copies of his recently released book, SONGS OF GIANTS. Discover all the romance, the secret fears, and the unknown and surprising cosmos in poems written by Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H. P. Lovecraft. Each poem has been lovingly illustrated, capturing the essence of words set down as long as a century ago. Mark Wheatley has brought these poems to life with a fine line illustration style inspired by the early, classic, golden age illustrators. He’ll also have some of the original art from SONGS OF GIANTS on display at the convention.

With SEVENTH SENSE, Lamont Award winner John Wooley teams up with pulp collector and author Robert A. Brown for an epistolary tale, set in 1939. It concerns a worker for the WPA Folklore Project who uncovers unspeakable horrors in the hills of Arkansas. Among those praising SEVENTH SENSE for its evocation of old-school pulp-style horror is online reviewer Chad Calkins: “Recently finished reading a series of WEIRD TALES stories before devouring this book, and it felt like I never left.” If that’s not enough, ask PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko what he thought of the book.

Published by Babylon Books. SEVENTH SENSE is the first volume in a trilogy. You’ll be able to pick up copies of John’s book at John McMahan’s dealer tables and during our author signings on Saturday, August 17, near the entrance to our dealer’s room. And be sure to catch John’s PulpFest presentation, “Dashiell Hammett and the Detective Story,” on Friday evening.

Last of all, Ben and Tracy Eller will be bringing World of Strange to PulpFest 2019. The Ellers create T-shirts and other fantastic apparel featuring vintage comic book covers, science fiction motifs, Cthulhu-inspired artwork, and pulp magazine covers. They’ve appeared at Dragon Con, Wonderfest, and other pop culture conventions over the last few years. Click here to check out the cool PLANET STORIES video from their website.

Some of the creators listed above will be part of our “New Fictioneers Readings” on Friday and Saturday, while others will be signing books near our dealers’ room entrance or participating in panels and presentations. For more information, check out our programming schedule by clicking the button found at the top of our home page. Or click here to link to our 2019 mobile schedule. And don’t forget to look for the “New Fictioneers Readings” banner at the convention.

So what are you waiting for? Book a room for three nights and register now for “Summer’s AMAZING Pulp Con.” If you would like a reservation at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, please call 1-800-222-8733. Be sure to mention PulpFest in order to receive any convention special deals that may still be available.

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Below are the current books in our Men’s Adventure Library series. We’ll be announcing the release of several new books, including EVA LYND: MEN’S ADVENTURE SUPERSTAR, very soon……

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Pollen’s Women: The Art of Samson Pollen (Men’s Adventure Library)
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Pollen’s Action: The Art of Samson Pollen (Men’s Adventure Library)
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