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The Unfulfilled Superhero: Philip Wylie’s Gladiator

The Unfulfilled Superhero: Philip Wylie’s Gladiator

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GladiatorGrowing up reading superhero comic books, it was almost inevitable that I’d hear about Philip Wylie’s 1930 novel Gladiator. It was said to be the inspiration behind Superman, the original story about an ultra-powerful strong man who set about trying to right wrongs. Growing older, I heard more: that Jerry Siegel, Superman’s co-creator, had reviewed the book for a fanzine; that he’d swiped dialogue from the book for use in his comics; that Wylie had threatened to sue. These claims were, in fact, not true. It is accurate to say that elements of the novel (now in the public domain and freely available online) can be seen in Superman. It’s also true (as Claude Lalumiére observed to me when he sold me his copy of the book) that the novel seems to have had as much or more inspiration on the character of Spider-Man. But as I see it, the book really stands in opposition to the super-hero genre as it later developed; it’s a kind of deconstructing of the genre before the genre had been really created. Unfortunately, I can’t say I find much else to recommend the novel. Still, it’s worth looking at as a curiosity, to see what survived in later works and what was changed — and how those changes transformed the central idea.

Gladiator opens in rural Colorado, with a man named Abednego Danner, a biology professor at a small college. Danner develops a serum that, administered in utero, can make a living creature tremendously fast, strong, and tough. When his wife falls pregnant, he administers the serum to his unborn child, who turns out to be a son named Hugo. The book follows Hugo though his life, as he develops his tremendous strength, goes to college and becomes a football star, struggles to make money, goes off to fight in the First World War, tries to find his purpose, fails to end political corruption, and finally comes to an odd anticlimactic end struck by lightning on a peak in South America while doubting God.

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Vintage Treasures: The Radio Beasts by Ralph Milne Farley

Vintage Treasures: The Radio Beasts by Ralph Milne Farley

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The Radio Beasts brightLast month I wrote a brief piece on Ralph Milne Farley’s pulp novel An Earth Man on Venus, originally published as The Radio Man in Argosy magazine in 1924.

As part of the research I dug a little into Farley, and discovered his real identity was Roger Sherman Hoar, state senator and assistant Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts.

I also discovered he produced seven (!) sequels over the next three decades: The Radio Beasts (1925), The Radio Planet (1926), The Radio Flyers (1929), The Radio Menace (1930), The Radio Gun-Runners (1930), The Radio War (1932) and The Radio Minds of Mars (1955).

That’s a lot of radio action.

A lot of things have changed since the 1920s. But one aspect of pop culture remains consistent: when a property has seven sequels, someone somewhere made a lot of money.

We can safely assume that by the time The Radio Minds of Mars (great title) appeared in 1955, America had had its fill of radio adventure. But in the intervening years, the Radio novels were a hot property.

The Radio Beasts affirms that. It had multiple editions, beginning with its 1925 four-part serialization in Argosy All-Story Weekly. It was reprinted (in one installment) in Fantastic Novels Magazine in January 1941 — with a Frank R. Paul cover, no less.

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Joyce Carol Oates’ Gothic Quintet, Part V: The Accursed

Joyce Carol Oates’ Gothic Quintet, Part V: The Accursed

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The AccursedLast October, I looked at the four books of Joyce Carol Oates’ Gothic Quintet that had been published up to that point. I wrote about them in publication order, starting with Bellefleur, from 1980, a novel I thought truly brilliant. I had a slightly more ambiguous reaction to 1982’s A Bloodsmoor Romance, which might have been a function of my being less familiar with the books that had inspired it. At any rate, I was considerably more impressed with 1984’s Mysteries of Winterthurn and thought 1998’s My Heart Laid Bare a successful conclusion to the sequence. If ‘conclusion’ is the appropriate word. Earlier this spring, Oates’ fifth gothic was published, as though the sequence was returning to unlife after being laid to rest.

In fact, Oates wrote all five books in the early 80s, but only published three at the time. My Heart Laid Bare, the fourth, was published a decade and a half later. Now, a decade and a half after that, The Accursed has finally been published. It was the third book written, and so can be viewed as either a belated conclusion to the sequence or else as a kind of keystone to the gothic arch of the whole series. I tend to prefer the latter. My Heart Laid Bare seemed to move away from the Gothic toward a more purely ironic, though not wholly mimetic, form of storytelling. The Accursed is in keeping with the earlier books of the series, not without irony itself, but also filled with the sublime and seemingly supernatural. I found it clarified and extended themes and imagery of all five books, resonating and completing the overall sequence.

Given the structural complexity of each individual book, the way they build themselves up almost as jigsaw puzzles, and particularly given Oates’ choice in The Accursed to withhold the final puzzle-piece of plot until the final chapter, there’s something appropriate about the publication order of the books. The Accursed may after all be best read as the final book of the five. As such, it’s a bravura conclusion, every bit as dense with meaning and as extravagantly well-written as its predecessors. And as intricate, every image linking to each other and to the core themes of the book. But it also comes to seem that the five books replicate as a whole their individual structures: the themes build, and the plot follows.

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New Treasures: Brother Grim by Ron Fortier

New Treasures: Brother Grim by Ron Fortier

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Brother GrimI’ve been hearing a lot about Ron Fortier and his publishing house Airship 27 over the last 12 months.

We’ve reported on a few of his titles here, including Barry Baskerville Solves a Case (which William Patrick Maynard calls “equal parts Encyclopedia Brown, Nate the Great, and Sherlock Holmes”), Joe Bonadonna’s space opera Three Against The Stars, David C. Smith’s occult thriller Call of Shadows, the TV-inspired anthology Tales from the Hanging Monkey, Jim Beard’s occult detective Sgt. Janus, Spirit-Breaker, pulp adventurer Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery, The Moon Man — whom David C Smith describes as “a Robin Hood-type vigilante who fights crime while disguising himself by wearing a fish bowl over his head. (Yes! A fishbowl!)” — and many others.

I met Ron for the first time at the Windy City Pulp and Paper show here in Chicago in April, and I was astounded at the vast array of terrific pulp adventure titles he had spread out at his table. I purchased a tiny sample to take home and enjoy, including Charles R. Saunders 1930s Harlem boxing and Nazis saga Damballa, the SF anthology Mars McCoy, Space Ranger, and Ron Fortier and Gary Kato’s comic Days of the Dragon.

But I also picked up Ron’s Brother Grim, a collection of six pulp adventure stories featuring an undead avenger. Brother Grim first appeared on the Supernatural Crime website, and was popular enough to branch out into print. It looks like a lot of fun.

Risen from the grave in the aftermath of a brutal murder, former underworld hitman Tony Grimaldi finds himself transformed. Now, with his ebon trenchcoat, gleaming silver automatics and ivory skull mask, Tony stalked the benighted streets and back alleys of Port Nocturne, bringing justice to the downtrodden, and judgement to the wicked!

Brother Grim was published in 2004 by Wildcat Books. It is 156 pages in trade paperback, priced at $15. It is illustrated by Rob Davis, with a cover by Thomas Floyd.

See all of our recent New Treasures articles here.

A Review of Osprey’s Dragonslayers

A Review of Osprey’s Dragonslayers

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Dragonslayers: From Beowulf to St. George
Mythsandlegends_DragonslayersBy Joseph McCullough
Osprey (80 pages, May 2013, $17.95)

Osprey is justly famous for its Men-at-Arms series. Probably almost everyone who’s a military history buff, historical gamer, or historical fiction writer has at least heard of the series, which illustrates the arms, armor, capabilities and customs of different forces from different eras in extremely well-researched detail. Need to know just how fast the Mongolian cavalry from the era of Genghis Khan moved, or what they ate on the ride? Curious to find out more about the forces from the 2nd Punic war? The Men-at-Arms series is a crucial stop.

Now Osprey is advancing its standard of excellence into new territory. Its Myths and Legends line strives to bring the same sterling level of research to fantasy and myth. Several weeks ago, Osprey sent me the first book of their new series, Dragonslayers.

It’s different from the older Men-At-Arms series books on my shelves in that it’s more profusely and colorfully illustrated, but the information is just as thorough and well presented. I have to admit that I wasn’t initially that curious about the subject matter, but writer Joe McCullough pulled me right in to both the tales I was already familiar with and the sagas of dragonslayers unfamiliar to me, which is no small feat considering how busy I’ve been. It’s pretty impressive that such a small book can pack in so much information, and make it engaging besides.

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Goth Chick News: Joe Hill Takes Us for a Ride in a Vampire Rolls Royce

Goth Chick News: Joe Hill Takes Us for a Ride in a Vampire Rolls Royce

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NOS4A2_coverJoseph Hillstrom King, eldest son of Stephen King and better known by his pen name Joe Hill, released his third novel NOS4A2 back on April 30th.  And though I was clutching it possessively in my hot little hands that very same day, I did not to rush to tell you about it.

I was instead preparing to take one for the team.

Hill’s first two outings, Horns and Heart Shaped Box were so amazingly entertaining, so thoroughly well written, and hold such esteemed places in my personal library that I felt there was more than a fair chance that Hill could not maintain this level of performance for a third time. I was prepared to be magnanimous; to assume that pressured by his publisher to stop spending so much time on his comic (Locke and Key) and crank out another best seller, Hill might have caved and produced something along the lines of From a Buick 8.

Never heard of it?

Most people haven’t: that’s because a similar scenario happened to Hill’s dad back in 2002.

So rather than tell you to run out and buy it based on the merit of its two older siblings, I took NOS4A2 home to vet it myself and potentially spend some time figuring out how to tell you not to bother.

Instead today, sixty pages from finishing NOS4A2, I’m not even waiting to see how it all turns out before I tell you yes – bother.  Do it now and without worrying about the sheer size of the thing or how you’re going to find the time.  Get it and curl up somewhere comfortable because you’re not going to be moving much for quite a while.

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Sean T. M. Stiennon reviews Game of Cages

Sean T. M. Stiennon reviews Game of Cages

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Game of Cages
By Harry Connollygames-of-cages
Del Rey (352 pages, mass market first edition August 2010, $7.99)

The opening line of Game of Cages, the chronologically third volume in the Twenty Palaces series, is:

“It was three days before Christmas, and I was not in prison.”

How’s that for a back story in a sentence? The truth, Ray Lily thinks, is that he should be in prison, given the actions he took during his battles with supernatural evil in Pacific-coast hamlet Hammer Bay. Ray broke into homes, burned down a brothel, and had a hand in the deaths of several people.

But one of the spells carved into his flesh by Annalise’s magic is the twisted path. His face is difficult to recall, his fingerprints no longer match the ones on file, and his DNA tests are inconclusive.  And so, months after the Hammer Bay incident, he’s a free man, preparing to celebrate his first Christmas since leaving prison.

But the Twenty Palaces society has other plans for him. On that night three days before Christmas, a woman named Catherine finds him at the grocery store. She’s an informer and scout for the society, and collects Ray to help her investigate a rumored auction of a captured magical predator scheduled to take place at an isolated mansion high up in the Cascade Range.

But by the time they arrive, the auction is already over, and the predator has escaped from its buyer, leaving behind a strange plastic cage, an overturned semi-truck, and a trail of circular footprints that suddenly vanish in the snow. Ray and Catherine must race to find the creature before it settles into a feeding ground, and before any of the auction’s other participants find and claim it for their own purposes.

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New Treasures: Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables

New Treasures: Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables

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Clockwork Fairy TalesLately I seem to be months behind when I finally get around to posting on the best new releases. It’s not my fault — books tend to get buried here at the Black Gate rooftop headquarters (anything that can’t move under its own power gets buried, if you want the truth). Still, there are times when the releases are so old that I debate including them in my Vintage Treasures columns instead of New Treasures. You know that ain’t a good sign.

Well, not this time. In this column I talk about a fabulous new book that officially goes on sale today. Today, peeps! Well, yesterday, since it’s now after midnight here in Illinois. Crap.

Whatever. It’s still a victory, and I savor them when I can. Today’s subject is Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables, a handsome collection of novellas that combine classic fairy tales with steampunk settings.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Red Shoes,” New York Times bestselling author K. W. Jeter’s “La Valse” forges a fable about love, the decadence of technology, and a gala dance that becomes the obsession of a young engineer — and the doom of those who partake in it.…

In “You Will Attend Until Beauty Awakens,” national bestselling author and John W. Campbell Award winner Jay Lake tells the story of Sleeping Beauty — and how the princess was conceived in deception, raised in danger, and rescued by a prince who may be less than valiant.

The tale of “The Tinderbox” takes a turn into the surreal when a damaged young soldier comes into possession of an intricate, treacherous treasure and is drawn into a mission of mercy in national bestselling author Kat Richardson’s “The Hollow Hounds.”

In “The Kings of Mount Golden,” Hugo and World Fantasy Award nominee Paul Di Filippo tells the story of a young man’s search for his heritage and a mechanical marvel that lies at the heart of a sinister pact in this fascinating take on “The King of the Golden Mountain.”

The volume also includes tales from Steven Harper, Nancy A. Collins, G. K. Hayes, Gregory Nicoll, and Pip Ballantine. One of the most intriguing elements of this anthology is story length: all of the contributions except the Jeter are novellas, averaging around 40 pages each. I consider novellas to be the ideal length for most fantasy, and you don’t see many markets for them

Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables was edited by Stephen L. Antczak and James C. Bassett. It was released on Tuesday by Roc Books. It is 325 pages in trade paperback, priced at $15 ($9.99 for the digital version).

Coming Soon from Osprey Publishing: Blackbeard, Tombstone, The Nazi Occult, Steampunk and Horus and Set

Coming Soon from Osprey Publishing: Blackbeard, Tombstone, The Nazi Occult, Steampunk and Horus and Set

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Blackbeard's Last FightOsprey Publishing is best known for its long running series of illustrated military history books. Over the last forty years, Osprey has covered every era of warfare from the earliest recorded battles in Ancient Egypt right up to today’s Special Forces.

Modellers, role-players, wargamers, authors, and even professors have all used our books as reference tools.

For the last seven years, I have been lucky enough to work for Osprey Publishing, and although my job has changed greatly over the years, my enthusiasm for our products has not.

Even for someone like myself, that comes out of a fantasy role-play and writing background, I find Osprey has a lot to offer. So, when John suggested I write a blog about some of the interesting books coming up from Osprey, I jumped at the chance.

Now, Osprey has over 100 books coming out this year, so there isn’t time to talk about them all.

Instead, I thought I might just highlight a few that I thought would be of particular interest to Black Gate readers. So here we go…

Probably my favorite series from Osprey over the last few years has been RAID. These books tell the story of small unit actions and aren’t necessarily limited to the strict confines of military history.

For example, two titles coming up in the next few months have really caught my eye.  The first is Blackbeard’s Last Fight: Pirate Hunting in North Carolina 1718.

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Skyhorse and Start Publishing Complete Night Shade Acquisition

Skyhorse and Start Publishing Complete Night Shade Acquisition

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The Daedalus IncidentAs we first reported on April 4th, Skyhorse Publishing and Start Publishing have been in negotiations to acquire the assets of Night Shade Books. As co-owner Jeremy Lassen explained in an Open Letter on April 5th, the sale would allow Night Shade to avoid bankruptcy and keep it operating as an ongoing concern.

After several authors expressed concern over the terms of the buyout, Skyhorse and Start sweetened the deal with a more generous royalty rate. Now the publishers have announced that they have completed the acquisition of Night Shade, and that the first post-sale book to be published will be Michael J. Martinez’s The Daedalus Incident on July 9th. Here’s part of the official press release:

Founded by Jason Williams in 1997, who was joined by partner Jeremy Lassen shortly after, Night Shade Books has over 250 titles in its catalog, including some renowned genre fiction — written by multiple nominees and winners of Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, Nebula, and Hugo awards. In 2003, Night Shade Books won the World Fantasy Special Award for Professional Achievement. Both Williams and Lassen will continue to be with Night Shade in a consulting capacity.

The agreement was reached following a spirited and public debate among authors, agents, fans, and publishers, which resulted in a deal approved by Night Shade’s authors….

“I am very excited to have found a buyer that is such a good fit for Night Shade, one that will be able to take us further than I was able to on my own. I look forward to building up Night Shade into the powerhouse of science fiction and fantasy for years to come,” said Night Shade founder Jason Williams. Night Shade had net sales of roughly $1.5 million for the 2012 calendar year.

Here at Black Gate, we’re very pleased to see that one of our favorite small press publishers will continue publishing great books.

Read the complete press release at io9.