Pulp Marches On: BLACK BAT MYSTERY Volumes 1 and 2

One of the nice things about having copious amounts of free time (between job applications and interviews) is the chance to play catch-up on my reading. Yes, I'm reading all the how-to books, but thankfully, I've also begun educating myself on pulp literature. I'm still proofing and reviewing ebooks for Radio Archives, but also have been checking out both of pal Ron's Black Bat Mystery anthologies of new stories via Airship 27 Productions.

I've blogged about the first of the original Black Bat pulp novels, but the nice thing about Airship 27's tales is that they avoid the easy cliche (no "Batman-with-guns" writing) and simple nostalgia (no isn't-this-stuff-great posturing). The storytelling is clear and sharp, reading less like overt homages and more like the modern takes on classic storytelling style that they aspire to be.

Volume One contains some really excellent stories involving espionage, intrigue, and the kind of shenanigans that would seem "corny" in our time...yet have a really solid core to them. But it's Volume Two where some of the greater risks are taken, from crossover with another, relatively obscure pulp character (a "super-detective"....get it?); a historical crossover with a famous (or infamous) baseball player, and my personal favorite, "The Terror Test" by Jim Beard. All in all, some really great reads.

Getting involved with pulp is getting much easier, thanks to Radio Archives' ebooks but especially Airship 27. Yes, I do have personal relationships with both entities, but Airship 27 provides some great new examples of classic storytelling. Available either in hard or electronic copy, reading Black Bat Mystery is a great way to start immersing yourself into pulp writing.

Read this. Now.