Pulp Factory Award Nomination - "Knights of the Silver Cross"

Yes, last year's "Knights of the Silver Cross" for ProSe Productions' 1950s Western Roundup has been nominated for a Pulp Factory Award!

You'll find the full press release via this Patreon post).

The public can vote for nominees until March 15th via this link. 

You'll find my "writer's commentary" via this link.

Thanks!

Where Stories Come From: 1950s WESTERN ROUNDUP - Knights of the Silver Cross

(Revised 03/05/2024)

You would think that for a pulp writer, I would work well when writing Westerns. After all, they're merely historical fiction...with a heck of a lot of tropes. Many of which are...well, tricky and possibly problematic. Plus, there's tons of research...and anyone who tells you "too much research can ruin storytelling" hasn't ever really told a story worth telling.

But I managed it once with "Cowboy of the Dakotas" for Pulpternative - creating an alternate history for a well-known historical figure. And much like my last Pro Se story, Hollywood Mystery's "In the Frame", this latest Western tale was at Tommy Hancock's request to help fill out an anthology. The premise of the 1950s Western Roundup anthology was simple: take a well-known Western outlaw and turn him into a hero.

So I embarked on a one-man mission to find several and one of them was Deacon Jim Miller, an infamous hired assassin. He had it all - a dark cloak, a wide-brimmed hat, and a metal chest plate. The story pretty much told itself.

So the next day at Windy City Pulp, my conversation with Tommy goes something like this:

ME: (Gives pitch on the first person I selected)
TOMMY: I think that might be a little too obvious...
ME: How about Deacon Miller as a two-gun avenger?
TOMMY: You mean to give him the Green Hornet treatment?
ME: Precisely!
TOMMY: Write it up, and I'll publish it! 

I wasn't taking notes at the time so I may be exaggerating the details just a bit...

But developing the story was more complicated - I didn't want to do a simple "cowboys and bandits" story but wanted to move towards something a little more complicated. For example, the real Deacon Jim Miller often went to Methodist celebrations on Sunday; I had worked with several Methodist churches in St. Louis and knew about their Social Principles. So giving him a spiritual and moral motivation (with an accompanying Bible quote) felt perfect...especially since I was tired of the "corrupt preacher" trope.

Plotwise, however...well, let me just say this: I was watching a lot of The Wild, Wild West. One of the things that engage me about The Wild, Wild West is how it balances Western and modern (for the 1960s) storytelling tropes - many of the third and fourth season episodes were about corrupt governors taking over territories. However, I opted to mix that with the first season's straightforward pulp pastiches and focused on one man's use of a KKK-like organization to drive people away from...

Well, that would be telling, but suffice it to say, it is historically accurate...and a bit clever. And I based the villain on a man who...well, he was making one particular freelance assignment hell. Gaslighting me to get me to violate my contract. Although the assignment ended (and he was later fired for attempting to undermine the CEO), I had my revenge...that's right, people, mess with me and I will write you into a villain.

(One of my current projects is writing a novella where...um...I'm writing street heroes based on my friends. This means that if you're a Close, Personal Friend of mine, you may be flattered...or insulted).

Writing Westerns is tough, especially since there are so many well-worn clichés and tropes that it's easy to do it wrong. But in every way possible, I think that Knights of the Silver Cross in 1950s Western Roundup does it right. So much so that when Ron Fortier of Airship 27 Productions asked me to expand my short story idea into a novella...

...but that's a story for another time.

And you can find more stories via my Amazon author page. 

I've Been Published - 1950s WESTERN ROUND-UP

Be sure to check out my short story, "Knights of the Silver Cross" in this anthology...but here are the fine details.

====================

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHEN OUTLAWS BECAME BLACK AND WHITE HEROES-‘1950s WESTERN ROUND UP’ DEBUTS FROM PRO SE PRODUCTIONS

One of the most exciting periods in American History was that of the Wild West. Tales of gunfights and outlaws have captivated the imagination of readers since that era, but this period of lawlessness and excitement held particular sway over television viewers of the 1950s. Darkly shrouded outlaws became garishly dressed heroes when they leaped from their saddles to the small screen. 1950s WESTERN ROUND-UP returns to those celluloid days of a revised yesteryear, taking real outlaws and sanitizing them into good, mostly upstanding citizens! 

Relive this odd, yet important era in TV and Western fiction history as three of today’s best authors put tassels and morality on some of the baddest people to ever ride the range in 1950s WESTERN ROUND-UP! From Pro Se Productions and now available in paperback and digital formats. 

With a whimsical cover by Larry Nadolsky and logo design and print formatting by Marzia Marina and Antonino Lo Iacono, 1950s WESTERN ROUND UP is available now at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1722196610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530566610&sr=8-1&keywords=1950s+western+roundup and through Pro Se’s own store at www.prose-press.com for 9.99.

This flashback to a simpler time is also available as an Ebook, designed and formatted by Lo Iacono and Marina for only $2.99 for the Kindle at https://amzn.to/2lNHr3l. This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited, which means Kindle Unlimited Members can read for free.

For more information on this title, interviews with the author, or digital copies to review this book, contact Pro Se Productions’ Director of Corporate Operations, Kristi King-Morgan at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Why I Love THE WILD WILD WEST

Only the late 1960's could an episode of a show - a Western with slight science fiction elements - contain

A chimp wearing a Civil War Uniform....

...a bar fight involving clowns....

....and a leading man who seems to be having fun while making this episode.

(Screencaps from the episode The Night of The Tyrant, the final episode of The Wild Wild West on the Complete Series boxed set. Only drawback to this episode: none of the whimsical charm of Ross Martin).

SAVAGE NOIR: Not Your Grandpa's Pulp Western

(FULL DISCLOSURE: An electronic copy was provided for purposes of review. My opinions are my own). 

Westerns can often be a bit of a hard sell in our current pop cultural climate - after all, unless it involves the words Firefly or Serenity, most entries in the genre are, at best, either postmodern or knowingly retro.

Thank God for Pro Se Press' Savage Noir, a trio of tales by Greg Norgaard featuring Frank Savage - no, no relation to Doc, but a man with a definite mission.

Straddling the lines between two different genres, Savage Noir contains three stories that are easy reads, but you'll want to sit with them, taking in every moment of atmosphere. The prose is sparse but lively, the action hard hitting.... this has to be one of the more enjoyable reads in the "New Pulp" movement. It's the kind of work that, in our franchise-driven culture, we need more of - works that have considerable appeal for popular potential, but that don't seem like a retread of the "hippest" franchises available.

In short, Savage Noir is the kind of book everyone should check out, if only to learn that "New Pulp" isn't just limited to nostalgia - but that pulp is a living, breathing genre.

If you like your westerns a little wilder than most, you'll dig Savage Noir. I guarantee it.

Your Pop Culture Mashup Moment of Zen

Remember that time when Longmire investigated a crime with Kara Thrace and Stanton Parish as his sidekicks?

Sadly, neither did I......

Doctor Who's A Gunfighter - A TOWN CALLED MERCY

Admittedly, I may be giving this an unnecessary pass (after all, I love a good Western), but quite honestly - I thought this was one of the better episodes of the run.

(We have two more to go, so I'm unsure if it's "the best").

Not coincidentally, I had a Who-related conversation with someone at Third Coast last night. We were discussing Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and this person's belief that that the Doctor "would not do" what he ended up doing in that episode. (Trying hard not to spoil). Of course, this person kept arguing that somehow Sarah Jane Adventures was more "Who" than new Doctor Who. (And in all fairness, I am making some huge leaps and assumptions). My belief is that new Who is attempting to reach a different demographic at a different time....and that it is building on several past creative choices of classic Who, whether we like or approve of those past choices or not.

But enough of a digression - I actually have to admit that A Town Called Mercy takes quite a few creative chances, mixing storytelling elements from Westerns (especially spaghetti Westerns), a little bit of Firefly's humor, and elements of a good, old-fashioned morality play. It's not quite perfect (some of the accents are a bit dodgy), but it does have a pretty good flow, and really takes advantage of the Spanish landscape. This is one of the few "mini-movies" this season that lives up to its name.

"Hey, Fillion - just became slightly
cooler than you."

Granted, this episode sees Amy and Rory take a back seat to Ben Browder....but in a way (without spoiling), the episode reinforces the Doctor's need for human companions. It's a point that is brought up within the episode, and the counterpoint between the Doctor's typical morality and the idea of "frontier justice"....well, for those who would argue that the Doctor "wouldn't do that", maybe that's part of the theme for this season.

With two episodes to go, I'm a little less than enthusiastic about this season - it's not the quality of the episodes as much as I hate split seasons, and love the flow of a full 13 episode run. But even outside of the possible arc, A Town Called Mercy is easily one of my favorite episodes.

Perhaps it's one of my favorites of the entire new Who run.

Happy Birthday To Me!

One of these men is the height of awesomeness;
the other is Robert Conrad

My friends, today marks a significant milestone in my life.

I get a year older.

But given that I'll receive a plethora of well-meaning Facebook messages which say, "I'm too busy to actually talk to you in person", here's a great way for my online pals (and even Chicago-based readers) to celebrate.

I'm planning to be at Fado Irish Pub, located at Grand and Clark, about 6:00 pm. Please feel free to join me for celebration, good times, and general mirth making.

(And if you want to bring presents, that's OK, too).

And why the Wild Wild West screencap? Because not only is "Artemus Gordon" the greatest character name ever, but these guys knew how to kick back and have a good time while fighting diabolical, power-mad villains in the old west.

Hope to see you tonight!

(Screencap courtesy The Wild Wild West Season 2 episode, "The Night of the Ready Made Corpse". You can find it on You Tube via searching. Seriously. Watch it)

Another Very Important Philosophical Question

Based on a recent Facebook conversation, I thought I would throw this out there: Who is cooler, more badass, and more morally upright?

Captain Mal Reynolds, or....

Secret Service Agent James West?

(No bonus points offered if you discuss the sublime genius of Artemus Gordon, but please don't let that stop you).

When Stetsons Weren't So Cool: A Review of DOCTOR WHO: THE GUNFIGHTERS

You would think that some intrepid past producer of classic Doctor Who would have had the insight that Steven Moffatt had: place a cowboy hat on the Doctor, and play with Western-style conventions.

In honesty, it happened over 40 years ago, with the William Hartnell story The Gunfighters, which was recently rereleased on DVD. It's gotten a bad reputation as being one of the worst (if not the worst) Doctor Who stories ever written, produced, and dramatized.

Having just watched the DVD, I can say that its reputation is not well deserved - the story is not that bad. In fact, although I don't share the enthusiasm for it as, say, some members of Radio Free Skaro, I think it's pretty much an OK - if not exemplary - comedic effort.

It's best to think of The Gunfighters as the Doctor Who equivalent of Red Dwarf's "Gunmen of the Apocalypse": a show that uses many of the cliches of the Western to tell an entertaining story. Except for the annoying repetition of "The Last Chance Saloon", it's a very simple - almost simplistic - staging of a traditional Western story. It also moves as an OK pace, the performances are solid, and it's not a total train wreck....at worst, it's simply OK.

The highlight of this DVD, quite honestly, is the documentary "The End of the Line?", which discusses some of the production challenges in the second and third year of Doctor Who. I have to admit, I've never been much of a Hartnell fan, but only because the show really hadn't taken shape (in my view) until Troughton. However, what this documentary makes clear is that there were often challenges, but that Who began taking shape - behind the scenes, at least - much more quickly than most people would expect. (It also makes me wish there weren't missing episodes).

Much like the main story itself, the documentary on the Doctor Who: The Gunfighters DVD has given me the opportunity - and desire - to visit (and/or revisit) some of the stories in early Doctor  Who.

If you're a lifelong fan, you should watch this; if you're a casual and/or new Who fan, you can easily wait awhile.

Legendary Masked Rider of the Plains

(Quick update - luckily, things have settled, and thanks to all your kind thoughts. Will blog about it later this weekend, but now...)

This is going to be, alas, another post tinged with nostalgia.

Imagine that you're eight years old, watching Channel 9 on a Sunday morning. 10:00 am, Star Trek. 11:30 am, The Cisco Kid. But at 11:00 am - The Lone Ranger. Sure, they were action-adventure episodes with a child-like simplicity, but it was too corny to, say, survive any attempts at revamping, like the infamous 1981 movie.

In fact, part of why I love Dynamite Entertainment's Lone Ranger comic so much is that - quite frankly - it does for the radio and television Western what Russell T Davies did for Doctor Who - make it just a bit more grown up. And does so by really placing the character in a slightly different situation.

Yes, in the 1950s, Westerns were everywhere...but in this more jaded 21st century, we've seen Unforgiven. And some of us enjoy Deadwood. But Brett Matthews manages, in his storytelling, to do the impossible - take a morally "pure" character, put him in morally ambiguous situations, and have him be a hero. The art in this series has the right amount of grit - this is frontier life, harsh life...and it would have been easy to make the Lone Ranger more of an anti-hero, or even draw closer parallels to a similar character whose exploits were heard at WXYZ.

One of the best things about the series is that...well, it takes Tonto seriously. In the old radio and television show, Tonto's job was to basically get kidnapped and promote Native American stereotypes, not necessarily in that order. In the comic...well, he serves almost as a mentor and conscience to the Lone Ranger. In one sequence, he tells another character a story, leaving him hanging at the end because "not all stories have endings". Is it a perfect series? No, but quite frankly...no series really is perfect.

But quite frankly, Dynamite's Lone Ranger is one of those series that I would love to see translated to either television or film...and it's ok if it isn't. It's an enjoyable read, and if you're not reading it....you are really missing out on a great series.

Last Week's Ticket In This Week's Train Station

First, a gratuitous Graham Parker reference - let's see if our favorite Parker fans can identify the reference.

Anyway, the long and short of it - ankle's healing well, work's keeping me on my toes, and I'm recovering from a really cool Thanksgiving. (Having a cute-as-get-out godson helps). So, in order to celebrate, an update on the shows that I'm Netflixing, especially since it's cheaper than cable.

Deadwood - I owe Tom the Dog. Big time. This western is sheer genius, turning profanity into poetry, and giving us a small piece of "real" history. And that's just after the first four episodes.

House, Season 2 - I also owe Polite Scott; this is probably the closest we will ever come to a 21st century Sherlock Holmes. The medicine is non-guessable; the soapishness is just right. Makes me regret not going to medical school.

Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. - Mix a little Wild, Wild West with a slightly knowing sense of humor (think Army of Darkness), and you get this shoulda-been-a-hit. Bruce Campbell can do no wrong, and quite frankly, I've fallen in love with this actress all over again.

30 Days - After viewing the first disc, this is my second favorite "reality" show. (My first is Penn and Teller's Bull$h!+ on Showtime). Morgan Spurlock should receive a ton of free money for this show, examining the minimum wage, youth issues, and religious tolerance. Each episode touches on some other, deeper issues.

Justice League Unlimited - Why aren't the comics this good?

Coming Up on Blog THIS, Pal!: I answer Roger's questions; I discuss my top candidate for a comic book girlfriend; and of course, cool guy tips.

THE WILD, WILD WEST: Alan Moore's Favorite TV Show?

(Updated on 2/2/2020; contains affiliate links) 

Often, I lay awake in bed at night, wondering if Alan Moore watched television as a child.

Yes, it's one of those unusual thoughts that I have frequently. But in watching and viewing media, I often see connections that may or may not necessarily be there, whether through synchronicity or coincidence.

Because there's rather a lot of similarities between both volumes (soon to be three) of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Wild Wild West (available on DVD).

It may be a stretch, but WWW was steampunk before there was such a term. Like LOEG, it was a heady mixture of secret agents (it was produced in the late 60s, after all, and managed to make the Secret Service look cool), westerns, a liberal approach to technology (showing things like machine guns, torpedos, and computer dating ahead of their time) and a sly, slightly knowing 20th-century sense of humor. Like many shows at the time, it does have a slightly patronizing attitude towards women (after all, secret agents were always the most handsome men in the world). It is good, solid escapist entertainment, and was eventually canceled not because of ratings, but because it was perceived as being "too violent". (The first season, in black and white, has a slightly more serious tone, embracing its pulp roots). It was a heady brew of genre-mixing, just-this-close-to-anachronistic entertainment that was 30 years ahead of its time.

Much of the success of the show has to fall on its two leads - first, Robert Conrad. Grew up, like many cool people, on the south side of Chicago. Able to play the role of Jim West at just the right level - not too campy or not too serious. Challenged people in the 1970s to knock batteries off his shoulder. Has the sheer power of both the Silver Age and current Wildcat. The only other person on the planet who is cooler than Shatner.

I said it. Cooler. Than. Shatner. Deal.

(It's that knowing, sly sense of humor that helped make the show, and why Will Smith was such a bad choice for the movie version. Mario Van Peebles could have pulled it off. Trust me on this).

The other key was Ross Martin, who played Artemus Gordon, Man of 1,000 Faces (unlike Terry Sloane, Man of 1,000 Talents, or Lefty Brown, Man of 1,000 Mixes who, despite popular rumor, is not the same person as I am. My apologies, Lefty). As "Artie", Martin played a rather fussy, almost egotistical actor, and the comic interplay with Conrad contains genuine affection. (Hey, if you want to go for subtext, that's fine too - their chemistry avoids the overt affectations of, say, another dynamic duo). Plus, since his character was a "master of disguise", Martin handled each of his "disguises" as separate characters (even caricatures, if you want to be honest), doing makeup and avoiding the "latex-mask-and-jump-cut" cliches of most spy shows of the era.)

EDIT: Intrepid comics fans might want to hunt down the four-issue "Night of the Iron Tyrants" mini-series from Millennium comics. It's a great note-by-note recreation, and worth investigating.

Now, admittedly, Alan Moore's writing is not as basic as WWW's - simply put, it's a great, pulpy piece of entertainment. (It's one of the few shows that, when it comes on, I must sit and watch). It is slightly sexist and ethnocentric, but it was produced during a time when we were an extremely unenlightened culture. But who knows, maybe between viewings of each episode, and between trips to the library to check out Victorian literature, Alan Moore's creativity was sparked...

...at the very least, it is one of the coolest (and underappreciated) television shows of the 1960s. Worth a look.