Tag Archives: pulp

Doc Savage Meets Batman

Cool news for pulp fans…

docspiritA while back, DC Comics released the above image by Brian Stelfreeze, teasing a new series of comics set in an alternate dimension within the DC multiverse in which old pulp heroes rather than modern superheroes are active.

The series is called First Wave, and is being written by comics scribe Brian Azzarello with art by Rags Morales. More early info was provided by Morales in an interview with Newsarama:

It’s a world of heroism at its most innocent. We’re talking about, essentially, a universe where superpowers don’t exist. There are no people flying in from Krypton…there are no people swimming up from the ocean or from Paradise Island. We’re talking about the heart and soul of what it means to be heroic, where people are left more to their wits and their intestinal fortitude rather than any fierce other-worldly technology, or even inner-worldly technology…it’s not really accurate to call it a “modernization” because this is going to be enough of that original flavor to feel like it’s old-school, with fedoras and women in high heels and the cool things about what’s gangster and pulp, like Tommy guns. But it’s going to also be enough of an advancement to feel fresh. Tommy guns will exist in a world where computers exist. We’re going to be dealing with a world that is kind of like the Batman Adventures from The WB, where you have dirigibles next to jetplanes. That’s basically the visual interpretation of the atmosphere I’m dealing with…

That’s an approach I like, and is pretty much the approach I’m taking in the Doc Wilde books (for example, the police blimps in Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom).

Morales continued:

…we’ll have Doc Savage, the Spirit and The Avenger in there, and I’m working out how they’re going to look. Doc Savage won’t have that exaggerated widow’s peak, but I’m going with the classic looks on the characters with some updating. And in this world, Doc Savage is Superman. I mean, after all, Superman was derived from Doc Savage, along with Buck Rogers and Popeye and some others. But Doc Savage was the original guy with the Fortress of Solitude up in the arctic. He’s an inventor, and he’s got a very moral ethic. In a world of non-powered heroes, he’s going to be our focal point.

This week, the DC Universe blog told us how the pulp fun will begin:

This November, writer Brian Azzarello teams with artist Phil Noto for the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1, which sets the stage for an entire new world for the Doc, along with a slew of characters that will pop up later, including the Blackhawks and Rima, the Jungle Girl. It all starts here, and I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re really in for a treat.

And two variant covers for the special were posted, the first by J.G. Jones:

batdss-01-coverThen one by Rags Morales:

doc-savage-spec-cv1

Looks promising. Hopefully it’ll live up to its potential.

Doc Wilde like “the old fashioned adventure shows from the 1930’s and 40’s…” (review)

Film producer Sajie reviews Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom at her blog:

This book reminds me of the old fashioned adventure shows from the 1930’s and 40’s like Tarzan, Superman and Flash Gordon. Lots of adventure, a little over the top, but fun.

I loved the relationship between Dr. Wilde and his kids. Concerned and caring, but also trusting them to be able to take care of themselves….

The rest is here.

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The Perfidy of Nostalgia… (A Warning Re: Doc Savage/The Shadow Reprints)

On the recently raised subject of Sanctum Books’ pulp reprints, Anthony Tollin of Sanctum recently released the following statement about their previous association with Nostalgia Ventures, and the unfortunate fallout of that association:

An open letter to the pulp community:

For those taking advantage of the discounted SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE volumes at Half-Price Books, please be aware that Nostalgia Ventures began remaindering these books last summer in direct violation of its sub-contract with me. Also, as of today (July 22, 2009), Nostalgia Ventures has still not paid royalties to either Condé Nast or me for any books it has sold since July 1st, 2008. (A semi-annual royalty payment was due back in February, and another six months of royalties are coming due in August.)

There is a very good reason why Nostalgia Ventures/Nostalgiatown is no longer co-publishing these books, and it involves a continuing series of contract violations.

And for anyone who may not be sympathetic because Condé Nast is a huge corporation, please be aware that Condé Nast has chosen to continue the oral agreement it had for decades with Walter Gibson, and is splitting its royalties for the SHADOW reprints with Walter’s family. This is an extremely rare and decent act that is quite unusual in the publishing world.

I think my SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE double-novel trade paperbacks are a great value at the $12.95 cover price. Obviously, the books are an even better value at discounted prices. However, please be aware that purchasing these books from either Half-Price Books or Nostalgiatown does nothing to encourage the continuation of these series. And since Nostalgia Ventures still hasn’t paid its contract-required royalties for any of the books it has sold during the past 12 1/2 months, the money from Nostalgia Ventures’ and Half-Price Books’ sales also hasn’t been continuing on to Walter Gibson’s family.

It’s not necessary to purchase THE SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE directly from Sanctum Books to support the ongoing publishing operation and encourage the continuation of these reprints. Bud Plant Comic Art, Adventure House, Mike Chomko, Vintage Library, Girasol, Edge Books, The Mysterious Bookshop and any comic specialty shop that orders its books from Diamond Comic Distributors all get their books either directly or indirectly through Sanctum Books (which continues to make its regular royalty payments to Condé Nast and would like to continue publishing these reprints for many more years).

Please feel free to forward this message on to other pulp-oriented email groups.

–Anthony Tollin, Sanctum Books

“The Whisperer: The Dead Who Talked” Book Review (Updated)

whispererI’ve long been an avid supporter of Sanctum Books’ reprints of classic pulps, specifically the ongoing series of The Shadow and Doc Savage. Each volume is a magazine-sized paperback containing two novels, using the cover art and interior illustrations from the magazines published originally in the 1930s and ’40s. They’re lovely, and I’ve been greatly enjoying immersing myself in this literature that has been so influential not just in popular culture, but also in my own work.

Until recently, Sanctum was reprinting the two series on a monthly basis, which was great. Then they announced that they were throttling the stream a bit, and would be publishing (if I remember right) only eight Doc Savage and eight Shadow volumes a year, with the off-months now to be filled with alternating volumes of two other pulp hero series, The Avenger and The Whisperer.

The Avenger I knew. I had a handful of paperback reprints from the ’70s, and they were great stuff. So if Sanctum was reprinting the full run of Avenger tales, I was definitely going to add them to my collection. The Whisperer I didn’t know. But Will Murray (pulp historian, Doc Savage novelist, and endorser of Doc Wilde) wrote “Personally, I consider The Whisperer one of S&S’s [pulp publisher Street & Smith] best series. I like it better than The Avenger. But then I really like Laurence Donovan, and I’ve really enjoyed reading and rereading The Whisperer this last month. The parallels to Batman and The Green Hornet are amazing.” So I figured I’d give it a try. Continue reading →

Doc Wilde: “The guy every man wants to be, and every woman wants to be with.”

Today’s review has me pegged:

Tim Byrd is a man who read way too many pulps as a child, and realized the death of that subgenre was a loss to the world…

Thus begins another very positive review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, this time from writer Ian Randal Strock for SF Scope (“your source of news about the speculative fiction fields”).

Doctor Spartacus Wilde is the modern man of bronze. Very modern. Oh, he’s fabulously wealthy, handsome, gifted in every field of endeavor, universally recognized, and surrounded by devoted friends and helpers (sort of like Buckaroo Banzai, but without the rock band). But Doc Wilde differs from his dashing forebears in one important way: family. Doc’s family is an intimate part of his world, first and foremost his not-quite-pubescent children, Brian and Wren. They’re miniature versions of their father, from the blonde hair, bronzed skin, and omnivoracious mental appetite, to their incredibly physical training and stamina, and on to the adventurers’ vests containing every conceivable tool they’ll need for any adventure…

Doc’s the guy every man wants to be, and every woman wants to be with. But this is a book for kids (just about the ages of Brian and Wren, 12 and 10), so those women don’t enter into the story…

Well, not this story. But Doc, a widower, will have some opportunity for romance at some point in the future. And, as we’ve established very well by now, lots of grown ups are enjoying the book. But I quibble. ;)

I really like “omnivoracious mental appetite.” That’s wonderful.

…So Doc and the kids (along with their faithful aide Phineas Bartlett and their driver/strongman Declan mac Coul) take to the autogyro and head south. In the primordial rain forest, they’ll encounter powers so strong as to change a man into a, well, man-frog. They’ll deal with political intrigue and religious hysteria. And they’ll eventually face down a god, trying to break down the barriers between alternate realities in an effort to swallow ours. Naturally, our heroes are heroic, and they’ll find Grandpa Wilde before their work is done. But getting there is all the fun…

…The party will be forcefully separated, death will be threatened, danger will loom, unexpected (but completely logical) skills will reveal themselves to aid in the saving of the day, and things will seem darkest just before they go completely black. But never fear: the Wildes are here.

This review makes my day. Read it in its unabridged (and not spoilery) wonderfulness here.

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An Armchair Review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom

Today’s review:

Alex McGilvery at Armchair Interviews gives Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom a damn good review:

Tim Byrd writes with an infectious enthusiasm…The characters of the family are well enough developed to gain the reader’s sympathy, but there is plenty of room for the occasional surprise…

Any book that introduces the Frogs of Doom has to have a sense of humor. Tim uses both over-the-top storytelling and understatement to keep the reader chuckling through the book.

This is a book for both young boys and girls to enjoy.

The book is clever and well written, the characters engaging, and young readers may accidentally learn something along the way.

Go here to read the rest (it’s all good).

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Doc Wilde, A Book To Corrupt The Young (Review)

But corrupt ’em in the good way.

No, no. Not that good way! Settle down.

Patricia Scott (aka Dragonwomant) reviews my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, for BSC Reviews:

Fans of pulp stories hoping to recruit a new generation of readers can rejoice.  They now have a fantastic pamphlet they can use to corrupt the younger set in the form of Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom.

That kind of corruption. The “turning kids on to classic pulp adventure tales” kind of corruption.

Which was all part of my sinister plan…

I think that this book would be great for [those] who like adventure stories, especially if they’re very fond of Indiana Jones movies or shows about exploring far-flung locales. I also think that this book would be a hoot for reading aloud, it would certainly lend itself well to very animated story telling.

There’s a good deal more, including this great line:

The Wildes are all practically superhumanly good-looking, frighteningly intelligent, and so skilled in combat only large groups of idiots willing to fight them would even think about trying to attack them.

Read the whole thing here.

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A Clever Review of Doc Wilde

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Travis Jonker, an elementary school librarian, reviews my novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, at 100 Scope Notes, and takes an unusual approach:

Chapter 1

Travis sits down to review the new middle grade adventure Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom. He decides to incorporate the book’s cliffhanger-heavy style into the review when there is a knock at the door. He gets up as the knocking becomes more urgent. When Travis opens the door, he can’t believe what he sees.

He follows with several short “chapters” lampooning the style and structure of the book, but in a fun way (not a mean way). It’s kinda smartass. But from me, that’s praise.

There are some spoilers in the review, so be warned. His ultimate summary is:

Inspired by the Doc Savage pulp adventures from the ’30s and ’40s, Doc Wilde and his family are heroes in the classic sense: smart, athletic, strong, well-traveled, and good-looking. The author, aware of how impossible this is, presents these over-the-top characters with a bit of subtle humor, which every kid won’t pick up on. This fact isn’t likely to deter many, however.

The whole thing is here.

More Kudos For Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom!!!

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As blogged yesterday, I’ve been on a net vacation of sorts driven by my fine Celtic melancholy (that’s a poetic way of saying my shifty brain chemistry and the crap I went through in my formative years). During that time, there were a few stars sparkling out of the blackness, one of the main ones being the continued excellent critical response to my novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom.

I have a short backlog of reviews I haven’t blogged about yet, but I don’t want to toss them all out at once because that might be tedious for folks reading. So I’m going to parcel them out over a week or so.

Today’s comes from MyShelf.com, and is by writer Janie Franz (author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!).

Move over, Doc Savage. Get out of the way, Indiana Jones. Make room, Artemis Fowl. There’s a new adventure hero / family in town!…I was thoroughly excited by Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom…Not only was there non-stop adventure but there were interesting characters…I can’t wait for more adventures from Doc Wilde and his intrepid family.

She also reinforces other folks who have pointed out that the book isn’t just for boys…

Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is a great read for kids. Though some of the blurbs on the back of the book tout this as an adventure novel for boys, its appeal is certainly not restricted to them. Wren is definitely a very clever and capable little girl and just as courageous as her brother, Brian. This story will most certainly appeal to girls who are as enamored of narrow escapes, crazy gadgets, and unusual creatures.

At this point, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from several young readers (and even more grown-up readers) who loved the book, and I’ve actually heard from more girls than boys (a fact with no actual statistical bearing, I’m sure, but the girls who read it dig it as much as the boys).

I’ve quoted only part of the review, as usual. The whole thing is at this link.

A Study in Contrasts (Two New Doc Wilde Reviews)

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Yesterday, I got notification of a new review of my novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom. When I finished enjoying it (because it was by someone who really enjoyed the book), I glanced at my email, and lo, there was another new review.

So I clicked over to it, ready to enjoy, only to find the closest thing to a bad review I’ve gotten yet (out of nearly twenty).

It’s an interesting bit of happenstance that these reviews appeared at pretty much the same time, because they are from two very distinct viewpoints: that of someone who knows and loves pulp adventure stories, and that of someone who isn’t familiar with pulp and seems not to care for it. Continue reading →

My Interview With Enchanting YA

My latest interview is with Lisa at Enchanting YA:

Why action/adventure?

I love adventure stories. Always have.

I was recently thinking about this very question, about why this is the sort of thing that my mind comes up with (as opposed to, say, suburban divorce stories), and it occurred to me that most adventure tales are tales of optimism. The heroes face difficulties, and almost always manage to overcome them. Adventure stories are usually considered escapism, a retreat from our daily reality, but I think instead they actually motivate us subconsciously to engage reality. They give us models of perseverance and hope.

The rest is here.

Mystery Novelist Bill Crider Reviews Doc Wilde

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Bill Crider, a well-regarded novelist writing mainly in the mystery genre, but not exclusively, provides the latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom. Something tells me he’s a longtime pulp fan like me:

Looking for a Doc Savage pastiche and a Lovecraftian adventure all in one?  Look no further.  Tim Byrd has it for you right here.  Doctor Spartacus Wilde and his two kids, Brian and Wren, are plunged into action almost from page one when they learn of the disappearance of Grandpa Wilde.  They go from the top of what’s obviously the Empire State Building to the South American jungle, tangling with all kinds of weird frogs, not to mention frog-men, along the way…

It’s all in good fun, and you should know by now if this is your kind of thing.  If it is, you’re probably already waiting for the sequels, which should come along very soon.

The whole piece is here.

My Strange Interview With Old Bat’s Belfry

Old Bat’s Belfry, which earlier reviewed my book, has now posted an unusual interview with me, with decidedly non-standard questions:

What quirky habit do you have that often gets you teased by your peers or family?

Well, being a writer, and not having to report anywhere to do my job, I am routinely derelict about shaving. So I maintain varying levels of scruffiness, sometimes all the way up to what many call a beard, but I deny that, telling them it’s not, it’s just a really deep five o’clock shadow. I don’t like beards. They itch and they’re soup magnets.

For the rest, go here.

An Enchanting Review of Doc Wilde

A new review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom has been posted, this time at Enchanting YA:

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM, but the story quickly drew me in within a few pages. Immensely detailed, it soon felt like I was on the trail of Grandpa Wilde right along with the family. The mystery element was strong throughout the entire book and the characters of Doc Wilde and family are bigger than life…An interesting start to what should be a very entertaining series, readers looking for something different will no doubt enjoy this tale.

The rest is here.

I Get Interviewed

I did a short interview with MOVParent.com, the website of Parent Magazine, and think it came out pretty well…

MOVPARENT: If you could go back in time and tell your high school/middle school self one thing, what would it be?

BYRD: “Keep your eyes on the prize and write, write, write.”

I decided to be a writer when I was five; forty years later, my first book is coming out. I procrastinated, put lots of time into things I didn’t get much satisfaction out of, and didn’t have enough faith in myself. So I’d encourage the younger me to get on task a lot sooner so he wouldn’t have to struggle quite so much, or at least could struggle instead to build a longer writing career.

The full piece is here.

A Wonderful Doc Wilde Review!

I love this review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, from Mulluane at Old Bat’s Belfry…

It begins:

The fun with this book starts with the front cover and does not stop until the very last page!

How can I not love this review? It was love at first sight!

…There is more then just nonstop action and adventure in this story, though it has those in spades, it is also educational. There are explanations for everything from nanotechnology to meditation techniques. This book was written for the 10+ age group and while I agree that some of the educational portions of the book (I loved those by the way) might be lost on younger kids, I still kept having the same vision. I kept seeing myself reading this book to my grandkids, who are 5 and 6 years old. Not them reading it themselves mind you, but me reading it to them, a few chapters at a time, explaining things myself if needed. They might not understand some of the more technical aspects but it would not matter, they would LOVE the story! And, possibly learn a few things along the way. This book would be perfect for bedtime reading, the chapters are short and there are plenty of cliffhanger chapter endings to keep them begging for “just one more chapter…pleeeese…” You may find that you have a hard time putting it down yourself!…

…It was perfect. Fast paced, fun, entertaining and even I learned a few things in the process. There was also a touching family quality to the whole thing that was priceless. It was one of those rare books that leaves you feeling really good once it is done. What a great story and a great way to end my day.

There’s more to it than that, so go read it here. How can you not? It’s a very loveable review…

Still Another Doc Wilde Review

The latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is up at Reading Junky’s Reading Roost. It’s kinda spoilery, so I’ll just quote the important part:

DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM offers non-stop excitement, terrific special effects, and tons of science/geek information.

The Debut of DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM

The past few days have been good.
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Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom came out last Thursday (May 14th).

Reviews continue to be AWESOME.

Friday evening, I did a reading at Glennwood Academy, the local 4th/5th grade school. I used to do a bit of acting, and in my twenties was a semi-pro storyteller for a couple of years, but this was my first public speaking event in years. I was anxious about it. I fumbled a bit. The kids didn’t mind; they were a mass of bubbling enthusiasm. And they loved the book.

Also, a good friend sent a gift with her daughter, who’s a Glennwood student: a package of quite tasty cookies shaped like frogs.

Tim @ Glennwood, 5/15/09

Saturday evening, we had the debut event at Little Shop of Stories, here in Decatur, GA.

At first it seemed the turnout might be small. Heck, at first it seemed there’d be no turnout. The weather was wettish, a good number of the local 4th and 5th graders had already seen me at Glennwood, and as anyone looking at the storefront would know, Rick Riordan (a kids’ book superstar) was gonna be here Monday. If folks were gonna turn out for me and my little first book or him this week, it wasn’t gonna be me. (And, indeed, apparently there were hundreds of people at his signing).

Then people started arriving. And then, we had a fairly good crowd. It was mostly adults, probably an unusual bunch for this store, and they were mostly people who knew about the signing from Facebook or my blog. Many were buying extra copies for kids in their lives, though.

Among the kids was a delightful girl named Emily, who was was there with her parents; she’d won an ARC (advance reading copy) of the book somewhere, and had fallen in love with it. She said she’d have read it in a single sitting except bedtime got in the way (I of course said she should’ve gotten out the flashlight). I’ve now heard from several girls who read and loved the book, which is heartening, because a lot of folks peg it as a boy’s book, but I think it’s great for both.

Emily and her parents

Emily and her parents

We had one tiny beautiful baby with huge cornflower blue eyes, carried by a couple of old friends. The marvelous writer/artist Elizabeth O. Dulemba was there with her husband. I saw old friends (some I hadn’t seen in years), made several new ones.

The Wilde Bunche

The Wilde Bunche

Because I’d been sort of nervous and fumbly at Glennwood, I’d been even more anxious about this event. But this time, once I was introduced and started talking, the stage fright vanished and I was as comfortable as I used to be back in my storytelling days.

"Grab your backpacks," Doc Wilde commanded...

"Grab your backpacks," Doc Wilde commanded...

I read the first five chapters and everyone was responsive and enthusiastic. Then I took questions, which took a lot longer than I’d expected because there were a lot of them. It all felt good. Really good.

"I have absolutely no idea where I get my ideas..."

"I have absolutely no idea where I get my ideas..."

Then we moved to the other end of the room and I signed everyone’s books.

Go Wilde!

Go Wilde!

A bowl of green gummi frogs was on the table. I’d gotten a rubber-stamp of a wicked looking frog and I stamped its sneaky smirk into each book.

Frog of Doom

Good times.

Sherlock Holmes Trailer

A revisionary (and, from the looks of it, amazingly entertaining) take on Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Directed by Guy “Snatch” Richie!

Vodpod videos no longer available. 

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom: “Over The Top Fun!”

The latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is from Tia Nevitt at Fantasy Debut (and also has the distinction of being the first actual reader review posted for the book at Amazon, where she gives it 5 stars).

She seems to love it:

The adventure is a blend of Cthulhuian gods and a 10-year-old boy’s passion for all things squishy–like frogs. I mean, who can possibly find a frog anything but harmless? If anything, they’re a bit icky, but they don’t even have claws! They have little suction-cup thingies…kind of cute. . .in an amphibian kind of way.

Not Mr. Byrd’s frogs. They are green menaces! They have claws and gnashing teeth! And tentacles!

It’s fun. It’s also smart. There’s all sorts of interesting stuff in this little novel, like dark matter, nanotechnology (in a rather over-the-top way) and a smattering of Latin…

You can read the rest here.

There’s a good deal more, and she manages to say a lot without spoiling stuff, which I deeply appreciate (as will most readers, I think). I’m also very impressed with Fantasy Debut‘s review format, which includes a block at the start of the review that gives Amazon links for the USA, UK, and Canada, links to both the official Doc Wilde site and the Doc Wilde blog (which is different than this, my personal blog), and a link to the excerpt from the book I’ve made available. They’re really serving their readers well.