I think it appropriate before I start posting any more reviews of New Pulp works that I give my review/introduction to “The Rook.” [UPDATE: now renamed The Peregrine.]
For, you see, it was the Rook that started me off on the New Pulp work, bringing me back into the fold. I recall seeing the picture of the cover on Bill Thom‘s Coming Attractions site (which I was reading to at least keep an eye on things going on in the pulp world), and this helped spur me to return to it.
The Rook is a New Pulp hero created by Barry Reese. The Rook fights crime and evil in the ’30s, ’40s and later. Reese mixes in pulp hero, comic book and comic strip characters, along with occult horror/weird menace, and does a good job. He also adds in a love interest who will marry The Rook (pulp heroes never do that, which is different).
The Rook confronts traditional villains, pulp super-foes, and occult horrors, and has the assistance of characters based on pulp heroes and comic book/comic strip characters (some original, other done as pastiches or homages to other characters).
The Rook is also a generational story, as Reese gives a timeline of the Rook universe, showing that the Rook’s son and daughter will later take up the mantle, as will another individual in the near future. Reese also includes other characters in his universe on this timeline, such as the Family Grace and Lazarus Gray (you’ll learn more about them in future postings). It also helps those who want to know where the stories fit in this timeline.
The first volume is a collection of short novels and short stories, most set in the 1930s, but one set in the near future with a new person wearing the mantle of the Rook.
Who is the Rook? He is young Max Davies. His father was killed early on in his life. Davies at times get prophetic visions of things to come (we will learn over time the cause of this), and this has lead him to dedicate himself to fighting crime (kind of like Batman). He traveled the world learning skills (one of his teachers would later become a re-occurring foe), and he had designed various items to help him fight crime, such as weapons, technology, and vehicles.
Along the way, he also gains various allies, both New Pulp characters and characters from the comics. Also, as his is a world in which magic and the occult are real, he has also had to contend with such things, and in the process gained a mystical blade and a ring which he uses to brand villains with his mark. Originally based in New York, he early on moves to Atlanta, where he is now based.
The first story, “Lucifer’s Cage,” introduces us to the character, and has him face vampire foes. This is something that will be concluded in the next story, “Kingdom of Blood.” This story introduces (at least into the Rook universe) a classic pulp villain who will plague him off and on.
“The Gasping Death” has the Rook go up against the classic pulp hero Moon Man! And unlike other pulp heroes, the Rook also marries in this story.
“Abominations” has the Rook go up against the Warlike Manchu, who had trained him early on and who expected the Rook to become his successor. If you don’t know who this character really is, you have no business reading pulp!
The final story, “Black Mass,” is unusual. It’s set in an alternate future when another man has taken up the mantle of the Rook.
Now, when I got the book, it was published by Wildcat Books, and there are some problems with it. It had a great cover, but the logo obscures part of the cover art, which is bad. I was also annoyed by the formatting problems and typos in the book. Letters pushed too close together, words dropped or replaced by similar word, columns not formatted. This is very annoying and unprofessional.
The book has since been republished by Reese’s current publisher, Pro Se Press, in a “special edition” volume. I have not seen it, so am not certain what changes have been made beyond new artwork and editing.
At present, there are seven volumes of Rook stories, plus Reese has related characters in Lazarus Gray and a new one called Gravedigger (which I have not read). Check them out, especially if you enjoyed the Rook.
Thanks for the kind words! The Special Editions have a new cover, new interior illustrations and are completely re-edited. Hopefully they correct some of the issues you had with the Wild Cat editions.