“Tales of Masks & Mayhem, Vol. III,” is the third of four collections of New Pulp hero stories continuing from Tom Johnson‘s Fading Shadows zines, such as Double Danger Tales, where these characters originally appeared. It’s edited by Ginger Johnson. Unlike the prior collections, there is no intro in this volume, and this one has artwork with most of the stories.
“The Cult of the Faceless Fiend,” by Thomas V. Powers, features Crimson Bat and is reprinted from DDT #36. This character mixes several elements. You have a generational hero, like the Green Hornet, with a mix of occult detective and Batman.
“The Face of Chu-Jung,” by Eric Turowski, is reprinted from DDT #7. This is New Pulp hero with a twist: he’s Asian. Usually during the pulp period, Asians were either villians (Fu Manchu, et al), or at best aides to the main heroes.
“Sidewinder,” by Debra Delorme, features Scarecrow. Stories about him have appeared in all three volumes. This one is reprinted from DDT #3 and reveals some background information about the character (not sure if an “origin” was ever given).
“Death and the Black Ghost,” by Tom Johnson, features the Black Ghost. There are two other volumes of Black Ghost stories out there: “Guns of the Black Ghost,” which collects most of the short stories, including this one, and “Spider’s Web,” which has a novel, plus an edited set of four stories of the Black Ghost during his youth. Another story, teaming him with Scarecrow, is in the first volume of the “Masks” series.
“A Taste for Murder,” by J. Michael Major, features Black Bat, a classic pulp hero which is now in the public domain. This story is reprinted from DDT #38.
“Souls on Fire,” by John L. French, features Grey Monk, is set in modern times, and is reprinted from DDT #43. Grey Monk, who has appeared in all three collections, is a Shadow-like character. A book collecting all Gray Monks stories was available from Wild Cat Books, but may be out of print.
“The Dust of Death,” by Joel Jenkins, featuring Eel & Adder, is reprinted from DDT #28. These are a pair of heroes set in the 1930s. The Eel is a former escape artist and safecracker, now a pulp hero; the Adder is a former actor who uses disguises and a sword cane (and who may be a little insane). They worked independently, but meet and team-up in this story. Not sure if other stories with them together or separately were done.
“Satan Plague,” by Michael A. Black, features Doc Atlas, a Doc Savage pastiche set in post-World War II period. There are Doc Atlas stories in all three volumes and there is a novel available as well. This story first appeared in Gryphon Double #19 (Gryphon Books, 1999), is set in 1951 during the McCarthy era, and reveals some info on Doc’s background.
“The Vacation,” by Ginger Johnson, features Mr. Minus, a Captain Zero-like character who turns invisible from midnight to dawn. This is reprinted from DDT #40 where it was titled “Mr. Minus Takes a Vacation.”
“Catch a Falling Star,” by Dale J. Roberts, features Doctor Mystery and is new to this volume. Set in the ’20s or ’30s, Doctor Mystery is in the mold of other magician-detective characters.
Another great collection of stories. Check it out as well as the others in this series.
