I have previously posted about the Green Lama. While a minor pulp character, he has been fairly successful, appearing in two separate comic-book series (including his own title), a radio show, and making new appearances in comics and prose.
Altus Press has reprinted his original pulp stories and Airship 27 was doing new stories, with Adam Lance Garcia in the lead, which I’ve covered in prior postings. It appeared that the character was in the public domain (in fact Dynamite Comics made that claim about their use of one of the comic-book versions). But it seems that the character was copyrighted by his creator, and his family still held the rights. So further new stories stalled until things were worked out.
Well, it appears that they are cleared, as we are now seeing new stories by Garcia, as well as Airship 27.
But for those who are not that up on the character, a brief overview. Created for the Munsey pulps, The Green Lama was really American Jethro Dumont. He had traveled to Tibet, and was a real Buddhist lama, though he disguised himself as the Rev. Dr. Pali and the Green Lama. With a small group of associates, he fought crime.
Written by Kendal Foster Crossen under the pen-name Richard Foster, the series lasted for 14 pulp novels. Foster also wrote the comic-book series at Prize Comics, and with his own comic-book company Spark, published a Green Lama title. The comic-book versions made him more of a superhero who could fly.
Adam Lance Garcia had written new stories of the Green Lama that appeared in Airship 27’s first Green Lama collection, and a subsequent novel. In the last Altus Press volume was a new short story that bridged the original stories with the new. Garcia is pretty much taking the lead as the “official” chronicler of the Green Lama. His first new story is “Scions,” now from Moonstone Books. It’s not the promised second novel (“Crimson Circle”), but I hope we will see that soon.
In “Scions,” which is actually set between two of Crossen’s novels, the Green Lama must confront a mystery of a cruise ship where it appears everyone on board has killed themselves — except for one. The plot ties in with the other works that Garcia has done. We also see the return of a couple of the Lama’s associates, and a new character who has ties to a classic pulp hero. A great addition to the series.
With the rights clarified, the old volumes from Airship 27 are no longer available. They have come out with a new collection, “Green Lama: Mystic Warrior, Vol. 1.” It includes two of the three stories from their prior volume and includes two new ones. The other story from their original volume will now be reprinted by Moonstone in a separate book: “Horror in Clay.” Of the two new stories, I felt the first wasn’t very true to the original elements, but the second one was pretty decent.
I would expect the Garcia novel, “Green Lama: Unbound,” will probably follow from Moonstone. The promised new Green Lama stories from Garcia hopefully will soon follow, whereas I believe Airship 27 will be allowed to do short-story collections with others. I look forward to all of them.
