‘Blood ‘n’ Thunder’ Vol. 2 No. 2

As previously noted, Murania Press has revived its Blood ‘n’ Thunder fanzine.

The book series will continue, though we haven’t seen one in awhile. The first issue of the revival was a success, at least enough that we got the second one. If this one is also successful, we’ll get a third.

This issue is a mix of new and reprinted works. But as those reprints are probably hard to find or have been improved, this is not an issue.

We kick off things with two articles on the Gray Seal, an early pulp hero that I have posted on before, as the original five novels are being reprinted, plus there is a new novel. We get an article on the character by pulp historian Don Hutchison, which is reprinted from Pulp Vault. This is a great overview of the whole series. I look forward to reading the reprinted novels, as you see so much in this character that was later picked up by Johnston McCulley in his characters, as well as being used by later pulp-hero and comicbook characters.

Tied to this is an article by Ed Hulse on the history of bringing the character to film. I knew there was a serial, but could find little about it. It’s sad that a character who seemed so popular at the time wasn’t able to be successful in film, and that we have apparently lost this work. Several pictures from the film, as well as ads, are an added bonus.

We get an interesting section of reviews of various pulp and dime novel works, many of which have not been reprinted. One that may be of interest is a good review by Will Murray of The Purple Eye, which had been reprinted by Murania Press.

Will Murray also gives us another of his articles looking into the Spicy pulps, in particular the identity of a female contributor to those Esther Schwartz published a dozen stories in the early Spicy Detective under the name of Earl Schwartz and probably other names as well. We also get several covers reprinted, sadly in black & white.

In the previous issue, we had an article on the short-lived Avenger radio shows, and researcher Karl Schadow, gives an “Avenger Addendum,” which supplements that work on the 1941 show.

In another reprint, with text restored, we take a look at the making of Republic Pictures’ movie serial epic Spy Smasher (1942), based on the popular Fawcett comicbook character. This article by Ed Hulse is probably the most complete work on this serial, which is considered one of the best “chapter plays” ever. We get interviews with those involved, and several pictures from production. So maybe it’s not pulp, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. Probably the best source for this is the Serial Squadron.

Rounding out the issue is another reprint, a short fiction piece that appeared in The Writer’s Digest in 1935. It is by Richard Sale, a pulpster who later worked in Hollywood as a writer/producer/director. He’s most well know for his character of Daffy Dill, who had more then 50 stories from 1934 to ’43, but which only a handful have been reprinted. I know him for doing The Cobra, which I reviewed early on, and this story was reprinted there. This piece, “Mellow Drama,” is a humorous send-up of the hero pulp magazines, from someone who was involved in them.

Another great issue. I really enjoyed this one. I hope we will see a third issue, and if so, the plans are for it to come out in the spring of next year in conjunction with the Windy City Pulp Show.