Paperback Fantastic Vol 2 - Fantasy - edited by Justin Marriott

The second of three projected ‘zines in Justin Marriott’s “Paperback Fantastic” series is devoted to fantasy fiction. The first issue focused on Science Fiction while the third will target horror fiction. As expected, this second issue matches the slick product of the first with another great cover designed by Bill Cunningham. 

The bulk of the book is allocated to reviews of fantasy fiction through the ages, although most tend to gear towards the 'sword and sorcery' or ‘sword and sandal’ stories ala Conan, Fafhred and the Gray Mouser, Elric, and Brak the Barbarian. Many of the authors represented here are house-hold names like Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, Andrew J. Offutt, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, and of course, Robert E. Howard. Naturally, there are many names you may be less familiar with. Eleven different reviewers offer their opinions in thoughtful reviews (Full Disclosure once again: I’m one of them), and even when I disagreed, I was pleased to see good supporting arguments as to why the reviewers felt as they did. Above all, they are informative. 

Along with the interesting reviews are a number of “Fantastic Factoids”. These are two-page spreads that spotlight themes or cover artists. These include subjects such as “DAW and Tarzan”, “Flashing Swords”, “Dray Prescott”, “Fantasy Femmes” and “Fantastic Stories”.

A real bonus in this volume (just as in the first issue) is the full color artwork. Almost every review is accompanied by a full color depiction of the cover. Again, the covers chosen aren’t necessarily the ones you’ve seen and known from the bookstore shelves. They offer a full mix of UK and US covers as well as some from other countries. Sometimes, several covers are presented representing different styles and artists for the same book/comic. Additionally, each cover presented includes details of the artist and other facts about the book’s history.

As always, these products offer a great way to get a sampling of a specific genre. Fantasy fans will soak this up while those who’ve only ever wondered about what this genre is all about will find plenty to whet their appetites. 

Highly recommended.

Paperback Fantastic - Volume 1 - Sci-Fi by Justin Marriott (ed)

Once again, Justin Marriott has produced a slick ‘zine, with a cover designed by Bill Cunningham, that takes a good look at a specific genre of paperbacks and comics. This is actually the first of three related products, all devoted to speculative fiction. Here we have a focus on science fiction while the second will tackle fantasy and the third will examine horror paperbacks.

This volume is laser focused (see what I did there?) on the science fiction field. The bulk of the book is allocated to reviews of sci-fi through the ages, covering a wide variety of authors, eras, and styles. Many of the authors represented here are house-hold science fiction names like Silverberg, Asimov, Niven, Moorcock, Norton, Zelazny, etc. but many are names you may be less familiar with. Who knew Don Pendleton wrote "The Guns of Terra 10" before developing a whole new genre with "The Executioner novels"? We get reviews from every kind of sci-fi story out there, from David Brin’s “Startide Rising” to Jean-Claude Forrest’s “Barbarella”, from “Flash Gordon” to “Planet of the Apes”. Hard science fiction is found alongside humorous sci-fi and comics, swashbuckling planetary adventure, and end-of-the world scenarios. Nine different reviewers offer their opinions in thoughtful reviews (Full Disclosure: I’m one of them), but always with an eye for being informative. 

Along with the insightful reviews are a number of “Fantastic Factoids”. These are two-page spreads that spotlight themes or cover artists. These include subjects such as “Moorcock on Mars”, “Andre Norton and Ken Barr” and “Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction”.

A real bonus in this volume (and the next two) is the full color artwork. Almost every review is accompanied by a full color depiction of the cover. Often the covers chosen aren’t necessarily the ones you’ve seen and known from the bookstore shelves, offering a full mix of UK and US covers and even some from other countries. Sometimes, several covers are presented representing different styles and artists for the same book/comic. Additionally, each cover presented includes details of the artist and other facts about the book’s history.

As always, these products offer a great way to get a sampling of a specific genre. Sci-fi fans will soak this up while those who’ve only ever wondered about what this genre is all about will find plenty to whet their appetites. 

Highly recommended.

Men's Adventure Quarterly, Vol 4 - Jungle Girls by Bob Deis & Bill Cinningham

The fourth edition of the Men’s Adventure Quarterly magazine is, once again, another fine addition to the stable. As much as I enjoy each one, the next one always seems to top the previous one by a slim margin. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but there it is. 

The first three volumes were devoted to specific topics: Westerns, Espionage, and Vigilantes. Obviously, the next topic to be conquered is Jungle Girls. All of the content, prose and artwork, is sourced from the men’s adventure magazines (MAMs) of the 1950’s, 60s’ and 70’s.

About half of this volume is devoted to the inestimable Jane Dolinger. Here was an adventurer like few others. She billed herself as an "adventure travel writer” who traveled the world’s exotic locations to experience the cultures and then write about them. She became known as “Jungle Jane Dolinger”. Ultimately, she would produce a half dozen or so books and hundreds of travel articles for magazines and newspapers. She was also a model, often posing for scantily clad photos to accompany her articles and stories, many of which are included here as well.

The other real-life jungle girl in this issue is German born Marion Michael, billed as the next Bridget Bardot and cast in a couple of German films, (Liane, Jungle Goddess), while still in her teens.

Four Jungle Girl stories are presented as well, all in the faux-realism style that was common for the MAMs (written in the style of a true-life adventure even though fictional). Of course, there is much more here than just the stories and articles. The artwork alone is worth the cover price but there are also oodles of informative content about the authors, artists, and publishers behind the work. Very informative, just as I expect from this high-quality production.

Men's Adventure Quarterly, Vol 3 by Bob Deis & Bill Cunningham

The third edition of the Men’s Adventure Quarterly magazine is yet another fine addition to the stable. Whereas the first volume was devoted to Westerns and the second to Espionage, this third volume focuses squarely on vigilantes. All of the content, prose and artwork, is sourced from the men’s adventure magazines (MAMs) of the 1950’s, 60s’ and 70’s.

In addition to an editorial from both editors, Bob Deis and Bill Cunningham, a third is presented by famed comic book and prose author, Chuck Dixon. Three vigilante-style stories are presented in the first half of the magazine while it devoted the second half to the father of all action-oriented vigilante fiction, Mack Bolan, AKA “The Executioner”. A “book bonus” feature is presented for the first two Mack Bolan novels, "War Against the Mafia" and "Death Squad". These lengthy pieces are condensed from the original novels but appear just as they did in the pages of “For Men Only” magazine and “Men” magazine in 1969 and 1971, respectively. I’ve read both novels many years ago, but these condensed versions really capture the essence and most of the plots of those two books.

Of course, there is much more here than just the stories. The artwork alone is worth the cover price but there are also oodles of informative content about the authors, artists and publishers behind the work. A real highlight of this issue is as article written by Linda Pendleton, wife of The Executioner creator and author, Don Pendleton. Plenty of insights on the history of this iconic series is presented.

I’ll keep on reading these as long as they produce them. Absolute quality all the way around.

Hot Lead - Most Wanted All Review Special by Justin Mariott

As part of the Hot Lead series of fanzines, Justin Marriott brings us an all-review special. It came out last year, in 2020 and was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise horrible year. It's a wonderful resource for fans of western fiction. More than 160 pages and over 200 reviews representing the vast history of the western paperback are all here for the taking. It is perhaps the best such resource of its kind in existence today.

The Forward to this volume, by noted comic book writer and western author Chuck Dixon sets the proper tone of enthusiasm for the genre as a whole.  Justin Marriott himself provides a thoughtful introduction while three more informative and addictive essays are also included: Paul Bishop examines ten of his favorite western authors, Howard Andrew Jones takes a deep dive into westerns in the Gold Medal line and Gary Dobbs provides a thorough analysis of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove Saga.   

The reviews themselves are organized chronologically with major divisions by “era” beginning in 1927 all the way to modern day westerns. You’ll find everything from stand-alone classics to western series, adult westerns, weird westerns, and even the comics. Each is granted a rating by the reviewer and of course, not all will agree, but there-in lies an extra bit of fun when reading them. I found more than a few that I at first disagreed with but the text of the review sells their rating and now has me thinking I might revisit them to see if my own opinion might change.

This is a fairly hefty product, especially considering the price. Most of the reviews are accompanied by black & white cover photos of the original publication and that in itself can be a fun way to browse.  One note of caution however: readers might well find themselves significantly expanding their wish lists for future reads so check your bank account before delving in.

** On a side note, I feel a little conflicted about reviewing this product at all since I have ten or so reviews in here myself. My words above reflect all the other content in the book, and I would feel the same even were I not included. Nevertheless, it was an honor and a privilege to contribute to the effort. **

Men's Adventure Quarterly, Vol 2 by Bob Deis & Bill Cunningham

The second volume of the continuing quarterly publication of stories and essays from the golden age of what are known as “MAMs” or Men’s Adventure Magazines continues the excellent content and visual representation of the first. MAMs were magazines mostly from the 1950s-60s that were geared toward men, often violent and with pulpy adventure style yarns. More often than not, the stories were accompanied by colorful art that featured scantily clad women. The publishers, after all, knew their target audience. This time around the subject is espionage and this value is packed full.

Once again, this is a large, slick, high-quality product. It’s chock full of reprinted stories and articles from the original MAMs as well as wonderful introductions by Bob Deis and Bill Cunningham. The stories presented are from the likes of “Man’s Action, “Man’s Illustrated”, and “Male” magazines complimented by impressive original full color and B&W artwork. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Additionally, there are a couple of in-depth articles as well as a full color art gallery of classic covers.

Just as in the first issue, what really drives it over the top are the introductions to each story and article. Often when I read anthologies, I feel lucky when a story is introduced with a paragraph or two providing some background. But here, we get two and three pages of intro, describing each story’s origins, the author’s life, the artists involved and even the publishing background. The folks behind this publication really know their subject and their passion for all of it shines through once again in spades.

Hopefully Robert Deis and Bill Cunningham can put their considerable knowledge of the MAMs to work for our enjoyment for a long time to come. This will have a permanent place on my shelves, right alongside every issue that is published in the future.

Men's Adventure Quarterly, Vol 1 by Bob Deis & Bill Cunningham

Color me impressed!

This is the first volume of what I sure hope is a continuing quarterly publication of stories and essays from the golden age of what are known as “MAMs” or Men’s Adventure Magazines. These were magazines mostly from the 1950s-60s that were geared toward men, often violent and with pulpy adventure style yarns. More often than not, the stories were accompanied by colorful art that featured scantily clad women. The publishers, after all, knew their target audience.

Now, Robert Deis and Bill Cunningham have put their considerable knowledge of the MAMs to work for our enjoyment. Each volume will focus on a single theme. This first one focuses on westerns and the second revolves around the world of espionage while the third devotes itself to the world of vigilantes. I own them all will be posting reviews of them as well, shortly.

This is a large, slick, high-quality product.  The cover alone makes my mouth water. But it is the contents that really blow me away. It’s chock full of reprinted stories and articles from the original MAMs as well as wonderful introductions by Bob Deis, Bill Cunningham, and guest editor, Paul Bishop. There are nine stories presented from the likes of “MALE”, “Man’s Life”, and “All Man” magazines complimented by impressive original full color and B&W artwork. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Additionally, there are a couple of in-depth articles as well as a full color art gallery of classic covers.

All of that would have added up to a sure-fire winner. But, for me, what really drives it over the top are the introductions to each story and article. Often when I read anthologies, I feel lucky when a story is introduced with a paragraph or two providing some background. But here, we get two and three pages of intro, describing each story’s origins, the author’s life, the artists involved and even the publishing background. The folks behind this publication really know their subject and their passion for all of it shines through in spades.

This will have a permanent place on my shelves, right alongside every issue that is published in the future. Highest recommendation!

Paperbacks at War by Justin Marriott

Once again, the Justin Marriott team has produced an in-depth look at a specific sub-genre of men’s adventure fiction, this time with an edition devoted entirely to wartime book reviews. There is a wide-range of reviews here including classic war novels, poignant we-were-there books, testosterone-fueled paperbacks, pulp yarns, and even comics. This is another must-have companion volume for those readers who dig this stuff. 

There are over 170 reviews here by knowledgeable readers. Some are authors themselves but every single one is a fan. The vast majority of this volume is devoted to the reviews, however there are a couple of extra gems including an essay by Justin Marriott focusing on the “cynical and brutal school of paperbacks in the 1970s and 80s typified by Sven Hassel and Leo Kessler” as well as a nice B&W cover gallery. The reviews are not just about the stories themselves but often include interesting information about the authors, publishers and, in the case of comics, the pencilers, colorists, etc.

Fans will want to snatch this up but I think one of the major benefits of these kind of publications are the way they can entice those readers who are unfamiliar with the sub-genre or perhaps have been flirting with diving in but are not sure where to start. There are plenty of opinions offered within these pages by knowledgeable reviewers, and of course opinions may differ. But just to read through them provides a nice education in the subject matter.

Full disclosure: I have a few reviews included in this volume but a tiny percentage of the overall content.

Highly Recommended.

Pulp Apocalypse by Justin Marriott

Once again, the Justin Marriott team has produced an in-depth look at a specific sub-genre of men’s adventure fiction, this time with an edition devoted entirely to post-apocalyptic fiction. There is a wonderful mix of topics in here, covering the full gamut and will serve as a must-have companion volume for those readers who dig this stuff. 

Features include articles covering entire series such as Traveler, Roadmaster, Endworld, Deathlands, Wasteworld, Phoenix, Swampmaster and many more. There are in depth interviews with leading authors such as Laurence James (the original James Axler who launched Deathlands), Jan Stacy (author behind The Last Ranger series and co-author of The Doomsday Warrior series), David Robbins (author of the Endworld series and Blade series not to mention the lengthy Wilderness western series). I could go on and on. Rounding things out are a look at the Prepper movement, several apocalyptic comics, and a number of single novel reviews. 

Fans will want to snatch this up but I think one of the major benefits of these kind of publications are the way they can entice those readers who are unfamiliar with the sub-genre or perhaps have been flirting with diving in but are not sure where to start. There are plenty of opinions offered within these pages by knowledgeable readers and authors, and of course opinions may differ. But just to read through them provides a nice education in the subject matter.

Full disclosure: I have a few reviews included in this volume but a tiny percentage of the overall content.