The Crimson Mask Archives, Volume 3
Part of the early 1940s pulp hero revival, pharmacist Bob Clarke takes on the underworld as The Crimson Mask! Volume 3 contains the final six adventures: “Four Men of Murder,” “The Dangerous Gamble,” “Three Men of Evil,” “Five Clues to Murder,” “Traffic in Murder,” and “Motto for Murder” uncut, with all of the original illustrations, as well as an introduction by Tom Johnson.
Operator 5: The Complete Purple Wars (2 Volume Deluxe Edition)
The “War and Peace of the Pulps” is finally collected in a two-volume deluxe, hardcover edition. Running in the pages of Operator #5 magazine from 1936–38, this 14-part epic chronicled the invasion and conquering of America by a mysterious foe from Europe: The Purple Empire. As Will Murray describes in this edition’s Introduction: “Battles rage from coast to coast. The exploits of Operator 5 shift from espionage and counterespionage to straight military adventure. Through it all, Jimmy Christopher rises to become the de facto leader of the resistance.” Written by Emile C. Tepperman (author of The Spider and The Masked Marksman) and containing nearly 300 illustrations by John Fleming Gould, this half-million-word saga remains the greatest epic to see print in Golden Age of the pulps and is still considered most risky and ambitious experiment ever undertaken in the single-character magazines.
This two-volume deluxe, hardcover edition includes an all-new Introduction by pulp historian Will Murray, as well as Tom Johnson’s retrospective on the series, The History of the Purple Wars. It also collects the rarely-reprinted Epilogue to the Purple War, “Revolt of the Devil Men.” Also restored are all of author Tepperman’s rarely-reprinted footnotes which graced the original pulp editions of the stories. Never-before collected, this remastered, comprehensive collection of Operator 5: The Complete Purple Wars has been one of the most eagerly-anticipated pulp publications of all time.
The Complete Adventures of The Domino Lady
“Compliments of the Domino Lady!” In order to avenge the murder of her father, socialite Ellen Patrick donned a domino mask, an evening dress and packed a .45. Running for six rare stories in mid-1930s pulp magazines, these stories remain elusive. Now, these are collected in an affordable edition, complemented by an all-new Afterword by pulp historian Tom Johnson.
The Crimson Mask Archives, Volume 1
Part of the early 1940s pulp hero revival, pharmacist Bob Clarke takes on the underworld as The Crimson Mask! The first of three volumes collecting the entire series, this first volume includes an introduction by pulp historian Tom Johnson. Volume contains the following stories: “Enter the Crimson Mask,” “The Crimson Mask’s Murder Trail,” “The Crimson Mask’s Death Gamble,” “Sign of the Crimson Mask,” and “The Crimson Mask’s Scorpion Trail.”
The Masked Detective Archives, Volume 1
Crime reporter Rex Parker dons a mask to fight crime in his own way! A master of the French art of la savate, Parker is joined on his battle with the underworld by Dan Gleason of Homicide and beauty columnist Winnie Bligh. Containing the first three stories: “Alias the Masked Detective,” “The Masked Detective’s Warning,” and “The Masked Detective’s Manhunt.” By Norman A. Daniels with an introduction by Tom Johnson.
The Eagle Archives
Jeff Shannon, Special Agent for G-2 Secret Service, is better known throughout the world by his other moniker: the Eagle. Featuring all five of the Eagle’s published stories, plus two related stories. By Norman A. Daniels with E. Hoffmann Price; introduction by Tom Johnson.
Dr. Thaddeus C. Harker: The Complete Tales
Written by Edwin Truett Long, Doc Harker was one of the last of the Munsey heroes who were introduced to battle the oncoming wave of the comic book industry. Dressed in a Prince Albert coat and looking like a Kentucky gentleman, Harker and his crew travel the country selling their cure-all Chickasha Remedies… and encounter crime at every stop. This edition collects the entire series: “Crime Nest,” “Woe to the Vanquished” and “South of the Border,” all from 1940 and complete, remastered, with all the original illustrations.
Echoes 30: Three Decades of Pulp Fandom’s Greatest Magazine
Echoes, the longest-running pulp fanzine of all time, is back for a special 30th anniversary issue, and it’s the largest single-issue pulp fanzine ever published. Enjoy over 300 pages of articles on pulps as well as a pair of classic reprints, written by a variety of pulp experts.
Dan Fowler: G-Man Companion
For nearly 20 years, Dan Fowler and his G-men battled crimedom in the pages of G-Men Detective. Now, author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue, listing everything you need to know about the series.
The Man in Purple
Fresh off the creation of Zorro, writer Johnston McCulley created a fantastic follow-up masked hero: The Man in Purple! Nearly forgotten today and never before reprinted in its entirety, The Man in Purple series has been restored to its original glory! As a bonus, this collection has been augmented by an all-new adventure of The Man in Purple by pulp writer Tom Johnson.
The Black Bat Companion
One of the most beloved pulp characters, The Black Bat, is finally celebrated with this 340 page deluxe retrospective. Author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue, listing everything you need to know about the series, along with the following highlights:
- A complete reprint of the rejected Black Bat adventure, “The Lady’s Out for Blood”
- A breakdown of the newly-discovered final Black Bat story, “The Celebrity Murders”
- All 800 German Black Bat stories newly identified for english audiences
- Nine complete reprints of the Black Bat’s golden Age comic book stories
- An interview with series creator Norman Daniels as well as his complete payment records… available here for the first time
Featuring additional articles by Will Murray, this is the ultimate history of the series.
Alias The Whirlwind
Written in the depths of The Depression, this collects the entire saga of The Whirlwind, Johnston (Zorro) McCulley’s other Southwestern hero of the Old West! Never before reprinted, this omnibus includes an all-new Whirlwind adventure by novelist Tom Johnson.
Exciting Pulp Tales
The exciting sequel to Tom Johnson’s 2010 anthology, Pulp Detectives, Exciting Pulp Tales brings you ten more all-new stories featuring classic pulp heroes such as The Angel, The Green Ghost, The Cobra, The Crimson Mask, Gentle Jones, The Purple Scar, Funny Face, Mr. Death, The Jungle Queen, and Ki-Gor.
Pulp Detectives
For the first time, nine all-new stories starring the classic pulp heroes of the 1930s, featuring characters such as The Phantom Detective, The Black Bat, The Lone Eagle, The Masked Detective, Secret Agent X and Nightwind. Written by pulp scholar Tom Johnson, it’s nearly 350 pages of excitement!
Triple Detective #4 (Fall 1956)
The largest issue from the relaunched Triple Detective! This time enjoy these stories:
“The Gibbering Gas of Madness” by Capt. Kerry McRoberts. When Scientist working on military weapons mysteriously go mad, The U.S. Government fears a foreign power at the source of the evil and G-2 calls in their top secret agent, The Eagle. But this time his foe may be the greatest spy in the world—and the most beautiful. Will Jeff Shannon also fall victim to her womanly charms?
“City of Phantoms” by Robert Wallace. When an old case resurfaces, The World’s Greatest Detective is pulled back into a new battle with a deadly enemy, while ex-Fighting District Attorney Tony Quinn’s lovely secretary, Carol Baldwin is kidnapped by a vicious mob, hoping to force the prosecution to drop its case against their Boss. Two champions of Justice meet in a race against time!
“Plague of Death” by Tom Johnson. A German scientist has brought a virus to America to aid in the Brown Shirts taking control of the United States for Hitler. To test the virus, the scientist releases it on a Chicago orphanage, killing all but one child. The Masked Avenger puts the child, a young Korean boy, under his protection, while a Chicago policeman and young Korean woman also watch over him. But when the boy is kidnapped, the trail leads the Masked Avenger to New York, where he must uncover the German scientist and stop the virus from killing everyone in the great city. A wild ride, as the German mob and Brown Shirts combine to bring America to its knees while Hitler concentrates his army on Europe! Can one man, even such as the Masked Avenger, succeed when America looks to be doomed?
An additional surprise is in store for the readers with “The Legend” by Tom Johnson. In this short story, The Legend returns to bring justice to an old hoodlum! This giant issue also contains a Phantom Detective comic not reprinted in The Phantom Detective Companion.
Alias Mr. Death: The Complete Series
Collecting the entire nine-part series from the pages of Thrilling Detective in 1932. Written by D.L. Champion, this was the inspiration for The Phantom Detective series. And as a bonus, this collection includes the two “Alias Mr. Death” revival stories from 1939. And for the first time, the unpublished story “Alias Mr. Death” by pulp scribe Harold Ward. This also includes all-new introductions by Tom Johnson and Matthew Moring, and it’s housed under a replica of the original hardcover edition’s dustjacket.
The Phantom Detective Companion
The longest-running hero of the pulp era! For the first time, the history of the Phantom Detective is bought under one volume, completely updated! Includes an index to nearly 175 stories, 100s of pages of articles, two unused Phantom story plots from the mid-1930s and nearly all of the Phantom’s comic book appearances. It’s 400 pages of must-own information for any pulp fan to enjoy.
Triple Detective #3 (Summer 1956)
Back again for another issue! Thrill to the all-new adventures of The Black Bat, The Phantom Detective and The Masked Avenger! Written by G. Wayman Jones, Robert Wallace, and Tom Johnson.
Triple Detective #1 (Winter 1956)
With the release of this new series, three important stories are included in the first issue for the pulp fan. Norman Daniels' “The Happiest Hour Murders” was written as a Phantom Detective entry in 1934, but rejected, and published later with all reference to the Phantom removed from the story. When Black Book Detective folded in 1953, Stewart Sterling's “The Lady of Death” was left unpublished, and appeared later, with all traces of the Black Bat removed. These two stories have been restored to their original characters and published here for the first time. The Secret Agent “X” story, “The Stolen Formula” was originally written and published in Greece in 1950, and this is its first American publication in English.
Operator 5: The History of the Purple Wars
The entire history of the The Purple Invasion, the War and Peace of the pulps which ran for over a year in the pages of Operator 5! Loaded with illustrations from the original pulps.
Triple Detective #2 (Spring 1956)
by Tom Johnson, K.G. McAbee, and Steve Mitchell
Back for another issue, this time featuring the following stories. Doctor Death Returns by Steve Mitchell: Twenty years before, a sinister madman held the world at bay, using the twin powers of science and sorcery to unleash a crimson tide of murder and destruction that swept across America and Asia. Then he disappeared—leaving no clue as to his final fate. Murder Museum (featuring The Phantom Detective) by K.G. McAbee: The Phantom Detective, that nemesis of all evildoers in New York City, takes on the uncanny powers of the sinister Dr. Darkness! And Crime's Last Stand (starring The Masked Avenger) by Tom Johnson: Will evil win out? Can even The Great Masked Avenger survive the final battle with the city's underworld when crime makes its last stand!
Doctor Death: The Complete Doctor Death in All-Detective
For the first time in one collection, all four original Doctor Death stories from All-Detective in 1934-35: “Doctor Death,” “Cargo of Death,” “Death’s I.O.U.” and “Thirteen Pearls.” Written by Edward P. Norris, this series leads into the classic Doctor Death pulp series of 1935. Contains an all-new introduction written by Tom Johnson.
The Secret Agent X Companion
The classic investigation of Secret Agent “X,” revised and updated by the original writers, Tom Johnson and Will Murray, including new chapters, images and information! It's the last word on this classic character!