The Spider, Vol.1 – “Terror of the Zombie Queen” (Dynamite)

Writer: David Liss | Arist: Colton Worley

One of the most celebrated pulp heroes of all time is back, and re-launched into the 21st century!

Richard Wentworth is a decorated war hero who has sacrificed everything, including the woman he loves, for duty. But the New York City Wentworth returns to is riddled with crime and corruption. With the police overwhelmed and a populace helpless, Wentworth becomes The Spider, a vigilante as ruthless and merciless as the criminals he hunts. But now there’s a new danger on the rise. A deranged woman called Anput has begun a series of attacks that turn ordinary citizens into mindless zombies, bringing New York and the police force to its knees. Wentworth will stop at nothing to save the city he's sworn to protect, but in the process he will risk his family, his friends, and the woman he still loves.

Collects: The Spider #1-6

I caught the first couple of issues of The Spider when the series was re-launched last year. One of the things that jumped out at me, alongside Liss’s great story, was Worley’s superb artwork. With this first collection, readers get the debut story-arc, which is a mixture of vigilante justice and horror, beautifully rendered.

An Interview with JONATHAN WOOD

With the second novel in Wood’s Arthur Wallace series, Yesterday’s Hero, now available, I thought it would be a great time to learn a little more about the pulpy, supernatural urban fantasy series, its author, and his writing process.

Upcoming: “Jane Carver: Swords of Waar” by Nathan Long (Night Shade)

On Wednesday, Nathan Long revealed the artwork for his second Jane Carver novel, over on his website. I shall shamelessly re-post it here, for you enjoyment:

I’m being terribly slow about reading the first novel in the series, Jane Carver of Waar, but I have bought it for my Kindle, so it will be read! In other Nathan Long-related news, I’ll also be reading the final novel in his Ulrika the Vampire series for Black Library – a spin-off from one of my favourite fantasy series, Gotrek & Felix, I’m sure it’ll be a great finish to the story.

Guest Post: “Influences & Inspirations” by A. Lee Martinez

With the publication of A Lee Martinez’s next novel imminent (March 6th), I thought it would be a great time to dragoon him into writing about some of his influences and inspirations. Which he did. Which was very nice of him. Read on!

In A Princess of Mars, John Carter of Mars finds himself transported to the savage world of Barsoom (Mars, to you and me). He’s immediately taken prisoner by the race of giant four-armed green Martians. Soon after, he punches a Martian and kills him with one blow. It’s an accident, but it immediately earns him the respect of his captors. That’s how things work on Mars. It’s classic pulp bad-ass-itude, the kind of absurd levels of awesome that were once commonplace in the pages of Weird Tales and other serial magazines. John Carter is a power fantasy, a man who discovers another planet and through heroic resolve gets the princess, saves the planet, builds alliances, and destroys his enemies. Subtlety is not the goal of these stories. War is brutal (and often cartoonishly glorious). Love is as sappy and heartfelt as any romance novel, where people declare undying love merely upon setting eyes upon each other. And outlandish adventure is a way of life.