Zine Of Bronze #6 - For Fans Of Doc Savage!

 

Zine Of Bronze #6  For Fans of The Man Of Bronze! Above:  Jim Main @ SPACE 2009   A while back I became Facebook Friends with Jim Main...   Who I knew had published some periodicals.  I wasn't aware of how many until he sent a package to me of just a few of them to read and possibly review here.  Currently there are 48 publications that he has published that are listed for sale in his online store! The one I wanted to review here first was a zine on The Man Of Bronze.  Here are the items that this issue covers per Jim's listing: Gorgeous full color covers by Tim Faurote and Alvaro Fernandois, articles by Tom Barnett(on Ham Brooks), Julian Puga V (on The Secrets of the U-Boats), Dennis Kininger (his on-going reviews of the Bantam reprints of the Doc Savage novels). Plus more regular features (Cover to Cover, and our letters section) and more great illustrations by Tim Faurote, John Lambert, Christian Diaz and Virginia Mills-Barfield! OK, I'll take it from there... I would have to agree with Jim that the covers are both very well illustrated!  The front cover by Tim Faurote is a natural one to use to get casual readers to look at it closer. Upon doing so I found that this zine is doing what good zines should do.  That is, have a message from the Editor / Publisher, a table of contents, a letters page, text essays, and photos.  All that is here in this zine! Of course the letters page will feature letters about previous issues, (which I have not seen).  So reading those could or should draw you in as a reader to possibly order the issue(s) the letter(s) talk about. One of the essays was by Tom Barnett, who did a good job on explaining "Building A Literary Character: Ham Brooks". The next feature focused on 'The Brand of The Werewolf' which intriqued me because it showed the covers of the Doc Savage comic books that were published by Marvel Comics, and that there was a history of The Werewolf that went back to the pulps that I wasn't aware of!  I had also missed the Bantam paperback in 1965 that reprinted that tale also. Speaking about the Bantam Books... the next article was a revealing one by Dennis Kininger who reviewed several books from that series. Also an enjoyable and informative article in a 'review' format style. There was also a 'Comic Book Review' by Dennis.  Which I liked seeing because it reviewed Marvel Two-In-One #21.  Being a Big Fan of The Thing from the Fantastic Four, I enjoyed reading about it in this zine, even though the reviewer didn't think much of the storyline in the comic book issue...! The last article was by Julian Puga V, who wrote on 'The Secriet of the U-Boats'.  A good historical essay that kept my interest. I would have to say in summary, that this issue of 'Zine Of Bronze' was a well edited magzine!   Even though I am NOT a big fan of Doc Savage, it was well crafted for even me, a casual Doc Savage reader, to enjoy.  Matter of fact, of all the items that Jim sent me, it was the first publication that I read, and have now reviewed... it is THAT Good! Details on this issue as follows: Cost of this issue is: $3.50 plus 1.50 shipping. $5.00 per issue postpaid in the USA.  Personal checks only, with checks made out to Jim Main.  Jim's web site to order is at:   http://mainenterprises.ecrater.com/ Unfortunately we don't have back issues of Jim's Zine in our own online store at this time... However, Please check out our other new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on!  Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films!   ~ Michael    "Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"   Note: If you breaking into or work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for review, send to: Make It So Marketing Inc PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013             Thank You For Being One Of This Blog's NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768. All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners. CONVENTION PHOTOS:  OK, as mentioned before in this Blog, I tease my wife about having to stop to take photos of every Wonder Woman costumed attendee!  Plus sometimes even getting in the photo myself!  So turnabout is fair play.... Here's Tina at the 2003 San Diego Comic Con International with Wonder Woman  AND Batman! If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.

 

Where There's Alway Room For One More!

 

Where There's Always Room For One More! BOOT HILL #1 Above:  Jim Main, Publisher Friday night Tina and I went with several other couples to see the first of a series of films featuring Leo Carrillo, of whom I have blogged about here a few times... The film is part of a five week Friday nights Film Festival featuring Leo Carrillo, who is best known today as portraying 'Pancho' in 'The Cisco Kid' TV Western Show of the 1950's.   Before the feature film is played, a half hour episode is played first of 'The Cicso Kid'.  All this under the stars, in the same area where Leo and his wife used to entertain all the Hollywood Stars that would come down to their ranch to stay and 'rough it'! So this morning, thinking about the above fun we had last night reminded me that in the package that Jim Main, Publisher of Main Enterprises, had sent me recently, was a modern Western Comic Book with a HoRRoR twist to it.  I recently reviewed a fanzine on Doc Savage that Jim also publishes, (see here for that blog).  That zine and this Western HoRRoR Comic Book are just 2 of the 48 publications that he has published that are currently listed for sale in his online store! However, this post is on the Western HoRRoR Comic Book  titled Boot Hill #1... The comic book itself is an anthology with three stories written by Sam Gafford, and illustrated by three different artists in black & white interior pages format.   Here are the stories that this issue covers per Jim's advertising blurb: Do you like westerns? Are you a fan of horror stories? Well here's a new comic anthology that pairs them both togerther! Issue #1 features 3 tales of sagebrush terror, as narrated by your host, The Gunslinger : "Do Not Forsake Me"(illustrated by Dave Farley), "The Horseshoes" (illustrated by Jack Bertram) and "The Battle of Perkin's Feed (illustrated by John Lambert) all penned by horror writer Sam Gafford! And take a gander at that creepy cover by Scott McClung! If that's not enough to give you the willies...   OK, I'll take it from there... As you can tell by this blog's opening paragraph, I like western comic books.  I have since I first started reading comics and watching TV western shows!  I found the process of taking a TV show and printing it as sequential art to be something I enjoyed. However, this comic book doesn't come from a TV Show.  It takes a genre of comic books that has recently been having a revival and inserting the HoRRoR theme into it.  Very similar to what I have seen by others do in recent years.  I have even blogged about a couple of them here, that included either HoRRoR or Supernatural themes into the western background of the story, (i.e. Jonah Hex upcoming film, and Desperadoes Omnibus by Jeff Mariotte.) That doesn't mean I don't like this hybrid genre.  It just better be done good to rate my taking the time to blog about it!  The cover to this comic book is one that made me put it near the top of my 'to read' stack of comics and mags that have come in for me to possibly review.  That says something right there!  Good job by illustrator Scott McClung! The stories use a 'host' narrator to introduce you to the storyline. His name is 'The Gunslinger'.  Similar to the old EC HoRRoR Comics. The first story 'Do Not Forsake Me!' is well written by Sam Gafford. The art is by Dave Farley.  I can't figure out the style here, it has a little 'underground' flavor to it, but since it was his comic book premiere, I don't really know his background.  The artwork meshed pretty well with the storyline. The second story 'The Horsehoes!' was well written.  Reminded of the style of earlier EC Comics... The lettering didn't mesh as well with the art in this second story after the splash page.  The splash page lettering looked like an effort to tell the story in an EC lettering style. But turning the page, it lost that flavor.  I don't see the credits for that effort.  However the art by Jack Bertram told the story well in the sequential art format. The third story 'The Battle of Perkin's Feed' was done right all the way through!  The storyline, the dialogue, the lettering and the art all blended well together!  And the ending?  Well done! OKay... as I've said before here in my Blog...  Reviewing an anthology is one of the hardest things to do.  In this case, because the writer of each story was the same person, it was just a tad easier.  Plus there is a different 'tone' for comics that have black and white interior pages instead of color pages...  For those that like Westerns with a HoRRoR or Supernatural bent,  then this issue should be down the right path to Boot Hill for you to read pardner!   I would appreciate seeing a 2nd issue to this series. Details on this issue as follows: Cost of this issue is: $2.95 plus 1.50 shipping. $4.45 per issue postpaid in the USA.  Personal checks only, with checks made out to Jim Main.  Jim's web site to order is at:   http://mainenterprises.ecrater.com/ Unfortunately we don't have back issues of Jim's comics or magazines in our own online store at this time... However, Please check out our other new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on!  Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films!   ~ Michael    "Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"   Note: If you breaking into or work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for review, send to: Make It So Marketing Inc PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013             Thank You For Being One Of This Blog's NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768. All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners. COMIC BOOK COVERS:  At the beginning of this blog post I mentioned that Tina and I went with several other couples to the Leo Carrillo Film Festival that started Friday Night, September 4th at the Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad, California.  Below is an excellent portrayal of Leo Carillo as Pancho, with his buddy the Cicso Kid! If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.