THE SUBGENRE: Comic adaptation. THE HERO: Playboy millionaire Lamont Cranston, also known as the vigilante superhero, The Shadow. THE LOVE INTEREST: Socialite Margo Lane. THE VILLAIN: Shiwan Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan bent on global domination. THE SETTING: 1930’s New York. Sometimes passion can lead you into the bad parts of town. Case in…
Read Rob Hart's exclusive guest post about the changing landscapes of pulp fiction, and then make sure to sign in and comment below for a chance to win a copy of his latest book, The Woman from Prague! If you want to know how pulp fiction has changed in the past few decades, I think…
THE SUBGENRE: Sword and sorcery adventure. THE HERO: Conan the Barbarian, aka Conan the Cimmerian THE VILLAIN: Thulsa Doom, leader of a snake cult (Conan the Barbarian); Queen Taramis, who plans to sacrifice her niece to raise a death god. THE SETTING: The mystical “Hyborian Age,” after the fall of Atlantis but before known ancient…
THE SUBGENRE: Comic adaptation/supernatural adventure. THE HERO: Kit Walker, aka jungle hero The Phantom. THE VILLAIN: Megalomaniac businessman Xander Drax. THE SETTING: 1939 NYC and the jungles of the fictional country “Bengalla.” Twenty generations ago, a young cabin boy witnessed the slaughter of his ship's entire crew—including his father—by merciless pirates known as the Singh…
THE SUBGENRE: Cartoon noir. THE HERO(ES): Private eye Eddie Valiant and the eponymous Toon. THE VILLAIN: The mad Judge Doom. THE LOVE INTEREST(S): Loyal “Girl Friday” Dolores and femme fatale Jessica. THE SETTING: An alternate 1940's Hollywood. 1947, Hollywood. It's a familiar setting to any fan of noir. This Hollywood, however, is different in one…
THE SUBGENRE: Supernatural adventure. THE HEROES (WHO HAPPEN TO BE LOVE INTERESTS): Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan and French Foreign Legion soldier-turned-convict Rick O'Connell. THE VILLAIN: Imhotep, high priest and murderous mummy. THE SETTING: 1920's Egypt. All her life, Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) has dreamed of exploring ancient tombs and proving her worth as a serious Egyptologist.…
THE SUBGENRE: Comic book noir. THE HERO: Hardnosed detective Dick Tracy. THE VILLAIN: Crime boss Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice. THE LOVE INTEREST(S): Loyal “Girl Friday” Tess Trueheart and gangster's moll Breathless Mahoney. THE SETTING: A 1920's metropolis. Pulp fiction gets a bad name in my opinion—no, not the Quentin Tarantino flick where Travolta jams a…
