Bare Bones #2: Spring 2020

by John Scoleri, Peter Enfantino, David J. Schow

bare•bones is back... and better than ever! Inside this Paul M. Riordan’s long-lost bare•bones interview with Richard Matheson focusing on his Western output; Matthew R. Bradley’s detailed look at Richard Matheson’s “Fort College” stories; Gilbert Colon on “Book One” of Lin Carter’s “People of the Dragon” saga; Richard Krauss digs into crime digests, writer/director S. Craig Zahler on The Spider; and the latest installment of David J. Schow’s R&D column—but that’s not all! Co-editors’ Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri weigh in on The Sharpshooter, Shock Mystery Tales; Soy the Spanish adaptation of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend; sleaze paperbacks of the 60s and 70s; and DC Comics’ Captain Action comic series!

106 pages, Paperback

Published May 26, 2020

Reviews

[Karl]

Contents:

002- Dueling Editorials by John Scoleri & Peter Infantino
003 - Richard Matheson and the Western (interview) by Paul Riordan
011- Richard Matheson 's Fort College Stories by Mathew R. Bradley
021 - Soy Leyenda: The Spanish Adaption of Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend' by John Scoleri
033 - The Lunatic Odyssey of Johnny Rock: The Sharpshooter by Peter Infantino
047 - "Book One" of Lin Carter's "People of the Dragon" Saga by Gilbert Colon
053 - Shock Mystery Tales by Peter Infantino
075 - Captain Action at DC Comics by John Scoleri
089 - S Craig Zalher on ... The Spider Master of Men!
093 - R&D by David Schow
098 - About the Contributors

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent follow-up to its debut issue. Lots of good stuff on the work of Richard Matheson by Paul M. Riordan, Matthew Bradley and co-editor John Scoleri, who also provides an article/review of DC’s Captain Action comics; co-editor Peter Enfantino’s pieces on The Sharpshooter paperbacks, another peek down Sleazy Alley, and follow-on to his article on the Shock Mystery Tales digests from TDE4, about the final bedsheet editions; Gilbert Colon on Lin Carter’s “People of the Dragon”; S. Craig Zahler on select issues of The Spider pulps; and David J. Schow explains the pileup on production credits and endless writers’ meetings. Full disclosure: I dig into crime digests Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine (Feb–Jun 1957) in this issue.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

And another issue - The Richard Matheson interview abut his work in the Western genre was interesting, as was the background on the Spanish, student film version of I AM LEGEND (Soy Leyenda from 1967). Overviews/columns on horror, sleaze, action and crime books/digests/comics and pulps were enjoyable (DC's CAPTAIN ACTION sounds like a "must miss"!). Extra points for the absolutely hilarious overview by Peter Enfantino of The Sharpshooter "men's adventures" paperbacks of the 70s, about a guy slaughtering hordes of mafioso. Laughed out loud a few times!