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Pulp Modern: Volume Two, Issue Five
The cornerstone of the independent pulp fiction revolution returns and raises the bar once more. The stories begin with the apocalypse and venture into dark and entertaining territory. No brow-beating fiction here, just pure storytelling, the way it's SUPPOSED to be. Featuring stories by Nils Gilbertson and Mandi Jourdan, among many others. Interior art by Ran Scott. A killer cover illustration by legendary Rick McCollum. As always, art direction by Richard Krauss and chief editing duties performed by Alec Cizak. Pulp Modern and Uncle B. Publications are official members of the Independent Fiction Alliance.
135 pages, Paperback
Published June 9, 2020
3 people want to read
About the author
Alec Cizak
75 books48 followersAlec Cizak was dropped off on the planet Earth by Lao Tzu after the old wizard made love to a seven-legged go-go dancer from the interior regions of Neptune. The dancer refused to care for the infant Cizak and so Lao Tzu brought the baby to Earth and left him with a cult of syphilitic monks on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Cizak was granted immortality by the goddess Molena, a stripper from Spain, on the condition that he never reveal her recipe for spaghetti and eyeball soup. Unable to contain this magnificent secret, Cizak whispered the recipe to a Belgium nun named Poinsettia. The goddess Molena cursed Cizak to mortality and a bit of talent as a writer no significant number of his fellow mortals would ever care too much about. He currently lives with his wife in a cave in Antarctica where he writes dime novels under a pen name that cannot be revealed here for national security purposes.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 8, 2020
“We kick off this issue with an all-too appropriate tale of life after the apocalypse. We move from there to a crime tale puncturing civility’s thin veneer. We head into the future after that and then return to the past for a good vs. evil struggle in the American Southwest. Two nasty little crime stories follow before we launch into another tale of good and evil and redemption. We close out this issue with a pair of quiet, refined crime stories. “-Alec Cizak “From the Editor”
Pulp Modern includes a great range of pulp genres as evidenced by the editor’s overview of the stories included in this issue (see quotation above). Besides these fun bite-sized pieces of prose, the issue includes three comics by Bob Vojko and each story is illustrated by Ran Scott. I am a huge fan of Scott’s work and his fantastic illustrations always beautifully complement the reading experience. I also dig Richard Krauss’s cover, which makes me think of the Clue board game gone extra noir. I enjoyed the multiple genres represented in this issue. Each of the story made for an entertaining read. The following stories and illustrations resonated with me most.
In “The Bowie Knife” by Peter W. J. Hayes, a one of a kind treasure comes between an antique shop owner and his former-felon assistant. The voice of the protagonist, with his multiple digressions in telling his tale, was especially fun. The colorful characters came alive in my mind. My favorite line from the story: “Her eyes were the Kansas-sky blue I remembered, her blouse unbuttoned all the way to Mexico.”
“Burnin’ Love” by Timothy Friend involves a bounty hunter-type hired to collect an arsonist. The assignment complicates when the firebug crosses state lines for a hookup and the object of his affection happens to be one tough cookie. I’ve been a fan of Friend since reading his story “Bad Dog” in Switchblade Magazine Issue five. My favorite quotes all had profanity in them, which says a lot about the kind of wild ride this story delivers.
“How to Make a Boulevardier” by Nils Gilbertson is a study in family dynamics, shifting favors, and problem solving using violence. The family relies on son Joe to act as bartender and provide comic relief, while pushing his moral bounties. Joe not only knows everyone’s drink of choice, he has a handle on their dirty deeds. By the end of the story, I was craving the perfectly crafted Boulevardier. Favorite lines: “Bill was the sort of guy that thought if you’re good at one thing, you’re good at everything. And if you get away with one crime, you’re bulletproof. He was that special sort of stupid.”
“These Violent Delights” by Mandi Jourdan is shown through the eyes of Isis, one of seven androids created by the government, named after Egyptian deities, and programmed to kill. I liked how the androids came across as sympathetic as well as the details like how they were programmed to be dependent on humans for survival. Favorite line: “Now that she knew she wasn’t destined to blend into human society someday, to have a life of her own, she supposed it didn’t matter how far she took the deadly gifts she’d been given.”
As always, Ran Scott’s interior artwork is stunning in black and white in the paperback version and even cooler in the color ebook version. My favorites accompany the following stories: Jayne’s “Necessary Evils,” Friend’s “Burnin’ Love,” Jourdan’s “These Violent Delights,” and Gilbertson’s “How to Make a Boulevardier.”
For me, this collection is a four and a half star read, rounded up to five.
Pulp Modern includes a great range of pulp genres as evidenced by the editor’s overview of the stories included in this issue (see quotation above). Besides these fun bite-sized pieces of prose, the issue includes three comics by Bob Vojko and each story is illustrated by Ran Scott. I am a huge fan of Scott’s work and his fantastic illustrations always beautifully complement the reading experience. I also dig Richard Krauss’s cover, which makes me think of the Clue board game gone extra noir. I enjoyed the multiple genres represented in this issue. Each of the story made for an entertaining read. The following stories and illustrations resonated with me most.
In “The Bowie Knife” by Peter W. J. Hayes, a one of a kind treasure comes between an antique shop owner and his former-felon assistant. The voice of the protagonist, with his multiple digressions in telling his tale, was especially fun. The colorful characters came alive in my mind. My favorite line from the story: “Her eyes were the Kansas-sky blue I remembered, her blouse unbuttoned all the way to Mexico.”
“Burnin’ Love” by Timothy Friend involves a bounty hunter-type hired to collect an arsonist. The assignment complicates when the firebug crosses state lines for a hookup and the object of his affection happens to be one tough cookie. I’ve been a fan of Friend since reading his story “Bad Dog” in Switchblade Magazine Issue five. My favorite quotes all had profanity in them, which says a lot about the kind of wild ride this story delivers.
“How to Make a Boulevardier” by Nils Gilbertson is a study in family dynamics, shifting favors, and problem solving using violence. The family relies on son Joe to act as bartender and provide comic relief, while pushing his moral bounties. Joe not only knows everyone’s drink of choice, he has a handle on their dirty deeds. By the end of the story, I was craving the perfectly crafted Boulevardier. Favorite lines: “Bill was the sort of guy that thought if you’re good at one thing, you’re good at everything. And if you get away with one crime, you’re bulletproof. He was that special sort of stupid.”
“These Violent Delights” by Mandi Jourdan is shown through the eyes of Isis, one of seven androids created by the government, named after Egyptian deities, and programmed to kill. I liked how the androids came across as sympathetic as well as the details like how they were programmed to be dependent on humans for survival. Favorite line: “Now that she knew she wasn’t destined to blend into human society someday, to have a life of her own, she supposed it didn’t matter how far she took the deadly gifts she’d been given.”
As always, Ran Scott’s interior artwork is stunning in black and white in the paperback version and even cooler in the color ebook version. My favorites accompany the following stories: Jayne’s “Necessary Evils,” Friend’s “Burnin’ Love,” Jourdan’s “These Violent Delights,” and Gilbertson’s “How to Make a Boulevardier.”
For me, this collection is a four and a half star read, rounded up to five.
November 18, 2020
Another quality slice of pulp fiction from Alec Cizak and Pulp Modern as they bring us another riveting issue. It opens with a quality post-apocalyptic tale of a boy and his dog from Andrew Bourelle where food is dwindling and the boy must think of ways to survive. Peter W.J. Hayes takes us back to the present with his story of twisty digressions as an antique store owner gets the offer of a lifetime. “These Violent Delights” by Mandi Jourdan highlights the dangers inherent with creating android soldiers. “Doc” Clancy brings us a tale of horror in the old West as a man of God searches for a town thought to have disappeared along with his client’s daughter.
Timothy Friend takes us on a trip to capture a pyromaniac in “Burnin’ Love”. Serena Jayne bring her dark, wondrous wit to “Necessary Evils” as a trophy wife looks for a way out. Adam S. Furman brings forth demons as his demon hunter, John Knox looks to clear a kids’ park of some evil. Victoria Weisfeld takes back to the late 19th Century for a murder mystery as a mysterious figure is found dead outside the Bywater family home. Nils Gilbertson closes out with his tale of the low man on the family business totem pole looking for answers and anybody who actually wants a Boulevardier.
Pulp Modern Issue 6 is in the works, so looking forward to more pulpy kicks forthcoming.
Timothy Friend takes us on a trip to capture a pyromaniac in “Burnin’ Love”. Serena Jayne bring her dark, wondrous wit to “Necessary Evils” as a trophy wife looks for a way out. Adam S. Furman brings forth demons as his demon hunter, John Knox looks to clear a kids’ park of some evil. Victoria Weisfeld takes back to the late 19th Century for a murder mystery as a mysterious figure is found dead outside the Bywater family home. Nils Gilbertson closes out with his tale of the low man on the family business totem pole looking for answers and anybody who actually wants a Boulevardier.
Pulp Modern Issue 6 is in the works, so looking forward to more pulpy kicks forthcoming.
August 22, 2020
What a fool I’ve been. This was embarrassingly the 1st PM I’ve read. What an idiot to come so late into the game. This is stuff to blow your head back. The stories/art it’s all the highest quality. Companion the first story!! Wow!! Buy it now!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews