The hospital visits have been narrowly avoided. In the process of the hefty design overhaul of the Pulp Fiction issue of Transmission, Jo has sustained a nagging injury. He’s currently hunched over the desk, lamenting the state of his wrists and arms, cursing the RSI that has left him no more than a twisted wreck. I have an injury of my own: my twitching, strained eyes from the hours of proof reading and general computer-based torture. It seems that the Transmission office need some vigorous health and safety training.
But fear not! Transmission #09: the Pulp Fiction Special has been shipped to the printer, and will be available in merely four short weeks. To tide you over until then, here are some of the things that influenced us to pursue the Pulp:
Dashiell Hammett – arguably the king of the Pulp Fiction genre. He created Sam Spade, the hard-nosed, wisecracking Seamus immortalised in The Maltese Falcon. It’s hard to ignore many of the aspects created by Hammett that have now become cliché and, as the inventor of the modern hardboiled crime genre, he paved the way for such authors as Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard and… well, just about any crime writer who has been published since.
Dan Dare – perhaps the best thing about this square-jawed space pilot is that he was born in Manchester and his sidekick, Digby, is from Wigan. Colonel Dare has been battling his greatest foe, the Mekon, since 1950, and has had more than a hand in the creation of Doctor Who. Classic British Pulp, proving that the Americans don’t have the monopoly.
Commando – another British classic that our dads introduced to us. A very un-PC comic book that shows the Allies beating Jerry soundly. Pure escapist propaganda, with such thrilling dialogue as, “Take that, Fritz!”, “Gott in Himmel!” and “Scweinhunds!”
Spiderman – a clichéd choice, but it is an amazing comic book nonetheless. Seemingly scientifically designed to appeal to boys of a certain age, the superhero shenanigans are cut perfectly with Peter Parker’s quest to have a normal life.
Indiana Jones – the distilled essence of all things Pulp. Spielberg and Lucas surely had a checklist: a square-jawed, smart-mouthed hero; comedy Nazis; a thrilling, slightly ridiculous, mystery in each episode; beautiful, but tough, women – all present and correct, and mixed together for three of the most perfect action movies ever.
Why not tell us your own personal Pulp Fiction favourites?