You already know that we here at BluntForce we love us some Hugh Hefner and was love us some infographics. Especially infographics with naked lady silhouettes.

Well the good people at OnlineSchools have put together another nice one to keep accomodating our perverse fetishes. This time we traverse across the fascinating history of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and peruse 16 interesting facts about the man.

Via: Online Schools

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When Joe Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces hit the big screen back in 2006 it seems to have spawned a micro-genre of assassin versus assassin and mostly direct-to-DVD films. We were big fans of the sheer lunacy of director Scott Mann’s The Tournament but hated Smokin’  Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball with all of our hearts. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for Robert Schwentke’s Red based on Warren Ellis‘ graphic novel hitting screens in October.

This movie looks to have been completed for quite a while and once went under the name ‘Rogue’s Gallery’. Brought to you by first-time director Fouad Mikati and first-time screenwriters Sam Levinson and Brian Watanabe we have two opposing teams of killers squaring off with each other in the workplace. The trailer is playing it like an action comedy with a hard R rating.

Operation Endgame tells the story of The Fool (Joe Anderson), the latest recruit of a secret organization that employs two competing teams of spies and assassins, all taking their codenames from the Tarot deck. Taken under the not-so-sheltering wings of Judgment (Ving Rhames) and the High Priestess (Maggie Q), the Fool has to learn the ropes in an oddball workplace where office politics really is life or death and his ex-girlfriend (Odette Yustman) is his chief competition. Worse, he’s the prime suspect when their top supervisor, The Devil (Jeffrey Tambor) turns up dead. Now, the assorted members from both teams are at each others throats to keep from being the next victims of a lethal “corporate downsizing.”

From an interview two years ago in Creative Screenwriting, scribe Brian Watanabe mentions that he was an advertising copy writer who had won the Screenwriting Expo contest back in 2004. Not bad for following your dreams when your first movie ends up starring a bunch of cool B-list stars. Out on DVD on July 27th.

We’ll keep you posted on the carnage:goodness ratio of this movie later this month. At lets be honest. We’ll watch anything with Zack Galifianakis, Ving Rhames and Maggie Q in it. But all for different reasons obvs.

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These days a video mashup probably makes it online every minute of the day. Back in the day they were a little harder to put together but there were some inspired ones to be sure.

Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie of all time and Winnie the Pooh was a fixture in my early childhood years both in book, TV and movie form. When I heard that someone had brilliantly mashed these two things together some 20+ years ago I really wanted to see it. But there was no internet back then and you’d have needed access to a pretty cool indie video store or a well-connected tape trader to view it.

Now with the interwebs everything is a Google search away from your fingertips and eyeballs.

This short video mashup was practically an urban legend back in the tape-trading days of the late 80′s early 90′s. I believe it appeared at a few film fests as well. It was created by Integrated Media student Todd Graham at the Ontario College of Art, Toronto, in 1987 before the days of the internet.

There’s some demented inspiration at work here.

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I was wondering how director Mark Hartley was going to follow up the immensely entertaining and satisfying ‘ozploitation’ doc NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD. Last winter, Christopher and I drank a bottle of tequila while getting our minds blown by NQH and furiously scribbling down a list of Aussie grindhouse films that we NEEDED to see.

I remember reading about the the Philippines being used as a shooting location for several women in prison films starring the likes of Pam Grier but never looked into it any further. Looks like Hartley and crew did. It’ll be coming out via producer Veronica Fury and Fury Productions. TwitchFilm hipped us to this new trailer for the doc last week. And they sure as shit know how to put together a trailer. Dig this.

From the Machete Maidens Facebook Page.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! is the new feature film from Mark Hartley, the director of the award-winning documentary NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD.

It is the first detailed examination and celebration of Filipino genre films and the undervalued auteurs who brought them to life in such an explosive way.

From the early ’70s well into the ’90s the Philippines was a back-lot for a bevy of B-movie mavericks and cinema visionaries alike. The country was utilized for its inexpensive labour, exotic locations and distinct lack of rules. A large body of genre work emerged that somehow managed to capture the raw, chaotic energy of contemporary Filipino culture. These productions (a cavalcade of monster movies, jungle prison movies, blaxploitation and kung fu hybrids) were miraculously made at a time when the country’s political situation was repressive at best.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!! begins with the partnership of acclaimed local filmmakers Gerry de Leon and Eddie Romero whose BLOOD ISLAND trilogy found large and enthusiastic drive-in audiences across America.
When legendary maverick producer Roger Corman was introduced to Romero and de Leon he instantly discovered the Philippines was economically suited to low- budget filming. Corman quickly set up camp and produced a number of “Woman In Prison” films starring genre favourites Pam Grier and Sid Haig.

Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s the appetites of thrill-hungry cinemagoers around the globe continued to be satisfied by prolific local auteurs Cirio H. Santiago (TNT JACKSON) and Bobby A. Suarez (CLEOPATRA WONG).

In the late 1970’s Francis Ford Coppola re-invigorated a whole new epoch of filmmaking by choosing to shoot APOCALYPSE NOW in the Philippines – leaving the jungle full of discarded sets to be used repeatedly by a host of low budget productions over the next couple of decades.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! climaxes in 1981 when this country fights back and reclaims its very own special national identity via the inaugural Manila International Film Festival and accompanying Film Market. Conceived to showcase the Philippine’s glorious screen culture, the market’s biggest success was FOR Y’UR HEIGHT ONLY, a low budget, home-grown James Bond spoof starring an 83cm primordial dwarf named Weng Weng. The film sold to countless international territories and is now arguably the most well known exemplar of the Filipino genre film abroad.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! is the ultimate insiders’ account of genre filmmaking in the Philippines. A role call of local and international survivors from this period have been interviewed, all adding their distinct and honest account of this Devil-may-care school of filmmaking. Sitting alongside the talking heads are a dazzling array of outrageous film clips from key Filipino titles.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! is produced by Fury Productions and Bionic Boy Productions.
It has been financed by Screen Australia, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, ABC Commercial and The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund.

It will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July, 2010.

And if you haven’t checked out NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD yet have a gander at this. It hauls as well.

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Directed by: Breck Eisner
Written  by: Scott Kosar and Ray Wright

Actors: Timothy Olyphant: David Dutton
Radha Mitchell: Judy Dutton
Joe Anderson: Russell Clank
Danielle Panabaker: Becca Darling
Christie Lynn Smith: Deardra Farnum
Brett Rickaby: Bill Farnum
Preston Bailey: Nicholas

Run time: 101 minutes

Genre: Mystery, Thriller.

There are a lot of movies that come out every year and let’s face it we’ve all been disappointed from time to time with some of them. One the other side of things we have the movies that exceed our expectations and The Crazies definitely did that for me.

Especially seeing as I was a huge fan of the original movie by George Romero, so when I heard they were remaking The Crazies, I groaned, to say the least. I just wished Hollywood stop redoing all of these classic films that I enjoyed so much. More often than not they screw up the new version. I was still hoping that they would replicate what Zach Snyder did for the re-imagining of Dawn Of The Dead and create something new based on Romero’s original idea and take the film to the nth level of greatness.

I ended up enjoying the new Dawn Of the Dead immensely, even a bit more than Romero’s original. Which I know is heresy to say but I’m being honest here. Which is quite a feat in and of itself.

The Crazies is another such re-imagining and the same sort of story idea is there, except this version is better paced, better acted and has awesome special effects. This movie was just kicking all kinds of ass.

**********************Spoilers****************Spoilers*********************************Spoilers*****************

The story starts up by establishing very quickly the type of quiet little town that we’ve all seen before. The kind of place where you know the name and history of every single person that lives there. Where the opening day of baseball season is a pretty big deal…….It’s just how it is. It’s exactly at this first baseball game that we begin to see the tone of the movie begin to change. The town drunk wanders onto the baseball field carrying a double barrelled shotgun. He looks quite messed up. The sheriff automatically assumes he’s on a  bender. The town’s deputy begins to get all the players off of the field while the sheriff deals with the situation. The sheriff confronts the man not with his weapon drawn but just trying to talk the man into giving up his weapon, at no point does it seem to the sheriff that he may have to take more drastic action. At least at first. Only does the sheriff pull his weapon once the drunk points his weapon at him and reluctantly so from his reaction. He has no choice but to put a bullet into the drunk in front of most of the townsfolk. Much to their dismay and the sheriff’s I might add. It’s quite clear the sheriff didn’t want to resort to violence to resolve this conflict.

The mood of the town and it’s people have become sombre. Everyone seems to be in shock. The tension level begins to rise and one of the witnesses begins to exhibit strange behaviour. Possibly some sort of disorder associated with the shock from the shooting. At least that’s what it seems like. After the town doctor checks him out and tells his wife to keep a close eye on him, he burns down his house with his wife and son inside. The town’s people are horrified. More and more strange events have begun to permeate their lives.

Some hunters then find a corpse while they are hunting with what appears to be a parachute attached to him. It’s obvious from how he’s dressed that he’s military. The only question that is left unanswered is where is his plane? Before long the sheriff discovers where it has crashed. It’s crashed in a stream that they get their drinking water from. The payload of the plane is unknown but the sheriff assumes the worst. He shuts down the town’s water supply against the orders of the town’s mayor.

From here on in the story kicks into high gear. No Internet, no cellular signal, no telephone service and no way to get help. The town has been isolated. Completely cut off from the rest of the world. That’s when the shit really hits the fan.

It literally feels like no one is safe. Considering how bland and safe movies are nowadays this is a welcomed change for me.

If you want a movie that delivers on all levels possible and doesn’t contradict itself with the rules it establishes early on, then this movie will rock your socks off.

This is a movie that can stand on it’s own merits despite it being a re-imagining.

In fact I think I’ll go watch it again.

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Published by Radical Comics
Written by Rick Remender
Art and colours by Greg Tocchini
Price tag: 4.99 US

After reading the first issue of the miniseries I was so gung ho about it that I couldn’t wait for this second issue to ship. Unfortunately this book shipped very late, almost 2 months overdue. Radical had built up a nice bit of steam with the first issue and to me this delay would only hurt the series. I really hope it doesn’t hurt the book in sales but to tell the truth it dampened even my enthusiasm for the book.

Book 2 starts up with a pretty nasty interrogation going on where we have a gang leader sacrificing his wife and his own life rather than sell out his “people” to this other drug lord. It’s a nasty scene and well done at that. It hammers home that a lot of the people in this book are vicious scumbags that want nothing more than to kill whoever stands in their way to dominate or challenge their superiority and leadership.

Tocchini’s artwork is gorgeous as always and he does some awesome scenes of carnage and violence that would keep any fan of the Punisher or crime comics for that matter very happy. The one thing I found that bothered me was a scene where he drew what looked like an assault shotgun with the clip in the wrong place and I know this is a stupid thing to complain about and I can overlook it in the grand scheme of the book. It’s just that I have spent a lot of time doing research on weapons and tactics for my own artwork and seeing someone draw a weapon that looks a bit “off” gets me upset. I just want to be clear that I LOVE Tocchini’s artwork overall and I think he is doing an amazing job on this book, maybe this was supposed to be a future type of shotgun or some other sort of prototype that I’ve never seen and really does look like this.

Remender is still doing a great job on the story and I’m looking forward to the 3rd issue. Getting back to this issue though, we get to see a bit more character development with some of the other supporting characters. Shelby turned out to be the biggest surprise of the book and story. I won’t ruin it for anyone that isn’t reading the “floppies” but instead waiting for the trade. From the beginning we knew she was going to be trouble but goddamn she’s living up to that femme fatale tag. She also has some of the best lines in the book.: “You were totally dying to say schematics or some other shit right then. I could tell. I’m into it. Let’s crime novel this shit up.”

Another surprise of this book turned out to be Shelby’s boyfriend, Kevin Cash. The boy’s got some stones, actually impressed me by some of the crazy antics he pulled early on in the story. Let me run down the scene for you just to give you a quick taste (Spoiler warning): Kevin’s staying at a cheap ass motel and goes downstairs to score some dope from a bunch of low level brainless biker wannabe drug dealers. As he’s scoring from them he insults their heritage, family and mother in the process, guaranteeing they’ll come looking for a little payback. They do and he’s ready for them. Kevin kills them with such ease that you almost feel sorry for them. He leaves one dealer alive and as the dealer is leaving the room running for his life Kevin changes his mind, grabbing him by his head and throwing him into the outside railing, at the same time he hits  the dealer from behind with his elbow driving the guys mouth directly into the banister splitting his face open…..The scene is actually quite funny and extremely violent and like I said you ALMOST feel bad for the dealers. In the end they got what they deserved, just like what everyone else will in this book.

There’s a lot more action that follows, both with Kevin and Graham. They are both well done, very bloody, very violent and Graham uses one of my favourite hand cannons in a car chase scene that I’d love to see in a movie version, especially if they keep in all of the bloodshed.

All in all a very solid, good read and it builds seamlessly what was begun in the first issue leading to the culmination of the robbery that will set up each character for the rest of their respective lives on easy street.

Looking forward to issue 3.

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Well these trailers both seemed to arrive out of left field this week. But they’re welcome additions. Looks like two docs are coming out about two gents who blazed trails through the American cultural landscape. I’m a little more interested in the Burroughs film but I’ll definitely give both of them a look. What do you think?

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

Painting by Christiaan Tonnis

First-time writer / director Yony Lesner investigates a true American radical, W.S. Burroughs with a who’s who of writers, directors and musicians weighing in. Included in the interviews are David Cronenberg, Iggy Pop, Jello Biafra, Patti Smith, John Waters, Peter Weller, Gus Van Sant and Lee Ranaldo.

Peter Weller narrates with soundtrack provided by Patti Smith and Sonic Youth.

The official film synopsis:

The film investigates the life of legendary beat author and American icon, William S. Burroughs. Born the heir of the Burroughs’ adding machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer testified on behalf of the book. The courts eventually overturned their decision in 1966, ruling that the book had important social value. It remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century.

William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

Photo by Alan Light

An intimate look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner’s fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Rare footage and compelling interviews with a remarkable who’s who of 20th Century American pop culture, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him.

Fron the Toronto International Film Fest description:

The tales of women, cocktails and the mansion are famous, and will be familiar to most, but what’s revealing here is Hefner’s place in the African American civil rights movement. When some Playboy clubs in the southern United States would not let black patrons in, Hefner used his own money to buy the franchises back from their owners, ensuring that institutions bearing the Playboy name would be racially integrated. The main criticism of the Playboy brand and accompanying philosophy is that it has been degrading and damaging to women, but Berman also shows Hefner’s support for feminist causes – for example, he sent legal teams to fight for abortion rights cases, which paved the road for groundbreaking Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade.

What emerges is the profile of a man far more complex than the smut peddler many of his detractors purport him to be. Berman has also dug up some priceless clips from Hefner’s own syndicated television series, in which he would interview celebrities from his home while wearing a smoking jacket. Her film celebrates the hedonist, but also clearly illustrates that there’s far more to this man than just a good time.

Director Brigitte Berman has produced and directed more than one hundred documentaries for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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For my money, one of the most exciting happenings in indie publishing is going down in England via a scorching DIY rock n’ roll operation that calls itself Pulp Press. Their books, pocket-sized blasts of hardcore mayhem meant to resurrect the dime pulp novels of yesteryear, are stripped lean of all excess. At roughly 23,000 words, these little bastards can be burned through in a sitting without any difficulty, and are one hell of a great time. When I was sent a pile of the suckers to review, I thought the best way to kick things off would be to get main man Danny Bowman, who has published two novels of his own in the series writing as Danny Hogan, to explain what Pulp Press is all about. Check it out. . . .

Pulp Press touts itself as producing “fiction like it used to be.” What do you mean by that, and what was the catalyst that made you decide fuck it, I’m going to start putting out books myself?

Absolutely, the whole thing about Pulp Press is making reading entertaining. I think the story game has become spoiled by writers trying to be too damned clever and publishers and booksellers being too snooty and conservative regarding what they take on. Pulp Press is all about bringing the story back to basics and make it an easy read rather than some existential brouhaha.

Pulp Press has already released seven titles in a relatively short time, with quite a flurry out recently. Do you have a schedule you are trying to work to? Do you have a certain goal for how many books you will put out in a given year?

I hope that over time I settle into some kind of schedule. I brought out a flurry of new books to do a kind of showcase at the London Book Fair this year. Why? I don’t rightly know, but I plan to take a bit more slow and steady in the future.

What has the response been like since you started putting these books out?

The response has been a little too good, you know. I am bracing myself for the negativity which I am sure is due to me sooner or later.

What elements do you think define “pulp” fiction?

Entertainment which is cheap, disposable appeals to our good old base instincts like lust and vengeance. Just what I like.

Who are the writers that inspired you to write the kinds of stories you do, as well as the ones you choose to publish?

I grew up on the old Skinhead pulps of Richard Allen but I would say it was Hunter Thompson that got me into writing. I would say though that it is the graphic novelist Garth Ennis who really got me into that economic, darkly humorous and revenge filled style of writing that I want to do. In terms of publishing I want people who can kick out a good old no hold barred story featuring an underdog doing good and coming out winning. They’re my favorite kind of stories.

Any plans for US distribution? What about eBooks?

When I think of ebook I remind myself of the Jack Horner character in the film Boogie Nights and his attitude to video. I can’t stand the idea of the damned things. Especially as reader costs £300 ($500 – $600). I don’t associate with people who have that kind of money to throw away on a gadget and I ain’t setting out to appeal to those kind of people either. And show me a person whose happy getting into a story on their mobile phone and I’ll show you a damned fool. However, I ain’t going to make the same mistake as old Jack did, so let’s just say I’m looking into it.

Will Pulp Press ever release more traditional, 50K+ word titles?

Mate, in this day and age where most people have the attention span of a retard with sunburn I believe that short, punchy and unpretentious novels are the way to go, trust me. But hey, never say never that’s what I say.

One of the best things about the Pulp Press titles is the uniformity of the packaging. Each book looks like a battered old paperback, featuring gritty cover art by Alex Young. How did this aesthetic come about, and what’s the story on this Alex Young guy anyway?

There’s a magazine going about Brighton called Impure and around the time the Grindhouse films came out they did a special to publicize the films and had the cover all manipulated and crusty looking. I asked talented artist, my long time friend and best man at my upcoming wedding Alex Young if he could do that with the cover design and he said, “sure, dude” and look what he done did. Regarding what’s the deal with this Alex Young guy? Check Twitter and Facebook blow up when I pose that very question.

Any plans to release any pulpy stuff with laser guns or boxers or barbarians hacking enemies apart with broadswords? Or do you plan to stick to a more modern, hardboiled style of pulp?

Sci-Fi – definitely, my next project will feature some that, Westerns for sure. Boxing? That’s an interesting one, but probably some MMA or bare-knuckled stuff. Sword and Sorcery kind of stuff I think is pretty much so much its own genre and kind of so removed from the stuff I want to put out, but hey, remember what I always say ‘never say never’.

Anything else in particular you’d like to say about Pulp Press and the books you’re publishing?

Pulp Press is doing a tour of the US in September of this year anybody who wants to meet for a drink and a laugh and maybe buy Pulp Press products off of me directly in Vienna, Virginia; Memphis; New Orleans; Houston; Austin; Truth or Consequences; Tucson; San Diego; Las Vegas and Oklahoma city give me a shout on Twitter.
____________________________

In closing, here are reviews of the two Danny Bowman novels for Pulp Press, writing as Danny Hogan.

Killer Tease

In the opening scene of this tight revenge story, burlesque-dancer-with-a-short-fuse Eloise Murphy smashes a glass of booze into the face of a would-be suitor, “grinding until she could feel bone and hear him squeal like the bitch he was,” after watching him attempt to sneak a little something into her drink. She is pulled away before she can finish the douchebag with a well-placed stiletto heel, and promptly loses her job. From there her life is set on a downward spiral that only a double helping of determination – and willingness to commit violence – can pull her out of.

Eloise’s journey takes her through some of the seedier streets of Brighton as she struggles to continue making her way as a dancer pushing thirty. After opening a show for a rock n’ roll band, and learning just how meager the earnings are in that particular world, she is blackmailed into taking a gig at a new club for “discerning gentlemen with very special tastes.” When she turns the tables and escapes the intended result of that gig, the brutal retribution brought against Eloise by her blackmailer would have been the end of most women. But Eloise isn’t like most women; not one to stay down when she’s kicked, her vengeance is swift, violent and deadly.

Killer Tease is a razor-edged tale that sets a no bullshit tone for what this imprint will be all about. Call it a Mission Statement of sorts, if you want; it reads more like a battle cry to me.

The Windowlicker Maker

Danny Hogan’s latest, and the most recent publication from Pulp Press, is another greasy serving of the dish best served cold. The book opens with our first-person narrator, Joe Tatum, down on the sidewalk outside a movie theater, “pissing blood from a big, fuck off stab wound” in his side. Tatum’s natural tendency to respond with violence is overcome when he remembers his promise to his wife, who is at his side, to abandon the criminal life he’d led previously. Instead, they plead with their four assailants to leave them alone, to run off before the cops arrive. Just as sirens are heard in the distance, one of the rogues pulls a pistol and kills Ava, Tatum’s wife, in cold blood.

From there our former hard man sinks into the depths of despair, wallowing in grief but holding to the promise to his late wife to live a peaceful life. He endures another beating at the hands of the same attackers when they recognize him in the neighborhood, but, when a third encounter sees the lives of others being threatened by the actions of the arrogant hoodlums, he finally snaps into action. Tatum’s revenge is swift and calculated, and the book’s body count explodes like the final showdown in a Sam Peckinpah film as he tracks his enemies’ path of destruction back to the source inspiring them.

What I appreciate most about The Windowlicker Maker is that Hogan doesn’t burden the proceedings with unnecessary back story on our narrator. The character’s inner musings hint that he left a career of dark, two-fisted-and-worse deeds, including time behind bars, to devote his life to Ava, but we don’t get the specifics. Instead, we see how capable he is when he finally takes matters into his own hands. This is effective, and keeps the story focused as the proceedings reach their grim, inevitable conclusion. Sharp eyes will notice a cameo appearance by Eloise from Killer Tease; this was also an excellent little touch by Hogan.

As a pocket-sized bundle of raw nerves and energy, The Windowlicker Maker is another fine offering from Pulp Press, and even includes a post-apocalyptic short story by Hogan called A Gun Called Comeuppance. If you’re wondering what a “windowlicker maker” actually is, though, you’ll have to read the book.

For people interested in buying Pulp Press titles, you may visit their Amazon UK store HERE. American distribution is being handled by Murder By the Book in Houston, TX, who offer a fantastic mail order option. Fans of quick, exciting reads that capture the look and feel of an era of fiction long past should make all kinds of haste to pick these titles up.

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Opening paragraph: I faked a cough, put my hand over my mouth to hide the grin. I knew it wasn’t funny really, but the surprised look on Luke Jordan’s dead face caught me just right. Luke was the first dead guy I’d ever seen up close except for in a funeral home.

One warning before picking up this book: don’t crack it open unless you are willing to park your ass in place for a couple hours and read it front to back in one sitting. Because once the action starts – and it starts almost immediately – it doesn’t stop until the end of the book. It is almost impossible to put down.

The Deputy (2010, Tyrus Books) takes place over the waning hours of a single hot, humid night in August. Toby Sawyer is an aimless twenty-something who had abandoned the tiny Oklahoma town of Coyote Crossing to pursue his dream as a musician. Things didn’t turn out as planned, and when his mother died shortly after his graduation from the police academy, he returned home to bury her, got a girl pregnant, and ended up staying. Now he’s a part time deputy, and really has no higher aspirations than getting hired on full time. When the body of a local bully and small time criminal turns up, and disappears under his watch (he’d left it unattended just long enough to sneak off and fuck his underage girlfriend, despite having a wife and young son at home), Toby is certain he’ll be fired.

Events kick up several notches from there. Before the sun rises Toby will get laid one-and-a-half more times (once by his wife, and almost again a second time with his girlfriend) before getting abandoned or dumped by both. He’ll wreck his car, then steal and trash a couple other vehicles that don’t belong to him. He’ll also be being shot at, attacked with an axe and clawed in the face. Through it all he manages to survive long enough to produce an impressive body count of his own, all while uncovering an illegal human smuggling ring that may or may not include more than half of the Coyote Crossing police force – his co-workers. Not bad work for a guy we really don’t have any reason to believe would have it in him to be so efficient at killing people, either in self defense or out of vengeance.

Here’s the thing about this book. If you are the kind of reader who wants to pick holes in the narrative, find flaws, or otherwise deconstruct a novel, then you should probably stay away. The book has plenty elements to make one raise an eyebrow over when it comes to the believability department. Toby makes some choices here that are hard to imagine anyone smart enough to get through the police academy making. He’s relatively blasé about all the people he kills. Not only that, but lawman or not some of those kills are essentially murders that would be very difficult to explain away when the events of the night come under investigation.

I don’t care about any of that. Victor Gischler has written a balls-out action movie of a book, with plenty of sex and violence to appease the most diehard of fans, and that is what I was after when I sat down to read. The story may be long on action and short on character development, but it’s fun. It’s easy to understand Toby’s motivations, and Gischler captures perfectly the dead-end life in a remote small town and the impossible-seeming struggle to get away from it. Toby’s not a guy I’d want to give any responsibility to, or be forced to count on to watch my back, but if I were pinned down beside a car with gangsters filling it full of holes, I wouldn’t mind having him along for the action.

Besides The Deputy, Gischler has written the novels Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse, Vampire a Go-Go, Shotgun Opera, Suicide Squeeze, and Gun Monkeys. He has also written for Marvel Comics, including runs on characters The Punisher and Deadpool. The guy knows his mayhem, and he’s got a great sense of humor. Gischler knows what his readers want and delivers it in gory handfuls. What more could you want?

For something new that is exciting and drips blood but doesn’t require a huge time commitment, give The Deputy a try. Fans of violent crime fiction will love it.

The Deputy by Victor Gischler is a Quick Read and Drips Blood is a post from:

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Ed. Note: We discuss all manner of crime pop culture both past, present and future here at BFB. Here’s a nice look back at Frank Miller’s classic that refueled and reinvigorated the crime genre in comics.

I was first introduced to Sin City via Dark Horse Comics presents. It was showcased in increments of 8-12 pages each issue. The problem with reading Sin City in increments is that you had to wait for at least another month to read another chapter. With this Trade paperback/Graphic Novel you can read it all in one sitting if you so desire.

I was already a huge fan of Frank Miller’s work, so when I had heard he was doing a creator owned crime comic I was elated. Sin City is a beautifully written and drawn black and white tale of revenge  of a Psychopathic brawler by the name of Marv. The police and politicians are all corrupt. There will be no justice, there will only be retribution.

The story starts when a down and out bum/brawler by the name of Marv meets a beautiful blond. Her name is Goldie. She is beautiful. She is everything any man can want in a woman. She’s also scared. For the first time in his life a woman is showing him kindness and affection. Not just any woman BUT a goddess. He is treated to a wild night of passionate lovemaking before falling asleep stone drunk next to his beautiful conquest.

When Marv awakens with a massive headache, He discovers Goldie is dead. Not a single mark left on her body… But Marv knows she was murdered.  Killed by someone who is very good at evading detection and killing silently. A pro.

Marv has no idea who or why this was all happening but they made one mistake. They killed the one one woman who showed him something he never had before and now there was going to be hell to pay.  As he tries to figure out what’s going on, the cops show up in full riot gear. It’s a set up. He pops his meds and goes to war. He cuts through the cops like a hot knife through butter. Steals a cop car and then drive it off of the docks during his getaway.

Marv is banged up, pissed off, needs medication, beer and bandages. A lot of bandages.

Lucille his parole officer lives close by. It’s obviously they have known each other for a very long time. Lucille helps to patch him up as he tells her what has happened. Marv knows he’s fucked… But he’s still going to kill his way to the truth before he gets killed or taken down by the cops. He owes Goldie that much.

This story is so pure and straight forward in its motivations and how it’s told. You can’t help but marvel at Miller’s genius.

Anyone that owns their own creation now owes Miller an incredible debt. This story just makes me appreciate what he did outside of the big two(Marvel and DC) Miller and Dark Horse took a chance and it paid off in spades.

Keep in mind this story originally came out in the early to mid 90′s. This was way before all of the numerous creator owned books out that are constantly being turned into movies. Going back and re-reading it after all of this time I’m amazed at how well written, drawn and paced this story was. On top of that, you have all of these incredibly cool and iconic characters that he created for the series.

This collection is a must read for the fans of the crime genre. Buy it. You can thanks me later.

A Look Back at Frank Miller’s Sin City Volume 1 AKA The Hard Goodbye Graphic Novel is a post from:

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