By Tommy Hancock
There’s something to be said for nostalgia. For that feeling one gets when one hears, reads, sees, or remembers something from their past or even from before their own lifetime that sparks a feeling, a longing. A desire to not only recall a certain time or atmosphere, but to bring whatever about that era or event causes such strong reactions to bear today in some new, yet familiar way. Inspiration often rises from what has come before and although it sometimes goes nowhere except in that initial moment, occasionally it erupts phoenix-like from the ashes of work forgotten, blazing brightly and flying high into the hearts and minds of those who can take what has been relegated to the past and often forgotten and cast it as something viable for the present and destined to be remembered once more.
That is Pulp Obscura.
Altus Press, one of the finest purveyors in Pulp reprint collections as well as a company known for unearthing long lost jewels from the treasure trove that is Classic Pulp, and Pro Se Productions, one of the fastest growing and noted publishers of New Pulp, have found common ground between yesterday and tomorrow.
The concept is simple. Between the two companies, a decision is made as to what characters Altus has produced collections of and is planning to release collections of that might qualify as obscure. That being, characters and stories that aren’t readily known to today’s reading public or even those who consider themselves moderate fans of Pulp fiction. Fantastic concepts that maybe only appeared in a handful of stories back in the yellow paper days of the Pulps or simply have not shuffled off the coils of antiquity to yet surface for modern readers. Once the character is determined to be rare enough to qualify, Altus puts together its reprint collection and Pro Se produces a collection of New Pulp tales featuring the characters in Altus’ collection. The books will then be released simultaneously.
The first volume in this innovative line concerns the adventures of a rather unique member of the Aviator Pulp fraternity. Known in the intelligence community as Q, Richard Knight lives the life of a millionaire dilettante flyboy who spends his leisure time racing airplanes and living life to its fullest. In truth, he is a shrewd detective, an exceptional pilot, and a man who knows no fear, but brings justice and right everywhere he goes.
Created by Donald Keyhoe, Richard Knight did not simply take on the run-of-the-mill enemy pilots and saboteurs other Aviator heroes did in the Pulps. He found himself exploring lost valleys, combating strange beings, and discovering occult secrets long lost to the world. This is no surprise coming from Keyhoe as he later became known as a leading writer in the UFO field.
Knight also stood out in other ways, at least in the earliest stories that this collection is based around. He was not typically a ladies’ man, finding himself drawn to one particular woman. He also didn’t mind having a supporting cast around him, including his best pal and partner Larry Doyle and General Brett, Knight’s immediate superior. And although billed as and spending a lot of time in the cockpit, Knight was also just as at ease mixing it up on land and away from his precious Northrop.
Tackling a character like Richard Knight, one that ended up having a lengthy history in the Pulps that will hopefully be reflected in future PULP OBSCURA volumes, is not a task that can be delegated to just any group of writers. The variety within the concept and Keyhoe’s original tales demanded that the six scribes brought to bear on this collection be as kaleidoscopic as the source material.
All six authors in this collection are known writers in what many call the New Pulp Movement, but they all have their own distinct styles and definitely their own individual takes on Richard Knight. Some stick very much to the source material and reflect rousing tales that easily could have appeared in the original magazines alongside Keyhoe’s work. Others take Knight in directions slightly off the beaten path while still preserving the core of the character as presented in the Altus collection. Each one, however, presents a story with enough action, adventure, plot, and punch to make even the staunchest Pulp aficionado take notice.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT is the first flight for PULP OBSCURA and this maiden voyage could be in no better hands than the people involved in bringing this wonderful hero to life once again.
Tommy Hancock
1/21/12