Back in the day, Main Enterprises produced a fiction periodical called Dark Corridor: The Magazine of Horror, Fantasy and Suspense Fiction. (Above is a shot of #4's captivating cover.)
Jim Main plans to revive Dark Corridor in 2025. I'll be in that upcoming issue, with an urban-horror tale entitled "All in Good Time."
I'm excited for the revival and as always, will keep Bizarrechats readers abreast of the publication's progress.
Main Enterprises' *PPFSZT! #52 has been retitled Tales From Greek Mythology #1.
My story, "Medusa Reinvented," will be part of the contents, along with other towering contributions. This post features three, prime examples from artists Jay Mooers, Steve Shipley and Keith Newsome.
Indeed, much more is in store; so, keep a lookout for further details.
Main Enterprises' The Screening Room #2 is set for release this year. The contents will cater to Irwin Allen's fantastic, television series.
The above artwork was rendered by Kevin Dale Duncan for my article on Land of the Giants. Quite a towering achievement, don't you think?
Be sure to revisit Bizarrechats for further Screening Room #2 updates!😉
Steve Keeter and Larned Justin return with a jam-packed Talking Small Press Comics podcast.
Many wonderful, indie sources are covered in this installment: Jason DeGroot's The Sunday Jam Project (to which Steve contributed, and a frame from which can be viewed below); the Druid/mailroom-inspired Improb & Wonk; Larry Johnson's unbridled Horseman; Micah Liesenfeld's autobiographical AT Walker; Steve Willis' surreal Cranium Frenzy (featuring Topsy the Mystical Dog); Bill Miller/Tony Lorenz's epic-sized The Complete Jontar; the Heavy-Metal-ish OM (with various, top contributors, including Steve and Larned); plus reprints of Steve McArdle's fearsome Power Comics titles, Vendetta, Artillery and C.R.O.W.B.A.R. 9.
The gents also toss the spotlight on Main Enterprises' Smorgasbord, to which Larned contributed some highly humorous bits. (BTW, I reviewed the comic in early November.) Steve and Larned really go to town commemorating the introductory issue's weird and wacky contents.
For the record, one can obtain Smorgasbord by sending $3.50 (which includes in-the-U.S. postage only), via Paypal, to Jim Main at jmain44@aol.com. (Also, please share your email and physical address when doing so, to ensure there are no snags in receiving your edition.)
In the meantime, listen and watch Steve and Larned's informative spree at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FJI3rJDuqM
The Adventures of Clay Hitchens, written by Jim Main and illustrated by Verl Holt Bond (with color enhancements by Bob Sodaro and title-design by Marc Haines), has catapulted me into cowboy heaven. I assumed the second issue would be as good as the first, but better? Aw-shucks, come on ...
Thanks, in particular, to Jim Main's "Baptism of Fire," this 36-page submission is one of those rare, superior sequels, with even better dialogue, lusher imagery and deeper, bounty-hunter reflection (as Hitchens relays his escapades to the mindful J.B. Sweetwater). It hooks one from start to finish, all anchored by the fabled yet credible town of Miller Falls.
For this fiery chapter, Main throws the spotlight on Hitchens' bout with the bank-robbing, LeGrange Gang. This leads Hitchens and Sheriff Baker to form a posse to snare the double-dealing antagonists, though in full, High Noon fashion, the Black Stallion patrons snub the offer. But fear not, for the lawmen do come to enlist a couple brave souls to comprise a Rio Bravo-styled ensemble. From there, a showdown with the gang escalates with unremitting tension.
The plot also holds a crafty ploy involving a glib "salesman," and the brawny Isiah Hammer steals the show several times throughout. (I believe he's my favorite in this issue's guest-starring roster.)
The door is wide open for another exciting exploit and many more after that. I sure hope Issue #3 gallops forth soon, and if J.B. Sweetwater's reunion with a fetching lass is any indication, the rollicking best is yet to come! Yee-haw!
BTW: As added treats, The Adventures of Clay Hitchens #2 contains "Hitchens' Posts," where readers share their views on the blossoming saga, as well as an episode of Main Enterprises' eerie Boot Hill, hosted by the crusty Gunslinger, as rendered by the super-artistic John Lambert, in a Faustian, poker-game chiller that's bound to get under one's skin in the most entertaining way.
For those itchin' for a copy of The Adventures of Clay Hitchens #2, please send Mr. Main $5.50 via Paypal, at jmain44@aol.com. (This includes U.S. postage only.) And be certain to list your email and physical address when placing your order to ensure that this fine issue gets to you without any snags.
Main Enterprises' Smorgasbord: Comics That Will Fill You Up!! #1 constitutes an eclectic gathering which exceeds the likes of Mad, National Lampoon, Cracked and even the quirky Far Side, as Floydman Sumner's monster-ized cover celebrates and epitomizes.
The delicious contents include Jack Bertram's "I Am A Spaceman," Alan Groening's "Groening Pains-Cartoons," Kel Crum's "Cartoon Theater!," John Lambert's "Twisted Comics," Larned Justin's "Funhouse," and Simon Mackie's "When Anki Met the Beatles," capped off by the handy "UFO Checklist" and Goening's super-sardonic (Fly-inspired) back cover.
This cool compilation has a bit of everything to satisfy the diverse tastes of Main Enterprises' readers, though don't be surprised if the ingredients lean heavily on sci-fi and the supernatural, as the issue spreads heaps of irreverent, Twilight Zone-ish imagery throughout its prolific, twenty pages (all beautifully arranged by publisher, Jim Main and layout artist, Bob Sodaro).
Smorgasbord is really far out, and that's why it's worth possessing. On can obtain a hard copy by sending $3.50 (which includes in-the-U.S. postage only), via Paypal, to Jim Main at jmain44@aol.com. (Also, please share your email and physical address when doing so, to ensure there are no snags in receiving your edition.)
Main Enterprises' *PPFSZT! #51 is an all-out, sci-fi success, which pays homage to the pulpy, storytelling stylings of decades past.
Through this cosmic issue, one can enjoy Bob Powell's classic, comic strip, "The Last Man Returns." To accompanying this swell story, there's Jack Bertram/Al and Rich Limacher's sardonic "Mother" (with enhancing dialog by Jim Main), as well as John Lambert's powerful, Alien-inspired, "Six Months of Eden."
On the prose front, Michael Housel's "Devil 13" tosses a fabled creature straight into The Outer Limits; and on the historical front, Larry Johnson grants an excellent essay on the one and only, Wally Wood, and his imaginative contributions to Galaxy Magazine.
As with any Main endeavor, *PPFSZT! #51 flaunts new, experimental imagery, with astral artwork by John Muller, Allen Freeman, Kevin Dale Duncan, Tom Ahern, Scott McClung, Roland Austin and Troy Boyle, with a far-out cover courtesy of Boyle and Donald Tenney. (Main & Bob Sodaro have done a marvelous job, as well, with their aesthetic layout.)
As an added treat, ringmaster Main blasts off the issue with his sincere and informative, "The Publisher Speaks."
Purchase a copy of *PPFSZT! #51 by sending $9.99 via Paypal (postage included for U.S. shipping only) to Jim Main at jmain44@aol.com. (Also, please share your email and physical address when doing so, to ensure there are no hitches in receiving your copy.)
Main Enterprises' *PPFSZT! #52 will spotlight Greek mythology.
My assignment: Medusa! But where to begin for such a fictional extension? There are so many varied aspects to The Gorgon legend, including Joshua Kennedy's recent, Hammer homages; plus it's darn hard to shake Clash of the Titans' ubiquitous influence, no matter the original or remake and subsequent sequel.
I decided to reference as much mythological tidbits as possible for the story and then expand on it from there. (To be honest, the process is rather like constructing a Tarzan sequel, daring to graze, but never mention, all of the ape man's [re]interpreted origins.)
Despite the challenge, I'm moving along, having fun outlining my concept.
As with all my projects, additional details will appear in ensuing, Bizarrechats posts. Stay tuned.
