PULP SUNDAY's 5th Anniversary!!!! Feat. THE BLACK BEETLE

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Hello Pulp Friends,

I am so HAPPY to announce that today marks the 5th Anniversary of our favorite pulp place: PULP SUNDAY!
This blog debuted exactly 5 years ago (August 26th, 2007) with a series of Old Radio shows of THE SHADOW and THE SPIDER accompanied by lobby cards and spot illos I drew specifically for each episode. Little did I know back then that THE SHADOW and THE SPIDER would eventually come back in comics 5 years later and that I would be providing the covers for them :)

In the course of these fantastic 5 years of PULP SUNDAY I also thought this was the perfect place to debut the next Pulp Hero: my own The BLACK BEETLE. Remember those first web-based comics, and the ashcan featuring the first few pages of NO WAY OUT?

Well, I AM SUPER-EXCITED to officially announce today that THE BLACK BEETLE's NO WAY OUT will be in stores this coming January 2013 with The Black Beetle #1 thanks to the fantastic and awesome friends of DARK HORSE COMICS.

NO WAY OUT will be the first BB mini, with more minis coming after that.
But before we get to that (and reveal the covers), today, as a PULP SUNDAY 5th Anniversary Exclusive, I give you the above cover for THE BLACK BEETLE #0, which will be in stores this December and will collect the acclaimed 3-part story titled NIGHT SHIFT (which appeared in the pages of Dark Horse Presents) plus some extra content.

The BB books will also feature a letter page (my awesome BB editor Jim Gibbons and I are huge fans of those), so if you want to have the chance to see your letter in #0 or following issues, email your thoughts/comments/compliments/complaints to blackbeetle at darkhorse dot com :)

That's right! This means that starting in December, you will have a monthly Black Beetle fix for several months!
And as usual, please keep an eye on or bookmark the BB official blog for any updates/news http://theblackbeetle.blogspot.com/

And the Black Beetle news doesn't stop here!


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You can get the above illo of The Black Beetle and Liberty Meadows next month at the Baltimore Comicon. For the first time, the show will feature an art book. This year's book is dedicated to Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows, and I was asked to contribute with a piece featuring LM and my own creation. The art book is limited to 1000 copies (I think) and it's a big size hardcover. So you might want to grab one if you plan to go to the show :)

Alright, let the celebration begin! 
Thank you so much for making these 5 fantastic years, my friends, and here's to another 5 years of PULP!   
Please  feel free to join in the celebrations if you are reading this :)

Cheers to you all

Francesco

Artwork © 2012 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

"The Fear of the Unknown" ~ H.P. Lovecraft

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Today is the birthday of an author so dear to my heart (as you might know already): Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
To  celebrate, I have put together the above illo (based off my famous HP Lovecraft portrait) with a quote of the Man himself. Hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,
Francesco

 Artwork ©2012 Francesco Francavilla

THE SHADOW Double Feature! Introducing MASKS!!!

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Hello Pulp Friends,

here's a couple of pulpy covers that will hit the stores in November.

The bottom one is the cover for #8 of THE SHADOW, which will see our hero bringing some action in the alley of Paris, France :)

The top one is for what it might be one of the coolest projects that are coming your way.
Written by my dear friend Chris Roberson and illustrated (for the first issue at least) by Alex Ross, MASKS will see some of the top Pulp heroes joining forces (and guns): this promises nothing good for the criminal underworld, doesn't it? :)

Hope you enjoy these covers/illos (pls drop a note if you do - this place got really quiet lately ;)) and I wish you all a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

BONUS QUESTION: Next Sunday (August 26th) will mark the 5th anniversary for PULP SUNDAY: should I put together something special to celebrate? 

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2012 Francesco Francavilla 

Martian Week!

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Decided to extend the Martian theme to this whole week and call it MARTIAN WEEK  :)

Above is the classic "WAR OF THE WORLDS" and following are in the order:
- the famous WAR OF THE WORLDS radio-broadcast that made Orson Welles famous.
- 2 more covers I did for WARLORD OF MARS - Fall of Barsoom mini
- a tribute to the classic pulps of Edgar Rice Burroughs  "JOHN CARTER OF MARS"

More Mars stuff on my sketchblog (including the adventures of Curiosity in the series titled "LIFE ON MARS" :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Martian Pulp Sunday!!!

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Honoring the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars, I am doing a Martian themed Pulp Sunday :)

Above is the classic "INVADERS FROM MARS" and following are in the order:
- a made up "MARS ATTACKS!" Topps' style card titled "The Welcoming"
- 2 of my personal favorite covers I did for WARLORD OF MARS - Fall of Barsoom mini
- a movie poster style for Doctor Who's special episode "THE WATERS OF MARS"

And if you can, check out my silly-toons, funny strips on my sketchblog which chronicle the adventures of Curiosity in the series titled "LIFE ON MARS" :)

Have a wonderful Pulp Sunday, everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

The Hangman & The Lone Ranger

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Today's offerings include a commissioned sketch (from HeroesCon) of a classic pulp superhero: THE HANGMAN!
Plus the cover for issue 10 of the Lone Ranger featuring Tonto. The new arc "NATIVE GROUND" focuses on Tonto's past - if you are not reading this amazing book by Ande Parks and Esteve Polls, you are missing out big!

I wanted also to let everyone know I am still working out the details on how to sell the AP prints of the Creature. Be assured I will be giving PLENTY of notice when things are finalized so everyone will have a chance to order one (limited amount permitting).

Meanwhile, wish you all a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

Cheers,
Francesco