Take a pinch of Aliens, a dash of dinosaurs and mix them with a Western main ingredient and you have the recipe for a rip-roaring good children’s read. Rex Riders is just that. The author, J.P. Carlson has a vivid imagination and has produced a piece of pure fantasy that will appeal to eleven and twelve year olds and the ‘older kids’ amongst us.

From the downright dastardly Cooper, who applies his bullwhip with gusto, to the ranks of the Cragnon warriors this plot races a long at a cracking pace; there’s action aplenty.
A triceratops drive, a stage coach knocked sideways by an angry Tyrannosaur and the arch enemy D’Allesandro will keep any 11 or 12 year old with an interest in dinosaurs and westerns riveted in his or her seat.

Jim Calafiore’s illustrations are powerful; and particularly the black and white images that are scattered throughout the text. The cover by Fabio Pastori is equally striking. The author acknowledges a range of influences (King Kong, monster magazines and Marcel Delgado to name but a few) that culminated in his desire to write a fast–paced dino-novel that filled a gap in the market. So he has written this pulpy novel as he describes it and in my opinion it will be a hit with sci-fi and dinosaur fans wherever they may be.

I thoroughly recommend this as a great children’s read.
Roger Smith
Publisher – Dinosaurnews.org

GOODBYE 2011 – HELLO 2012

Greetings Loyal Airmen, we hope that all of you had a fantastic Christmas with your family and loved ones. Ours was amazing, perhaps the best ever for Ye Old Air Chief. It was that much fun. So here we are, about to say goodbye to another year and usher in a new one. And there have been lots of changes around the old Hangar 27 that require announcing, but before we go to that we’ve one final chore.

This past year we had the fun or reading 38 books and reviewing them at our PULP FICTION REVIEW blog site. In that mix were many excellent books by some of our favorite writers plus lots of new discoveries. One such was REX RIDERS by J.P. Carlson, a young adult science fiction western we absolutely adored and wish more people would find. It’s target audience is teenage boys and that’s just what the Air Chief felt like after having finished this amazing, exciting and fun novel. Please, do yourself a favor and go find it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It truly was our favorite book of 2011.

Read more at http://www.airship27.com/index.php

“REX RIDERS takes a childhood fascination with dinosaurs and delivers a hard-nosed, rip-roaring Western adventure through the dusty plains of Texas and beyond. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.”

Read the full review at StrangeKidsClub.com

Written by: Carl Macek
Cover by: William Stout
237 Pages
Publisher Angel Gate Press
Softcover List Price $16.99
Ages 10 and up

Carl Macek’s debut novel WAR EAGLES was inspired by producer Merian C. Cooper’s proposed film of the same name. Published in 2008 by Angel Gate Press under the banner “Ray Harryhausen Presents,” the book was intended to reintroduce Cooper’s lost film to readers.

With the publication of David Conover’s account of the pre-production work that went into WAR EAGLES (previously reviewed), together with the last known version of the script, it’s now possible to contrast the original concept with Mr. Macek’s adaptation. How does the novel hold up? What are the points of difference?

News stories from 2008 reported that Mr. Harryhausen was interested in producing a WAR EAGLES film and the book reads like a treatment for a 1930’s B movie instead of a novel. In fact, the book seems to have been written as an homage to the 1930’s style of screenwriting, and depicts characters that speak and behave as if they’re playing parts in a film from that era.

The dialog and prose are unintentionally campy in spots and you never get the sense that the author made a serious attempt to create characters that lived and breathed in that time period. I can forgive the over-the-top dialog in Cooper’s KING KONG because that was the style of the day. I have a harder time with a book written in 2008, unless the author is writing with intention and either deliberately satirizing that style or slyly poking fun at it.

Equally odd is the overall blandness of the story. The author omits the ape people and the “allosauri” from the original, entirely. In their place are two set pieces involving 33-foot tall utahraptors attacking a stegosaurus, and a retaliatory raid by the Viking tribe on the raptors’ nesting ground. The inclusion of these sequences seems perfunctory; they feel tacked on and they contribute nothing to this version of the story.

The author’s decision to scale back the level of action in the book results in a story that is actually less ambitious than its 1930’s counterpart. While the story hits some of the right beats, it lacks excitement and fails to generate tension notwithstanding its juicy premise. I found myself wanting more. More details of what it was like to jump on top of a massive bird and hang on for dear life as it takes flight and soars down a mountainside; more dinosaurs; more tension among the characters. The raw material is there. It just needed…more.

Is it likely that this adaptation of Cooper’s concept will itself be adapted into a screenplay and made into a film? Not very. The story – as written – does not measure up in any respect to the today’s action movie standards. That said, it should be noted that James Cameron’s AVATAR did a spectacular job with the aerial battle scenes among the Na’vi and the mercenary force that occupied Pandora, and these sequences evoke the climactic battle between the Vikings and the Nazis over New York. The LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy included several scenes in which Gandalf rode a gigantic eagle and they were quite convincing. The potential is there for a thrilling film but it will take a better story and a more fully developed setting before this can be sold to modern audiences.

Copies of WAR EAGLES can be bought online for under $5.00. If you’re looking for a novel about dinosaurs this isn’t it. If it’s old-fashioned pulp fiction you’re after, this might be of interest. It recreates the feel of a 1930’s Hollywood film quite well although I remain unconvinced that’s an asset. If the premise of the story is appealing to you, I recommend Conover’s book of the same name. The original version of WAR EAGLES remains the better of the two.

Written by: David Conover and Philip J. Riley
Illustrated
287 Pages
Publisher: BearManor Media
Hardcover List Price $34.95
Softcover List Price $24.95
Ages 10 and up

Philip J. Riley is the editor of a wonderful series of books published by BearManor Media that are devoted to the shooting scripts of classic horror films such as FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, and many more. WAR EAGLES by David Conover and Mr. Riley is part of a separate series devoted to “lost” screenplays that were never actually filmed and therein lays a tale.

The film KING KONG was released in 1933 and was followed by the lackluster SON OF KONG. Eager to outdo the enormous success of KING KONG, producer Merian C. Cooper conceived of a lost tribe of humans living in a prehistoric environment near Antarctica that was warmed by a volcano. The tribe inhabits an inaccessible plateau beyond the reach of the dinosaurs that thrive in the fertile forests far below where the tribe must journey to gather food. Adding to the danger is a tribe of cave dwelling ape people that seek to capture the humans for cruel sport.

What elevated this setup to a level above and beyond KING KONG – both literally and figuratively – were the gigantic eagles that nest on the cliffs surrounding the oasis. The tribespeople are able to tame and ride the huge birds, and rely on them for protection against the ape people and the dinosaurs.

In Cooper’s original story a daring pilot crash lands in a volcanic crater on the South Pole. He is rescued from a dinosaur attack by a tribe of eagle-riders and taken to their village where he learns to fly an eagle and falls in love with the daughter of the tribe’s chief.

The young woman is captured by the ape people and brought to their lair inside a cavern where she is hung by her feet over an allosaurus! The pilot rescues her and defeats the chief of the ape people in hand to hand combat. He later returns with the rest of the warriors and engages the ape people in a battle using bombs he has fashioned out of materials he has found in the environment.

The pilot marries the young woman, and in an unusual twist, learns of an impending attack on New York City by an unnamed European country whose military has invented a secret weapon with the ability to disable America’s fighter planes. New York will be destroyed unless America surrenders! The pilot rallies the Vikings and they accompany him on the backs of their eagles to New York where they engage the villains in a spectacular aerial battle that takes place over the city and the Statue of Liberty. Whoa!!

Cooper brought the project to MGM and work began. The idea passed through the hands of several screen writers and at least eight draft screenplays were produced. Characters, dialog and story details were added, subtracted and tweaked; and action sequences were devised, revised and discarded depending upon their technical feasibility and cost.

As work on the script progressed, Willis O’Brien and his creative team worked on concept art, constructed stop-motion models, built sets and shot test sequences in technicolor. World War II intervened before the project could be formally approved and the project was ultimately abandoned.

Although WAR EAGLES was known to film historians for years, and pieces of artwork appeared in books and magazines, details remained sketchy. I read about the film in a great biography of Willis O’Brien by Steve Archer (published by McFarland), but Mr. Archer’s coverage of this project was handicapped by a lack of information. Thanks to the work of David Conover that problem has been solved!

Following years of untiring detective work, Conover amassed a wealth of material relating to WAR EAGLES. The book is packed with lovely concept drawings, test photos, rare documents, and the screenplay itself, which was derived from the last two drafts written by screenwriter Cyril Hume. Interestingly, the final draft came from the collection of Ray Harryhausen who visited O’Brien at his office while work on the project was ongoing.

While it’s not my place in a book review to rewrite Cooper’s story, I couldn’t help scratching my head over the Viking tribe that appears in the final draft. Given Cooper’s ambition to create a kind of western I wondered why this tale didn’t take place in the American Southwest. (Interestingly, eagles live on all continents except Antarctica!)

Instead of Vikings, the tribespeople could have been Native Americans and the hero could have been a barn-storming Texas pilot in the mold of Ben Johnson’s character Gregg, from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. The existence of the great eagles might have been kept hidden by the tribe to protect them from hunting and ultimately, extinction.

By incorporating Native Americans flying on the backs of eagles to defend the United States, the patriotic finale that Cooper envisioned would have had far more impact. One can imagine an impassioned speech delivered by a Texan on behalf of all Americans asking the people who were here first (and often mistreated) to join in an epic battle to defend freedom on the great birds that they protected.

Could this action-fantasy film have worked with Vikings as written? Absolutely. But the story might have had more substance and played better with some simple changes. One day I’ll have to ask Mr. Conover his thoughts on this subject.

I bought the hardcover edition and found it fascinating. You have to admire the author’s hard work and diligence in unearthing all of the details surrounding this imaginative film, and the publisher for making it available to us.

This is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone interested in the history of dinosaur cinema. Film fans will relish the historical details, concept art and test photos, and get a kick out of the last known version of the screenplay. Well done, gentlemen!

Written by: George E. Turner and Orville Gardner. Expanded and revised by Michael H. Price with Douglas Turner
Illustrated
255 Pages
Publisher: Midnight Marquee Press, Inc. aka Marquee Books
Hardcover List Price $40.00
Hardcover Sale Price through the end of the year $20
Ages 10 and up

In 1975 A.S. Barnes & Co. published a large format book entitled THE MAKING OF KING KONG. Although the market is now flooded with books devoted to how various films were made, at the time it came out THE MAKING OF KING KONG was unique. For me the book was a revelation. I had been obsessed with KING KONG since I first saw the film on television at the age of 5 or 6 and couldn’t get enough of it. I devoured Forest J. Ackerman’s FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and looked forward to every scrap of information about the movie.

THE MAKING OF did not disappoint. It was a generous 8.75 x 11.25 with many two- page spreads reproducing classic pieces of concept artwork. There was plenty of room for the photos and they were large enough to study the details. The scholarship was terrific and there was detailed background information on the creators, the artists and even the musicians that contributed their talents to the film. As you would expect, the level of detail went far beyond what was written in FAMOUS MONSTERS. In short, it was everything a KING KONG fan could have asked for.

I am pleased to tell you that SPAWN OF SKULL ISLAND is a nice improvement over THE MAKING OF. SPAWN is a smaller book at 6.25 x 9.25 but it retains all of the information that made the original so special and builds on it. A section devoted to films that included dinosaurs and gorillas has been added which may be of interest to young people who are unfamiliar with these films. The section of the book devoted to the films that influenced KING KONG, and other Cooper/Schoedsack productions has been expanded to fifty pages with much more information and many more illustrations.

Because it’s described as an updated version of THE MAKING OF KING KONG, I expected SPAWN to contain all of the photos and illustrations that THE MAKING OF had, along with additional features and information that the original book didn’t include. In fact, SPAWN does not include all of the photos and artwork. It is packed with photos and illustrations to be sure, but fans who recall THE MAKING OF will notice the difference.

From now until the end of the year publisher Marquee Books is running a sale and is offering brand new copies of SPAWN OF SKULL ISLAND for half-off. At a sale price of $20 this book is a bargain. If you’re as interested in KING KONG as I am, you have to have this book. But even fans who don’t share the same level of interest will find much to enjoy. For fans of dinosaur films this is a must have.

Back in the 60’s dinosaur comics were very much a part of the comic book mix. Titles like Turok, Star Spangled War Stories, Konga and Gorgo were among the comics that focused on dinosaurs, giant gorillas and giant monsters. Comic books have changed a lot since then and are now skewed toward teens and adults rather than children. Walk into many comic book stores and the majority of customers are men, with children nowhere to be seen. I am happy to report that SUPER DINOSAUR turns back the clock with stories that will have boys eagerly turning pages and looking forward to a new issue every month.

Conceived by writer Robert Kirkman (the creator of THE WALKING DEAD) and artist Jason Howard, SUPER DINOSAUR is an “all ages” comic book – meaning that the content is appropriate for children. Issue #1 is the origin special and sets up the back story. The last ten pages are devoted to character breakdowns and resemble what you’d see in a treatment for an animated television series. Things get a little confusing here because there is a second issue #1 which contains a story that takes place after the origin issue. Will this second issue #1 make sense if you can’t find the origin issue? Absolutely. So don’t sweat it if your local comic shop is sold out.

In the origin issue we learn that two scientists, kindly Dr. Dynamo and evil Dr. Maximus, discovered dinosaurs in a hidden world under the surface of the earth along with an amazing power source. Dr. Maximus returns to the surface with a T-rex egg and alters the hatchling against the wishes of his partner making it highly intelligent and endowing it with the ability to speak. As the T-Rex matures, the scientists create a metal harness with two large mechanical arms that the T-Rex operates with joy sticks using his much smaller arms. The T-Rex’s name? Super Dinosaur!

Dr. Dynamo and his brilliant ten year-old son Derek have no idea that all of this is just a test run for evil Dr. Maximus who has concocted a secret plan to use the technology that created Super Dinosaur to take over the world with an army of Super Dinosaurs! When they find out . . . well, I won’t spoil it for you because that’s when all the dino-action starts!

SUPER DINOSAUR will appeal to boys in the 6 to 12 age bracket. It’s packed with action, it’s extremely well drawn and the dialogue is perfect for boys. The lead character, Derek, is smart, brave and loyal, and his saurian counterpart, Super Dinosaur, embodies the same noble characteristics.

Check out the SUPER DINOSAUR web site at www.superdinosaur.com . While you’re there, you can read the first 12 pages of issue #1 online for free! These days comic books can be a challenge for younger kids to track down. To buy them, they either have to make a purchase online or travel to a comic specialty shop. And that may involve a special trip by car with mom or dad. I’d call ahead and make sure that your local comic book shop has the current issue or some back issues to avoid being disappointed. If they ask how you found out about SUPER DINOSAUR, tell them REX RIDERS sent you!

 “With the limited amount of space we were working with in our print edition, readers couldn’t experience the full effect of the color versions of Jim Calafiore’s exciting artwork,” explained Publisher Jane Sullivan. “In the eBook format the images really come to life.”

To handle the coloring chores, Sullivan tapped colorist/painter Tom Smith. Smith is a 24 year veteran in the comic industry and has worked on many top comics for IDW, Marvel, DC, Top Cow, Chaos, First, Topps and others.

Sullivan is excited to release the first illustration which appears in the book’s Prologue. “Tom is doing a super job for us and we think fans of the book are going to be thrilled to see this new edition.”

Review by JP Carlson

I’ve been around the block a couple of times when it comes to pitching things in Hollywood and while I can’t say I’m an expert, I know a thing or two about high concept ideas; especially ideas involving dinosaurs. I know the genre extremely well and I like to think I’ve seen just about everything.

So you can imagine my surprise when I saw two boys with a copy of Claire Freedman’s book “DINOSAURS LOVE UNDERPANTS” for the first time. For those of us who have boys in the 4 to 7 age group or work with boys who are that age, there are two things that absolutely never lose their appeal: dinosaurs and references to underpants. Holy smoke! “DINOSAURS LOVE UNDERPANTS” managed to combine both of them in its title! I had to get my hands on a copy and read it for myself.

I am happy to report that this picture book totally lives up to its audacious premise. Told in rhyming verse, DLU tells the story of what happened when cave people first invented underpants and dinosaurs became obsessed with taking them for themselves:

“When T. rex saw Man’s undies,
He roared with deafening rants,
‘I don’t want to eat you up,
I want your underpants!’”

This book is a dream to read-aloud and Librarian Jane agrees. I found the cadence off in a couple of spots but it’s easy to improvise to smooth out the word flow. The colorful artwork is equally funny in its own right and perfectly complements the text. Children will roar with laughter as the story gets rolling and enjoy the great pictures.

Claire and Ben have also collaborated on the equally amusing ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS and ALIENS IN UNDERPANTS SAVE THE WORLD. Bottom line: for parents, teachers and librarians who are looking for a funny read aloud book about dinosaurs for little boys, this high concept dinosaur book is a can’t-miss!