Brad Mengel

Back In Black now available

Sunday, January 20, 2013 9:18:39 AM

Pro Se Presents, Pro Se, Short story, Wold Newton, Brad Mengel, New Pulp

Back in Black is a short story by me which appeared in Pro Se Presents #15 November 2012. Pro Se is a leading publisher of New Pulp and publishes a monthly magazine. I share the magazine with four other stories that cover a range of genres but all with a pulp sensibility.

Back in Black introduces two new vigilantes Noir and The Silhouette to the pulp scene. The Silhouette may have a connection to a certain classic Pulp hero.

I had a blast writing the story and exploring the idea of a vigilante hero in a way that I hadn't seen done before.

Pro Se Presents #15 can be bought through Amazon as a Paperback or ebook.

It's also available through Barnes & Noble as a paperback or ebook.

It's also available in multiple ebook formats at Smashwords

Ten-a-Week Steale by Stephen JaredLeverage

Comments

FreeLiveFree # Monday, January 21, 2013 5:29:11 PM

So are Noir and The Silhouette ninjas or what?

Seriously, congratulations on being published!

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Monday, January 21, 2013 8:11:10 PM

Thank you. They are both martial artists who wear black. I never specify what martial art they're learning when they meet but The Silhouette had previously been trained in Baritsu and Noir learns escrima in the story so it could have been ninjitsu.

FreeLiveFree # Tuesday, January 22, 2013 12:10:56 AM

I suppose it depends on what your defination of ninja is. Of course, the real ninja (or shinobi) of fuedal Japan probably never wore outfits like that. The black garb is actually from Noh theatre. What we think of when we think of ninja is probably less accurate to the historical reality than the James Bond movies were to real Cold War espinoge.

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Tuesday, January 22, 2013 9:56:59 AM

I remember hearing somewhere that what we think of as a ninja was the creation of Japanese pulp fiction.

I have to admit I didn't envision either character as a ninja and when I saw the promotion for Pro Se Presents I went "cool someone did ninjas" then "hang on it's me."

FreeLiveFree # Wednesday, January 23, 2013 1:01:06 AM

Maybe they just had a limited amount of art or something.

Interestingly enough, I just finished a novel set in 1990s Thailand. The main characters are a courier hired to transport a group people who are going to raid a ship, one of whom is dressed like a ninja. They spend the novel wondering if he really is a ninja. It turns out he just got conned by a fraudlent ninja manuel. Strangely enough, his training did leave him with some impressive physical skills.

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Wednesday, January 23, 2013 9:00:06 AM

Oh that sounds like something to keep an eye out for. What's the title?

FreeLiveFree # Wednesday, January 23, 2013 5:17:23 PM

It was a novel based on the manga Black Lagoon. It was titled Black Lagoon: Shaitane Badi. You can read a fan translation here:

http://anonspore.blogspot.com/2010/10/black-lagoon-shaitane-badi-color-pages.html

I don't think there has been an official English translation. At least not in the US, I guess there might be one in Australia.