CHAN-TASTIC!
Academy Chicago Publishers has announced plans to reissue all half dozen of Earl Derr Biggers’ Charlie Chan mystery novels in paperback. Originally published between 1925 and 1932, they will feature brand-new covers. Now available arethe first two in the series, THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY and THE CHINESE PARROT. May sees the release of BEHIND THAT CURTAIN and THE BLACK CAMEL, while fall will bring CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON and KEEPER OF THE KEYS.
REMO SUAVE
Speaking Volumes is now selling audio books of THE DESTROYER novels, pre-dating the Gold Eagle run. CHINESE PUZZLE came out in December; a sample is available for your perusal.
‘GRAPHIC,’ INDEED!
With more than a dozen volumes in the series, GRAPHIC CLASSICS is bound to have its share of fans. But a cold-blooded killer? Yep! In December, publisher Tom Pomplun testified in court against one Sidney Teerhuis, who since was found guilty of second-degree murder. It all began in fall 2004, when Pomplun received a disturbing fan letter from Teerhuis, who discovered GRAPHIC CLASSICS: H.P. LOVECRAFT in the library of the correctional center where he was awaiting a preliminary hearing.
“Mr. Teerhuis went on to tell me about himself, his likes and dislikes,” Pomplun said. “He went on to describe his admiration for Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Aileen Wuornos, then began to relate in detail the murder of which he was accused, and the sexual acts he had performed on the decapitated corpse. He ended with a request that I write back to him, as ‘It would be nice to correspond with someone on a regular basis.’”
After researching Teerhuis’ case on the Internet, Pomplun thought it was his “obligation to do what I could to keep him in jail,” and turned the letter over to the authorities. Oh, and Teerhuis’ submitted effort at cartooning, Munchie: Life in the Big City. According to Pomplun, the strip of “dubious quality … portrayed a day in the life of a carefree, murderous cannibal. Crude in subject matter as well as in its illustration.”
See for yourself! Below is part of Teerhuis’ “Munchie” strip. We’ve censored it, but be warned: It remains not for the easily offended, faint of heart or those with sensibilities deemed delicate.
To end on a happier note, GRAPHIC CLASSICS: OSCAR WILDE is now available, for only $10, direct from the publisher.
YOU JUST MIGHT LOSE YOUR HEAD OVER IT
Check out this just-released video promoting David Moody’s much-hyped horror novel HATER. Short, but eerie and effective:
—Rod Lott
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