The Crimson Mask Omnibus Volume 1
Part of the early 1940s pulp hero revival, pharmacist Bob Clarke takes on the underworld as The Crimson Mask! The first of three volumes collecting the entire series, this first volume includes an all-new introduction by pulp historian Tom Johnson. Volume contains the following: “Enter the Crimson Mask,” “The Crimson Mask’s Murder Trail,” “The Crimson Mask’s Death Gamble,” “Sign of the Crimson Mask,” and “The Crimson Mask’s Scorpion Trail.”
July 11th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Not that familiar with the Crimson Mask, but will probably get it.
July 12th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I’ve been waiting for this title the moment Bill Thom’s “Coming Attractions” made the announcement. My hardcover edition was ordered the very day it was posted – Sun., July 11. Can’t wait to receive and read it.
Can anyone answer this question about this title:
What is the genesis of the cover? From what magazine(s) or book cover(s) did it originally appear? I’m guessing the Crimson Mask didn’t score his own cover, so this is likely the product of some other original work and a bit of graphic touch-up.
July 12th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
The Crimson Mask did score at least one cover, April 1943. http://www.philsp.com/data/images/d/detective_novels_194304.jpg
The rest of the Detective Novels covers are here http://www.philsp.com/mags/detective_novels.html, but I don’t see the Altus Press book cover as one of them.
July 12th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for buying this!
The cover’s sourced from a 1935 issue of Thrilling Detective. It was much better than the covers to the pulps the Crimson Mask appeared in. Like many of Thrilling’s hero covers, they had generic detective-types painted, but they tweaked them a bit as needed for a cover here or there… add a red mask to the guy in the suit for the CM, dab a streak of purple paint on the cheek of this detective here for the Purple Scar, etc. It’s even the same with the Black Bat & Phantom Detectives… I’m sure 75% of them are interchangeable.
I’ve included some of the original Crimson Mask covers on the back of the book. But really, they are tough to find & I decided to have a little fun with the cover. Thrilling had a habit of reusing their cover paintings, so I just carried along their tradition.
July 12th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
I should also mention that these short reprint Omnibus series of Thrilling heroes will all share the same layout. It’s a bit of a homage to the Popular Library paperback covers of the 50s… which were published by Thrilling.
There are a few more Thrilling series we’ll be reprinting in this “set.”
July 13th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Ok, so I assume you are including Black Bat in that. Sadly, your reprints of the Purple Scar & Thunder Jim Wade didn’t match the general layout. So, what other Thrilling characters may you be thinking of?? Green Ghost, I hope; maybe Masked Detective.
Will you be reprinting the so-called 17th story, “Motto for Murder”, where they retitled the characters???
July 14th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
In retrospect, it would’ve been cool to have had the foresight to do the Purple Scar in the same dress as the others, certainly. But I dig the PS’s design anyway.
The Masked Detective Omnibus Volume 1 is coming very soon. And another Thrilling Volume 1 is coming soon too… won’t announce it just yet.
Will indeed be reprinting “Motto for Murder” in the final CM edition. However, there are only 16 CM stories counting that one. “Death on Deposit” isn’t a CM story… not sure how it got on the checklists out there.
July 16th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Well, “Death on Deposit” is in your own checklist here…
July 16th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Not mine, Will’s. I’ll have to tell him about that sometime. But that checklist is still a work in progress.
July 16th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
As the Masked Detective has 13 stories, I guess you can do that in 2 volumes.
Only other Thrilling series you might be doing would be the Green Ghost.