Amazon.com
Dedicated to, and very much in the humor-loving spirit of, the late Robert Bloch, this original anthology of mostly black-and-white horror comics is a beautiful book to have and to hold, and is great fun to read. Don't expect literary subtlety from this one--these are comics, after all--and your horror thirst will be slaked by stories in which blood flows, corpses move, monsters romp, skull-faced demons walk the night, and only rarely does the good guy win. The stories are almost all by established horror prose writers, ranging from contemporary pros like Norman Partridge and F. Paul Wilson, to adaptations of classics like Edgar A. Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" and Ambrose Bierce's "Oil of Dog." The artwork is by 20-some different artists, and exhibits a range of graphic styles, including some on the cutting edge of today's comics.Book Description
If you're tired of the same ole business. If you want something unique. If you think comic book swimsuit issues are the dumbest thing since Jesse Helms, then here it is, a hot bundle of short stories, a la graphic novel style.

Not only does Weird Business contain tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the late, great Robert Bloch, it contains mostly original material that will, to put it mildly, blow the doors off your Chevy. From pure fantasy to dark horror, to humorous whimsy, to noir, to action/adventure and science fiction, this baby is as hot as the devil's cigar.

With 23 stories, 56 creators, and 420 pages Weird Business is the largest original comic ever produced in the English language.

Weird Business was nominated for the 1996 Eisner Award for best anthology and hailed by the Rocky Mountain News as "Possibly the greatest comic ever." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A wide-ranging, provocative collection
Often, when one fails to understand the content of something, it iseasiest to *blame the content*."Weird Business" readers willhave to do some thinkin' work along with the free shocks -- but thepleasures and terrors are worth it.This eclectic collection, boastinggems like "Hellbound Train," and -- yes -- "GorillaGunslinger," covers a range of tones and styles.Where else can yougo from Poe to alternate histories, to the wish-it-would- happen trenchantfairytale of bovine revolution,"Till the Cows Come Home?" Where else will you find dinosaurs and Marilyn Monroe's brain in the samestory?

Get it while you can, pardners, for tomorrow may bring nothin' butcomic collections of over-licensed, over-marketed, corporate-ownedcharacters, and hey:Here's some proof that once upon a time, *some*publishing companies were actually *independent.*

A well-done collection of literature-to-comics adaptations.
Not only does this book contain a bevy of stories by authors you'veactually heard of, like Joe Lansdale, E.A. Poe, Ambrose Bierce, NancyCollins, and Robert Bloch, but Weird Business manages to showcase somebrilliant artwork by known professionals and a few up-and-coming artists.If you are a fan of the old-school horror stories, without all of theoverly-pretentious hoo ha that goes with it, then grab this book now.Justmake sure you lock the doors before you sit down to read it...

WEIRD BUSINESS INDEED!One heapin' helpin' of horrific fun!
Hell fire & brimstone if this ain't the s***.WEIRD BUSINESS suceeds on so many levels that it's nearly imponderable.

Weird Business Has No Business Being Published...
In a nutshell, Weird Business sucks.I would love, in fact, to get arefund for this collection of vague, incomplete, and frequently pointlesscomic strip stories.They did not entertain me at all.Even The Masque ofThe Red Death was too brief and also sparsely delineated in terms of storyand plot.(I've read better plotting in some old Superman comicbooks!)

I also didn't appreciate Lansdale's put-downs of various unamedauthors which he found unable to work with.In fact, I don't really careabout reading a long-winded introduction to a collection of cheap comics. So I certainly don't care to read about Joey's vague beefs over variousauthors that he had to turn down for this project -- a project thatresulted in the worst collection of horror comics I have ever read.

Thisbook should never have been published.Most of the stories wereincomplete, often rambling -- to the point that I seriously wondered ifmost of these authors had ever recently been escapees of some psychiatricfacility?These stories, for the most part, weren't only witless, but theywere incomprehensible at best estimate.More like scribblings from abipolar schizophrenic subject thatn anything else.Hardly entertaining, ifyou get my drift.

Sorry guys!Better luck next time.Better yet, don'tmake any more of these stupid comics.Please!This book is about asinteresting and welcome as another OJ or Clinton-Monica in-depth presscoverage.

*yawn* ... *click* ... Read more

Amazon.com
The fifth installment in Joe R. Lansdale's low-key East Texas thrillers finds Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, despite their best efforts, once again in the midst of grim violence. It begins when Hap volunteers to helphis girlfriend, Brett, retrieve her daughter from a life of prostitution just outside Oklahoma City. And where Hap goes, Leonard follows, as always with an eye on the aspects of the situation that Hap would rather not deal with: "I know you don't like the gun talk, Hap, but you know as well as I do, at some point those people up there, they're who I think they are, they're going to point guns at us. And the guns are gonna be loaded, and when they pull the trigger our heads are gonna go away. Unless we shoot first or intimidate their asses into not shooting at all."

Mayhem ensues, to be sure, but the story in Rumble Tumble is not as important as the ongoing relationship between Hap, who still wishes that he could empathize the world's troubles away, and Leonard, who knows better. Aswith the series of Westerns directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, theirs is a world where "good" and "bad" matter less than whose business you're taking care of. People on both sides are willing to engage in plain conversations about how to define ethics under those circumstances, in dialogue that fulfills Lansdale's high standards of excellence. Whether you've been on board for the full ride with Hap and Leonard or are meeting them for the first time, Rumble Tumble will entertain and subtly challenge you.The other adventures of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine include Mucho Mojo, The Two-Bear Mambo, Savage Season, and Bad Chili. --Ron HoganBook Description
The fifth installment in Joe R. Lansdale's low-key East Texas thrillers finds Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, despite their best efforts, once again in the midst of grim violence. It begins when Hap volunteers to helphis girlfriend, Brett, retrieve her daughter from a life of prostitution just outside Oklahoma City. And where Hap goes, Leonard follows, as always with an eye on the aspects of the situation that Hap would rather not deal with: "I know you don't like the gun talk, Hap, but you know as well as I do, at some point those people up there, they're who I think they are, they're going to point guns at us. And the guns are gonna be loaded, and when they pull the trigger our heads are gonna go away. Unless we shoot first or intimidate their asses into not shooting at all."Mayhem ensues, to be sure, but the story in Rumble Tumble is not as important as the ongoing relationship between Hap, who still wishes that he could empathize the world's troubles away, and Leonard, who knows better. Aswith the series of Westerns directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, theirs is a world where "good" and "bad" matter less than whose business you're taking care of. People on both sides are willing to engage in plain conversations about how to define ethics under those circumstances, in dialogue that fulfills Lansdale's high standards of excellence. Whether you've been on board for the full ride with Hap and Leonard or are meeting them for the first time, Rumble Tumble will entertain and subtly challenge you.The other adventures of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine include Mucho Mojo, The Two-Bear Mambo, Savage Season, and Bad Chili. --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A story of crashing the party.
Hap and Leonard aren't afraid of taking on the odds.In this, a prime example of the Lansdale's Hap-and-Leonard suspense novels, our modest heroes stand toe to toe with nearly impossible opposition to defend a friend's family honor.

Joe R. Lansdale's writing style, as always, makes for fascinating and humorous reading.Hap, Leonard, Brett, and all the book's characters have a raunchy, earthy sense of humor and a uniquely southern delivery that greases the rails on this bumpy, suspenseful ride.

Give this one a try.If you like it, try "Bad Chili" and "Mucho Mojo."

THE "HAP COLLINS/LEONARD PINE" SERIES IS ONE OF THE BEST!!!
RUMBLE TUMBLE, the fifth novel in the series, by Joe R. Lansdale continues the saga of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, beginning where BAD CHILI left off. It all starts when Hap's girlfriend, Brett Sawyer, tells him that a man called on the telephone and said that he had news about her wayward daughter, Tillie, but that it's going to cost her five hundred dollars to find out what it is. Hap and Leonard (think Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson--thanks, Dale!), accompanies Brett to the seedy motel where the voice on the phone is staying. It turns out there are two men at the motel--a redheaded midget with an attitude the size of King Kong and a stupid giant-size piece of white trash who thinks he's tougher than he actually is. Both guys want to make some quick money by telling Brett that her daughter, who's a prostitute, is being held against her will in Hootie Hoot, Oklahoma by the local crime lord, Big Jim Clemente. Naturally, it isn't long before Hap, Leonard, and Brett are heading to Hootie Hoot to rescue the trick-turning prodigal, but nothing is ever easy for these folks. After a big confrontation and a shootout in Big Jim's house of ill repute, the trio finds out that Tillie's been sent to Mexico to sexually service a gang of bikers called the Bandito Supremes as punishment for a misdeed. Hap and Leonard are two tough hombres, but the odds against rescuing Brett's daughter just got considerably higher with the addition of a biker gang of killers. Before the week is over, our two favorite amigos are going to have to deal with the treachery of a midget that can do handstands, an ex-biker turned preacher who wants redemption for his past deeds, a Texas armadillo in need of little friendship and kindness, and a shootout in old Mexico that will remind you of the ending in the movie, The Wild Bunch. RUMBLE TUMBLE delivers with full force the fun and excitement expected from any 'Hap Collins/Leonard Pine' novel. The characters are deftly drawn, the dialogue is true to the ear, and the story line has all of the necessary ingredients to fulfill one's desire for action, suspense and drama. Mr. Lansdale has created Hap and Leonard with not only a strong sense of humor, but with an avid sense of justice and honor. These two men also have a profound view of life and how to live it that gives the reader an opportunity to think about his or her own belief system. This fantastic series is more than just popcorn entertainment for the masses. It's a great author's attempt to tell a good story, while at the same time reflecting on what it means to be a decent human being and staying true to one's values. I can't recommend the 'Hap/Leonard' novels enough. This is writing that has power and honesty, and is able to touch the heart, as well as the funny bone. Now, it's time to pick up MUCHO MOJO, the third book in the series, and find out what the dysfunctional duo was like before Brett came into the picture.

What can I say?I like Lansdale and this doesn't disappoint
If you've read any of Lansdale's Hap and Leonard books then you know what to expect, and you know that it can't be a bad thing.Lansdale is one of the few purely diversionary novelists who I still buy and read, and this book is a perfect example why.Its over in a day or two, and the ride is funny, suspenseful, and somehow humane.Nothing new here, and the earlier books ("Mucho Mojo" etc.) do it just a smidge better, but for what it is - a fistfight of a paperback with explosive action and absurd situations - it is exemplary.Drug-addicted prostitutes, a midget pimp, two tough guys and a renegade pilot... really, how could you go wrong with that mix?A good paperback with a slightly better pedigree than execution, but recommended nonetheless.

A Fun Romp
This was the second Joe Lansdale book I read, and the first novel in this seris. To be honest, I didn't even know it was part of a series when I picked it up. The beauty is, it didn't matter. 'Rumble Tumble' was a fun book with good characters that didn't need knowledge of a huge backstory. I enjoyed the main character of Hap the best. He's a good man who'll do whats right, but he's not necessarily a brave man. Writing such a macho, roughneck type book, it must be tempting to make the main character a one-dimensional badass, but the people who populate this story are truly interesting characters. Can't wait to read the other books in the series.

A so-so return for Hap & Leonard.
RUMBLE TUMBLE is the fifth in the Hap & Leonard series, a mostlycrime/mystery serial. This novel has Hap & Leonard searching forBrett's, Hap's girlfriend, daughter who has been prostituting for a toughguy, Big Jim in Oklahoma.Hap & Leonard run into a colorful cast ofoutlaws and outcasts on their search. The climax is when they find Tillie,Brett's daughter, in a Mexico compound and the surgical strike they performis excellent, action-filled drama. Unfortunately, I feel that the dynamicduo is wearing thin on me, the dialogue, usually so funny, is a bit staleand feels like we've been there before, which we have. I think if Lansdaleconcentrated on some other projects before the next novel, it would helpincredibly. Recommended for Hap & Leonard fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A DARK NOVEL OF INTENSE VIOLENCE!!!
WALTZ OF SHADOWS by Joe R. Lansdale was first written back during the early nineties in a much longer version for Mysterious Press.Because the author felt he'd missed the mark in the writing of this mainstream novel, he had it pulled from publication and more or less let it sit in a trunk for the next several years.When Subterranean Press expressed an interest in doing a signed, limited edition of it, Mr. Lansdale took the book out of storage and trimmed over two hundred pages off of the manuscript.Though he felt better about the final result, there was still a lot of trepidation with regards to seeing the book published. Why?I have no idea. This is a terrific novel!When I read his introduction to it, I was expecting a clunker with maybe a few shining moments.Instead, I found myself hooked in the first twenty pages and then propelled forward like a human cannon ball being fired from one end of the circus tent to the other.WALTZ OF SHADOWS is the story of Hank Small-a pretty nice guy who owns a video store and has a great wife and two wonderful children-and what happens to him when his young nephew, Billy, calls him for help. It seems that Billy got involved in a yuppie gang of young people who enjoyed perverted sex and courting death for that sharp adrenaline rush.One night when the gang decides to do a home invasion in order to score a little cash, they encounter two men (Fat Boy and Snake) at their intended victim's home who are the personification of death itself.Billy manages to escape, but the rest of the gang is tortured and murdered.Billy knows that he's being hunted by the two psychos and wants his uncle Hank to help him out of this dilemma.Not knowing quite what to do, Hank turns to his half brother, Arnold, who he hasn't talked to in over ten years. Arnold is one tough hombre and has spent a bit of time in prison.Hank realizes that if anyone will know how to handle the two psychopaths, it'll be him.Before the two brothers can even get a game plan rolling, however, Fat Boy and Snake find Billy and do a little good-natured torturing to see who knows about them.From that point on, nobody in the Small family is safe.If Hank wants to keep his wife and children alive, both he and Arnold are going to have to prepare for a bloodbath.WALTZ OF SHADOWS is dark, violent, intense, and utterly suspenseful.Fat Boy and Snake are two of the vilest criminals I've ever read in fiction.They're ruthless and evil in every sense of the word, and totally believable.When they invade Hank's home, humiliating him and raping his wife, the reader is stunned and left speechless by the graphic violence and how realistically it's described.Mr. Lansdale doesn't pull any punches.He sets the ground rules for what's to follow so that the reader will understand Hank and Arnold's need for absolute revenge, and that it's going to be a fight to the death with no mercy shown by either side.All of the characters are avidly drawn, and the prose is pure Lansdale at its best.Except for Andrew Vachss, I don't know of any other author who could've written a novel of such darkness and violence, and still have the protagonists maintain their humanity.This novel is definitely a winner!I hope Mr. Lansdale will eventually allow it to be published in a mass-market paperback format so that thousands of other readers will get to experience this "dark time in the dark woods."HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

A Great One for Lansdale Collectors
I really enjoyed this novel, and I'm very happy to own the limited edition book.This is part of the "Lost Lansdale" series that Subterranean Press has been doing such an awesome job with.Waltz ofShadows, as Lansdale himself explains, was written in the early 90's, butJoe did not feel it was up to standards and decided not to publish it. Supposedly, this will be the only edition of this book for the forseeablefuture.

Waltz of Shadows is indeed flawed, and Lansdale was wise to keepit in the trunk.But for an avid Lansdale reader such as myself, the bookis very enjoyable anyway.When I say it is flawed, I don't mean in anykind of hopeless way.The writing is tight, and pure Lansdale.There are,however, a few clumsy linchpins in the plot, and a few of the charactersare struggling to be something they're not.But anything I noticed waseasily forgiven, and I charged right through the book very quickly.

Ifthis is still available, I'd say grab it for your Lansdale collection forsure.But if you're just a casual fan, I'd say stick with the many moremodestly priced Lansdale novels that are in print. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Before Clive Barker or splatterpunk, Lansdale wrote this pioneering serial killer novel, set in Houston. "The closest thing to what I wanted to do at that time was the work of Sam Peckinpah," Lansdale says. "I wanted to make violence nasty, I wanted to make it bother you, but I wanted to make the story compelling. The thing that made me write Act of Love was anger. I was angry that so much attention was directed to psychopaths and murderers and very little attention given to their victims." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Half-Hearted Lansdale
Compared to Lansdale's typically high-quality output, this novel is pretty substandard. The characters never quite gel, the dialogue is rough around the edges, and the plot's "guess which character is the killer" is the kind of stuff best left to made-for-tv movies. Even the violence and brutality lack that hard edge one expects from Lansdale's books. His later novels delve into the horrors of the criminal mind and the sadness of the troubled soul much more effectively than this rather hackneyed attempt. I would only recommend this to a Joe R. Lansdale completist, and even then, hesitantly.

I would haven't given it any stars at all.
The book, in my opinion wasn't written very well. A high school student could have written it better. I did however finish the book and then threw it in the trash. It is probably the only book that I have ever thrown out. If you like an intelligent read then this is not the book for you. If you just want blood and guts then go ahead and read it.

Lansdale off to a good start.
Act of Love is one of Lansdale's earliest, if not the earliest, books.AoL's writing lacks the polish or homespun humor that readers would come to expect from Lansdale.Yet, he showed a great deal of potential that would be realized in his later works.Be forewarned, Act of Love is not for the squeamish or the easily offended.

The novel centers around Houston police detective Marvin Hanson, who has the unenviable task of bringing down a modern day Jack The Ripper.The killer is very unpredictable in his methods much like the aforementioned Jack.For instance, one night he'll[choose]a prostitute in a slum-ridden section of the city.The next night, he'll [choose] someone from an affluent suburb.When a few (emphasis on FEW) of the killer's patterns become apparent, everyone becomes a suspect - especially Hanson himself.Hanson not only has to contend with the killer, he has to coexist with his partner Joe Clark as well.Both Hanson and Clark are mutually suspicious about one another.And to make matters worse, Hanson has to restrain himself around an amoral tabloid reporter who likes to further his career by besmirching the Police.

Those expecting the humor of Lansdale's Hap and Leonard novels, which incidentally Hanson appears in starting with Mucho Mojo, may be disappointed.Act of love is still a solid mystery if you have a strong stomach.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Gritty, gory, gripping
Turn on a light and check all your locks. You'll need that sense of security while reading this novel. We're so numb to serial killer fiction at this point that it's difficult to remember a time when this genre wasrelatively unknown. ACT is one of the first, and Lansdale adds hisincredible touch to make it a unique and chilling novel of a horrifickiller and the men trying to catch him.

Lansdale doesn't ease intothis subject: the first few pages describe a grotesque murder, the first ofthe "Houston Hacker", a self-proclaimed hunter of women. EnterMarvin Hanson and Joe Clark as the cops assigned to solve the series ofgrisly murders. Hanson is a unique character for horror fiction: he's ablack cop in the South. He's disgusted by the murders and takes on apersonal vendetta against the Hacker. Lansdale leads the reader on tovarious possibilities as to the identity of the killer without totallygiving away anything until near the end. Do not doubt: this novel is notfor the squeamish. Lansdale never pulls any punches in his novels; thesemurders are grotesque. The novel is packed with scenes depicting racial andgender hatred so prevalent in society; there are loads of racial slursbetween some of the characters. If you can read this without cringing,check your pulse.

Lansdale is always worth the read. He's a masterstoryteller. This edition is especially worth it for the intro written byAndrew Vachss as well as the afterword written by Lansdale himself; heexplains how the novel came into being, and it's an interesting saga.

Great!
I recently discovered the great talent of J. Lansdale and I'm thunderstruck! Landsdale has an unbelievable way with words. This book is a simple serial-killer novel, but Lansdale's magical touch makes it so muchmore than that. Recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
An original western graphic novel that is "weird, violent, and funny in a way that Lansdale fans have come to expect." Combining an unusual mix of racial unrest, odd ball characters and strange happenings, RED RANGE has been illustrated with unerring style by artistic legend Sam Glanzman who helps Lansdale establish an edgy tale like no other. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Almost-classic Lansdale
If you know Lansdale's work, then you know what pushes his buttons as a writer: violence, humor, and inequality in the world. This graphic novel (nicely illustrated by Sam Glanzman) looks like a straight Western, butit's a violent, fuuny, and angry novel about racism. Some of the charactersare a bit too broad -- so evil you can barely look at them as real -- andthe ending is just so OUT THERE is almost takes away from the rest of thebook. I get the idea that a sequel was intended, and the book doesn't quitestand on its own. But still, it's a lot of fun, contains some insightfuland thought-provoking ideas, and it's Lansdale, which means it's worthreading no matter what.

Lots of fun with great illustrations.
I am a big Joe Lansdale fan but wasn't sure about this because I usually don't like Westerns much.It was worth the money though.

It is a very quick read, since it is really a graphic novel.The illustrations areexcellent and the story moves along quite well. Fun for Lansdale andWestern fans alike. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Despite the trappings -- guns, stakeouts, an ex-con, a private eye, a porn ring, a shootout -- this isn't an ordinary suspense novel. It's a lean, effective character study about a man who risks his comfortable life to pursue something half-glimpsed within his psyche. He feels guilty about his father's suicide, he doubts his ability to raise his own son, and now he's mixed up with another father, whose son has gone into a place of great darkness.A stirring tale in which actions have consequences, and no one is left unchanged by the things that they see and do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

JOE LANSDALE'S VERSION OF EAST TEXAS NOIR!!!
COLD IN JULY by Joe R. Lansdale is one of the author's earlier novels.The book was first published in 1989, and is just as fast paced, thought provoking, and violent as his newer ones.This is the story of Richard Dane, a nice man with a beautiful wife, Ann, a lovely little boy named Jordan, and is the owner of a framing shop in LaBorde, Texas.Late one night in their home, a strange noise wakes Ann.She elbows Richard awake, and it isn't long before he realizes that a burglar has broken into their house.He grabs a .38 snub-nose revolver from the closet and goes out into the living room to investigate.When he surprises the burglar, the man takes a shot at him and misses.Richard returns fire and kills the intruder.Later, the police tell him that the burglar's name was Freddy Russel.Unfortunately for Richard, the dead man's father, Ben Russel, has just gotten out of prison after serving a twenty-year term.When Ben learns of his son's death, he swears revenge against Richard and his family, promising to kill little Jordan Dane.What neither Ben, nor Richard, comprehend until later, is that both of them have unintentionally been set up by the local police.There's something going on behind the scenes, and it has to do with Freddy Russel's death, along with a cover up that's tied into the FBI.Both men quickly realize that they're going to need some outside help, if they want to solve the mystery.Russel's old friend, Jim Bob Luke (BAD CHILI and CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS) who's an ex-Green Beret, a master of the Korean martial art Hapkido, and is now a private eye in Houston, is called in to help find the answers.It isn't long before all three of them begin to understand that the answers they're seeking are going to have a high price.The answers will involve both a ring of people that make snuff movies and death on a massive scale.Before the novel is over, Richard, Ben, and Jim Bob will have to take the law into their own hands, charging in with guns blazing, killing the scum that torture, rape, and murder innocent women for fun and profit.COLD IN JULY, as Mr. Lansdale might say, is true East Texas noir.Filled with plot twists that keep the reader constantly on his/her toes, the journey from beginning to end is one of adventure, edge-of-your suspense, intense violence, down-to-earth humor, and an array of memorable characters that stay with you long after the story is finished.In many ways Jim Bob Luke steals the entire show.He's egotistical, over-confident, fearless, the best at what he does, funny in a redneck sort of way, and as deadly and fast as a striking cobra.Jim Bob certainly needs to have a novel of his own!One thing that I've notice after reading several of Mr. Lansdale's novels is that he writes extremely strong female characters.Ann Dane is not only beautiful and highly intelligent, she's almost as tough in her own way as Jim Bob Luke is.She's not afraid to get down and dirty and to do what's necessary to protect her family.The villains (Freddy Russel and the Mex) are also exceedingly well drawn and are definitely characters you wouldn't want to meet in real life.What I've found with the novels by Joe R. Lansdale is that they're never boring.The author knows how to tell a great yarn that's utterly believable, and he can pen a tale in any genre of his choosing.As I've said before, this East Texas author is a master craftsman at the art of writing.Anything by him is highly recommended.Finding this amazing storyteller is perhaps the best thing that's happened to me this year, and I sincerely hope more readers will eventually become aware of him and his works of fiction.

Oh, so awful!!!
I had the pleasure of meeting Joe Landsdale at a writer's conference just over ten years ago in a small town east of Waco.Joe was witty, insightful, helpful, and down-to-earth.He's one of the funniest guys I've ever met.So I bought, from him, Cold in July, which he signed on the spot.I was devastated to see how truly awful and laughable this stilted, trite, weak, early work of his was.It was so bad I turned it over to my roommate, without warning, to get his reaction.He agreed with me that it was the worst book he had ever read.I'm amazed to see Lansdale's name popping up all over the media with he recent signing with Knopf.Obviously Joe has improved his game.I'm glad to see it.He's a neat guy.I guess after ten years I'll give another of his books a try.Hey, it can't be any worse than this one.

One of Lansdale's best
While the book starts out reminding the reader of The Executioners by John D Mcdonald, it doesn't take long before Lansdale quickly turns out one of his classic twists and takes you on another ride into the dark.

This is one of the first books that I ever read by Mr. Lansdale and I have been hooked ever since.I recommend it highly.

One of my favorite Lansdale books!
A very entertaining read. Early Lansdale, and you can tell that he's still finding his voice, but it's a lot of fun. Funny dialogue and suspenseful situations. Well worth reading.Good to see where Lansdale came from.

Lansdale learning his chops
This is early Lansdale, and it shows. Some bad dialogue, plot problems, awkward sentences. But you can see where he's going. I'm surprised he managed to get this published at all at the time -- he was lucky.Intereting, but I had a hard time getting through it. A waste of $5, allaround. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful Book
For Joe Lansdale fans, Subterranean Press publications are the ultimate reward.With SubPress, you always get what you pay for.A beautiful limited edition book comprised of the highest quality materials.Joe's writing is not for the faint of heart.Classic "Pulp" fiction, which takes the readers imagination to it's furthest extremes.Not for children. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Some of DC's best writers and artists (Brian Azzarello, Tim Bradstreet, et al.) get downright freaky in this trade paperback compiling Vertigo's Gangland series, issues one through four. Presuming (correctly) that we're fascinated by the surreal and often ugly side of crime--"we" being "mature readers"--Gangland drags us through toilet stalls, shallow graves, coke-whore hotel rooms, and even suburban, '70s Orange County for a bloody, postmodern crime spree. With 14 stories in all, the collection delivers all sorts of worthwhile weirdness, including a tongue-in-cheek Mafia wedding, an every-dog-has-its-day K9 tale, and one sketchy transient's perceived(?) struggle against the Worldwide Gangster Robot Radio Brains. --Paul Hughes Book Description
Some of DC's best writers and artists (Brian Azzarello, Tim Bradstreet, et al.) get downright freaky in this trade paperback compiling Vertigo's Gangland series, issues one through four. Presuming (correctly) that we're fascinated by the surreal and often ugly side of crime--"we" being "mature readers"--Gangland drags us through toilet stalls, shallow graves, coke-whore hotel rooms, and even suburban, '70s Orange County for a bloody, postmodern crime spree. With 14 stories in all, the collection delivers all sorts of worthwhile weirdness, including a tongue-in-cheek Mafia wedding, an every-dog-has-its-day K9 tale, and one sketchy transient's perceived(?) struggle against the Worldwide Gangster Robot Radio Brains. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful tales of gruesome violence
This trade paperback collects the first four issues of Vertigo Comics' Gangland series - 14 short stories altogether, by some of the leading artists and writers in the field. The stories in Gangland are all stories about organized crime and gang life, but they all share a sarcastic, sardonic, post-modernistic kind of view, which makes them fascinatingly fresh and original. As these short story collections often do, Gangland has stronger bits and weaker ones, and the whole collection can't really be as satisfying as a good full-scale graphic novel (like a good Frank Miller or Alan Moore story), but the stories are often more extreme and more experimental than a full novel can be. Being a comic writer I can tell you myself - short stories give the writer much more room for experimentations and chance-taking. Some of the stories on Gangland really take chances.

My favorite story in the collection, which takes the subject to extreme ends, would have to be `Worldwide Gangster Robots', presumably based on the ranting of a real person (credited in the beginning of the story), is the story of a man's (imaginary... or is it?) battle against the brainwashing of Worldwide Gangster Robot Radio Brains. Danijel Zezelj's artwork and Grant Goleash's (`100 Bullets') coloring are dark and eerie and the mumbling monologue combines for a terrific and creepy atmosphere.

Other highlights include `Clean House' by Brian Azzarello (Hellblazer, Incredible Hulk) and Tim Bradstreet, which takes a rather well-chewed crime-story subject and gives it a nasty twist and a startling punchline. `Big Shot' is another excellent piece written by Jamie Delano (`Batman: Manbat) with wonderful artwork, which is short and fast and makes its point well. `The Big Snooze', with the immediately recognizable inking of the great David Lloyd (`V For Vendetta') tells the story of a very unlikely hero, and is both sarcastic and very, very touching (usually noted as an artist, Lloyd does a great writing job on this one). `Platinum Nights' has great artwork by Paradox Press's James Romberger and a fantastic story, and `Electric China Death', words by Richard Bruning (editor for DC Comics) and pictures by Mark Chiarello (`Terminal City'), takes a surreal look on a classic scene of violence. Finally, the great Peter Kuper's (`The System', `ComicStrips' and a series of Franz Kafka adaptations) `Chains', a very short comic which says a lot more in three wordless pages than some of the others do in fifteen.

I put the rating down to 4/5 because of some of the filler material, the much weaker stories. My biggest disappointment was Dave Gibbons' `The Bear', a poorly written and very expected story. Mr. Gibbons, legendary `Watchmen' artist, doesn't make it as and artist like Lloyd does. `Initiation', `Killer Smile' and `Small Time' are also weak, though they all have good artwork.

The extreme violence shown on the pages of Gangland is poetic violence, like that of Quentin Tarantino or David Fincher. It shows violence and lawbreaking at its most beautiful and its most horrific at once. Gangland is meant for mature readers, and ones who are not easily offended. If you enjoy works by artists like Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Peter Kuper or Robert Crumb, Gangland is well worth adding to your collection. ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of 4 novellas, including a brand new horror tale from his ownself Joe R. Lansdale includes these three classics: "Bubba Ho-Tep", "On The Far Side of the Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks", "The Events Concerning A Nude Fold-Out Found In a Harlequin Romance". Plus an all new horror novella, "The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel". Plus an afterword from Joe himself explaining how the novellas came about. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Four Novellas
I review this so the readers will know what they are getting for their hard earned cash and so they can know where to find these for far less.This reprints four novellas:

1) Bubba Ho-Tep - Published on its own after the movie and also in "Writer of the Purple Rage."
2) On the Far Side of Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks - In "Electric Gumbo" and "By Bizarre Hands."Also recently adapted into a comic.
3) The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance - in "Bestsellers Guaranteed" which may also be hard to find.This is a hilarious read, though, one of his best short stories.
4) The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel - in "Mad-Dog Summer."

I loaned my copy to someone back when it only cost $45.It never came back to me."Steam Man" wasn't one of my favorites, but it was the draw to buy this as it was the only unpublished novella in it.The rest of them are some of the best writing I ever read.You can find them all for less elsewhere though. ... Read more

Amazon.com
"Don't you get a little tired working so hard to be folksy?" Hap Collins asks a colorful, clod-kicking private eye named Jim Bob Luke. "Naw," Jim Bob tells him. "I figure it's kind of an edge. People don't know what you're really thinking. They think you're just a shallow good ole boy." Nobody would ever think that about Collins, who looks like a long-haired '70s dropout and is seriously worried about the quality of his life. With his best buddy Leonard Pine--who aside from being black and gay is extremely tough and nasty in a firefight--Hap goes after the biker who first stole and then killed Pine's boyfriend. Jim Bob also gets involved in the chase, which converges on a corrupt local chili entrepreneur and a totally convincing Texas tornado. Two other Hap Collins books, Mucho Mojo and The Two-Bear Mambo, are available in paperback.Book Description
Hap Collins is in a LaBorde, Texas, hospital recuperating from an attack by a rabid squirrel and wondering why his best friend, Leonard Pine, hasn't been by to visit. Turns out that Leonard was upset enough about his boyfriend Raul leaving him for another guy that he went down to the biker bar this guy hangs out at and beats him with a broom handle. When the biker turns up dead later that night, it doesn't take long to guess who the primary suspect is--especially with Leonard nowhere to be found.

After Hap checks himself out of the hospital and finds Leonard hiding in his bed, the fourth novel in this series kicks into high gear--or what passes for high gear in Lansdale's deceptively laid-back storytelling style. Pretty soon, they've stumbled onto a conspiracy involving gaybasher pornography, and Leonard's ready to exact some vigilante justice over Hap's protestations: "There's few people think a roach exterminator is a murderer. I'm not talkin' about beatin' up and rapin' innocent people who are lookin' for love in all the wrong places. I'm talkin' about stampin' out a plague, man.... I've heard you rave about the horrors of the child sex trade in Thailand, the poor, the plight of blacks and women and gays, and all the stuff you gripe about, but me, I'm gonna do somethin'."

Add in a budding romance between Hap and Brett Sawyer, the nurse who tells him on their first date about how she set her abusive husband on fire--which impresses him much more than it scares him--and you've got the makings of another classic Lansdale thriller.

Customer Reviews (22)

Hap and Leonard find more trouble
Long time friends Leonard Pine and Hap Collins are out in the woods, taking target practice and talking about an unfortunate turn in Leonard's love life (his lover,Raul, dumped him for another man, "Horse D**k" McNee).Without warning, a rabid squirrel explodes from the trees and attacks, zeroing in on Hap.The squirrel bites Hap on the right forearm before Leonard can kill it with his car.Hap, hospitalized for insurance reasons, starts treatment to prevent the onset of rabies.

Hap makes the best of his hospital stay, but is puzzled by Leonard's failure to visit.A friend on the police force explains why: shortly after Hap checked in, Leonard invaded a biker bar, beat the crap out of Horse D**k McNee, and fled.Unfortunately, Horse Dick later turned up dead, making Leonard a prime suspect.Hap, ignoring his doctor's wishes, and foregoing the chance to flirt with sexy nurse Brett Sawyer, checks out of the hospital to find his friend and clear his name.

Leonard does not remain a suspect for long, as he and Hap hook up and do what they do best, by which I mean they stir up trouble.They discover that Horse Dick was an undercover cop who apparently was investigating the producers of a series of stalk and rape movies in which gangs terrorize, then sodomize, unsuspecting gay men.Their investigations turn up Raul's corpse, and lead them to Charles Arthur, the self described "Chili King", who appears to be behind the movies and the killings.

Proving that a deck can have as many as three wild cards, Lansdale involves private detective Jim Bob Luke (who first appeared in Lansdale's brutal novel Cold in July) in the action.Investigating the case from another angle, Luke rescues Hap from an extremely tight spot (Hap's privates are wired up to a car battery at the time), and joins the pair as they close in on the lowlife behind all the mayhem.Luke adds a comic and savage element to the novel, helping propel it to a harrowing and surprising climax.

If you are a horror/suspense fan, I hardly need to sing Lansdale's praises--his distinctive voice and powerful storytelling are evident on every page.Like previous entries in this series (Savage Season, Mucho Mojo and The Two Bear Mambo), Lansdale uses Hap and Leonard's antics to counter the grim events occurring around them.Two of mystery fiction's more memorable characters, Hap and Leonard have a great talent for finding, then evading, trouble.An East Texas version of Travis McGee and Meyer, their philosophical discussions and wiseass humor will keep you laughing.

The highlight of the book is Jim Bob Luke, who gives new meaning to the phrase "larger than life."Luke steals every scene he's in (and some he isn't), leading me to speculate that Lansdale might inaugurate a new series featuring the hard boiled private eye.I, for one, would welcome it--hell, I'd welcome anything that puts more Lansdale books in my sweaty little hands.

This Chili's an acquired taste
Reading the "first sentence" and "statistically improbable phrases" above may just tell you all you need to know about whether or not this book is for you.This is, if I've got it right, the fourth in the Hap/Leonard series, and while the characters still manage some surprises, they haven't advanced much; Lansdale has to rachet up the action a bit to keep our interest.

But plot is secondary to characterization here, and these characters are stock Lansdale: leather-tough, casually obscene and unabashedly hard-boiled, but with generous dollops of self-doubt and existential angst beneath their battle-scarred exteriors.

Not quite as much fun as Mucho Mojo, the prior entry in the series, this tale requires a bit more suspension of disbelief and tolerance for brutality.But experienced Lansdale readers will find this a worthy effort.

Nature Gone Wild
I only recently re-read this book after a few years and was struck by how FUNNY it is!Arguably the funniest in the Hap/Leonard series, its also pretty dark in many ways, and quite gory as well.Rabies plays a key role in both the beginning and conclusion to this story, in a weird - and oddly satisfying - circular construct.The plot involves Hap's quest to clear Leonard of possible murder charges.There's also what seems to be an underlying theme - with vivid descriptions of torture, gay-bashing for entertainment, mad animals and a violent storm - of nature, in all of its forms, gone wild.Joe Lansdale is somehow able to convey humor even while proving once again that HUMAN nature is still the baddest mf on the block (okay, that storm is pretty bad.But human nature runs a very close second here, trust me!).A must-read.

Good Ole Hap and Leonard
Man, I just love the Hap and Leonard series. Lansdale's dialogue is hysterical, and somehow the situations these characters keep finding themselves in doesn't feel forced at all. They're the greatest losers that ever lived (on page anyway).

Once again, our heores must solve a mystery surrounding the death of Leonard's boyfriend, and eek out the source of some gay bashing videos that have been circulating at local video stores. Along the way we deal with a self proclaimed Chili King, an ex wrestler who likes to hook people testicles up to car batteries, a nurse with a penchant for lighting people on fire, a particularly rabid squirrel, and then some.

Perhpas my favorite part of this novel is the introduction of Joe Bob, a gun totin', gun slingin' private Detective who accompanies Hap and Leonard on their quest. I hope he returns in the next novel becuase he's just a great character.

My only gripe about this particular book in the series is that the end falls a little flat. Lansdale goes for reality more than cliche'd entertainment..but you know what, I would have preferred the cliche at the end.

Still, it's a terrif book , and fast paced enough to read in a single day. Lansdale is truly the king of Mojo.

Perfect entertainment!
I love Joe R. Lansdale; I think he is the best writer ever to put words on paper. He should be knighted or something. The Hap and Leonard series is pure joy from start to finish. I love both of them, their beautiful friendship, their humor and the outrageous situations they manage to get themselves into. As always, this novel has incredibly well-written prose, hilarious lines and situations and wonderful suspense and action. You really care about the good guys--I always want to hug them!--and yell yee-haw when the bad guys get their asses kicked. The best thing about these books, is that there is also a serious, sometimes wistful tone underneath it all. Sometimes you cry a little. Sometimes you want to hide from the evil of the bad guys. But mostly you just laugh! Perfect! ... Read more

Book Description
The kid gloves are off as Joe R. Lansdale and Timothy Trumsn team up to deliver mayhem, death, and, of course, zombies! Wayne is a bounty hunter, with the bad luck to be one in the middle of a desert filled with the undead. But he has to bring in his man if he wants to get paid and the dead folks best get out of his way if they know what's good for 'em. But of course, being dead, they don't. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Its Good! Real Good!
Timothy Truman and Joe R. Lansdale did a great bit of work here!If you loved Jonah Hex Two-Gun Mojo, Jonah Hex Riders of the Wyrm, or Lone Ranger and Tonto, then you'll like this one too.

Timothy Truman is a great artist. If Sam Peckinpah had done comics instead of movies he would have had Timothy Truman doing the art. Truman does great action scenes, full of gun play, bullets, tissue damage, gore, sweat, tears, and blood. He also has an eye for detail, though that's more apparent in his period pieces "Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo".

Joe R. Lansdale tells a good story. Just the right combination of sci-fi and grit. These guys are a great team.

I think this is a great buy at $9.99. And if you got the money I would also recommend "Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo".

Short But Gruesome Zombie Ride
Joe Lansdale is one of the best horror writers in the business today and it's great to see someone putting out comic adaptations of his stories.His graphic and visceral style is well-suited to the comics.This tale is based on a classic Romero-esque zombie story he wrote called "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks".It's sort of a Dawn of the Dead meets Omega Man type story.Lansdale provides an introduction in the book that features are by Tim Truman, best known for his Grimjack series for First Comics back in the 1980's.Lansdale touts Truman as the finest comic artist in the business.That may be stretching things a tad bit but Truman is very good.Oddly though, while the full page illustrations in this book by Truman are quite gorgeous, the actually story art is somewhat bland and has a rushed look to it.It's done strictly in black and white with out any grays or even zip-a-tone to give the art and depth or shading and Truman's usual fine line work is missing.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus was released causing the dead to return to life to feed on the living.Pretty standard stuff there.A bounty hunter enters a desert strip club where they actually have nude female zombies as the entertainment.Their mouths are sealed shut so they can't bite and the sign outside advertises them as "perfumed and maggot-free".Nice...The bounty hunter is after a murderer named Calhoun and after a brief brawl, he takes his prey into custody.While driving through the desert they're attacked by a tank-like vehicle and captured by a band of zombies and fanatical nuns who serve a man who calls himself Lazarus.This man, we discover, is the one who actually created the virus that spread throughout the world.He's now using the blood of those not yet affected to try and find a cure.Lazarus has found a way to control the zombies and they now worship him as a God.With the help of one of the nuns who knows Lazarus is mad and wants out, the three escape into the desert for the final, grim climax to the story.

Like much of Landsdale's work, this is a raw, bloody, and bleak tale.There's no heroic figures here to root for.The story is short but intense.The idea of lap-dancing zombies is thoroughly bizarre but probably quite accurate if a situation like this ever came to pass.Using a Disney-style theme park as the lair of Lazarus and his zombies was a nice little dig as well.I'll give the story five stars but I still think the art could have been a bit better, especially having seen Truman do so much outstanding work over the years.This one is definitely for mature readers.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Take a wild ride to the far side of the Cadillac Desert...
and hang with the Dead Folks!On the Far Side with Dead Folks is a faithful adaptation of Joe Lansdale's classic zombie story On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks.It is vintage Lansdale, vulgar, funny, and, odd as it sounds, achingly humane.A mixture of the Romero Mythos (the original story was written for the anthology The Book of the Dead) and pulp men's adventure yarn, Dead Folks tells the tale of a tough bounty hunter that captures one bad dude, only to run into a crazy cult on the way back to collect his reward.Things get a bit complicated after that.Of all the Lansdale adaptations that Avatar has done, Dead Folks gets my vote as the best.Highly recommended to Lansdale fans. ... Read more

Book Description
Marvel's masked men ride again in all-new tales by a posse of today's most talented creators! It's the raucous return of Two-Gun Kid, Hurricane, Red Wolf, the Man From Fort Rango, Kid Colt, Arizona Annie, the Black Rider, Gunhawk and more! And introducing the Philadelphia Philly and Spender! Plus: re-presenting the origin of Rawhide Kid by Jack "King" Kirby and other classic Marvel Western tales! Collects Marvel Westerns: The Two-Gun Kid, Marvel Westerns: Western Legends, Marvel Westerns: Kid Colt and the Arizona Girl, Marvel Westerns: Strange Westerns Starring the Black Rider and the Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files handbook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One Full Saddle:Marvel Throws Everything Remotely Western Into This Collection and Comes Out a Two-Fisted, Six Shootin Winner!
This is simply a great collection. Marvel, in an attempt to bring the Wild West genre back to comics, has put everything they can into this book. If you're even slightly interested in two-gun heroes, wild fillies of the fighting persuasion, and just good, old-fashioned Texan yarns, this book is for you. The action here is all-out but also thoughtful. WARNING:SPOILERS HEREAFTER. Steve Englehart's Black Rider-tale, "Black Homecoming," is full of fighting and shooting but also is a story about one's responsibility to family when you realize that someone you once respected is a villainous, treacherous, horrible manipulator of other people's bad circumstances. Jeff Parker's "Hurricane" and the character of the same name contains so much potential for violence that the obscene amount of bullets needed for it doesn't seem gratuitous only because the story is so well written and also because of the fact that it centers around his attempt to restore an Indian woman to her people. You get all-out hilarity from Keith Giffen's and Robert Flemming's creation, "Tall Tale," which is in all actuality a very short tale about a midget who in the first panel falls what looks like ten feet from his horse and hits the ground running from that point on until he's in love with ventriloquist's female dummy! You get some weird stuff, like She Hulk riding with a 21st (22nd?)-Century Two Gun Kid on a horse-cycle-hover-craft thing, a tale written by Dan Slott that actually turns out to be very, very good. He starts the tale on a seemingly impossibly stupid stunt, but shifts gears to go back in time to an excellent Western tale and then speeds back up to the present for a very satisfying conclusion. Then there's the appearance of Skrulls in Gray's & Palmiotti's Kid Colt and Arizona Annie tale that, to be honest, just didn't work for me. Well, okay, the line "Prepare yourself for the smell of roast lizard" before she blows up a whole saloon full of Skrulls was pretty darn cool. "The Man From Fort Rango" and "The Legend of Red Wolf" (which is probably the most famous and fan-favorite of the stories that were touted when the new line of Marvel Westerns was published in 2006) are two gripping stories about conflict between whites and Indians, but Red Wolf is undoubtedly the better of the two. There's nothing like seeing an Indian with the power of The Wolf behind him when his people have been massacred. My favorite story here is Joe Lansdale's (writer) and Rafa Garres's (artist) "Gunhawk:The Midnight Gun," a philosophical tale about getting what you ask for and why you should be careful in the asking. Garres's art is like a dark Kyle Hotz; very neat stuff. And then you also get several Kid Colt and Rawhide Kid reprints written by Stan Lee, whose writing was actually better than it's given credit for here, and drawn by Jack King Kirby. Kirby could draw anything, and it's great to see the warped craziness that he can even fit into a Western. Here it's a psychedelic walking Totem Pole bent on revenge, rage, and destruction! If that wasn't enough you get a very lengthy, thorough, and exhaustive collection of Marvel Western character files that will please any true Spaghetti-Western connoisseur; it talks about everything from the comics to the movies and the tales behind the tales as well as, in some cases, the rest of the story. If you have any inclination toward trying these stories, I would highly recommend your doing so. This is a beautifully bound book, with excellent covers by Marshall Rogers (the first issue) and Eric Powell (the rest), and it serves as one instance in which Marvel did everything they could to truly give the fans everything they could rather than taking them for a half-hearted marketing spin. This is a true homerun, and I, for one, hopes it helps revitalize the Western comic market. Better than that, I hope you'll read it and start seeing them dust bunnies in your house as dust devils and start staring folks down and slapping your hip when you think someone's insulted your mom or hoss. Okay, okay, just give it a try!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Audio CD Version
Sunset and Sawdust is a great book.The narrator, though, is not consistent with keeping her "voices" straight.I wish she'd just read it as her voice and accent are great. ... Read more

Book Description
This is the third volume in the Dark Voices series, which features award-winning, best-selling authors reading their own short fiction. A copy of the story also appears in print in a high-quality chapbook. Each volume features original music written by Bob Schaller to accompany the author's reading. ... Read more