The Shadow Volume 19 Reveals The TRUE Origins of "Batman"...

Aug. 28, 2008 - PRLog -- Walter Gibson and Theodore Tinsley, authors of the popular "Shadow" pulp fiction novel series wrote as Maxwell Grant.  You may be thinking, well, that's nice - why does it matter?

Ever since “The Dark Knight” débuted (and sold out at every theater across the country), pulp fiction fans have been busy blogging about the origins of “Batman” and the similarities to the early “Shadow” novels.

You see, Dennis O’Neil, who edited the Batman comics line for a decade, wrote the Foreword for the recently released: THE SHADOW Volume 19 - FORESHADOWING THE JOKER: "Voodoo Trail" and "Death's Harlequin".  In his revealing Foreword essay, O'Neil makes some very candid statements regarding Batman’s origins and backs it up with historical commentary and colorful storytelling that some Batman fans might surely challenge (if they didn’t truly know the facts).

And you can bet O’Neil is all about the facts…  

“Make no mistake”, O’Neil writes, “Batman is The Shadow’s direct heir.  For that, we have the testimony of an ultimate authority, the writer who first put words in Batman’s mouth.  His name was Bill Finger and he told historian Jim Steranko, “I was very much influenced by the Shadow…I patterned my style of writing Batman after the Shadow…My first script was a take-off on a Shadow.””

O’Neil says that “the first thriller that became the first Batman story was actually written by Theodore Tinlsey, a veteran wordsmith who eventually wrote 27 fill-in Shadow novels, including “Death’s Harlequin”.  

The Shadow pulp fiction novels are timeless and a great way to introduce classic literature to young readers.


To get the rest of the story, pick up your copy today at http://www.NostalgiaTown.com


The Shadow: Volume 19
FORESHADOWING THE JOKER: "Voodoo Trail" and "Death's Harlequin"

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!" The Knight of Darkness returns in three thrillers that foreshadowed two classic Batman villains. First, the Voodoo Master returns from the dead to lead The Shadow on a "Voodoo Trail" to their final showdown, in the story that inspired Batman's first supervillain, Doctor Death. Then, The Shadow battles a murderous clown in "Death's Harlequin." Finally, The Dark Avenger searches for a murderer who kills with a deadly formula that causes his victims to laugh themselves to death in "The Laughing Corpse," a classic Shadow script from the Golden Age of Radio, while The Shadow-Batman connection is examined in a foreword by Bat-scribe Denny O'Neil. This instant collector's item also showcases one of George Rozen's greatest covers (reproduced directly from the original oil painting), all the interior illustrations by legendary illustrator Edd Cartier and commentary by popular culture historians Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. (Vol 19 summary written by Anthony Tollin, Sanctum Productions)    

"It was the face of a man long since dead! The thin lips were drawn away from skull-like teeth. The cheeks were sunken and leathery. Dank black hair lay matted thinly on a baldish scalp the color of old parchment. A living corpse in the costume of a gay Harlequin! With a wide-muzzled gun. And a jeering laugh that made the silence in the room crawl with menace." from Death's Harlequin

ISBNs: 978-1-934943-03-8   1-934943-03-7
Front & Back Covers are in Full Color, Softcover, 7x10...................................$12.95


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NOW AVAILABLE: Collector Set The Shadow Volumes 1-21
"The Shadow" fans can also pick up the entire set of reprints today directly from the publisher, Nostalgia Ventures, Inc. at http://www.nostalgiatown.com/ViewProduct.aspx?ProductId=1...

This is the first time these reprints have been packaged and sold together at over 20% OFF the cover price.  Readers will save over $60 when they purchase this entire Collector Set.

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As Co-publishers of the popular Pulp Fiction Novel reprints "The Shadow" and "Doc Savage", we are committed to bringing the best Nostalgia products back for all generations to enjoy. We also specialize in restored original broadcasts of Old Time Radio shows in various collector sets: Comedy, Variety, Mystery, Detectives, and Westerns from the 1930's, 40's and 50's.