Men Of Violence 2

Justin Marriott is back with another issue of MAN OF VIOLENCE. Like the first issue of his self-published fanzine, which I reviewed last July, it covers the lurid, often bloody men's adventure paperbacks of the 1970s, a genre of literature about which very little seems to be known or written.

#2 is very much like the first, including its deficits (lousy proofreading), but what's good is really good. I only wish the issue were longer, because I think Justin is beginning to scratch the surface with his articles.

Topics include Manor Books, a New York-based operation that published some of the genre's sleaziest series, including Kill Squad, Bronson (an incredibly obvious DEATH WISH ripoff), and Kung Fu starring Mace; Peter McCurtin's long running Marksman series; the western series Renegade starring Captain Gringo (!); a review of Bradley Mengel's new McFarland book SERIAL VIGILANTES OF PAPERBACK FICTION (which I'll also be reviewing soon); and more.

Best of all are all the (black-and-white) reproduced covers sprinkled across the pages. As good as the articles are, I think the best way to get a quick idea of what the men's adventure genre is all about is to glance at these action-packed covers, many of which were painted by comic book artists like Bob Larkin and Ken Barr.

You can learn more about MEN OF ACTION at Justin's Paperback Fanatic site.