This issue is our thickest yet, coming in at 118 pages of mad science, history, interviews, fashion, and fiction!

This issue covers such subjects as: dieselpunk, anti-fascist fashion, DIY miniature airships, paper dolls, the New Orleans general strike of 1892, loaded dice and swindles, the Red Fork Empire, surrealism, machine intelligence, and post-mortem communications!

Including interviews with Cory Doctorow, Cherie Priest, Eric Larson, the Vagabonds, Frenchy & The Punk, and BB Blackdog.

Fiction by Katie Casey, reginazabo, Erin Searles, David Z. Morris, and the Catastrophone Orchestra.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a crime drama that ran for over 12 years during the golden age of radio. The main character, Johnny Dollar, was a smart, tough, wisecracking insurance detective who tossed silver-dollar tips to waiters and bellhops. While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn’t necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. He was willing to let some things slide to satisfy his own sense of justice, as long as his employers were also protected.

Download this week’s episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar:

• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in Out of the Fire Into The Frying Pan.mp3

Special thanks to Scott from Dieselpunk Industries for tipping us to Johnny Dollar’s radio adventures.

Boston Blackie, enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend, was created by pulp author Jack Boyle. He appeared in Boyle’s 1920 novel Boston Blackie, which was a compilation of his short stories “Boston Blackie’s Mary” and “Fred the Count,” published in Red Book Magazine in Nov. 1917 and Jan. 1918, respectively. Originally conceived as a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle’s stories, Blackie became a “reformed” criminal and private detective in later adaptions. Blackie made the jump to silent films treatments in the late teens and early twenties, eventually scoring big time in 1941 thanks to Columbia’s Boston Blackie series.

In this week’s picture, Alias Boston Blackie, Blackie tracks down a wrongly convicted prisoner who escapes during a Christmas magic show. Although the charming detective is suspect number one whenever a daring crime is committed, Boston Blackie’s adventures always find a way to bring the actual culprit to justice.

Watch Boston Blackie in Alias Boston Blackie (1942)

[image from sonorareview.com]

Shhhh!  Don’t tell nobody, but the Cap’n knows the place a guy or gal can get a drink.  I ain’t talkin’ coffee, folks, but the good stuff, the real McCoy!  Volstead may be in vogue on Main Street, but here at the Cabaret we know just where to go.  Follow us down the alley.  That non-descript door in the back?  Yea, that’s the place!

Might not be the Ritz, but it’s got the juice.  Call it a Blind Pig, a Blind Tiger, a Watering Hole, or a Speak-Easy, the back-room bar is becoming the place to go under the tyranny of the 18th Amendment. 

And strange as it might seem, this ain’t your pappy’s pub!  Gone are the days of the old smokey room of beer-swilling blue collar men playing cards and drinking away the baby’s milk money.  This is a hip new joint where - squares beware! – Anything Goes, as the great Cole Porter likes to say.  Flapper girls in short dresses smoking (yes, smoking!) and drinking, dapper Dans hoisting a cocktail of top quality gin made from the finest bathtub distillery, Hot Jazz, roulette, and raucous laughter…an event the whole family can enjoy, assuming you’ve got one swingin’ family!

I tell ya, pal, this place is the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the be-all and end-all finer-than-frog-hair party of the new century!

The Treasury Department may not like it, but we do. And if they want to make criminals and scoff-laws out of the majority of the American people…well, that’s just the way it’s going to be!  

So, hang out and hoist a few, pally…the Cap’n sure will!  And in the words of tonight’s lovely performer, the wildly talented (and talentedly wild) Bessie Smith, “Tain’t Nobody Business if I Do!”

 So, belly up to the bar and have a cocktail.  I recommend the Dorflinger, which adds a splash of even-illegal-before-Volstead absinthe and some orange bitters to help smooth the, ahem, rough edges of our home-made gin.

Cheers!

And drink plenty of water…tomorrow morning is going to be rough!

Dorflinger Cocktail:

[image from cocktails.about.com; (C) Shannon Graham]

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 oz Absinthe
• Dash of Orange Bitters (or more to taste)

Stir well over ice & strain into a cocktail glass.

A tad late on the notification, but this evening the Piermont Landing will host the Return to the Emerald Ball, starting at 6pm, SLT!  Ensure you have the opportunity to indulge in the return of the Steamland’s wonderful social season, by heading over to http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wheatstone%20Waterways/72/70/107 – see you there!

In Switzerland, dozens of Saurer, FBW and Berna buses, as good as new, are the stars of numerous automotive events. Thanks to Elmar (orangevolvobusdriver4u, on Flickr) we can have them in our Garage this Friday. Enjoy!

FBW

Saurer

Saurer

FBW

Berna

Saurer

Saurer

Saurer

Berna

Saurer

Saurer

FBW

Saurer

Berna

Saurer

Saurer

All photos by orangevolvobusdriver4u, on Flickr

In a recent conversation from an undisclosed location somewhere in Georgia, Captain Mobius explained his manifold motivations for the Nautilus Project.

The seed was planted in 1962, when his father took the then 6-year-old Captain Mobius to see Disney’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’. “I would make believe I was every character in that movie except the giant squid,” he chuckled reflectively. This early experience fostered life-long loves of both science-fiction and the sea. He taught himself to sail by age 30, scratch-building several sailing vessels over the years.

Had ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ movie not been released in 2003, the Nautilus Project might never have happened. The CGI imagining of Nemo’s massive Nautilus in that film was an affront to Captain Mobius. CGI had freed film-makers from respecting physical laws, and Captain Mobius felt that version of the Nautilus was just all wrong. “The great movie model-makers are all gone. At least they made things look like they’d work!” Perhaps we should be thanking them for providing the impetus for the Nautilus Project.

So Captain Mobius started to work, designing with pencil, ruler and paper his homage to the only rightful movie Nautilus, the 1954 masterpiece made by Harper Goff for the Disney production. He spent three years planning every detail and every stage of the construction, using only techniques available to the average, self-educated person (like him).

Concessions had to be made to the techniques used and the scale of the design. The size of the main hatch had to be adjusted, as it would have scaled to only 12 inches wide. He also had to build his Nautilus replica from the outside in, rather than the inside out technique usually employed. This meant building the outer skin to exact alignments and dimensions before adding the interior ribbing and keel; it was the only way he could do it single-handedly, which was a goal central to the project. “I wanted to shake people’s notion that the disabled are feeble. And I wanted to show what an average person can do if they just set their mind to it.”

He’s accomplishing this feat of nautical engineering using only hand tools and materials available at the local home improvement store. “There is no piece of lumber more than 16 inches wide because I had to move them all in a Toyota Sentra”. Pyrex bowls have been pressed into service for the semi-submerged hemispherical viewports on port and starboard.

When complete, the wooden structure will be sealed in a fiberglass skin before being cunningly painted to match the original Nautilus.

Except for the trolling motors and batteries to power them, “there are just three things I didn’t buy: the wheel and two cleats from my 1955 Chris-Craft. Those have sentimental value.”

The good Cap’n Mobius doesn’t consider this his final project, by any means. He has more fantastic vessels planned, but alas, those plans are still top secret!

The Nautilus is slated for launch in a gala ceremony in late July, near Atlanta. Keep tabs on the Nautilus Project via Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheNautilusProject) or follow them on Twitter @NautilusAtlanta.

“Absolutely spiffing!” The Daily Telegraph
“Jolly good show!” The Chap

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a crime drama that ran for over 12 years during the golden age of radio. The main character, Johnny Dollar, was a smart, tough, wisecracking insurance detective who tossed silver-dollar tips to waiters and bellhops. While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn’t necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. He was willing to let some things slide to satisfy his own sense of justice, as long as his employers were also protected.

Download this week’s episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar:

• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in The Robert W. Perry Case.mp3

Special thanks to Scott from Dieselpunk Industries for tipping us to Johnny Dollar’s radio adventures.

Boston Blackie, enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend, was created by pulp author Jack Boyle. He appeared in Boyle’s 1920 novel Boston Blackie, which was a compilation of his short stories “Boston Blackie’s Mary” and “Fred the Count,” published in Red Book Magazine in Nov. 1917 and Jan. 1918, respectively. Originally conceived as a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle’s stories, Blackie became a “reformed” criminal and private detective in later adaptions. Blackie made the jump to silent films treatments in the late teens and early twenties, eventually scoring big time in 1941 thanks to Columbia’s Boston Blackie series.

In this week’s picture, Confessions of Boston Blackie, Blackie is accused of murdering a man at an art auction, which leads to the uncovering of an art racket. Although the charming detective is suspect number one whenever a daring crime is committed, Boston Blackie’s adventures always find a way to bring the actual culprit to justice.

Watch Boston Blackie in Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941)

Hello, old sport. Have I seen The Great Gatsby? But of course! It’s simply the talk of the town, and anybody who’s anyone was there at the premiere.

Let me say that Baz Luhrmann, the director of this shindig, really knows how to throw a party. His bombastic style is the perfect technicolor stage for a story about the 1920s. I didn’t want to miss a beat, so I re-read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tale of obsession just last week. Like most people, I originally read the story in high school, but I’ve also had the pleasure of reading Trimalchio, Fitzgerald’s first-pass at the Gatsby story, sometime in 2002. If the high school book was the masterpiece, then Trimalchio is the unedited director’s cut. With my brain fully loaded with hype, I was ready to slap on a pair of 3D glasses at my local IMAX.

That’s not entirely true. As a marketing professional, I’m pretty jaded. I know that movies are movies and books are books, and I know that other celebrated directors like Francis Ford Coppola have run this gamut before and failed. That set the bar a little lower for my expectations, and I wasn’t quite sure what I was walking into.

Let me reassure you all that it didn’t disappoint. The movie ran true to the story with the exception of two minor elements that, if anything, enhanced the pacing of the film. The first act introduces us to the narrator, the main characters, and the decadence of a setting that could only be described as a rap video as shot with rich white folks in the ‘20s. The second act drives the suspense with quite a few moving moments, and the third act concludes with a gunshot. I would enjoy seeing it again, and I would recommend the 3D version. It doesn’t add too much to the storytelling, but the movie was shot in 3D (not converted after-the-fact) and there quite a few elements that benefit from the effect that wouldn’t translate well to 2D.

I might even go as far as saying I prefer the movie to the book, because the movie’s visual style clarifies some pieces that Fitzgerald glosses over due to his lack of first-hand experience (speakeasies) and the narrative limitations of the time period (love scenes).

All of the actors stayed very true to their characters, and Joel Edgerton’s portrayal of the racist, cheating asshole Tom Buchanan was so sympathetic it actually gave me a new angle to the story I hadn’t thought of before. The women were simply angelic, especially newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Although a minor character, I was completely mesmerized whenever she appeared.

The soundtrack was almost entirely new work, mixing a blend of electroswing, hip hop, and modern pop artists like Lana Del Rey, Jay Z (who also doubled as a executive producer), and Florence & The Machine. There were a few fitting period songs, but you won’t see them on the CD. While you might cringe at the line-up, the most modern tunes are only used briefly as background music with few exceptions, making the whole thing gel together quite well. You have to give it to a guy like Baz Luhrmann for pushing the dieselpunk style in his own way.

Here there be spoilers.

How different is it from the book? The movie starts and ends with a book-end narrative where Nick is writing Gatsby’s tale as therapy. Since the events of the tale, he’s fallen into depression and alcoholism, and his therapist suggests getting his thoughts out on paper. This is very minor (5-10 minutes at most), and adds a narrative cushion to the story’s framework so we’re not instantly thrown into the chaos of the Roaring Twenties. It’s not needed in a book, but it works in the movie. The other major detail is that Jay’s dad does not appear at the end of the story. This part of the epilogue was probably cut to keep the movie from dragging after the finale, but it does feel significant enough to mention. There are a few other trivial things, but they’re not missed.

4 out of 5 stars

You Dry bastards!  You dumped it out!  Damn you!  Damn you to hell!!

Oh, the humanity!  The bastards have done it!  That damned Russell and his pack of meddling preacher pals and nattering old nannies have, against the will of the majority, pressured through the 18th Amendment, making the production, consumption, and distribution of alcoholoic beverages illegal in these United States. 

Yes, an amendment that removes a public right rather than protects a right…think about that precident for a minute.

Now, the Temperance Movement and their firebrand Anti-Saloon League radicals can claim the high moral ground all they want, but remember that these same guys and gals put the Washingtonian movement, an honest and highly-sucessful self-help by drunkards for drunkards group, out of business for having the audacity to be more sucessfull at helping people break their drinking problems than the traditional temperance approach of judgementally berating them as “dirty sinners”.  Keep in mind also the company these so-called Temperance folks keep:  yep, they’re closely allied to our “old frineds” the Klan. Those same whiskey-swilling murderers in the white robes. No longer content to simply hang colored folks or harass catholics, the KKK was an instrumental ally in the 18th Amendment and the follow-on Volstead Act. 

Hooray for American Democracy.

Now the government is going on a booze-dumping spree, disgracefully pouring gallon after gallon into the rivers (lucky fish).  Not just the hard stuff neither, but beer and wine, even communion wine – so much for Christian Soldiers. Apparently spilling the blood of the savior is a perfectly acceptable collateral casualty to these hypocrites in their War on Rum.

Meanwhile, you can talk to the Reefer Man right there on the street corner in Harlem or swing by Chinatown and kick the gong any time, but having a beer after a hard day at the factory?  Nice try, you filthy sinner!

I hardly know what to play for today’s Cabaret.  Some mourning song, perhaps. A down-tempo durge?  Or bow to our new white-gowned temperance overlords and play “Not One Drop”.

How about Nora Bayes and the ol’ Prohibition Blues?

 So here ya’ go, pally, enjoy a nice cup of Joe for today’s Cocktail:

Cap’n's Coffee:

[image from simpalife.com]

• 1 tbsp ground Coffee Beans
• 8 oz Water
• Cream & Sugar (Optional)

Place ground coffee into a french press.  Heat water to boiling and pour over grounds in press.  Let steep 2-4 minutes, stirring vigorously.  Pour into cup & add cream and sugar to taste (optional).  Sell the hot coffee to neighbor for a nickle and use nickle to hop a streetcar to the train station.  Take train to Canada and have a proper drink.

Four and twenty Yankees, feeling very dry,
Went across the border to get a drink of rye.
When the rye was opened, the Yanks began to sing,
“God bless America, but God save the King!”

The 8-Liter Bentley was introduced at the 1930 London Motor Show*. It featured an 8-liter engine which was a development of Bentley’s race-winning 6.5-liter unit. The main purpose of this model was to add competition in the luxury car segment and challenge the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

By dmentd, on Flickr

The power-plant was an engineering marvel, fitted with an Elektron crankcase and sump. The engine was a single iron block and cylinder head with four-valves per cylinder. It had an twin-spark ignition, a bore of 110 mm and a stroke of 140 mm.

By dmentd, on Flickr

The straight-six engine carried chassis with wheelbases of 144 inches or 156 inches. The 156-inch wheelbase was the largest car produced in the UK up to that point in history. It could carry the large and luxurious bodies to speeds of 100 mph. To keep the weight of the vehicle to a minimum, many of the bodies and mechanical components were formed from aluminum. An overall weight of about 3700 pounds was typical for the chassis alone. A completed vehicle often tipped the scale at over 2.5 tons.

1931 Bentley 8-Litre Tourer by Zappadong, on Flickr

Four-wheel servo-assisted brakes helped keep the vehicle in the drivers control. There was a four-speed manual gearbox with a single-plate dry clutch and semi-elliptical springs on all four corners.

1930 Bentley 8-Litre by Albert S. Bite, on Flickr

This example was the second car built, it features saloon bodywork by HJ Mulliner and was W O’s “company car” which he used to tour Europe after he had sold the company to Rolls-Royce.

The launch of the Bentley 8-Liter coincided with the onset of the Great Depression. As a result, the small pool of wealthy individuals who could afford one of these machines, dwindled. Competition between marques became even more fierce, as prices dropped and more amenities and accessories were offered in an attempt to lure buyers. This model was financially devastating to Bentley. Bentley’s principal backer at the time, Woolf Barnato, was enduring financial difficulty during this sad time in history. As a result, he severed his financial support with Bentley.

By sjb4photos, on Flickr

Production of the 8-Liter Bentley reached 100 units before production ceased. Rolls-Royce took the opportunity to rescue the struggling company and brought it under its financial protection. This move by Rolls-Royce, also ensured that the marque would never again offer competition to its luxury brand. The Bentley line was modified and acted as the entry-level cars in the luxury department.

1931 Bentley 8-Litre Sedan by dmentd, on Flickr

Most of the Bentley 8-Liter cars were given limousine or four-door saloon coachwork. A few were outfitted with sporty coachwork. Most were in closed configuration with fewer than 25% outfitted with open bodies. The list of coachbuilders included Vanden Plas, Kellner, Thrupp and Maberly, Arthur Mulliner, Gurney Nutting, Park Ward, Freestone & Webb, Letourner et Marchand, Binder and Walter J. Murphy.

By sjb4photos, on Flickr

1931 Bentley 8-Liter Sportsman Coupe at Amelia Island by gswetsky, on Flickr

By sjb4photos, on Flickr

Watch it!

—————-

* Text: Daniel Vaughan, Conceptcarz

Headline image: Bentley 8-Litre Barker Tourer hood ornament by Wouter Melissen, Ultimatecarpage

While we know he’s got an adaptation of the anime classic Death Note on his dance card, that project will have to wait while he tackles Doc Savage. Per The Wrap, it looks like it will be his next project.

Doc Savage “is a scientist, physician, adventurer, inventor, explorer and researcher. He has been trained since birth to be nearly superhuman in every way, with outstanding strength, a photographic memory, and vast knowledge and intelligence. He uses his skills and powers to punish evil wherever in the world he finds it.”

The books gained notoriety in the 1930s and ’40s. Neil Moritz will produce the film which will be written by Black, Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry.

Via: TheWrap

The Edwardian Promenade always has something interesting.

The Smithsonian’s “Paleofuture” weblog is fantastic. Here, a link to Tesla’s predictions for the 21st century.

The British Newspaper Archives has a blog now, huzzah.

Mrs. Daffodil Digresses can be about many things; here’s a post on “murderabilia” collectibles in the 1910s.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a crime drama that ran for over 12 years during the golden age of radio. The main character, Johnny Dollar, was a smart, tough, wisecracking insurance detective who tossed silver-dollar tips to waiters and bellhops. While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn’t necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. He was willing to let some things slide to satisfy his own sense of justice, as long as his employers were also protected.

Download this week’s episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar:

• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in Milford Brooks III.mp3

Special thanks to Scott from Dieselpunk Industries for tipping us to Johnny Dollar’s radio adventures.

Boston Blackie, enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend, was created by pulp author Jack Boyle. He appeared in Boyle’s 1920 novel Boston Blackie, which was a compilation of his short stories “Boston Blackie’s Mary” and “Fred the Count,” published in Red Book Magazine in Nov. 1917 and Jan. 1918, respectively. Originally conceived as a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle’s stories, Blackie became a “reformed” criminal and private detective in later adaptions. Blackie made the jump to silent films treatments in the late teens and early twenties, eventually scoring big time in 1941 thanks to Columbia’s Boston Blackie series.

Meet Boston Blackie became the first film in Columbia’s profitable 14 film series, with Chester Morris providing an amiable, charming hero in all episodes. Although the charming detective is suspect number one whenever a daring crime is committed, Boston Blackie’s adventures always find a way to bring the actual culprit to justice.

Watch Boston Blackie in Meet Boston Blackie (1941)

We didn’t have a parade, and there were no fireworks in honor of Superman’s latest haircut, but we do still conduct our strange ritual as American nerds.  Gathered in our motley robes, we descend upon the closest comic book store in search of community and free swag.  The day passes, we endure strange smells, and the 14 year old boy inside us hopes beyond hope that a cute girl will arrive dressed as Power Girl… but she never does.

In the end, it’s not really the day that matters, or the cold pizza.  It’s knowing that there are other nerds out there who have the same kink for funny books that you do, and that makes all the difference.

So, in honor of May the 4th, here are some comic book titles I think you dieselpunks (and steampunks) will love to track down in the coming months.

Mister X: Eviction

Creators: Dean Motter
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: Out now, May 2013

Description: Dean Motter and his groundbreaking creation are back in a new series perfect for first-time readers and longtime fans! Radiant City’s government has been overtaken in a coup, and only the mysterious Mister. X can stop its new masters from using authoritarian psychetecture to remake the minds of every citizen! Mister X: Eviction is a great jumping-on point to the classic series, and it also features an additional, standalone Mister X tale!

Learn More: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/17-214/Mister-X-Eviction-1

The Steam Engines of Oz

Creators: Sean Patrick O’Reilly, Erik Hendrix, and Yannis Roumboulias
Publisher: Arcana Comics
Release Date: May 4th – Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2013

Description: Epic steampunk re-imagining of the World of Oz set 100 years after the events of the original movie. In an Oz ruled by a once revered hero, salvation comes from the unlikely wrench of Victoria Wright, who dares to question the status quo and sparks a rebellion. This FCBD edition will give you an exciting extended preview of the upcoming graphic novel and a look at what else Arcana’s SteamPunk Originals line has in store for readers!

Learn More: http://www.arcana.com/newsletter/?p=205

Uber #0

Creators: Kieron Gillen
Publisher: Avatar Press
Release Date: May 2013

Description: A new alt-history WWII series introducing a reversal of the Captain America tale where the Nazis have unleashed super-powered soldiers to either win the war or salt the Earth behind them.  It’s told with a splatterpunk fanbase in mind, so gorehounds should keep a bloody eye open for this one.

Learn More: http://www.kierongillen.com/

Breath of Bones: A Tale of The Golem

Creators: Steve Niles, Matt Santoro, and Dave Watcher
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: June 12, 2013

Description: The giant clay monster from Jewish legend goes on a Nazi-killing rampage in order to protect the inhabitants of a small Jewish stronghold and an injured British pilot.

Learn More: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/22-772/Breath-of-Bones-A-Tale-of-the-Golem-1

Captain Midnight #0

Creators: Joshua Williamson
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: June 19, 2013

Description: Captain Midnight – fighter pilot extraordinaire and expert inventor – hurtles out of a freak storm in the Bermuda Triangle and into the twenty-first century.

Learn More: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/22-972/Captain-Midnight-0

Satellite Sam

Creators: Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin
Publisher: Image
Release Date: July 3, 2013

Description: The star of beloved daily television serial “Satellite Sam” turns up dead in a flophouse filled with dirty secrets. The police think it was death by natural causes but his son knows there was something more… if only he could sober up long enough to do something about it. This noir mystery shot through with sex and violence exposes the seedy underbelly of the golden age of television.

Learn More: http://satellitesam.tumblr.com/ (NSFW)

Chronos Commandos

Creators: Stuart Jennett
Publisher: Titan Comics
Release Date: July 3, 2013

Description: When the Allies and Nazis develop time-diving technology that could see the Second World War derailed by creatures from the Cretaceous, only the Sarge and his band of misfit soldiers can save the future – by saving history! Dinosaurs! Giant crocodiles! Albert Einstein with a machinegun! All that barely scratches the surface of the first issue of this astounding, fully-painted pulp spectacular!

Learn More: http://titan-comics.com/comics/chronos001/

The Rocketeer / The Spirit: Pulp Friction

Creators: Mark Waid and Paul Smith
Publisher: IDW
Release Date: July 10, 2013

Description: The Rocketeer/Spirit: Pulp Friction features a murder mystery and political intrigue. From the grim and gritty streets of Central City where The Spirit navigates through the urban underbelly of corruption to the sunny skies of Los Angeles where The Rocketeer soars above the Hollywood elite, these two classic characters will become enthralled in murder, mayhem, and all manner of danger-and with a healthy dose of signature humor tossed in for good measure.

Learn More: http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/article/2546

 Yes, at long last, with literally millions dead, the Great War, the War to End All Wars, has ended in Entente victory.  [image from nzhistory.net]  It’s hard to believe after so many years of apocalyptic struggle that it can be over.  From the first aggressive drives of 1914, through the stasis of the trenches with its gas, tanks, shells, and bombs, from the cities where the planes and airships dropped their bombs, across the seas in a worldwide  struggle that sent thousands of tons of shipping to the bottom of the sea, to the last, desperate pushes that led to the final, long-sought END.  To believe that it would all come to an end at last on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month…the moment which brought Armistice. 

This war litterally spread the world over, a first World War, and it left in its wake the deaths of not just millions – yes, MILLIONS!! – of individuals, but of nations themselves and an entire generation lost in Europe.  The entire world order has been flipped on its head.  Russia has collapsed into a Red experiment that is so far proving as brutal as the Czar it replaced (we hope this will die down as the civil war abates).  Italy is in political chaos despite the victory.  Who knows what may arise from there?  The German Reich has collapsed, thankfully into a liberal democracy out of Weimar, but ill feelings fester.  Even the ancient empires of old, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, have fragmented into dozens of statlets. 

In the latter case, the quest for petroleum has had the victors dividing the Middle Eastern spoils amongst themselves without a thought for the geographical, cultural, religious, or linguistic lines their mapmakers are randomly bisecting.  Wasn’t it the same kind of multinational-pollyreligious problems in the Balkans that started this damned war to begin with? 

But there is hope.  I’ve had my reservations about that Klansman in the Oval Office, but this League of Nations of his, an international body dedicated to peace, holds real promise.  We may well see peace in our time.

Either way, the boys, including the Cap’n, are finally home.

Let us mourn those whom we have lost.  Let us hope and pray that the world never sees another war like this.

But, also, let us celebrate…not for the victory for its own sake, but for the peace it finally brings.  Strike up the band, and join the parade!

And finally, to my fellow Americans, our old friends the Peerless Quartet to sing our American boys home:

Enjoy a Regent’s Punch (a harmonious, worldly amalgamation of spirits and ingredients) with the whole returning company:

Regent’s Punch Cocktail:

[image from saveur.com]

• 1 pint Brandy
• 1 pint Rum
• 1 pint Arrack (substitute Anisette, Ouzo, or Sambuca))
• 1 pint Curacao liqueur
• 3 cups strong hot Green Tea
• 3 cups lemon juice
• 3 cups orange simple syrup
• 1 bottle Champagne
• 1 pineapple, sliced
• 2 oranges, sliced

Combine all ingredients save the champagne and fruit slices into a punch bowl and mix well.  You can let it sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to meld. Immediately before serving add champagne, fruit, and ice.  Stir and serve in punch glasses.  [Adapted from from Jerry Thomas' 1887 Bar-Tender's Guide]

Project 92, so-called as numbers 90 and 91 had already been assigned to civilian aircraft, was agreed in 1945. Saab had decided that, with the Second World War drawing to a close, there would be a need to diversify away from military aircraft. Ideas included motorcycles, cars, commercial vehicles and even fitted kitchens! Other Swedish companies, however, had the motorcycle market sewn up, Volvo already produced cars, and trucks were manufactured by Scania-Vabis. A Saab had to be the right size, type, construction and price – a small, affordable car. Thus, Saab had found its niche.

By trollpowersaab, on Flickr

Project 92 involved just 20 people led by Gunnar Ljungström. Stylist Sixten Sason** and Engineer Gunnar Ljungström made the Ursaab and the 92 real. A 1:10 scale model Ursaab was tested in a wind tunnel by the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology and gave a drag coefficient of 0.32, an impressive figure even by today’s standards.

By trollpowersaab, on Flickr

Preliminary drawings for the body were completed by January 1946 and a full-scale model, finished with black boot polish, was completed by 15 April. The full size buck was viewed with some reservations by Saab management but Ljungström argued: “…if it can save 100 litres of fuel a year, it doesn’t matter if it looks like a frog.”

URSAAB 92001 by Oort2.nl, on Flickr

Panel beaters used the wooden buck, on a bed of horse manure, to beat the metal panels for 92.001 – the first working prototype. Ursaab was propelled by a DKW 18hp two-cylinder; two-stroke engine, an Auto Union fuel tank and many other components that were salvaged from a scrap yard.

URSAAB 92001, logo by Oort2.nl, on Flickr

Ursaab was a compact, front-wheel drive, monocoque construction – a rare combination in the Forties and the sort of departure from the norm that was only possible with aircraft manufacturers developing an automobile without any automobile design baggage. This is the sort of unconventional thinking that has come to typify Saab ever since.

By Davydutchy, on Flickr

The first Ursaab, 92.001, registered E14783, was ready to drive by the end of summer 1946 and was immediately tested day and night. By this time Saab had developed its own blueprint for an engine and the testing provided much useful information about how Ursaab may be improved.

Saab 92001 by Cabsaab900, on Flickr

URSAAB 92001, dashboard by Oort2.nl, on Flickr

URSAAB by mikper, on Flickr

92.001 had very thick doors. Too thick – they were impractical. The front wheels were too enclosed in Sason’s drag-cheating design and were prone to trapping snow during the winter. There were ways in which a production car could be improved.

Via ComparaOnline.com, on Flickr

In the winter of 1946, one Swedish Newspaper reported that Ursaab had “…defied all efforts of its driver to destroy it.” (Over 50 years later, Ursaab is in working order, in good shape and complete with original stone chipped paintwork exhibited in the Saab Car Museum in Trollhättan.)

Ursaab by Saukkorauta, on Flickr

In 1947 the site in Trollhättan was transformed to allow construction of cars and those working on project 92 moved from Linköping.

URSAAB by clicks_1000, on Flickr

Sister cars 92.002 and 92.003 were driven on every possible type of road surface and with 92.001 they have clocked up over 530,000km – equivalent to 13 journeys around the world and typical of Saab’s commitment to thorough testing.

Saab 92003 via trollpowersaab, on Flickr

It wasn’t until 10 June 1949, after thorough testing of 20 pre-production prototypes, that the Saab 92 was launched to the press and public in Trollhättan.

1949 Saab 92 and Saab 91 Safir aircraft. GM photo via coconv, on Flickr

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* Text: The Saab Museum

** Of the Hasselblad fame

Headline photo: 1946 Saab 92 Prototype by clicks_1000, on Flickr

Steampunk Art Supplies. Does what it says on the tin!

The Kickstarter project for A Study in Emerald has been funded, so keep an eye out for some spooky steampunk goodness.

Thanks to Scott from Dieselpunk Industries, we’re going all the way Down Under with this week’s episode of Two-Fisted Tuesday.

A lot of The Shadow episodes are lost to the winds of time, and I mean a lot, like 450 episodes are missing. Thankfully, we still have a bunch of the radio scripts including the missing episodes, and these scripts were recorded in a 1940s Australian adaptation of the show. Starring Lloyd Lamble as the Shadow, Lyndall Barbour as Margo Lane, and Grace Gibson as the infamous Announcer, we can enjoy these blasts from the past that were previously lost to the American audience.

Click on the link below to download our two-fisted radio broadcast in MP3 format.

This week’s episode is…

The Shadow – Spotlight on the Duchess with special guest narrator Grace Gibson (originally broadcast in 1973).

Special thanks to John Picha for collecting all of the classic Shadow covers for us!