A collection of tales featuring Asian protagonists in pulp settings!
In April 2013, Pro Se Productions released Black Pulp, a collection of stories written in classic pulp genres featuring lead characters of African descent. The response was overwhelmingly positive and immediate to this anthology featuring writers such as Walter Mosley, Joe Lansdale, Charles Saunders, Gary Phillips, Mel Odom and others. This volume of stories quickly became and continues to be Pro Se’s best selling title.
Not only were readers captivated by the cast of characters featured in the book, they also saw the potential of future volumes, both of Black Pulp, and collections featuring other ethnicities in much the same way. Asian Pulp, Pro Se Productions’ answer to a steady flow of requests from fans, debuts in June 2015.
“It seems,” says Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “that we struck a chord with Black Pulp on several levels. Asian Pulp definitely follows in the footsteps of that first collection in theme, but it’s also its own creature, a stand alone unique expression of Pulp of all types through a different and amazing filter. Every story is equally squarely sat in the Pulp style, in that wheelhouse, with the definite influence of Asian culture, history, and more being woven seamlessly into the action and adventure. Multiple genres come to vibrant life within the pages of Asian Pulp, each one its own treasure trove of excitement.”
Featuring a cover by Black Pulp artist Adam Shaw with cover and logo design by Sean Ali, Asian Pulp includes works from Don Lee, Naomi Hirahara, Kimberly Richardson, Percival Constantine, William F. Wu, Gary Phillips, Calvin McMillin, Mark Finn, Dale Furutani, Steph Cha, Henry Chang, Sean Taylor, Gigi Pandian, Louise Herring-Jones, Alan J. Porter, and David C. Smith. The anthology opens with an introduction from Leonard Chang, novelist and writer and co-producer of the TV crime drama Justified.
Chang, in his introduction, states, “The world of pulp fiction was a world that I understood—it was a reaction to trauma, both as art and as catharsis. Personal trauma. Emotional trauma. Physical trauma. National trauma. This is why I responded to it, why I immersed myself in it. And why, whenever I was in a personal and artistic crisis, it saved me.”