Rag Baby - Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis is best known for his science fiction and action/adventure work (he's the creator of the highly successful series OUTLANDERS and served as its principal writer for many years) and for his excellent comic book scripts for THE WILD, WILD WEST, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., and THE JUSTICE MACHINE, among many others. But he started out to be a hardboiled crime writer, as he explains in this post on his blog, and he's reviving those early efforts, starting with the excellent novella "Rag Baby".

Bonaparte "Bone" Mizell is a retired DEA agent, security consultant, and unofficial private eye who's hired by a strip club owner and gangster to deal with a blackmailer. Soon enough, in classic hardboiled fashion, Bone finds himself involved in a twisty yarn including murder, drugs, and a deranged Iraq war vet who seems to have come back from the dead. The plot has enough surprises to be effective, but where Ellis really shines is in the relentless pacing of the story, the vivid depiction of its scruffy central Florida setting, and its rugged, likable hero. I suspect Bone Mizell will be making a return appearance in the future, and I'm certainly looking forward to reading more about him. For now, if you're a fan of hardboiled crime fiction, I recommend you check out "Rag Baby", which is available in a very affordable e-book edition. 

Justice Machine Update From Mark Ellis

COUNTDOWN TO THE JUSTICE MACHINE'S RETURN OR FINAL CURTAIN!

Only six days away from the close of the Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of THE JUSTICE MACHINE: OBJECT OF POWER graphic novel.

As I've said before, the art on the book is complete...we're running the campaign mainly so the artists can be compensated what they're owed by the former publisher but also to finance the book's lettering, production and printing. Our funding goal is the bare minimum of the money needed to see it through.

So here is a page by David Enebral and Jason Jensen with the display lettering (sound effects added). It would be a shame all around if this is the only place people see this work (that guilt-trippy enough for ya?)

The Return of the Justice Machine

I remember buying, reading, and enjoying the first issues of THE JUSTICE MACHINE back in the Eighties, when it was the first superhero group comic book from an independent publisher. Now series creator Mark Ellis, who's also the author of many fine action/adventure novels, is bringing back THE JUSTICE MACHINE in an all-new graphic novel being funded through Kickstarter. You can find all the details here. I'm backing this one and look forward to reading the finished book.