Thoughts of an Aussie pulp writier

Yesterday I mentioned that the promotional material for Black Pulp made me think.


Some of things said were that it was important to be able read about and watch someone who looks and sounds like you and I remembered the thrill I got reading the first Simone Kirsch mystery Peepshow by Leigh Redhead when somebody pulled out a pack of Winnie Blues.

What heroes do I as an Aussie reader have, that are homegrown?  As I pondered this I watched Iron Sky and what's the name of the Australian Spaceship?  Dundee.

I then watched an episode of Slyvester and Tweety Mysteries Outback Down Under where Australia's greatest hero Alligator Dundee advises some sheep farmers to hire Granny to solve the mystery of their missing sheep.*

In looking for a picture I discovered that Alligator Dundee was also used in Super Mario Brothers show in live action segements.

Could it be that the best Australia has to offer in the hero stakes is Crocodile Dundee?  Don't get me wrong I think those movies are funny and I love Hoges.  But surely there must be more.

In one of the Black Pulp interviews Derrick Ferguson asked where was the Black Captain Kirk?    There were no Australian shows/books/comics or movies to serve as the equivalent to formative works like The A Team, Knight Rider, Sherlock Holmes or even The Hardy Boys.

There were Australian shows soap operas like A Country Practice, Neighours and Home and Away but nothing for an adventure hungry boy like me.


I looked at my own creative output virtually all of it set in America with American heroes.  New adventures of Senorita Scorpion, Johnny Nickle, or original characters like The Silhouette or Apache Blood.  For Tales of the Shadowmen I mashed up English characters like James Bond or The Saint with French characters L'Ombre and SAS but I hadn't really wirtten anything Australian.

Who might be my literary Australian ancestors?

I had very few to call upon immediately and I decided to do some research.  I decided for me to call a story Oz Pulp it had to have some connection to Australia - either one of the key creative people (writer, artist, actor, director) is Australian, The main character is Australian or the story is set in Australia.


There was more than I thought when I started to look around.  I'd forgotten about Skippy (1968 -1970) and The Adventures of Skippy (1992-93)
. 

The Bony Mysteries by Arthur Upfield (which was the basis of the TV series Boney 1970-71) and sequel series Bony about his grandson David (1990 movie and 1992 TV series)



I found other ancestors to explore as well as peers like Kerry Greenwood, Tara Moss, Leigh Redhead, Paul Mason, Chris Sequiera.

My Australian TV viewing has gotten better with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 2012-2013 2 seasons possibly more in 2015)


Dr Blake Mysteries (2012) season 2 to air early 2014



Mr & Mrs Murder (2013 one season)



Wild Boys (2011) one season




As explore the world of Oz Pulp I'll make a tag for all to join me on this journey.


*This episode does have one of my favourite gags Sylvester sees a mob of kangaroos and exclaims "Giant Mice! I haven't seen them in years"