Gerry Conway co-created The Punisher, co-created Man-Thing, co-created Firestorm and wrote some of my favorite Marvel comics, including a long run on Amazing Spider-Man. When he successfully transitioned out of comics and moved into show business, I still followed his career as he worked his way up the ladder. He’s recently been writing and producing for the Dick Wolf Law & Order empire, specifically on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Talbot Mundy, author of King of the Khyber Rifles, influenced a who’s who of writers with his tales of manly adventure at the edges of the sun-never-setting British Empire in the early 20th century. Fans included Robert E. Howard, Leigh Brackett, Robert Heinlein and Fritz Leiber.

Now Black Dog Books is releasing a multi-volume set of Mundy’s work. The Talbot Mundy Library Volume 4 - The Letter of His Orders features three of Mundy’s short novels: “The Guzzler’s Grand Prix,” “Hookum Hai,” and the title story. And guess who wrote the introduction? Gerry Conway. The book shipped at the end of June and all the major online retailers have it.

Here’s an excerpt from Conway’s intro: “For anyone who imagines Mundy’s stories are simple-minded adventure melodramas, The Letter of His Orders shows Mundy to be a first-class observer of real world politics and human nature.”

Sounds like something I, and you, should check out. You can follow Gerry on the Twitter where he posts regularly.

(FYI - You can also follow Comix411 on Twitter.)

[Artwork: Cover to The Letter Of His Orders, © Black Dog Books]