Last Of The Full Grown Tales!

I've talked more than a few times about my adoration of the music and myth of Webb Wilder. Webb Wilder nudged onto the national scene way back in the 80's on the old USA Network show Night Flight in a short film titled "The Saucer's Reign". Here's a look at that video here. As it turns out there were no aliens in that flick, but there was one memorable presence, the noir-lite hero "Webb Wilder". The character caught on, a band was built and over the decades several albums have trickled out. In recent years Webb and his Beatnecks have been touring again and every year I trek south to Bowling Green Kentucky to partake of WebbFest, an annual celebration of the man and his music with like-minded fans. It's a hoot.

Some years ago, I picked up on ebay an extravagantly priced copy of Webb Wilder's own 1996 double novel, which is titled "Mole Men"/"The Doll". In the tradition of those classic ACE doubles, this too offers up two full tales of Webb Wilder, a Southern gumshoe of a character who operates in the city of St.Vegas. The novels developed out of a failed television project for the Webb Wilder character, the result of a few scripts then turned into highly readable narratives by Steve Boyle and Shane Caldwell.

The books are hard to get, but recently a box turned up. Here's a link to see about getting a copy while they last. Scroll down a bit.

 "Mole Men" is a neatly lurid tale of a farmer who feels he is under assault by giant-claw bearing aliens. He is obviously ignored by the authorities, but Webb finds that there might be something to this tale of nocturnal ramblings after all. His investigation finds that earthworms are the key, and not just any regular worms, but super worms.

"The Doll" is the tale of two girlhood friends who fall out over a doll, a very special doll admittedly. Their lifelong squabble comes to darken the lives of their children, and Webb finds that his best efforts to uncover the skullduggery creates a tragic result indeed.

My favorite of these stories is "Mole Men", but both are highly readable with a quick steady pace. The noir touches add just the right salt to this mix. If perchance you stumble across a copy, you'll be entertained.

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