Available for the first time in over thirty years!
The Dispensanator Book One:
Death Wears Overalls by Rock Hardlin
He is nameless, a man without a country. He appears when trouble surfaces, when the little guy—or girl—needs a hand, when the odds are against them. He’s a man with a shadowy past. A spy, some say. A soldier-of-fortune, others swear. One or two will attest that he’s a bona-fide agent of God …
or maybe someone else, dwelling a little farther “south.”
They call him “The Dispensanator.”
He dispenses justice … one bullet at a time!
So begins The Dispensanator Book One: Death Wears Overalls, by Rock Hardlin. One of the more obscure and popular action adventure paperback book series of the late 60s and early 70s, Hardlin and his signature character have both since faded into oblivion. Until now.
Gary Sassaman, the creator of the fondly remembered Innocent Bystander indie comic series (1995-2000), has secured permission to reprint the first in the 12-book Dispensanator series. Death Wears Overalls is available now in a limited edition facsimile printing, which has been resized to 6x9” trade proportions. It tells the first tale of The Dispensantor, in a rollicking, tongue-in-cheek romp by Hardlin that runs the gamut from strippers to Nazi plastic surgeons, from starving Dobermans to transgendered KGB agents. Originally published by Log-Cabin Books, a low-rent paperback publisher in Kansas City, Kansas, which went out of business in the late '70s, The Dispensanator series became that small press’s cash cow. The short (usually less than 100-pages) novels from the prolific Hardlin were eagerly sought-after collectors’ items, due to Log-Cabin’s spotty distribution. Even today, Hardlin’s work rarely shows up on eBay or for sale in other online venues.
Rock Hardlin (1912-1982) was one of the most prolific writers of pulp magazines and comic books. After a tour of duty in the Pacific during World War II, Hardlin settled in San Diego and devoted the rest of his career to churning out paperback novels. His most famous series was devoted to The Dispensanator, and rumors floated in the mid-70s of a movie series starring either Robert Mitchum or Burt Reynolds. A complete biographical sketch of the author is included in the new edition.
In addition to being the writer/artist/publisher of Innocent Bystander, Gary Sassaman has spent the last 10 years working for Comic-Con International San Diego, the country’s largest comics and pop culture convention. As Director of Programming for 7 of those years, Sassaman oversaw an ever-growing schedule of events that included major Hollywood studio and network presentations, comic publisher programs, and much more. He is currently Comic-Con’s Director of Print and Publications, writing, editing, and designing the Program Books for Comic-Con, WonderCon and APE, the Alternative Press Expo, and Comic-Con Annual. He is also an inveterate blogger, and can be read daily at www.innocentbystander.typepad.com
The Dispensanator Book 1: Death Wears Overalls
is available now for direct mail order from the author, $10.00 postpaid (U.S. only...foreign orders please inquire for correct postage) and signed!
E-MAIL NOW FOR ORDERING INFORMATION!
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