Pulp Friction

Kudos to Charles Ardai and Max Phillips, ex-CEO and art director for the ISP Juno, for cashing out -- and stepping up with a new media project. Following a merger, the two launched a pulp fiction imprint, Hard Case Crime, with Dorchester Publishing. The publisher's wares will include classic pulp work by folks like Erle Stanley Gardner, as well as writing by new authors. One of those newcomers is Phillips, whose Fade to Blonde snuck in on the first six titles. Let's just hope that Hard Case isn't a vanity project.