Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is a writer best known for his work in the areas of comedy/horror and western fiction, but he has also worked in science fiction, mystery, suspense, comic books, graphic novels, teleplays and screenplays. His characters often find themselves in ironic or absurd situations, and Texas locales and ideals are also commonplace.
Joe R. Lansdale was born in Gladewater, Texas on October 28th, 1951. His youth was spent exploring the woods and creeks near Mount Enterprise, Texas, and his family moved back to Gladewater when Lansdale was in fifth grade.
As he discovered the works of writers such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Mark Twain and William Faulkner, Lansdale became interested in becoming a writer himself. By the age of 21, he was doing just that.
Joe R. Lansdale is widely known for his “Hap and Leonard” series of novels. Set in Laborde, Texas, the primary antagonists are a mid-forties white laborer and a gay black man. Amidst a great deal of sex, violence and wisecracking, Lansdale touches on deeper social issues such as pedophilia and racism. His 2000 novel, The Bottoms, has also become a critical and commercial success.
Joe R. Lansdale lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife of over three decades, Karen (herself a writer and editor). Lansdale is a writer in residence at Stephen F. Austin University, and he enjoys reading, watching movies and listening to music in his spare time.
Joe R. Lansdale - Martial Arts Master
In addition to being a fine writer, Joe R. Lansdale is also a martial arts master. His father was a boxer and wrestler, and the young Lansdale was instructed on how to take care of himself. He became one of the first to study hapkido in the United States, training under Dwayne Odom in the mid-60s.
Since then, Joe R. Lansdale has founded his own martial arts science known as Shen Chuan. Now a student of the art for over 30 years, he has twice been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He has a school of martial arts in Nacogdoches, Texas and personally teaches classes.
Joe R. Lansdale Awards
Joe R. Lansdale has received the following awards for his long and varied career as a writer. In addition, he had been nominated for many other awards and honors.
- “Night They Missed the Horror Show” (Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction in 1988)
- “On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks” (Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction in 1989. The story also won the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story.)
- “The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance” (Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction in 1992)
- Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo (Bram Stoker Award for Other Media in 1993)
- Mucho Mojo (named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year)
- “The Big Blow” (Bram Stoker Award in 1997)
- “Mad Dog Summer” (Bram Stoker Award in 1999)
- The Bottoms (given the Edgar Award for Best Novel by the Mystery Writers of America in 2000. Also named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.)
- Retro Pulp Tales (Bram Stoker Award for Anthology)
- Received the 2007 Grand Master Award at the World Horror Convention (for contributions in the field)
- Received the Grinzane Cavour Literature Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2006 (presented in Italy)
Works by Joe R. Lansdale
The following is a list of works by Joe R. Lansdale. Lansdale is a versatile and prolific writer, having written novels, screenplays, short stories, comic books and graphic novels.
"Hap Collins and Leonard Pine" Mysteries
- Savage Season (1990)
- Mucho Mojo (1994)
- Two-Bear Mambo (1995)
- Bad Chili (1997)
- Rumble Tumble (1998)
- Veil's Visit (1999)
- Captains Outrageous (2001)
- Vanilla Ride (2009) [previously referred to as Blue to the Bone]
The "Drive-In" Series
- The Drive-In: A “B” Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas (1988)
- The Drive-In 2: Not Just One of Them Sequels (1989)
- The Drive-In: A Double-Feature (1997)
- The Drive-In: The Bus Tour (2005)
The "Ned the Seal" Trilogy
- Zeppelins West (2001)
- Flaming London (2006)
- The Sky Done Ripped (release date unknown)
Other Novels
- Act of Love (1980)
- Texas Night Riders (1983) (originally published under the pseudonym Ray Slater)
- Dead in the West (1986) (written in 1980)
- Magic Wagon (1986)
- The Nightrunners (1987) (written in 1982 as Night of the Goblins)
- Cold in July (1989)
- Tarzan: the Lost Adventure (1995) (with Edgar Rice Burroughs)
- The Boar (1998)
- Freezer Burn (1999)
- Waltz of Shadows (1999) (written in 1991)
- Something Lumber This Way Comes (1999) (Children's book)
- The Big Blow (2000)
- Blood Dance (2000) (written in the early '80's)
- The Bottoms (2000)
- A Fine Dark Line (2002)
- Sunset and Sawdust (2004)
- Lost Echoes (2007)
- Leather Maiden (2008)
Novels Written Under a Pen Name
- Molly's Sexual Follies (as Brad Simmons)
- Mark Stone: MIA Hunter series (as Jack Buchanan)
- Hanoi Deathgrip (Stone: MIA Hunter #3)
- Mountain Massacre (Stone: MIA Hunter #4)
- Saigon Slaughter (Stone: MIA Hunter #7)
Short Story Collections
- By Bizarre Hands (1989)
- Stories by Mama Lansdale's Youngest Boy (1991) aka Author's Choice Monthly #18
- Bestsellers Guaranteed (1993)
- Electric Gumbo: A Lansdale Reader (1994)
- Writer of the Purple Rage (1994)
- A Fistful of Stories (and Articles) (1996)
- The Good, The Bad, and the Indifferent (1997)
- Private Eye Action, As You Like It (1998) (with Lewis Shiner)
- Triple Feature (1999)
- The Long Ones: Nuthin' But Novellas (2000)
- High Cotton (2000)
- For a Few Stories More (2002)
- A Little Green Book of Monster Stories (2003)
- Bumper Crop (2004)
- Mad Dog Summer and Other Stories (2004)
- The King: and Other Stories (2005)
- The Shadows, Kith and Kin (2007)
Chapbooks
- On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks (1991)
- The Steel Valentine (1991) (Pulphouse Short Story Hardback #7)
- Steppin' Out, Summer '68 (1992)
- Tight Little Stitches In A Dead Man's Back (1992)
- My Dead Dog Bobby (1995)
- Bubba Ho-Tep (2003) (novella)
- Duck Footed (2005) (novella)
Uncollected Short Stories
- "Castle of Shadows" (written with Ardath Mayhar) from Weirdbook #21 (1985)
- "Boo Yourself!" from Whispers VI (1987)
- "Dead in the West: Screenplay" from Screamplays (1997)
- "Disaster Club" from Cemetery Dance #32 (1999)
Film and Television
- "Perchance to Dream" (season 1, episode 26, aired October 29, 1992)
- "Read My Lips" (from Batman: The Animated Series, season 1, episode #59, aired May 10, 1993)
- "Showdown" (from Batman: The Animated Series, season 4, episode 2, aired Sept 12, 1995)
- "Identity Crisis" (from Superman: The Animated Series, season 2, episode #6, aired September 15, 1997)
- “Critters” (from The New Batman Adventures, season 2, episode #2, aired September 19, 1998).
- Bubba Ho-Tep (novella adapted to big screen and directed by Don Coscarelli)
- "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" (short story adapted for the first episode of the first season ofMasters of Horror, and directed by Don Coscarelli. Aired on October 28, 2005.)
- A Fine Dark Line (2002 Lansdale novel expected to be made into a feature film)
- "The Job" (made into an eleven minute short in 1997 by A.W. Feidler)
- "Drive-In Date" (story adapted into short film by James Cahill, from a script written by Lansdale)
Short Stories in Comic Books and Graphic Novels
- "Drive-By" (1993)
- "Grease Trap" in Creature Features (1994)
- "Shootout at Ice Flats" in Supergirl Annual #1 (1996) (co-wr: Neal Barrett Jr.)
- "The Elopement" in Weird War Tales #2 (of 4) (July 1997)
- "The Initiation" in Gangland #4 (of 4) (Sept 1998) (co-wr: Rick Klaw)
- "Betrothed" in Flinch #5 (Oct 1999)
- "The Split" in Strange Adventures #3 (of 4) (Jan 2000)
- "Red Romance" in Flinch #11 (May 2000)
- "Brer Hoodoo" in Flinch #13 (July 2000)
- "Devil's Sombrero" in Weird Western Tales #2 (of 4) (May 2001)
- "Steam Rider: The Steam-Powered Heart" in Amazing Fantasy #20 (June 2006)
- "Mice and Money" in Marvel Romance Redux #5 (subtitle "Love is a Four Letter Word") (June 2006)
- "Gunhawk: Midnight Gun" in Strange Westerns starring the Black Rider (Aug 2006)
- "The War At Home" parts 1-3 in Zombie Tales #1-3 (July - September, 2008)
- "A Ripping Good Time" in Tales From the Crypt #6 (July 2008)) (co-wr: John L. Lansdale)
- "Moonlight Sonata" in Tales From the Crypt #7 (Aug 2008)
Graphic Novels and Comic Books
- Lone Ranger & Tonto (1993, 4 issues - Art by Tim Truman and Rick Magyar)
- Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo (1993, 5 issues- Art by Tim Truman)
- Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such (1995, 5 issues - Art by Tim Truman)
- Blood and Shadows (1996) (4 issues. Art by Mark A. Nelson )
- The Spirit: The New Adventures #8 (1998) (art by John Lucas)
- Red Range (1999) (graphic novel - Art by Sam Glanzman)
- Jonah Hex: Shadows West (1999, 3 issues - Art by Tim Truman)
- Conan and the Songs of the Dead (2006) (art by Tim Truman) (5 issues)
- Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #32 (January 2008) (art by Ronan Cliquet)
- Pigeons from Hell (2008 adaptation of the Robert E. Howard short story - Art by Nathan Fox)
Novels and Stories Featuring Batman
- Batman: Captured by the Engines (1991) (novel)
- Batman: Terror on the High Skies (1992) (junior novel)
- "Belly Laugh, or The Joker's Trick or Treat", short story in The Further Adventures of The Joker (1989)
- "Subway Jack", short story in The Further Adventures of Batman (1989)
As an Editor of Comic Book Anthologies
- The Best of the West (1989)
- New Frontier (1989)
- Razored Saddles (1989)
- Dark at Heart (1991)
- Weird Business: a Horror Comics Anthology (1995)
- West That Was (1994)
- Wild West Show (1994)
- The Horror Hall of Fame: The Stoker Winners (2004)
- Retro-Pulp Tales (2006)
- Lords of the Razor (2006)
- Cross Plains Universe: Texans Celebrate Robert E. Howard (2006)
More Horror Writers
- Clive Barker
- Dennis Etchison
- Douglass Clegg
- H.P. Lovecraft
- Joe R. Lansdale
- Peter Straub
- Robert Bloch
- Robert R. McCammon
- Stephenie Meyer (author of Twilight books)
- Theodore Sturgeon