HisHap and Leonard series of twelve novels, fournovellas, and three short story collections feature Hap Collins and Leonard Pine who live in the fictional town of Laborde, inEast Texas, where they find themselves solving a variety of crimes.[5] Hap is a white working class laborer in his mid forties who once protested against the war in Vietnam and spent time in federal prison rather than bedrafted, and Leonard is a gay blackVietnam vet. Both of them are accomplished fighters. The stories (told from Hap's point of view) are violent, and characterized by strong language and sexual situations. Lansdale depiction of East Texas is essentially "good" but blighted by racism, ignorance, urban and rural deprivation and corrupt public officials. His novels are also characterized by sharp humor and "wisecracking" dialogue.[6] These books have been adapted into a TV series for theSundanceTV channel[7] and a series ofgraphic novels in 2017.[8] Season 2 is based on the secondHap and Leonard novelMucho Mojo and season 3, which premiered on 3/7/18, is based on the third novelThe Two-Bear Mambo.[9]Much of Lansdale's work has been issued and re-issued aslimited editions bySubterranean Press[10] and astrade paperbacks byVintage Crime/Black Lizard Publications.[11]
Lansdale's novel titledFender Lizards was published in November 2015 by Subterranean Press.[12] In February 2016 two full-length novelsHell's Bounty was published Feb 27 also by Subterreanean Press[13] and a new Hap and Leonard novel titledHonky Tonk Samurai was released Feb 2 by Mulholland Books.[14] On January 31, 2017Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella was released by Subterranean Press[15] andRusty Puppy was released by Mulholland Books February 21, 2017.[16] A newmosaic novel titledBlood and Lemonade was released on March 14, 2017.[17]
Lansdale and daughterKasey started a new publishing company called Pandi Press to control the re-issue and publication of his older works.[18]
Lansdale book of essays and memoirs,Miracles Ain't What They Used To Be, was released byPM Press's Outspoken Author Series.[19] His newest Hap and Leonard release is a novel titledJackrabbit Smile and released March 27, 2018.[20] He also, along with his daughter Kasey, released a collection of Dana Roberts mysteries titledTerror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors, published in May 2018 by Cutting Block Books.[21] In October 2018 a short story collection titledDriving to Geronimo's Grave and Other Stories has been published by Subterranean Press as a limited edition. His most recent novel is titledMore Better Deals and was published by Mulholland Books. Its hardcover and Kindle releases were on July 21, 2020.[22] Since then he released a novelBig Lizard co-written with his son Keith Lansdale released as a limited edition of 1500 hard-copies published by Short, Scary Tales Publications and is also available throughAmazon Kindle.[23]His novel is titledMoon Lake and was released by Mulholland Books on June 22, 2021. He released a book of poetry titledApache Witch as a limited edition that sold out right away and a Nat Love novella,Radiant Apples, published bySubterranean Press.
Lansdale, who was born inGladewater,Texas, lives inNacogdoches, Texas,[24] with his wife, Karen. He is the writer in residence atStephen F. Austin State University. He also teaches at his ownShen Chuan martial arts school Lansdale's Self Defense Systems in Nacogdoches[25] and is a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame asSōke[26] and the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.[citation needed] He is the father of actress, musician and publisherKasey Lansdale[27][28] and reporter and screenwriter Keith Lansdale.[29][30] He has described himself as an atheist, though he has also said that he is not anti-religion.[31]
Lansdale was a contributing writer forBatman: The Animated Series, credited with three episodes, namely"Perchance to Dream" (season 1, episode 26, which aired October 29, 1992), "Read My Lips"(season 1, episode #59 that aired May 10, 1993), and"Showdown" (season 4, episode 2, aired September 12, 1995). Lansdale also wrote "Identity Crisis" onSuperman: The Animated Series (season 2, episode 6, airing September 15, 1997), and "Critters" (withSteve Gerber) forThe New Batman Adventures (season 2, episode 2, airing September 19, 1998).
Lansdale's first film adaptation wasBubba Ho-Tep, based on his novella of the same and released in 2002. The film featuredElvis Presley and a man who believes himself to beJohn F. Kennedy, confined to an old-age rest home, teaming up to fight a mummy who is stealing their friends' souls.[5]
In 2010, Lansdale wrote the screenplay for the animated shortDC Showcase: Jonah Hex.[32]The short storyIncident On and Off a Mountain Road was adapted for the first episode of the first season ofMasters of Horror. It aired on October 28, 2005. Lansdale's story "The Job" was made into an 11-minute short in 1997 by A.W. Feidler. It is available on the out-of-print DVD collection,Short 5 – Diversity, on Warner Home Video. The short story "Drive-In Date" was filmed as a short by James Cahill, from a script written by Lansdale, published inA Fist Full of Stories.
The filmChristmas with the Dead, based on the Lansdale short story of the same name, was filmed in East Texas in Summer 2011. The film starringBrad Maule,Damian Maffei, andKasey Lansdale is currently showing on the film festival circuit and at private screenings. The DVD has been released.[33] Actor and directorBill Paxton worked for six years on a film adaptation of Lansdale's novelThe Bottoms.[34] In a 2015 interview withEntertainment Weekly, Paxton admitted having difficulty getting the project off the ground. Paxton's death left unfinished projects, includingThe Bottoms movie.[35]
Joe Lansdale has won elevenBram Stoker Awards over the course of his long career. The short storyNight They Missed the Horror Show won the award for "Short Fiction" in 1988. In the "Long Fiction" category (which is for novellas, though it also initially included comic book work as well), he won in 1989 forOn the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks, 1997 forThe Big Blow, and 1999 forMad Dog Summer (a shared award with Brian A. Hopkins' "Five Days in April"). In 1992 the storyThe Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance shared the "Long Fiction" award withAliens: Tribes bySteve Bissette. In 1993,Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo won in the newly created "Other Media" category. Lansdale's 2006 anthologyRetro Pulp Tales tied for theBest Anthology category withMondo Zombie edited byJohn Skipp.[50] He won a Bram Stoker Award in the long fiction category forFishing for Dinosaurs[51] which was published in the collectionLimbus 2.[52] Won "Short Fiction" forThe Folding Man in 2010.
The Drive-In andSavage Season were nominated in the "Novels" category in 1988 and 1990, respectively.By Bizarre Hands andWriter of the Purple Rage were nominated for "Fiction Collection" in 1989 and 1994. The short storyLove Doll: A Fable was nominated in "Short Fiction" in 1991. The novellaBubba Ho-Tep was nominated for "Long Fiction" in 1994.Something Lumber This Way Comes was nominated in a new "Work for Younger Readers" category, andJonah Hex: Shadows West #1 was nominated for "Illustrated Narrative", both in 1999.Red Romance (published inDC Comics'Flinch #11) was nominated for "Illustrated Narrative" in 2000.[53] In 2014, nominated best Graphic Novel forI Tell You It's Love &The Steam Man in 2016. In 2021,Apache Witch and Other Poetic Observations for "Poetry Collection" was nominated.
He is also frequently cited as winning the American Mystery Award, the Horror Critics Award, and the "Shot in the Dark" International Crime Writer's award.[66][67]
^Hap and Leonard, Season 2."Cast Announcement".Shadowand dact. Archived fromthe original on February 18, 2017. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Hap and Leonard, Season 3."Season 3".Sundance. RetrievedMarch 29, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
