Black Cat Weekly #228 - Ron Miller, Laird Long, James Van Pelt, DJ Cockburn, John Leahy, Hal Charles, Philip High, Lester Del Ray, Ray Cummings & B.L. Farjeon

Black Cat Weekly #228

By Ron Miller, Laird Long, James Van Pelt, DJ Cockburn, John Leahy, Hal Charles, Philip High, Lester Del Ray, Ray Cummings & B.L. Farjeon

  • Release Date: 2026-01-11
  • Genre: Sci-Fi Short Stories

Description

This issue, we have lots of fun stories in store. Our cover story is a new Velda tale by Ron Miller, and from there we move on to originals from DJ Cockburn, Laird Long, John Leahy, James Van Pelt, and of course Hal Charles, who has a new solve-it-yourself puzzler. Our novels are by B.L. Farjeon and Ray Cummings, and we have classic shorts from Philip E. High and Lester del Rey. Good stuff, all.

Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art: Ron Miller

NOVELS

The Mystery of M. Felix, by B.L. Farjeon

A London snowstorm, a midnight cry, and the dark mystery of M. Felix…

A Brand New World, by Ray Cummings

A new planet in the solar system!

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“A Ruined Reunion,” by Hal Charles

Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!

SHORT STORIES

“Crocodile Tears,” by DJ Cockburn[Michael Bracken Presents]

Jimmie’s mom demands blood. The family business is darker than it looks.

“American Cleaning Services,” by Laird Long

Bruno and Arturo clean up mob hits. But new rivals play dirty games.

“Velda’s Chip Comes In,” by Ron Miller

Velda returns to the stage to save a Vegas casino from counterfeiters.

“You With Me?” by John Leahy

At 30,000 feet, can a tired love find room to breathe again?

“Megafauna,” by James Van Pelt

A child listens hard for magic…then decides to make her own story.

“The Ancient Enemy,” by Philip E. High

A senseless murder reveals a terrifying secret hidden in our past.

“Stacked Deck,” by Lester del Rey

The Moon base was ready for them, but aliens had stacked the deck.