I guess the thing I like about those cult figures I mentioned are surprise. They always clobber my expectations. But all those writers were breaths of fresh air when they first appeared. If there is a problem with predictability, it's more about a long-running series, such as what Grafton and Parker are doing, than about having roots in the pulps. Writers like Pelecanos or Lethem or Lansdale show as much of that pulp influence as Grafton or Parker.
All good writers have a voice.
And eventually you get used to that voice, no matter what it's singing. You know I'm an advocate of the New Pulp reflecting contemporary times, styles, and situations, much the same way Black Mask and others reflected their own times. So instead of the nostalgia, I'm wondering how the New Pulp can be the next logical step, be very unique for its time and place, but still remain recognizable as Pulp. Well, with any genre, building upon it, expanding the boundaries, pushing the envelope, whatever you call it, always upsets the traditionalists. There are still people upset that Robert Parker let Spenser wear running shoes.