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| August 26, 2010 |
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OHIO HERE WE COME read... |
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Greetings Loyal Airmen. One of the Air Chief's dearest pals is Bill Gladman. Bill, besides his day job as a shipping clerk, is an avid comic book fan, reader, historian, expert. Fill in any name, it probably fits. He's also starting writing comic scripts and drawing them. The less said about the drawing thing the better. Ha. Last year, Bill was instrumental in getting his local comic shop in Springfield, Ohio, to create a one day comic convention in conjunction with the small community college in town. They called it Champion City Con and from all reports, it was a whopping huge success. Enough so that they are doing it again this year and have invited the Air Chief to be one of three special guests.
Above the is the official poster for the show. It will be held on Sat. Sept. 11th, again, in Springfield, Ohio. There will be a special dinner the night before open to the public at a local restaurant where folks attending the con will be able to get together and meet yours truly and the other two guests. The Air Chief is very excited about this con and most flattered to have been invited. We hope lots of you Loyal Airmen who live in the general area will make an effort to come up and help us have some fun. Note, my table will be filled with comics only this time around, no pulps. Just wanting to stay in keeping with the venue. That does mean we'll have copies of most of the Mr.Jigsaw books, Daughter of Dracula and the Boston Bombers graphic novels. Will keep you posted in the coming weeks as we count down to Champion City.
One of the things we like to do here with our Flight Logs is give you an occasional sneak peek on what we are working on these days with Airship 27 Productions. As you know we primarily produce novels and anthologies starring classic pulp heroes from the 1930s. Recently we've started kicking around the idea of a book that would feature brand new 1930s pulp characters. Again, these would be created by some of our finest writers and the characters would exist in the 30s setting, but they would be pulp heroes no one has ever seen before.
So we thought, with the help of artist Rob Davis, we'd introduce you to two of them.
Not all the pulp heroes were men and writer Aaron Smith jumped at the chance to create a truly original and nasty heroine in the character of RED VEIL. She will be appearing in that special anthology we mentioned. It is in production as we speak and will feature three other original pulp heroes.
The other is B.C. Bell's THE BAGMAN. We at Airship 27 Productions are really excited about this character and before he makes his appearance in the anthology we referred to, this Chicago based crime-buster will first appear in his own book; Tales of the Bagman, which, if all goes according to plan will be our next Airship 27 Productions title. It features a great cover by Laura Givens and some great action packed pulp tales by the talented Mr.Bell. Not to be missed.
So there you have it, Loyal Airmen. We're only another week from Labor Day. Hard to believe how fast the summer has flown. Earlier this evening, our oldest granddaughter, Kristi, stopped by to visit with us. Tomorrow her parents are helping her move into her new place of resident, a dormitory apartment on the Durham campus of the University of New Hampshire. Our princess is starting her college career and we couldn't be any prouder of her then we are now. Still, as she waved good-bye and drove away, the Air Chief had a bit of a catch in his throat. Life is truly a glorious adventure when you fill it with love.
Ron - Over & Out.
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| August 19, 2010 |
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PLAY IS BACK ON read... |
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Greetings Loyal Airmen. Well it has been another whirlwind week at Hangar 27. We have had several families come look at the house in the past week and our Real Estate agent believes they are very interested in it. So fingers crossed, we'll be fielding offers. We need to be gone west by the time the first snows fly.
A few months back we reported that our play, WHERE LOVE TAKES YOU, was in the process of being done again, after nine years, by the same little theater company in Springvale, Maine that had done it the first time. Then sadly, they were unable to get a cast assembled at that time and had to postpone the production. We are thrilled to tell you, last week we were notified that they had actually put a cast together and Valerie and the Air Chief were invited to theater two nights ago to meet these actors and sit in on a reading of the play. It wa s a joy. The new cast is fantastic, all wonderful people. The couple playing Val and the Air Chief are actually a married couple and the young lady who will be playing my mother is just perfect for the role. Above is the corrected calendar with the new play dates of Oct. 8, 9 (evening shows at 8 PM) and ending with a Sunday afternoon 2 PM matinee Oct.1O th. Mom and the rest of the family were delighted when we told them the good news. The Air Chief cannot wait to see this staged again.
Gaby Fortier, Lorraine Mailhot, Valerie & the Air Chief
And speaking of the start of that show, Mom has been enjoying a fun summer at her resident, the Wentworth Home in Dover, NH. Two weeks ago they had their annual summer BBQ, and we dropped to join in the good food and great company. We also brought Val's mother, Lorraine along. As you can see by the photo above, we were all having a great time.
And lastly, we are very, very happy to report that the second collection of The Adventures of Mr.Jigsaw from Wild Wolf Entertainment is finally out and available at Amaon.com and Barnes & Noble on-line and every other major book outlet. This volume collects issues 4-5-6 from the regular series (being the first brand new stories) plus a great introduction by writer/reviewer Tony Isabella, a special bonus pin-up section and other fun surprises. It has a super great new cover by Gary Kato and was edited and designed by Rob Davis. If you're a Jiggy fan, you really should pick this one up.
And that does it for this week, Loyal Airmen. Next week we'll tell you more about the Champion City comic con that the Air Chief will be a guest at on Sept.11th in Springfield Ohio. Till then, have a great week and keep enjoying this great summer weather while it last.
Ron - Over & Out.
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| August 12, 2010 |
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GIDEON CAIN IS HERE! read... |
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Greetings Loyal Airmen. We've got a brand new Airship 27 Productions title to announce this week, but before we do that, let's wrap up some more great pictures taken at Pulp Fest.
ALMOST FORGOT - TODAY Friday the 13th of August is Rob's birthday. Yahoooooo.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROB DAVIS
Air Chief Signing Comics & Art Director Rob Davis Taking Pulps
As mentioned last week, a group of comic creators, led by my good pal, Bill Gladman, drove up from the Springfield Ohio area to see us. Several of them brought along copies of my old Green Hornet comics from Now Comics for the Air Chief to autograph. Always a fun thing to do as they bring back such great memories. It was a series we truly enjoyed writing.
The Air Chief & the Ohio Comic Crew
And here is a great shot of yours truly with that gang. Left to right in front row, BJay Johnson, yours truly and Bill Gladman. In second row, Chad Strohl (black baseball cap) Victor Dandrige (orange shirt) and Chris Metzer and in far rear, a happy Dustin Carson. These are such a great bunch of guys, ye Old Air Chief will be hooking up with all of them in just a few more weeks when he is the guest of honor at the Champion City Comic Con on Sept. 11th in Springfield. More on all that next week, so stay tuned.
The Air Chief & Tony Isabella
And finally from the wonderful world of comics, we were visited by a long time fan and colleague, Mr.Tony Isabella. Tony is best known for having created and written DC's first ever African American superhero, Black Lightning and for his long running comics review column in the industry standard, the monthly Comic Buyer's Guide. His latest book is the best selling, 1000 COMICS YOU MUST READ. Tony showed up at our table with two autographed copies of this super fun book for both yours truly and Rob. The Air Chief cannot recommend this book enough. If you love comics, you have to get this book.
Airship 27 Pulp Writer Greg Gick
Of course we had pulp folks come and join as well to include one of Airship 27 Productions finest writers, Greg Gick. Greg's working on several new stories for Airship 27 and we can't wait to bring them to you. It's always fun to hook up with Greg and we hope to do so next year too.
Fan & Loyal Airman Gerald Kuster
Another Loyal Airmen who always tries to come to this show and support us is Gerald Kuster. Gerald's a great friend and it is a pleasure to see him at Pulp Fest. He's one of those truly loyal fans who is only too eager to spread the word about Airship 27 Productions. Thanks for everything, Gerald.
And speaking of Airship 27 Productions, about is the awesome cover to our newest title, GIDEON CAIN. This is a collection of seven action packed stories featuring an American puritan soldier who was a part of the Salem Witch Trials. When he discovers, after the trials are over, that he and his fellow citizens were duped by a demon in torturing and killing innocent people, Cain vows to find the demon and destroy him. So he sets off to travel the world with his rune inscribed sword, vanquishing evil wherever he finds it. This is a terrific collection and has a special introduction by comics great, Kurt Busiek, one of the creators of Gideon Cain. As always you can grab a copy right now at our on-line store by clicking on the dirigible logo to the left of this column. There you'll find GIDEON CAIN and our other 28th titles, always available at the special discount price. Of course if you are a more traditional on-line shopper, the book will be at Amazon and Barnes & Noble on-line within the next week or two. We hope you'll check it out.
And there you have this week's Flight Log, Loyal Airmen. As ever, thanks for stopping by. Summer is moving right along and we've had some real interest on the sale of our house. Enough so that these perspective buyers have asked to come and see it again. Keep those fingers crossed, Loyal Airmen. If all goes well, we'll be moving Airship 27 HQ to Colorado before the first snows fly.
Ron - Over & Out.
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| August 5, 2010 |
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PULP FEST AWESOME read... |
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Greetings Loyal Airmen. Here we are one week after arriving in Columbus Ohio to participate in the second annula Pulp Fest Convention. Our good friend and partner, Rob Davis, was on hand to pick us up at the airport and off we went to the Ramada Inn where the con was being held. Arriving at table, we began to unpack the boxes Rob had with him and lo and behold from the very first such he pulls out this absolutely beautiful model of our logo...the Airship 27 Zeppelin. Rob converted a model of the famous Hindenberg, making his own Airship 27 decals to put on the fuselage. He set it down in the front of our table and that's where it would rest for the next three days, obviously bring us tons of good luck. Honestly, Loyal Airmen, if there were a way to mass produce these cheaply, the Air Chief would love to do so and then have them to sell our future shows. Now that would be really sweet.
Munsey Award Winner Mike Chomko
And before we start regaling you with our fun tales of the con itself, we need to thank all the great folks who put on this marvelous event, especially Mike Chmoko who was this year's winner of the Munsey Award. This award, named for a famous pulp editor of the past, is given to that person who has over a long period of time contributed greatly to the pulp community. Mike, as a pulp book dealer for many, many years and now as a co-sponsor of Pulp Fest truly deserves this honor. Congratulation, Mike, and a tip of the pulp fedora to all the other great nominees.
Veteran Fan Nick Car & Pulp Writer David Walker
Of course, aside from selling our Airship 27 pulp titles, Rob and the Air Chief truly enjoy shows like Pulp Fest as it gives us a chances to see old friends again and make new ones. Among the former stopping by our table were Nick Carr, one of senior fans of pulps. Nick was around when the originals were being printed and has had a passion for them every since. Over the years he's written dozens of essays and contributed to dozen more books and magazines on the history of pulps. To boot, he's one hell of a great guy. His sidekick at these shows is David Walker, a pulp writer who this year did a reading at the show from his Captain Midnight adventure which was published in our LANCE STAR - Sky Ranger Vol. Two. Two has some really great new book plans for Airship 27 which we hope to revealing in the not too distant future.
A Smiling John Bruening
Another pal on hand was John Bruening, who has been tremendous help to Airship 27 Productions as a proof-reader. John was a fan of our work and one day several years ago wrote mentioning that our titles had too many typos and offering to help us with that issue. Once on board, John, himself a professional editor, began going over our books before they go off to the printers. And so thanks to his tireless efforts, the typo demons have been kept to a minimum and we can't thank him enough. John is also working on his first pulp novel for us and we'll be very anxious to bring that to you when it is ready.
Elie & Janet Harriet
At last year's Pulp Fest, we met Elie & Janet Harriet for the very first time. Harriet loves fantastic fiction and talked to us about possibly contributing to Airship 27. We were thrilled to have her aboard and last weekend she brought us the first part of her new RAVENWOOD - Stepson of Mystery story. It's a dooze and we can't wait to read the rest of it. This year Elie & Janet were able to spend lots more time with us socializing and we all became good friends. Elie, who works in the computer field, is going to be looking into solving the problems we have in transferring our current book files to such digital formats as iPad and Kindle. Those machines will accept the text portion of our books but not the interior illustrations. That is truly frustrating, but we will not sacrifice our art simply to go digital. If it doesn't have great interior art, it's simply not an authentic Airship 27 title.
Laurie Powers & the Air Chief
Over the past few months the Air Chief had the good fortune of connecting on Facebook with Laurie Powers of Los Angeles, CA. Aside from being an avid baseball fan like the Air Chief, Laurie has been working hard most of her life keeping the memory and works of her grandfather alive. Paul Powers was one of the most talented, well respected pulp writers who ever worked in the field. Laurie helped publish his autobiography, has cataloged his many short stories and over the past few years has gotten several collections of his works back in print. She is wonderful lady and it was a real joy to finally meet her.
BJay Johnson, Chris Metzer, Bill Gladamn, John Bruening, Steve Bennett & Air Chief
And lest you think it is only pulp fans who come to shows like Pulp Fest, allow me to set you Loyal Airmen straight. There are many movie and comic fans who frequent these shows, as was the case this year. Early Saturday afternoon, our table was surrounded by several of my comic amigos, some the Air Chief has known for many years like writer/buddy Steve Bennett and others we've only recently come to know. This latter group was led by Bill Gladman and included BJay Johnson, Christ Metzer, Chad Strohl, Dustin Carson & Victor Dandrige. You will be seeing more pictures of these talented fellows next week. Bill was instrumental in creating the Champion City Comic Con which takes place in Springfield, Ohio on Sept. 11th this year and Ye Old Air Chief is going to be one of the guests at the show. Something we are really looking forward to. And more on that later as well.
Greg Gick, Air Chief, Pam & Gary, Chris Yates
There are lots of great places to dine in Columbus, one of these being the Spaghetti Warehouse, a chain established in Ohio. Last year a group of us went there for dinner Friday night and this year decided to do it again. All total there were nine of us who went. Again, part of the fun of these shows is simply getting together with friends and have a great time together. Among those of us who were that night were Rob, yours truly,
writer Greg Gick, fan Mark Halegua, Pam & Gary (sorry, we did not get their last names) Chris Yates, and Elie & Janet Harriet. It was the end to a perfect first day at Pulp Fest. Next week we'll roll out another bunch of pictures for you Loyal Airmen to see and enjoy.
Thanks as always for stopping by.
Ron - Over & Out.
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| July 29, 2010 |
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NEW GREEN LAMA BOOK read... |
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Greetings Loyal Airmen. This time tomorrow the Air Chief will be in Columbus, Ohio attending the second annual Pulp Fest. Along with my pal and partner, Rob Davis, we will be setting up shop with our Airship 27 Productions table filled to overflowing with lots of great pulp novels and anthologies. So we hope a lot of you Loyal Airmen will be stopping by to check out the goodies and saying hi. And as always, any Loyal Airmen who comes to any of these conventions wearing Airship 27 swag from our Cafe Press on-line shop will get 50% any one book our table. Our way of saying thanks for you continued support. How do you find the shop? Simply click on to our dirigible logo on the left of this column, which will then take you to our on-line bookstore. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of that page and you'll find the link to the Cafe Press shop. Believe us, there are lots of cool items there.
And speaking of our Airship 27 titles, this past week we proudly released our 28th book. It is one we are all extremely excited about.
Last year we released the first volume of the brand new adventures of the Green Lama with stories by Kevin Noel Olson, Peter Miller and Adam Lance Garcia. Note, Adam received a Pulp Factory Award nomination for his story in that book. After its release, Adam had an idea of writing a full novel length GL adventure and we happily encouraged him to do so. The end result is THE GREEN LAMA - UNBOUND, one of the finest, most exciting and original pulp adventures we've ever had the pleasure of reading. This great book is beautifully enhanced by the art Mike Fyles, himself another PFA nominee. Mike had done the cover to our first GL book and this time asked to do both the cover and nine black and white interior illustrations. We were more than happy to grant him his wish. Mike recently began doing covers for Marvel and we are thrilled to have such a talented artist in our bullpen as well. And of course rounding out the entire package with his gorgeous design work is Rob Davis, who is himself a PFA winner for his interior art on our first ever Sherlock Holmes anthology.
So as you can see, Loyal Airmen, this is truly an All-Star creative team and the book itself reflects their hard work cover to cover. We hope you'll stop over to our on-line shop an order a copy. Of course in another week or so the book will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles etc.
Which is a nice segue into our second item of news this week. Ever since we began Airship 27 Productions, we have always looked for ways to get out books out to a wider audience. Alas getting our titles into book chains has always been near impossible. As for converting to the digital market for things like Kindle and iPad, there is a very complex transfer process that we have yet to overcome. When trying to alter our book files for these digital readers, we lose all our interior illustrations. They, Kindle and iPad etc. are just not sophisticated enough to translate pages of artwork. So we keep hoping someone will eventually devise a program that makes that possible.
Whereas our publisher Cornerstone Book Publisher yesterday took a major marketing step forward when he signed a contract, via Ingram Distribution, with the outfit that makes the Expresso Book Machines. If you are unaware of this revolutionary on-demand invention, well hang onto to your hats Loyal Airmen. This is a machine that is being sold to bookstores and libraries. Each unit has hundreds of digital book files taken directly from the exact same pdf files we use produce our Airship 27 books. A customer goes to the screen catalog, chooses the book they wish to buy, inserts their credit card and hits the Start button. Within 5 to 8 minutes a brand new, store-quality book is printed up, collated, glued and given a four color cover then dropped into a retrieval slot! If you think this is radical, we suggest you find their You Tube model video on-line which shows one in action. At present the company that makes these amazing machines has 35 of them in operation throughout the US and in several foreign countries. There is one in the public library of New Orleans. One in McMaster University Bookstore in Ontario Canada, another in the Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA. And on and on and on.
We personally see these amazing machines eventually appearing in every bookstore, coffeeshop and shopping mall across the land. In just another few weeks, once our publisher delivers the files, all 28 Airship 27 titles will be available to be purchase from an Expresso Book Machine. My Loyal Airmen, the Brave New World is here and we think it's grand.
And there you have it for this, the last week of July. Once again time is whizzing by us. Take care, stay well, and go read a pulp book. We would be most grateful. See you back here next week.
Ron - Over & Out.
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