Greetings Loyal Airmen, and as we draw closer to Christmas, the Air Chief is going to continue his own reminiscences of this marvelous holiday.

As a child growing up in the 1950s in southern New Hampshire, the winter world was pretty much a Currier & Ives affair.  Many are the nights the Air Chief and his brothers and neighborhood pals would spend sledding down a hill at the end of the street or some of the more nimble footed of us would go ice-skating at a nearby frozen pond. We were all bundled up in heavy winter clothing, gloves, scarves, woolen hats etc.etc. We’d stay out until after dark and then, cold and hungry run for home and the delicious French Canadian food that awaited us.

Our mother had learned to make gorton, a pork sandwich spread from her mother and this was very much a traditional French Canadian dish.  Spread on bread or toast cold, it was yummy with a hot cup of cocoa.

Whereas if you wanted this same pork mixture served hot, then French Canadian ladies filled it into pie shells and baked them to become the famous Pork Pies. Now a hot slice of one of these with a dollop of ketchup and a glass of milk was as near heaven as a frost-bitten youngster could ever get in those days. Alas, these foods bring back so many joyous memories to the Air Chief’s mind.  Mom is 91 now and her cooking days long…long behind her. And it is doubtful we’ll ever again taste a bite of gorton sandwich or piece of authentic pork pie. But whenever Christmas rolls around, so do these warming memories.

Last week we informed you that Moonstone Comics had begun promoting our new comic pulp series GUNS OF THE BLACK BAT.  Since then they have released the official covers for the book and the press release solicitation that will appear in this month’s Diamond Catalog. Here it is below. Note, this issue, which you have to order now, will be released in April 2016.

DIAMOND CATALOG SOLICITATION

GUNS OF THE BLACK BAT # 1
Story: Ron Fortier, Aaron Shaps
Art: Silvestre Szilagyi
Cover: Michael Stribling
32pgs, gray, 7” x 10”, $3.50
UPC: 685239899047

Dateline 1938. Hitler and the Nazis have begun their plans to conquer the world. In the states, the crimefighter known as the Black Bat encounters German spies exhibiting strange, unworldly powers. Have aliens infiltrated the Third Reich and is the threat to mankind greater than imagined? Hurriedly the Bat assembles a team of specialists to help him confront this unknown foe: Airboy, Domino Lady, Moon Man, Golden Amazon, and more! They will become known as The Guns of the Black Bat.
***RETAILER INCENTIVE: If you purchase 4 or more copies of Guns of the Black Bat #1, you will receive 1 FREE variant issue!

And there you have it for this week, Loyal Airmen. Before we sign off, we want to wish all of you and your loved ones a truly MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Ron – Over & Out!