Greetings loyal airmen.  Well, here we are going on three weeks since I left the hospital and my recovery continues at a good pace.  Saw my surgeon for a post-op visit this past week and says your old air chief is the poster child for this kind of surgery. Ha.  Valerie and I are back to our morning mile and a half walk and except for one sore pectoral muscle under my left breast, I'm really feeling terrific.  Enough so that last Sunday I spent the entire day in Boston at comic con put on by David Cummings, a long time associate and pal.  Rich Woodall, my neighbor and the artist/creator of the sci-fi comedy comic, JOHNNY RAYGUN, drove us down.  I was lucky enough to latch on to a few photos taken at the show.

The show's Big Name Guest was DC's own Cliff Chiang, seen above with a young fan.  Cliff drew one of my personal favorite comis of last year, the DOCTOR 13 graphic novel.  So it was a thrill for me to go up and shake his hand and tell him how much I enjoy his work.  Of course, I was so excited about going to the show, I forgot to bring my copy of the book for Cliff to sign.  Aaghhh.

The other popular and well known artist guest was Mike Lily, whose work on VAMPIRELLA has really been turning heads.  I was really lucky to have Mike as my table neighbor for the entire day and we had a blast getting to know each other while meeting fans.   That's Mike above, with a really awful shot of me behind him.  Whatever that thing over my mouth is I have no clue.  Ha.  Behind me is Rich Woodall.  Anyway, in talking with Mike, I learned he's doing a pulp inspired comic for a British comic publisher to be called THE MERCURY CHRONICLES.  He showed me some of his early sketechs for it and I was simply blown away.   Nothing I love better than pulp inspired comics and this series, when it comes out, is going to blow people away.

And here's a shot of Rich completely enjoying himself.  Oops.  Ha.  Camera dude simply caught him unprepared.  Rich is one of the most jovial people in the world and seeing any picture of him without a smile is simply a rarity.  Oh, and that's the back of my head in the background.  I know, some of you think its my better side.  Ha.  Ha.  And there you have it.  A really fun day in Beantown.  Oh, and I'd be remiss to not tell you that Mike Lily is a New York boy and Yankees fan.  When he saw mine, and Rich's, Red Sox hats etc.he chuckled and confessed to be a member of the Evil Empire.  We really had a good time talking baseball…amicably.  Cross my heart.

This time next week, I'll be in Chicago hooking up with Rob Davis for our second trip to the Windy City Paper & Pulp Con.   Rob and I had so much fun at this show last year, we decided back then to repeat the experience.  We're really looking forward to renewing our acquaintances with the fine writers and artists we met there last year.  Sooooo…loyal airmen, if any of you are in the Chicago area next weekend, please check out the show on-line for the location and other details.  As always I would so love to meet you in person.

Question.  When is the last time you have been completely surprised…in an awesome, good way?  That doesn't happen to me often, but this past Monday afternoon it did and I'm still a bit shook up even now.  I was sitting in our front room looking out the bay window when a brown UPS truck came to stop in front of our yard.  I hustled to the front porch and there met the driver as he lugged a big cardboard box up our driveway.  He handed it to me, scanned the bar code and went on his way.  When I entered the kitchen carrying this thing (it was the size of a piece of luggage) Valerie queried me as to who it was for?   We checked the address sticker and there was my name.  I was completely stupified.  The return address listed Avengers Studio, Burbank CA.  Again, a mystery to me?  What on earth was in this box and who had sent it?

We laid it our on the kitchen bar counter and carefully cut open one end flap.  This revealed a beautifully designed package inside with the words…Electric Tiki.   I recognized thos instantly and a cold sweat broke out all over my body.   Electric Tiki is a company that produces the most beautiful character statues of well known fictional heroes.  They've done Tarzan, the Lone Ranger and the Phantom to name a few.   About a month ago they released a very special set with two statues, one of the Green Hornet and the other of his sidekick, the martials arts chauffeur, Kato.  I'd seen these advertised all over the internet and they made me drool, as they are just gorgeous, both of them.   The owner/artist/sculpture is a fellow named Ruben Procopio, and his work is just amazing.   When I'd first seen the Hornet and Kato pieces and learned what they were selling for, I mentally let go the dream of ever owning them.  On a retired, fixed income, it was just out of the question.  But, hey, that's life, right?  You just can't have every toy out there.  Ha.

Well, of course I was wrong this one time.  For in that unexpected box was the Electric Tiki set, both statues!!  Valerie and I took them out of their case and carefully set them up on a small table.  I told her to get her digital camera and snap a few shots just so I'd know I wasn't dreaming.

Accompanying the statues was a yellow envelope.  While Valerie took pictures, I opened this up and found a hand written letter from Ruben Procopio.  In it he said the statues for a gift for the entertainment I given him years ago with my GREEN HORNET comic series for Now Comics.  He thought I would be a person to relish and appreciate these pieces.  Ha.  Talk about an understatement.   Happily Ruben had included his business card as well and that's where I found his office phone number.  I immediately picked up the phone and called him.  Now it was his turn to be pleasantly surprised.  For the next forty minutes we had a truly wonderful conversation, with me saying Thank You about a hundred and twenty times and Ruben laughing, and in turn thanking me for my phone call.  That he is a great guy, and a truly generous soul now goes without saying.  Nobody, other than Val or family, has ever given me such a beautiful gift before.  These two figures are now stationed on the book shelf to the immediate right of my writing station here in Hangar 27.   Every time I look at them, I smile.  For one day I was that little boy awakening Christmas morning to discover the impossible toy he had only dreamed about was now really his.  Amazing.  Life is so full of surprises.

Obviously, after the my physical trials of the past weeks, this wonderful gesture on Ruben's part truly went a long, long way in getting me better.  I will never forget it.

And there you have it, loyal airmen.  Another week.  Spring continues to shine and grace us with warm weather.  Our granddaughters are playing softball, the Red Sox are doing relatively well for the start of the season and life really is good.   I wish all of you such surprises every day.
Ron – Over & Out.