Greetings Loyal Airmen, here we are in February and most of you are probably scrambling around to find the right gift for your significant other in time for Saint Valentine's Day.  We certainly wish you all in the luck in the world with that. And do remember, the simple standards like a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates still do the trick in creating a little romantic magic.

                             
February is also Black History Month in which we applaud African Americans and their priceless contributions to our great country.  After the end of the Civil War, freed slaves would have had every right to pack up their few belongings and leave a country that had so cruelly mistreated and abused them for decades.  They didn't owe America anything.  But they did not go down that path of hatred and revenge, rather they rolled up their sleeves and proceeded to do their best in making this country grow and prosper.  One such freed slaves was Bass Reeves, a U.S. Deputy Marshal in the badlands of Oklahoma prior to its becoming a state. In the course of his thirty-two year career he became the most successful western lawman of all times.

For several years now the Air Chief and artist Rob Davis (who did the pin-up above colored by Anthony Lee) have been hoping to one day produce a full-blown graphic novel detailing the Life & Times of Bass Reeves. Sadly that opportunity has yet to afford itself as other priorities have kept both of us too busy to do such a project justice.  Still we continue to dream and hope that one day we will get it done.

                             
                                          Cover Art by Adam Shaw

Several months ago the Air Chief received an invitation from his friend and colleague, Tommy Hancock who manages Pro Se Production, another truly fine New Pulp Publisher.  Tommy had hooked up with writer/editor Gary Phillips to do a new pulp anthology that would feature all African American heroes.  Even though slavery was gone, racism continued to thrive in our country long after the end of the Civil War and was rampant in the 20s and 30s during the era of the pulps.  It is almost impossible to find any minority character in those stories and if you do, you'll find them depicted as being slow and shiftless.  Honestly, it is difficult to read these tales as those hateful stereotypes were so appalling.  So it is that the writers of the New Pulp Movement, good folks like Tommy and many others are doing their best to correct these injustices by producing great pulp tales with heroes of all races.

Tommy's new anthology, due out later this month, is titled BLACK PULP (that's the cover above sans design or logo) and has a truly all star cast of contributors to include an essay by Walter Mosley and stories by Joe R.Landsdale, Gary Phillips, Charles Saunders, Derrick Ferguson and many others.  And yes, there is one by the Air Chief called, “The Lawman.”  So if you've put two and two together, you know the Air Chief took this golden opportunity to finally write a Bass Reeves story.  It was both a thrill and honor to do so for this great collection.  We will let you all know when it is available and how to grab a copy.

                     
Meanwhile we at Airship 27 Productions are busy working on dozens of new and exciting titles as well.  One of these new anthologies, QUATERMAIN – The New Adventures – features Alan Quatermain, the turn of the century African big hunter created by novelist H. Ridder Haggard who appeared in several of Haggard's books to include the often times filmed, “King Solomon's Mines,” and “She.”  The book will feature two novellas, one by James Palmer and the other Aaron Smith.  Art Director Rob Davis whipped up a truly beautiful sketch which is going to be adapted/painted by artist Ingrid Hardy for the cover.  That sketch is above.  Ingrid has done several of our covers in the past, to include one of Sherlock Holmes; her most recent was the new Black Bat Mystery Vol II.  We can't wait to see her bring this image to colorful life.

And there you have it for our first Flight Log of Feb, Loyal Airmen.  As ever, thanks for stopping by and we'll see you right back here in seven days.
Ron – Over & Out!