Greetings Loyal Airmen, as you know, last week we reported that our writing mentor, Ardath Mayhar was in ill heath and in hospice care. We were keeping her in our prayers and hoping for the best when out of the blue last Sunday, Jan 14th, we received the horrible news that one of our close friends and colleagues, writer Howard Hopkins had died of a heart attack two days earlier.  Howard had just turned 50 on Dec. 12th, 2011.  The terrible irony, Howard was one of Ardath's most successful writing students.

                      
                            Howard Lance Hopkins  Dec 12, 1961-Jan 12, 2012
Howard and the Air Chief became friends many, many years ago through his early fanzine devoted to the pulps called, Golden Perils.  A lifelong resident of Maine, with the Air Chief living just across the border in New Hampshire, it was only a matter of time before we hooked up, having so many of the same interests in the world of writing.  After many years of corresponding back and forth and meeting a few times at Maine comic conventions, Howard suggested Valerie and the Air Chief come up to Portland to have lunch with him and his charming wife Dominique. It was on that day that we learned of still another unique connection we shared; Ardath Mayhar.  Not only was she the Air Chief's friend and mentor, she had also been Howard's teacher when he enrolled in a fiction writing correspondence course.  What a truly small world it is.

We learned how Howard had, since completing that course, gone on to become a professional western writer working for a British outfit called Hale Publications that published books under the Black Horse Western label.  Howard took his first and middle names to create the pseudonym of Lance Howard.  He would go on to write dozens of westerns under this tag and ultimately go on to publish others under his real name.

Howard's writing was brilliant, he had such a wonderful command of the language and his words were eloquent and graceful.  His prose rolled over a page effortlessly and he was truly a great writer.  Of course the Air Chief had to laugh at the idea of a Maine cowboy writer who had never been on a horse a day in his life and was in fact afraid of them.  Note, Howard's other passion was his life long love of the classic pulps and eventually this brought him contact with Moonstone Books' managing editor, Joe Gentile. Joe at first hired Howard to write classic pulps stories for Moonstone's pulp anthology line. Seeing just how talented Howard really was, Joe soon recruited him to act as an editor for the line and Howard would soon take charge of such books as the recent Avenger anthology, Justice Inc. in which the Air Chief had a story.  Working with Howard was a joy.  Recently Moonstone had acquired the rights to one of Howard's favorite fictional heroes, the Lone Ranger.  Although the company planned to do a full out anthology with a half dozen writers, Gentile was all too familiar with Howard's affection for the character and allowed him to write a brand new Lone Ranger novel before launching the anthology.

The Lone Ranger Vendetta was an exciting dream come true for Howard and his colleagues were all thrilled for him.  He did complete the book and submit the manuscript but sadly did not live to see it published. The book is scheduled to be released next month.  The Air Chief has had it on order since he first learned of it and now more than ever is anxious to hold it in his hands and read it.

There are no guarantees in this life and at best, as the poets tell us, it is only a fleeting thing.  It does come and go so quickly.  Howard Hopkins only had fifty years in this world, but he filled those years with so much creativity, laughter and love, his life changed for the better all of us lucky to have known him.  We will never forget our friend.  Ironically days after Howard's passing, we learned that Ardath Mayhar was miraculously regaining her strength and could possibly recover.  Miracles and loss, the roller coaster of life.  All over the internet this past week, Howard's pals have been writing so many wonderful, heartfelt tributes, many of them closing them with a very familiar western farewell Howard would have appreciated.

Happy trails, old friend.  Till we meet again.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, this week we want to share with you someone very special in our life.  Someone who arrived when things were at their worst in the Air Chief's past and forever changed it for the better. As most of you know, the Air Chief is a person of deep, abiding faith.  Such faith is a gift from God. You can't earn it, you have to pray for it and then accept it with daily gratitude. That faith has taught us about the “angels” God sends our way when times are bad.  So allow us to tell you a story, a true tale about such an angel.

Many years ago, our first marriage was over and we found ourselves cast adrift, feeling like a complete and utter failure.  Seeing our children in pain at their parents breaking up, unable to console them, we were guilt ridden and many nights fell asleep in tears, wishing we could simply cease to be.  Truly, we wanted to die.  Seeing our distress, someone very close to us suggested we pray to God.  Having no better answer, we took that advice, it was a drowning soul's last desperate action.  Then one day a letter arrived from this very sweet old lady who lived in Chireno, Texas.  Her name was Ardath Mayhar; a writer who belonged to the same writers club as the Air Chief.  Now keep in mind, at this stage in our career, we had published a few comic book stories, but that was all.  Whereas Ardath had been a writing teacher, manager of a bookstore and author of several fantasy novels.

                        
                               FANTASY AUTHOR ARDATH MAYHAR
Somehow in my letters, she was able to glean that we were in pain and had lost our way. Out of the blue she suggested we come up with a plot for a book and she would help us to write it.  We would do it together.  Having nothing to lose, we followed her lead and within a few weeks were busily at work on what would eventually become our first published book.  The Air Chief would write a few chapters, send the manuscript to Ardath and she would do the next few chapters. This was way before the days of the internet.  Within six months we had completed  TRAIL OF THE SEAHAWKS.  And as exciting as that was for this first time book writer, our life had also begun to course-correct.  We had begun dating again, our children were coming to understand that their father had not abandoned them and realize he would always love them and be there for them.  And we were going back to church on a regular basis.  Somehow, while lost in the process of creating, God had pulled us back to the land of the living.  Then Ardath's agent sold the darn thing to Windwalker Books, a branch of the old TSR.

When our copies arrived in the mail, we were simply overjoyed.  One of our biggest dreams had been realized and it was all because of an angel named Ardath Mayhar.  She was born Ardath Frances Hurst in Texas in 1930 and shortly thereafter he parents moved to Oregon.  She began writing poetry at the age of nineteen and in 1979 returned to Texas with her family never to leave it again.  She married Joe Mayhar and the two of them raised a family of boys while at the same time operating “The View From Orbit Bookstore” in Nacogdoches until his passing in 1990.  Along the way, she continued writing and the Science Fiction Writers of America named her Author Emeritus in 2008.  During her lengthy career she was a teacher for a writer's correspondence school and helped guide dozens of young men and women along the path of wonder and creativity.  After the success of our first joint venture, TSR came calling wanting us to do another.  We were both happy to oblige them with a prequel called, “MONKEY STATION.”

It too would sell relatively well.  By then the Air Chief's life had completely turned around and things were going super.  We had married Valerie, moved into a new house and the kids were doing great.  When we suggested to Ardath a third book, she agreed but with the kind declaration that it would be our final collaboration as there were many other stories she wanted to tell on her own. That third book was called “WITCHFIRE” and again, it was from the Air Chief's imagination.  It tells the story of a beautiful young witch whose mother dies while she is very young and she is raised by a truly wonderful and kind woman named Mother Kalavela, who becomes her mentor in all things. We've often wondered if, while writing this fanciful adventure romance thriller, Ardath ever realized we had modeled Kalavela on her?  When finished, this particular book seemed an odd duck and the big publishers didn't want it.  Still, we never lost faith that someday it would find a home.  Over the interceding years, Ardath and the Air Chief kept in touch with the usual Christmas card and few kind letters ever so often.  It would well over twenty years later, after the Air Chief & Rob Davis hatched the plan that became Airship 27 Productions that “WITCHFIRE” would finally find a home.

    
                  MOTHER KALAVELA APPEARS ON THE BACK COVER
A few days ago, another of Ardath's many writing proteges sent us an e-mail reporting that Ardath is in very poor health and at 82, in hospice care with her family close by.  Born of rugged, pioneer stock, this lady has led an incredible life and is a fighter.  Yet, if it is the Good Lord's will to be calling her home, to be reunited with her beloved Joe, then we pray her passing will be a peaceful one she so richly deserves.  We have several good friends who are practical people who scoff at the idea of angels, miracles and a Loving God who sends them our way daily. As much as we respect their opinions, we know they are wrong.  We know an angel, her name is Ardath Mayhar ….and she gave us back our life.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, well 2012 is off to a good start.  The Air Chief has been really productive this past week getting a lot of writing under way.  We mentioned last week be assigned to write two new Spider pulp stories for Moonstone Books.  Well “Spider Trap” is now under way and we are having a blast with it.  At the same time one of our artist pals, Brian Level, took it upon himself to do an amazing collage starring the new Space Captain Jain Marlee that we created for our short story, “The Smuggler's Lament” and Brian help bring to life graphically. He obviously has fun drawing her and did this piece as a complete surprise for the Air Chief.

The fun of this piece is that Brian dreamed up these different little scenarios that would all make great Captain Jain stories and believe me, the Air Chief has been properly inspired here.  Thanks, Brian. Note another pal who saw this and a few other illustrations of the character compared her to a female Han Solo and we'd have to agree that's exactly the kind of rogue-personality she has. Stay tuned, we will of course let you know when her first story does see comic print.

Our first I.V. Frost 12 pg story, “The Beastmaster” has been drawn completely with gorgeous pencils by Jake Minor and beautiful inks by Jeff Austin.  Brant Fowler will be adding letters in the next few weeks and then off it goes to Moonstone Comics.  Speaking of Brant, our co-host on the ZONE 4 TMV Cafe internet radio and yours truly are both having a grand time doing this show, along with the Professor, Gordon Dymowski and the show now airs on the internet at 9 PM EST on Tuesday nights.  We really hope you'll tune us in.

Earlier today, over on Facebook, the Air Chief posted a list of the first four Airship 27 Productions pulp title.  The plan is to release a book a month.  January will debut Gary Lovisi's novel, “Sherlock Holmes – The Baron's Revenge.”  In Feb. we'll release “Deathwalker” a novel by R.A. Jones.  Imagine Conan as an early Native American Cheyenne and you'll get the idea of this great fantasy adventure.  In March we bring out “The Ruby Files,” an anthology featuring a 1930s private eye that you won't want to miss.  The book features a gorgeous cover by Mark Wheatley.  And then in April look for, “The Moon Man” another anthology featuring the bizarre pulp Robin Hood like hero from the 1930s in four brand new adventures.  We at Airship 27 are very excited about this line up and can't wait to bring them to you, plus all the other books coming down the hangar assembly line.

To that end, we've today registered for our table at this year's Windy City Paper & Pulp Show which opens April 27th.  Now there's a lucky number.  And again this year, Rob Davis and the Air Chief will be presenting the Pulp Factory Awards for 2011 at the con, awarded excellence in four categories; Best Pulp Novel, Best Pulp Short Story, Best Pulp Cover and Best Pulp Interior Artwork.  Nominations have now begun and once a ballot is completed, members of the Pulp Factory will have from the start of Feb. to the end of March to vote. We wish all our colleagues, both artists and writers the best of luck.

                   
                                  ACTOR  ERROL FLYNN
And finally, we finished off our last Flight Log for 2011 by listing our favorite book of that year. We thought you might enjoy knowing what we've chosen to read as our first book of the new year.  It is ERROL FLYNN, a marvelous biography of the late screen star by Thomas McNulty.  Flynn was the epitome of the dashing, adventure swashbuckler and one of the Air Chief's all time favorites while growing up. We don't believe the screen has ever seen his equal since.  This biography is superbly researched and written and we are enjoying it a great deal.  You can expect a full review when we are done.

And that's it for week one of 2012, Loyal Airmen.  Take care and as ever thanks for stopping by, see you in seven.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, we hope that all of you had a fantastic Christmas with your family and loved ones.  Ours was amazing, perhaps the best ever for Ye Old Air Chief.  It was that much fun.  So here we are, about to say goodbye to another year and usher in a new one.  And there have been lots of changes around the old Hangar 27 that require announcing, but before we go to that we've one final chore.

               
                           BEST READ OF 2011
This past year we had the fun or reading 38 books and reviewing them at our PULP FICTION REVIEW blog site. In that mix were many excellent books by some of our favorite writers plus lots of new discoveries.  One such was REX RIDERS by J.P. Carlson, a young adult science fiction western we absolutely adored and wish more people would find. It's target audience is teenage boys and that's just what the Air Chief felt like after having finished this amazing, exciting and fun novel.  Please, do yourself a favor and go find it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It truly was our favorite book of 2011.

Now that the future looms brightly ahead of us, we want to give you a few peeks as to what we will be involved with in the coming new year.  Airship 27 Productions is parting ways with our old publisher and going solo.  Rob Davis and I hope to put out at least ten new books in 2012, starting with a brand new Sherlock Holmes novel by Gary Lovisi that should be out in Jan.  It's a pip!  We also plan on another volume of Airship 27 Presents of All Star Pulp Comics.  Issue one is selling like hotcakes and so we are planning issue two right now.

            
                           COMING IN 2012
In my thirty five year career as a professional writer, the Air Chief has worked in possibly every genre there is except two: romances & sports.  Well, as of next year, we'll have finally done and had published two sports stories.  One is a story called “The Hot Dig Kid” that is about our beloved Red Sox and will be appearing in Adam Patcher's FINAL FENWAY FICTION, see the gorgeous cover above by artist Daniel Ibanez. We are guessing this will be out sometime in Spring and is advantageous as Boston's Fenway Park is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2012 as a professional baseball stadium.  Wow. Hopefully that party will translate well for sales of this great book which is a collection of not only short stories, but essays and poems as well.

Then sometime in either Feb or March of next year, Borgo Press will release BATTLING BOXING STORIES which will contain my tale, “Blood Feud.”  Sports pulps were very common in the 30s and 40s and it has been a thrill for the Air Chief to explore new territories with his fiction.  We will keep you posted on their official releases and where to pick them up at the proper time.

         
                A SPIDER MAGAZINE COVER 1942
As for our personal pulp writing, you can expect to see a great deal with our name affixed to the credit line next year.  Several years ago, Moonstone Books did an anthology of new Spider stories featuring this truly classic pulp hero and the Air Chief was thrilled to have a story in that book.  Well, Moonstone editor Joe Gentile recently came knocking once again.  It seems Moonstone will be producing two more brand new Spider anthologies and the Air Chief will have a story in each of these.  The first, which we are currently plotting will be a typical Spider actioner pitting him against a monstrous and oh so clever villain.  Whereas the second tale to be written later in the year may well have him crossing paths with another pulp character, this one not so well recognized among pulp fans; I.V. Frost.  Frost was a combination of Sherlock Holmes & Sam Spade and appeared in 18 stories in the pages of Clue Magazine.  Working out a plot that teams him with the Master of Men is a challenge we simply could not pass up.

Meanwhile there are other pieces of fiction we've completed that should see the light of print in 2012.  These include a Johnny Dollar Insurance Investigator tale from Moonstone, a Rook adventure for Pro Se Productions and an Athena Voltaire World War II yarn for creator Steve Bryant's proposed anthology.  As you can see the Air Chief has been busy.

         
                        I.V. FROST & JEAN MORAY
Leave us not forgot the comic book front and all the projects we've got in the works there as well.  We have every intention of doing more pulp connected comics as mentioned above.  At long last the three I.V. Frost scripts I penned nearly a year ago are now being completed for Moonstone Comics and will feature the artwork of Jake Minor and James Lyle with inks by Jeff Austin and letters by Brant Fowler.  The pin-up above is by Lyle and Austin.  The first of these three stories should be completed and in-house within the next two weeks.

We've already mentioned All Star Pulp Comics # 2 and knock on wood, if all goes well, you will finally be seeing our graphic novel adaptation of Captain Hazzard – Python Men of the Lost City, a project that has been over six years in the making.  We are truly excited about that one.  Never mind more Mr.Jigsaw zaniness from Redbud Studio and of course future issues of “Ron Fortier's Tales of the Macabre.”  Number two should be out in a few more weeks and number three is already in production.

The Good Lord willing, the Air Chief will finally sit down and finish my fifth Captain Hazzard novel as well. So say a prayer for us and keeping sending those good thoughts out way.  It truly looks to be a most fun and creative year ahead.  We hope you join us on the journey.  Hey, there would be no point in doing any of this if it were not for you Loyal Airmen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and please, be careful and NO drinking & driving.  We want you all back here next week for our first Flight Log of 2012.  God bless,

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen and here's our traditional Christmas card to all of you from Valerie & the Air Chief, getting ready to spend our second Christmas in our new home here in Colorado. Amazing just how fast time has flown by.  The past week as has been the usual hectic activities plus some bits of fun thrown in.  We did get to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law and liked it as much as the first one.  For those of you who do follow our Airship 27 Productions pulp titles, you'll be pleased to know we are now getting our first title for 2012 ready for a Jan. release and it is a brand new Sherlock Holmes novel by writer Gary Lovisi.  Stay tuned, it's a real winner for all Holmes fans.

On the creative side the Air Chief finished writing a pulp story for a new anthology based on Barry Reese's pulp hero The Rook.  Expect to see that early next year as well.  Whereas on the Transmissions From Zone 4 episode next Tuesday night 8 PM EST, on the TMV Cafe internet radio, the Air Chief reveals his favorite book of the past year.  That's from the 38 we read and reviewed. Give a listen. You may be surprised.

Finally we will leave you with a truly beautiful painting by Jack Sorenson we found on the internet. It's a cowboy's spiritual Christmas and one we wanted to share with all of you.  This is a joyous, happy time because it reminds all of us of the greatest gifts of all, love and hope.  God gave all of us the treasure of his son Jesus on that special night over two thousand years ago.  Regardless of whether you are religious or not, Christian or not, we want to wish all of you a truly wonderful time surrounded by friends and family. Which is what all of you have become to us here at Airship 27.  As Tiny Tim says at the end of “A Christmas Carol”, God bless us all, everyone.”

Amen – Ron – Over & Out

Great Loyal Airmen, here we are about to go into the last full week before Christmas and the frantic holiday season is truly upon us now.  Hopefully most of you have done all your gift getting and are now getting ready to kick back and just enjoy time together with family and loved ones.

Having enjoyed the first new Sherlock Holmes last year with Robert Downey Jr & Jude Law, Valerie and the Air Chief are very anxious for this sequel which opens nation wide today, Dec. 16th. Called “Game of Shadows” it pits the Great Detective against his most nefarious foe, Professor Moriarty.  The trailers have had us wound for sound for months now and come next month, we hope to catch the flick at a local matinee. We'll give you our thoughts in next week's Flight Log.

             
                             Victorian Streets of London

Not to be undone, we at Airship 27 Productions are now putting together what will be our fourth Sherlock Holmes title, although this one is a stand alone novel. In the past few years Airship 27 has produced three volumes of our best selling  SHERLOCK HOLMES – CONSULTING DETECTIVE.  Whereas the new book coming out in Jan. 2012 is called SHERLOCK HOLMES – THE BARON'S REVENGE and is authored by writer Gary Lovisi.  In fact it is an actual sequel to Arthur Conan Doyle's story, “The Illustrious Client” published in 1924 as a part of “The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes” collection.  It is a gripping suspense thriller wherein both Holmes and Dr. Watson become the targets of an old foe bent on their destruction.
             
We're extremely excited about the project and the Air Chief thought we'd give you a sneak peek at one of Rob Davis's ten interior illustrations that will appear in the book.  So mark your calendars, Holmes and pulp fans for Jan. 2012, when once again the game will be afoot.

                 
                             Cover art by Eduardo Barreto

Over the past two weeks the comic community has lost several well known legendary writers and artists.  First there was Bob Kane's partner on Batman, Jerry Robinson known for creating the Joker. He was well into his 80s at the time of his passing.  Today two more joined the ranks of those we've loss.  One was 98 year old Joe Simon, partner to the late Jack Kirby.  Joe helped create such iconic comic heroes as Captain American, the Fly and many others with King Kirby in the Golden Days of American Comics. Again we mourn his passing.  Yet the biggest shock was the news of Eduardo Barreto's death at the young age of 57.  Barreto worked mostly for DC Comics during his long career with them and was one of the most respected artist in the business.  He is remembered fondly by pulp fans for his awesome work on THE SHADOW STRIKES comic series with writer Gerard Jones.  Above is one of the many covers Barreto did for that series (before coloring was added) which evoked the feel of the old pulp covers. Beside Michael Kaluta, he is considered the greatest comic artist ever to adapt the Shadow to graphics.  That he will be missed is an understatement, especially at such a young age.  Our condolences go out to the families of these great men and our prayer is that their boundless talent and creativity will continue expand in a grander setting than even they could ever imagine in this world.

And that Loyal Airmen wraps up this week's Flight Log.  Stay safe and healthy and save some eggnog for the Air Chief.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, well we are moving closer and closer to Christmas and we hope all of you are dealing wisely with the frantic activities the holiday season entails. The Air Chief has been very, very, very busy with all manner of projects from comics to pulp to launching a brand new internet radio program.

               
For the  past year, the Air Chief has been one of three co-host on a weekly podcast based at the Comic Related website and posted there ever Friday night.  It's called ZONE 4 and my co-hosts are Brant Folwer and Gordon Dymowski, better known as the Professor.  The show continues to be a fan favorite with comic and genre fans throughout the globe and a few months ago even inspired a ZONE 4 Comic strip adventure which post every Monday on the Comic Related website, chronicling the adventures of the Zone 4 crew.  We even have a Facebook page and invite you to “Like” us there.

                       
             Gordon Dymowski – The Professor
Recently a good friend, Tommy Hancock, made it known that he would be producing a block of Pop Culture Themed shows on the TMV Cafe, an internet radio station and that he was looking for programming.  We approached Tommy about doing an  hour long version of our regular weekly podcast and thus was born TRANSMISSIONS FROM ZONE 4 (see the logo above) and this past Tuesday our very first episode aired.  Unlike the original, free wheeling ZONE 4 where the three of us, including guests, simply get together and talk comics, movies, DVDs etc.etc., this in this hour show we've broken it up into segments where each of us do our own thing.  Mine is called the Library wherein the Air Chief talks books, reviews and short bios of famous writers throughout the ages.  This is followed by Brant's comics segment and finally the Professor wraps things up with a fifteen minute look at what's new in media.  We're having a blast thus far and hope many of you Loyal Airmen will give us a listen.  Simply Google TMV Cafe and listen in on Tuesday nights at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Meanwhile, back at the regular ZONE 4, we've launched as yet another fun contest all of you are welcome to enter.  Simply complete the following sentence,  “I like listening to Zone 4 because…” and send it in to me here.  Make your statement, short, long, funny, whatever and maybe we'll read your entry live on our next ZONE 4 show.  Everyone who sends us a comment will be entered into our contest and on the last weekly show in Feb, the winner's name will be drawn and this is what he or she will win; the chance to appear as a character in the next issue of MR. JIGSAW – MAN OF A THOUSAND PARTS!!

           
                You Could Be In A Comic Book
Above is the cover to the last regular issue, number nine.  The Air Chief just begun work on issue number ten.  The winner of the new ZONE 4 contest will have his or her likeness drawn by artist Gary Kato and actually appear as themselves in one of the two stories that will be featured in this new issue.  So if you are a true comic fan, here's your chance to be immortalized as a real comic character. But you can't win if you don't enter, so get hopping.

           
                  Cover to Latest Rook Title
Finally, the Air Chief is thrilled to announce his latest pulp writing project.  One of the coolest new pulp heroes created in past few years is the Rook, by Atlanta based writer Barry Reese.  Thus far Reese has produced six volumes of Rook adventures, each a collection of short stories. Now Reese has invited other writers to join in the fun a write their own stories featuring this really great pulp hero.  The Air Chief was both excited and honored to participate in this project and is now busily at work on his story which has to be completed and turned in by the first of the new year.  It's called, THE MISS BEANTOWN AFFAIR and deals with the Rook's early crime fighting days in Boston.  We're having a blast writing it and will keep you posted as to when the actual collection will be published and available for sale.  Note the previous six Rook books are available at Amazon and other major distributors and we highly recommend them all.

And there you have it for another week, Loyal Airmen.  Busy, busy, busy.  Again, be safe out there and in the hustle and bustle of chasing after that special gift for a love one, remember, the true purpose of the season is to show that person just how much they are loved.  Some times a hug and kiss are far better than anything you can buy in a store.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, here we are rolling into December, the last month of 2011 and only four weeks away from Christmas.  Time is certainly racing by.  Today saw the release of a comic book the Air Chief his extremely proud of and we really hope you'll want to check it out. For the longest time, when attending comic convention, we are often asked by young boys and girls just how comics are put together. How do you make a comic book? And of course the Air Chief and his many colleagues do their best and try to answer that question, whereas the only books out there that deal with the subject are these heavy, thick hardback books that generally are too expensive for young kids to buy.  Thus the Air Chief always wondered, why not do a HOW TO BOOK as a comic book?  After talking it over with my Mr. Jigsaw co-creator, artist Gary Kato and our editor at Redbud Studio, Rob Davis, all of us agreed it was an idea worth pursuing.  Six months later that project has become a reality.

The first ever Mr.Jigsaw Special is a black and white 44 page comic whose main theme is to teach young writers and artists how to make a comic book.  In the book, Mr. Jigsaw travels the globe to interview the Air Chief, Gary and Rob separately and from each learns a new segment of the entire process.  Here is page one of this fun adventure.

                       
In Fort Collins, the Air Chief gives Mr. Jigsaw an actual script for a 10 pg comic story.  The script is printed in the comic.  Next Jiggy goes to Honolulu where he delivers that strip to Gary Kato, who then proceeds to show him how he breaks it down, does composition roughs etc. and from page to page the readers get to see the story come to graphic life.  Finally the Man of a Thousand Parts arrives with the completed in Hallsville, Missouri where Rob Davis and his son Ryan explain how they digitally scan the finished art and then format those pages for the printer.  From start to finish, the entire process is laid out in a fun journey.

It is our hope that this comic will become an invaluable reference for the future comic book writers and artists of tomorrow, that they will learn from it and be inspired by it to make their own dreams come true.  The book sells for $3.75 and is only available on line from (www.IndyPlanet.com) and we think makes a perfect stocking stuffer for that young comic book fanatic in your family.  We hope you'll agree.

Sticking with our comic theme this week, we thought we'd remind you of a little project we're working on with artist Brian Level.  A few weeks ago we gave you a sneak peek at Brian's rough sketch of space captain, Jain Marlee who stars in this story called THE SMUGGLER'S LAMENT.  Brian's been hard at work bring it to life and above is the first page complete except for the lettering.  To say we're thrilled and delighted would be a gross understatement.  Brian is a truly gifted artist and doing wonders with our little script.  Of course we aren't going to reveal all of it here.  Ultimately when completed, it will appear in several comic anthologies and we'll be sure to let you know at that time.  Brian is a joy to work with and the Air Chief is hoping this is the first of many of our collaborations.

And finally this week the Red Sox finally announced their new manager as veteran Bobby Valentine.  At 61, Valentine was both manager for the Texas Rangers and New York Mets and even managed a Japanese team to a championship.  He's no stranger to big market baseball as its played in Boston and we wish him all the luck in the world get the Sox back on track come 2012.

And there you have it, Loyal Airmen.  We hope you'll pick up a copy of the first ever Mr.Jigsaw Special and make some young comic fan very, very happy.  It will certainly put a smile on our face. 

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen and a joyful Thanksgiving Holiday weekend to you and your loved ones.  As the Air Chief writes this entry tonight, he is most content having enjoyed a truly sumptuous turkey dinner with all the fixing lovingly prepared by Valerie and enjoyed by our entire gathered family. This is our second Thanksgiving in Colorado and a truly wonderful one. We have so much to be grateful for like our family, our friends, our general good health and so many blessings we could never hope to count them all.  It is our sincerest wish that all of you also have these same wonderful experiences and blessings.

            
                        Cover by Mike Manley
This past week Airship 27 Productions released our tenth and final book of the year, ROBIN HOOD – ARROW OF JUSTICE written by I.A. Watson with designs and interior illustrations by our Art Director Rob Davis and cover by the amazing Mike Manley.  Note, this is the second in Ian's marvelous trilogy retelling this classic adventure for a new generation of readers.  Book one, ROBIN HOOD – KING OF SHERWOOD was a critical success and we have no doubts this second chapter will also be appreciated by fans of high adventure literature.  Also note, Mike won last year's Pulp Factory Award for Best Pulp Cover for his work on that first volume and we've a strong hunch he'll get a nomination for this one as well.  The book is now on sale at our digital hangar where you can buy and download a PDF copy for only $3.  Simply click on the dirigible logo to the left of this column to be taken to that store site.  The book should be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other fine book distributors in only a few weeks.

ROBIN HOOD – ARROW OF JUSTICE is our 43rd title since Rob and the Air Chief launched Airship 27 Productions and we're still amazed at how much our little venture has grown in the past few years.  And we've got big plans for 2012.  Next month, on Dec. 16th, the second Sherlock Holmes movie, Game of Shadows, starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law will be released around the world; the sequel to the hugely successful first movie with this pair.  It is a film the Air Chief has been greatly anticipating.

          
                     Illustration by Rob Davis
By sheer coincidence, our first scheduled pulp title for 2012 will be a brand new Sherlock Holmes novel; The Baron's Revenge by Gary Lovisi.  Its a terrific mystery thriller that is a direct sequel to an original Holmes & Watson tale first penned by their creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and you won't want to miss it.  As usually, Rob will provide the interior illustrations and we are hoping to have him and New Zealand artist Shave Evans produce the color.  Again, look for  SHERLOCK HOLMES – THE BARON'S REVENGE in Jan. 2012.

Finally, back in the 1960s, BBC in England produced a Sherlock Holmes television starring the amazing Peter Cushing in the starring role and Nigel Stock as Dr. Watson.  It was the done after Cushing had first played the Great Detective in the Hammer version The Hounds of the Baskervilles.  The show itself lasted several seasons but sadly very few tapes of those episodes survived.  A few years ago, American's own station, A & E, in cooperation with BBC, released the only five episodes remaining in a DVD package.  Last week, while out running errands, the Air Chief found that collection at a local retail store and immediately snatched it up.  Having watched the first three episodes, we can only say they are marvelous and would urge any of you Holmes, or Cushing fans, to hunt this up.  It is a truly terrific set.

And there you have it for this Thanksgiving week, Loyal Airmen.  The holiday season is officially underway.  Our Christmas decorations, to include a truly beautiful tree, have all been put up thanks to Valerie and our granddaughter Cora.  It is truly feeling festive here at Hangar 27.  Take care, get your shopping done and be safe out there.

Ron – Over & Out!

Greetings Loyal Airmen, Finally the very cool comics anthology we'd been telling you about for the past six months is here.  This is the first real joint venture between our pulp enterprise, Airship 27 Productions and our comic division, Redbud Studio.  Rob Davis, the Art Director for Airship 27 is also the Managing Editor of Redbud. So we thought it was high time to do a full out comic anthology starring many of the same pulp heroes we do our prose books about.  We solicited the aid of seven writers, each with a different art team and have assembled a 58 pg comic title we are all very proud of.

AIRSHIP 27 Presents ALL STAR PULP COMICS, Vol One.  It features a gorgeous cover by the amazing Jeff Butler and the following stories and art teams.
The Green Lama by Adam Garcia & Mike Fyles.
Jim Anthony Super Detective by Erwin K. Roberts & Pedro Cruz
The Black Bat by C.William Russette & Wayne Beeman
The Blue Lady by Sean Taylor & James Ritchey III
The Rook by Barry Reese & Craig Wilson
Secret Agent X by Bobby Nash and Jeremy McHugh
Domino Lady by Percival Constantine, Rock Baker & Jeff Austin

The book is $6.99 (plus shipping & handling) and can only be purchased at (www.IndyPlanet.com) – Folks who have already picked up a copy have been delighted with this graphic treasure chest of pulp goodies. We hope you'll give it a try.

                                
                                                Sketch by David Baker

And now for another sneak peek.  As most of you Loyal Airmen know, the Air Chief is always on the look out for new and talented artist to do comic projects with.  Especially since the launching of our own named title, “Ron Fortier's Tales of the Macabre.”  Recently we discovered a fellow named David Baker over at the Digital Webbing boards.

                                 
                                                            Sketch by David Baker

We contacted David and suggested doing a project together.  He was very excited and receptive and so we wrote a six page horror tales titled, “A Late Night Story,” and sent it along.  Within a day David did up the two sketches we have here; these are two of the principle characters from that script.  The Air Chief was bowled over.  We can only imagine how cool the actually pages are going to be once David gets them done.  Stay tuned, we might post a few to wet your appetites.

And that wraps up this week's Flight Log, Loyal Airmen.  Next weekend is Thanksgiving and then we'll be rolling into December with some very cool news we can't wait to share with all of you.  Until then, stay warm, pray the Red Sox hire a decent manager who can get the job done for them and we'll see you all here in seven.

Ron – Over & Out!