Pulpsploitation: On writing Airboy

This article was originally posted on the official Pulpsploitation site.

All three of these characters will play a
part in future Airboy stories.

Why Airboy?

He certainly isn’t a character that went without a revival in the 1980s. Chuck Dixon and Tim Truman created a rather amazing series at Eclipse (now being collected by IDW) with art by the likes of Stan Woch, Ben Dunn, Ron Randall and Tom Lyle.

Flying Dutchman will be the first other Air Fighter to
make an appearance in the new book.

But that series didn’t tell the story of the original Airboy. Instead it focused on Davy Nelson Jr., the son of the original character and his interaction with a mix of the original Air Fighters and new “ripped from the headlines” adventures. Despite being written by well known Republican writer Chuck Dixon, it was even famous for being the anti-Reagan comic. But while it offered great stories, it wasn’t the take on Airboy I wanted to see.

I wanted to go back to the original, I wanted to make him a fish out of water and I wanted to update the Air Fighters in a very different way.

In my initial short story, Misery and the Airtomb play their part in the first story, but they are really a subplot as Airboy finds himself young and alive again in the early 1980s. He’s immediately thrust into a plot to stop the massive super-weapon that nearly killed him once before.

The tale will hopefully kickoff a new series of adventures starring the high-flying adventurer beginning in 2017.

Pulpsploitation is now available at Amazon.

What's to come in 2016

I have big plans for 2016 but unlike last year, I am not going to make huge plans months ahead of time. I want to make sure I have work completed before I spend too much time discussing projects. I don't suspect I will have another down period like I did midway through last year, but I also don't want to make a bunch of promises that won't come to fruition.

My first published work of the year should be Flinch Books' Big Top Tales, the release of which is imminent. Edited by Jim Beard and John Bruening, it features original tales based around a 1950s era circus. I wrote a humdinger of a murder thriller starring the trapeze artist, more on which I will discuss when the book finally sees release.

Next up will be Lightweight: Beyond, scheduled for a March release. This should be in the editing stages within the next couple days, so I don't foresee any problems making that schedule. It will also be the longest Lightweight novel so far, at least half a book longer than the previous two volumes.

From there, I have tentative plans for a re-release of Out For Vengeance, the final two chapters of Quadrant (and a collection) and the return of F.O.R.C.E. to publishing over the summer. I also have a couple short story projects that should get finished within the next few months to fill in some anthology appearances I have already signed on to or plan to make. After that, I have a couple novels sitting and waiting on final chapters. Both my 1812 untitled novel and Neo-Tokyo Twin will hopefully be produced in some form this year.

On the editing front, Pulpsploitation should be launching a few new books in 2016, although I suspect they will be closer to midyear. Hopefully if plans go right, I will have a short Airboy novel as part of the expanded line this year.

Over the weekend, I wrapped up my first ever Western tale, a short story featuring the classic comic book character (now in the public domain) Kit West. That one isn't scheduled for release until November of this year as part of the Wild West Horse Opera RPG from Scaldcrow Games, but I had a lot of fun with it and have plans to go back to the Western format sometime in the next couple years.

Clearly, I have a lot still to come in the new year and this isn't even all I have planned. Hopefully I will be able to wrap all of it and produce a whole lot more as the year rolls on!

Kickstart the Week 33: Paper Dreams 2

I am a big supporter of Ben Dunn's work. I regularly followed him on and off Ninja High School and Warrior Nun Areala as a kid and have remained a fan through the years, whether it was his short-lived Marvel Mangaverse run or more recent releases like the Antarctic Press incarnation of Airboy.

Over the years, he's created tons of great art in his familiar manga-influenced style. He collected a lot of this just a couple years ago in an artbook called Paper Dreams which he funded on Kickstarter. Now he is back on Kickstarter to fund its sequel, aptly titled Paper Dreams 2.


At an affordable fifteen bucks for a print edition, this is a great way for fans or just lovers of great art to get a look at Ben's art. I am not a huge anime or manga fan, but Dunn seems like one of the finest artists to combine that style with more western comic sensibilities. He truly is a skilled artist and a guy worth seeing more from on a regular basis.

Head over to Kickstarter and give Paper Dreams 2 your support.

Pulpsploitation hits Pulp Fiction Reviews!

The always amazing writer and editor Ron Fortier recently took a look at Pulpsploitation for his reviews website!

He covers all five tales in the novel and raves about Gunmaster, The Black Bat, Tabu and E.A.G.L.E. as well, which makes me proud as an editor. But as a writer, I am always excited to see raves about my own work!

Ron gave a brief synopsis of the story on the site, then said that I am “a solid writer and he knows these golden age characters extremely well and we doubt seriously after reading through the obligatory “sex scene,” many of you will ever consider Davy Nelson a “boy” again.≵ That is great praise from a man with thirty years of writing experience behind him!

Read the full review of Pulpsploitation over at Pulp Fiction Reviews! Pick up Pulpsploitation at Amazon!

New fiction for 2015 kicks off with Pulpsploitation!

The announcement already went out on Metahuman Press and the newly launched Pulpsploitation.com, but I am proud to announce here that Pulpsploitation is now available in print and digital at Amazon as well as digitally at Smashwords and most leading ebook publishers.

While I am joined by the likes of Teel James Glenn, Caine Dorr, Frank Byrns and Steven Gepp on the inside, it is my tale of Airboy that I am talking about today. While many fans might remember the character from his previous 80s era revamp by Chuck Dixon, my new take on the character flashes the young hero forward thirty years after being left in suspended animation for thirty years! In the present, he meets the daughter of an old friend and the legacy of a great villain, all of which culminates in a massive battle outside Tokyo! It is a rip-roaring adventure that will be just the first shot of Airboy adventure from yours truly! Stay tuned for more news on the character in the coming months!

Pulpsploitation launches February 15!

I am proud to announce that my last Kickstarter project Pulpsploitation will finally make its debut the day after Valentine’s! And what better way to kick off your post-Valentine excitement than with all the sex, violence and action you can ask for featuring classic pulp and comic characters!

Featuring stories by yours truly, Teel James Glenn, Frank Byrns, Steven Gepp and Caine Dorr, the book is packed to the gills with great tales of the Black Bat, Airboy, the Gunmaster, Tabu and E.A.G.L.E. It can be preordered digitally now at Smashwords or stay tuned to Sunday when we will have links to it from Amazon in print and digital formats!

Stay tuned for a world of pulp adventure opening up very, very soon!