CAPTAIN ACTION – PULP
HERO!
Airship 27 Productions, one of the premier publishers in the
New Pulp movement, and Captain Action Enterprises, licensors of the popular
Captain Action toy line, have joined forces to produce the first ever Captain
Action pulp novel, “Riddle of the Glowing
Men,” by Jim Beard. The book debuts
this Aug. at Pulp Fest in Columbus,
Ohio.
“We are tremendously excited to be working with Joe Ahearn
and Ed Catto of Captain Action Enterprises,” said Airship 27 Productions’
Managing Editor, Ron Fortier. “This is
the first time we’ve ever put together a title based on a highly popular and
successful license.”
Captain Action is based on the action figure created in 1966
by Stan Weston for Ideal Toys. He came equipped with a wardrobe of costumes
allowing him to become many different heroes such as Batman, The Lone Ranger,
the Green Hornet and many more. In 1967, Captain Action proved so popular that
the line was expanded to include a sidekick, Action Boy and a blue skinned
alien foe with bug eyes, the nefarious Dr. Evil. The following year, DC Comics licensed the
character from Ideal and published five issues of Captain Action featuring industry luminaries such as Jim Shooter,
Wally Wood and Gil Kane.
Since 2005, Captain Action Enterprises, has been producing an array of
exciting new collectibles, including statues, toys, comics, trading cards, and
apparel.
Still, the one remaining venue
the enduring hero had yet to conquer was that of a prose novel.
Enter veteran writer Jim Beard, a life-long
fan of the character.
“Jim approached us
late last year with this idea for a Captain Action pulp novel,” recalls Catto.
“We were immediately intrigued by the possibilities and began seriously
exploring the idea.”
It was Beard who then brought Ahearn and Catto to Airship 27
Productions.
“At the time I’d just
finished my first book for Airship 27,” Beard elaborates.
“Impressed with their industry leading quality
and professionalism, I knew they were the right people to usher Captain Action into
the fast-paced world of pulpdom.”
The challenge of doing a licensed property appealed to Fortier and his
partner and Art Director, Rob Davis and they signed on.
Their first goal was to assemble the finest
art team possible. This was achieved by recruiting the talented cover painter,
Nick Runge.
Runge’s work on such IDW
titles as
Angel &
Terminator –Salvation has spotlighted
him as being one of the finest new artists in the graphic field today.
Davis himself took on the task of doing the
nine interior illustrations while also designing the entire package.
“
Riddle of the Glowing Men,” is
set in the sixties where secret agent, Miles Drake, aka, Captain Action, is
attacked at A.C.T.I.O.N. headquarters by several assassins whose green skin
glows as if radiated.
In the process of
learning the identity of these killers and the reason behind their attack,
Captain Action teams with a beautiful female Russian agent and their quest
leads them to a hidden civilization under the frozen wasteland of Siberia. “Jim Beard has written a terrific, authentic
Captain Action adventure,” applauds Fortier. “It perfectly captures the
break-neck speed and thrills of the early pulps only with today’s modern
sensibilities. This book is sure to appeal to both Captain Action fans and new
pulp enthusiasts alike.”
Joe Ahearn and Ed Catto will be hosting a Captain Action panel at this
year’s San Diego Comic Con with further details about other exciting plans for
the classic hero.
Artist Nick Runge will
also be present at his table in Artist Alley.
Fortier, Davis and Beard will be in attendance
at Pulp Fest and will announce the book’s actual publication date.
About Captain Action Enterprises
As Retropreneurs, Captain Action
Enterprises, LLC specializes in taking old properties and rejuvenating them for
a new generation. Captain Action now appears in an on-going comic book series,
lithographs, statues, action figures, T-shirts, model kits and an iPhone app.
Additional properties include Lady Action, the Zeroids and Savage Beauty. For
additional information, contact ed.catto@bonfireagency.com.
About Airship 27 Productions
Begun in 2004 to produce new
novels and anthologies featuring classic, public domain pulp heroes of the 30s
and 40s, Airship 27 Productions was one of the major factors behind the pulp
renaissance which evolved into the New Pulp Movement. Today they have over fifty titles in their
ever expanding catalog, sell both hard copy and digital versions of their books
and will soon be launching audio books of their titles. They can be found at airship27hangar.com
