Posted in: Comics | Tagged: airboy, Comics, entertainment, greg hinkle, image, image comics, image expo, james robinson

James Robinson Announces Airboy With Greg Hinkle At Image Expo – Updated

Published Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:41:49 -0600

Last updated Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:50:31 -0600

Kevin Schmidt writes from Image Expo:

James Robinson discussed the previously announced The Saviors which has been extended from a limited series to an ongoing. However in addition he announced Airboy with artist Greg Hinkle. It's a semi-autobiographical tale of exploring the underside of San Francisco trying to figure out ideas for Airboy and then breaking through into Airboy's fictional word. So it is both a relaunch of the classic Airboy but also a new semi-autobiographical work. Compared to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Adaptation.

Update – Official release information:

James Robinson and Greg Hinkle decide to go on an adventure and bring back the now public domain AIRBOY series of 1940s fame. Created by Robinson (THE SAVIORS, Earth-2) and Hinkle and starring, well, Robinson and Hinkle, AIRBOY is the story of two comic book creators determined to breathe new life into a series that, while once wildly successful, had fallen into obscurity. This will be Hinkle's debut at Image Comics.

Robinson and Hinkle's story, although taking inspiration from real sources, is fictional. "Honestly, in reality Eric [Stephenson] didn't come to me with Airboy, I conceived the whole thing with me in it and all the drinking, drugs, and sex and took the idea to him," said Robinson. "There was never any intended Airboy relaunch. It was all made up by me."

A humorous blend of fiction and reality (and a healthy dose of embellishment) AIRBOY begins the renewed journey of a character much beloved at one point, but forgotten today.

"Oh and our characters are quite like they're depicted in the comic, including our weak wills, depravity, and cowardice," added Robinson.

Image Comics Eric Stephenson himself even makes a cameo appearance in the story.

"As the writer of Starman, James is one of comics' preeminent writers, and when he first started talking to us about doing more creator-owned work at Image, I was thrilled," said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. "Saviors has been fantastic, obviously, but that in no way prepared me for the absolute insanity of AIRBOY—and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. What James and Greg have come up with here is nothing short of inspired mayhem."

AIRBOY is a new ongoing semi-autobiographical series, inspired by the original Airboy comic series, coming to Image Comics in 2014.