It’s been a whirlwind few months here at New Ellijay Heavy Industries, and I’m thrilled to finally share what we’ve been working on. This weekend at the Designer Toy Art Festival in Philadelphia (August 9-10), we’re launching not just one project, but an entire ecosystem of interconnected stories and toys, all rooted in my love of pulp history, radical storytelling, and handcrafted design.

The Mysterious Air Pirates #1 – A Dime Novel for the Disillusioned

The flagship of this new era is The Mysterious Air Pirates #1, a quarterly story paper in the tradition of early 20th-century dime novels. This isn’t a pastiche, it’s a direct continuation of the kind of stories that used to be sold on newsstands for a nickel.

• Inspired by the 1915 film Filibus (but with the crew fleshed out and a lot more worker solidarity)
• Handmade design I did the collage cover, typography, and layout myself, using period-accurate fonts and aesthetics
• Printed on uncoated, cheap stock on tabloid sized paper to feel like an artifact
• Quarterly releases (August, November, February, May)

The story follows a genderqueer sky pirate captain and their crew of outcasts. It’s full of heists, airship battles, and revolutionary joy the idea that resistance shouldn’t just be necessary, but exhilarating.

You can preview the first 9 pages (PDF LINK)

Sky Pirate Toys – Small-Batch Rebellion

Alongside the magazine, we’re debuting the first of our 3.75” Sky Pirate action figures, starting with Jacques, the French-Canadian rogue. These aren’t mass-produced, toxic vinyl, they’re:

• Made from PAL, a PVC-free, non-toxic vinyl substitute that was custom engineered for us, to produce toys that are like the vintage toys your remember, but without the chlorine gas.
• Hand-painted in Ellijay, GA (no two are exactly alike)
• Designed to feel like lost ’70s toys (think Kenner Star Wars or Mego super hero figures)

More pirates are coming with each quarterly issue, and they’ll just keep getting better.

Spacehawk & Mountain Town Comics #3

For fans of Basil Wolverton’s golden age comics, we’ve got two treats:

1. A 3.75” Spacehawk action figure—based on his 1940-1942 Target Comics and Blue Bolt Comics appearances. Fully articulated, with a removable belt and grappling hook.
2. Mountain Town Comics #3, featuring:
   • A classic Spacehawk story (Wolverton at his pulpy best)
   • Al Ulmer’s bizarre Microface tale (a vigilante with a gadget-filled mask)

   

But Why?

This isn’t just nostalgia. It’s about reclaiming the revolutionary spirit of a bygone era, when stories were cheap, wild, and unafraid to be as naturally political as real life. When toys were made by small teams, not corporations. When genderfluid sky pirates slipped into mainstream films because no one had bothered to censor them yet.

Come See Us in Philly!

If you’re near Philadelphia this weekend (Aug 9-10), visit us at the Designer Toy Art Festival. You can:

• Grab early copies of The Mysterious Air Pirates #1
• See the Spacehawk and Sky Pirate toys in person
• Chat about dime novels, radical joy, and why the past isn’t as straight as we’re told

For everyone else, pre-orders are open now

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