::Kate is fiddling with her iPhone, complaining::
K: Dude, it’s the 21st century. Where’s my G. D. flying car already? And my laser gun? Or my laser gun mounted on my flying car?!
D: ::puts pinkie finger at corner of mouth:: Would it be an “ill tempered” flying car?
K: What?
D: ::giggles::
K: Really. I don’t know what you’re laughing at.
D: Never mind.
K: So, really. I thought the future was supposed to be here already? Hold on. I just got a tweet from my friend in Scotland. I’ll also have to check us in for our flight in the morning.
D: Don’t forget to transfer extra money into our checking account while you’re at it.
K: Got it. Ok… all done. Really though. I’m sick of waiting for all the cool future stuff to get here.
D: Hold your monologue a sec, I need to Skype our editor.
K: ::turns on Netflix:: I’m just so bored! There’s nothing to do around here, and nothing is on TV!
D: Stop scrolling a minute. Look, remember that old Buck Rogers show? We used to watch that every Sunday! Good ol’ Gil Gerard being all cool in the 25th Century!
K: I liked the midget robot, Twinkie.
D: Twiki.
K: That’s what I said. Twinkie was my favorite.
D: Whatever.
K: Hey, isn’t Hermes Press doing a new Buck Rogers comic book? Let’s kick it old school when we read about the future. You know, on paper!
D: ::drops Kindle:: Great idea!

K: ::eyes wide:: That was nothing like the TV show.
D: No, it was WAY better! Howard Chaykin is taking the reins for this small press comic and he’s doing both the writing and the art for the book. Man, that guy can tell a story!
K: Chaykin covers a lot of history in only a few pages. There is so much important background information that the reader needs to know in order to understand the world that our man Buck lives in. The story starts 500 years in the future. A lot has happened in the world between the times when Buck was fighting in World War I to an America now conquered by the Chinese. But this Buck isn’t the Buck played by Gil Gerard. Chaykin brings us Buck as he was in his pulp days. This is a man who has been fighting for the rights of the working class since day one. This Buck rails against the rich and powerful class that always seems to rule throughout history.
Damn the plutocrats!
D: Pretty heavy stuff, but you expect your stories to be filled with substantial meat if Chaykin is wielding the pen. His books come complete with an intriguing story and a history lesson. He covers 500 years of world history in 2 pages. 2 PAGES!!! Where was he when I was trying to get through history class in high school?
K: No kidding!
D: In this version of the future, gangs roam what’s left of America. Buck and his female colonel, Deering, (played by Erin Grey on the TV show. I love Erin Grey.) patrol their territory repelling the raiding parties from the other gangs that cross into their airspace.
K: They fight them off with laser guns!! ::jumps behind couch, points finger gun over the cushion, blasts away mercilessly:: PA-SKOW! PA-SKOW!
D: Don’t forget the jet packs! ::looks out window wistfully:: I wish I had a jet pack.
K: ::thoughts of life insurance payout racking through her mind:: Why don’t you jump off the roof and pretend you have a jet pack?
D: I’m going to ignore that. Besides, I already blew out both knees when I jumped off the deck last year. Let’s talk about Chaykin’s art. The character designs are a fantastic blend of old world and the future. You would think that 500 years in the future Buck and Deering would be wearing shiny metal uniforms.
K: But you’d be wrong!!! Their get ups look like World War I fighter pilot’s uniforms. Unlike Snoopy’s WWI Flying Ace, and you, these guys have JET PACKS!
D: ::rolls eyes:: The pencils combine images from the golden era of pulp and the distant future. Bomber jackets combined with your coveted laser guns. High tech headquarters and aerial dogfights. For those that have seen Chaykin’s work before, it becomes immediately identifiable. Square jawed heroes. Detailed textures and backgrounds. Pretty ladies looking pretty. And BUCK ROGERS doesn’t disappoint in this regard.
K: ::from behind the couch:: PA-SKOW! PA-SKOW!
D: BUCK ROGERS scratches my “jet pack” itch nicely…
K: … and it looks like the story has plenty of meat on the bone, as well.
D: Hold on. I gotta call the comic shop and add this to my pull-list.
K: Why don’t you just use my iPhone? The future is NOW, after all.