RED LIGHT BYTES: 5-7-2025
NEW PRIMER: THE URBAN AVENGER! Plus All The Latest From The Frontlines...
When the chips are down and justice is nowhere to be found, one wicked bitch and her souped-up Bug are always there to make things right. Join us as we explore the manic world of a true-blue cyberpunk, for Lita is "THE URBAN AVENGER!"
One of our pride-and-joy projects here at HQ, it was fun taking the time to revisit the rogues gallery of influences and the character’s unique blend of hippie-punk madness. If there was ever a testament to our love of genre-blending, episodic insanity, Lita and her escapades are Exhibit A, every time!
In series news, Kevin is cooking up the Summer 2025 artwork as we speak. We’re going to be playing around our series’ visual style while maintaining that special blend of American flair and manga design. We’ll update you with sketches the second they hit my digital desk.
On the writing front, I’ll cop to the fact I’ve been looking for a hook. I don’t explicitly write each issue with a unique theme in mind, but I do often overlap elements from one story to another. This is most evident in the way we trade off from Lita and Nic’s love affairs all the way back in Winter 2022, allowing the action from the Urban Avenger story to flow almost seamlessly into the Speedfreak File story for that issue.
This issue’s directive won’t be that binding. This issue’s directive is as follows:
SHOOT STRAIGHT.
I want to go whole-hog in on the kind of white-knuckle, whip-smart action that I love in my pulps. The kinds of fights, chases, and purebred fun I look for in this branch of genre fiction. Whether its how I’ll poor Val out of the jam I left her in at the end of “Fire Tests The Gold” or the heap of trouble I’m about to drop on Knox and the gang, Summer 2025 will be one piping-hot adrenaline shot, right in the veins. As good ol’ Commander Shore from Stingray would say:
We’ll let you know what does.
ICYMI
This week will be a little more lax, but not without some hot properties.
Up for digital preorder is Rock and Roll Mercenaries: A Pulp Rock Anthology. Fifteen (count ‘em, 15) electrifying tales of killer music meeting killer worlds and wild fantasies. Featuring yours truly alongside a heap of headliners, including the likes of JD Cowan, Erik Waag, TJ Marquis, Milton Lane and ringleader NR LaPoint among many others. Brand-new from Mistcreek Publishing, the book drops on May 21st!
Two projects I’ve been commissioned by in the past I decided to drop last Friday for Bandcamp Friday. But even if the sales window is gone, the EPs live on, both going for $3 USD/album.
For fantastical orchestral music, check out my collab with the Crytures TTRPG.
For slick synthwave and bizarro funk, check out my collab with JD Cowan’s Phantom Mission and Psycho Mission! You can read those on his Patreon.
And lastly, we’re easing into work on Wild Eye Archive with our weekly curated newsletter. For killer deep cuts and cool classics, join us over on our Substack. This week featured a prog rock classic, an underrated spy drama, and a slick new skate video!
Other than that, the band plays on and so do we. As always:
May God Bless You & This Force. See ya Friday!
