This isn’t exactly “writing” stuff (more like inspiration), but…yesterday I was trying to hunt down this movie that, several years back, I saw either a trailer of or movie stills for (at least I thought I did) which involved either a Chinese or Japanese spy around the WWII era (I know! I can’t remember which)…and she was wearing this pilot helmet, and…that’s all I remember.
Not much to go on, I know. That’s why I couldn’t find it! (If it even exists.)
But that’s okay–because I accidentally came across something infinitely more amazing!
She’s a pilot, she’s handy with a pistol, she can kick some Nazi butt… Who is this chick?
Introducing: Athena Voltaire!
Athena Voltaire started out as an online web comic which, after earning a nomination for an Eisner Award and becoming a big success, carried over into print (available here). In the creator Steve Bryant‘s own words during a Critical Mess interview in 2010, “Athena Voltaire is a book about a 1930s globetrotting aviatrix who fights Nazis and supernatural creatures. That’s the book in a nutshell.” It was inspired by the likes of James Bond and Indiana Jones, as well as the real-life aviatrix Florence Lowe “Poncho” Barnes, and is described as a pulp adventure. (Originally she was to be a space ranger, though I, for one, am glad for the change.)
Seriously, what’s not to love! (Okay, she is portrayed as an obvious feast-for-the(-male)-eyes with a cleavacious 36-24-36 figure, but the concept is cool enough that I can get over this.)
You can check out some of the comics here (just click the images to progress through the story). To learn more about the comics and the illustrator, check out these interviews on Westfield Comics and The Mighty Crusaders Network, as well as Bryant’s own blog. (Interested but don’t feel like reading? Well, check out this MTV Geek! video interview with Bryant instead.)
Lastly, here is a teaser video for Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon when it first came out in ’06:
And if you really love it, you can even “like” it on Facebook. 
In The Meantime…
I should get back to editing. Though, coming across this while working on a rough spot in the manuscript was pretty inspirational. A reminder of the kind of thing I’m working towards: good, old-fashioned adventurous fun. Complemented by moments of introspective character study, of course. I enjoy a bit of both. (I also came across some really cool information about earlier aircraft models as well as modern-day fixed-wing VTOL aircraft, but…I won’t go into that.)
How About You All?
Have you come across anything recently that has inspired you with ideas or just provided that bit extra motivation you needed to push through something that wasn’t working out?
