Calling All Cosmic Rangers!
Start with an amazing photo, mock up a fake pulp sci-fi cover, and it becomes a launchpad for a collaborative series of space adventure books!
The Adventure Continues (… and begins…)
They stepped off the starship platform and the rangers turned to face the hills unfolding below them. As a high-pitched whine came from overhead, Ensign Dodd looked up in vain as he tried to pierce the inky night.
Captain Bender told him, “That’s just the next airship drop with weekly supplies for the camp.” This was the Ensign’s first tour on the range, and she knew the greenhorn still needed reassurance.
Their last planet fall was successful, but it was easy to track the smugglers hiding among the homesteaders on Delta Zeta. The uncharted frontier of Tau, on the other hand, is a much tougher crowd.
The rest of the hike into the valley was in near silence. They’d doffed their helmets to breathe the alien air, puffing heavily as they ported their gear. What lay ahead set the Ensign’s nerves jangling, while the Captain thrived on the excitement of the unknown.
… that’s just a snippet of a part of one possible version of the imagined story… what happens next? What came before? Join the party and help flesh it all out!
Call to Action
This is a signal flare sent soaring up from Starbase out into the creative cosmos, calling for collaborators to help make “Rocket Patrol Book 4: Cosmic Rangers” a reality! We’re looking for anyone and everyone who yearns to travel the stars, is watching as space exploration again takes center stage, and has the soul of an artist looking for their muse.
In short… if you’re interested in joining a group of writers, illustrators, and space enthusiasts… we want you!
We’re building a creative community to collaborate on a book series that speaks to that spirit of adventure and mystery not felt since the early days of space exploration codified in the ’50s and ‘60’s… the days when pulp science fiction paperbacks teemed with stories that defined a generation’s interest in reaching the stars.
Background
One fateful day back in August, 2021, MaryLiz Bender was riding the range near Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, when she was photographed in front of the latest iteration of the SpaceX Starship prototype. As soon as the photo was posted on her Twitter account, the die was cast. It was clearly emblematic of the new age of space exploration, marrying the past of a bygone era imbued with the sense of adventure and mystery promised by an unknown future… It demanded to be made into a pulp sci-fi book cover.
Thinking about the composition for a couple days, I sketched out some thoughts, and then got to work pushing the pixels around. About an hour or so later, I had created what I thought was a reasonable enough recreation of a retro sci-fi paperback cover. I published it to Twitter (both in response to the initial tweet, as well as to my own feed), and I was heartened by the positive response!
I periodically hack these types of things together, primarily as a way to amuse myself. As usual, I assumed this was just part of my little creative outlet… until replies started to come in from folks with encouraging words about actually wanting to read the imagined story promised by the cover. That’s when I started to think there might be some energy building to bring the art to reality.
The Rocket Patrol Lore
While it’s understandably just a spark for what the community will ultimately develop together, perhaps it’d help to share what I was thinking when creating the book cover.
First, I wanted the book to be more than just a single story, clearly identifying it as part of a series. The idea for “Rocket Patrol” was to envision a time in which humanity is spreading out, finding new planets to explore similar to the expansion into the American Old West in the 1800’s. There are “Astro-Adventurers” out there, riding the celestial range, homesteading, and generally seeking their fortune.
Of course, that means that we’ll need a new breed of peace-keepers tasked with keeping the space-faring pioneers safe. Each book follows a tour of duty in the Rocket Patrol as they travel known space tracking thieves, smugglers, murderers, and other ne’er-do-wells.
Some units of the Rocket Patrol are detailed to protect convoys as they travel through potentially hostile territory. Others are sent to rescue stranded ships and colonies. Each book in the series focuses on one of the units, following a particularly dangerous mission.
I imagined Book 4 focusing on the Cosmic Rangers. They’ve been deployed deep into the frontier on a mission to investigate the apparent sabotage of a robot manufacturing outpost. Someone (or something?) is causing the machinery on the planet to malfunction, requiring the Rangers to rely on their ingenuity to find the culprits (and survive).
Why start with “Book 4” you ask? Well, it gave me a feeling of New Hope. ;)
Finally, I’d envisioned a mix of a western-themed adventure story in a retro sci-fi universe, all while the Rangers try to unravel the mystery. Hence the western/sci-fi/mystery mashup!
While my favored flavor of sci-fi is distinctly of the “hard science” variety… I think that the retro-pulp style of the 50’s and 60’s is the right fit for this work.
… with all of that said… everything’s up for debate! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
On Community Collaboration
There is something undefinable, yet strangely empowering about a community that comes together to collaborate on something that’s bigger, brighter, and more everlasting than what can be developed alone. The energy found in creating something together through shared passions can be oddly intoxicating… and it’s that spirit of “building the barn” together that we hope to harness as part of this project.
You can read more about my background on my personal site, other pieces I’ve written on Medium, or even peruse my LinkedIn profile. But the TL;DR version is that I’ve spent nearly 30 years building and supporting communities in one form or another. I have been a TV and film producer, early Internet pioneer, and shepherded a number of technologies through the (relentless) standardization gauntlet. What all of these activities have in common is that they succeeded due to hundreds of incredibly talented people working together, all pulling toward a common goal.
It is this collective spirit and drive that I see in the community forming around a renewed excitement in space exploration. And its through this crazy idea to bring to life an imagined narrative that I’m looking forward to helping shepherd and nurture this collaboration.
In the end, the book will end up being defined by the collaborators. Perhaps folks will want to join together and write one long coherent story. Maybe each person will want to author a separate chapter (or book). Others may want to provide the illustrations (or just character sketches). It’ll be through the conversations we have that will define the end result.
Sounds Fun! How Can I Join the Party?
To register your interest and join the conversation, send an email to:
We’ll add you to the discussion list and other collaboration tools so you can help bring the Rocket Patrol to life!
