Airboy is a fictional aviator hero of an American comic book series initially published by Hillman Periodicals during the World War II-era time period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was created by writers Charles Biro and Dick Wood and artist Al Camy. The character disappeared from publications until a 1980s revival under Chuck Dixon that lasted for several years. He has appeared intermittently since then under multiple publishers, sometimes updating his story to the present day. Publication history Golden Age Airboy debuted in Air Fighters Comics #2 (cover-date Nov. 1942), an anthology series featuring a variety of aviator heroes. The series was renamed Airboy Comics with the twenty-third issue, vol. 2, #11 (Dec. 1945), and ran 89 issues, through vol. 10, #4 (May 1953). In the early issues, Biro wrote the scripts with Dave Wood and drew the covers, Al Camy was the initial story artist. He was followed by Tony DiPreta and, beginning with Air Fighters #10 (July 1943), Fred Kida, who would become closely associated with the series. Ernie Schroeder became the regular artist with Airboy Comics #vol. 5, #11 (Dec. 1948), through the end of the series' run, with Dan Barry, Maurice Del Bourgo, Carmine Infantino, and others supplying an occasional story. The two consecutive series contained backup stories about other aviators, including Skywolf, Iron Ace, the Black Angel, the Bald Eagle, the Flying Dutchman, the Flying Fool, and the prototypical comic book swamp monster, the Heap. Airboy's most frequently recurring supporting character was the German aviator Valkyrie, who fought on the side of the Axis but then defected to the Allies. Hillman stopped publishing comics in 1953. Two issues were reprinted in 1973 and a trade paperback entitled Valkyrie!: From the Pages of Air Fighters and the Airboy was published in 1982 by Ken Pierce Books with five stories from Air Fighters Comics vol. 2, #s 2 and 7 and Airboy Comics vol. 2, #12, and vol. 3 #s 6 and 12. Modern era In 1986, Eclipse Comics published a new Airboy series, updated to the modern era, starring the son of the original character. The 50-issue comic (July 15, 1986 – October 1989), which ran as a half-sized (16-page) bi-weekly through issue #33 (November 1, 1987) and monthly thereafter, reintroduced many of the supporting characters from the old series, such as Valkyrie and a Japanese fighter pilot named Hirota,