MOUNT CARMEL ITEM Young Franklin’s commission is reported in the August 6th, 1917 Mount Carmel Item.

MIKE CHOMKO, researcher and long time fan of Franklin H. Martin, had been looking for any kind of information on Martin for twenty-five years. Sadly, there seemed to be very little information out there—that is until recently when, inspired by the evidence card from the Thrilling Group vs Adventure House court case which refers to Martin as being a Newark Newspaper man, he thought to look in the Newark, NJ newspapers. This was all it took to unleash the floodgates of information that was out there.

Turns out he was not a Newark newspaper man, but his father was a well-known editor of the New York Tribune and Newark Star, and that Franklin H. Martin was actually Franklin M. Martin! There was information on his six sisters (he was the only boy); the East Orange, NJ home he grew up in; his WWI military service and his untimely death just before he turned 50 in 1948.

A lot of information came up—including the story of how Franklin M. Martin earned his Croix du Guerre.

GOV. STOKES’ AIDE WINS WAR LAURELS

TRENTON SUNDAY TIMES ADVERTISER • 1919-01-19; page 7.

Franklin Murphy Martin Proves Worthy of His Boyhood Commission as Captain

FORMER Governor E.C. Stokes has recently been in receipt of interesting correspondence linking up a pretty incident of his Executive experience with a stirring episode of the bloody war recently ended. The central figure in the story is Franklin Murphy Martin, son of the late James Martin, one of the best-known New Jersey journalists of a decade ago and prominent each winter for many years among the legislative correspondents at Trenton. Governor Stokes during the summer of 1907 occupied the Little White House at Sea Girt, and among his guests over one week-end were Mr. and Mrs. Martin, accompanied by their bright eight-year-old boy. This little chap exhibited a lively interest in the camp and the movements of the soldiers, and the Governor found him so interesting a visitor that to humor the lad’s fancy, he created him his aide-de-camp with rank of captain.

The brief summer visit ended and the Martins returned to their home in East Orange, but the incident at Sea Girt had left an indelible impression. Says Mrs. Martin:

“Besides being an object of pride, that captain’s commission playfully bestowed, was an instrument of discipline in later years. Whenever the youthful captain got out of hand I, as his superior officer, (Mr. Martin died March, 1910) took down his commission from its place on the library wall. ‘Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman’ had an awe-inspiring sound to the youngster. It worked beautifully.”

Eleven years passed: America entered what was no mimic war, and one of the first volunteers for active service from Essex County was young Martin, now a fine, energetic, well-developed young man of nineteen. He was first assigned to Camp McClellan, being attached to the 312th Regiment of Heavy Artillery, and in due course went overseas to fight with Pershing’s army. Here he was transferred to the 803rd Aero Squadron, and news recently reached his mother that he was decorated with the Croix de Guerre “for conspicuous heroism in action,” besides being promoted to be a sergeant as a further recognition of his bravery.

The story of the exploit in which he figured is modestly told in a letter which Sergeant Martin sent to his mother.

“I was carrying dispatches at the big drive along the Marne,” he wrote; “as you know I make fairly good maps and sketches and was sent up with a filer from headquarters over the enemy lines. On our return flight we were obliged to fly low because of the dense clouds and were shot down and fell on the wrong side of the Marne. I jumped into the Marne and, thanks to the bum aim of Fritz and my ability to swim some under water, delivered the maps—nothing conspicuous about it. Yanks are doing a thousand times as much every day. I was unhurt, but my pilot was badly wounded by machine gun bullets.”

Knowing Governor Stokes’ lusting interest in his eight-year-old aide-de-camp, Mrs. Martin sent the story of the episode to Trenton with the characteristic maternal remark: “Had the war lasted longer, 1 have not a doubt but that Franklin would have been a really truly captain.

“But I thank God it is all over!”

And Governor Stokes has gracefully acknowledged Mrs. Martin’s letter with an expression of his appreciation for “the splendid courage and Americanism of my once little captain, Franklin M. Martin. Kindly extend my regards to the little soldier who was, and the big soldier who is, and my heartiest congratulations and best wishes.”

Many old Trenton friends of “Jimmy” Martin will be delighted to learn of the distinction that has come to his gallant son.

• Download “How Franklin H Martin earned his Croix de Guerre” (January 19, 1919, Trenton Sunday Times Advisor)

JACK & PETE. Martin (Pete) pose with his friend Jack after being awarded his Croix du Guerre.

AGE OF ACES had a banner year this year at PulpFest! We sold more books than ever before––selling out of our two new books, as well as selling a lot of books from the back catalog. It’s always gratifying when someone stops by one year and buys one of our books just to check it out and then comes back the following year to pick up some more. Thanks to all who stopped by and bought some books or just stopped by to chat.

But that’s not the big news. The big news is that our co-founder and designer, Chris Kalb, won the prestigious MUNSEY Award this year! Congratulations!

The PulpFest website presented the news thus:

Chris Kalb has been named the winner of the 2026 Munsey Award. Nominated by the general pulp community, Chris was selected by previous winners of the Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Awards.

The Munsey is a fine art print created by David Saunders and published by Dan Zimmer of The Illustrated Press. It is presented annually to an individual or organization that has bettered the pulp community. The award was presented by Ray Walsh, winner of our Rusty Award in 2025. Last year’s Munsey Award winner, John DeWalt, was unable to attend PulpFest 2026.

Chris is well-known in pulp circles for his hero pulp websites, like The 86th Floor and The Spider Returns, ventures that have helped to attract people who are new to the pulps. There isn’t anyone out there making better use of all the new technology while still preserving the “oldness” of pulps and popular culture. He has become the person to go to for publishers who want a retro-design for their books or website, including Ed Hulse’s Murania Press. Chris is the lead designer for Age of Aces Books, a pulp reprint house that specializes in air war fiction. In 2010, Age of Aces received two National Indie Excellence Awards for Chris’s work on the bestselling The Spider vs. The Empire State. Chris was the designer of PulpFest‘s original website and for many years, put together the convention’s print advertisements. Additionally, he has been one of the leading members of New York’s Gotham Pulp Collectors Club, welcoming new members into a group of humorous, knowledgable, and engaging personalities. A freelance designer and illustrator, he was formerly the Art Director of Sci Fi Magazine. Chris has been a PulpFest presenter and panelist several times, including our salute to The Spider.

Congratulations to Chris!

PulpFest has posted a video of Chris’ acceptance speech!

First time PulpFest attendee but long time author and publisher of Gryphon Books and Paperback Parade, Gary Lovisi, has uploaded a Tour of PulpFest 2026 to his YouTube channel. (He stops by the Age of Aces table about 33 minutes in.)

Humpy and Tex inadvertently Shanghai the wrong man and find themselves with an admiral on their hands who would like nothing more than to court martial the two of them until their thin explanations somehow work out to be real! “Noah’s Ark” by the Navy’s own Allan R. Bosworth is from the pages of the June 1931 War Aces.

Noah’s Ark was a nice peaceful crate ’til Humpy and Tex shanghaied an Admiral. Then they proved that three is a crowd—for the Heinies.

• Download “Noah’s Ark” (June 1931, War Aces)

This week’s story features that crack pilot for Tip Top News, the greatest gelatine newspaper that ever flashed on a silver screen—Nick Royce! Davis wrote twenty stories with Nick for Wings magazine from 1928-1931.

You’d think that once Tip Top News decided to acquire the Weekly News Reel, there wouldn’t be any more shenanigans when Nick and Art set out to get footage of the latest calamities—but you’d be wrong! Turns out, when you move up the ladder of success, there’s just a bigger more unscrupulous outfit making sure you don’t succeed. Maybe you expect that from the other outfit, but not from one of your own. Why that would be “Cloud Treason!”

From the February 1929 Wings, it’s Nick Royce in Frederick C. Davis’ “Cloud Treason!”

Nick Royce, sky-eatin’ newsreel pilot, is back again! And in tumbling skies he rides alone to bring traitor ships to showdown!

• Download “Cloud Treason” (February 1929, Wings)

Andy Hart in his D.H.6 turns hand-springs across the sky in this battle-scarred, fast-moving, quick-shooting novelette of air thrills above the Fields of Flanders. This story is based on actual happenings of the Great War so the location has been disguised as Dieppe.

• Download “Devils of Dieppe” (January 1929, Flying Aces)

William’s “Devils of Dieppe” caused a stir with one reader which eventually led to the whole deal being revealed. “Devils of Dieppe” was published in the January 1929 issue of Flying Aces. A concerned reader had his letter published in the April 1929 issue’s Tailspins column.

“Ace’s” response followed Al’s Letter.

However, three months later in the July issue, the truth comes out in Ace William’s actual response to Al Thomas’ letter.

We’ll be premiering our two new books for 2026 at PulpFest as we usually do. And this year we have two more series volumes you can pick up for your aviation library!

First up we have a second volume of the further exploits of that madcap crew of a Handley Page bomber:

The Casket Crew Comes Back
by ARCH WHITEHOUSE

The Casket Crew’s unspoken code was a simple one: “One for all, and all for one!” Their loyalty was forged in a blazing, withering hell of bullets and steel and dynamite. It was fused and toughened in the cold wind of Death that breathed whenever they flew. On the ground their viewpoints were many-sided and conflicting; but when old No.7 hoiked her trucks from the uneven fi eld of the Independent Air Force at Cassel, the six men that rode along were merged into a perfect, frictionless unit of destruction known as The Casket Crew!

Arch Whitehouse ruled the pages of the air war pulps in the 1930’s. He drew upon his own experiences as a tail-gunner in the Royal Air Force to bring his colorful characters to life. The Casket Crew fl ew their Handley Page bomber through adventures in several magazines—Aces, Wings, War Birds and then back to Wings to fight WWII. This volume collects five more of their WWI adventures from the pages of Aces and Wings: Tracer Target (10/32), and Ambassadors from Hell (12/32); and three from Wings Magazine: The Casket Crew Comes Back (4/34), The Casket Crew Fights Back (7/34), and Highway to Hell (9/34). That’s 362 pages of hellbent for leather excitement for only $17!

That’s a great read!

Paired with this is the fourth and final volume of Donald E. Keyhoe’s Mad Marines—The Devildog Squadron—in five more Weird World War stories!

Devildog Squadron: Coils of the Cobra
by DONALD E. KEYHOE

“Cyclone Bill” Garrity and his Mad Marines match their planes—and their wills—against battalions of Boche baddies in the skies of Weird World War I, and the missions have never been madder: A German squadron that can seemingly be in two places at once; A revenge plot four years in the making; A vengeance-seeking villain in a gold mask that marks his victims with the sign of a cobra; Kamikaze falcons and the mystery of encoded hula-girl tatoos; An invisible wall around Paris that reaches into the sky; And 100-foot-long shells that can destroy entire aerodromes in one deadly shot. As the enemies’ coils draw tighter the action gets hotter for the 28th Pursuit Squadron in five thrilling adventures from the pen of Donald Keyoe, later author of The Flying Saucers are Real.

This fourth volume includes the final five adventures of those Mad Marines form Sky Birds Magazine: Satan’s Courier (3/35), Falcons of Fury (4/35), Coils of the Cobra (6/35), The Devil’s Dynamo (7/35), and Shells of Satan (9/35)!

Five great stories! It’s a shame there aren’t any more after this.

In addition to these new books, we’ll have all of our other titles on hand as well as our previous convention exclusive—Arch Whitehouse’s Coffin Kirk, and 2022’s two book set of Steve Fisher’s Sheridan Doome! So if you’re planning on coming to Pittsburgh for PulpFest this year, stop by our table and say hi and pick up our latest releases!

We hope we see you there!

The roar of propellers—the whistling of wind through the wires—the insane chatter of guns—furious breath-taking battle in the clouds! Fighting in the sky-lanes over the scarred fields of Flanders was a thrill to Hellbird—but Hellbird was grounded for disobeying orders! Could any ace with that moniker stay out of a fight?

• Download “Hell Birds” (August 1929, Flying Aces)

“I can’t help shivering every time I see an ace of spades. It always takes me back to the wrecked Waco out there on the desert, and the poor devil lying in it with the black death card stuck in his stiff fingers. And then I remember all the hellish, crazy things that followed, all marked by the black ace, with a bullet hole through its center. . . .”

Somewhere in the ranks of the border patrol a spy was operating. Day by day fliers were being knocked out of the skies—and always beside the dead bodies there lay a mysterious ace of spades!

• Download “The Ace of Spades” (April 1930, Sky Birds)

And be sure to check out Keyhoe’s Mad Marines—The Devildog Squadron—in five Weird World War Adventures in The Devildog Squadron: The Mystery Meteor! And look for the fourth and final volume of the adventures of The Devildog Squadron this summer!

Solemnly The Who’s Who of the Kaiser’s Cabinet gathered together and made a momentous decision. Since Phineas “Carbuncle” Pinkham could not be brought down by force in the air, he must be gotten by tricks on the ground. But we all know tricks were Phineas’ meat––he always had better ones up his sleeve!

From the February 1933 number of Flying Aces! it’s Joe Archibald’s Phineas “Carbuncle” Pinkham in “Sleuthing Syrup!”

• Download “Sleuthing Syrup” (February 1933, Flying Aces)

This week’s story features that crack pilot for World News Reel, the greatest gelatine newspaper that ever flashed on a silver screen—Nick Royce! Davis wrote twenty stories with Nick for Wings magazine from 1928-1931.

Tip-Top, the biggest photoplay production corporation in the world, finally makes a choice as to which newsreel service to go with and feature in all their theaters. Will it be the double dealing Compass outfit or the square-shootin’ World News Reel service? It all comes down to a “Showdown in the Sky!” From the August 1928 Wings.

“Get those shots and the reel’s made!” And Nick Royce, World News Reel flyer, hurtles his plane into the clouds to get them. But a man must play the air-game square—even when blazing skies bring strange showdown!

• Download “Showdown in the Sky” (August 1928, Wings)