PROFESSIONAL LIAR gets money for nothing, as the first COPPERHEAD KID adventure returns to comics shops

Your friendly neighborhood blogger and professional liar returns to comic book stores next Wednesday, April 15th, when AHOY Comics offers an encore presentation of my 2019 short story "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid" in the pages of the latest AHOY funnybook, Toxic Crusaders # 5.

"The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid" is a Western. It was the third story I sold to AHOY, and the first one published (in the pages of Second Coming # 5). The good folks at AHOY paid me on acceptance, and they just paid me a reprint fee for its use in the new issue of Toxic Crusaders. And yeah, that means I get paid for, y'know, doing nothing. And I'm GOOD at that!

The Skeletons

Since my first freelance (nonfiction) writing sales in 1984, this is only the second time I've been paid twice for the same work, and that first time was not a reprint fee nor a royalty payment. In (I think) the early 2000s, I wrote an article about the great Springfield, Missouri band the Skeletons; I sold it to DISCoveries magazine, where it sat in inventory for many months before that magazine's editor John Koenig decided it had sat too long, so he paid me a kill fee and returned its rights to me. I then sold it to Goldmine. I'm pretty sure I had to update it a little bit, so I guess I can't call the Goldmine payment as money for nothing. Money for almost nothing!

(There was one point during my twenty years as a Goldmine freelancer when then-editor Jeff Tamarkin almost reprinted one of my articles in a GM special edition, which would have netted me an additional fee, but plans changed and the reprint didn't happen. And there was one time when GM accidentally used my review of a Suzi Quatro compilation in two different issues, but I was only paid once.)

"The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid" was written as a stand-alone tale, but its warm reception prompted me to write a series of additional stories about the hard-riding Kid's heroic descendants: A hard-boiled private eye, a masked vigilante, a secret agent, a punk chick, and a reluctant superhero. I intend to write more entries in this series, and to eventually pull them all together to serve as a novel about the Copperhead Kid's legacy. Meanwhile, "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid" will also appear in my short story collection Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies, which I hope to transmogrify into book form by the end of May.

But right now, you can read the story that started the Copperhead chronicles by heading to your local comic book retailer and snagging your very own copy of Toxic Crusaders # 5. RIDE! The Copperhead Kid would have wanted it that way.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

LAZARUS LIVES: The Death And Life Of Lazarus [another glimpse inside a novel in progress]

We saw the introductory section of my proposed novel Lazarus Lives here. The novel is told from the point of view of a middle-aged man named Steve, looking back on the short life and self-inflicted death of his best friend John decades ago. Memories of their 1970s teen efforts to write original comics together are central to the story, so it occurs to me that I have to try to conjure some semblance of what Steve and John were attempting to create.

Tell us about it, Steve....

We didn't know how to write comics. One could say we didn't know how to write at all, but no matter. We pooled our ideas, our concepts, our passion, our ambition into an outline for our character's introductory chapter.

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF LAZARUS

At the outskirts of a dark and foreboding urban sprawl stands a billboard, bidding cheery welcome to its denizens, its visitors, and its would-be tourists: 

ENTERING EDEN CITY

Welcome to PARADISE!

The sign had been graffitied years ago. "Don't listen to snakes!" "Try an apple! What's the worst that could happen?" "Don't blame Eve--it was Adam's fault!" And in big, bright, blood-red letters:

ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE

The billboard was in disrepair. No one in city government cared enough to bother maintaining it, nor even to clean up the vulgar epithets and swear words that had been spray-painted upon it. Eden wasn't Paradise. The vast, foul-smelling Eden River might as well have been the River Styx. 

Welcome to Paradise? No. Eden was Hell on Earth.

One evening, at he stroke of Midnight, a broken man climbed his way to the top of the billboard. He knew the city's promise of paradise was a lie. And it was a lie he would no longer live.

The man took one last swig from the bottle at his hip, and spit upon the dirty water below. His name was of no importance. He was of no importance. His tale of misfortune, defeat, and despair was his own, and not ours to share. Tears ran down the crags of his face. No one would miss him. No one would mourn. No one would care. He stepped off the billboard, ready for his final fall...

...And paused in mid-air.

Confused. Frightened. Suddenly sober, aware that whatever was happening to him could not possibly be happening to anyone. He kicked and flailed, an airborne performative dance lacking the joy of art or expression, a Spandau ballet somehow divorced from the finality of death.

And death was all this poor soul had sought.

He descended to the ground, slowly, almost delicately, his hysteria frozen inside him, his misery contained by walls of his own design. His tears stopped. His demeanor calmed. He stood straighter, taller.

And he faced two towering beings not of this Earthly coil.

An angel. A demon. Both female, both emanating power beyond human comprehension. The angel's face was kind, if sad. The demon scowled.

"Mortal," they spoke in unison. "You have attempted to forfeit your life. This capital sin should consign you to the fiery pits for all eternity.

"We have saved you instead. Heaven and Hell have other plans for you."

The angel spoke alone. "I am Becca, this is my sister Toxina. We come to you as emissaries of a pact between the Divine Presence's decree and the Satanic Majesty's request..."

Toxina interrupted. "Her lord God, my liege Lucifer."

Becca continued. "The judgement of your ultimate fate has been deferred. You shall serve as an Earthly agent of both eternal realms, Heaven and Hell, charged with a mission to determine other mortals' paths to salvation or damnation. You shall be judge. You shall be jury."

"And," Toxina hissed, smiling without warmth, "you shall be executioner when that task arises."

The angel and the demon spoke again as one. "You are no longer your own. You belong to us now."

A flash of...something? Not fire and brimstone, not an aura of halos and light, but something with elements of each. It lit the dismal area at the feet of Eden City's billboard. In that flash, the lost soul was transformed.

In his place stood a figure clad in red cloak, black hood, and white mask, his dark tunic emblazoned with an image of flame rendered in deepest scarlet, the flame's icon crowned with gold. The angel and the demon heralded his appearance by chanting:

The mortal is gone, his past life but dust

His spirit charged with this sacred trust

The profane and divine join in chorus

Behold our agent:

LAZARUS!

With that, the angel and demon look at each other. "The pact is sealed with a kiss." Becca's celestial lips brushed the mask of Lazarus. Lazarus could feel the sting of Toxina's teeth against his face. Then Becca and Toxina's mouths met, a kiss that lingered beyond sisterly affection.

"Judge not, mortal," Toxina growled. 

Another flash. And the scene was empty, leaving only a unique sight behind: A patch of scorched dirt, a rainbow hovering above it. Heaven, Hell, and their agent of judgement...

...LAZARUS!

Lazarus.

I snapped out of my reverie. 

It was embarrassing to recall. More than fifty years since John and I put our mutant heads together to hash this out, the memory was still fresh, still vivid, still real, or at least as real as fantasy can be. Such purple prose, such preposterous concepts, all so damned wordy for a freakin' comic book. But we meant it. We were teenagers on a mission to revolutionize comic books. We meant it. By God, we meant it....

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

LAZARUS LIVES! [opening sequence from a proposed novel]

Although it's a bit far down on my current to-do list, I have a novel-in-progress called Lazarus Lives. I shared the eventual book's opening sequence with my paid patrons in December. This is its first public appearance. 

Though people who've known me for a very long time may recognize some bits 'n' pieces inspired by my own experiences, this is very much a work of fiction. The art teacher Mr. D is the only real-life person depicted. Here's to you, Mr. D: You made a positive difference in my life. We'll follow this one up very soon with a glimpse at what our then-young creators were attempting in the 1970s.

For now: Lazarus Lives.

LAZARUS LIVES

The original post has been unpublished for bookkeeping purposes. It can be seen as a chapter in my book Guitars Vs Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies.If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

SPRING 2026: GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!! Short Stories and Other White Lies [tentative Table Of Contents for my short story anthology]

Alongside the various other book projects I have in varying states of development, I've mentioned my intention to publish an anthology of my short fiction. I'm now targeting a Spring 2026 publication for Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies. I'm still tweaking the book's ingredients, and I want to write a few more stories for inclusion, but it feels close and I feel like getting it done.

The book will gather all of the short stories I sold to the good folks at AHOY Comics over the past seven years, plus a number of other works. Contrary to previous plans, Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! will include my various Copperhead Kid-related stories, detailing the generations-spanning adventures of an Old West gunfighter and the son, daughter, grandson, great granddaughter, and great great granddaughter that followed in his heroic bootprints. I'd originally planned to use those as the basis for a novel, but my muse is telling me to put 'em here instead. (Which is fair, since the same damned muse also told me to stop working on "Lazarus Lives," which was another short story intended for this anthology, and turn that into a novel. Muses are such bastards, man.)

This anthology takes its name from "Guitars Vs.Rayguns!," which was my first-ever fiction sale. My first professional lie! That potty-mouthed story opens the book, and sets up the hijinks to follow. For now, here's the book's blurb and its current tentative Table of Contents:

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!! Short Stories And Other White Lies

An anthology of short stories and other white lies, gathering tales of a foul-mouthed rock 'n' roll guitarist hijacked into space, an Old West gunslinger and his heroic descendants, a film noir gun moll who longs to be in a musical, a humorous fill-in superhero suddenly called to greatness, a former boy band star turned record company fix-it man, a would-be painter, an obsessed collector, a fated swordswoman, a fallen giant, a frustrated time traveler, a departed soul interviewing for a spot in Heaven, a 1976 Beatles reunion concert, and other untruths detailing love, loss, disappointment, a fascination with shiny objects, and—occasionally--a juvenile sense of humor. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD: Short stories and other white lies
INTRODUCTION: It's Harlan Ellison's Fault!
GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!

HOME OF THE HITS

THE LAST RIDE OF THE COPPERHEAD KID

*THE FIRST RIDE OF FREEDOM'S WHIP

POP FRICTION

MONTIE PYLON FINDS HIS HOLY GRAIL

*THE COPPERHEAD KID'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE

THE PICTURE OF AMONTILLADO

TIME, AND THE JUNK FOOD OF YOUR LIFE

BULLETS FROM THE COPPERHEAD DETECTIVE

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Last Stand On Uranus

THE GREATEST THUD NEVER HEARD

THE COPPERHEAD STRIKES!

RAIN-HAT SAM

JACK MYSTERY [some truths and some white lies]

THE COPPERHEAD AFFAIR

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Battle Of The Band

THE BEATLES: The 1976 Reunion Concert

AN OPEN LETTER TO AN IMAGINARY ROCK BAND

CHAOS AT THE COPPERHEAD CLUB

THE LOVEABLE LUNKHEAD RETURNS

SWORD OF THE CHOSEN ONE

FLIGHT OF THE COPPERHEAD

 *GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Saturday Night At The Shootout 

DREAMING DEADLY

PRESIDENT COPPERHEAD 

JUSTICE FOR THE PUPPET MASTER

I'M AT BAT!

APRIL REGRETS

THE TRAITOR'S TOURIST GUIDE TO HELL

YOU'LL BE JUDGED BY THE HEARTS YOU BROKE

*GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! At BudoKHAAAAAAAN!

AFTERWORD

Asterisks note stories that still need to be completed. Tweaks commence, and most of the above is subject to change. A short story anthology is something I've wanted to do since I was a teenager. That was...a very long time ago. But I'm doing it now. Rayguns ready. Guitars set to stun. Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! is on its way.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! LAST STAND ON URANUS: My latest short story hits comic book shops on Wednesday

Illustration by Joe Orsak

My latest short story "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Last Stand On Uranus" will hit comic book stores nationwide this Wednesday, September 10th. It's a foul-mouthed rock 'n' roll science-fiction comedy, a sequel to my first-ever fiction sale (2019's "Guitars Vs Rayguns"), and the new story appears as a prose piece in the AHOY Comics funnybook Toxic Crusaders # 1.

 

You can use Comic Shop Locator to find a comic book retailer near you. AHOY titles are distributed nationally, but I strongly recommend checking stock on Toxic Crusaders # 1 with any individual store before you hop in the ol' Batmobile and head in.. Forewarned is forearmed, old chum.

This is my tenth fiction sale to the good folks at AHOY. More to come, as soon as I make some more stuff up.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

Professional Liar makes his tenth short story sale

The enlightened patrons 'n' producers o' the arts at AHOY Comics have purchased my short story "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Last Stand On Uranus." It's my tenth fiction sale to AHOY, and a direct sequel to 2019's potty-mouthed rock 'n' roll space romp "Guitars Vs. Rayguns," which was the first short story I ever sold. Ten fiction sales (all to AHOY) in six and a half years may not seem like a stellar track record, but it's WAY better than my preceding record of zero fiction sales over something like 45 years of attempts. Go ME!

Usually when I sell a short story, I have to get back to you some months later to tell you where and when it will be available for you to buy for your own funnybook library. This time, however, the story is already scheduled. Barring a shift in the cosmic balance, "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Last Stand On Uranus" will appear as a prose piece in AHOY's Toxic Crusaders # 1, which is due to hit comics shop nationwide on September 10th.

There will be more stories yet to come in the "Guitars Vs. Rays" universe, with work already (sort of) begun on "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Battle Of The Band," and vague plans to follow with "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Saturday Night At The Shootout" and "Guitars Vs. Rayguns! At BudoKHAAAAAAAN!" These are fun to write, full of energy and profane humor. Eventually, they will be included in my never-say-never (but don't say NOW) short story anthology GUITARS VS RAYGUNS!! Short Stories And Other White Lies

For now, though, one story at a time! As September 10th draws near, I'll post a reminder for you to find your local comic book peddler and order your copy of AHOY'sToxic Crusaders # 1. Keep watching the skies! And turn it up, man. The name of this band is Guitars Vs. Rayguns.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

Professional Liar Storms His Way Back Into Comic Book Stores

Illustration by Ed Catto

This Wednesday, my short story "Bullets From The Copperhead Detective" will hit comic book stores nationwide as a prose bonus feature in the AHOY Comics funnybook The Toxic Avenger Comics # 1. Thanks once again to artist Ed Catto for bringing another one of the imaginary characters in my head to vivid visual life, and thanks as always to everyone at AHOY.

This is the sixth published story in my cross-generational series The Copperhead Kid. It's set in the 1920s, and it stars a hardboiled private eye who is the son of the Old West gunslinger introduced in "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid," the older brother of the 1930s masked vigilante seen in "The Copperhead Strikes!," uncle to the 1960s secret agent starring in "The Copperhead Affair," great uncle to the bass-playing '80s punk chick kickin' ass in "Chaos At The Copperhead Club," and great, great uncle to the reluctant present-day costumed adventurer taking on one last intrepid challenge in "Flight Of The Copperhead."

The stories have been sold and published in the order I wrote them, and this new one is the first to return to an earlier point in the timeline; chronologically, "Bullets From The Copperhead Detective" takes place in between the events of "The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid" and "The Copperhead Strikes!," but each story stands on its own and does not require any familiarity with other parts of the Copperhead Kid saga.

Eventually, "Bullets From The Copperhead Detective" will take its place in the Copperhead chronology in between (presumed) future stories "The Bride Of The Copperhead Kid" and "The Copperhead Kid's New York Adventure," with a few more to follow down the line. 

If memory serves, this is my ninth fiction sale to AHOY. The AHOY editors are currently mulling the relative merit of a tenth story, "Guitars Vs Rayguns! Last Stand On Uranus." It's a sequel to my first fiction sale "Guitars Vs. Rayguns," and it will eventually find its way into a book collecting my (non-Copperhead) short stories.

Wanna read the new comic-book adventures of Troma Entertainment's celluloid superstar the Toxic Avenger AND check out my two-fisted Roarin' 20s gumshoe the Copperhead Detective? Use Comic Shop Locator to find a comics retailer near you. Be sure to call ahead to see if the store has a copy of The Toxic Avenger Comics # 1 available; most stores that don't have it in stock can order it for you. And now, new intrigue awaits you on a mountain in Tibet in the first tense moments of 1925. Don't worry about stray bullets; the Copperhead Detective's aim is true.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

THE RETURN OF JACK MYSTERY: Childhood Imagination and the Creative Process (A mix of truths and white lies)

This was originally written as the concluding section of a three-part look back at a comic-book superhero I created as a child. It's slightly tweaked here to stand on its own, possibly as part of my eventual short story collection Guitars Vs. Rayguns!!

The original post has been unpublished for bookkeeping purposes. It can be seen as a chapter in my book Guitars Vs Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

April Regrets

I posted this a year ago as part of a playlist commentary. Today, it stands on its own.

APRIL REGRETS

The original post has been unpublished for bookkeeping purposes. It can be seen as a chapter in my book Guitars Vs Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.