Return of Jetman FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Q : What is "Return of Jetman"?

A : "Return of Jetman" ("ROJ" for short) is a non-profit fanfiction series based on the Japanese superhero TV series Jetman.

Q : Wait, so what exactly is Jetman?

A : Chojin Sentai Jetman ("Birdman Task Force Jetman") is a 51 episode TV series produced by Toei Company, Ltd. that aired on Japan's TV Asahi network from Feb. 15, 1991 to Feb. 14, 1992. It was the 15th installment in the long-running "super sentai" series which began in 1975 with the 84 episode Shotaro Ishinomori creation Himitsu Sentai Goranger ("Secret Task Force Goranger").

Toei's Chojin Sentai Jetman (© TV Asahi/Toei/Toei Agency)

Q : Why base a fanfiction series on Jetman?

A : Jetman is regarded by many fans (including ROJ's creators) as the best of the super sentai series, due to its slightly unconventional stories and memorable characters. This is likely a result of the influence of designer/occasional director Keita Amemiya and principal writer Toshiki Inoue.

Q : How did Return of Jetman get started?

A : ROJ began its existence in 1995 and was originally published in the pages of the fanzine OWARI. Early versions of the first two stories appeared in issues #2 (May 1996) and #3 (November 1996), but plans to continue the series were derailed by OWARI going on hiatus for over two years following #3. There were a few attempts at reviving the concept, but none stuck until the official launch of the original ROJ Homepage on November 18, 2002. ROJ continued as a part of the OWARI site until it finally outgrew that home and moved to www.returnofjetman.com in 2004.

Q : Why does this sound like Power Rangers/Battle of the Planets/G-Force/Eagle Riders/Gatchaman stuff to me?

A : The various "Power Rangers" series are based on post-Jetman sentai series, so the similarity is to be expected. The classic Tatsunoko Pro. anime series Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman ("Science Ninja Team Gatchaman"), which ran for 105 episodes from 1972-1974, seems to have been a strong influence on some of the Jetman designs, but no connection has ever been acknowledged by Toei. Gatchaman was made available outside of Japan in altered form under the titles Battle of the Planets and G-Force, while its 1978-79 sequel Gatchaman II was released abroad as Eagle Riders.

Q : I know nothing about Jetman/Japanese superheroes. Will I understand Return of Jetman?

A : We hope so! While there are plenty of elements in ROJ for the fans, the intention is for it to accessible to everyone. Whether we have succeeded or not is strictly up to you.

Q : Does Return of Jetman tie in with the Jetman sequel manga that originally appeared in the magazine B-Club?

A : Not exactly. We were unaware that such a thing existed when ROJ was first created in 1995. When we learned of its existence, we made a deliberate effort not to copy it, but some similiarities were inevitable. The manga and ROJ are simply two different looks at possible futures for the characters of Jetman. However, certain elements of the manga series will be referenced during the course of ROJ. If you would like to learn more about the Jetman manga, Jill Sylvan has an excellent overview of it on her Jetman Graphic Novel page.

Q : Isn't there a canonical "Gai Tendo"?

A : Yes! On October 25, 1993, Toei released a video retrospective entitled Toei TV Hero Zukan Vol. 2 - Chojin Sentai Jetman (zukan = "encyclopedia"). In this video, a now married Ryu and Kaori Tendo reminisce about their days in Jetman. At the end, the viewer is introduced to their infant son Gai Tendo. Toei included this retrospective on Vol. 5 of the official Jetman DVDs. While we did not know about this development in 1995 either, the Tendos naming a son "Gai" seems like an obvious idea. There is nothing in the TV Hero video that explicitly contradicts ROJ, though the Tendos are only shown with one son and not two. Perhaps Ken was staying with relatives?

Q : Can you recommend some other Japanese superhero fanfiction stories?

A : We don't read a lot of other people's fanfiction - partly because we don't have as much time as we'd like, partly because we don't want to inadvertently swipe someone else's ideas. However, we can point you to Paul "Igadevil" Sullivan's ambitious Kamen Rider Sigma and David Anderson & Derek Pryor's Eternal Sentai Guardranger (which seems to be abandoned) as two excellent series. While we haven't read it ourselves, a lot of people still swear by Dairenn Lombard's Galaxy Task Force Astroranger (which dates back to 1997!), so you might want to give that one a look as well.

Q : May I include your characters in a story I'm writing?

A : We'd prefer if you didn't. It's flattering, but ROJ isn't exactly an "open-ended" type of story and there's a good chance you might accidentally contradict something. Of course, we can't stop you if you really want to use them - after all, this is just fanfiction. Just please try to be respectful of our characters and our goals for ROJ.

Q : May I do fanart of your characters?

A : Absolutely! Drop us a line at the Contact Page and send us a link if it's already online. If you'd like it included on the site, we'll e-mail you back and you can send the file to us.

Q : May I "borrow" material from your website?

A : That depends. If you ask permission and properly credit the creators of that material, we have no objections. Hey, free publicity! If you just take things and/or don't properly credit the writer or artist, that's when there's a problem. On a related note, remote image linking ("hotlinking") has been disabled on this site due to abuses from certain parties.

Q : Hey, I had an idea just like (fill in the blank)! Did you rip me off?

A : No. As we said above, we don't read a lot of fanfiction. If there is an idea or plotline in ROJ that is similar to something you wrote, it was arrived at independently. We have no desire to plagiarize the work of other fanfiction authors.

Q : Who are you guys?

A : Glad you asked!

Christopher Elam

Christopher Elam (b. July 25, 1972) is the writer of the current ROJ series and webmaster of this site. He self-published 12 issues of the fanzine OWARI from 1995-2005 and issued a series of Godzilla film cast lists (compiled with Ronnie Burton) under the title THE KAIJU DETECTIVE BOOK ONE in 2000. He has written for G-FAN, KAIJU REVIEW, ORIENTAL CINEMA, and XENORAMA. His other interests besides Japanese sci-fi include old comic books, music (especially Blue Öyster Cult), writing, sleeping, general oddness, and Naomi Morinaga.

Lewis Smith

Lewis Smith (b. Feb. 11, 1975) is the creator of ROJ, wrote the original ROJ stories, and is the primary artist for the project. He is the writer/illustrator of the fantasy series Seven Spheres Legend and the science-fiction series Gunmetal Black. He self-published GUNMETAL BLACK #1 in 2002 and has also written for ORIENTAL CINEMA. In the five minutes a day he's not working his guts out on something, Lewis likes very much to stare at blank walls, sleep, and spin around in circles chanting. He also enjoys screwing with people's minds with egregious lies exactly like that one.

Q : Did anyone else make this site happen?

A : Yes! Special thanks go to the following people for their contributions and support - David Anderson, Dylan Bruno, M.Y. Chong, Jeffrey Couto, Gillian Davies, Sara Denny, Tara DeVeau, Amy Elam, Larry Guidry, Fred Hembeck, JR The Monsterboy, Kabuki Katze, Lesa from Lesigns, Eric Manuel, Erin McBride, David McRobie, Derek Pryor, Paul Sullivan, & Joe Zierman. A big thanks also goes to everyone out there who has been reading ROJ through the years. And of course, none of this would be possible without the men and women who have brought Japanese live action science-fiction to life.

Q : You didn't answer my question. What do I do?

A : Well, you could drop us a line via the Contact Page and we'll see what we can do. We can't make any promises about replying, but we'll do our best.

Q : By the way, who is EL BEARDO?

A : You don't want to know.

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JETMAN and all characters from the CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN series © TV Asahi/Toei/Toei Agency. Kamen Rider Sigma & Sigma artwork © Paul Sullivan. OWARI and the OWARI logo (designed by Rob Perchaluk) © Christopher Elam. Lewis Smith artwork © Lewis Smith. This page © 2004-2009 Christopher Elam.