🍺Dive Bar Brawling
Raising temperatures at a roadhouse.
Each episode of Into the Storymaze includes: writing tips or a work-in-progress; something creative I’m into; a highlight from my comics-writing credits; and a quote that’s got me thinking — both about now and what’s next.
If you’ve been tracking me on on the Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen some promos for a new comic I’m cooking up with Karl Waller. We’re cagey on the details for the moment, but it’s main characters — Percy & Virgil — are truckers responsible for a series of mysterious deliveries.
This short excerpt captures a particularly chill moment as WAYLON — a beast of a barkeep — questions a set of strange arcade machines earmarked for his charming roadhouse, “The Wayhole.”
A fired up Waylon is pointing at his bar, gesticulating in a way that would make Macho Man Randy Savage take notes.WAYLON: …my clientele got so spooked none of ‘em are back for a good time!
WAYLON: Playing them games put crazy nightmare shit inside their heads! Fucked them up!
Virgil’s unfolding the manifest, drawing Waylon’s attention to it.WAYLON: I’m talking life-long sinners afraid they’re gonna burn for living it up!
VIRGIL: You’re Waylon Briggs, right? This says you’ve agreed to delivery —
Waylon’s tearing up the paper with cold glee. A glowering Virgil is reaching for his crowbar.WAYLON: This says you can wipe your ass with any little pieces you can still find!
Virgil hefts the crowbar in two hands, ready for mayhem.VIRGIL: We’ve got a schedule to keep —
The enormous Waylon towers over Virgil, crowding his space, not backing down.WAYLON: Whatchoo gonna do with that toothpick, lil’ man?
Based on the subject matter of the 4-foot pile of books stacked behind me, I’ve got an unhealthy fascination with hell. (“Unhealthy?” Let’s go with “particular.”) The Devil, Dictionary of Demons and The Formation of Hell, this is a collection that stretches back many years, and spans research for supernatural titles like Hellraiser and Nightstalkers, a general fascination with the role and definition of evil, and inspiration for a long-gestating (long-suffering) new comic I’ve been working on with Karl Waller.
So I sort of feel I know my way around the underworld. And then Wayne Barlowe opens up a whole other level of down below with God’s Demon, and my admiring (read: jealous) reaction has to be, (wait for it…) — “Damn!”
Barlowe knows a thing or two about world building. In addition to his writing cred, Mr. Barlowe is an accomplished and imaginary artist. His Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials was long a staple of the bookstore genre sections I’d frequent; and he’s contributed visionary work to movies like Hellboy and Blade 2, as well as TV like Babylon 5 and Alien Planet.
His novel was a chance library sale find, sold on the cover art and intriguing back cover description. Within you’ll find a tale of a Demon Major named Sargatanas who wearies of the endless dread gamesmanship of the abyss.
As a fallen angel, he remembers his time within the pearly gates — and longs for a return. Against considerable odds and a veritable legion of wickedness, he commits his forces to a cause of redemption in the hopes of reclaiming a place in heaven.
The idea that these devils would challenge the almighty to live up to his promise of forgiveness is bold stuff. Granted, getting there is a grim affair, populated by fiends with more familiar names (Beelzebub and Lilith figure prominently), as well as lakes of blood, twisted body horror, and (naturally) flesh eating flies.
Among the original touches: souls are the literal building blocks of the demon’s epic and demented cities, and demons wage war with complex sigils that can be collected in defeat, like the leftover loot from a fallen player in a video game.
While many modern novels go for bright exchanges of dialogue that echo a screenplay (and seem to be screaming, “Please oh please, Mr. Streaming Service, adapt ME!”), Barlowe commits to long form descriptive prose for most of the pages.
It’s all well-executed, but the level of detail the author packs in to his afterlife and its hierarchies of demons and the damned can feel like a bit of a slog until you pick up its distinct rhythms — at which point you’ll find it picks up its pace considerably. Detailed, creative, despairing and hopeful, this is epic fantasy with a unique take on damnation — and dreaming of something better.
For their incredible Nightbreed collection, BOOM Studios asked me to write an afterword, recounting my time on the title. I’m serializing that here over the next few episodes…
Revisiting the Necropolis
How the hell did we get away with all that?!?
A removable, multi tool spine. Mob mistresses shagging monsters. Species betrayal. Head swapping. Seductive harpies. A demon elbow-deep in a human birth canal, clawing at unholy communion.
Certainly in comicdom at that time there were titles that were more outrageous, perverse, deviant, occult, and overstuffed with mythological references. But I think we could make a fair argument for holding the crown on many of those when it came to being published by Marvel - or even its one-step removed Epic Comics imprint.
Not that we ever set out to be over the top, in any fashion, as a sole mandate. We had one goal: continue the celebration of the diverse, the different, the freakish that we interpreted as so integral to Clive Barker's writing. If that led to excess... it's only because we were enthusiastic disciples.
I’ve got an ego, but please don’t presume the royal “we.” The plurality I refer to was literal. Comics can be a solo affair, for certain talents. But I got the greatest joy from collaborating, with talented artists — and when it came to the world of Mr. Barker, two encouraging editors: Greg Wright and Marcus McLaurin.
Greg’s been one of my best friends since I started to figure out who I am, and our shared sensibilities empowered what I was good at — and made for a quick call of “Bullshit!” when I lost my way.
“We definitely think alike and trust each other,” agrees Greg. “So that made it very easy to enjoy working together. If I had to throw in an annoyance, it might be Dan’s inability to resist using words and concepts that might go over the head of the casual reader, LOL.” (Greg more than once made things better by simply reminding me, “Stop trying to impress people with how well read you are!” Double LOL. )
“Dan is one of those writers who looks to tell a story with deeper meanings,” continues Greg, “and avoids formula storytelling, or gore for gores sake. And Nightbreed allowed him to do that without having to conform to all the rules of the Marvel Universe, where you need multiple approvals to do anything.”
As for Marcus, he was my story shepherd on not just Nightbreed, but all my Hellraiser contributions after I stepped back as editor, and the Terror, Inc. title I co-created. That’s a significant degree of my output as a comics writer — and I benefited enormously from Marcus’ editorial TLC and outlook.
“I think editors are one part communicator, one part visionary, one part collaborator, and one-half part dictator,” explains Marcus. “I’ve always believed that editors should find the best talent, develop that talent, help them to see the strength in their ideas without taking over those ideas, and most importantly help to communicate a clear vision, at the service of the story. Because the story is all.”
Important to keep in mind, because without Marcus and Greg and their championing of Clive’s lush, decadent delights…the stories you hold in your hands would not have been possible. And with the power of the interwebs at our disposal, I’ve been able to enlist their memories and observations as we all together take a walk among the tombstones.
“All storytelling boundaries are there to be exploded. It's great to have a map, but once you’ve consulted it the best thing you can do is burn it, throwing away your compass for good measure. Step onto the path with the faith that your story will lead you where you need to go.” — J.M. DeMatteis
Amazing Times
Thanks for taking a break from the dark web to check out this share-out of projects I’m working on, plus things that have me jazzed. I’m D.G. Chichester. If that looks pretentious, feel free to just call me “Dan”, and have a go at the last name as Chai (like the tea) Chester (like it looks).
I earned my word-cred writing comic book titles like Daredevil, Terror Inc., Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, along with all manner of digital widgets in the world wide web of advertising. I keep my storytelling cred by trying new things — this is one, with more on the way. I like weird tales, so if things here bend that way — now you know why!
Folks seem to like the comic book adventures I’ve written, so if you haven’t checked one out — please do. Many are now available in fab collected editions.
For the lonely moments between storymazes…
@dgchichester — 280 characters from the Twitterverse
@dgchichester — images via Instagramland