Photo by me of the window at the Simmons Library in Kenosha. I used some effects by Pixlr photo app for Google Chrome.
I’ve already posted the first 20 posts of my series on G+ that I called Creepy October . These are tales based on truth that have a creepy/mysterious almost spook aspect to them. I stopped at the post on the 19th. So here’s the list for the rest of the series. If you enjoy this kind of thing hop over and learn more.
Oct. 20th The Ghost Blimp of WWII a USA blimp on patrol off the coast of California don’t forget this was the area of the battle for LA the real incident took place
Oct 21st Resurrection Mary the famous hitch hiking ghost from Resurrection Cemetery in October and the women that might have been the source for the legend
Oct 22nd Teresita Basita Case a strange case that really took place in Chicago in the late 70s that seriously brought up the subject of ghost testimony in court
Oct 23rd Robert The Doll the creepy supposedly possessed doll in Key West
Oct 27th The Mad Gasser of Mattoon Was anyone really gassing the citizens of small towns in Illinois and Virginia? If so who was it and why do it?
Oct 28th What Happened to Fredrick Valentich? A pilot flying over the Australian Outback disappears but first he radios back a strange description of something…
Oct 29th Strange Love of Carl Tanzer back to Key West for the odd story of obsession, grave robbing, necrophilia, and love?!?
I got The First X-Men on a whim and regretted it. It’s not the story so much, that’s good. It’s not the art that’s great. It’s me. This is one of those comics that is the reason I don’t rate them. As comics go this one brings what comics should bring, story and art working well together. It’s just not for me. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you why.
Credit where credit is due: Neal Adams & Christos Gage, Writers – Neal Adams, Artist (issue 1) & Penciler (issue 2) – Andrew Currie, Inker (issue 2) – Mathew Wilson, Colorist – VC’s Clayton Cowles, Letterer – Adams & Wilson, Covers – Jordan D. White, Assistant Editor – Nick Lowe, Editor – Axel Alonoso, Editor In Chief, – Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer – Dan Buckley, Publisher – Alan Fine, Executive Producer.
I’ve been through the start of the X-Men so many times. I did the original. I did the Ultimates. I did the XMen movies (2 starts). I don’t need another. I got it. Really I do. It’s kind of like Xavier deaths. Been there got a T-Shirt the first few times now I’m bored with it. That’s why I stopped after two issues. I don’t need yet another take on the retelling of the X-Men getting together. I’m old for a comic reader – near 50. I’m not male. I’m not the typical audience comics are written toward. I get that. I’m not the audience for this one.
By now you get this is a new take on how the X-Men get started. Apparently here the major influence in starting it all is Wolverine. He’s not the odd amnesiac that shows up later trying to do the right while figure himself out. He’s doing what the mainstream character took decades to mature into – uniting mutants to live together in peace with non-mutants and protect one and all. Here in this story Xavier is the one dragging his heels on the idea.
Like I said the writing is good. It’s a different take on the start for a different generation. I have no beef with that. The Ultimates was the same thing but I think I enjoyed that because Aaron was young and it was introducing his generation to the concept. I went through the introduction with his eyes. Now he’s a young man. I don’t have a kid to go through the new tale with and this almost 50 reader doesn’t want to start again unless the start is face meltingly awesome. This isn’t. It’s good. If I had endless comic book fund I’d stay on but I don’t so this gave way and dropped from my pull list.
As for the art, I like it. It’s great comic book art. I enjoyed it. It has elements of classic comics and new elements to it. I can’t put my finger on just what it is because I’m not an artist to get the details of style phrased just right. Still I enjoyed it and would like to see more of this work in mainstream titles.
Bottom line: If you are up to starting a new X-men universe or have never experienced another retelling of it – then by all means jump on and enjoy!
You know what’s next a few pages to give you a feel for the books. If you don’t want possible spoilers then don’t look Myrtle! (more…)
Office of the Green Ridge Cemetery in Kenosha. The tent was set up to be a wind free waiting room for the history walk tours.
I want to thank my blog readers. Because of you I’m learning more about the area in which I live. Yes the feed the blog need has me going out to learn about my community. Thank you for giving me the gentle push out the door and opening my world.
One of our historic cemeteries here in Kenosha city is the Green Ridge Cemetery. It is the oldest one holding graves of two and a memorial for one Revolutionary Soldiers. Every October there is a history walk in the cemetery given by the Kenosha History Center. It’s different from the other cemetery history walks in that the guide doesn’t tell you the history but instead takes you designated graves where reenactors portray the person and tell you their life story.
I’ve wanted to do this tour (which changes what historical figures it highlights each year) for years. It seems something always got in the way. Last year I got there about 2pm and all the tickets were given out. Yes 350 tickets for the free tours were GONE! There were crowds waiting for their tour time.
This year I made sure we got there EARLY! We got tickets and were in the first tour. It was the first fall day with a nip in the air. Mike was freezing. Still we enjoyed it very much as the sun was out and the colors (though dull this year compared to previous years) were out.
Naomi Waisman-Zabler portraying Dr. Helen Harbert
Our first stop was Dr. Helen Harbert (1859-1930) portrayed by Naomi Waisman-Zabler. Helen was born Hanson and immigrated to the US from Denmark. She went to medical school and was one of the first licensed female doctors. She lost her first husband and her children in a tragic house fire while she was at her practice. Needing a new start she moved to Kenosha and started the first woman doctor’s practice here. She met and married Hans Harbert. During her life here in Kenosha she was a highly respected member of the community. She served on the Kenosha County Medical Association, active with the Grad Army of the Republic Women’s Relief Corps taking care of Army Vets free of charge, active in the Danish Lodge, was a major Red Cross organizer in the county, and during WWI she actively promoted Liberty Bonds to support the troops. However she became ill. Her diagnosis was terminal and she knew how slow the death was with her aliment. She’d tended patients with the same affliction (I don’t remember what it was but a type of cancer) and knew how they wasted away painfully. After receiving confirmation of her diagnosis while in the Kenosha Hospital for testing she jumped out the window killing herself to avoid the wasting away. She died at the age of 71.
Kathy Cole portraying Gertrude Alford
Next was Kathy Cole who was portraying Gertrude Alford (1881-1964) at Mrs. Alford’s grave. Gertrude and her husband Walter moved to Kenosha from Detroit Michigan. They became highly respected in Kenosha for their philanthropic generosity. They sadly lost their only son when his car was hit by a train during a scavenger hunt. He and his date were killed. After that Gertrude turned her philanthropic tenancies toward helping young men and women. After finding out about the Girls Scouts she founded one of the first troops in the nation here in Kenosha Wisconsin. It is still active today and its original charter bears the signatures of Gertrude and Juliette Gordon Lowe (founder of the movement). To support the new troop and the Boy Scouts Gertrude donated a large parcel of land for the scouts use. Today it is Woodhaven Program Center and is still the hub of scouting for the area today. Gertrude was known for her love of golf. She played well into her senior years and always had clubs in her car in case she could squeeze a few holes in between her appointments.
Julie Burton portraying Jane Pfenning Henkel (my apologies to Ms. Burton she was a WONDERFUL and expressive reenactor! However all my shots seemed to catch her in unflattering expressions. My apologies Ms. Burton)
The next woman on the tour was Jane Pfenning Henkel (1914-2008) portrayed by Julie Burton. Jane is the first native Kenoshian on the tour. Her father was Mayor. Her story intertwines with Gertrude Alford’s above. You see Jane was the first girl Alford’s son had asked to the the scavenger hunt. Jane excited to be asked by the posh Alford said YES! Only there was one problem he wasn’t the first to ask her and she’d already said yes to another young man. When her mother found out she made Jane tell Alford no she couldn’t go and stick to her word in accepting the first boy’s invitation. If she’d gone with Alford she’d been in the car that struck by the train killing Alford, his date, and two more of their friends. Jane lived a long happy life thanks to Mom’s intervention and making Jane hold to her word.
Jean Preston portraying Lauretta A. Dibble
We then moved on to the grave of Lauretta A. Dibble (1893-1952) portrayed by Jean Preston. This was the second native Kenoshian. She was born and died here but lived most of her life outside of Kenosha. Lauretta was a missionary for the Congregational Church. She spent years of her life teaching at a girls school in Africa. She sent letters and journals home to her church here in Kenosha detailing her life in Africa. The church here paid her salary and expenses to be at the school there. She fell in love the people and culture learning many of the native crafts and cuisines She sent back artwork and crafts to her church to show the beautiful work and to sell to raise money to support the school. Unfortunately Lauretta developed cancer and had to come back to the United States for treatment. She received letters regularly from the girls she taught and had taught. These letters were dear to her and kept her spirits up while she was dying. Lauretta died in 1952 here in Kenosha at her family home.
Viki Du Mez portraying the colorful Harriet H. Yule
The final stop was at the memorial for Harriet H. Yule (1861-1932) portrayed by Viki Du Mez. This was the most colorful character of those portrayed. She was the great aunt of Orson Welles (yes he was born here in Kenosha). Her family was very prominent featuring the owner of the first Kenosha newspaper, mayors, attorneys, and owning Bain Wagon Works. However her family wasn’t free from controversy nor was her life. Her sister (Orson’s grandmother) may have been a polygamist. It seems her first husband wandered off never to return so sis married again. That was shocking to the community. She and her new husband tried to gain acceptance back into society by throwing lavish parties, of which Harriet and her husband George were very fond. But seems the rest of Kenosha didn’t like the free wheeling done there nor the cover charge to gain entry. Then Harriett herself became vice-president in the family business with her husband. This was Bain Wagon Works. It was not seemly for a young married woman of her stature to engage in business much less go down to the wagon works and sit in an office working. She even *gasp* conducted business negations with other men not of the community! She had a head for financial matters and George had a head for transportation design together they built a nationwide business in noted wagons. However George died and their son took over the business. Harriet retired and followed her inclinations, which was to enjoy life. It was well known that she and her cronies like to party and would often go out in her chauffeured car to various bars around the area. She would be seen coming home in evening garb when others were starting their day. Finally tiring of being the social pariah in a small mid-west town she decided to follow her niece and great nephew to Hollywood. On moving day when the movers came to pack up her things they found her in a state of undress in her own bedroom enjoying a chilled mixed drink to start her day. It is said none of the muscular young men that had come to move her accepted her invitation to join her in a drink!
A tour heading off to the next reenactor.
I was left wanting more stories from more women of the past. Sadly this year’s historic walk had come to a close. I made some pictures of unique monuments and vowed to come back before next year just to photograph the other unique ones I saw in the distance. Oh and I also vowed that next year we’d get there early again to be sure to meet more people from Kenosha’s past.
As always there are more photos of the day over at my Flickr account. You can get there by clicking any image in the article (not the title image) then look around. Also if you’d like to see an image larger, any image including the title image, then click on it! Until next time!
I loved Ghostbusters when it came out. It was the summer after I graduated high school. I think I saw it four times in the theater with various groups of friends. Years later when DVD technology came into our home it was the first DVD I ever bought. I wanted to introduce Aaron to the fun that was Egon, Peter, Ray, and Winston. That’s why I put the comic on my pull list when I returned to comics. Unfortunately I jumped on at issue 4. This arc covers issues 1-4. I was set for the next arc which I loved (and was commented upon at my G+). So I had to go back and get issues 1-3 to complete this arc. That took some doing as it was sold out, but I finally got the issues and read the whole arc. It’s good to have the gang back together and complete.
First let’s credit the team that built this arc: Erik Burnham – Writer, Dan Shoening, Artist – Luis Antonio Delgado, Colorist – Tristan Jones, PCOC Pages – Shawn Lee, Letterer – Bobby Curnow, Associate Edits (Issue 1) – Tom Waltz, Editor. Now for cover credits by issue. Issue 1: Cover A (pictures here) – Art by Dan Schoening, Colors by Antonio Delgado – Cover B Nick Runge – Covers RIA & RIB Art by Dan Schoening, colors by Antonio Degado. Issue 2: Cover A – Art by Dan Schoening, Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado – Cover B (pictured here) by Nick Runge – Cover R1 Art by Dan Schoening, Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado. Issue 3: Cover A – Art by Dan Schoening, Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado – Cover B (pictured here) by Nick Runge – Cover R1 by Tristan Jones. Issue 4: Cover A (pictured here) – Art by Dan Schoening, Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado – Cover B by Nick Runge – Cover R1 art by Erik Burnham, Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado.
Next we need to get the legal statement out of the way – All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.
This whole story centers on the moment in the first movie where Ray chose the StayPuf Man to be the Destructor for Gozer. This led to the ending we are familiar with and made the GBs a world hero and franchise. All is well that ends well right? Uh for everyone but Gozer.
This arc centers on Gozer trying to get a second chance to enter our plane of existence. The first step is getting Ray to select something a bit more ominous. Ray has an ally in this his fairy godfather – Jake Blues. Yep the John Belushi character of the Blues Brothers. With Jake on your side you know you are going to win!
Through out this second chapter of the Gozer story there are connections to the movies. Slimer makes another appearance. We see the Carpathian’s painting in the background of some scenes. Mr Peck from the EPA (yes the dickless wonder) gets a new job from the Governor of New York. It’s all good if you love this universe.
This art is fun and cartoony. I don’t mind because honestly so were the movies. It all fits nicely into the universe and carries forward the story much better than the animated series did. I can see some influence stylistically from the series but it is not too much.
Finally the covers – the Cover B series draws inspiration from famous band album covers. There’s the Beatles Abby Road Album on Issue 2, and Queen II on Issue 3 pictured here. The alternate for Issue 01 was KISS Destroyer inspired. Issue 4 moved into TV shows with the R1 cover inspired by the Brady Bunch. I enjoyed seeing the thumbnail of the ones I didn’t purchase. Yet, I won’t be getting into the collecting of cover variations.
In the end I loved it. It’s like the Dark Shadows comics for me a visit to something I loved at a younger time in my life. With the rumor mill churning on GB III announced to start production in 2013 this is a fun way to fill the time and get excited for the next movie in what has become a comedy cult classic.
***YOU KNOW WHAT’S NEXT*** POSSIBLE SPOILER SCANS***
This is the first community I’ve ever lived in that schedules trick or treating not on the day. It’s the Sunday before (unless it falls on a Saturday) 3pm – 6pm. That means last Sunday was our Trick or Treat day. Never mind Halloween wasn’t until Wednesday. Unfortunately I’d say in our neighborhood only 10% of the homes participate. Many of those who do go all out! We hand out candy and enjoy seeing the ghosties and ghoulies coming to the door. Rappy loves it and Mr. Blue supervises as alpha black cat of the season.
I tend to set on the stoop to hand out candy so the animals can watch from the screened in front porch without rushing the kids at the door when I open it. One little girl looked up at the regal Blue sitting there fluffed against the cold watching the proceedings with half open bright green eyes. She asked “Are you a witch having a black cat like that?” I smiled and whispered “Yes, but not all witches are bad. I’m a good one and I have TWO black cats.” Her eyes got wide and she smiled, “Really?!?” “Oh yes.” The smile got broader “Oh WOW!” She took her candy and went off excited. I can’t wait for the children’s rumors about me to begin! I don’t know why she didn’t ask if I was into gambling since I have a greyhound but guess she’s not old enough to know about that yet.
As far as costumed kids? We get LOTS there are A LOT of kids in the neighborhood being situated within walking distance to four elementary and two middle schools. We started with 15 and half pounds of candy and ended up with less than a quarter pound left. One thing I enjoy is families dress-up and go out together. Often times even the dog is in costume. It’s fun to see.
Enjoy a look at Trick or Treating in my neighborhood.
Rappy anxiously awaits more visitors.Family group trick or treating. Wizard dad was so COOL!Mario drove his Princess from house to house.Two family groups wait their turn at one of my participating neighbors.Clear way to say I AM NOT participating – to which I have to wonder – why decorate?Yes this actually works in my neighborhood. This was take about 5pm consider it had been out since 3pm and that’s what is left.See I told you some REALLY participate!Here the Evil Witch sits on her throne in her graveyard handing out candy. Her husband Freddy Kruger keeps the corn maze.More yard decorations, this is animated at nightNot all decorations are ghoulish and pumpkins…I was not the only one supervised by the feline overlords.The final daisies of fall
I was looking forward to this issue of the Fairest from the previews. The stand alone issue is entitled Lamia. It’s a noir crime story told with the Fable characters and set in the 1940s LA. Think LA Confidential but with Fables Beast taking the lead detective role. Yes that’s right this issue of Fairest centers on a male character. He’s off to capture a female dragon that he has been containing every few decades since the fables took refuge in the mundy world. As always he’s teamed up with St. George to contain the threat. I have to say the story is excellent. The twist at the end left me shocked so much I had to read it twice. The old ‘did that mean what I thought it meant?!?’ reader’s double take. Cudos to Matthew Sturges for penning such an awesome story. I PROMISE no spoilers or hint of spoilers on the great twist.
Speaking of the writer Matthew Sturges, I’d like to acknowledge all the people that made this awesome issue happen. Shawn McManus – Art & Colors, Todd Klein – Letters, Adam Hughes – Cover, Gregory Lockard – Assistant Editor, Shelly Bond – Editor, and Bill Willingham – Creator & Consultant.
Next we need to get the legal statement out of the way – All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.
Ahh the story – a female dragon named Lamia is loose in the mundy world again. It is in November of 1946. Beast and St George team up again but this time under the names Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. We learn other famous literary detectives through the years have been Beast and St George working to contain Lamia when she escapes.
Now you’d think the mundies like us would notice a big green scaly lizard taking victims in 1946 LA. Ahh but one of Lamia’s powers is she can transform into a beautiful woman. This is why all her victims are men and how she lures them in. The story is of her containment yet again.
The art of the issue supports the noir crime theme excellently. The panels are either the cool grays or sepia tones of yesteryear. The only exception it to add the color red. This is used well not to be a gimmick to highlight the gore of Lamia’s kills but also to add to the neon and other things of the time. It isn’t over done at all. It’s actually very restrained adding to the power of the just one color pop. Adding the over all dark depressing feel that such a requirement for noir crime.
I don’t rate comics when I review them. Because I don’t want to become the arbitrator of what’s good and what’s not. I’m here to share my opinion on the books. It might be a great comic and I know that but I don’t care for it. How do I rate that? However I’d have to say this one comes down to being a 10 out of 10 for me. It hits all the right notes I want when coming to a comic for a story. Great art, excellent writing, well done plot, and twists within twists at the ending. Bravo! to the Fairest team for making this one of my must reads.
** NOTE NONE OF THE SCANS BELOW SPOIL THE TWISTS** I chose scans that more display how wonderful the use of art was with the story. I am limiting them so I don’t spoil the great plot surprises along the way.
As you can see part of Beast’s narration of the story appears as a letter home to Beauty. Here you can see how the gray tones and the touch of red add to the feel of the story and highlight the noir setting.
Here we see Lamia transform as she escapes from Beast. She sheds her woman appearance to slither out a vent. Here the art moved from the grey hues of the top page scan there to the more sepia tones of the interiors. Since this issue is mostly in those tones sepia indicates indoor settings and greys outdoor.
Again this was an awesome issue. If you are interested in getting into comics but aren’t into the superhero idea do try Fairest or its parent comic Fables. Both are excellent!
Autumn, Fall or whatever you want to call it – it’s my favorite time of the year. I love the colors. I love the smells. I love the crispness in the air. The one thing I miss when I live in my beloved warm climates is fall. Frost on the pumpkin, flaming red trees, lemon yellow leaves making a carpet on the lawn – seeing your breath when the sunset and cool rolls in. Ahh…. these are a few of my favorite things. Our colors here are a bit dull this year. Still they are pretty. Here’s a few shots of my favorite season.
The rose of the year in our garden is still beautiful despite a bit of frost nipping on the petals.
Two years ago in October I took a historic bus tour of Milwaukee. It was sponsored by a local museum and let me say I was the youngest there by FAR. Any way it served the purpose of giving me a base knowledge about Milwaukee. I enjoyed the tour and now have some things on my bucket list from the tour. I know it’s been two years but with blog food ever needing to be made I’ve motivation to do them now.
This is a shot I made of the abandoned Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee I played with treatments to make it look older.
It was on this tour I learned more about the beer and Wisconsin connection. Not that it is a surprise to me or any one, but the area was settled by people of Germanic heritage. As Octoberfest recently proved yet again – Germans love beer. When they got settled one of the the businesses they quickly established was breweries. Many of these are still nationally known today even if some are now defunct as brewers. Two of those are Schlitz and Pabst who now exist as virtual brewers. Meaning that they don’t actually have a brewery any more they contract another brewer to brew and put their label on it. Schlitz old brewery in Milwaukee is now a complex of offices. True one as seen above still has the horses heads and logo of the stable maintained in lovely condition. The Pabst facilities remain vacant however. Miller is now huge, no longer American owned (only national brewer that is American owned is Sam Adams) but chugging along as a conglomerate and brewery.
Pabst Bar Racine Wisonsin
Back in the day bars in Milwaukee and surrounding areas down to Chicago were owned by the breweries. So if you wanted say a PBR you went to the Pabst bar, a Malt Liquor Bull the Schlitz bar, to live the High Life the Miller bar and so on. Many of these bars of the late 1800s and early 1900s were built with distinct design to make them easy to recognize by their patrons. Two of those designs survive in Racine a Pabst one just across from a Schlitz one. On one of our drives out in the Mustang we stopped by them so I could get their pictures.
The Pabst one is my favorite. It looks just like a castle. Currently it has beer signs in the in the windows including a Miller Lite one in the big front window (sacrilege) . However there were no indications it was an operating business. There were no hours on the door nothing. Still the building is well maintained. That’s more than can be said for the original Pabst brewery right now.
Schlitz Bar Racine Wisconsin
The Schlitz one is just across the street. It’s distinctive but right next to the castle Pabst it does pale in comparison for uniqueness. Best I could tell by looking around it and walking the side walk is that it is now apartments. The Schlitz sign is not original but is nice to be there to still commemorate the original purpose of the building. As for the green it’s not my taste but I won’t go as far as to say it wasn’t original. Many of the paint schemes used then were very colorful and not combinations we’d choose today or even call tasteful today.
That’s just a view to the long roots beer has around here. I’ve added a few shots from the Milwaukee tour that were beer related to finish out this post. As always if you want to see more photos of the buildings or from the tour click on the images and surf my Flickr account – Until next time!
This is the mansion that Pabst built. It is open for tours periodically. I will go on one some day.
When the title says Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe it ain’t kidding. When Marvel says PARENTAL ADVISORY NOT FOR KIDS they aren’t kidding either. Our comic relief Deadpool takes on a darker new persona that’s more not the quipping funny guy with battle skills any more. His inner dialogue is more philosophical than campy. This is not the usual Deadpool but this isn’t part of the normal Marvel universe where AVX interruptus is going on any way.
First let’s give the crazy guys who created this nightmare credit. Cullen Bunn, Writer – Dalibor Talajic’, Artist – Lee Loughridge, Colorist, VC’s Joe Sabino, Letterer – Kaare Andrews, Cover Artist – Jordan D. White, Editor – Nick Lowe, Senior Editor – Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief – Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer – Dan Buckley, Publisher – Alan Fine, Executive Producer.
I have to say I went into this not knowing what to expect and came out oddly conflicted but liking it.
What I don’t like about it is what makes it the have the parental advisory – the gore. Comic books often show fighting, often show deaths of heroes and villains (most of the time death doesn’t last) but generally it’s not gory it’s more like the old Westerns where the violence was cleaned up. Someone gets shot they just fly against the bar and slump kind of thing. Here it’s not that clean – though why it isn’t I don’t know. It could have been. I can only guess it isn’t because it doesn’t have to be being a stand-alone short.
I have to tread lightly here about what I like about it so I don’t spoiler it too much. I like DP’s motivation and the whole concept of why he’s doing it. It’s developed and unveiled well over the four issues. Though I have to say I got it before it became hammer proportions as it is in the final issue. The reason suits Deadpool in the end.
Once I let go of my dislike of the graphic nature of it I did find amusement in how DP went about killing off both heroes and villains alike. He makes endings that oddly suit the victims. His prattle contains the clues to his motivation.
As for the art – leaving the goriness aside – it’s awesome. I like it very much for me Talajic hits a home run on it. It actually reminds me of the Walking Dead art which I like very much. Only this is colorized. A good grounded in reality comic book artist is what this story needed being so graphic and dark. It is exactly what it got.
Now for the final test – would I recommend it? Not everyone no by a LONG shot. I think this only appeals to hardcore Marvel fans. You’ve got to know the victims to get a lot of the story. You have to know Deadpool to understand the irony of him. Given that I’m still not sure I’d say buy it – maybe borrow it or check it out of the adult section of the library (ours has an adult graphic novel section bet yours does too). IF you are a Deadpool fan as I am a Wolverine fan – then yes I’d say you need this. Otherwise – take it or leave it.
*** NOTICE FROM ON SPOILER SCANS*** I did choose scans that were NOT graphic or gory. Being me I looked for more story and character related moments.
I would just like it noted that my Wolverine said it wasn’t a good idea to do what started it all. Just please take note he’s the only one! He knew this wasn’t a good idea and boy it wasn’t.
For those who don’t know this is an Observer – Marvel has had them as narrators on and off for years. I hate them. I don’t know why but I don’t like an omnipresent narrator. It’s lazy writing. It’s telling not showing. So I did enjoy the fact that DP got one as one of his first victims!
Okay maybe this is graphic – Howard The Duck with his goose cooked. I’m sorry I thought it was funny. Does that mean I’m perverse? Nah just have a good sense of humor.
Here’s where the hints of his motive is becoming hammer. Really Chuck you shouldn’t have put DP in an institution.
In the final books DP spells out his motivation. Makes you think about all we put our favorite characters through just for our own entertainment. I have to say I do enjoy it as a reader and thinking up such things as a writer.
Word count – something you hear a lot about once you delve into writing. There’s NaNoWriMo where the goal is 50,000 in a month no matter what. Books on wriitng talk about daily goals in word count. Publishers call for pieces by word count. Publishers often state pay by the word. When writers talk about how their writing day went it’s in word count. So yeah, in writing, word count counts.
As a newbie I struggled with this concept. On one hand it’s not hard for me to churn out 3,000 words a day. Then on the other hand I tend to ramble, those aren’t sellable words they’d be edited down to say 1,200 or so. Part of my growth as a writer was coming to terms with word counts and using them productively. The hardest writing isn’t getting big numbers but saying what you want to say in small numbers. Writing short is the hardest. Mike learned that this weekend when a 500 word paper took him 16 hours to write, where as 3,000 word paper on the topic would have been easier.
Why Count? Words Per Page
First let’s look at why word count is the industry standard of measurement. Printing isn’t cheap. The expense of making a paper book is a major investment by the publisher. Depending on font size, layout design, and type of book the word count varies from 250 per page for large print books to 1,000 per page for pure reference books. Novels fall about 350 – 400 words per page. Sure this is going to change given ebooks. But then again just how that will be is still up in the air, the market is still hashing that one out. Right now if you want sale success like Harry Potter, Twilight, and 50 Shades (and honestly what writer doesn’t?) printed paper books are a driver in sales and a marketing tool. Word count is a measure of printing expenses that the publisher is ask to bear up front.
What’s a short story word count? What’s a novel?
The next question that arises is how many words in a novel? The typical answer is 75,000. That’s a good median number across genres. The truth is NaNoWriMo is short even for the lower end of the genre scale. I’ve read many blogs by very successful agents and editors all agree the kiss of death is to fall outside the industry accepted range for your genre. Every type of book has what’s expected in word count driven by printing concerns and audience preference for length (we’ll get back to this idea) be it a children’s book, young adult, fiction or non-fiction there are industry ranges.
I mostly deal in fiction. I’ve sold short stories and I want to sell novels. The short stories I’ve sold have fallen 3,000 – 5,000 words, the industry guidelines for shorts ranges from 1,000 – 7,000. So my experience has fallen right in the middle of that. Steampunk gets a large word count than say noir mystery because of the genre tropes. This concept carries over to novels too. Depending on the genre word counts for novels vary widely. On the low end are cozy mysteries and category romances these can be as low as 55,000 but no higher than 80,000. The high end is high fantasy and literary running 80,000 – 200,000. I tend to write mystery, thriller, or crime type of stories those fall again in the middle 75,000 – 90,000.
These aren’t set in concrete and are hazy at the ends so do some research reading several agent and editor blogs to get an idea of your specific market. Also if you are writing to a contract, hold to the requirements do NOT exceed or fall short. Second if you are writing or submitting to a call – meet their guidelines it’s one of the first ways they thin their pile is tossing out the too short and the too long without reading them.
What drives these counts for different genres?
Also consider your sales record as a writer when setting out your word count goals. Let’s face it, proven best selling authors get carte blanche almost when it comes to word length. Just look at Stephen King’s The Stand or the advancing size of J K Rowling’s Potter novels to see it in action. If either of them hadn’t had millions if not billions of sold books under their belts and proven best sellers on release day those books would have been much smaller. For first time writers writing within the call and guidelines is the best, don’t push either end of your chosen genre’s limits.
Another word about these guidelines for novels, they are always in flux. Reader preferences as well as printing expense drive them. What a modern reader generally reads for is action and experiences. Where as the Victorian reader read for description. Think about that for a minute. If we want to know what it is like in India we hop on the internet and see pictures, documentaries, articles, chat with people in India and maybe even book a trip there. It’s easy for us to see it virtually or in real life. Not so much so in Victorian times, they couldn’t do that. Photographs were new and expensive. Travel was expensive, arduous, and rarely for great distances. Printing was affordable so they read to ‘see’ what new places were like. Today we can easily see a place now a reader reads to experience things he can’t. It might be a thriller or might be another life in an exotic place.
These preferences drive word counts. steampunk, fantasy, science fiction readers read more for the life in an exotic place reasons these take more descriptive scenes. Description takes more words than action. So these get higher end word limits. This even showed true going to my short story experience. On the other hand – mystery, police procedural, thrillers all take place in a world we know but the reader is there for the action. So those have lower limits, the writer doesn’t have to establish the world- it’s already there and the reader knows it.
Do chapters have word count guidelines?
We’ve talked about page word counts. We’ve talked about total story word counts. What about chapters? If you thought the other was kind of fuzzy, chapters are totally blurry. There are lots of avenues of thought on this. Some will say let the chapter breaks fall naturally where they may as long as you are in the guidelines total limits good! Others will say 2,500 to 3,500 words per chapter for action based stories and 3,500 to 7,000 for more world building stories. Others will favor ending the chapter on a hook or cliff to pull the reader forward into the story.
I listened to all the pros and cons of the stances on chapter lengths. I then went to the library and looked over chapter sizes in best sellers in the genre I aspired to write. I also looked at how each chapter ended. Was it with a hook, a cliff, or end of scene or mixture? I also thought about myself as a reader. What chapter types did I like to read in this genre? I realized I often say to myself – I’ll read to the end of the chapter then I flip to see how many pages that is. If it’s a lot of pages I don’t and stick my bookmark in it then go off to the next thing. If there’s just a few I’ll read on. Same about the ending. If it’s end of scene I’ll put the book down. If it’s a hook or cliff I’ll look at the next chapter’s length and if it’s not too long I’ll keep reading.
Finally I talked to authors. Not newbies like me but experienced ones. Ones that have had best sellers. Ones that have multiple novels published. Ones that have had multiple books published not only in various genres but in both fiction and non-fiction. I came away with several things. The first important one was stressed over and over – stay within the overall guidelines. Second it’s easier when planning and writing to set word count expectations for chapters. Thirdly I had several in my genre say that their writing went faster when they accepted the idea that chapters end with a hook or cliff as well as the 2,500 to 3,500 word count guideline. Also a few noted that with planning and those guidelines their amount of proofing/rewriting time dropped drastically. So given what I saw published, what I like as a reader, what experienced well published authors were telling me – I settled on those as my guidelines. Ya know what? That USA Today best seller knew what she was talking about! It is easier to write and plan with those in place.
Word counts count if you decide they do.
In the end it comes down to why you write in the first place. Are you writing to sell? If so then yes they count. They determine if an agent or publisher looks at your manuscript. They determine your pay. They effect the style and structure of your story. They are driven by the market both aspects economic and customer preference. IF your are writing to sell then do your research know what is expected and meet those expectations.
IF you are writing for enjoyment – yours and your friends/family. Then no, they don’t count. You don’t have to worry about how many words you have any where. If you fall here don’t worry just tell your complete story well and enjoy.
Mary Louise Eklund 