Brian Keene's Blog, page 116

MAELSTROM 2014, APOCRYPHA, and a Progress Report

No, this isn’t a pre-order announcement. That’s not until later this year. But because a LOT of you are asking about this year’s Maelstrom set, and because there will no doubt be some confusion surrounding Apocrypha, I thought I’d address those questions.

This year’s Maelstrom set (which will come out last quarter of the year) is as follows: APOCRYPHA by Brian Keene, KING OF THE BASTARDS by Brian Keene and Steven Shrewsbury, and HAG by John Goodrich (with an Introduction by Laird Barron). John has been making a name for himself among Lovecraftian fans, and I’m thrilled to be introducing his work to a larger audience. King of the Bastards is the long-rumored sword and sorcery novel Shrews and I have been working on forever (“This is Conan without a conscience” said one person who has read some of the rough draft). But it is Apocrypha that is going to generate the most questions, so let’s try to answer those as clearly as possible.

There will be two editions of Apocrypha. It will never ever be reprinted after that. The first edition is a trade paperback, a copy of which will be sent for FREE to all former subscribers to the Of Keene Interest newsletter. We will only print enough trade paperbacks to fulfill those needs. The second edition is a signed, limited hardcover that will be offered for sale to the general public along with the rest of the Maelstrom set. Why? Because Thunderstorm Books is graciously printing and shipping the trade paperbacks for free, and I want them to recoup their costs, and the hardcover will allow them to do that.

So, to recap:

1. “If I was an Of Keene Interest newsletter subscriber, what do I get?” You get a free trade paperback of Apocrypha that will NOT be available to the public.

2. “If I wasn’t a subscriber, can I still get a copy of Apocrypha?” If you buy a Maelstrom set, yes, but only in hardcover.

3. “How can I get both?” If you were a newsletter subscriber, you can get the free paperback and buy a Maelstrom set to get the hardcover. If you weren’t a newsletter subscriber, you can buy a Maelstrom set to get the hardcover and then wait for a paperback to show up on the secondary market.

If you were a former newsletter subscriber whose address changed and you haven’t yet updated it, email the new address to briankeene@live.com. Please do not email Thunderstorm Books with questions about this yet. Apocrypha is being worked on right now. Today, in fact. There is progress on all things. Here is how the White Board of Doom looks this morning. Compare it to this shot from a few weeks ago. You’ll notice that in less than a month, a novel, short story, and a short story collection have all been completed. The machinery is working again, after sitting dormant and in desperate need of oil for too long.

The Animal Man (stealth) Doom Patrol Relaunch That Never Happened

Since so many of you have been enjoying the rarities, ephemera, and other odd stuff I’ve been pulling out of the vault, I thought I’d post another one today. This time, we’ll take a look at my ill-fated Animal Man pitch for DC Comics. Warning: the following contains spoilers.

As was publicly reported in the comics press, I was one of the initial writers on DC’s current Future’s End weekly series. I left the project two months into its inception, before scripting had begun in earnest. During that two-month period, I’d also been asked to pitch several other books, including Animal Man, a character for whom I have deep respect and appreciation. At the time, Jeff Lemire was about 8-issues away from finishing his run. He and I sat down, and he told me how it would end (including Buddy joining the Justice League ranks). My original pitch picked up where Jeff left off. The editors liked it, especially the stealth Doom Patrol relaunch I’d worked into the story, but they wanted me to “include more fights” and open with a segment that would have concluded my first arc — stranding Buddy in Antarctica. So, I revised the pitch and submitted a second one that incorporated their requests. Both are included below (I have deleted the editors’ names). Everyone seemed psyched by the story, and it seemed like a go.

Alas, when I walked away from Future’s End, this project ceased to be. Maybe that’s just as well. Jeff’s Animal Man run was marvelous — one of the best DC titles since the launch of the New52, and I don’t know if I could have fit into those shoes. And since then, Geoff Johns has brought back the Doom Patrol in the pages of Justice League (albeit more along the lines of the John Byrne-era rather than the Silver Age or Vertigo incarnations). That’s comics…

ANIMAL MAN: Overview

Brian Keene

LAST TIME IN ANIMAL MAN

It’s been a tough few years for the Baker family. A long, protracted battle against the Rot strained Buddy and Ellen’s marriage to the breaking point, and cost them the life of their firstborn. Not to mention other threats to their family—Maxine’s burgeoning powers, the battle with Brother Blood, Ellen’s mother’s views of Buddy, and living out their lives in an increasingly public spotlight.

But now, all of that seems to be over. Rotworld is vanquished, balance has been restored, Buddy’s been cleared in Krenshaw’s death, Brother Blood is defeated, and Maxine has been released of her legacy—free to grow up as a normal little girl until she is old enough to choose for herself whether or not to become the Avatar of the Red. All Ellen wanted was a normal life for their family. To have trust, communication, and an equal partnership with her husband. For her little girl to be untouched by the madness in their lives. For Buddy to pay as much attention to them as he did being a superhero-actor- celebrity. And finally, she has it.

But what Ellen doesn’t know is that Buddy has been lying to her, by not telling her about the Godseed, and what the future holds for him, and how that will impact their family.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

We pick up a few weeks after the events of issue #29, and show the direct, detrimental, and long-lasting psychological impact these last few years have had on Buddy and Ellen and their family. Yes, they separated in issue #19 and worked it out a few issues later, but just because they worked it out, doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods. Cliff is still dead, Buddy is still a celebrity (even moreso now after his Academy Award win), they’re still living their lives in the fishbowl lens of the public eye, and Buddy is still a superhero. I’d like to examine how all these things are weighing on them.

Buddy is wracked with guilt over Cliff’s death. He blames himself. Ellen was worried from day one that the weirdness surrounding her husband would eventually affect her children. Now it has. Cliff is dead. Yes, Abby said he is with her, and would be okay, but he is still dead. Buddy thought he was doing okay with this, but the grief and guilt have now come back on him two-fold. Ellen’s biggest fear—a fear that she communicated to him, and which he promised wouldn’t happen—has happened. The weirdness in his life resulted in the murder of his son. Worse, they still don’t know how it has impacted Maxine. She’s four. Can any child, no matter how resilient, experience everything she has and not come through unscathed?

Buddy feels trapped in his role as both Animal Man and a celebrity. But worse, he’s also beginning to have the same misgivings about his role as a husband, and a father. He’s beginning to wonder—just wonder—if maybe they wouldn’t be better off without him. Wracked with these self-doubts, Socks’ final warning keeps echoing through his head.

(Note to _____ and _____: You don’t have Socks’ final warning in your overview from Jeff. It’s something he and I worked out when we discussed the direction of his final issues and where I wanted to take the series. Basically, after Socks becomes a totem, he’s going to warn Buddy that his primary role as Animal Man is still the safety of Maxine.)

But it’s not just Buddy that is having lingering doubts. Ellen is distraught over Cliff’s death and shares the same worries over the long-term impact these events have had on Maxine. She’s under stress from the ever-increasing conflict between her mother and her husband. But worst of all—she’s wondering, too, if she and Maxine might not be better off without the daily influence of Animal Man in their lives. She desperately wants Buddy to quit—if not acting, then at least super heroics. She’s stressed about their burgeoning notoriety, with gossip blogs and tabloids printing falsehoods about them, overeager “fans” intruding into every aspect of their private lives, and the lack of normalcy for them all. But she is overcome with guilt for feeling this way. Obviously, this is her husband’s calling. His passion. How can she ask him to give it up. She’s also overcome with guilt over the fact that, deep down inside, whether fairly or unfairly, she blames Cliff’s death on Animal Man, as well.

But despite all this—Buddy and Ellen love each other. They love their daughter. And they still want to try.

So, this is where I have them upon the first issue. That’s the set-up. Buddy Baker has faced the Hunters Three, Anton Arcane, the hordes of Rotworld, Brother Blood and his minions, obnoxious paparazzi, an investigation into Krenshaw’s death, and countless other threats. But now he must brave something else. Something unexpected. Something he’s never encountered before. Something none of his powers can help him with.

Buddy Baker must face… Marriage Counseling!

Oh, and there’s a serial killer named The Family Man (a re-imagining of the pre-New52 Hellblazer character) who’s set his sights on the Bakers.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST SIX ISSUES

#30 – Family Matters (Part 1 of 4):

A few weeks after the events of #29, and the situation is as described above. Buddy and Ellen are in bed, facing away from each other. Both their eyes are open, but they are a million miles away, on far sides of the bed, unaware the other is awake.

Then we visit a seedy motel with a married businessman who is cheating on his wife with a prostitute. After he pays her and leaves, a mysterious man follows him.

Back to Buddy and Maxine, sitting in the office of Doctor Niles Caulder, PhD and therapist to superheroes (a drastic re-imagining of The Chief as DC’s version of Marvel’s Doc Samson, and yes, I’m aware of the younger version of him that was used in Ravagers. But that version is as lame and uninspired as Hawkman and Grifter combined, so this is his father. Problem solved). Caulder gets Buddy and Ellen to begin talking about their problems, and guides them through a communication exercise in listening to each other.

Meanwhile, at the businessman’s home, a stranger lurks outside and watches the businessman kiss his wife and kids goodbye. After he’s gone, the stranger approaches the house, brandishes a knife, and forces his way inside. He tells the family, “He doesn’t deserve you.” The mother screams.

Back to Buddy and Ellen, post-therapy session. They seem to be doing okay, until they arrive home, where Ellen’s Mom had been babysitting Maxine. His mother-in-law’s attitude toward him exacerbates Buddy’s feelings of guilt and self-loathing, which in turn leads to an argument between him and Ellen, in which she intimates that there were times when Socks was a better father figure to Maxine than Buddy was.

The businessman comes home after dark. The lights are out in his house, which is odd, and his family doesn’t seem to be home. He stumbles over a box in the foyer. When he opens the box, inside are the severed heads of his wife and children, along with a note that says YOU DIDN’T DESERVE THEM signed by The Family Man.

Cut back to Buddy and Ellen. Buddy is sleeping on the couch. Ellen is sleeping in their bed.

#31 – Family Matters (Part 2 of 4):

Ellen making breakfast. Buddy rushing to a meeting with his agent. Maxine picking up on the tension between them. Ellen reminds Buddy they have counseling appointment later. News about The Family Man in the background.

Meanwhile, The Family Man is eating breakfast in a diner. He notices a father, mother and daughter at a nearby table. The father is ignoring both of them, choosing instead to spend breakfast with his nose buried in his smart phone. When the mother and daughter get up to use the restroom, and the father goes to the register to pay the check, the Family Man follows the mother and daughter into the restroom.

Buddy and his agent are sitting in an upscale coffee shop. Buddy is telling his agent his problems, and the troubles in his marriage, unaware that an overzealous fan sitting nearby is taping the entire conversation with his smart phone.

Back at the other restaurant, the father is waiting outside the restroom for his family. A woman goes into the restroom and screams. The father races in, and finds his wife and daughter butchered. Written in their blood on the mirror is YOU DIDN’T DESERVE THEM signed by The Family Man.

Buddy is enraged when a gossip Blog posts the surreptitious video, and his marital problems are out there for the world to see. He posts a withering rebuke via social media, but all that does is fan the flames. He is so engrossed in doing this that he forgets about their marriage counseling appointment.

Ellen is sitting in Caulder’s waiting room, along with a man made of metal (Robotman). When Caulder steps out of his office, there is confusion. Robotman says he got his appointment time mixed up. Ellen tells him he might as well go ahead because her husband isn’t showing up.

When Buddy arrives home, Ellen is furious with him. The news is on in the background, as they argue. Maxine is watching it, but neither of them realize that. The reporter is talking about the latest Family Man killing. Maxine bursts into tears and says that he’s “a very bad man”. When Buddy and Ellen turn, the news is showing Buddy’s face and reporting on the video. They calm Maxine down, and try to comfort her. After she’s asleep, Ellen and Buddy have another confrontation. She asks Buddy to sleep on the couch again, insisting she needs some space to think about things.

Meanwhile, the Family Man is watching Buddy’s video on the news. He says to the television, “You don’t deserve them.”

#32 – Family Matters (Part 3 of 4):

Buddy and Ellen are in their next counseling session. Ellen communicates very clearly what she needs from him – trust, communication, and the certainty that he’ll be there for her and Maxine. He says he can do these things, but still does not reveal the Godseed or anything else. When they leave Caulder’s office, on the way to the car, Ellen takes his hand and smiles. A paparazzi approaches them, snapping pictures. Buddy tells the guy to leave them alone. The snarky photographer asks what will happen if he doesn’t. Will Buddy turn into a gorilla and beat him up? Ellen responds that Buddy won’t have time to do that before she shoves the camera up the photographer’s…

Outside their home, the Family Man sits in his car, watching as they pull into the driveway. Family Man mutters that Buddy doesn’t deserve his family.

Inside the house, Buddy tells Ellen he’s going to change clothes. Ellen walks into the bedroom, pointing out to Buddy that Maxine is out with her mother, and they are all alone. But Buddy is oblivious. She finds him kneeling on the floor in front of the closet, with a Star Warriors lunchbox. Inside are Star Warriors bubblegum cards. They were his when he was a kid. He’d stuck them in the closet, thinking he’d give them to Cliff one day, and had forgotten about them until now—and now it’s too late to give them to Cliff. Buddy breaks down in grief. Ellen comforts him. They cry together, kneeling on the floor.

One page of Maxine and grandma. Maxine tells her how much she misses Cliff. And Socks. And the Red. They head towards home. Grandma is troubled.

Buddy tells Ellen rather than cooking, he’ll go pick up some take-out. She stays behind to be there when Maxine gets home. He reiterates his promise to Ellen that he will try harder to be there for them. Then he leaves. The Family Man watches…

While in line for take-out, a high speed police chase sends a fleeing car crashing into parked vehicles. Two gunmen tumble from the vehicle and take hostages. Police surround them with guns drawn. Buddy quickly texts Ellen and tells her he’s going to be a little late.

In their home, Maxine and Grandma are playing in the background. Ellen is reaching for her phone to read the text, when the doorbell rings. She goes to it and peers outside (but doesn’t open it). The Family Man is standing on their doorstep.

#33 – Family Matters (Part 4 of 4):

The Family Man forces his way into the Baker home and tells Ellen that Buddy doesn’t deserve her. He slashes at Ellen with his knife, but she dodges the attack, putting her arm up in a defensive gesture. He cuts her arm instead. As she screams we cut to…

Buddy is sizing up the hostage situation. He doesn’t have his Animal Man costume on, but that doesn’t matter, since everyone knows who he is anyway. He eases out of the restaurant, and prepares to draw on the powers of the animals in proximity to him, but one of the gunmen sees him and warns him to back off. When the gunman makes a gesture as if to harm the hostage, Buddy throws out his hand in a pleading gesture. The gunman’s hand (holding the pistol) morphs into a horribly misshapen lump of flesh and then into a pigeon wing (pigeons being in proximity to the standoff). The other gunman drops his weapon in fear, and surrenders, but the cops barely notice. They’re staring, horrified at what has happened. So is Buddy, standing over the transformed thug, gaping in shock over what he just did.

The new Godseed powers are beginning to manifest.

Back at the house, Grandma and Maxine escape to Maxine’s room, where Grandma calls 911 on her cell. Downstairs, after a long and terrifying chase and fight throughout the house, Ellen manages to seriously injure the Family Man, incapacitating him.

Buddy arrives home to find police cars and the neighbors around his house. Inside, he learns what has happened. Family Man is taken into custody and loaded into an ambulance. Buddy breaks down, apologizing to Ellen for not being there for them. Ellen tells him that it’s okay, they didn’t need him. They handled it themselves.

One page epilogue – Buddy’s agent gets a call from the JLA. They’d like Animal Man to join.

#34 – Missing Links (one-issue story):

The Baker Family, on the advice of Caulder, get away for a long weekend together, driving from San Diego up the Coastal Highway into the rural wilds of Northern California and coastal Oregon (Bigfoot Country).

Buddy and Ellen discuss the JLA membership offer. Buddy sees it as a great opportunity—a chance to leave acting and the burdens and pitfalls of celebrity life behind, and still earn a living for his family. Ellen has her doubts. She sees it as simply trading one media spotlight for another. The important thing to note here, from an editorial perspective, is they will be communicating differently. Via dialogue, I’m going to show that what they’re learning in marriage counseling is paying off, and they are actively listening to each others concerns. Of course, Ellen doesn’t know that Buddy is lying to her about the Godseed and his ultimate fate.

Maxine seems to be doing better, too. Indeed, the three of them are having a wonderful time until, after dark, on a deserted stretch of coastal highway with ocean on one side and a dense Redwood and Sequoia forest on the other side, a large, hairy beast lumbers out of the tree line. Buddy swerves to miss it and gets a flat tire. They are unhurt. The beast runs off into the forest.

Quick one page interlude expanding the Taproot mystery that Jeff had started. A group of shadowy individuals sitting around a conference table in a darkened room, each with a laptop in front of them. On the laptop screens, we see images of The Hunters Three and Black Orchid. The figures are referring to them as failures. Something called Project Moonchild must do better. On the laptop screens there is now an image of something that looks like a werewolf.

While Buddy is changing the tire, the beast returns, lurking and watching. Maxine notices it, and showing no fear, approaches the creature. Ellen freaks and Buddy prepares to attack, but the Sasquatch proves docile and frightened. When it tries to communicate with them, Maxine and Ellen only hear grunts and growls, but Buddy hears English (as another new power from the Godseed begins to manifest).

Buddy learns that the creature is curious and meant no harm. It sensed that Buddy was the Avatar of the Red, which it knows all about, because one of its kind was once an Avatar as well, long ago. Sadly, it has been quite some time since it has seen another of its kind. Every year, there are fewer and fewer of them. It wishes nothing more than to find a mate and have offspring—a family. It tells Buddy that family is an unbreakable bond—nothing can sever those links, and it desperately wants to have such a thing. The creature hopes that Buddy might be able to help—that perhaps Buddy knows where more of its kind can be found. Buddy does not, but he promises the creature that he will look into it, and return when he can help.

On the drive home, Ellen expresses surprise that Buddy was able to communicate with the Bigfoot. She jokingly teases Buddy, asking if there are any other secret powers he hasn’t told her about yet. Buddy lies, and says no…

#35 – Albatross (one-issue story that leads into the next multi-parter):

Okay, we’ve spent a few issues focusing on the familial aspects of Animal Man, and indeed, so this issue we check in with the bigger overall mythos. You’ll see that this issue’s title has double meaning. The literal sense will become obvious in a moment, but there is also the metaphor of the albatross symbolizing someone with a burden (as in the Coleridge poem)

Struggling with the apparent manifestation of the new Godseed powers, and unsure how they work, or what else is in store for him, and increasingly overwhelmed with guilt for keeping it a secret from his family, Buddy travels to the Red and confides in Socks and Shephard. Their reaction is not what he expects. They are displeased, especially Socks, who admonishes Buddy that he has forgotten his primary role—protecting Maxine until she is old enough to decide for herself. They caution him that there is no way out of this decision he has made, and that eventually it will all come to pass.

Back in the real world, Maxine and Ellen have a frank talk about Cliff and everything else that has happened. Maxine opens up, and we finally see how all of this has impacted her. The sequence ends with Maxine telling her mother to “not be sad because they will all see Cliff again.”

Back in the Red, Buddy asks for help in learning about these new Godseed powers. Socks and Shepherd cannot counsel him on the usage of these new powers, for that knowledge is beyond them.

Buddy departs the Red and returns to Earth. He dons his costume and decides to go to a deserted section of the beach and experiment with his powers himself. When he spots a nearby albatross, Buddy takes its powers, but tries to simultaneously communicate with the bird. An apparent telepathic link occurs, and Buddy can see the bird’s entire life and every detail that comprises its existence—from its fears that its species is facing extinction, to its favorite things to eat, to its birth in Antarctica. He feels like he is actually becoming the albatross.

Frightened, Buddy severs the telepathic link but is shocked to find himself in Antarctica, amidst a flock of nesting albatrosses. No cell phone, no help or assistance, and he’s only wearing his costume as the Antarctic winds begin to howl…

ANIMAL MAN: Overview Take 2

Brian Keene

Okay, ______ and ______, as per our phone conversation, here’s a revamp and reworking of the first six issues. I’d still like to use all of the themes discussed in the first proposal, but they will be reworked so that visuals and action take center stage. The Bigfoot issue is reworked, too, to allow for the requested fight.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST FIVE ISSUES

#30 – White Out (Part 1 of 3):

Buddy and Maxine, sitting in the office of Doctor Niles Caulder, PhD and therapist to superheroes. Caulder gets Buddy and Ellen to begin talking about their problems, and guides them through a communication exercise in listening to each other. During this, Buddy is shocked when a pigeon outside Caulder’s office window apparently speaks to him telepathically. He hides his surprise from the others, and assumes this is the new Godseed powers beginning to manifest.

Post-therapy session, Buddy and Ellen seem to be doing okay, until they arrive home, where Ellen’s Mom had been babysitting Maxine. His mother-in-law’s attitude toward him exacerbates Buddy’s feelings of guilt and self-loathing, which in turn leads to an argument between him and Ellen, in which she intimates that there were times when Socks was a better father figure to Maxine than Buddy was.

That night, Buddy is sleeping on the couch. Ellen is sleeping in their bed.

The next morning, Ellen reminds Buddy that they have another appointment with Caulder. Before that, he dons his costume and decides to go to a deserted section of the beach and experiment with his new powers. When he spots a nearby albatross, Buddy takes its powers, but tries to simultaneously communicate with the bird. An apparent telepathic link occurs, and Buddy can see the bird’s entire life and every detail that comprises its existence—from its fears that its species is facing extinction, to its favorite things to eat, to its birth in Antarctica. He feels like he is actually becoming the albatross. Frightened, Buddy severs the telepathic link but is shocked to find himself in Antarctica, amidst a flock of nesting albatrosses. No cell phone, no help or assistance, and he’s only wearing his costume as the Antarctic winds begin to howl…

#31 – White Out (Part 2 of 3):

Stumbling through the frigid wastelands, Buddy takes on the attributes of the local penguins and albatrosses to keep himself warm. He then comes across Vastik Station, a Russian scientific outpost. When he approaches the scientists for help, the attack him as one (think Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Buddy fights back, but is soon overwhelmed, and flees. He encounters a lone human, Galina, who is the last surviving member of the scientific expedition. She leads Buddy to her hiding place, and tells him that the Vastik expedition drilled into nearby Lake Vastik, a sub-glacial freshwater lake whose waters had not seen the surface in over 15 million years. When they pierced the cone, in an effort to collect water samples and sediments and find potential unusual forms of life, they woke something called the Kroll—an intelligent, microbial alien life form that is vegetable rather than animal. The Kroll had been hibernating in a pod beneath the surface. Now they are awake. The Kroll take over animal life, converting them into vegetables and using them as drones. Eventually, these drones pollinate by exploding, sending spores throughout the air. The Kroll intend to make it back to civilization and begin the process on a wide-scale.

Meanwhile, back in San Diego, Ellen is sitting in Caulder’s waiting room, along with a man made of metal (Robotman). When Caulder steps out of his office, there is confusion. Robotman says he got his appointment time mixed up. Ellen tells him he might as well go ahead because her husband isn’t showing up.

Back in Antarctica, Buddy and Galina are discovered by the Kroll, who attack. Buddy draws upon the only animals in the vicinity—penguins and albatrosses, but is no match for the overwhelming Kroll hordes. One of the creatures, swollen to grotesque proportions, explodes, sending spores their way. Buddy and Galina flee, but are soon surrounded.

#32 – White Out (Part 3 of 3):

Outgunned and outnumbered, Buddy desperately reaches into the Red, looking for another animal to borrow from. And, to both his and Galina’s surprise, he finds one at the bottom of the lake—where evolutionary descendents of the Plesiosaur have managed to survive, blind and adapted to the subterranean environment of the lake’s bottom. This should give us some AMAZING visual opportunities as Buddy then lays waste to the Kroll.

Sadly, Galina has been exposed to the spores, and the Kroll is beginning to take over her system, converting her from animal to plant. She tells Buddy that he needs to burn both her and the Kroll corpses. She asks him to pass a message along to her family, which makes him think of his own.

Back in San Diego, Ellen is worried. Buddy hasn’t come home, and isn’t answering his cell. She fears two things—that something has happened to him as Animal Man, or that he has run off, abandoning her and Maxine. Just as she is about to call the police, Buddy arrives home, still in costume.

#33 – Truth and Consequences (one-issue story):

Buddy and Ellen are back in counseling again. Ellen communicates very clearly what she needs from him – trust, communication, and the certainty that he’ll be there for her and Maxine. He says he can do these things, but still does not reveal the Godseed or anything else—including the real reason he ended up in Antarctica.

When they leave Caulder’s office, on the way to the car, Ellen takes his hand and smiles. A paparazzi approaches them, snapping pictures. Buddy tells the guy to leave them alone. The snarky photographer asks what will happen if he doesn’t. Will Buddy turn into a gorilla and beat him up. Ellen responds that Buddy won’t have time to do that before she shoves the camera up the photographer’s…

At home, Buddy tells Ellen he’s going to change clothes. Ellen walks into the bedroom, pointing out to Buddy that Maxine is out with her mother, and they are all alone. But Buddy is oblivious. She finds him kneeling on the floor in front of the closet, with a Star Warriors lunchbox. Inside are Star Warriors bubblegum cards. They were his when he was a kid. He’d stuck them in the closet, thinking he’d give them to Cliff one day, and had forgotten about them until now—and now it’s too late to give them to Cliff. Buddy breaks down in grief. Ellen comforts him. They cry together, kneeling on the floor.

That night, when Ellen and Maxine are asleep, Buddy makes a decision. Struggling with the apparent manifestation of the new Godseed powers, and unsure how they work, or what else is in store for him, and increasingly overwhelmed with guilt for keeping it a secret from his family, Buddy travels to the Red and confides in Socks and Shephard. Their reaction is not what he expects. They are displeased, especially Socks, who admonishes Buddy that he has forgotten his primary role—protecting Maxine until she is old enough to decide for herself. Buddy asks for help in learning about these new Godseed powers. Socks and Shepherd cannot counsel him on the usage of these new powers, for that knowledge is beyond them. They caution him that there is no way out of this decision he has made, and that eventually it will all come to pass.

One page epilogue – Buddy’s agent gets a call from the JLA. They’d like Animal Man to join.

#34 – Missing Links (one-issue story):

The Baker Family, on the advice of Caulder, get away for a long weekend together, driving from San Diego up the Coastal Highway into the rural wilds of Northern California and coastal Oregon (Bigfoot Country).

Buddy and Ellen discuss the JLA membership offer. Buddy sees it as a great opportunity—a chance to leave acting and the burdens and pitfalls of celebrity life behind, and still earn a living for his family. Ellen has her doubts. She sees it as simply trading one media spotlight for another. The important thing to note here, from an editorial perspective, is they will be communicating differently. Via dialogue, I’m going to show that what they’re learning in marriage counseling is paying off, and they are actively listening to each others concerns. Of course, Ellen doesn’t know that Buddy is lying to her about the Godseed and his ultimate fate.

Maxine seems to be doing better, too. Indeed, the three of them are having a wonderful time until, after dark, on a deserted stretch of coastal highway with ocean on one side and a dense Redwood and Sequoia forest on the other side, a large, hairy beast lumbers out of the tree line. Buddy swerves to miss it and gets a flat tire. They are unhurt. Thinking the beast means them harm, Buddy attacks. He and the creature fight, but then the beast runs off into the forest.

Quick one page interlude expanding the Taproot mystery that Jeff had started. A group of shadowy individuals sitting around a conference table in a darkened room, each with a laptop in front of them. On the laptop screens, we see images of The Hunters Three and Black Orchid. The figures are referring to them as failures. Something called Project Moonchild must do better. On the laptop screens there is now an image of something that looks like a werewolf.

While Buddy is changing the tire, the beast returns, lurking and watching. Maxine notices it, and showing no fear, approaches the creature. Ellen freaks and Buddy prepares to attack, but the Sasquatch proves docile and frightened. When it tries to communicate with them, Maxine and Ellen only hear grunts and growls, but Buddy hears English (as another new power from the Godseed begins to manifest).

Buddy learns that the creature meant no harm. It sensed that Buddy was the Avatar of the Red, which it knows all about, because one of its kind was once an Avatar as well, long ago. The creature’s family is nearby, and its youngest offspring is injured—caught in a bear trap. It had hoped Buddy could help. Buddy agrees, and they hurry to the location.

Buddy frees the young Sasquatch from the trap. While feeling the leg to see if it is broken, something strange happens. The creature’s wounds begin to knit themselves shut beneath his hands, as another new power manifests—the ability to form and shape flesh and blood.

The Sasquatch thanks Buddy, and tells him that family is an unbreakable bond—nothing can sever those links. Which just adds to Buddy’s guilt…

On the drive home, Ellen expresses surprise that Buddy was able to communicate with the Bigfoot, and heal it. She jokingly teases Buddy, asking if there are any other secret powers he hasn’t told her about yet. Buddy lies, and says no…

Attention: Former Newsletter Subscribers

If you were a subscriber to the now-defunct OF KEENE INTEREST print newsletter, and your address has changed since that time, please email your full name, previous address, and the new address to briankeene@live.com. Due to time constraints, you may not get a response, but rest assured your information will be updated, so that we can ensure you will receive a copy of APOCRYPHA, which will ship this Fall.

THE SPIRIT BOX and THE TROOP

Currently, I’m mostly reading manuscripts, but I did recently read two excellent novels that you might want to take on vacation with you this summer, or simply enjoy in the comfort of your backyard.

THE SPIRIT BOX by JH Glaze — As evidenced by my own Levi Stoltzfus series, I’m a sucker for a good occult detective novel, and I’ve eagerly read the adventure of Carnacki, Silver John, Repairman Jack, Kolchak, Harry Dresden, John Constantine, and countless others for many years now. In THE SPIRIT BOX, author JH Glaze introduces a new paranormal investigator to the canon, with John Hazard, a former police detective now using his talents to investigate the supernatural. It’s a superb, well-plotted thriller with rapid-fire pacing and genuine chills. If you’re looking for a new series, or if, like me, you love occult detectives, then I highly recommend this one. Available on Kindle and in paperback. Click the image above to purchase.

THE TROOP by Nick Cutter — Nick Cutter is a little bit like Marvel Comics’s Moon Knight — three alternate personalities (or in this case pseudonyms) embodied in one man. I’ve been a fan of all three for a long time. I’ve raved about THE PRESERVE (written as Patrick Lestewka) and RUST AND BONE and SARAH COURT (written as Craig Davidson) and everything else in his catalog. But THE TROOP is absolutely his best work to date. Part coming-of-age horror novel, part military-sci-fi thriller — it’s like LORD OF THE FLIES meets GHOUL meets SLITHER. There’s been a lot of debate lately about the growing segregation among horror’s sub-genres — something I’m against — which has led to in-fighting between fans of “quiet horror” vs. “extreme horror” vs. “zombies” vs. “serial killers” vs. “fans of novels featuring giant killer robot penguins”. Horror, when done right, can encompass all of these classifications (okay, maybe that last one belongs more in the Bizarro category). In THE TROOP, Cutter does this very thing, and he does so masterfully. This should appeal to a broad spectrum of horror readers, regardless of whether you’re a Stephen King, Charles L. Grant, Edward Lee, Sarah Langan, or Brian Keene fan. Available on Kindle and in hardcover. Click the image above to purchase.

THE CAGE – Prehistory

My short novel THE CAGE is centered around the employees of Big Bill’s Home Electronics and a bad thing that happens to them. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s available in paperback and for Kindle and Nook. Like most of my work (or indeed, any author’s work) there were a few autobiographical elements sprinkled into the story.

In the late 90′s, I used to work at a home electronics store inside a shopping mall. I started out there as a salesman, and within a year had worked my way up to manager — not because I was particularly good at sales, but simply because corporate was so out of touch with reality that they figured putting me in charge was a good idea. It was a fun job, though. We’d play tricks on the other stores in the mall, and make prank phone calls to CNN and MSNBC and tune all the TVs in the store to those channels so we could broadcast the pranks. When traffic was slow (and it often was) we’d have long conversations like those in the novel. Most of us were young and single and we’d socialize in the storeroom after hours with female employees from the other stores in the mall. And, of course, it was the perfect gig for me because I’d spend time writing in-between customers.

My best friend from that time, Will Rogers, recently found these doodles he made during our time in the store. One is of me, and the other is of our boss, who we called Bumble (just like the characters in the book). You might not be able to read the word balloon next to me. I’m saying “We didn’t want your business anyway” which is what I used to tell rude or belligerent customers (thus earning me the King of Customer Service tag). I suspect these will not be as special to you as they are to me, but when he shared them with me last night, they made me laugh, and made me smile, and made me wistful for simpler times and younger days. I thought I’d share them with you.

Copyright Will Rogers, 1997

Copyright Will Rogers, 1997

SMOKE & MIRRORS – On Sale Now

In stock and shipping now from Cemetery Dance is SMOKE & MIRRORS, which contains comic, movie, stage, and television scripts by Brian Keene and Michael Oliveri, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, William Peter Blatty, Stewart O’Nan, Frank Darabont, William F. Nolan, Poppy Z. Brite, Kealan Patrick Burke, Mick Garris, Ray Garton, and Joe R. Lansdale.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

This Cemetery Dance Publications special edition is a World’s First and there are no other editions planned at this time, so place your order today if you don’t want to miss out!

THE LOST LEVEL and HOLE IN THE WORLD – Status Update

Fingers crossed, but it looks like I’ll finish my new novel, THE LOST LEVEL, later this week. I’m starting the last chapter today.

THE LOST LEVEL isn’t a horror or crime novel. It’s more of an ode to things like Edgar Rice Burrough’s PELLUCIDAR, Joe Lansdale’s THE DRIVE-IN, Mike Grell’s WARLORD, and of course, Sid and Marty Krofft’s LAND OF THE LOST. I’ve grown up reading and loving that stuff, but writing them… writing them is an entirely different skill set than what I’m accustomed to. I’ve stepped outside of my comfort-zone, challenged myself, and as a result, it’s taken me a LOT longer to finish this one than I’d originally conceived. The downside to that is I kept the publisher waiting, and blew the deadline. And then, because of that combined with an influx of shit I couldn’t control (like a winter storm reducing my home to rubble), I blew all my other deadlines.

Another downside is that my delay on THE LOST LEVEL cause a delay on other new novel, HOLE IN THE WORLD. The two books are very much tied-in together. I began writing HOLE IN THE WORLD first, but when I was about halfway through the first draft, I realized that events from THE LOST LEVEL would directly influence HOLE IN THE WORLD, and therefore, I needed to finish the former before I could complete the latter. The good news is that I’ve begun working on HOLE IN THE WORLD again now, and since that book was already halfway completed, it shouldn’t take as long now.

Although THE LOST LEVEL is very different than my other work, it still ties in strongly with the rest of my overall Labyrinth mythos, and you’ll see a few familiar faces in it, and say, “So that’s where they went!”

Also, it has a scene in which a Tyrannosaurus fights a giant robot…

So, anyway, I’ll soon cross that off the list. And before any of you shout, “Where is ______ novel?” I’d refer you back to the pic below, which tells you exactly where it is.

THE LAST ZOMBIE: ZOMNIBUS – ON SALE NOW

On sale now in all good comic shops is THE LAST ZOMBIE: ZOMNIBUS. Don’t have a comic shop near you? Click here to order online.

Dr. Ian Scott has spent two years in a Colorado bunker, working on a cure for a zombie virus that devastated the U.S. Just shy of perfecting his vaccine, he loses contact with the East Coast bunker housing his fiancee, Jen. Now he and a small band of soldiers and scientists must cross what’s left of the country, surviving wild animals, natural disasters, desperate humans, and the ever-looming threat of a resurgent zombie outbreak. Presenting the complete post-zombie-apocalypse saga by Grand Master and Bram Stoker Award-winner Brian Keene, all in one voracious volume

Two New Interviews

I recently appeared on two podcasts — Dread Media and Writer’s Bone. In the first, which was recorded live at the World Horror Convention, I talk about receiving the the Grand Master Award, the Gross-Out Contest, extreme horror and quiet horror, paying it forward, Maelstrom, vanity, pudding, bourbon, the Cabal and a trip back to 1999, and how fucking good it feels to be getting old. You can listen to it here (I come on at around the 1 hour and 53 minute mark). In the second interview, I talk about how I got started writing, my influences, my writing process, the impact of THE RISING TRILOGY, writing for comics versus writing novels, Keith Giffen’s terrible jokes, and the forthcoming film-adaptation of FAST ZOMBIES SUCK. You can listen to it here.

SCARES THAT CARE – Author Programming Schedule

There is still time to get tickets for the Scares That Care Charity Horror Convention taking place in Williamsburg, VA from June 27th to 29th. Featuring dozens of actors, directors, authors, and more, it’s sure to be a good time. Below is the event schedule for the author programming track. Please note, if a signing is not listed for that author, it means that they are available to sign all weekend long, either in the Celebrity Room or the Dealer Room.

FRIDAY

6:00pm – 7:00pm

Nathan Barnes and Douglas Vance Castagna – Reading and Book Signing

7:15pm – 7:45pm

Wrath James White and Sultan White – Reading and Q&A

8:00pm – 8:45pm

Brian Moreland and Kristopher Rufty – Reading and Q&A

9:00pm – 10:00pm

The More Things Change – It is said that writing and publishing have changed in the advent of the digital age. But has it really, or do the same perils and pitfalls still exist? Veteran authors Thomas Monteleone, Kelli Owen and Mary SanGiovanni are joined by newcomers Kristopher Rufty, Jonathan Janz, and Chris Jensen for a discussion on writing and selling horror in the era of Kindle. Moderated by Jacob Haddon.

SATURDAY

10:00am – 11:00am

Pamela Kinney and Nikki Hopeman – Reading and Book Signing

11:15am – 12:15pm

John Boden and Chris Jensen – Reading and Book Signing

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Jonathan Janz and Hunter Shea- Reading and Q&A

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Kelli Owen and Mary SanGiovanni – Reading and Q&A

2:30pm – 3:30pm

Robert Ford and Jacob Haddon – Reading and Book Signing

3:45pm – 4:45pm

Jack Ketchum and Thomas Monteleone – Reading and Q&A

5:00pm – 5:45pm

Desert Island Horror – Brian Moreland, Hunter Shea, Matthew Warner, Sultan White, and Lorne Dixon have been shipwrecked on a desert island, and were only allowed to bring one horror novel, one horror short story, and one horror movie with them. They’ll tell us what they picked, and why. Then you’ll tell us your picks. Moderated by Pamela Kinney.

6:00pm – 7:00pm

Beyond Extreme: The Making of Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road – Earlier this year, nine of the leading authors in extreme horror joined forces for a collaboration like no other. Now, for the first time anywhere, join Jack Ketchum, Bryan Smith, Brian Keene, and Wrath James White as they talk about the creation of Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road and the controversy that has ensued since its release. Moderated by Robert Ford.

SUNDAY

11:30am – 12:30pm

Lorne Dixon and Dev Jarrett – Reading and Book Signing

12:45pm – 1:45pm

Matthew Warner and PD Cacek and – Reading and Book Signing

2:00pm – 3:00pm

When The Dead Die Again – As vampires did before them, zombies have become so ubiquitous in pop culture that experts predict we’re reaching the saturation point. Is this true, and if so, what monster will take their place in the public eye? Panelists Nathan Barnes, Douglas Vance Castagna, Nikki Hopeman, Lorne Dixon, and Dev Jarrett discuss the possibilities. Moderated by John Boden.

3:15pm – 4:00pm

Brian Keene and special mystery guest – Reading and Q&A

4:15pm – 5:00pm

Open Mic – This is your chance to be heard! Bring your fiction, poetry, rant, or anything else you want to voice and read it aloud to the crowd. Get feedback from bestselling authors. Please limit your selection to five minutes. Moderated by Brian Keene and special mystery guests.