Justin MacCormack's Blog, page 8
April 24, 2015
Advanced Copies - Coming very, very soon!
This here is an advance copy of the first book in my new fantasy series, "TWILIGHT OF THE FAERIE"
One lucky reader has this, but it will soon be available for others as well. First, though, there will be a limited availability for "DIARY OF A GAY TEENAGE ZOMBIE" (already available for pre-order), and that will be next week. Keep tuned for your chance to grab an advance copy of that one!
One lucky reader has this, but it will soon be available for others as well. First, though, there will be a limited availability for "DIARY OF A GAY TEENAGE ZOMBIE" (already available for pre-order), and that will be next week. Keep tuned for your chance to grab an advance copy of that one!
April 14, 2015
DIARY OF A GAY TEENAGE ZOMBIE available for pre-order
My newest novel, DIARY OF A GAY TEENAGE ZOMBIE, is now available for pre-order.
Pre-order your copy at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2DP9M2
Jay was a perfectly normal teenager. Awkward, antisocial, and homosexual. He had friends, but only a few. His family were troubled, and he wasn't entirely happy. He was like any other awkward, antisocial, homosexual teenager.
Then he was bitten.
Now, Jay has far more on his mind than he can handle. Not only is he struggling to keep his family apart and deal with his unfulfilled love for the hottest guy in school, but he now has to struggle to keep in check his urge to devour human flesh. Decomposition is bad enough, but he can almost deal with that.
But how can he deal with life when he's this much of an outsider?
"Diary of a Gay Teenage Zombie" is a young adult LGBT coming-of-age story by acclaimed horror and dark fantasy author Justin MacCormack, creator of "Return to 'Return to Oz'" and "Cthulhu Doesn't Dance".
This unique tale deals with themes of growing up as an outsider. Shockingly aware and witty, this thrilling story dishes up side-splitting laughter, stomach-churning horror, heart-rending drama and everything you'll need to know about growing up when you just don't feel that you fit in.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2DP9M2
Pre-order your copy at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2DP9M2
Jay was a perfectly normal teenager. Awkward, antisocial, and homosexual. He had friends, but only a few. His family were troubled, and he wasn't entirely happy. He was like any other awkward, antisocial, homosexual teenager.
Then he was bitten.
Now, Jay has far more on his mind than he can handle. Not only is he struggling to keep his family apart and deal with his unfulfilled love for the hottest guy in school, but he now has to struggle to keep in check his urge to devour human flesh. Decomposition is bad enough, but he can almost deal with that.
But how can he deal with life when he's this much of an outsider?
"Diary of a Gay Teenage Zombie" is a young adult LGBT coming-of-age story by acclaimed horror and dark fantasy author Justin MacCormack, creator of "Return to 'Return to Oz'" and "Cthulhu Doesn't Dance".
This unique tale deals with themes of growing up as an outsider. Shockingly aware and witty, this thrilling story dishes up side-splitting laughter, stomach-churning horror, heart-rending drama and everything you'll need to know about growing up when you just don't feel that you fit in.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2DP9M2
April 13, 2015
Sketch work for Twilight of the Faerie
Here is a set of thumbnail sketches for the cover for the first of my upcoming fantasy series, "Twilight of the Faerie". Enjoy!
April 9, 2015
Update
I’d like to give a quick update on my next books.
My first YA fantasy book, tentatively titled “Twilight of the Fae” is coming along at great speed. We have only four more chapters to go, followed by a cliffhanger epilogue.
I’m loving writing this one. As it’s aimed for a teen audience, the language I’m using is very laid-back, smooth and easy to read. There are four main characters, with the chapters alternating between their points of view, and I’m continually impressed with how vivid these characters are – they really seem to have a life of their own!
The storyline has grown so naturally throughout the writing, becoming deeply involved in the characters’ lives. Each time I set down to write a chapter, it feels as if not only do the characters grow and develop, but the dangers that they face grow more deadly and urgent. This, I think, is going to be a real gem of a tale.
I’m just finishing off chapter 17, and the book is at 200 pages. With only four chapters and an epilogue to go, I’m looking for it to be a 250 page book, which will climax on a cliffhanger that should lead right into the second in the series.
All going well, the first draft will be finished before the end of the month. With the rewrites, it should be ready middle of May.
Once the rewrites are complete, I’ll be posting information on the book itself – character overviews, the blurb, tell you what the story will be. So stick around!
Now, the cover. I have a very, very talented artist who’s crafting this right as we speak. I’ll be posting the updates on the cover as they come.
April 5, 2015
CTHLHU DOESN'T DANCE
I'd like to take a moment to show the cover for my new dark fantasy and horror anthology, "CTHULHU DOESN'T DANCE"
Available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJI097S
"You want to hear about the play? 'The King in Yellow', it was called. Sure, I knew that it was bad news, I'd heard the rumours that it was cursed.The old man had approached me and offered me more money than I'd ever seen in my life to run the play for him. How could I refuse? I'd directed many plays before this one, so it should have been simple. Straightforward. A piece of cake. That was when the disasters started. That was when the chaos awoke. How was I to know the night would in blood, and fire, and madness, and that damnable yellow sign which haunts me to this day?"
In his breakthrough short story "Return to 'Return to Oz'", Justin MacCormack created a shocking and disturbing tale of raw psychological horror, which has been hailed as 'shocking and personal'!
This, the second anthology of his short stories, collects further tales of Genre-Bending Dark Fantasy and Horror, including the popular "Cthulhu Doesn't Dance" and many more!
Included here is the shocking paranormal crime thriller "Where the Dead Lay" - Detective Mendez, struggling with the ghost of her own fight with cancer, is determined to track down a brutal serial killer of children before he can butcher another innocent kid. But when she finds her steps are being followed from beyond the grave, only the darkness of her own inner terror awaits...
Also included is the disturbing nightmare tale "The Road to Kyoto" which was too terrifying for conventional magazine publication - a young monk in feudal era Japan undertakes a pilgrimage, but his aunt always warned him of monsters along the trail. When he stops for the night at an inn, he encounters a surreal descent into love, paranoia, and gut-wrenching fear that will leave him wishing that he had listened to his aunt's words of warning...
And seven more tales of dark fantasy and horror!
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin...
Available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJI097S
"You want to hear about the play? 'The King in Yellow', it was called. Sure, I knew that it was bad news, I'd heard the rumours that it was cursed.The old man had approached me and offered me more money than I'd ever seen in my life to run the play for him. How could I refuse? I'd directed many plays before this one, so it should have been simple. Straightforward. A piece of cake. That was when the disasters started. That was when the chaos awoke. How was I to know the night would in blood, and fire, and madness, and that damnable yellow sign which haunts me to this day?" In his breakthrough short story "Return to 'Return to Oz'", Justin MacCormack created a shocking and disturbing tale of raw psychological horror, which has been hailed as 'shocking and personal'!
This, the second anthology of his short stories, collects further tales of Genre-Bending Dark Fantasy and Horror, including the popular "Cthulhu Doesn't Dance" and many more!
Included here is the shocking paranormal crime thriller "Where the Dead Lay" - Detective Mendez, struggling with the ghost of her own fight with cancer, is determined to track down a brutal serial killer of children before he can butcher another innocent kid. But when she finds her steps are being followed from beyond the grave, only the darkness of her own inner terror awaits...
Also included is the disturbing nightmare tale "The Road to Kyoto" which was too terrifying for conventional magazine publication - a young monk in feudal era Japan undertakes a pilgrimage, but his aunt always warned him of monsters along the trail. When he stops for the night at an inn, he encounters a surreal descent into love, paranoia, and gut-wrenching fear that will leave him wishing that he had listened to his aunt's words of warning...
And seven more tales of dark fantasy and horror!
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin...
April 2, 2015
Blood Orgies of the Whores of Dracula
I'd like to take a moment to show the cover for my new dark fantasy and horror anthology, "BLOOD ORGIES OF THE WHORES OF DRACULA"
Available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1OHX3W
"No! - Listen to me! You don't understand! You can never understand. They had tried to bury it.
Tried to forget about it.
They had hoped that it would never be found – hoped that the blood would never again be spilled. They thought that would be enough. Dear God - I thought it was be enough. I had hoped, I had prayed, but it was all for nothing!
But all it takes is one person to unearth the truth. One person who is willing to read the message, to hear the call, to experience the lust and thirst!
Then, the Blood Orgies of the Whores of Dracula will reign once again!
And when they do, God have mercy on us all!"
In his breakthrough short story "Return to 'Return to Oz'", Justin MacCormack created a shocking and disturbing tale of raw psychological horror, which has been hailed as 'shocking and personal'!
This, the third anthology of his short stories, collects yet more tales of Genre-Bending Dark Fantasy and Horror, including the popular "Blood Orgies of the Whores of Dracula" and many more!
Included here is the historical vampire thriller "Letters of the Whitechapel Particulars". It is the 1890s, at the height of the reign of a killer known only as Jack the Ripper. Who is this man, and why does he leave a trail of bodies in his wake? Experience a secret history which reveals the dark truth - uncover and shatter the conspiracy and witness a desperate clash between monsters that prey on humanity as they struggle for their own survival...
Also included is the dark fantasy romance tale "Just Another Gay Teen Zombie Romance". Daniel was already an outsider in school, even before he found his heart yearning for the cute guy in the basketball team. Then, one summer, he was bitten by a zombie, and since then his prospects of a love life just hasn't been the same. It's hard being a teenager when you're different, but when you're THIS different, it's just crazy!!
And eight more tales of dark fantasy and horror!
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin...
Available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1OHX3W
"No! - Listen to me! You don't understand! You can never understand. They had tried to bury it.
Tried to forget about it.
They had hoped that it would never be found – hoped that the blood would never again be spilled. They thought that would be enough. Dear God - I thought it was be enough. I had hoped, I had prayed, but it was all for nothing!
But all it takes is one person to unearth the truth. One person who is willing to read the message, to hear the call, to experience the lust and thirst!
Then, the Blood Orgies of the Whores of Dracula will reign once again!
And when they do, God have mercy on us all!"
In his breakthrough short story "Return to 'Return to Oz'", Justin MacCormack created a shocking and disturbing tale of raw psychological horror, which has been hailed as 'shocking and personal'!
This, the third anthology of his short stories, collects yet more tales of Genre-Bending Dark Fantasy and Horror, including the popular "Blood Orgies of the Whores of Dracula" and many more!
Included here is the historical vampire thriller "Letters of the Whitechapel Particulars". It is the 1890s, at the height of the reign of a killer known only as Jack the Ripper. Who is this man, and why does he leave a trail of bodies in his wake? Experience a secret history which reveals the dark truth - uncover and shatter the conspiracy and witness a desperate clash between monsters that prey on humanity as they struggle for their own survival...
Also included is the dark fantasy romance tale "Just Another Gay Teen Zombie Romance". Daniel was already an outsider in school, even before he found his heart yearning for the cute guy in the basketball team. Then, one summer, he was bitten by a zombie, and since then his prospects of a love life just hasn't been the same. It's hard being a teenager when you're different, but when you're THIS different, it's just crazy!!
And eight more tales of dark fantasy and horror!
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin...
March 21, 2015
Twilight of the Faerie
One of my next book is the first part of ‘Twilight of the Faerie’, a four-book fantasy adventure series set in the realms of the Fae.
Following a brutal prolonged war to overthrow the frozen grip of the winter court, the warmth of spring has once again returned to the world of Faerie. But all is not well. House Fiore, of the spring court, holds a tentative grip on the throne, with enemies growing on all sides. The young noble heir, Elhart Fiore, has suffered much loss in the... war, and he is not ready for the trials that await him.
But time will not wait, and neither will plots. A new darkness is rising across the lands beyond the briar-thorns that separate the fae world from the mortal one. A darkness that will hurtle young Elhart into a spiralling nightmare of conflict, of courtly intrigue, of ancient mysteries, of murder. Only together will the courts of the fae be able to withstand what awaits them – unless their mutual distrust tears them apart first.
‘Twilight of the Faerie’ is a mystical adventure epic packed full of riotous adventure, sinister machinations, explosive magic and haunting nightmares. Book One available Summer 2015.
Following a brutal prolonged war to overthrow the frozen grip of the winter court, the warmth of spring has once again returned to the world of Faerie. But all is not well. House Fiore, of the spring court, holds a tentative grip on the throne, with enemies growing on all sides. The young noble heir, Elhart Fiore, has suffered much loss in the... war, and he is not ready for the trials that await him.
But time will not wait, and neither will plots. A new darkness is rising across the lands beyond the briar-thorns that separate the fae world from the mortal one. A darkness that will hurtle young Elhart into a spiralling nightmare of conflict, of courtly intrigue, of ancient mysteries, of murder. Only together will the courts of the fae be able to withstand what awaits them – unless their mutual distrust tears them apart first.
‘Twilight of the Faerie’ is a mystical adventure epic packed full of riotous adventure, sinister machinations, explosive magic and haunting nightmares. Book One available Summer 2015.
March 18, 2015
Comic book fandom - so many levels of 'oh god no'.
I'm really into comic books. But I avoid the comic book fandom like a fucking plague pit. I'm now going to explain why.
Earlier this month, Rafael Albuquerque created an alternative cover for Batgirl #41, a Joker themed cover which paid homage to the 80s Batman classic 'The Killing Joke'. Here is the cover.
Now, we are intelligent creatures, each of us. Some of us tend to use our brains more steadily than others, and those that do will recognise that context is important, so I'm going to explain the context here. The cover, while it was artistically very atmospheric and skilfully created, showed Batgirl being tortured by the Joker, to the point of tears. The cover is being used as a variant for Batgirl #41, and is in reference to the Batman book 'The Killing Joke'. In that comic (which was, like most post-80s Batman comics), the Joker shot Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) before proceeding to strip her naked and photograph her. This is the context behind the appearance of fear in the characters depicted above.
The current Batgirl title that this was to be used for, however, is rated for teenagers and has been, in the last six months or so, been aiming towards a younger audience. It is, in tone, a very light comic and uses a lot of teen-friendly comedy. There is a vast difference in tone between the comic, and the cover.
Some fans, rather rightly if you ask me, have voiced concerns and disgust that an alternative cover for a comic which is aiming towards teen and pre-teen girls as its target demographic would feature the title character in such a position. Mr Albuquerque agreed with this decision, stating "But it has become clear, that for others, it touched a very important nerve. I respect these opinions and, despite whether the discussion is right or wrong, no opinion should be discredited. My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art. For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled."
If you ask me, I think that Mr Albuquerque did the right thing, and I applaud him for doing so. Naturally, I'm sure that you can expect that other people in the comic fandom, when they discovered that some people were upset or distressed about the cover, approached the subject with the same type of tact, grace and decorum that the artist showed, right?
No, of course not. They responded with death threats.
DC issued a statement saying "Regardless if fans like Rafael Albuquerque¹s homage to Alan Moore¹s The Killing Joke graphic novel from 25 years ago, or find it inconsistent with the current tonality of the Batgirl books, threats of violence and harassment are wrong and have no place in comics or society" because, really, what the fuck else can they do when the comic book fandom is this much of a cess-pit?
Honestly, why would I (or anyone with any sense) want to touch a fandom which routinely acts, and condones acting, like this? Yeuch.
I should point out, of course, that current Batgirl writer Cameron Strwart has explained "Something to clarify, because DCs statement was a little unclear. @rafaalbuquerque did not get threats. People OBJECTING to the cover did." So, just to make that clear. Essentially, the male-dominated voices in the fandom have once again turned on the female voice within the fandom, in a threatening, abusive manner, simply for voicing their discomfort at this.
http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/has-dc-lo...
I wanted to see if these threats were an isolated incident, or if they were genuinely indicative of a majority of the comic book fandom as a whole. I went along to Newsarama's facebook group and had a read at the comments. Here are some of the ones that I found.
- "Jemail Neeramanii: Shitty move...just to appease a few stupid cunts."
- "Andrew Sorrell: Whinny, hipster, everybody gets a trophy, liberal crybabies ruined everything for no reason strikes again."
- "Brett Shipp: That's a damn shame... That's a bad ass cover.... People suck and all they want to do is bitch!"
- "Bob Panos: NO censorship would be great!!!! Decisions brought about by the outcry of the truly unamerican asshats that want to control the media is simply sad."
- "Franklin Antonio Fritts: Now even more people get to see this "degrading the female garbage" lmfao way to go vocal minority!"
- "Matthew Crumpler: Wusses bitched about it, and super-sensitive sycophants acquiesced to that whining and pulled it."
- "Christopher M. Sanchez: Hyper sensitive radical feminism attacks, again."
- "Jose Castillo: well i dont remember the joker shooting barbara gordons spine with his dick why so much controversy? didn't they fucking read the comic?"
- "Edward Silva: Are they asking the right people? Everybody in these comment support it but i dont anybody bad taking it?....oh right cause they bitches that have their dildo stuck up their asses arent even readers of comic book they just pathetic a pissy whiny ass lil baby bitches"
- "Dan Murakami: You are retarded if violence triggers you and you read comics that feature villians who are evil and do things like that. Get off the internet if violence triggers you."
- "Jamie Cooper: Yeah i gotta admit all these femenists do over react.. they act like it's all about them and anything that objectivies woman, even if it's fiction and is hardly anything bad, has to be taken off the earth.. They probably don't even read comics.. Whats the point in having femal heroes if woman are just going to complain when they get into a bit of trouble? and it's a wink at the killing joke i honestly don't know why they're so upset.. surprised they havent attacked that story yet either"
- "David Traum: What bullsh!t. The cuntry is full of pusses."
- "Jim Donohue: the eunuchs win the day. again."
- "Chris Gammon: This is the new Seduction of the Innocent"
- "Di J Lpz: This was a great cover ... sad to see it get pulled. Those who got offended obviously dont read comics or know where the artist got his inspiration from. Sucks how non readers ruin it for those who actually read comics!!!"
- "Rod Hezarkhani: This is absurd. Whomever was offended by this cover is ruining comics. I want to meet one of these people face to face so I can figure out what kind of subpar parents they had."
- "Brad Whitney: If you are offended by this cover, please find another hobby."
- "Séb Lemery: omfg shut them up someone.. pls"
- "Eugenio Tena: Time to make Joker a politically correct character, time to erase violence from comics, time to put some rainbow unicorns and pink bunnies into Batman. Congratulations for destroying comics on a stupid whim! I hope the blog gets hacked and erased"
- "Tiberius E Collins: They will whine about no diversity and bitch about no realism, but when a pshychotic character does what he does best it becomes a bitch and whine session because its too much for them"
- "Daniel Falkiewicz: The femnazis don't even read these books.."
- "Kevin Howard: If you're offended by the comics, then stop reading. There's no need to ruin something others enjoy. Your feelings aren't as important as you think they are."
- "Keegan Merasty: I agree with you Eric chad read a book or something feminist are ruining comics 10 years ago we never had to deal with this crap"
- "Billy Edward Cameron: Screw them. Bunch a feminist radicals. When a man gets beat or killed in a story or movie. Their like awesome. But when a woman get beat or killed they cry foul. Feminist power hungry. If the world was under their control men would be slaves."
- "Branden Creese: At least we wasn't smearing blood on her face with his dick"
- "Justyn Hynez: feminists need to learn to shut up and except art"
- "Paul Malrose: The "controversy" was made up by people who will NEVER read thee comics."
- "Doug McLaughlin: Anyone who was offended by a variant cover really needs to learn how to function in the world without their little bubble wrap suit on. Such an obvious case of phony high horse outrage from the Tumblr crusaders crowd."
- "Pablo Carpio: The world should not be shaped by oversensitive whiners and radical feminists"
- "Jason Clark: If you've ever had a debate with the average woman you'll know their default is to insult your abilities as a lover or a husband or a father. There are some women capable of a reasoned debate, but unfortunately far too few. Third wave feminism elevated emoting to the level of argument."
- "Chris Martens: So, the artist is pathetic and I've lost all respect for him."
- "Edgar Dawson: people now a days need to grow a pair and stop being sensitive pussys"
So yeah... that's the comic book fandom. Beautiful, isn't it? Yes, you'll notice that most of these comments are made by men - and targeted towards women. The picture was pulled by the artist's decision, but the men in the fandom STILL target women.
Naturally, that's just a cross-section of the worst types of voices speaking up. Among the more rational, there is still a large consensus that this cover (which, let me remind you, shows a victim of sexual assault being tortured to tears by her abuser, on a comic aimed at young teens and children) is appropriate for the tone and style of the book in question. To be honest, if it were one of DC's more adult-orientated books, I'd be liable to agree with them. But it isn't.
The commonly quoted justifications as to why this cover is appropriate include "it's a variable cover" and "the Joker is a bad guy", as if either of these in any way make the cover more tonally appropriate. Even more disturbing, the "he didn't actually rape her, so it's not really sexual assault", which is just morally reprehensible. The fact of the matter is, the artist made the right choice, a hard choice, and any decent fandom would stand behind him with support and respect for that choice.
Comic books do not have that kind of fandom. They have the kind of fandom where people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who make the types of comments listed above. With people who think that threats of violence are an appropriate way to 'keep the women in line'.
Yeah, I may love reading comics, but I'm not touching that fandom with a ten foot pole.
Earlier this month, Rafael Albuquerque created an alternative cover for Batgirl #41, a Joker themed cover which paid homage to the 80s Batman classic 'The Killing Joke'. Here is the cover.
Now, we are intelligent creatures, each of us. Some of us tend to use our brains more steadily than others, and those that do will recognise that context is important, so I'm going to explain the context here. The cover, while it was artistically very atmospheric and skilfully created, showed Batgirl being tortured by the Joker, to the point of tears. The cover is being used as a variant for Batgirl #41, and is in reference to the Batman book 'The Killing Joke'. In that comic (which was, like most post-80s Batman comics), the Joker shot Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) before proceeding to strip her naked and photograph her. This is the context behind the appearance of fear in the characters depicted above.
The current Batgirl title that this was to be used for, however, is rated for teenagers and has been, in the last six months or so, been aiming towards a younger audience. It is, in tone, a very light comic and uses a lot of teen-friendly comedy. There is a vast difference in tone between the comic, and the cover.
Some fans, rather rightly if you ask me, have voiced concerns and disgust that an alternative cover for a comic which is aiming towards teen and pre-teen girls as its target demographic would feature the title character in such a position. Mr Albuquerque agreed with this decision, stating "But it has become clear, that for others, it touched a very important nerve. I respect these opinions and, despite whether the discussion is right or wrong, no opinion should be discredited. My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art. For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled."
If you ask me, I think that Mr Albuquerque did the right thing, and I applaud him for doing so. Naturally, I'm sure that you can expect that other people in the comic fandom, when they discovered that some people were upset or distressed about the cover, approached the subject with the same type of tact, grace and decorum that the artist showed, right?
No, of course not. They responded with death threats.
DC issued a statement saying "Regardless if fans like Rafael Albuquerque¹s homage to Alan Moore¹s The Killing Joke graphic novel from 25 years ago, or find it inconsistent with the current tonality of the Batgirl books, threats of violence and harassment are wrong and have no place in comics or society" because, really, what the fuck else can they do when the comic book fandom is this much of a cess-pit?
Honestly, why would I (or anyone with any sense) want to touch a fandom which routinely acts, and condones acting, like this? Yeuch.
I should point out, of course, that current Batgirl writer Cameron Strwart has explained "Something to clarify, because DCs statement was a little unclear. @rafaalbuquerque did not get threats. People OBJECTING to the cover did." So, just to make that clear. Essentially, the male-dominated voices in the fandom have once again turned on the female voice within the fandom, in a threatening, abusive manner, simply for voicing their discomfort at this.
http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/has-dc-lo...
I wanted to see if these threats were an isolated incident, or if they were genuinely indicative of a majority of the comic book fandom as a whole. I went along to Newsarama's facebook group and had a read at the comments. Here are some of the ones that I found.
- "Jemail Neeramanii: Shitty move...just to appease a few stupid cunts."
- "Andrew Sorrell: Whinny, hipster, everybody gets a trophy, liberal crybabies ruined everything for no reason strikes again."
- "Brett Shipp: That's a damn shame... That's a bad ass cover.... People suck and all they want to do is bitch!"
- "Bob Panos: NO censorship would be great!!!! Decisions brought about by the outcry of the truly unamerican asshats that want to control the media is simply sad."
- "Franklin Antonio Fritts: Now even more people get to see this "degrading the female garbage" lmfao way to go vocal minority!"
- "Matthew Crumpler: Wusses bitched about it, and super-sensitive sycophants acquiesced to that whining and pulled it."
- "Christopher M. Sanchez: Hyper sensitive radical feminism attacks, again."
- "Jose Castillo: well i dont remember the joker shooting barbara gordons spine with his dick why so much controversy? didn't they fucking read the comic?"
- "Edward Silva: Are they asking the right people? Everybody in these comment support it but i dont anybody bad taking it?....oh right cause they bitches that have their dildo stuck up their asses arent even readers of comic book they just pathetic a pissy whiny ass lil baby bitches"
- "Dan Murakami: You are retarded if violence triggers you and you read comics that feature villians who are evil and do things like that. Get off the internet if violence triggers you."
- "Jamie Cooper: Yeah i gotta admit all these femenists do over react.. they act like it's all about them and anything that objectivies woman, even if it's fiction and is hardly anything bad, has to be taken off the earth.. They probably don't even read comics.. Whats the point in having femal heroes if woman are just going to complain when they get into a bit of trouble? and it's a wink at the killing joke i honestly don't know why they're so upset.. surprised they havent attacked that story yet either"
- "David Traum: What bullsh!t. The cuntry is full of pusses."
- "Jim Donohue: the eunuchs win the day. again."
- "Chris Gammon: This is the new Seduction of the Innocent"
- "Di J Lpz: This was a great cover ... sad to see it get pulled. Those who got offended obviously dont read comics or know where the artist got his inspiration from. Sucks how non readers ruin it for those who actually read comics!!!"
- "Rod Hezarkhani: This is absurd. Whomever was offended by this cover is ruining comics. I want to meet one of these people face to face so I can figure out what kind of subpar parents they had."
- "Brad Whitney: If you are offended by this cover, please find another hobby."
- "Séb Lemery: omfg shut them up someone.. pls"
- "Eugenio Tena: Time to make Joker a politically correct character, time to erase violence from comics, time to put some rainbow unicorns and pink bunnies into Batman. Congratulations for destroying comics on a stupid whim! I hope the blog gets hacked and erased"
- "Tiberius E Collins: They will whine about no diversity and bitch about no realism, but when a pshychotic character does what he does best it becomes a bitch and whine session because its too much for them"
- "Daniel Falkiewicz: The femnazis don't even read these books.."
- "Kevin Howard: If you're offended by the comics, then stop reading. There's no need to ruin something others enjoy. Your feelings aren't as important as you think they are."
- "Keegan Merasty: I agree with you Eric chad read a book or something feminist are ruining comics 10 years ago we never had to deal with this crap"
- "Billy Edward Cameron: Screw them. Bunch a feminist radicals. When a man gets beat or killed in a story or movie. Their like awesome. But when a woman get beat or killed they cry foul. Feminist power hungry. If the world was under their control men would be slaves."
- "Branden Creese: At least we wasn't smearing blood on her face with his dick"
- "Justyn Hynez: feminists need to learn to shut up and except art"
- "Paul Malrose: The "controversy" was made up by people who will NEVER read thee comics."
- "Doug McLaughlin: Anyone who was offended by a variant cover really needs to learn how to function in the world without their little bubble wrap suit on. Such an obvious case of phony high horse outrage from the Tumblr crusaders crowd."
- "Pablo Carpio: The world should not be shaped by oversensitive whiners and radical feminists"
- "Jason Clark: If you've ever had a debate with the average woman you'll know their default is to insult your abilities as a lover or a husband or a father. There are some women capable of a reasoned debate, but unfortunately far too few. Third wave feminism elevated emoting to the level of argument."
- "Chris Martens: So, the artist is pathetic and I've lost all respect for him."
- "Edgar Dawson: people now a days need to grow a pair and stop being sensitive pussys"
So yeah... that's the comic book fandom. Beautiful, isn't it? Yes, you'll notice that most of these comments are made by men - and targeted towards women. The picture was pulled by the artist's decision, but the men in the fandom STILL target women.
Naturally, that's just a cross-section of the worst types of voices speaking up. Among the more rational, there is still a large consensus that this cover (which, let me remind you, shows a victim of sexual assault being tortured to tears by her abuser, on a comic aimed at young teens and children) is appropriate for the tone and style of the book in question. To be honest, if it were one of DC's more adult-orientated books, I'd be liable to agree with them. But it isn't.
The commonly quoted justifications as to why this cover is appropriate include "it's a variable cover" and "the Joker is a bad guy", as if either of these in any way make the cover more tonally appropriate. Even more disturbing, the "he didn't actually rape her, so it's not really sexual assault", which is just morally reprehensible. The fact of the matter is, the artist made the right choice, a hard choice, and any decent fandom would stand behind him with support and respect for that choice.
Comic books do not have that kind of fandom. They have the kind of fandom where people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who make the types of comments listed above. With people who think that threats of violence are an appropriate way to 'keep the women in line'.
Yeah, I may love reading comics, but I'm not touching that fandom with a ten foot pole.
March 10, 2015
Current Project List
So, here's my current writing projects, to be completed within the rest of 2015.
"Diary of a gay teenage zombie" - A novel in diary format exploring themes of acceptance and feelings of isolation.
Release plan - Either a two-part series, or a single volume.
Status - Either first book, or half of the single volume, 90% complete.
"Twilight of the Faerie" - A novel fantasy series covering a grant epic battle between the children of the fae as they face their ultimate destructions.
Release plan - A four-part series, with the first book to be released this year.
Status - 100 pages of the first book, 50% complete.
"The Complete Bollocks A-Z Travel Guide to...... " - A comedy series of real-world cities, written as a travel guide but with completely fantastical 'information'.
Release plan - One book by mid-2015, others to be determined.
Status - Planning stages
Unnamed choose-your-own-adventure fantasy book.
Release plan - At least one book, possibly two, by late-2015, others to be determined.
Status - Planning stages
"Diary of a gay teenage zombie" - A novel in diary format exploring themes of acceptance and feelings of isolation.
Release plan - Either a two-part series, or a single volume.
Status - Either first book, or half of the single volume, 90% complete.
"Twilight of the Faerie" - A novel fantasy series covering a grant epic battle between the children of the fae as they face their ultimate destructions.
Release plan - A four-part series, with the first book to be released this year.
Status - 100 pages of the first book, 50% complete.
"The Complete Bollocks A-Z Travel Guide to...... " - A comedy series of real-world cities, written as a travel guide but with completely fantastical 'information'.
Release plan - One book by mid-2015, others to be determined.
Status - Planning stages
Unnamed choose-your-own-adventure fantasy book.
Release plan - At least one book, possibly two, by late-2015, others to be determined.
Status - Planning stages
