I’m thrilled to be the guest on the latest episode of the Horror Words podcast with Charles Barouch and Jon Frater…and being allowed to turn the tables on them in celebration of the release of SOUL SCREAM ANTHOLOZINE issue #8, Madness Takes Its Toll!
Brothers and sisters, let us bow our heads for a once gifted comics writer’s honor…
Over the past decade or so, Tom King has arguably been one of comics’ best storytellers. He wrote outstanding tales including The Vision, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, among others,as well as superb runs on Batman,Wonder Woman, and more.
Of course Hollywood came calling, adapting many of the above mentioned works for television and film. Some worked spectacularly, others were maligned by the internet politics of the day.
Largely, though, King remained unscathed. Sure, some of his works were controversial. For example, I was not a fan of his Mister Miracle, thinking it a bit disrespectful of the source material. And I should have taken that as a sign that he was susceptible to twisting legends for the outrage.
Too late now.
Lanterns, episode 1 proves he has fallen into Hollywood’s self-aggrandizing sway.
I mourn King’s credibility because he allowed himself to get Mundified and Lindenoffed. And because he let himself be seduced into thinking it was a good idea to kill Hal Jordan.
Selling out one’s talent to manufacture a lame controversial cliffhanger at the end of its first episode is a damn shame.
Killing a significant character to prove there are “real stakes” is a played out and lame idea that should have been left to rot back in the Whedon era.
Tom King should have known better. Should have worked harder. Should have fought Hollywood for the show’s sake, for his credibility’s sake, for Hal Jordan’s sake.
Hal Jordan, wronged by Tom King.
Worse than all of this is Writer Tom also allowing himself to be convinced it was such a good idea he would join these lost Hollyweirded egos in promoting it. He actually said on the official Lanterns podcast that “there is no legacy without loss.”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is pure Hollywood bullshit. Sure, once it was a credible device, like in the 1930’s through the 1970’s. But each cinematic death felt a little weaker, a touch cheaper. By the time Whedon was making it a staple of heroic shows and films, the trope had worn so thin we could see through it.
As a storytelling device, killing a character to show stakes are real is almost as boring as proclaiming the butler did it.
Sadly, that nonsense crept into comics around the time of TV’s Whedon era. Killing a significant character to prove stakes was horribly beaten to death in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, with the death and rebirth of just about every superhero on the big two’s rosters.
And on TV, from M*A*S*H* to Buffy to Angel to Firefly (technically, Whedon waited until the film Serenity to stoop to this, again), to Avengers: Age of Ultron (Whedon, again), to the season one shocker of Game of Thrones and on and on.
This tired trope became such a cliche that podcasters made money speculating who would die next season, next episode, next anything. A once shocking twist was reduced to tedium. And being boring is a cardinal sin for writers.
Tom knows this. And he should have fought harder against disrespecting a beloved character in this way. It was his responsibility as a writer with self-respect to reject such a shameful waste of an opportunity to tell a tale for the ages.
And Tom’s attempt to repackage this played out trope by claiming “there is no legacy without loss” is just, to quote Deadpool, “lazy writing.”
There is no legacy without building it, and in a new medium for Hal Jordan like, say, live action television, one episode isn’t enough to create his legacy for the television audience. An interview on 60 Minutes isn’t enough to claim legacy. Showing Hal being a wiseass to his trainee John Stewart, or flying off and sticking Stewart with the check, or successfully interrogating an alien and protecting an entire town from destruction isn’t enough to claim legacy.
Legacy takes time. It took sixty years of comics stories for Hal to be loved as he is. Tom can’t claim legacy from those stories as part of this show’s legacy, the TV audience didn’t all read them. We were given one episode, and then Tom killed a hero that other writers spent sixty years building into a legend. And then he claimed it was necessary because “there’s no legacy without loss.”
Trite.
Boring.
Old.
Tom was once better than this. His background in the spy industry should have prepared him to defend the honor of beloved entities, be they country or characters. His years of writing respectable stories should have built up his defenses.
But Hollywood lavishes praise on “new” talent, ego strokes the wide-eyed to ecstasy, shines its bright lights directly into the deer’s eyes, before asking for just one little favor…
And I do have empathy for the death of Tom’s credibility. Going Hollywood is dangerous. And the fans should have seen it coming. We should have cried out a warning. But no, we just watched our YouTube fanboy shows for updates while Tom were getting Mundied and Lindenoffed.
So, in a way, this is all our faults. We let it happen.
Hal Jordan may or may not stay dead (this is a comic book show, after all), But Tom King’s credibility? With each interview he does defending this cheap move, the fishnets get pulled a little higher, the make-up is slathered on a bit thicker, and his price? Well, it gets tough out there on the streets…
BOB: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, at the White House to negotiate a trade agreement or Canada will face 50 percent tariffs on more goods.
Hi, I’m Christopher Ryan, a hybrid author with forty years of experience in journalism, education, sketch comedy, indie film, unions, community service, parenting, public speaking, acting, podcasting, and, most often, writing fiction, poetry, and pop culture essays. Now I’m working to discover what more I can achieve and share with the world, and whether an older author can find a place in the storytelling business. Together, let’s see what’s possible.
***
NEWSish Stuff
No upcoming bookings. For now.
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This Week Marks the Return of Bob and Grace
For a while I had a one panel “comic” featuring married senior citizens discussing current events. Bob, the innocent, would share a news item with his beloved Grace, who would reply with, shall we say, a bit of spice. But I discovered the illustrations might have had AI aspects, so they were shelved.
Cut to recent work with the wonderful Christy Aldridge. Between new covers for Soul Scream Antholozine, I asked if she’d like to go on a side quest and illustrate Bob and Grace in five settings I can use to bring my favorite loving couple back. She did. I’m thrilled. Here are the first two, which have been posted on Substack and WordPress.
Do you think I should put them on other platforms? Let me know in the comments.
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This Week’s Tell The Damn Story Starts Silly and Gets Serious About…
This week Alex and I have some fun, offer some advice, and manage to go deep on how to keep going when the going gets weird.
ON WRITING: Soul Scream Antholozine: Madness Takes Its Toll set for August 15th…and it’s Driving Me Crazy!
There’s a saying, “People plan, God laughs” that seems to have bred a variation just to humiliate me this week: “Chris plans, technology Snickers sardonically.”
The idea was to get this annual out for July 4th weekend.
snickersnickersnicker
Editorial needs bogged production down so the pub date moved to the first week in August.
heheheheheh
Finally, all the production was done. All that was needed was to export it and upload to Amazon….
Bwahahahahahahah
Yeah. Technology is having a pretty good time at my expense. I even had to call in Customer Service. You know its bad when you resort to that. But they seem quick and responsive and provided me with steps to take so that the problem can be accessed.
I wait and pace on Aug. 12 with an Aug. 15 pub date looming.
Let this be a lesson learned; for a July 4th pub date, the book should be done and up for pre-order at least three months in advance. So this bad boy should have been completed and available for pre-order by April Fool’s Day.
Damn.
This prevents the nervous breakdowns I’m enjoying now and allows for marketing and publicity and pro-order promotion efforts.
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And Now a Free Plug for a Great Series
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It’s Time a Picture of a Handsome Fella
For the record, Sonny Mehlman is not only head of security for Seamus and Nunzio Productions, he is also a reluctant party animal.
And One of a Purty Cat
Let’s be clear; the same culprit who put that party hat on Sonny did try to regift our alleged marketing guru Isabella Crumpit. She was not impressed either.
Our son has been charged with two flagrant domestic fouls and suspended from the cookie cupboard for two days.
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POP CULTURE FUEL
BOOKS:
A word about Hoopla. This is a public library app much like Libby, though it seems to embrace pop culture a bit more (That might just be me.) Here’s what to look for in your phone/iPad apps:
I have a shamefully tall, double-wide stack of TBR paperbacks, etc., so I use Hoopla for tracking down comics I always meant to read, such as:
I also utilize Hoopla to explore books other authors recommend on podcasts (Jon Frater recommended Eight Billion Genies on a recent episode of Horror Words) or in newsletters (Brian Keene declared The Tomb of Dracula “the best horror comic ever” in a recent edition of his Substack newsletter, which posts every Sunday morning), I am grateful for all such recommendations:
Both the app and these books are Most Highly Recommended.
MUSIC:
I finally finished Down in Jungleland: The Making of BORN TO RUN by Peter Ames Carlin. The book was fascinating, offering a deep dive into how this classic rock record was created, two subplots about the value of rewriting and trusting your creative instincts no matter how long it takes. It also inspired a deep listen to the full album.
Yeah, Born to Run is a masterpiece from start to finish, offering a different experience as a full album than any particular class song does, say, on the radio, or by itself.
Most highly recommended.
MOVIES/TV:
We saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day again, and picked up more of the beautifully subtle dedication to character development throughout the script, the cinematography, and the performances. This is a flick that will prove a rewarding experience for years and years to come.
Most highly recommended.
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*** Feel free to share this with anyone you think would enjoy it. Thanks.
Awright, thanks for stopping by. Talk atcha next week.
Bob: I read this morning that the president hid in a catering cart to be transferred to a military plane on his way out of the NATO Summit because Iran was targeting the president’s plane-
Grace: And all the journalists he left on it. Brave, huh?
You call that love French, but it’s just Frenchette
I’ve been to France, so let’s just dance
—David Johansen
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Hi, I’m Christopher Ryan, a hybrid author with forty years of experience in journalism, education, sketch comedy, indie film, unions, community service, parenting, public speaking, acting, podcasting, and, most often, writing fiction, poetry, and pop culture essays. Now I’m working to discover what more I can achieve and share with the world, and whether an older author can find a place in the storytelling business. Together, let’s see what’s possible.
***
NEWSish Stuff
Hoboken Panel and Audience Create a Great Discussion
Last Saturday I was honored to be on a panel at the Hoboken Public Library called Writing Horror: Bringing Scares to Life and What Draws Us to the Genre. On Aug. 1, from 1-3 pm, Sean Wiley, who works at the HPL, presented local patrons a talk featuring Carol Gyzander as moderator, and panelists James Chambers, Teel James Glenn, and, well, me.
Carol Gyzander, James Chambers, me, and Teel James Glenn.
Carol and James are co-chairs of the Horror Writers Association’s New York Chapter where Teel and I are members. All are award-winning horror writers, among other accomplishments.
Carol offered great, insightful, questions. The rest of us responded thoughtfully and passionately. However, the MVPs of the day were the patrons. They asked great follow-up questions, brought up fascinating topics, and engaged with us throughout the two-hour discussion.
The quality of their participation says all sorts of positive things about the Hoboken Public Library, Sean Wiley’s efforts, and the local library patrons. They helped create a great experience.
Me, Teel, Sean Wiley, Carol, and James.
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This Week’s Tell The Damn Story is Happier But No Less Wild
This week’s Tell The Damn Story is a fun, rambling summer discussion about how seasons impact the stories they are set in, with a gentle reminder for writers to consider when a story takes place and the metaphors the different seasons offer our stories.
ON WRITING: Proofread Your Proofreading of What You’ve Already Proofread
Yes, you know. I don’t even have to tell you, right? But, um, I do. These days I find typos and proofreading errors in almost everything I read, from the venerable New York Times to best sellers to independently published works. Happens everywhere, sadly.
It almost deserves its own t-shirt:
TYPOS HAPEN
But if we’re honest, the less staff we can afford, the more likely typos will get through to the published level, and that is challenging news for small presses and indies. Many confront the problem by buckling down, scrutinizing every project, eliminating all typos and catching all proofreading errors by going over the writing repeatedly.
It is honorable work. But even the most earnest efforts and passionate editing can miss things. And typos in a published piece can be embarrassing. I’m your prof—er, proof.
My most recent proofread nightmare concerns the cover of Soul Scream Antholozine, #8 Madness Takes Its Toll. Here it is as I premiered it in a recent edition of this newsletter and on social media:
Six authors listed, three of their names misspelled.
That’s a 50 % error rate. And two of them contacted me. The experience was not “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!” Instead, it was “Cringe! Cringe! Cringe!”
Here are the errors:
Jim DonOhue, not Donahue.
DEBRA K. Every, not Deborah.
Teel James Glenn, not Glen
But my job as self-appointed editor and publisher is to get it right, so I reached out to the fantastic artist and cover designer Christy Aldridge and asked for her help, and she did this:
The lesson for me continues to be: do what it takes, as often as it takes, until the work reaches the quality readers deserve.
I hope this heps-er, helps in your righting-er, writing.
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When the Hell is Soul Scream Antholozine #8 Going to be Finished?
Non-News Item: social media can be a pit of lies and hate and misinformation and hucksters selling more sizzle than steak.
I’ve been on a campaign to reduce the times I get roped in by B.S. It doesn’t always work. I recently reposted a fake battle of words the didn’t occur between our current president and the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, proving to myself once again that I should never repost anything without triple-checking veracity. And three Republicans “friends” were quick to point out that I had gotten duped, which always underscores the lesson.
However, every once in a while, inspiration does happen on social media.
There are a few (too few, in my opinion) good news only pages. They can make our day and we’re grateful to see them.
But as writers, sometimes a post can inspire. And that includes horror writers.
The videos of hellish screams in the Appalachian woods will undoubtedly show up in some form of fiction if they haven’t already.
And then there’s this post. I saw it recently, and it haunts me as one of the most chilling story ideas I’ve ever come across. Check it out:
Lauren Salas, this post is now living rent free in my brain. Think of the stories that might creep out of our subconscious after considering the kind of character who would stand there and spray paint this message.
The possibilities…
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Sometimes We Find Writing Lessons When We Aren’t Even Looking
Last week I mentioned that I am currently reading Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born To Run by Peter Ames Carlin. I’m reading it because for three reasons: how creators create fascinates me, I’m a huge fan of this incredible album, and because I have enjoyed and admired Carlin’s other work.
What I didn’t expect was to get such a strong lesson in the power of rewriting. In almost every chapter, Ames shares another set of Bruce Springsteen’s rewritten lyrics showing the evolution of “Born to Run”, “Jungleland”, “Thunder Road”, etc.
He also shows the evolution of the band, including two new members, demonstrating how that impacted their sound and style, which altered Springsteen’s vision for the music, the lyrics, and the album.
The lesson here is to remain open to possibilities, to input, influence, and inspiration, all as fuel for creativity.
Amen to that.
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And Now It’s Time a Picture of a Handsome Fella
Most dogs like to go for walks. Sonny Mehlman does too, with my son Tyler mostly. But what he really prefers to do is…ride.
Sonny loves cars, especially being in them while they are moving. He enjoys looking out the window and “going places.” This week, during the final marathon sessions of editing and proofreading (and proofreading again, see above), sometimes I just needed to step away, see something other than a laptop screen. I thought a walk was the answer.
Sonny thought differently.
Guess who won?
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POP CULTURE FUEL
BOOKS: see above
Highly recommended.
MUSIC: Glorious and I got to see Buddy Guy, aged 90, perform this week. The legend delivered. While his between song banter rambled a bit, and “a frog in his throat” as he described it, made singing a challenge. His crew supplied endless cups of something—let’s say tea with lemon and honey—that helped open the tones in his voice impressively as the show progressed, though he continued to struggle with his falsetto. Like the pro he has been for several decades, he adjusted, and gave an admirable performance. He can still play that guitar. And he’s funnier than I expected.
It was an honor to see him perform.
Highly recommended.
FILM:Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers further proof that Marvel is delivering thoughtful, emotional, and psychologically stimulating movies that are also great action flicks. Like James Gunn over at DC, Kevin Feige is overseeing the evolution of what a super-hero film can be.
Highly recommended.
YOUTUBE:WRFMoira is a new, low-key, fun interview show that the one and only Bobby Nash told me about. I saw a great interview with the second greatest man ever produced by Toledo, Ohio (the first being Klinger from M*A*S*H*, of course), pulp writer Jim Beard.
Chris Ryan 