Admissions of Fear...

Well, I'm off to go watch The Wicker Man, but I hope you take a moment to read these four tales of terror and share your thoughts... I know I will when I'm back!

"The Whisperer in Wood"

Don, you used the term "glass eyes" way too early and the thing in my chest that tightens when dummies are around gripped my heart tight. That opening was superb, and I was there, straight away, where you wanted me to be. I don't know whether or not to congratulate on that, my friend. 

And as we push forward, it's just... it's a horror film. Brian investigating, finding a dummy and some tortured, broken shape of a human with them. Get rid of one dummy, then there's another. The body in the tree was the worst and hit like a gutpunch, and those dummies that are almost... almost moving... ah, fuckdammit, Don... 

I actually read this through, because I couldn't pull myself from it to write the feedback as I went. This is going to sound weird, but I didn't enjoy it in the best possible way. This was horrible. These are the stories that fill me with dread and mean I'm going to have to close my bedroom door tonight. The Dummy is a concept I've never really... well, I never liked, as you well know, so seeing the hint of an origin (the 'shame pole' was a nice little addition, is it yours to add to the character?) was intriguing. A lot of the time in horror, if you show where the monster comes from (What do you mean Michael Myers is The Shape because of a Celtic curse? C'MON!!) it dilutes the brand, but this was different. It made the creature more terrifying. It hasn't answered all the questions, and it's raised even more. 

God.

Dammit.

And the cameo at the end, the cavalry, as it were, was pitch perfect.

Ugh.

Thanks for pulling this together, Charlie! It looks great.

Printing up this bad boy and taking it to bed with me tonight!

(That didn't sound weird at all, right?)

Charlie, thanks for the...nice? things you had to say about the story. I knew this is one that would rattle you, but you're low-hanging fruit with this kind of detail. Still and all, a nice target to aim for, and hope that it can creep anyone else out.

It was a horror film, it was meant to ape somewhere between that kind of scene in the movies where the unsuspecting cop is lured into the monster's den that he doesn't believe can exist and classic kind of pulpy Lovecraft.

Shame poles are kind of...anti-totem poles. LOL Totem Poles are carved to mark out special occasions, important stories in an area, or important people in the history of a tribe (but actually have no sacred element themselves, tribes would put them up and let them just kind of rot away, since they're not a point of worship or anything). Shame poles do the opposite: think of them as the editorial cartoons of their day. Just that this one was struck by lightning, and as we all know, that's a sign. Right? We all know that, right? It's not just me and my voices...?

Take care
Don

These holiday specials seem to really bring out the best in our community. Some very good work in this issue!

Don, you had me at the title: "The Whisperer in Wood." You brought your A-Game to this classic pulpy yarn, and nobody does this better. Like Charlie mentioned, this reads like a horror movie (but a classy Coen Brothers flick), but also something so connected with the history and continuity of our universe. You are such a consummate craftsman of story, that it's hard to imagine you don't get paid to do this for a living. Why does Judd Winick have a career in comics and you're still undiscovered?!?

Charlie, this was an elegant striped-down study in mood and atmosphere--- and while a gripping can't-look-away piece of fiction, it was barely fan fiction. I hardly noticed that this had anything to do with DC2 characters and situations, until the mounting horror reached a pinnacle at the end. Extremely creepy, very scary and very, very good writing that adds depth and (bloody red) color to what you are building to in an upcoming release.

Fantomas--- I saved this story for last, because I'm not much of a Batman fan, and I've not read your work before, so I had no expectations, but--- WOW! This could be my favorite story of the issue just because my enjoyment of it was so unexpected. I always get a little giddy when I find something new and cool, and now I have a new writer to follow on the DC2. Slick, evocative and respectful of what has come before, it scared me and made me sad and even made me sort of a Joker fan (as much as one could be a fan of a raving homicidal psychopath). You have Gordon's voice down pat, and while we've seen Arkham done before, I've never seen it done quite so disturbingly. Thanks for giving me a new writer to follow!

As for the cover--- can't go wrong with Gentleman Ghost and Detective Chimp! Very nice, job!

All in all, a five star effort!

This is exactly the problem with Doctor Thirteen! He shouldn't have a leg to stand on, given that this is a world with folks like Doctor Fate and the Spectre, so he was a bit tricky to write. I almost had to embue in him the a sort of non-belief that manifested as a super power of negation.




LOL! Well, I can claim no special insight into the mind of a 13 year old, excpet from what I've observed in day to day life--- but Traci Thirteen isn't an ordinary 13 year old, so maybe that's what's going on there...




Tong is an established character from Zatara's early days in Action Comics. He also appeared in my "Arkham Christmas Carol" with Zatara (of course, as that story was set in the 1930s, they were both young men).




I discovered Leroy while researching Traci 13; he was useful in giving me something to bounce dialogue off of, establishing to Traci's character.




If I'm remembering correctly, Brian covered Sindella's backstory in New Outsiders, during the Tamara storyline.

And like Tong and Leroy, the Adored One is not an original character, but one I found while researching this story. He may even figure in a future project... Because obviously, he's not quite dealt with yet!




I always thought Zatanna needed an apprentice... Maybe Girl 13 will pop up again somewhere else one of these days...




Thanks, Charlie! It was my pleasure. Thank you for your feedback!

LOL! I can see us now, in boater hats and striped jackets, with spiked tails and cloved hooves.



Thanks, Don! Thirteen is definitely problematical, but I found him pretty fun once I get into it. I may have occassion to use him again (if I pursue certain angles I've hinted at, and that you've noted with your usual astuteness), but I fear his obtuseness might make him unlikable.

... And this marks the first time I've used obtuse and astute in the same sentence. Huh!

Thank-you to everyone for such nice words.


I feel pretty much the same with Joker. I've been thinking about trying to write him in a few different ways (which the super-MPD aspect supports), as I find thinking about how to do the creative often leads to newfound appreciation of characters and ideas, and this is one of them. A very young, early Joker who's kind of undefined still. He's not established that Joker/Bat dichotomy quite yet and is just running clever murder rackets, or diamond thefts (Golden Age Joker really liked diamonds - I had a line about this reflecting his multi-faceted nature, but can't remember if it made it to the finished piece), then just starving himself and getting emaciated and near-comatose in his 'down-time', like he's lacking in any driven purpose (similar to how he'll end up in DKR).

The stick-thin Joker seemed to fit the horror here, as when I read about how important it is not to laugh during a seance because the dead can't it all just came together. Of course he should take part in the seance, and of course he should either be possessed or fake possession.

At some point I'd like to try a more light-hearted Joker, in a Silver Age, Cesar Romero vein. Then something more 'Clown at Midnight'. No definite plans, just vague desire to try out different takes.

Whistler and Kellerman are from Arkham Asylum, the video game. There are plenty of cues taken from Serious House, but I love me them Arkham games and couldn't resist working them in (speaking of which, have you finished the new game yet? There's some Joker moments in there that impressed me). I forget who Kellerman is but Gretchen Whistler is the older doctor who talks to you about Zsasz. No idea why she stuck in my mind.


Thank-you, I'm always glad to provide chills.

The picture was more just me messing around, and you'll find my scrawling doodles and awkward colouring in quite a few of my issues. I like taking advantage of the multi-media quality of the forum medium, and slowly improving on my limited artisitic talents.


Ah, thanks. You're way too kind, and I appreciate it. Glad to have a new reader (if Batman isn't your deal, I did the issue of Man of Steel in Earth A, and some Knight & Squire too, though both are long overdue new issues).

It was fun trying out the first person, and it was useful in getting across the vibe of Gotham in the early days of the Bat-Man. As I keep saying here and there, at some point I want to do a DC2 Year One story for Batman, with a mixture of lots of incarnations of the young Batman's campaign. Bringing in the Golden Age comics and newspaper strips, the Frank Miller stuff, the Animated Series...bits of Snyder's Zero Year, Burton's Batman of 1989, Beware the Batman, Arkham Origins...try and find elements of it all to make something that captures those 'weird figure of the night' days.

This little story would no doubt tie into it, with a younger Gordon wearily fighting the system and the city being riddled with corruption. New 'freak' villains emerging.

One day, one day.

Lol, those two would certainly be something. Snarky and Bubbly are a classic duo.

Snake Head Eats Snake Tail

Bearing in mind the glimpses of your future writing plans you've given me, it's cool seeing the trail of snakes starting here, and makes me look forward all the more to what's yet to come.

Likeable characters and with very believeable conversation and interactions to set the mood, always good for a horror story, as it lets those creeping undertones seem even more sinister. Hal's condition and pain, Brody's reaction to touching the baby bump, it all set off the alarm bells.

The dark dream was very enjoyable, nicely surreal and bizarre, and reinforced those creeping undertones perfectly.

Body switching and incest. Of all these stories this is the one that is most obviously leading somewhere, which is cool and as I say I can't wait to see what comes next.

Good work.