I grew up reading comics.
That is to say, I started reading comics obsessively from about the age of nine, and sort of petered out about the age of thirty.
Maybe it took me longer than most to grow up.
Probably.
Anyway, the speed, or lack, of my emotional and mental maturity is not up for discussion. And I still read comics today, just not as much as I used to.
So maybe I haven’t grown up after all.
Look, I know, this is my regular Sunday afternoon blog post, and you do expect some semblance of sense from me, but here I am warbling on about my comic reading habit.
I’ll start again.
I grew up reading comics, Marvel mainly.
And one of the things Marvel did really well (and what they are doing really well in the movies at the moment) is use crossovers to build a big, interconnected universe. And I love that kind of storytelling.
I always got a kick out of seeing Spider-Man visit the Avengers or the Fantastic Four, or Nick Fury visiting England to catch up with Captain Britain. And when you had two rival comics companies arrange a crossover, wow, that was something special!
Unfortunately, with Marvel anyway, the crossover thing started to get a little silly. At one point there were so many Spider-Man titles out it was difficult to keep track of them. And when one storyline got threaded through each of the titles, it started becoming expensive too.
I remember reading The Clone Saga as it unfolded, and didn’t that get a little weird? And tied up in knots.
Is the Scarlet Spider still with us? Anyone know?
Despite how silly some of these stories became, I still love a good crossover when it enhances the fictional world in which you are immersed.
In my last post I talked about back story, and how I have been digging into Joe Coffin’s past.
The story I discovered, even though it is set just before Joe’s birth in 1970, still has echoes in the present. Particularly Joe Coffin Season Two. It’s not exactly a crossover story, but it sort of is. The great thing about this story is, it stands on its own. But if you happen to be a Joe Coffin fan who has read all the books, there’s that extra layer of enjoyment for you.
I had fun writing it, especially tying the plot elements in with the main story. If you’re a Joe Coffin fan, I think you will love this short story.
But you can only get it when you subscribe to my newsletter here.
Is suppose you want a blurb, or something, don’t you?
Looking For Walter Newhouse
Everyone’s looking for Walter, and if he isn’t found soon, someone’s going to pay. With their blood.
Ray Pierce is a down on his luck boxer, taking dives for money and trying to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately for Ray, trouble’s always just around the corner.
Ray never meant to take Walter Newhouse’s wife Cora to bed, but that’s what happened, and now Walter’s gone missing and Cora wants Ray to find him.
It turns out, Ray’s not the only one looking for Walter Newhouse, and when you put The Slaughterhouse Mob, Danny ‘The Butcher’ Hanrahan, an ex-wrestler by the name of Johnny Thunderbolt, and a witch into the mix, Ray Pierce’s day starts to get a little more complicated.
And deadly.
