Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be in movies. I would pretend that I was in a movie or TV show all of the time. It got so involved that certain people I knew in life were “played by” actors that I thought they looked like. So, when I began creating my own comics, I wasn’t content with just writing and drawing them. I wanted to make movies! So, when ideas for movies came to me, I would draw them out. Many would say I was just storyboarding, but I didn’t know that. I wanted to see this movie idea I had in my head. And just because it was on paper didn’t mean that this wasn’t a Diamond Pictures production because I WAS Diamond Pictures.
So, on this page, you will find all of my movie ideas that I did, in fact, write to completion and any subsequent sequel ideas I may have had for them. These may not be listed in the order in which I wrote them, mainly because I never seemed to date anything. But most of these were written around the same time, so it shouldn’t really matter.
TRIXTER
Trixter is a horror story conceived by my best friend Jamin Sponaugle and adapted into a full story by me. While I cannot speak to the origins of the idea, I can tell everything else beyond it. If he were still alive today, he would probably admit to being inspired by some underground horror flick. Sponaugle was the guy that was always aware of what was hip at the time. One day, I remembered seeing this sketch of a clown he drew, mocked up like a comic book cover. “DIAMOND COMICS PRESENTS TRIXTER: THE ORIGIN OF A NEW VILLIAN.” It was catchy! So, immediately I wanted to play with this toy.
Around this time, I was looking for some new villains for one of my comic series: Lightning Bolt & the Ghost Kid. When the idea came to me, I added Lightning Bolt to Sponaugle’s original drawing. Something I wish I hadn’t done. I also created my own one-sheet that listed the exact issue I planned on introducing Trixter. But the idea was eventually dropped.
After Sponaugle had expanded on his idea about a child confronting an abusive parent, my wheels began turning about adapting this into a standalone horror story. The direction in which I took it may not have been what Sponaugle had intended, but I was looking to do something unique with the character.
Why not find a way to subvert expectations? Most horror villains are killing horny, drunk, simple-minded teenagers. With the villain having a background of abuse, why not make him a killer that targets abusive parents? Kids would be at the circus with their parents, so he’d have access to them. As a kid, all of this made sense to me. Now, I can see where the narrative starts to fall apart. In any case, I worked out a plot in my head and set out to create a new horror icon in Trixter.
The next day, Doug leaves on his business trip. Unfortunately, it is a short trip as the airplane is taken down by a bolt of lightning. Moments later, Matt and his mother hear about the crash on the local news. Nine years later, we get glimpses of a life lived during those years. Matt awakens from his nightmare. He heads to the kitchen and greets his mother.
Another nine years pass putting us squarely in the year 1992, as noted by the panel. It seems that Matt just became a drifter and eventually drifted his ass to a circus, where he meets Jill Frost. Jill seemingly has no qualms about giving this drifter a job, something she will regret in the future. This is why a background check is so important! Anyway, it seems that Matt’s profession is a clown but also “a person who talks to kids about their feelings.” So, a therapist? While Jill is showing him around, Matt notices a strange ,creepy building sitting off to the side of this traveling circus and asks about it. Jill mentioned that it was abandoned because it housed demons. Matt is not deterred and says he’s going to fix it up and make it his new funhouse. Little does she know what kind of “funhouse” it will be.
So, I’m going to take this opportunity to address a few things here, mainly because the character of Buck creates an opening. Buck was written to be the absolute worst human being. Just somebody completely unredeemable that you would have no problem seeing them getting what is coming to them. The very misogynistic language he is using was meant to play into that. Were I writing this story today, I’m sure this exchange would still make you cringe at what Buck says. But there would be a bit of eloquence to it that I lacked when I was 12 years old.
And that’s the other part of it. I was 12 years old when I wrote that. My parents would have lost their minds if they had ever seen this. I would have been grounded. My notebooks would have been taken away. I’m sure my video games would have been taken as well. It would not have been good for me. How do I feel about it now? I would like to think I’d be open-minded, but I feel like I would be a hypocrite. I cringe reading it now, not because I’m being a prude. But because it’s poorly written. But thinking about one of my kids writing something like that at 12 years of age would probably give me pause.
Trixter sets his plan in motion. The kids are led down one path, and the parents are led down another. The parents then walk into a cavalcade of deadly traps. One person gets shot in the face. A woman is struck in the chest by a giant axe. I man is pelted with several sawblades. Another woman is fed tar. Another man gets his head smashed in between two large blocks. And finally a woman is electrocuted. Matt rushes to find Jill, telling her the grim news at the funhouse.
Matt seems troubled by what he has done and is confronted by the spirit of his dead father, Doug. Doug chastises Matt and warns him not to continue killing. The next day, Detective Vicestrom investigates the funhouse and finds all of the traps. The head of the… we’ll stick with amusement park… informs Jill that the murders, even though there is no evidence to suggest such a thing at this time, were nothing more that rumor. In a move that puts Mayor Vaughn from Jaws to shame, the guy saw the dollar signs from the night before and cannot be bothered by minor inconveniences like death to prevent the influx of more money.
Nudity was another avenue I played with in my “movie” comics, mainly because it was the trope seen in all of the horror films I was consuming at the time. Blood? Check. Beasts? Check. Boobies? Double-check! These may be the tenents of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, but I was following that trend long before I was aware of it. My problem with it now in my older stories is how misogynistic it can read. It was not my intent. But in emulating the movies I watched at the time, it’s not surprising.
Before he can act, Trixter traps Vicestrom with some form of binds that stick to the wall (?). He even makes a lame dad joke about it. He then proceeds to kill the two men on the wall, but then decides to sexually assault the woman. But not before further explaining who he is to Detective Vicestrom like it matters at that moment. Trixter activates two giant sawblades, aimed directly at Vicestrom’s arms. Trixter then proceeds to sexually assault the woman, and even threatens to cut off one of her boobs. But that’s when the supernatural comes to help.
First things first, let’s talk about Dan Vicestrom’s arms. Depending on where you started reading, you may be familiar with Dan under his pseudonym: Device. Device was a member of the superhero team: Destructors 2. When I was attempting to build a second team, I needed some new characters. I created Device with the simplest idea. What if Blade from Puppet Master was a real guy? BOOM. Device is born. And since there had to be receipts regarding his “injuries,” I shoved him into this story to cut off his arms and get his mechanical ones. It’s pretty lazy writing. This wasn’t the only story I shoved him into either. It just proves that I never considered the story as a whole. It was more about the random events I wanted to see in them.
TRIXTER‘S REVENGE
I have no idea how soon I began working on the follow-up to Trixter. But considering how the first story ended, I would bet money that I already had an idea lined up. However, I’m not sure which details I landed on first, so let’s look at it from a logical perspective. At this particular moment in time, I was deep into my obsession with Full Moon Entertainment, as it was known at that time. Whatever movies they had coming out, I was there for. Puppet Master, Trancers, Dollman, Demonic Toys, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, and so many more that I fell in love with. Everything they were doing inspired me in some form or another.
In 1992, a vampire film called Subspecies came out and featured these tiny little demons that were the vampire’s minions. I thought they were kind of neat, so I made a note of them. At the end of the film, the villain Radu is beheaded… just like Trixter. And after the movie, the filmmakers announced the sequel, complete with a one-sheet for the next entry.
That image captivated my imagination and gave me the idea to revive the clown. But now the story becomes more supernatural. Sure, there were supernatural elements at play in the first story, but it was fairly grounded for the most part. Here, we are raising the dead, so grounded is out the door. Not one for subtle nods, I ultimately decided to just rip-off the little demon idea. They would be the catalyst for his revival, AND add some credibility to the funhouse being haunted, possessed, cursed, or whatever verb I used to describe it.
But in shifting the concept to something more demonic, the use of Detective Vicestrom didn’t feel accurate, even though his new arms would have fit in to the ludicrous nature of it all. Instead, I pivoted to two characters seen in another Diamond Pictures horror series, Demon in the Box. At this particular moment, the two main characters of the series, Zack and Demonic, were in a bit of a holding pattern since I hadn’t quite figured out what I wanted to do with them. Since they had fought demonic forces in the past, they felt like the right guys for the job. Continuity be damned. It’ll make sense as you go along.
While it is not explicitly stated because I didn’t understand the importance of details, the little demons revived their master, not Matt Jones. The influence of evil that Matt was feeling came from being possessed by a demon, which is why he was able to break free of its influence at the end of the first entry. But he was killed. Hence why this is not Matt Jones, but a demon using the form of Trixter. It seems to suit his needs.
Even though I looked to keep certain elements of my comic book world separate, at some point for some particular reason, I threw all of that out the window. There were no “movie” characters and “comic” characters. Everyone seemingly lived in the same world. And in most cases, it feels normal to me. But when Zack references the Destructors, it feels off as though they shouldn’t exist in this world. It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s like sure Superman and Spider-Man have met on several occasions, but it would be weird if they referenced each other in their respective books. That kind of weird.
After reading over this story again, I become increasingly frustrated because there is so much potential in this otherwise simple story. Firstly, the entire story could have been an exploration of the demon itself. Who is this demon that possessed a man? Why was he trapped in this funhouse? Who are his little minions? What was his goal? So many very pertinent question that should have been asked. I also believe that Demonic should have had some idea who the demon was. Maybe not know exactly who he is, but some base information. There could have been a bit of cat and mouse when Trixter started his rampage, always moving to another city after the murders creating more of an investigation. Just so many little ideas that could go a long way.
Furthermore, Jill’s presence was absolutely pointless and makes zero sense. So, she lived in Olympia, Washington in the first story. And when the murders started in San Francisco, she just happened to hear about it two states away and decided to make an eleven hour drive while nine months pregnant to check it out? She has no reason being in this story. The only reason she even appeared was to set up the next installment, and even that wasn’t necessary.
TRIXTER: THE RESURRECTION
Because I was loving this concept and because horror villains never truly die, I began working on a third entry. I knew I had an opportunity to do something unique. At this particular moment in time, no major horror villain truly had a proper successor. The reason the villain is revived is because you need THAT villain. But what if we could create a NEW villain to take the series forward?
Three days later, Jill and her son are attending her husband’s funeral. The boy walks away from his father’s grave and suddenly hears his name “Matt” being whispered in the wind. He follows the sound that leads him to the grave of Matt Jones. One has to wonder why exactly Jill would still be living in San Francisco after all this time, and who the hell moved the tombstone. Anyway, little Matt asks his mother if she knows who’s grave it is. Jill reluctantly responds with the truth that Matt Jones was his father. Little Matt is reasonably upset by this barrage of new information so soon after the death of the only father he knew. Later that evening, the voice speaks to little Matt again, telling him that it is the voice of his father and needs him to return to his grave. So little Matt obliges and sneaks out of his room late in the night.
Little Matt walks back home when the two thugs reappear, asking for their money. When little Matt says he doesn’t have any, he quickly applies the mask to his face. It begins a metamorphosis in little Matt that then feeds off of one of the other thugs. The other thug begins opening fire on little Matt but does nothing. Little Matt is soon transformed into a grown man with long hair, an abnormally large smile adorned across his face, a clown costume, and a spear because he needs his own weapon. The son of Trixter, aka Trixx, was born. He throws his spear into the other thug’s mouth, and then takes their bodies to his father’s grave. The voice demands more blood. Meanwhile, Jill learns of the murders on the local news, as they must work incredibly fast. Since there was mention of a clown in this piss-poor news report, Jill immediately knows that Trixter is to blame. She gets on the phone and calls Detective Vicestrom from the first entry.
I want to take this moment to sincerely apologize for the terrible attempt to be inclusive. If anyone ever looked back at my comics with no context, you may notice a lack of diverse characters. Hell, up to a specific point, I was barely drawing women. That was because my style was very limited and drawing any person of color made me nervous that it was going to look like a racist caricature. And even when I did try, the dialogue could be misconstrued as racist just in the way the character would speak. Today, my art style has improved to the point that I’m not as concerned about it. But just understand it was due to a lack of diversity in my own life.
Growing up in a small, rural town in the backwoods of Tennessee in the 80s, seeing any person of color was almost a rarity. Hell, when I was in elementary school, there were only two kids of color in the entire school for many years. I can’t imagine what that was like for them. Can’t imagine what it’s like now… Let’s get back to the story before we get way off-topic.
Back at Jill’s house, Detective Vicestrom arrives and rescues Jill. Jill informs him of the current situation around the time that Zack and Demonic appear. Once they have all of the information, Trixx returns to confront them. The trio line up to take him on. Device lunges forward but is quickly tossed aside. Zack opens fire on Trixx, who dodges each shot. Demonic tackles Trixx from behind and smashes his head through a window. As Trixx recovers, he throws his spear behind him with it headed towards Zack. Device shouts to Zack to warn him.
While I give this story a bit more credit for being a bit more understandable, there are still some questionable choices in the narrative. I did like how Matt and his son had similar childhoods up to a point. And even though I may have started with the idea of replacing Trixter with a new killer, I ultimately dropped the idea and used Trixx as nothing more than a means to revive Trixter. Not sure I would make that choice today.
I’m also surprised by the fact that I did indeed kill off Zack and Device. These two appeared in many more stories over the years. However, I don’t think there are as many anachronisms as I originally thought. Because if this story was meant to take place in the future, killing them wouldn’t affect stories in “present day.” Logically, this made sense to me, and is probably why I wrote it how I did. So, what was next for Trixter? At this point, my brain had started to come up with a plethora of various ideas. The question was which one should I focus on first.
TRIXTER‘S WORLD TOUR
The idea for the fourth entry started with a name: Trixter’s World Tour. Since Jill was on the run from Trixter, the basic concept of the story felt relatively easy. Jill is on the run from Trixter, and we see him pursue her through various countries. I could see the posters in my head and immediately went to work on it. I churned out two different takes of the poster, with the second one of Trixter standing behind the Earth being my favorite. I’ve also seen that very same concept used in other posters… so clearly people can have the same idea.
After some time had passed, I finally came up with an additional hook that I felt would help propel the story forward into a new direction.
I’m not quite sure why this was the stopping point in the story for me. It was as though I had this epiphany about the demons and had to write it down. So, I wrote enough to do what I intended. And that feels accurate because the pace of the story is very quick. But chasing Jill through various cities across the world was the conceit of the idea.
But just chasing Jill wasn’t good enough. There had to be purpose. That purpose was briefly hinted at towards the end of Trixter: The Resurrection, with Jill now being pregnant once again. But this time, it wasn’t Matt’s child. It was Trixter’s. That might sound like I’m splitting hairs but there was meant to be a difference. The additional backstory regarding the mask was something I came up with after doing some narrative retcons in The Eliminators. I thought it would be fun to have all of the names for the Devil be actual demons that were his brothers. It gave me more bad guys to play with. As I listed out each name, I began tying them to other stories featuring demons like Stephen’s Wacky Maze. I eventually decided that Beelzebub could be the demon behind Trixter, which would explain the little henchman demons. His goal, it would seem, would be to use the infant child as a new vessel for himself. It sounded good at the time.
I will say that the idea of not knowing when or where Trixter would reemerge really engaged me. At some point, I began thinking of this entry in a different light. Perhaps, it needed to lean more towards a cat-and-mouse thriller with a bit of horror in-between. Ultimately, it seems I couldn’t crack the story beyond that reveal. I had an idea on where I wanted it to end, but ultimately I wasn’t sure how to get there. Ironically, this never stifled my ideas. Far from it. I knew I would crack the story eventually. And when I did, that could possibly lead to another story idea.
TRIXTER: BURIAL GROUND
Out of all of the ideas for this franchise that came to me, I’m not sure what this idea was meant to be. I have no doubt the name came to me first. It gave a sense of finality to the series. But what does the name mean? I think it was meant to invoke that Trixter will finally die and be buried in his final resting place. OK but how? I never finished the last story, so we have no idea what happened to Trixter or Jill. So, what is the driving force of the story? How are we going to kill Trixter for good?
It seems that my plan to end Trixter’s World Tour was to end it in the same way Jason Goes to Hell begins. And while I’m sure that sounded like an amazing idea, how to get there was an issue. So, I committed to THAT ending by drawing this page, in hopes of inspiring an idea maybe? I’m not sure. I think I was frustrated that I couldn’t figure out the rest of that story, so I circumvented the whole thing to just move on to the next thing. But even that wasn’t interesting enough, apparently.
Looking at the one-sheet I drew for Trixter: Burial Ground, I gave no synopsis which is clearly indicative that I had no solid foundation for a story. Trixter is standing atop a platform that looks like a ritual site, and a baby laying on the slab of stone behind him. That would imply that he does kidnap Jill’s baby, and we might assume she is killed in the process.
Given that the story begins with him reforming his body after being blown apart, this would have to occur later in the story. So clearly, Trixter will have to track her down yet again. When the question of “how” comes up, I still draw a blank. I think the concept was beginning to feel a bit redundant to me, and I was eager to put a fresh spin on it all.
I honestly think I had nothing more than the inkling of an idea for this story and just decided I would figure it out over time. Because for all the details I don’t remember for this idea, I remember details for the next planned entry.
UNDEVELOPED TRIXTER SEQUELS
Even though Trixter: Burial Ground was meant to be the end of the character, I couldn’t leave it alone. And even though I hadn’t written the last two entries, this idea felt like a good one. First, I had to follow-up with the baby who becomes his new accomplice, Trixie. From there, I felt like it could be fun to finally explore who the hell the demon personifying this clown actually was. Why the story needed to go to the future is unclear to me, other than the fact that we were already operating in the future. So, now it would be even further into the future. And if we were in the future, then so much stuff could have occurred between now and then. This sent me down a thought spiral that led to ONE more sequel idea.
In what was planned to be the seventh and final entry, Trixter’s Alternate Future would see the demon that had been posing as Trixter escaping death once again. This time, he finds a way to travel through time where he is able to change history for his benefit. What horror villain had even tampered with the space-time continuum? Trixter could be the first. He would gather an army of other demons that we had seen before, in the ultimate move to destroy all of mankind for good. Essentially, the story would have ended erasing Trixter from all of existence. Felt like a fitting end for such a troublemaker.
At one time, I believed that Trixter had the potential to be a horror icon. He still could be, given the right narrative. The only problem I see is that a certain character named Art the Clown might make him seem like a rip-off, even though my character pre-dates Art by a good 30 years. In any case, I would love to have my friend’s creation become legendary like all the ones he loved growing up. Here’s hoping that some day it can become a reality.
BLOOD SUCKERS
My teenage years in the early 90s was a time period in which I consumed all sorts of cheap, horror flicks and b-movie schlock. As I mentioned before, I became a ravenous Full Moon fan. I always kept up with the latest installments of Video Zone, so I knew what to look forward to next. But I wasn’t a snob about other studios. New Line Cinema became the larger studio that I would keep my eye on, since they didn’t seem to have a stick up their ass about horror.
Creature features is a sub-genre of horror that might be one of my favorites. Small little creatures terrorizing a community always sounds like a fun time to me. Films like Gremlins, Critters, Piranha, Tremors, and Aliens were favorites of mine growing up, so I was inspired to write my own. I began thinking of what kind of creature it could be.
I had recently had my first encounter with a leech while playing in a creek, so they were fresh on my mind. What is more terrifying than some little creature attempting to suck your body dry of blood? Done. I had my creature. The only problem was my lack of understanding leeches and their physiology. So, to circumvent any lack of understanding, I decided to mutate them. Now, their unusual appearance, like why they have legs, can be explained away. What it really boiled down to was not knowing how to portray these creatures like normal leeches. I think I would know how to approach it today.
Finally, all of these stories needs a protagonist. Enter Lance Smith. At the time I wrote this story, I wasn’t thinking about Lance in a capacity beyond being the lead character in this story. But more on all those details later.
It’s evident from the first three pages that this is one of my earlier attempts at writing a big story. I moved from one idea to the next without fleshing anything out. My child brain was only interested in connecting the dots in my head. And that’s what I did here.
Back at home, Lance’s mother is yelling at her children. Lance attempts to explain what had happened by recounting the details specifically, but not before calling Barbra’s boyfriend a rapist. Lance’s mother chooses to believe the story because she saw it on the news. But they were in trouble, so it was off to bed with them! Immediately, leeches burst into their house. Lance cranks up the juice of his blaster and starts wiping out all of the leeches. Lance tells everyone to run. His mother and sister teleport to the family van, while Lance rushes to catch up to it, jumping onto the roof. He tells his mom to stop at a specific house. Lance knocks of the door of the house and is greeted by his friend Barry. He uses his fat friend Barry as bait for the leeches… Soon after getting their attention, Lance lures an army of leeches to the meat company (?). When they arrive, Barry rushes inside. Lance follows closely behind but spots a sign on the way in.
I hate that I went with the “fat friend” trope. It was very common back in the 80s and 90s, so I just went along with it. Barry could have had an entire arc in this story, but he’s relegated to nothing more than bait. I also don’t know why I said that the boyfriend was “raping” Barbra when nothing like that was occurring. That’s very specific wording. I just have to chalk it up to being a naive youth.
I’m not going to lie. This story is awful. I don’t think it’s unsalvageable though. It just needs a different perspective. This feels like a movie that needs to be more of a horror comedy than played as straight horror.
BLOOD SUCKERS 2
I really wish I had kept a diary of my ideas. Something that I could reference whenever I need to remember the little details. The reason for this is to have a clearer timeline of events. Sure, I’m not writing this page in any form of chronological order. But sometimes, that little bit of clarity goes a long way.
So, as I begin to discuss the sequel to one of my more outlandish horror movie ideas, I try to wonder which came first: the idea or the protagonist? Why is this an important question? Much like Trixter, this “film” series blurred lines between my superhero comics and my movie comics. I feel somewhat confident in saying that I created the character of Lance Smith for this story. Why does that matter? Because the second entry sets up Lance’s future going forward.
Lance’s sister, Barbra, just happened to be the hostage at the bank, and becomes curious about this stranger. Lance arrives immediately afterwards, apparently on his way to save the day. But Barbra informs her brother that she had already been saved. Lance and Stephen meet, do the obligatory handshake, and are suddenly instant friends. Stephen tells Lance and Barbra that they need to go do something because he just arrived… as he just mentioned. Lance inquires about his “job” and being a professional hero apparently pays the bills somehow. As they head into the city, the come across a crime scene. They approach an officer who tells them that the corpse was drained of its blood. Almost immediately, a leech makes its presence known by jumping on Lance’s shoulder. Stephen immediately shoots the leech off his shoulder, to which Lance is more grateful than he should be. Barbra comments that she thought they were all destroyed as did Lance. Suddenly, Stephen spots something that panics them all.
Stephen somehow collects some flammable gas and traps it in a… I don’t know what. He then lights the fire in this pit and then seals it shut. He then places a pool of blood on top of the trap door of this pit to lure the leeches. Once they gather on the trap door, Stephen tells someone to press a button, which opens the trap door and kills all the little leeches. However, Barbra notices that the giant leech is escaping. So, Stephen gives chase.
This sequel was really only made so Lance had a narrative connection to one of the Destructors. Stephen felt like the only plausible option, considering who the other members were. I think it would be fun to rethink these concepts into horror comedies in the vein of something like Critters or Evil Dead II. Vastly different titles but a similar tone. But you get the idea.
BLOOD TYPE
Blood Type is a bizarre spin-off title that I wrote when I thought about the concept of… well, blood-bending. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain. The rest of you can judge me on how accurate my description is. So, in the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, some people have the ability to control the elements. One group can bend water. An advanced and controversial technique is being able to manipulate the blood in someone’s body. Now, that show did not exist when I wrote this. However, the concept of someone being able to control the blood in their body came to me. I only wish I could remember why it came to me. In any case, these were similar ideas, but my approach was far different.
After coming up with this concept, the question became how would something like this even happen. While magic would probably be a more reasonable explanation, I chose science instead. More specifically, I chose to make this affliction a disease. The only problem was explaining how exactly this worked… which I did none of. Furthermore, as I was plotting this story, I figured making Lance the protagonist made since because of the title. You know, because the first word of the title was “blood,” people were going to expect Lance. My reasonings always stemmed from some element I was frustrated with in films, even though there were legitimate reasons behind the decisions made. I was a kid and wanted to see movies the way I wanted to see them.
Small tangent: the character, Dr. McCoy, is actually another character featured in my superhero comics. Why I chose to have him cameo in this particular story is baffling to me, considering his alter ego doesn’t make an appearance either. Furthermore, this has to be prior to him joining the Destructors since Lance doesn’t know him. I was probably trying to create more connections. Whatever the reason was, you’ll learn more about Dr. McCoy in the Death Monster section.
Eric asks Lance what he wants, and he reiterates to help. However, Eric informs him that it is futile. Apparently, Eric did some research on this blood disease that has never had a reported case in the history of the world. But here’s the scoop! The disease overworks your heart, causes hair loss and unexplained bleeding. I guess it’s the constant bleeding that kills you. Not sure how you are able to control the blood, and no one else thought to ask that question either. Doesn’t matter. Lance insists a cure can be found. But Eric chooses to believe that since other disease have no cures, he will have no cure. He then dramatically floats away, leaving Lance looking disappointed. Probably because he called “retardation” a disease. Later, Lance meets with Ashely and Dr. McCoy to devise a plan. Whatever questions they have about the plan is not of any concern to Lance. They just have to trust the plan, I guess. Eric is wandering the rooftops of Seattle when Ashely finds him with no apparent effort. When confronted, Ashely tells Eric she wants to help him die. Eric misinterprets what she says.
I want to take this moment to state that I do not believe that Down’s Syndrome is a “disease.” I was very ignorant to a great many things as a kid and wrote that dialogue as if it is a condition that needs fixing. I genuinely believe that my brain had thought I had written something so profound. Live and learn, right?
It’s been some time since I’ve read through this story. When I see questionable narrative choices, I try to look back at myself at that moment in time to hopefully understand what was driving those decisions. Obviously, I did not understand rape at all. This was no doubt thanks to how I was taught to view it. At that time, the world around me always seemed to doubt the victim. It would just be played off as “no big deal”, regardless of the mental trauma it does to someone. So, I wrote about it very casually, because that’s how it felt as though it was treated in society. I hate that I had that mindset for a period of time. But I also know that I had seen scenes of rape in movies, and they never sat right with me. So, I would like to think the better part of me kept me from making any dumb decisions based on societal norms.
I also have this lingering memory that I believed this story to be one of my more deeper narratives. To my teenage brain, I felt as though I was shining a light on the problems within the medical field. Even though I addressed none of them. Eric was meant to be a victim to this disease, and he was to be someone you could sympathize with. However, Eric comes off like an entitled asshole who thinks the world owes him something because he contracted a rare blood disease that no one knows about. I’m not sure what a rewrite of this could even look like. If I ever come up with a new take, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Despite how the story ultimately ended, my brain couldn’t pass up the chance to come up with an idea for a sequel. If I understand the synopsis correctly, another person is infected by the disease. But then, that same man has his soul damned which gives Hell access to the disease. That then kicks off a zombie apocalypse scenario, where Eric returns to life as well to help Lance and their other cousin Warren destroy this disease once and for all. That sounds absolutely bonkers and might be why I never wrote it. But since we brought up Lance’s other cousin Warren…
BLOOD SUCKERS 3
The concept for Blood Suckers 3 stems from so many different factors. After writing Blood Type, I wasn’t really considering anymore follow-ups featuring the mutated leeches. I had attempted to use them as side villains in the series The Destructors, but they were quickly phased out and forgotten. However, one genre of horror I had never really played in was suddenly on my mind. Vampires started to pop up more and more in film after the success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, so they eventually made their way into my imagination. I wasn’t really sure what the narrative would even be about. But then I remembered a sketch I did for a character I dubbed “Vamp-Bat,” adding yet another name to the pile of poorly developed monikers.
I never came up with any deep backstory for this character. He essentially became the catalyst for other characters to become vampires. If my memory is correct, he only appeared in two stories: this one and issue #30 of The Destructors. Here, he serves his purpose of unleashing a new wave of vampires upon an unsuspecting city. But what city? Who were to be the protagonists of the story?
One thing I despise with any sequel are loose to no connections with previous characters and events. Here, I set that frustration aside for the sake of using a perfectly acceptable title. Vampires are typically known to be “blood suckers.” So, if this was going to be a third entry into the series that focuses on vampires instead of leeches, I didn’t want to do the thing that would frustrate me. So, I decided to give Lance another cousin and made sure to reference the events from the first two entries. That way I acknowledged the events and we can move on.
Vamp-Bat is then held at gunpoint by the leader of the biker gang. After some choice quips and a change in art style, the lead biker takes a shot at Vamp-Bat, who blocks the bullet and then lunges at the biker. Two nights later, news reports come in about the biker gang and rumors about vampires. The news is being watched by Brennan Falconi and Warren Smith. Brennan makes his opinion on the vampires be known, calling them fake. Warren uses the opportunity to bring up his cousin Lance and his run in with mutant leeches. Brennan acknowledges that but still says vampires aren’t real.
This is the only story that I ever finished half-assed. While I have complained about the narratives of other stories, I can say confidently that I wrote what I was imagining in my head. Here, I honestly believe that I had no idea for this story beyond vampires instead of leeches. So, when I reached a point where I would normally just abandon the story, I just scrambled together a very poor ending. This legitimately feels like a project that ran out of money, so the bare minimum was done to slap together an ending. That being said, I think I was getting eager to move on to another project involving these characters. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So, to wrap things up here, the “BLOOD” series of films was a fun experiment that gave me some interesting ideas and at least one good character. I had at least considered the possibility of a fourth entry that would have combined the leeches and the vampires. But like most of my ideas, they remain as such. Beyond that, I’m not sure if there is anything worth salvaging here.
THE INNER-HIDDEN
I’ve said before that I don’t consider any of my stories to be hidden gems. If anything, they are first draft blueprints for my story ideas. However, getting into this next round of stories, I would consider this stuff my B-material. I’m not sure I can explain why. They just feel that way to me. Perhaps as we explore them, a clear answer will come to me.
The Inner-Hidden was an idea that I had regarding repressed rage. At this point of my life, I was starting to develop a bit of a temper. Seeing how I wasn’t a popular kid, I was usually the target of bullies. These encounters led to my own repressed rage. It angered me to be some asshole’s punching bag, and the feelings were repressed because I felt that there was nothing I could do to stop it. Telling on them would get me beaten up more. So would standing up for myself. Having no outlet, I turned inward and imagined a “what if” scenario where bottled rage turned a man into a literal monster.
Darryl is hanging out at a local strip joint, minding his business when another patron starts hassling him over some peanuts. Darryl makes a smart-ass comment to the guy, so the guy backhands Darryl. This sets off a chain reaction of chemicals in the brain (or whatever pseudo-science I was trying to spin) that transforms him into this hulking beast. Darryl punches the guy then escapes through a wall. He then makes his way to a nearby dam (?), picks up a random bolt gun (??), shoots it at some random guy (???), and then proceeds to punch the dam, causing it to crack.
The Inner-Hidden goes on another rampage, killing bystanders and smashing cars. The National Guard are being called in, but they won’t be able to get to the city until tomorrow. This gives the Inner-Hidden time to calm down and revert back to Darryl. Surprisingly, Kelly happens to be nearby when Darryl returns to normal. She asks Darryl if he has heard about the psycho killer, and he responds saying that they need to talk. Later, he admits to being the killer and that anger triggers it. So, Kelly decides that she can help suppress his anger… with sex. That’s where all of this was leading to. The next day, the National Guard break into Kelly’s apartment. Feels like S.W.A.T. would have been more appropriate here, but whatever. I guess the National Guard had someone tracking Darryl. Who knew they were crafty?
I’m not sure who I’m referring to exactly when I say “partially based on a true story.” Probably myself. I could be a little dramatic about things. But I mentioned I was developing a temper. Little did I know at that time it was because my patience was being whittled down, and the little fuse we all have to set off that anger bomb was getting shorter and shorter. It was something I could have fixed… had I known what was happening at the time.
Back then, people liked to tell you to “get over it” or “you’re being irrational” or my all-time favorite “you have anger problems.” The truth is that I was attempting to cope with depression and anxiety, while probably being somewhat on the spectrum. I’ve never been diagnosed officially, but people like to point it out. I don’t know if I would ever attempt a remake of this story. While I’m sure there are a few different avenues I could explore, I feel like I would need a solid message at its core.
THE VIGILANTES: INNER-HIDDEN 2
While my intention behind The Inner-Hidden may have been to tell a story about suppressed rage, The Vigilantes was written to build a new team. I had been designing a number of new characters that I didn’t have a place for yet. Since two of them weren’t exactly human, I began thinking of a team of outcasts. In fact, I would almost bet money that these characters were meant to be my version of Morlocks from X-Men. But I can’t say for sure. I just know what my influences were.
We then jump to November of 1993 where the Inner-Hidden is shot in the face by a tank. It’s amazing he has a head left. A cloaked figure heals the Inner-Hidden and introduces him to his new “brothers,” his children known as the Vigilantes. There is Ball-n-Chain, who has a ball and chain on his head and incredible neck strength. Then there is malice, who has the head of a mace on his left hand. Kind of makes me thig I used the wrong word. Then there’s Sting who has a taser on his left hand. Jack who just looks like a dude with no pupils. And finally the Xenogenesis and the Cyborg, the only two characters equally as important as the Inner-Hidden. They used to be seven before he showed up, but now they are one man stronger. That’s how math works kids!
This is the most unhinged story I believe I have ever written. Sure, I’ve complained about certain lapses in logic. But so many scenes that aren’t connected run together. And what makes it even worse is that each scene makes less sense that the previous one. Like how did the Inner-Hidden learn about the Protector’s plan? And what was even the point of that plot detail since its only purpose was to explain why Jack dies? We never established that they were being protected to begin with so it’s moot. That’s not even getting into the graphic death of Kelly’s rapist. Again with the raping… (sigh)
Why is there a talking bat-man? Why is there a fully-functional cyborg? Who the fuck are the other guys with random weapons attached to their bodies? What would have happened to Kelly if the Inner-Hidden wasn’t also creeping on her? Why did Ben’s son Leif just sacrifice himself at the drop of a hat? And the biggest question of all: what was the point of any of this? Ironically, we know the answer to that question.
THE VIGILANTES VS. THE BLOOD SUCKERS
I mentioned before that Full Moon Entertainment was a source of inspiration for many things I was writing in the 90s. In 1993, they did their first intercompany crossover with Dollman vs. the Demonic Toys. Crossovers delight me for some reason. I feel like a whole new wealth of ideas and opportunities await you. I also acknowledge some people drop the ball with crossovers. The same company was supposed to produce a crossover with the Demonic Toys and another well-known franchise of theirs: Puppet Master. But that never officially happened under their watch, and we got Sci-Fi Channel dreck.
Anyway, I wanted to do my own intercompany crossover, even though my characters existed together anyway. But I wanted to do something unique. So, I thought about what two story ideas I could smash together. And this is what I came up with.
I didn’t have some grand design for this story. It was an idea that I had, started writing it, then gave up on it due to a lack of interest. I’d like to think this is what happens with filmmakers that you hear are attached to a project and then they aren’t.
THE DEATH MONSTER
I’ve mentioned before how I sometimes can’t remember the origins of a character or story. This is usually because I never wrote down all of the details. They just lived in my head. The Death Monster actually started off as nothing more than a random drawing.
The detail I can’t recall is why I drew this creature in the first place. Recalling to the best of my ability, I have this feeling that I was attempting to create something that would be considered very cool. It was a big monster with big claws, big horns, big teeth, and bleeding scars. Since I never felt like one of the cool kids, I was constantly looking for their approval. I thought this would do the trick. It did not.
So, after some time had passed, I began thinking of an idea for a story featuring this character. I have a faint recollection of certain memories that are no doubt jumbled up in my head. I feel like I wrote this story independently of my comics. However, elements such as the lead character’s name would have me convinced that I constructed this whole story to build a narrative for two new characters to be used later. I guess we’ll see.
In what history would define as a major turning point for the war, I used it as the backdrop to introduce my monster. While a clever writer would have found a way to use this to explain how U.S. soldiers got the upper-hand, I just thought it would be cool to have some historical significance in one of my stories. I hadn’t become that clever just yet.
It amuses me that this story ends with a promotion for part 2. That leads me to believe that I had all of this planned just to make two new characters. It’s also extremely clear that this was written in my early days, since this is another case of random ideas slapped together. Could I improve on this narrative only a few years later?
THE DEATH MONSTER: THE CLASSIC MOVIES
I was very surprised when I unearthed this remake of The Death Monster. While I had remade some of my earlier comics, I didn’t recall remaking any of the film ideas. The desire to do so was there, as evidenced by other drawings and covers I had done. However, by comparison, I only added a full page of extra material, so what exactly did I add to the narrative? Let’s find out.
It’s fascinating to see how much the story is the same but also different. Since Jonathan Battle was meant to be the grandfather of another one of my characters, Battler, I made sure to draw him to more closely resemble his grandson. I also like how I clarified some details and forgot others. How did the monster get into the crate? How does it survive for four years? Why does it wait four years? Just a few other little details that I should have considered.
While it’s not a tremendous improvement, the “classic” version is much better than the original. While I wish I had actively worked to flesh the story out more, I’m glad to see that I did attempt to fix some of the narrative issues, or at least add some narrative that was non-existent.
DEATH MONSTER 2: TRICK OR TREAT
Because everything I write has to have a sequel, I decided to write a sequel to The Death Monster. In my sketchbook called My Book of Drawings 3, I drew a crude sketch of a new Death Monster. That would be the creature used in this story. The problem would be explaining where this monster came from. At least, you’d think so but not for me. Mainly because I didn’t think about it. I was focused on locations, carnage, and taglines. Furthermore, if you recall, the last story took place in 1947. I can promise you that I didn’t consider any of that.
For someone who can be very fixated on nagging plot holes, I sure created my fair share of them. Sure, the fancy future gun can be brushed away as pure fiction for the sake of fun. But why didn’t I explain that Jonathan was a police officer now. We knew he was a soldier, but had no idea what his current job was. I would think that being a cop could have been helpful in the last entry. Furthermore, how can I explain Billy? I guess Jonathan and his unnamed wife had two sons, and they have moved the fuck on from the devastatingly tragic death of their other son.
The first push-button telephone with touch-tone dialing was introduced by the Bell System on November 18, 1963. This is 1947… Just trying to keep everyone on track.
This was another batshit crazy narrative that makes no sense. I have nothing else to add. I’m just speechless at this point.
THE DEATH MONSTER: THE LIMITED SERIES
If a sequel was a bad idea, a series is the equivalent of beating a dead horse. Luckily this was a limited series, written for the sole purpose of filling in blanks. As I mentioned earlier, I had this gut feeling these stories were written with the sole purpose of introducing new characters. This series fills those blanks by introducing two characters that would be go on to be featured in a comic series I was writing called The Destructors. Their inclusion to a new team I was building was only because I needed to round out the numbers. Most of the members were new to begin with. But when I decided to incorporate the Death Monster as a team member, I had to come up with a reason for the how and the why. In my usual fashion, I got there in the quickest way possible.
The story begins with two scientists performing an experiment using a container of blood and a cat. Feels like they should have used a mouse. They inject the cat with the blood, causing it to transform into a monstrous version of itself. They quickly sedate it and examine the data. Later, they are examining a drop of blood under a microscope. They increase the magnification to discover a disease in the blood. They theorize that the Death Monster was, in fact, a human being that had been infected by this disease, and more research is needed. Soon after, the bald scientist whom we have yet to name is running somewhere. As per usual in this world, a Wacko appears and mugs the scientist. The scientist just happened to have a vail of the Death Monster blood on him when he is mugged. The Wacko decides to take it and inject the scientist with it. The Wacko takes off. The scientist attempts to make his way home but is mugged yet again (?). This mugging triggers a transformation in the scientist, causing him to transform into the Death Monster. He knocks the mugger’s head off and heads home. Upon arriving home, the scientist relaxes in his chair and reverts back to being human.
I will admit that the premise behind the series was not a bad one. If two random monsters appeared and slaughtered a bunch of people, I would hope someone did some deep research as to what they were and where they came from. The only problem I see with this is the time gap between when those events happened and when this research is being performed, which would be close to fifty years. Plus, I’m not sure about the disease aspect. I guess it could work. It has for other films. Something to ponder I suppose.
Stan attempts to communicate with the Death Monster but it smells something and walks away. The second Death Monster turns around. A newspaper features a headline reading “Death Monster from World War II Helps World.” Three faceless people are punched. We then cut to some guy and his aide talking about how the Death Monster is a great hero and that they should market him. The guy in the suit apparently has morals since it’s called the Death Monster and wants it dead. Someone is changing then bursts through a wall (?). The Death Monsters randomly clash. They trade blows before the first Death Monster finds and uses a sword to cut the second monster. The first monster kicks the second monster out a window where it meets its fate at the hands of Battler in a very random cameo. Arthur transforms back into his human form. Stan informs Arthur that he’s found a cure, but I guess he only had enough chemical for one dose. They’ll need to go to Chemical Hill (??) to find more “soliemum bromide” (???). So, they head to this mysterious hill of chemicals. To be continued…
Where I seemingly praised the first entry for having promise, the second quickly found a way to derail the entire narrative. I can’t even begin to make sense of that first page or the second page for that matter. I can’t tell you what is supposed to be happening. It’s as if I stopped working in it, came back and forgot where I was in the story and just kept going. Also, I thought that I had actually looked up a legitimate chemical compound that could be used in a vaccine. Nope. I wrote down “soliemum bromide” and have no clue where I got that term. The closest option is sodium bromide, which is used in disinfectants and sanitizers. So, it could have been that and I botched the term. Still not a great option. This could be the worst thing I’ve ever written… and this is only part two of four.
Arthur scales the mountain when he is confronted by a figure that resembles the Protector from The Vigilantes. The figure asks Arthur what he is search for. Arthur tells him, “solieum bromide.” Couldn’t even spell it the same. The figure tells him he can have it after he passes three tests. When Arthur asks what they are, the figure is just like “find out.” So, Stan and Arthur head into a giant labyrinth and escape no problem. They then encounter a giant rope bridge. A large branch dangles above it. But as the branch breaks to land on the bridge, Arthur looks away and misses that the branch went through the bridge, indicating that it is an illusion. As Arthur goes to walk the bridge, Stan swings overhead, grabs Arthur, and swings them both to the other side. On the other side of the bridge sat the chemical they were searching for. As Arthur retrieves it, the figure fights to keep it. Arthur transforms into the Death Monster and fights the figure, ultimately finishing it and recovering the chemical. With everything they need, Arthur and Stan head back to the lab to fix Arthur’s condition for good.
To determine what would be the worst story I’ve ever written would be may be difficult because the third entry makes almost makes even less sense than the second. What is this chemical? Why is there a secret location for it? Why must you complete three trials to acquire it? Most importantly, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING??!!
Arthur uses a machine to reverse the effects of the Death Monster blood. After being cured, some random guy appears and grabs Arthur and Stan. Another random guy tells them that they want the monster dead. Arthur informs them that he is. But right on cue, the second Death Monster who apparently didn’t die bursts into this room, throwing everything into question. But Arthur informs them that this is a different one. Someone shoots the second Death Monster’s fingers off, causing it to run away. Later, Arthur reinfects himself with the Death Monster blood. The National Guard is called in as the two Death Monsters begin their fight. A tank blasts the second monster, so he unloads an entire clip from an Uzi, blowing up the tank (?). A plane flies overhead, dropping bombs below. The monsters both leap onto the bomber plane. The first Death Monster punches the second Death Monster off the plane at the same time the plane dropped another bomb. So the bomb lands on top of the second Death Monster. After that, the first Death Monster leaves town and makes his way to Los Angeles, where he joins the Destructors. END.
This series felt like a desperate need to fill in gaps that only I would be concerned with. No one was reading my comics. So, why did I feel the need to tell these side stories? I think I would have preferred that they stay as ideas if this was the level of detail I was willing to put into it.
That being said, I did consider a third entry that eventually became the basis for a potential reboot. Initially, the concept would have centered around the discovery of a lost civilization and the potential existence of an artifact thought to be a myth. Little does the research team know that the artifact is guarded by an ancient beast whose sole purpose is to prevent its theft. I drew a new design for the creature and everything. I even did research into European folklore and learned of the Wildermann, which is depicted to be a Sasquatch-like being that isn’t too far removed from what I designed. So, that’s another potential avenue to consider as well.
THE DEVIL’S ALLOWANCE
This particular story is an oddity to me. I honestly forgot that I had written this story until I unearthed it while digging through some old notebooks. I notice that it wasn’t labeled as a “Diamond Pictures production” which means I probably wrote this one in my earlier days. That also means it’s going to make little to no sense.
While this story isn’t as batshit crazy as some of my others, I still cannot recall why I wrote this story. If I wrote this AFTER Demon in the Box IV, then this is very redundant. If I wrote it before, which feels more accurate, then why? That’s the part I can’t wrap my head around. Whatever the reason, it’s a bizarre one-off.
Pencil & Paper Productions 