The following are
from Bill Payuk writer extordinaire, who has been a great help to this site.
Bill will be heading a fan-fiction page we will be starting in the future so get
those stories ready!! The first page are stories I would put in an
"elsewhere" vein. Bill will explain. The second page are poetry
that Bill did mostly in college and I think they were rather neat. INTER-FAN is
open to all prose writing. If you have comments please e-mail us or Bill direct
at: raymondburr@earthlink.com
Mr
Bill's Comics Cavalcade of Creativity |
|
entry #1: 01-08-01
The
idea came to me as I was reading an old issue of Marvel's "What If". .
. I was thinking about "what if" a Silver age character was inspired
by the heroics of the Golden age? After musing upon this briefly, I then
realized that it made perfect sense that a superhero like Spiderman would most
definitely be at least somewhat inspired by the daring-do's of the spectacular
Golden age. Then I wondered how a Golden ager could affect the decisions
of a budding Silver age hero when they've never met; time-travel stories mostly
suck, so I vowed that NO time-travel was allowed in my plans!
Probably
the most famous Golden ager of Marvel fame had to be Captain America, so he
would absolutely be the guy who was being looked up to. Now, who would be
the Silver ager? Spiderman just had to be the one, since he's as famous in
his era as Cap was in his.
The
next hurdle to cross was the unseen connection to the glory of Cap and the sense
of responsibility that is the core of Spidey's spirit. It took some time
to work that one out, but eventually the missing link became crystal clear to
me. . . Uncle Ben Parker was definitely old enough to have served in the
"big one", so why not have Ben meet up w/ Cap while serving his
country, and then telling a young teen Peter Parker all about it.
It
had the makings of a fine tale so far, yet my plan was to create several issues
of different stories that demonstrated how the adventures of one age could
direct the actions of another. I dreamed up a few more weird tales
involving, among such a menagerie, as:
The Ancient One,
Beast, Bloodstone, Daredevil, Galactus, Giant-man, the Knights of Wundagore,
Loki, Mr. Fantastic, Nick Fury, Silver Surfer, the 3 Skrulls,
Sub-mariner, Thor,
the Two-Gun Kid, & Wolverine. . .
Finally, I had the
makings of an extremely interesting mini-series. What on earth would I
call it? These were stories unknown to the superhero world at large, so in
a sense, they were considered "confidential". These stories
revealed the influences that some characters had on others, and when one plus
one added to six in my head, I came up with. . . MARVEL INFLUENTIAL!
A
"top-secret" sort of logo popped up in my version of the title,
slapped over the top of the cover, and that was the entire birthing process.
Below is the summaries of each issue's plotline, along with personal comic
artist choices. . .
Issue #1: Captain
America/Spiderman(Peter Parker)/
Uncle
Ben Parker
(John
Byrne - my choice was inspired by his
classic
work in Cap #255)
A
twelve year old Peter Parker has a conflict w/ Aunt May about doing his chores
when Uncle Ben already volunteered to do them for him so Peter could hang out w/
some friends. Several hours after finishing those chores, Uncle Ben sits a
dejected Peter down to explain that he had forgotten that a previous appointment
at the dentist had made it impossible for him to assume Peter's chores. Young
Peter didn't understand what the big deal was about the chores anyway, so Uncle
Ben goes for a walk w/ Peter to tell him about the time he helped out Captain
America in WWII. . .
Ben
Parker, a private serving his country in Europe, is arguing w/ his fellow
soldiers about the abilities of a certain Captain America that has recently
taken the spotlight in the war effort; while everyone else agrees that Cap could
probably win the war all by himself, Ben insists that Cap is still a man,
granted he's like ten men, and like every man, is simply doing his part to win
the war, just like all of them. Later that week, Ben & the rest of the
platoon are being sent into a ravaged French village in hopes to aid the locals
in their struggle w/ the Nazi squadrons that are overrunning them. During
their march, Ben's comrades joke about how the army ought to just send in Cap to
clean all this up so they could all finally go home. Minutes later, the
entire platoon is ambushed & captured by a heavily armed squad of Nazis.
As the Nazis are deciding what to do w/ them, one of Ben's fellows makes a
wisecrack about what Cap will do when he catches up w/ Hitler. That
incites a Nazi soldier to severely beat the arrogant prisoner. Just as Ben
is about to intercede, Captain America's shield knocks out the cruel Nazi.
Cap bounds onto the scene in a flurry of fists & feet, sending
the Nazis into a defensive frenzy. Nazi reinforcements show up as Cap is
trying to free Ben & company, which now overwhelms him. Cap yells for
the American soldiers to help him, but they are too intimidated by the increased
odds to join in Cap's struggle. Only Ben attempts to aid cap, but is
quickly knocked out by a well-armed Nazi.
Later
that evening, as the Nazis gloat over the trophy of Cap's shield, Cap, along w/
the other interned prisoners, discuss about an escape plan. As Cap tires
to formulate a joint effort, the others, except for Ben, insist that they don't
want to end up like the soldier that was severely beaten. They think that
Cap can get away to find some Ally reinforcements. Cap tells them that he
overheard some Nazi soldiers discussing their plans to take all the prisoners to
a permanent intern camp, now that Captain America is among those prisoners.
An argument ensues among the prisoners & Cap until Ben Parker finally
steps in, scolding his fellow comrades for not bucking up to take responsibility
for themselves. He reminds them that Cap is only one man, and the Nazis
definitely have him outnumbered, though if they all acted in concert, freedom
could be theirs. At that moment, an armed escort comes to get Cap. after
that group, w/ Cap, leaves, another escort of more, yet lighter-armed, Nazis
arrive to herd the American soldiers to an awaiting truck to be taken to the
interment camp. Ben is just about to be pushed into the back of the truck
when a Nazi soldier whizzes past him, head over heels, into the one that was w/
Ben. A rallying roar of defiance comes from several yards away, and it is
Ben who grabs a dropped firearm while making a dash for a nearby machine gun
nest. Amidst gunfire, Ben manages to reach the nest & overpower the
Nazi inside; it turned out that his comrades had finally joined the fray just in
time to allow Ben to reach the nest. Now heavily armed himself, Ben
provides enough cover fire for Cap to regain his shield. The rest of the
combat ends w/ Cap, Ben, & the other prisoners eventually overpowering the
Nazis just in time for Ally reinforcements to help finish the job.
Later,
Cap is sitting w/ Ben & company at a table, safely in an Ally camp. He
thanks the entire group for their heroism, especially Private Benjamin Parker.
Ben adds that he was only doing his part, and that as an American soldier,
it's his as much his responsibility as the next guy, even Cap, to end this war
as soon as possible, because no one else is going to do it for them.
A
very awed Peter Parker gives Uncle Ben a big hug, thanking him for being such a
good uncle, and promises that he, too, will do his part from now on, no matter
what. . .
I
realize that the ending is pretty darned sappy, but the action w/ Cap &
Uncle Ben was a cool concept, so I gave it another shot. I consider this
first story my best, as it has the most classic Marvel feel.
This
next issue outline has few details, as I didn't want to lose myself in the
intensity of the "Bond"
effect. . .
Issue #2: Nick
Fury/Thor(Don Blake)/Loki/
the
Enchantress
(Jim
Steranko - is there really any other choice?)
A
recent post graduate Donald Blake mysteriously wins a trip to Rome. While
there, he meets a young European couple on their honeymoon (who also happen to
be foreign operatives involved in a simple undercover stakeout).
The
target of their stakeout photographs Blake conversing w/ the
"honeymooners", so the assumption arises that Blake is also an agent.
Blake, having become mixed in this mission, must save himself. During
his somewhat "Bond-like" adventure, he is rescued by Nick Fury, but
not before he sustains a permanent injury to his leg, leaving him lame. At
the end of the story, it's revealed that the "honeymooners" were
actually Loki & the Enchantress in disguise, hoping to indirectly dissuade
Blake from ever venturing overseas again (so as to never play through the chain
of events that brings about the origin, as we know it, of the mighty Thor).
At the end of the story, it is Nick Fury, sitting at a desk, reading an
old dossier, and then it is Loki, looking into a mirror, watching Nick Fury. . .
As I had said, that summary was devoid of great detail. I really didn't
want to make it so lengthy until the final story is written. It has the
potential of becoming an incredible story, given the right "fleshing
out".
The
next idea was inspired by all those fun science adventures that usually appear
in F.F. comics.
Issue #3: Mr.
Fantastic(Reed Richards)/Henry Pym
(Giant-man)/Beast(Henry
McCoy)/
the
three Skrulls(from F.F. #2 - 1st series)
(Paul
Ryan would do well here. . .)
At
a national student science competition in Washington D.C., youngsters Reed
Richards, Henry Pym, & Henry McCoy vie for the same award: a free
scholarship to the university of his choice. Reed's project is on animal
genetics, Pym's project is on spaceship construction, and McCoy's project is on
atomic densities. During the competition, an unsuccessful assassination
attempt is made on president Eisenhower by a trio of trained assassins. The
would-be killers flee into the exhibition hall where the science competition is
taking place.
Within
the hall, the three semi-final students are on stage, awaiting the decision of
the judges as to the winner. At that moment, the the three gunmen storm
the stage, taking the not yet famous students hostage. As a standoff
ensues between our federal agents & the three gunmen, one of them is
wounded. Pym notices that the colors of that man's clothing is actually
changing it's texture & size, albiet gradually. Reed discovers a
small, metallic device that looks like a minute radio device in the coat pocket
of another of the men. McCoy, having stood by the wounded man, had
accidentally gotten a bit of the man's blood on his shirt sleeve. A gas
grenade is launched into the hall, allowing McCoy to hide elsewhere in the hall.
Also, in the confusion, Reed takes & hides the device from the one
man's pocket. While in hiding, McCoy checks the blood sample (only because
the smear on his sleeve seemingly had a different color & shape than he
previously knew). Finally, Pym uses several chemicals from other
exhibits in an attempt to create a distracting blast, when instead he trips,
accidentally causes a rapidly expanding foaming of the amalgam of chemicals that
fills up the room, thereby disabling the three gunmen.
While
the gunmen are being led away by federal agents, Reed curiously presses a button
on the small device he lifted from the gunman. At that same moment, a
ground tremor occurs that creates enough distracting havoc for the gunmen to
escape. In the near distance, a flying saucer is seen hurtling into the
sky toward space. The students are then inspired to change their
scientific interests, which will bring about the origins of Mr. Fantastic,
Giant-man, & the Beast. The three gunmen, after going into hiding,
curse the meddling humans for sending their only means of leaving earth off to
the stars. The three revert to their true Skrull identities and skulk off
into the night. . .
I
know that this particular story would be difficult to publish now, since Marvel
has made their characters "younger" by advancing their origins from
the 60's into the 90's. I still love this plot, though, as it has the
kitschy feel of those old Silver age stories I grew up on.
This
next summary is a product of what can happen when you mix the most unlikely cast
of characters possible (if only Willie Lumpkin the mailman could've made a
cameo, huh?). . .
Issue #4: Wolverine(Logan)/Bloodstone/
the
Two-Gun Kid/the Ancient One/Cytorrak
In
1860's California, the Two-Gun Kid is resting discreetly in a bar. Outside,
an elderly asian man is being yelled at by a shopkeeper for trying to enter his
store. The old man is rationally trying to explain that the shopkeeper
could only benefit from allowing him in when the shopkeeper takes a swing at
him. The old man defensively counters the attempt, knocking him down.
Then the old man stares at the "Kid", who is sitting near the
window until the shopkeeper yells for help, claiming that the old man attacked
him, though the "Kid" knew otherwise. He then comes to the old
man's defense, but it backfires when the local (bigoted) deputy decides to
arrest both the old man & the "Kid". Both of them elude the
law by escaping into the nearby woods.
The
old man tells the "Kid" that he needs his help in meeting a tracker
named Logan. This Logan supposedly is part of the key to finding a rare
crimson jewel. The "Kid" decides to help the old man sneak into
the Chinese part of town, where they can hide while the old man waits for Logan
to arrive in town. While the two stay with a Chinese family, the deputy,
along with what appears to be many other "volunteer" deputies,
ransacks the Chinese neighborhood to find the two "outlaws". The
"Kid" defends the neighborhood in a gunfight while the old man flees
into the woods.
While
the "Kid" is in jail, he notices that the sherrif isn't ever there.
The next day, the "Kid" is being prepared for execution when the
old man & Logan the tracker arrive just in time to save him. As they
are escaping the deputies, the sherrif rides up into town with the crimson jewel
imbedded on the top of his shooting hand. Suddenly, the sherrif begins
firing red bolts of force from his fingertips at the threesome. The old
man saves the "Kid" from a fatal shot by erecting a force shield of
his own. The "Kid" is momentarily shocked until he realizes that
the deputies have started firing on them, so he takes them on while the old man
& Logan battle the "possessed" sherrif. The sherrif's
relentless assault focuses on Logan, who appears to have been mortally wounded.
The old man then becomes forced to reveal himself as the Ancient One,
sorcerer supreme, so he could use his full range of abilities to defeat the
sherrif, who is told that he has been possessed by the power of a being called
Cytorrak, who is imprisoned in the crimson jewel.
After
an epic battle between the sherrif and the Ancient One & Logan, the Sherrif
is defeated when the Ancient One sends his and Logan's ethereal selves into the
jewel to stop Cytorrak's power by sacrificing a portion of their own souls to
bind Cytorrk's essence permanently within the gem.
After
the battle is over, the Ancient One tells Logan that he believes most of his
eternal essence has found its way into Logan during the battle within the jewel.
The "Kid", after facing off all the deputies, is hypnotized (as
well as the entire town's populace) by the Ancient One, so as to have never
remembered the day's events. Logan then heads off into the woods to
wherever.
In
an afterword, the Ancient One muses over the realization that now he will not
live forever as the mysterious traveller named Bloodstone once promised him
hundreds of years ago (before he became the Ancient One), which now meant that
he would someday have to find a suitable heir to the mantle of master of the
mystic arts...
As odd as that story was, it did showcase the pre-Wolverine Logan that
once appeared in "Marvel Comics Presents". While I'm at it,
isn't seeing the Ancient One in action kind of neat? The Two-Gun Kid
doesn't get enough print time either, as far as I'm concerned.
Now
this last story idea is seemingly far-fetched. Anything with DareDevil
& Galactus would have to be, right? Just try to envision the
storytelling style of the classic Arabian Nights. . .
Issue #3: Daredevil(Matt
Murdock)/Sub-Mariner/
Silver
Surfer/Galactus/Knight of Wundagore
(Gene
Colan. . . one can always dream, can't one?)
In
a moment of reflection after failing to prevent a robbery, a young red &
yellow clad Daredevil recalls an extremely unusual memory from his childhood.
The flashback takes place in an alley, where he was caught playing hooky
(on a dare from the other kids at school) by a homeless man (who was the
amnesiac Namor, the Sub-Mariner). The man promised not to turn young Matt
in as long as he would sit with him for a while, so Matt stayed to listen as the
man told him a story...
In
this story, a prince (Namor) from a far away kingdom was touring the edges of
his homeland so as to know every square foot of it, for if a king did not
know his land, then he could not properly rule it (this was what the royal
vizier told him). When the prince discovered a small valley during his
travels, he entered it to further discover a strange looking man that seemed to
have an animal's head instead of a normal one (a Knight of Wundagore) lying
under a large bush. Next to the sleeping fellow was a silver horse that
peacefully sat next to him. Upon seeing this weird site, the prince
attempted to wake the man, but the odd-looking man would not wake. The
prince then decide that such an irresponsible man, no matter how unusual, did
not deserve to have such a splendidly colored steed; however, when the prince
mounted the sterling steed, it suddenly flew into the sky. No matter what
the prince tried to do, the amazing horse climbed higher & higher until the
sky turned black, whereupon the prince fell unconscious.
When
he awoke, he was inside of what must have been a most glorious palace unlike any
he had ever seen before. Before the waking prince stood another strange
looking man. This man (a herald previous to the Silver Surfer) looked
toward an immense door, pointing to it. The prince stood, walked to the
door, & entered a chamber where an enormous man wearing a suit of purple
armor & similarly colored helmet (Galactus) sat wearily, as if near death.
A booming voice spoke into the prince's head, asking him where he hailed
from. The prince was in such awe of this being that he could not answer
the question. The giant of a man then fainted & fell to the floor,
causing a horrible noise. The door burst open, & the strange looking
man leapt into the room like a maddened beast, pouncing upon the prince. A
battle ensued that would have raged the heavens, for as powerful a warrior as
the prince was, so was the strange looking man. Both combatants eventually
stopped, for they were too evenly matched. The strange looking man then
pointed at the prince with such a stare as to cause the prince to fall
unconscious once again. Then when the prince awakened once again in a
different place, it was on a cliff overlooking his own kingdom. A voice
then appeared in the prince's head, telling him that because of his actions, the
master of his home had to go elsewhere instead of pillaging the prince's
kingdom. The prince then went home to his own palace, proud of his actions
that day.
Young
Matt didn't immediately understand the point of the story, but he did notice
that while the story was being told, the homeless man seemed to look not quite
as sullen or weak as he thought a homeless person ought to. From that
moment on, he realized that even adults admired & needed heroes. . .
I fully understand that these stories cannot necessarily take place
in the post 90's Marvel universe. Any fan of the classic Marvel universe,
however, will hopefully enjoy the ideas I've presented here, & if you desire
an entire story from any of these ideas, please let me know, okay? Thanks
for reading. . .
- Mr. Bill
entry #2: 01-16-01
In
much of this web site, Doc has been thanking me for my help. It is
actually myself who should be thanking him for urging me to finish this idea for
a Dr. Thirteen story that I started dreaming up back in `96 when I was helping
run a comics/sports shop called the Lower Deck in downtown Chicago. Back
then, the Vertigo imprint was still recovering from the loss of Sandman as an
ongoing title, though Preacher was coming into its own as a comic book cult
power.
I
came up with the idea of reviving the good doctor after reading some copies of
DC's “Ghosts” in a quarter bin somewhere else. I wondered how a
character like this was thought up, so I asked around the local comics community
& discovered that this guy has been around since the days of the original
“Star Spangled Comics”!
After
acquiring every appearance, I wondered what he would be like today (`96). I
figured that Dr. Terrence Thirteen would finally have married his girlfriend
Marie Leeds & probably had a kid who would at this point be a young adult.
I named him Derek, then divorced the couple, putting Marie overseas.
It was then a simple task (or so I thought) of putting together a story
where a classic mystery, action adventure, & DC history met for a lunch date
that I called “THIRTEEN DAYS”. I'm not certain if that will remain the
title, but so far I've liked the sound of it, so what the heck.
You
may notice that the latter half of the summary is more detailed than the former,
and that is because the more detailed half was thought of in 2001, not 1996.
I
hope you like this; it's too bad that someone else already did a “13”
mini-series, as I think this one could have been much more promising...
WORKING
TITLE: THIRTEEN DAYS...
MAIN
PLAYERS: DR. TERRENCE THIRTEEN... a college
professor
now living in upstate New
York;
is divorced with one son
MARIE
LEEDS (THIRTEEN)... former wife of
the
doctor; (not in this story) is an
art
museum curator in Chicago; is
presently
in France visiting her
mother
DEREK
THIRTEEN... son of TERRENCE &
MARIE;
has recently graduated from
a
local college in Chicago; is
presently
working in a local
production
agency as a film editor
assistant
RITA
KEELS... a female trucker that helps
DR.
THIRTEEN find his son
DR.
DOUGLAS “MAD DOG” MADISON...
an
old friend of DR. THIRTEEN; he
helps
him briefly
POUL...
a diminutive native Haitian; he
serves
as DR. THIRTEEN'S guide in
Haiti
(VOODOO
PRIESTESS)... the grandmother
of
Poul's friend; helps Thirteen
greatly
later on
(DRUG
LORD)... the source of Thirteen &
Derek's
problems
COLD PLOT
LINE: Dr. Thirteen is having his birthday alone in N.Y. until the Phantom
Stranger arrives to tell him that his son, Derek, is in danger; Thirteen
immediately leaves for Chicago, where Derek works & lives; Derek is
trying to work out his professional & personal life when he accidentally
encounters thieves at an art museum; the thieves try to murder him, but he
survives; en route to Chicago, Thirteen is attacked by a mystery man on the
highway, where Thirteen is run off the road & shot during a struggle w/ the
mystery man; Thirteen escapes the mystery man & hops a passing freight
train; Thirteen arrives in Portage, Indiana, where he meets up w/ a
trucker woman named Rita; Rita drives Thirteen to Chicago after she decides to
believe his story; Derek decides to find the art thieves after discovering that
the thieves only stole a few voodoo “pieces”; he finds that the pieces were
actually tools of an ancient blood rite of power; Thirteen & Rita arrive in
Chicago, where they are followed & chased by the mystery man from NY; Derek
is heading to his work to borrow some equipment when he discovers & enters
in the chase; the police also enter the chase, when the mystery man decides to
ditch the cops & leave the chase; after Thirteen explains everything at the
police station, he & Derek compare notes & decide to go to Louisiana,
where an old friend of Thirteen's, Dr. “mad dog” Madison, may be able to
help them; Rita parts company, though she promises to meet them again someday;
at the airport in Louisiana, Thirteen is permanently blinded in an attack;
Madison arrives in time to save their lives; the three of them track the airport
attacker to an antique shop near the swamps; after a brief hospice at Madison's,
the three return to the antique shop site to discovered it's been burned down;
w/ Derek's help, Thirteen salvages a clue to the next site of investigation -
Haiti; Madison cannot go, but he does refer them to a friend in Haiti to
contact; after a boat ride to Haiti, the Thirteens meet up w/ their contact, a
dwarf en native named Poul who immediately takes them to his favorite
kick-boxing joint to speak to a friend that was once an alleged zombie who now
runs a restaurant; the Thirteens now know that the art thieves were probably
voodoo agents sent to retrieve the artifacts for a blood ritual of some sort;
the Thirteens & Poul encounter some local thugs outside the kick-boxing
joint, where Poul shows off his street fighting skills; Derek watches as
Thirteen begins to see since the attack at the airport; he can see the fight, as
well as an armless, battered Haitian man in tattered, bloodied clothes, begging
for help; Poul & Derek take Thirteen to a voodoo priestess that happens to
be Poul's best friend's grandmother; she determines that Thirteen has been
“touched” by the spirit world, allowing him to see & communicate w/ the
violently killed; she also tells them that the thieves they seek are of a cult
that derives itself from the worship of a “Zombie King”, as well as where to
find their temple; Thirteen sinks into a deep depression over the next few days,
leaving only Derek & Poul to find the art thieves; while they are away,
Thirteen is visited by the voodoo priestess, who tells Thirteen that his rare
“gift” was granted to him & should not be squandered; as a ghost of a
local villager warns him to duck, bullets riddle Thirteen's room; the voodoo
priestess is killed, & as she lays dying, promises that now she can better
help Thirteen; later that night, Derek & Poul travel to a small isle near
Haiti where the cult resides; after discovering several ancient structures &
vicious warning signs, they are captured by an overwhelming number of
“zombies”; Poul breaks away, escaping into the jungle; Thirteen winds up at
the local police station, where he is visited by the dead priestess; with her
help, the blind Thirteen leaves the station & is led to the boat docks to go
the same isle where Derek is now a prisoner; Derek is taken to a subterranean
cavern & left inside, sealed in; during the trip, the priestess tells
Thirteen about the cult's beginnings & history, which involves vampirism
& alleged Atlantean blood rituals; Derek is finally taken from the cavern to
deep within the jungle where a large villa resides; inside the villa is the 19th
century trappings of a major drug lord; Derek meets the master of the house (he
is a pale, thin man w/ slicked hair & a pencil thin moustache who is
immaculately dressed); Thirteen stumbles through the jungle & happens upon a
group of “zombies” as they're taking a break w/ their masks off; they laugh
at Thirteen & his blindness; Thirteen surprises them by grabbing an Uzi that
lies nearby; He then, at the priestess' suggestion, leads them into the cavern
that Derek was being held in & seals them in; Thirteen is then inadvertently
jumped by Poul, who was hiding nearby; after Thirteen explains his “gift” to
Poul, they head toward the villa's location; the drug lord tells Derek the
history of the isle, that once a real zombie cult existed, until the zombies had
one day broken the mental hold of their “king” & drove him into the
great underworld; the drug lord then takes Derek to the villa's coach house,
where secret stairs lead underground to a vast chamber; Thirteen & Poul
argue about Poul's abandoning Derek, & that Thirteen would send spirits to
forever haunt Poul if they didn't recover Derek alive & unharmed; the drug
lord lets Derek know that he will become a permanent resident of the estate,
then shows Derek a corridor lined w/ coffins; he then removes one of the lids,
revealing a wasted corpse; upon command from the drug lord, the corpse rises
from the coffin & secures Derek to shackles on the wall nearby; Thirteen
& Poul arrive at the outer perimeter of the villa; Poul vaults the wall
while Thirteen finds a few local lost souls to distract the “zombie” guards
at the gate; As the guards run off in terror, Thirteen makes his way to the
coach house, which is closest to him; Poul enters the main house & proceeds
to annihilate everyone hand-to-hand; As the drug lord is about to kill Derek,
Thirteen runs in, Uzi ablazing; after the drug lord's personal guards easily
subdue Thirteen, he lets Thirteen know that his personal guards are true
zombies; Thirteen helplessly watches as the drug lord reveals a set of fangs
ready to pierce Derek's jugular vein; Poul suddenly arrives on the scene,
battling away at the real zombies; Thirteen, in desperation, rallies the spirits
of every dead victim of the drug lord's cruelties; they overwhelm the drug lord
to the point where the drug lord bolts for the exit, only to find that Poul
stabs him through the heart w/ a stake of wood that Poul was carrying; after
undoing Derek's bonds, Poul asks Thirteen how he thought he would stop the drug
lord when he was a vampire; Thirteen explains that the drug lord was no vampire
& points out the various clues that show that he was only severely anemic,
almost constantly needing blood; Thirteen opens the other coffins, revealing
cooling units filled w/ bags of blood; he also points out the electrical lines
running along the ceiling, yet no conventional electrical devices anywhere; he
points out that the room is too cool for it's location, as well as the simple
fact that “Vampires don't exist”; The story ends w/ Thirteen & Derek
back in Chicago; Thirteen is now simply blind w/out his “gift”, & chosen
to live w/ his son, for at least a while; late that night, the Phantom Stranger
discreetly visits Thirteen; Thirteen is shocked that he can see him...
The following poems
like I said was done when Bill was in college. The first one inparticulary
was a particular favorite of a professor who wrote poetry about the treatment of
the Jews doring WWII and when Bill was called to his office Bill thought he was
in trouble BUT the professor loved it he said that since Bill didn't live in
that era that he had a unique outlook at the situation and thought it read
as an accurate account on how the Natzis thought of the Jews.
REICH THREE, YOU'RE
OUT!
Ach, nein, listen
here
What
on earth do you have to fear?
What's some gas between two
friends |
|
|
|
We're only trying to
make meat ends
A heil here, a
bombing there
In no time flat,
we're out of your air
We're not thugs that
kill and fight
We're antibodies on a
Paris site
Just turning down all
the loud oys
And entertaining the
girls and gois
Calling you swine,
you've got it all wrong
`S wine that' we's
bin (hic) in' too long
Besides, you'll love
our master plan
Ever had sex with an
Uberman?
The next poem is
about a fellow going thru puberty and the adventurs he has. I think you will
find it interesting. Anyone out there would like to illustrate it?
FALICE IN
WUNDERLAND
PART ONE: HIS
STORY
His name is
Matthew, his room is blue
He never goes
out, he has nothing to do
His neighbor
comes over, her name is Pearl
He will not
see her, she is only a girl
He looks at a
chair, he sees a snake
He pinches
himself, he is awake
He stares at
the snake, it is just as he feared
He cannot
believe, the snake has a beard
The snake
says “Hey, little Matt is my name.
Would you sit
down? We can play a game.
Look into my
eyes, look into them deep.
If you feel
tired, please go to sleep.”
He saw the
snake's eyes, they grew very wide
As did his
mouth, where Matt fell inside
Matt slept
and awoke, he became quite confused
His room was
now gone, he was not amused
He found a
path, he decided to walk
He meets a
grey crab, it calls itself “Talk”
He says he is
scared, it says “Never fear.”
He asks where
he is, it answers “Right here.”
Matt wants to
leave, Talk says “Let's go.”
Matt wonders
where, Talk says “I don't know.”
Matt seems to
ponder, why Talk is so small
Talk says
“It's dark.” then says “Don't stall.”
PART TWO: HIS
OLD MAN
Matt picks up
Talk, they walk quite a ways
They find a
bar, it's called “Thirty Days”
They go on
inside, there sits a bartender
He is serving
a drink, to a title defender
The men turn
their heads, they both look alike
Joey wears
trunks, the other is Mike
Mike pours a
drink, he gives it to Matt
Joey says
“Say, kid, you know where yer at?”
Matt shrugs
his shoulders, Mike says “It's okay.
The first
one's on me, you don't have to pay.”
Matt takes a
drink, it doesn't taste well
Joey says
“Hey, kid, it's only the smell.”
Matt drinks
the rest, he feels quite warm
Joey takes
note of, the change in Matt's form
“Geez, look
at you!” says Mike in surprise
He points out
to Matt, his increase in size
Matt is just
twelve, now he looks twenty-four
And Talk also
grew, he was put on the floor
Joey says
“Hey, kid, let's see how ya handle.
Let's see how
ya fight. Put me out like a candle.”
Matt shakes
his head, Talk says “Go ahead.”
Matt puts on
gloves, Mike says “Yer dead.”
Matt climbs
in the ring, Joey knocks him out
“He ain't
no man!” the twins laugh and shout
PART THREE:
HIS NEW TOY
Matt wakes at
dawn, he feels quite sore
He does not
remember, his fight from before
Talk says
“Hey Matt, why not stand up?
You must be
hungry. We never did sup.”
Matt tries
his body, it felt so heavy
What luck,
they found, a convertible Chevy
They enter
the car, to drive it was easy
Matt though
it fun, a voice says “You're sleazy!”
Matt was
confused, he then saw a fish
It says “I
will do whatever you wish.”
Matt looks
with glee, he wants to go home
Talk blurts
out quickly “Let's hear a poem.”
The fish
starts her story “This is so grand.
This is the
tale of a wonderful land.
A world full
of flowers, a world full of bees,
A world where
the birds do as they please.
The flowers
hung out in a place called the “Grove”.
The bees
would cruise up in the Buicks they drove.
The flowers
and bees would then get together.
They would do
magic on old car seat leather.
The birds
always watched for mystical passion.
If they found
bees, their brains they would bash in.”
When the
story was done, the fish disappeared
Matt only
cared, for the city they neared
PART FOUR:
HIS DISCOVERY
Matt drives
into town, it's really quite big
Talk says
“Don't you feel like a twig?”
“I'm sure
that next to buildings I'm small,”
But Matt adds
“yet, I still feel tall.”
They stop at
a club, they go on inside
The place is
called, “Somewhere to Hide”
Matt gets a
beer, Talk has a scotch
Talk says
“This place smells like a crotch.”
Matt says
“Don't worry, there's nothing to fear.
We'll just
look around while I finish my beer.”
Matt is
bumped by, a cigarette girl
She says
“Oh, hi, my name is Shirl.”
Matt and
Shirl talk, they get along well
Matt asks to
dance Shirl says “That's swell.”
They dance
for hours, they drink just as long
Talk sees
them kiss, “Here's where it goes wrong.”
A small man
in plaid, approaches the two
“You're
fired, Shirl! Now as for you...
I'll kick
your butt, I'll beat your head,
I'll make you
wish that you were dead!”
The man in
plaid grows, he bursts from his clothes
His skin is
plaid, too, from his head to his toes
The plaid man
is coming, Matt sees his eyes
When plaid
man arrives, Matt starts to rise
PART FIVE:
HIS REPUTATION
The plaid man
plans, to break Matt's neck
Talk grabs a
glass, and says “What the heck.”
Talk pours a
shot, Matt drinks it quick
Matt drops
the glass, his head feels thick
Matt seems to
vanish, the plaid man is lost
Matt has been
saved, but what was the cost
Talk says
“You shrank away from your fears.
Give courage
a try, and see what appears.”
Matt sees a
foot, as big as a house
He has
become, as small as a mouse
The plaid man
stomps, to snuff out Matt's life
Plaid man
yells “This is for kissing my wife!”
Now Matt was
mad, he felt so abused
He wanted
revenge, for being so used
His anger
caused him, to become gigantic
He tore off
the roof, the patrons were frantic
He grabbed
the plaid man, he screamed in a fury
He dropped
the plaid man, who left in a hurry
Matt shrank
to normal, but Talk grew a bit
They got in
in their car, it was a snug fit
Talk says
“I'm proud. You kept your cool.
You didn't
freak out like plaid psycho-fool.”
Matt was
quite happy, he did the right thing
They drove
down the road, they started to sing
PART SIX:
HIS HUMANITY
Matt and Talk
drive, across a blue field
Talk says
“Beware of the power you wield.”
Matt turns
and shrugs, in his confusion
Talk turns
and says, simply “Illusion.”
They pass a
hill, the grass is so green
Matt looks
around, for things to be seen
They spot a
turtle, atop the next rise
As they come
closer, it grows large in size
It turns to
the pair, its shell opens up
A man made of
steel, jumps out and yells “Hup!”
Matt asks his
name, He answers “I can't.”
The steel man
says “My code word is A.N.T.”
Talk hops
around, Matt wonders why
Until he
spies, the mice in the sky
A.N.T. says
“That is our own R.A.T. patrol.
They scour
the air to draw out the M.O.L.E.”
Matt is
bewildered, by what A.N.T. has said
Before Matt
can speak, A.N.T. says “Are you dead?”
Matt answers
“No, I'm not dead at all.”
Talk yells
“Look out!” as mice start to fall
Some mice
land on Matt, they start to excrete
They finish
and drop, Matt looks like concrete
Talk calls to
Matt, who does not turn back
Instead he
runs to the shouts of “Attack!”
PART SEVEN:
HIS INHUMANITY
Talk tries to
follow, the ground starts to quake
He can't
leave the car, It won't stop its shake
The sky
becomes dark, but Talk doesn't care
He only knows
he, must get out of there
Talk starts
to grow, larger and more
So fast that
he bursts, right out the door
Talk chases
Matt, to a brown tortoise
Matt ran as
if, he had rigor mortis
Matt opened
the shell, he climbed up inside
The turtle
turned back, to pummel Talk's hide
The reptile
and Talk, their fight was so fierce
Talk then
raised his claw, the head he did pierce
Talk tore off
the shell, he took Matt out fast
Talk hoped
that his luck, continued to last
Matt was a
stone, statue so still
Talk yelled
“You must use your full will!”
The statue
shook, then fell down hard
A crack
appeared, broke off a shard
The statue
split, Matt was within
Talk picked
up Matt, brushed clean his skin
Matt shook
his fists, they became guns
He shot the
A.N.T.s, down by the tons
Matt screamed
and swore, spitting out dirt
Matt did not
feel, blood on his shirt
PART EIGHT:
HIS SENSES
Matt was
possessed, he knew not his acts
Fury he
spent, regardless of facts
Talk tried to
stop, the violent outpour
Matt then
shot Talk, his flesh he did score
Talk fell in
a hole, that went without end
Matt then
realized, the death of his friend
Matt was so
sad, he wept many tears
He did not
want, to hide from his fears
Matt saw a
flame, he walked to the light
He held out
his arms, he did what seemed right
He saw the
guns, they melted away
Darkness had
gone, to let in the day
Matt pulled
away, to extinguish an arm
He was amazed
that, he suffered no harm
His hands
were okay, the fire died down
Matt looked
at the hole, and began to frown
He wanted to
leave, this outlandish place
Mat jumped in
the hole, into outer space
Bright were
the stars, guiding Matt's route
It was not
hard, finding his out
Matt found a
door, and opened it wide
Excitement
then hit, his room was inside
Matt was now
home, that he was sure
He won't
forget, the mystery tour
PART NINE:
HIS OWN
Matt took
some time, to look at his room
He could not
go, it felt like a womb
Matt checked
the closet, to see what was there
He turned on
the lights, he pulled up a chair
He went
through his clothes, peered over the shelf
He saw his
plaid shirts, and thought to himself
“I could
not help but remember him well.
Talk taught
me how to think past my shell.”
Matt would
not once, wear such a thing
Ideas he now,
would not so cling
He put on the
shirt, and went to his dad
Who says
“Oh, hi son. You came down. I'm glad.
Let's go
outside. I want to ask you.
What do you
think? A Chevy that's new!”
Matt thinks
its cool, a convertible car
Dad wants to
drive, with me someplace far
Matt asks to
wait, for just half an hour
He must see
Pearl, because he was sour
Matt then
finds Pearl, sitting alone
He asks her
if, she'll share a cone
Pearl is
confused, but suddenly smiles
They ride
with Matt's dad, for twenty-one miles
Dad and a
Chevy, a girl and ice cream
The life of a
boy, his toys and his dream.
This one I liked
because it called to me in a way that i felt "yeah I know where this
person is coming from." It has a lot of anger and frustration that
reflects how people are today in our society. I hope Bill gives us more of
these.
I've spent my
many days of rage
in the halls
of the wilderness zoo
watching the
pitiful gathering of beasts
pace the
floors and perch on plastic
(Why must people
do such things?)
I can't face
the deadly anaconda
while it's
encased in safety glass
some awesome
task it must become
to confront a
tranquilized ape
tears have
been shed for the spirits
of eagles and
leopards so broken
even their
prides have been twisted aside
by useless
toys of prey
lizards don't
laugh at snake-hide train rides
though zebras
have cried near the awnings
even the
statues along the path
shall spite
them until they die
(So much evil
from the hands of man)
I've seen
that path of earthly woe
the harbor of
greatest jokes
it hosts a
small cerebral sight
of steel
magnolias and zinc caribou
(Look close
for the soldering tears)
Try as I do
to see nature's way
it only comes
up as metal and rue
visions
appear before my eyes
looking
toward concrete jungles
Who would
watch the deadly slinky?
Why fend off
the Bengal paper shredder?
Close down
the zoo and put up a mall
It's just as
exciting and free
let go the
leashes, open the cells
forget this
carnivore carnival
melt the
caribou where it belongs
to the
unknown form of animals
species'
survival is tough enough
without our
meddling touch
(Go out, look
out, it's there in a field
it just might
be a caribou)