#tales of suspense 100

[a-bucky-a-day]

| TALES OF SUSPENSE: HAWKEYE AND THE WINTER SOLDIER- RED LEDGER (2017) #100

By Matthew Rosenberg and Travel Foreman

#bucky comics #bucky barnes 616 #comic panels #marvel comics #bucky barnes #winter soldier 616 #616 winter soldier #bucky #hawkeye and winter soldier #travel foreman #matthew rosenberg #tales of suspense 2017

[rwrbficrecs]

Readers' Choice Rec List Part 7 of 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (ft. sentimental thank you note from me at the end ❤️)

History in the Making by watchmecope

anon: It is an adorable piece that has made me laugh more than once. It's a fantastic palette cleanser if I read something a bit too angsty!

All our Sweetest Hours Fly Fastest by AHistoricDistraction (WIP)

anon: This fic is so good and so suspenseful! It is so thoroughly researched with so much feeling

And All The Tears On Her Guitar by @saywhatjessie

anon: This is so good for a number of reasons, but my favorite part was finally finding someone who didn't make me feel bad for not liking Taylor Swift.

(don't be alarmed if i fall) head over feet by weather_stained

anon: This fic is so damn funny. It is 100% crack, and I love it!

Give 'em hell by th0ughts

anon: Great look into Alex and Martha's potential relationship.

Gemma's husband by floatingaway4

anon: Lovely and original take on firstprince through an outside perspective

Nova, Baby by @cha-melodius

@leaves-of-laurelin: Amazing spy au. Reading it feels like watching an sexy, action-packed, heart-wrenching movie.

I trace your constellations by viciouslyqueer

anon: A well written taste of representation that doesn't once feel like pandering. A feel good falling in love tale.

A Whole Problem by @thenburntheashes

@daisymae-12: A fic I come back to often, especially when I'm in need of some roommates + college au goodness ❤️

Just a sappy lil thank you note from me (@daisymae-12) A huge THANK YOU once again for following and supporting this blog. When we hosted this celebration for 500 followers, I didn't think we'd currently be at 1k but here we are 🥺 It's been so nice to spread joy through this blog for both authors and readers 🥰 I've also ended up with such a lovely discord community with the Volunteer team, so a big thank you to them as well for helping out and for contributing so much. I wouldn't be able to do this without them, it really takes a village ❤️ Last but not least: shoutout to my husband who has listened to all of my blog ideas and ramblings. For the amazing IT support, writing me code to not only generate index spreadsheets and html formatting, but a code to download every single fic in the rwrb ao3 tag so I can search within fics as well 😭 We're continuing to workshop ways to improve the admin side of the blog with his codes, so this blog is his passion project as much as it is mine ❤️ He always goes above & beyond in his support of my hobbies and I am so grateful ❤️

#readers choice #rwrb fic recs #red white and royal blue #firstprince

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Halloween Spooks!

I focused on creatures last year, so I wanted to give my attention to everything else horrific this year. Enjoy these scary and suspenseful recs! 👻

100 Words of Horror by @moonstruckwytch (3,100 words total, rated M)

A collection of Fear Fest Works. Each chapter is 100 words.

*I especially recommend chapters 5, 9, 10, 17, 20, 21, & 22

What is lost stays lost by @cavendishbutterfly (456 words, rated T)

Sometimes Harry leaves the castle in the middle of the night, and Draco follows him.

The Manor by @kittycargo (1,405 words, rated T)

There was something wrong with the Manor.

The mimic by @steampunkserpent27 (797 words, rated T)

Harry hears Draco (who he presumes dead) calling for help outside of his cabin one night. Only, something isn't quite right.

iterum by @moonstruckwytch (2,127 words, rated M)

dark magic keeps draco malfoy alive, even when he shouldn't be. unfortunately, to stay that way he's going to have to give something up—something important.

the tedious work of soothing grief with love by luminae (2,363 words, rated M)

Ginny doesn't like working as a medium. Never has, probably never will. The grief-stricken make for bad company and Harry, while handsome and kind, is no exception.

Cruel Blade by @wheezykat (2,572 words, rated E)

Drowning in his grief after the murder of his husband, Draco will do anything to bring him back.

But this is not Harry. This is something else entirely.

The Willing Flesh by @corvuscrowned (2,763 words, rated E)

Draco shows Harry how to do blood magic. Harry shows Draco just how powerful The Chosen One can become.

at the end of his tether by @helle-bored (4,280 words, rated M)

There's a worn page folded in an inner pocket of Harry's robes with a single underlined paragraph.

Discrete magical signatures have been observed after the destruction of a Dementor. Some scholars believe this implies that the souls of its victims persist as captives within its form, as opposed to undergoing immediate obliteration, and therefore serve the purpose of providing the creature with sustenance over a prolonged period of time.

Harry has carried it for nearly two years.

when god closes a door by luminae (4,400 words, rated T)

Harry usually cares far less about so-called haunted houses and ghosts. They aren't real, after all. Except when they ruin his evening.

Saltwater Stain by @the-starryknight (9,000 words, rated E)

Seven days stuck on a boat investigating a rogue ghost wouldn't be so bad if Harry didn't want Draco so much. Draco has his rules and Harry's content to follow them, but the air feels different away from the shore. Is it possible that the sea could offer Harry something impossible on land?

*be sure to check out last week’s Happy Hour Rec of this fic by @wolfpants as well!

Time and Time Again by @rainbees (16,316 words, rated T)

Draco doesn't know why he keeps stepping into his own future, nor why it involves a hallway covered in Harry Potter's blood.

it is not a house by luminae (43,388 words, rated E)

There are many stories that can happen in a forgotten house, in the middle of the Arctic. Heart-warming tales about human connection and finding the essence of the self. Epic love stories that defy reason. Warnings about the hubris of human explorations. This is both none of the above and a bit of all. This is a horror story.

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by @vukovich (49,999 words, rated E)

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead.

But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame?

Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less.

Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy.

God save the Ministry.

Yours is the Earth (Hold On, Hold On) by chickenlivesinpumpkin (127,167 words, rated E)

After a serious accident in the Forbidden Forest, Draco's personality begins to undergo subtle changes. At first, Harry credits this to a new enthusiasm for life. But as the days pass and Draco's behavior becomes more and more mysterious, Harry begins to suspect that something bigger--and darker--is at work.

If you are looking for more Halloween thrills, please check out my Card Catalog! There I have Vampires, Werewolves, Darker Themes, and previous years rec lists for Halloween!

Trick or Treat!

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

#drarry #drarry halloween #drarry halloween rec list #spooky drarry recs #drarry rec list #drarry recs #spooky drarry #drarry horror #halloween rec list #harry potter #draco malfoy #harry x draco #the drarry librarian #thedrarrylibrarian #lots of love and trick or treat!

[winterchimez]

OT11 / Multiple Members 

❆ Old Tales, New Beginnings

↠ pairing: OT11 x f!reader 

↠ genre: retelling of old classics / true crime 

Lee Sangyeon 

❆ Eyes On Me (oneshot)

↠ pairing: ceo Sangyeon x employee f!reader 

↠ genre: suggestive 

❆ Summer Night City (oneshot)

↠ pairing: non-idol Sangyeon x f!reader

↠ genre: strangers to lovers au, suggestive 

❆ Redemption of Love (series) 

↠ pairing: phantom of the opera Chanhee x singer f!reader x fiancé Sangyeon

↠ genre: phantom of the opera, angst, supernatural, thriller, crime, fluff, time travel, reincarnation, major & minor character deaths, otome 

❆ A Little Care (oneshot) 🔞

↠ pairing: bf Sangyeon x f!reader

↠ genre: smut

❆ Addiction (oneshot)

↠ pairing: spy!Sangyeon x assassin f!reader (feat. police!Haknyeon)

↠ genre: spy x family au, fluff, angst, crime, crack & humour, slight thriller

❆ The Spy Who Loved Me (oneshot)

↠ pairing: 007!Sangyeon x agent f!reader

↠ genre: james bond / 007 au, spy, crime, angst, suggestive

Jacob Bae

❆ Nonsense (oneshot)

↠ pairing: senior!Jacob x junior g.n!reader 

↠ genre: fluff

❆ A Fairytale Encounter (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: prince!Jacob x f!reader (feat. bodyguard!Kevin)

↠ genre: akagami no shirayukihime au, royal au, fluff, angst, suspense, slight thriller 

Kim Younghoon

❆ loading...

Lee Hyunjae 

❆ Beast in the Beauty (series)

↠ pairing: profiler Hyunjae x detective f!reader 

↠ genre: jack the ripper au, angst, violence, thriller, crime, mentions of prostitution, graphic description of death, major characters death, alcohol, some fluff 

❆ Jealousy (oneshot)

↠ pairing: idol Hyunjae x f!reader 

↠ genre: fluff, suggestive, influence of alcohol, jealousy is a disease

❆ Read Your Mind (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: fwb Hyunjae x f!reader

↠ genre: angst, suggestive

Lee Juyeon

❆ A New Beginning With You (oneshot)

↠ pairing: ceo!Juyeon x f!reader

↠ genre: office au, ex-childhood friends to lovers, coming of age, angst, fluff 

❆ Criminal (oneshot; request) 

↠ pairing: criminal Juyeon x agent f!reader 

↠ genre: angst, crime, slight fluff 

Kevin Moon

❆ Nightmare Before Christmas (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: neighbour!Kevin x f!reader

↠ genre: horror, thriller, supernatural, crime, angst, some fluff

Choi Chanhee

❆ Redemption of Love (series)

↠ pairing: phantom of the opera Chanhee x singer f!reader x fiancé Sangyeon

↠ genre: phantom of the opera, angst, supernatural, thriller, crime, fluff, time travel, reincarnation, major & minor character deaths, otome 

Ji Changmin

❆ Lip Sync (oneshot)

↠ pairing: ex Changmin x f!reader

↠ genre: angst, suggestive

❆ Make or Break (oneshot; request)

↠ pairing: best friend Changmin x g.n!reader 

↠ genre: best friends to lovers au, fluff, some crack & humour

❆ Forbidden (oneshot; request)

↠ pairing: spy Changmin x spy f!reader

↠ genre: ex-bffs to lovers au, angst, crime, suggestive 

❆ Insanity (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: robin/joker Changmin x batgirl f!reader

↠ genre: batman au, angst, crime, thriller, some fluff, slight suggestive 

Ju Haknyeon

❆ Love Me Right (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: best friend Haknyeon x f!reader 

↠ genre: best friends to lovers au, fluff, slight angst & suggestive

Kim Sunwoo

❆ Teach Me How To Love (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: f!ckboy Sunwoo x g.n!reader 

↠ genre: suggestive

❆ Heart’s Detour (oneshot) 

↠ pairing: biker!Sunwoo x afab!reader

↠ genre: biker au, angst, crime, fluff, thriller, slight suggestive

Eric Sohn 

❆ Tornado Warnings (oneshot)

↠ pairing: fuckboy!Eric x f!reader

↠ genre: angst, suggestive, slight fluff

Misc. 

❆ 100 followers event!! 

❆ emails i can’t send fwd: (a tbz x enha series!!)

↠ collab with @heemingyu​ 

❆ the 007 files (the boyz open collab)

#masterlist

[sporesgalaxy]

Hey sorry kind of weird ask but could you give a list of media you recommend to people? Or just things you like because your taste has been very similar to mine in the past....... And you do cool stuff about that so it's always double good.

If you want obv, it's just that I've finished a serie (that I also checked out because of some of your posts chdjsk)... Idk... You cool 👍

thanks!!! and youre in luck!! i am extremely forgetful so I literally keep a list of Medias I Like and it's been a while since I tried to think of more stuff to add to it! so here you go!

•••

medias that tapped directly into my brain:

sci fi

Spy Kids 1 2 & 3

Invader Zim

Portal 1&2

Danny Phantom

Psychonauts

Wander Over Yonder

Mob Psycho 100

Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse

fantasy

Bionicle: The Mask of Light

Shrek & Shrek 2

Spirited Away

Adventure Time

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Book of Life

Loki: Agent of Asgard (comic)

Soul Eater (manga & anime)

Madoka Magica

Paranatural (webcomic)

Dungeon Meshi

Nimona

mystery/suspense/spooky

Gravity Falls

Coraline

Paranorman

JJBA part 4 Diamond is Unbreakable

Hannibal (2013)

Smile for Me

Ace Attorney 1 thru 4

Perfect Blue

Chainsaw Man (manga part 1)

Dorohedoro (manga)

REWROTE my brain permanently

Spore

Atlantis the Lost Empire

Sonic Adventure 2

Sharkboy & Lavagirl

Sonic The Hedgehog 1999 OVA

Undertale

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

Princess Tutu

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Midnight Gospel

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Good Omens (book & show)

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Trigun

other extremely powerful stuff I can think of

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

The Stanley Parable

Undertale & Deltarune

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Knives Out

Never Satisfied (webcomic)

honorable mentions

Teen Titans (2003)

Kung Fu Panda

Transformers: Prime

The Owl House

Pokemon Sun

Pokemon Legends Arceus

Thor 1, 2, & Ragnarok

Kingmen 1 & 2

this might look weird or lame but HEAR ME OUT

Ben 10 (2005, 2008, 2010, 2012)

Hoodwinked! (2006)

Ninjago

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!

Dan Vs.

Barbie: Life in the Dream House

Beetlejuice broadway musical

Half Life VR but the AI is Self Aware

has issues but HILARIOUS to enjoy with gay friends

Ouran High School Host Club

Code Geass

Bayonetta 1 & 2

#asks

[racefortheironthrone]

Hey there,

So I read the Locked Tomb series a few months ago and one thing that occurred to me after reading Nona the Ninth was that the John Gauis’s account of the end of the world could not be fundamentally trusted.  While I believe that Tamsyn Muir intended for these passages to be “true” or “Accurate” to what happened I found unable to accept the chapters due to the number and severity of lies told by John.  It also led to me notice any inconsistency, irregularity, or any implausible scenario and to see it as evidence of another lie by John. 

My question I suppose is if an author uses an unreliable narrator when (or if) should the audience trust said narrator again.  

In part my extreme skepticism started when John mentioned the oxygen crisis, that such a scenario would be so sever and immediate that there would be little time for John’s necromantic schemes.  It was further stoked by John’s impractical cryogenic plan (why would you send frozen people to the Kuiper Belt), and later on John’s  mis-remembering when and how original-Gideon died and that he was telling this story to Harrow hark trying to convinced her to join him.

I am quite certain that my extreme distrust is unwarranted and that Muir intended for us to believe John’s tale but I cannot help but notice the inconsistencies and find John utterly dishonest and unbelievable.

I'm glad you asked this question, because it allows me to talk about how to apply historiographical methodology to literary analysis.

One of the terms that I was exposed to during my training as a historian is the "hermeneutics of suspicion" - the practice of reading texts such that the on-its-face meaning of the text is false and that you have to read the text solely for its deeper, hidden meanings. The problem with the hermeneutics of suspicion is that, taken to a logical conclusion, all texts and meanings become false, and for lack of evidence, all academic inquiry shuts down and we wind up sitting on the floor with our hands over our mouths.

Now, this doesn't mean that you have to take texts as 100% valid either, but rather that good methodological practice requires a careful weighing and balancing of bias, rather than simplistic binaries.

So in the case of John's narrative in Nona the Ninth, is John meant to be an unreliable narrator? Yes. However, because Tamsyn Muir does actually play fair with the readers, she makes it quite clear when John is lying to Harrow/Alecto:

"I said I made a mistake. She let it go eventually because the others were telling her to lay off. Just said Guys as careful as you shouldn't have accidents. If you've got a gun learn how to aim it. This is too big for fuckups now... "Did you ever find out what happened? With your accident?" He turned to her and he smiled a funny little smile. It only used one half of his mouth. In the dream his new eyes did not show happiness or unhappiness. And he said, "Come on, love. Guys as careful as me don't have accidents."

And here again:

"I did need to do it, Harrow. There was no other way. Once those bombs were going off, there was no hope for Melbourne anyway-- G- was dead meat." She said-- "You said that G-'s bomb went off first." "Yeah, it did," he said impatiently. "Of course it did...Look-what does it matter? In the end, why the hell does it matter?"

Unfortunately for John Gaius, Harrowhark Nonagesimus is smarter than he is when she's in her right mind and she catches the discrepancies in his story - just as we are meant to do.

So what I would say is that, unless it's something where Tamsyn Muir gives us clues like this where other characters are calling John out on his bullshit, you should treat worldbuilding issues like the population of Earth, or the logistics of cryocans, or the speed of shuttle transports in the Nine Houses, etc. as either mistakes on the part of the author (when they actually are mistakes) or just part of the overall willing suspension of disbelief that comes with speculative fiction.

#the locked tomb #tlt #john gaius #nona the ninth #ntn #historiography #hermeneutics of suspicion #world building #sci fi #science fiction

[bobbimorses]

Hi do you know which comic is it where Clint is wearing his beanie with an H while he is teaming up with Bucky?

throughout tales of suspense #100-104

[nintendocafe]

The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition

A gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion.

Rated 96/100 metacritic!

Buy Physical Edition: https://amzn.to/3r3pkeF

#The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition #nintendo #nintendo switch

[zorlok-if]

I got an ask recently inquiring about any suggestions I have on learning to write/improving your writing. Since then I've been trying to come up with a helpful, coherent, and relatively concise answer, but that's taking a long time.

So, for now I'd say my biggest piece of advice is the cliché: if you want to become a better writer, read (or watch/listen to/etc.) everything you can. Everything. Engage with media from as many different creators as possible and from as many different backgrounds/experiences/cultures as possible. Seek out things you don't know a lot about. Venture into new territory and always try to expand your horizons. This includes engaging with media you would never drift towards naturally, even towards things you don't expect to enjoy (which isn't to say read things that will disturb you or be dangerous for your mental health, more that you should try reading things you know you won't love or that fall way outside your genre comfort zone). You can learn a lot about writing from things you don't like or aren't blown away by. I imagine it like XP farming in a video game. Even if some of what you're doing/reading isn't particularly exciting or interesting, it'll level up your writing skill all the same. You may come away with a better understanding of what you don't like and don't want to do. You may come away with some new idea you wouldn't have thought to include in your normal body of work. You may discover a love for something you never expected. Who knows?

This advice applies to more than books—watch shows or movies, play games, listen to podcasts or free YouTube lectures/video essays, whatever you want. Just try to reflect critically on what you encounter (for example, "how can I incorporate (or avoid) ___ in my own writing?").

If you want any recommendations, I'm more than happy to give some. If you want me to clarify any of these points, just let me know. And since it may interest someone/provide a point of reference as to what stuff I'm reading, here's an incomplete, visual (and hopefully somewhat helpful or interesting) snapshot into some of the media I'm engaged with. I present to you...

All the Items I Currently Have Checked Out from the Library:

(A Cautionary Tale)

Currently Reading:

Hainish Novels & Stories, Volume One by Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert's Dune the Graphic Novel, Book One by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín), Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, American Gods (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton, The October Country by Ray Bradbury, The Books of Earthsea, The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin (illustrated by Charles Vess)

Just Read In or Found Through My Current Courses:

Nat Turner (graphic novel) by Kyle Baker, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn (play adaptation of the novel), Bad Indians by Deborah A. Miranda

Fun Stuff/Miscellaneous:

How to Slay a Dragon by Cait Stevenson, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019), Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker, Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD, 100 Prompts for Science Fiction Writers by Leslie and Jarod Anderson

Writing Books:

How to Write a Mystery edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King, On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller by James N. Frey, Writing Fantasy & Science-Fiction by Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athans, and Jay Lake, The Art of Time in Fiction by Joan Silber, Writing Without Rules by Jeff Somers, Fabulous Monsters by Alberto Manguel, The Art of Description in Fiction by Mark Doty, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing by Zachary Petit, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Nancy Kress, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot by Jane K. Cleland, 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Cooking/Food Books:

Pure Vegan by Joseph Schuldiner, The Soup Book (new edition), Neuroenology by Gordon M. Shepherd, The Italian Vegetable Cookbook by Michele Scicolone, Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm with Christine Muhlke, Cook Korean! by Robin Ha (graphic novel)

Coding Books:

Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours (7th Edition) by Phil Ballard, CSS: The Definitive Guide (4th Edition) by Eric A. Meyer & Estelle Weyl, CSS: The Missing Manual (4th Edition) by David Sawyer McFarland, Learning JavaScript (3rd Edition) by Ethan Brown

#36 books and 1 video game #(this is what working at a library does to you I guess) #on writing #resources #recs #queued #albie's corner

[agentxthirteen]

On this day (September 21, late) in Sharon Carter history, Sharon appeared in:

Captain America V6 #3 (2012)

Captain America V6 #3 [Variant A] (2012)

Captain America V6 #3 [Variant B] (2012)

Captain America Epic Collection: The Coming of... the Falcon TPB (Reprint Tales of Suspense #97-#99, Captain America #100-#104, #107-#109, #112-#116, #119) (2016)

#sharon carter #agent 13 #steve rogers #captain america #ed brubaker #steve mcniven #helmut zemo #baron zemo

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Mythos: Captain America (2008) #1

This one-shot was published in June 2008, according to the Marvel Wiki. It was written by Paul Jenkins and painted by Paolo Rivera.

There was a lot that I liked in this story. Steve says, when describing his upbringing, “I got sick a lot. And it often seemed like there was no running away from that place except in the pages of a fantasy novel.” There’s a scene where his ill mother told him to eat his soup with carrots in it because carrots are good for your memory and he complained, “Why would I want to remember this? I’d just as soon forget.” This was surprising to me because there’s so much emphasis on memory with Steve’s character because he’s a man in the wrong time. Steve’s mother told him, “I want you to remember. Always be proud of who you are and where you came from. Never forget the people who helped you get to where you’re going.” That ended up being their last conversation before she died.

I also appreciated the new-to-me detail about Steve’s journey in his first year in Captain America, where the switch from being Captain America to pretending to be a lowly private at Camp Lehigh was difficult for him. Steve describes becoming an “icon” and a “symbol,” then says, “And so, with the weight of a nation’s altruistic rebirth hanging over my head… they shipped me off to basic training at Camp Lehigh in Virginia.” There’s a scene of him going through training and being called “worthless,” “useless,” “brainless,” and “gutless.” There’s a disconnect for Steve, being in the regiment he’d originally wanted to be in, but having to maintain a ruse and only do safe and simple jobs apart from the group and only truly work when he’d sneak off and be Captain America. Steve says, “Part of me yearned for the normalcy of the barracks, the camaraderie. But the truth could never be known.” This leads directly into the scene of Bucky stumbling into discovering Steve’s secret identity and becoming Captain America’s partner, providing a new angle for the significance of that relationship for Steve.

This story also provided the first good explanation I’ve seen for why Bucky would have entered Steve’s tent in the middle of the night; he was coming to tell Steve that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and the U.S. would now be joining WWII.

I also liked the repetition of the question asked after Steve was enhanced by the super soldier serum- “I was put through the most rigorous training imaginable in order to answer the most obvious question: What had I become?”-after Steve woke up from the ice, “I asked myself an old question: What had I become?”

What this story did really well was emphasize how much Steve cared for and mourned all of the ordinary soldiers he fought beside. At one point he says, “In battle, one learns a certain kind of calm as an alternative to the fear that dominates every moment. I could never find that elusive calm. It hurt too much to watch my brothers ripped apart by fire from a 10mm cannon, or shrapnel. The boys didn’t have the benefit of super-soldier serum to help them dodge a bullet.” At another he reflects on watching a “flood of troops” and says, “These were our own boys, come to right grave injustice far from home. I never felt so proud to be an American as I did at that moment.” Steve claims that, “The real heroes were the boys I once knew who feared for their lives, yet fought for freedom anyway.” This includes, “Micky Smith: Stayed on the beaches of Normandy, forever twenty-three.” In his ending monologue Steve says, “I’m Captain America, and I will be here long after the others are dead and gone. But as long as I live, I will never forget. […] We were boys once. We were young and stupid.” And the final words of the story are Steve visiting one last remaining, now elderly, soldier that he knew and saying, “God, Dougie… I miss those boys.”

the Captain America stories in Tales of Suspense (1959) #96-99 and Captain America (1968) #100

In this batch of stories and issue I went from August 1967 to January 1968, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby. The stories in Tales of Suspense #96-98 were inked by Joe Sinnott. The story in Tales of Suspense #99 and Captain America #100 were inked by Syd Shores. The story in Tales of Suspense #96 was 10 pages, the rest were 11 pages, and the Captain America issue was 20 pages since starting there Steve is no longer splitting a book with Iron Man.

In the preceding story, in Tales of Suspense #95, Steve quit being Captain America and also publicly revealed his secret identity, citing frustration with obligation to duty after Sharon Carter turned down his proposal because her work obligations were too important for her to get married. By the end of the story in Tales of Suspense #96 Steve has decided to become Captain America again, which was frustrating to me because I was genuinely interested in seeing him attempt to flesh out Steve Rogers, his personal life having long been neglected. As it is, the quick turnaround in mentality with the irrevocable consequence of no longer having a secret identity gives the impression of a kind of episode to me, as did Steve’s excitement to propose to a woman he didn’t know the name of in the previous story.

In the story in Tales of Suspense #97 Steve is being targeted by villains and he thinks, “It seems that I’ll never be truly safe! Never able to let my guard down for an instant! But, it’s the price I must pay for being- Captain America! A price I’ll never stop paying- for as long as I live!” It’s suggested to him that he get out of the city for while but he declines, partially because Sharon might call him because she needs his help.

In the story in Tales of Suspense #98 Steve thinks, “How many years has it been- since I’ve had a home? And, how many years will it be- before I can call any place ‘home’- before I too can find a life- and a love- of my own?”

In the story in Tales of Suspense #99 Steve must fight against Zemo’s old pilot, who is pretending to be Zemo, mysteriously still alive. One of his henchmen says, “Zemo was right! He said the very sight of him would shock the shield-carrying American into total helplessness!” But Steve declares, “I won’t die in vain- not while you remain alive!” Part of his motivation is that, “It was you who killed my partner, Bucky.” But Steve realizes that he’s not really Zemo in Captain America #100, and then his henchmen, who were also duped, turn on him.

Captain America #100 also contained a retelling of Steve’s backstory of being woken up in the future in The Avengers (1963) #4, which was standard practice for the first issue of these self-titled Marvel books launched in 1968.

In the story in Tales of Suspense #97 Sharon had wanted Steve to join her for a mission. At this point they hadn’t interacted since she turned down his marriage proposal. She thinks, “Now I must think of nothing- except my mission! Although, it would have been so wonderful, if only- No! I can’t- mustn’t keep wishing- and dreaming like this!” Still she concludes, “If only I could tell him- if only he could know- whatever may happen- whatever my fate- my last thoughts were of- Captain America- the only man I’ve ever loved!”

I appreciated that in Captain America #100 Dum Dum Dugan says, of the mission success, “It figgers!- Agent Thirteen wuz on the job!” And that when he acknowledges that it was ‘touch and go’ at points, Nick Fury responds, “Yeah- But that little gal ain’t never let us down yet!”

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #280

This issue was published in November 1982, according to the Marvel Wiki. It was written by Bill Mantlo, penciled by Sal Buscema, and inked by Andy Mushynsky.

DC Comics:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #6-10

These issues were published across March 1990 to July 1990, according to the Grand Comics Database. All were written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Klaus Janson. This was the “Gothic: A Romance” storyline.

The previous storyline mostly took place 6 months after Bruce became Batman, with some scenes before that. It seems that the format of this book is continuing in chronological order, with each subsequent story having Bruce a bit further in his career. In that story the Batcave was just beginning to be created, but in this one it is much larger and has a lot more equipment in it.

A recurring detail that I liked in this storyline was Bruce forgoing food to work as Batman. In issue #6 Alfred brings Bruce food while he’s brooding in his home and Bruce says, “No thank you, Alfred. I won’t have anything tonight. I’m going out.” In issue #8 he tells Alfred, as he leaves the Batcave in costume, “And Alfred, cancel the pecking duck I ordered for this evening. I won’t be home for dinner.” There’s also a scene in issue #9 where that Bruce, in his Batman costume, is eating the food Alfred brought him as they discuss the main mystery is very prominent, with close-ups emphasizing it.

I also enjoyed the ominous tone of the scene in issue #6 where criminals summon Batman with the first Bat-Signal to ask for his help. Bruce’s anger that they would summon him and the dramatic way he spoke, his usual way of speaking to criminals, was reminiscent of a mystical demon-summoning gone wrong.

And speaking of that he’s normally very dramatic when talking to criminals, like he’s reading from a prepared script, I enjoyed the writing of Bruce’s characterization as Batman in these issues, the times which he slipped into a more casual manner of speaking, which worked well because they weren’t the norm.

I also liked the addition to Bruce’s backstory that as a child he was briefly sent to a boarding school with an unhealthy environment- he described in issue #7 that, “It was traditional to live in fear of bullying prefects. It was traditional to be beaten and humiliated and to fight off the advances of degenerate old teachers with doctorate degrees.”- and that one of the teachers there was a serial killer of children that was planning to kill Bruce next until Thomas Wayne intervened. In issue #9 Bruce remembers his father arriving “like a knight in armor” after he called his dad for help, and describes him as pale-faced after speaking to the teacher. In the present the serial killer tells Bruce, “Your father suspected. He knew that I’d killed those children. He saw through me as though I were made of glass. He would have exposed me if blind fate hadn’t intervened.” I think it’s a compelling incident for Bruce to have had in his childhood, and I like the problems of Gotham being portrayed as going that far back. Though I don’t like that this is so immediately tied to Bruce’s parents’ death, with the night Bruce returns home from boarding school being the same night they go out to that ill-fated movie showing, in the same way I don’t like it when flashback WWII Captain America stories are said to take place right before his final mission when he got frozen in ice. Also, this reminded me of the story “Flesh Made World” from Let Them Live!: Tales from the DC Vault (2021) #3, written by Scott Bryan Wilson and drawn by John Paul Leon, where it’s revealed that a bookbinder at a library that was significant to Bruce in his youth was killing people and using their skin to bind books. That story, in which Bruce is very confused because he’s been drugged, also had a very ‘magical realism’ feel to it to me.

And regarding this “gothic” storyline’s magical feel, Bruce’s discussions of the evidence he has throughout this book have a very fated feeling to them. In issue #9 Bruce cites that cathedral architectural design functions as a “transmitter, aimed towards god” and suggests that, “If architecture could be used to focus and direct spiritual power, then… then… Could it also be used for evil?” To me this would be an unhinged leap of logic if it didn’t turn out to be completely correct; the villain explains later in issue #9 that “I measured my shadow with this magic cord and by that act trapped by soul within the twine,” and is planning to commit mass murder in the cathedral and offer the souls to the devil in order to save his own soul. In issue #8 Bruce accidentally plays a tape of his father and gets pointed in a direction for his current case from it, which he justifies as, “If I can’t trust my father, who can I trust?” Then in issue #9 he says, “My father knew something. That’s why I’ve been dreaming about him.” This, of course, is also actually true.

In issue #10 Bruce is sent in the mail, presumably by the devil himself, the heart of the serial killer. When Alfred sees this he asks, “Shall I alert the tin-man, sir?” referencing the character who was in search of a heart in The Wizard of Oz.

I noted before that I liked the ending of preceding storyline, where at the beginning Bruce had been nonplussed by the accidental death of a killer he’d been tracking; but that at the end when they reunite and fight again and the man is accidentally fatally wounded, Bruce is kind to him in his final moments and says, “Rest in peace.” At the end of this story Bruce takes the heart of the long-lived killer to the lake where it’s said one of his first victims still roams, “searchingly endlessly for her tormentor,” and throws it in to her, saying, “You’re free. Go in peace.”

I also really liked how the final words of this story were, repeating from the abbot’s telling of a legend to Bruce in issue #7, “But these are only stories,” which feels applicable to the entire storyline and the character. The line is the abbot reminding Batman that the tale is merely superstition, but clearly he and Bruce felt strongly about it.

Flashpoint (2011) #1-5

These issues were published across May 2011 to August 2011, according to the DC Wiki. All were written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Andy Kubert. Issues #1-3 were inked by Sandra Hope, issue #4 was inked by Jesse Delperdang, and issue #5 was inked by Sandra Hope and Jesse Delperdang.

This was my first time reading this book; I read Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance (2011) #1-3 a while ago. Also with that character I’ve read all but the last couple of issues of Tom King’s Batman (2016) run, Infinite Frontier (2021) #0-6, and Justice League Incarnate (2022) #1-5. I think the main thing left with this character for me is Flashpoint Beyond (2022) #0-6.

This book worked really well for me. I went into it already liking Flashpoint Thomas Wayne’s character concept, but Barry Allen’s journey was also well done. I already knew the twist coming up, but I thought a good job was done of building up to it without being too obvious. I liked Barry’s conflict of wanting his original, less doomed world back, while also feeling guilty about erasing the one he was currently in with the versions of the people living in it. I already knew about Thomas’ lack of attachment to his life and to his world; it was interesting to see it in action at this critical time. Despite that everything blew up at the end, this world wasn’t that dystopic to me in its status quo, in comparison to something like All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder (2005), but I think it worked better that, despite the flaws, there were likable people in this world. I liked the ultimately personal stakes, where Thomas was pushing Barry primarily because he wanted his son to live. Thomas telling Barry that he was sorry about his mother and Barry and Bruce’s shared grief at the end got to me. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of the Shazam kids, who had more of a presence in the book than I expected. I wish the portrayal of them in the actual New 52 reboot had been more like this.

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #88 and Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #75 and The Marvel Family (1945) #14

In this batch of 7 stories I read the Captain Marvel appearances published in August 1947, according to the issue cover dates. The stories ranged from 7 to 11 pages.

The story “The Marvel Family in Captain Marvel- Invalid” (written by Bill Woolfolk; drawn by Pete Constanza) in The Marvel Family #14 has a very cute premise where Captain Marvel is diagnosed as having high blood pressure and needing to avoid any kind of excitement, lest he die, and Junior and Mary Marvel keep this a secret from him and try to discourage him from using his powers and handle crimes for him, making Captain Marvel and Billy Batson think that they’re jealous of Captain Marvel. At the beginning of the story Junior and Mary Marvel arrive after Captain Marvel has taken down a criminal gang, and Junior says, “There’s never much real work for us to do while you’re around!” And Mary Marvel agrees, “I’ll say!” After hearing of his diagnosis, Junior tells the doctor, “Please don’t tell Captain Marvel!” And Mary Marvel says, “The shock might kill him! We’ll make sure he gets the best of attention!” Later when the group sees a child endangered Mary Marvel holds Captain Marvel back and tells him, “It’s time you let us do something,” while Junior saves the little girl. Later Billy passively aggressively says on his radio show, “And in closing, folks, I’d like to add a word about jealousy! It never pays to be jealous of anyone!” The next time Captain Marvel tries to go out and fight crime, Mary Marvel goes out in his stead and Junior is tasked with keeping him calm and occupied. When Captain Marvel does finally fight, the kids panic, delineating their tasks so that Mary Marvel finishes up the crime-fighting while Junior forcibly carries Captain Marvel to the doctor. When it’s said Captain Marvel will need a blood transfusion, Junior quickly agrees to help, though Mary Marvel arrives in time to protest, “No! Take me!” Of course, in the end it’s determined that Captain Marvel’s blood pressure issue was a misdiagnosis.

The story “Captain Marvel and the Yeast Menace” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #75 had a unique closing message. In the story a yeast experiment goes awry, causing the city to be threatened to be overtaken by an ever-growing yeast, until it’s revealed that it’s actually mitigated by water. Then the president of the ACME Chemical Corporation arrives, offering to buy the formula for this miraculous yeast, knowing that they can prevent it from getting out of control with water. And Billy says of this, “Many of our scientific discoveries only seem to be a menace until they are used for peaceful purposes!”

Ahoy Comics:

The Wrong Earth (2018) #1-6

These issues were published across September 2018 to February 2019, according to the League of Comic Geeks. The main stories were all written by Tom Peyer, penciled by Jamal Igle, and inked by Juan Castro. Issues #1-3 also had 5-page back-up stories about Earth-Alpha Stinger, styled like Golden Age comics, written by Paul Constant and drawn by Tom Feister. And issues #4-6 had 7-page back-up stories about Earth-Omega Dragonfly, styled like edgy modern comics, written by Paul Constant and drawn by Erskine. Note that I wrote those before reading The Wrong Earth: Night & Day (2021), so this is reflective of my thoughts just after reading this book.

I read this book years ago and remembered the gist of it and some specific parts but not everything; I think it worked even better for me with the added context of the prequel book Dragonfly & Dragonflyman (2019) #0-5. To a lesser extent the Earth-Alpha parts of that book, I think that world is simple enough that we understand it from what we see of it in this book, other than that for me the status quo of their ordinary times raises the question of how Earth-Omega Dragonfly will continue to function in that world. But the dynamic depicted there between Earth-Omega Dragonfly and his original Stinger adds a lot to his grief and his dynamic with Earth-Alpha Stinger here.

In Dragonfly & Dragonflyman Richard isn’t aware of what’s going on in Chip’s mind until it’s too late and their relationship is irrevocably damaged and Chip is moving out. Richard does speak harshly to Chip, but even when he doesn’t mean to hurt Chip’s feelings Chip is hurt anyway. Chip is clearly unwell and needs help that he’s not getting. In issue #5 when Richard walks in on what he thinks is Chip attempting suicide (Chip was actually removing a tracking device Richard secretly implanted in him so that he could move out and not be followed) he responds with anger and exclaims, “I can’t handle this. You need treatment. I’m not qualified to deal with-” This, and every other time he talks to Chip, is a far cry from how he talks in issue #6 of this book to Earth-Alpha Stinger- who had exclaimed in the previous issue “I wish I were dead!”- when he speaks negatively about himself, calmly and compassionately telling him, “You haven’t done anything wrong. Now I know you’ve been through a lot, but it’s time to pull yourself together, like the warrior we both know you are. This was always going to be a rough ride, kid. You’re going to feel some bad emotions. Give them the power and they’ll change you into someone else. Someone you never wanted to be.”

In Dragonfly & Dragonflyman Richard has the realization too late that, as he explains to Chip in issue #5, “This life. All this anger, all the ways I take it out on you. Because you’re there. Because I can.” I had said in my round-up notes for that book that ideally, while not stopping Chip from moving out, Richard should have tried to stay in contact with Chip and purposely worked towards being able to interact with him in a less aggressive and demeaning way, but I think all he did to process his feelings was torture Devil-Man to death. I’m still leaning towards that what happened is that Chip did eventually return to Richard and that their relationship continued to be unhealthy and Chip committed suicide rather than run away again. I don’t think that Richard’s remarkably different demeanor in this book is something he developed after Chip ran away, or even after Chip committed suicide, I think it’s specific to that he’s getting a second chance in a new, brighter world with Earth-Alpha Stinger. It’s referenced that he’s changed since his sidekick died, but I think that was just him becoming even more aggressive and brutal towards villains.

I really want to read a book that takes place inbetween this book and the prequel. Or maybe more information about that time period will come out when Earth-Alpha Stinger finally learns that his “Dragonflyman” is actually now Earth-Omega Dragonfly. I did get more context on the formation of Richard and Chip’s relationship: in issue #2 Richard asks Earth-Alpha Stinger about how he started fighting crime and Stinger answers, “My parents were evil criminals, just like yours. You took me in after you brought them to justice,” which is presumably a parallel to what happened in Earth-Omega. Chip had said in issue #0 of Dragonfly & Dragonflyman, “I’m here to save lives and beat up fascists!”

I also thought that the Earth-Omega back-ups in issues #4-6 added a lot for Richard’s characterization. In the one in issue #4 he tries to rescue teenagers who have run away from home, having been enthralled by a villain, and tells them, “Kids, your parents are worried about you. Let’s take you home.” In the one in issue #5 he expresses hopelessness about his world, then in the one in issue #6 he declares, “My hope isn’t for humanity. […] But every day I wake up with hope… The hope that I’ll have a face to punch, scum to stomp.”

I’m talking a lot about Earth-Omega Richard and Chip because that’s the relationship I’m most emotionally invested in, but I actually really enjoy the depiction of Earth-Alpha in this book. For example, Deuce! I liked her taking over Number One’s criminal gang. I enjoyed that she was the one working to get Earth-Omega’s Number One out of her world while Dragonfly wasn’t making any progress on that, and I liked that she was always able to physically overpower Earth-Omega Number One. I loved her looking after Stinger! I’m assuming that she’ll continue to be a relevant character moving forward, since she’s in the unique position of knowing that Dragonflyman is actually Earth-Omega’s Dragonfly, though maybe she’ll just be taking her bribe money and getting out of town. I also liked that, while she was kind of into Dragonflyman and was willing to blackmail Dragonfly, when Dragonfly asks her out in issue #6 she’s clearly weirded out and uninterested because from her perspective he’s a dangerous and violent man from another world with different rules. And I appreciate Earth-Alpha villains going after Dragonfly in issue #4 after they realize they need to “murder Dragonflyman- before Dragonflyman murders us!”

And the concept behind Dragonfly and Earth-Alpha Stinger’s relationship is so appealing to me. The fact that Stinger is such a sweet kid and he has no idea that his guardian is secretly a different man that is willing to kill people behind his back in order to protect him. Speaking of that, I don’t think Chef Escargot’s mallet would have actually killed Stinger in issue #6; I think it’s similar to the scene in Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #5 where Lady Eve protested hitting Chip with a car as too violent but really he was fine because he simply rolled with the movement as Dragonflyman had taught him. And that in Dragonfly’s mind Earth-Alpha and it’s light-hearted alternate version of him is absurd and stupid, but he enjoys the popularity and the ease with which he can operate that, especially since he’d given up on being able to fix his world. It will be interesting to see going forward if Dragonfly and Dragonflyman will be able to make any lasting broader change in the new worlds they’re in. I’m also curious if we will ever see scenes of either set of superhero and sidekick in their civilian lives, which has been largely ignored in both this book and the prequel.

The Wrong Earth: Night & Day (2021) #1-6

These issues were published across January 2021 to August 2021, according to the League of Comic Geeks. All were written by Tom Peyer, penciled by Jamal Igle, and inked by Juan Castro, except that Russ Braun drew an 8-page scene in issue #3 and Peter Krause drew the 8-page epilogue in issue #6.

At the beginning of the book, when Dragonflyman comes across to Dragonfly as indifferent about Stinger, I was thinking that maybe Dragonflyman was thinking about the world of Earth-Omega and how it influenced Stinger-Two and now had an emotional disconnect with Earth-Alpha Stinger, who hadn’t ever had to experience anything like that.

I do think that Dragonflyman and Stinger-Two have a more mature relationship from the fact that Dragonflyman doesn’t need to protect him from any knowledge that isn’t appropriate for his age or would be emotionally difficult for him, because growing up in the world that he did means that he’s already been exposed to a lot of horrible stuff, so they can talk freely on equal terms despite their different philosophies. I think the scene in The Wrong Earth (2018) #5 where Dragonflyman talks about how horrible he’s felt since being in that horrible world and Stinger-Two says he can relate to those feelings is really significant. I also personally really enjoy the sort of role-reversal where Stinger-Two thinks of Dragonflyman, while a “great man,” as “like a child” because of his beliefs and mannerisms.

And I found it really striking how in The Wrong Earth (2018) the mentality was that the people from Earth-Omega needed to be removed from Earth-Alpha because they were dangerous, but in this book Dragonflyman wants to bring Stinger-Two there, even though Stinger-Two still doesn’t follow Dragonflyman’s moral code, because he wants to give Stinger-Two a better life. And while Dragonflyman and Stinger-Two still have a good relationship after a year of him killing people, Dragonflyman can’t tolerate Dragonfly killing bad guys for a moment. I am looking forward to seeing how Dragonflyman’s two kids get along in the upcoming book and in particular how Dragonflyman handles that; I don’t think he’s really had real experience managing young people being difficult. Also, I don’t expect that Stinger-Two will feel positively towards Dragonfly.

I was disappointed in the ultimate handling of Stinger learning that Dragonfly had tricked him about Dragonflyman being trapped in Earth-Omega. I think the build-up of Dragonfly and Dragonflyman being worried about how to tell him was done well, but then when he is told I don’t think his reaction was that strong. I think it should have sparked a similar intense reaction as the original revelation did, feeling guilty over Dragonflyman having been stuck in another earth for a year, and also feeling stupid that he was tricked. I think the reason Stinger took blaming himself so strongly and immediately was suicidal the first time he realized it is because his life has been too perfect on Earth-Alpha and he doesn’t know how to handle legitimately bad things happening and bad emotions, which wouldn’t have been resolved in the one-year timeskip between books, despite Dragonfly talking to him a bit about bad feelings. On an adjacent note, while I’m sympathetic to Dragonflyman’s worry that Stinger was dead, just putting off talking about him to avoid hearing about what had happened to Stinger during his year away wasn’t very mature of him.

I noted before that Deuce was weirded out when Dragonfly asked her out at the end of The Wrong Earth (2018). Their relationship developed a lot over the year inbetween the books, the end portrayal of that here charmed and intrigued me. I made a post about how Deuce, now also known as Lady Dragonflyman, was bypassing the standard rules of her world, which was probably necessary for Dragonfly to be able to form a real relationship with her. Notably, Dragonfly doesn’t seem to have killed anyone in Earth-Alpha since Chef Escargot but is still being more violent with criminals than the real Dragonflyman would be. Stinger is ok with this because he’s oblivious to it, but it’s not clear to me where Deuce stands; she knew that Dragonfly killed Triviac and I think it’s unlikely she believed him that he didn’t kill Chef Escargot.

Deuce and Dragonfly are clearly intimate with each other. I enjoyed the moment in issue #1 of this book where he leans towards her with his hands behind his back and she playfully keeps him an armswidth away. Dragonfly says in issue #2 that he expected Dragonflyman to be “smug, sanctimonious,” but in issue #1 he tells Deuce that possibly “you can have the real thing again, instead of a poor substitute,” and he tells Dragonflyman in issue #6 “You’ll like her. I know she’ll like you.” Deuce, meanwhile, clearly doesn’t actually feel about this situation the way Dragonfly thinks she does and was sad about the possibility of him leaving forever. I also enjoyed Deuce’s continued care for Stinger (though she may have been, in his eyes, a wedge into his simpler relationship with Dragonflyman that he preferred).

#comics read this past week #my posts

[a-bucky-a-day]

| TALES OF SUSPENSE: HAWKEYE AND THE WINTER SOLDIER- RED LEDGER (2017) #100

By Matthew Rosenberg and Travel Foreman

#bucky comics #bucky barnes 616 #comic panels #marvel comics #bucky barnes #winter soldier 616 #616 winter soldier #bucky #hawkeye and winter soldier #travel foreman #matthew rosenberg #tales of suspense 2017

[eunjikimstuff]

Twisted Series Ana Huang All Books Set

💳 You can purchase this item by clicking on the Amazon link below.

In "The Twisted Series" dive, you must dare, 📚 With each turn of the page, prepare to be ensnared! 🔄 Ana Huang's craft, a storytelling delight, ✨ Romance, suspense, and mystery take flight! 🕵️‍♀️ Characters intricate, their tales intertwine, 🌟 Buy the series now, it's truly divine! 💫 Once you start, you'll find it hard to part, 📖 In "The Twisted Series", let the adventure start! 🎉

----------

"The Twisted Series" is a collection of gripping novels that combines elements of romance, suspense, and mystery to deliver an unforgettable reading experience. With masterful storytelling and intricate character development, Ana Huang weaves a web of intrigue that will leave readers craving for more.

This set includes the following titles: Twisted Love Twisted Games Twisted Hate Twisted Lies

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C66NN8HG

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Generic (September 27, 2022)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1872 pages

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.16 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #20,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

#ana huang #books #twisted series #reading #shopping #amazon

[kaisooficrec]

Nini Planet Round 18 (Blessed Beings)

The monthly Bottom Jongin fest is back with their 18th round and this time their theme is: Gods and Goddesses.

Now was not our time

Genre: Gods AU, Betrayal, Angst, Amnesia

Rating: R

Length: 2,993 w

Summary: Jongin is kicked out of heaven and carves out a heaven on the mortal plane. His heaven is turned into hell when his mortal lover betrays him. Jongin is given a chance to return to his divine home if he sacrifices his mortal lover, to gain back the favour of his father, the King of the gods.

Need your fire against my skin

Genre: Arranged Marriage, Unrequited Love, Infidelity

Rating: R

Length: 2,998 w

Summary: When the god of love falls in love at his wedding it was with someone other than his betrothed. Years later Jongin gets brave and approaches the person that he craves for, he gets rejected and decides to give up on love for himself.

A Tale of Love

Genre: God Jongin, Librarian Kyungsoo, Fantasy AU, AroAce Kyungsoo, Strangers to Friends to Lovers

Rating: R

Length: 2,391 w

Summary: When the God of Love gets a bad reputation for looking for love in all the wrong places, he finds his true love where he least expects it.

Blinded By Your Love

Genre: Strangers to Lovers, Disability, Love at first sight

Rating: PG-13

Length: 2,967 w

Summary: Despite being constantly surrounded by darkness, the Sun was always there to shine on him.

Jongin is the Sun and Kyungsoo is his Moon.

The God of Decay Hates Parties

Genre: Action/Adventure, Romance, Fluff

Rating: PG-13

Length: 3,000 w

Summary: After 100 years of isolation, there's nothing like the most vicious competition in all of the universe to get his crush to notice him.

The God of Life Loves Winning

Genre: Action/Adventure, Romance, Fluff

Rating: PG-13

Length: 3,000 w

Summary: Second part of The God of Decay Hates Parties

Fucked Up at Eighteen

Genre: Angst, Arranged Marriage, Suspense, Thriller

Rating: PG

Length: 2,987 w

Summary: A bored Jongin stares out of the window, and waves at little birds. A figure watches him from a distance, and disappears only when Jongin catches sight of him. When he asks his mother about it, she answer, her tone strangely rueful, that he has been touched.

Silver River

Genre: Chinese Mythology, Fantasy, Artwork

Rating: PG

Length: 115 w

Summary: This is a bittersweet tale of a cowherd who fell in love with a heavenly son.

+ Another artwork that was posted on twitter. Make sure to give it a lot of love!

#kaisoo #kadi #dika #nini planet #genre:gods au #genre:angst #genre:arranged marriage #genre:unrequited love #genre:action #genre:adventure #genre:romance #genre:fluff #genre:suspense #genre:thriller #genre:mythology #genre:fantasy #Fanart #length:under5k

[screenspirit]

55 years of George A. Romero’s political horror masterpiece Night of the Living Dead

Starring Duane Jones and Judith O’Dea in one of horror’s most acclaimed scripts, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, released 55 years ago as the filmmaker’s first feature-length film, still holds up as a chilling, entertaining grizzly and layered zombie horror classic. Co-written between the director and famed screenwriter John Russo, Night of the Living Dead focuses on a town’s desperate attempts at survival after a never ending sea of Undead ghouls rise from their graves due to radiation brutish attack. The townsfolk don’t know why the dead are leaving their graves or if or when they’ll go back. All they know is the ghouls want to feast on their flesh and bites can transfer the ghoulish state.

Romero’s work is credited as the first modern onscreen depiction of the now cliched zombie trope even though the film never directly refers to the creatures as that once. Additionally, the classic script drew minor influences from Richard Matheson’s 1954 prose I am Legend in its depiction of a nightmarish disease infecting and decaying a civilised society that was also influential in the zombie apocalypse style. “I thought I Am Legend was about revolution. I said if you’re going to do something about revolution, you should start at the beginning. I mean, Richard starts his book with one man left; everybody in the world has become a vampire,” Romero told Cinema Blend in 2008. “I said we got to start at the beginning and tweak it up a little bit. I couldn’t use vampires because he did, so I wanted something that would be an earth-shaking change.”

He added: “Something that was forever, something that was really at the heart of it. I said, So what if the dead stop staying dead? … And the stories are about how people respond or fail to respond to this. That’s really all [the zombies] ever represented to me. In Richard’s book, in the original I Am Legend, that’s what I thought that book was about. There’s this global change and there’s one guy holding out saying, wait a minute, I’m still a human. He’s wrong. Go ahead. Join them. You’ll live forever! In a certain sense he’s wrong but on the other hand, you’ve got to respect him for taking that position”

Romero’s interpretation of a growing story was made under a budget of $114,000 and was able to gross a total of $30,236,452 worldwide through word of mouth broadcasting its blend of suffocating suspense and stomach-churning carnage. Night of the Living Dead persevered against initial controversy and negative reviews that focused heavily on its explicit violence and gore, refusing to see its artistic and contextual potential, to earn a cult following who did recognise these underlying properties and become one of horror’s greatest and most influential. Romero’s work has also established a prosperous franchise, comprising five sequels that were released between 1978 and 2009, all of which were directed by Romero and an authorised 1990 remake of the original alongside numerous unofficial re-tellings due to the work’s public domain.

Night of the Living Dead utilised its stark black-and-white cinematography, attentive mise-en-scene suspenseful narrative and engaging performances to create a milestone in horror filmmaking. Furthermore, Romero’s direction, despite seemingly working on a gory tale of people being eaten alive, actually commented on the social and cultural developments that were taking the 1960's by storm and this is reflected in the concept of people being hunted by cannibalistic ghouls. The Undead reflect the new generation flourishing with progress and openness and the victims are the older who are restricted by tradition. During Bravo’s 2004 miniseries 100 Scariest Movie Moments, Romero instructed viewers to think of the ghouls as the “new generation devouring the old” in a symbolic sense of cleansing the past with merciless force to seek out something extremely new and different. This coded meaning is evident in the terrifying “feast” sequence which sees the ghouls devour the flesh and organs of one of the character’s charred corpses in a car. Romero’s camera focuses on wide shots to capture the group of ghouls approaching the car and tearing the body apart, before tightening into close-ups of individual ghouls feasting on body parts to accentuate the gruesome horror. This is the exact gore that shocked audiences in 1968 and it’s understandable, given the blunt presentations of internal organs being pulled out of a dead body to be eaten on the spot. However, this carnage can easily be interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict between ideology in generations and the disastrous aftermaths of nuclear action as radiation is the cause for this blood bath.

Night of the Living Dead earned historic status in casting a black male, Jones’s Ben, as his courageous and resourceful protagonist, something nearly unheard of by ’60s standards and further illustrates the feature’s concepts of and push for change. Ben is a true horror hero; headstrong, observant, ambitious and willing to fight till the end. Such a presentation of a black character was considered controversial by 1968’s standards due to bigotry and the film was subsequently linked to the Civil Rights movement. Romero told Bravo that the night he finished filming the project and began driving down to producers, he heard on the radio news that activist Martin Luther King Jnr had been assassinated, a chilling echo of Ben’s unfortunate demise in the film’s conclusion at the hands of rednecks who mistake him for a ghoul. Writing for CineAction in 2018, writer Mark Lager commented that the “connection between Ben’s demise and the racial violence besetting the Civil Rights Movement was all too clear. Night of the Living Dead (a low-budget horror film) had dissected American society in the 1960s more truthfully and unapologetically than any mainstream Hollywood movie.” However, the director was persistent that he did not consider race when casting his protagonist or any of his characters. Instead, he simply cast the actor who impressed him the most during auditions.

A bleak and nihilistic picture that still manages to garner entertainment for horror lovers, Night of the Living Dead is one of the touchstones in the social thriller, something now explored by modern filmmakers such as Jordan Peele. It’s a timeless and unforgettable piece that has allowed several original areas of the genre to take flight.

#night of the living dead #horror #horror movies #george a romero #zombies #halloween #spooky season #film critic #film criticism #film analysis #film essay #Youtube

[billconrad]

How’s That Book Marketing Going?

    My book marketing effort has been a dismal failure thus far. The present plan is to write more books and beg for reviews, and when I have 100, I will use Amazon’s paid promotion services. I know this awful plan does not involve social media or professional advertisements.

    What was my initial plan? I expected Amazon, Kubo, Barns, and Nobel to promote new authors with gusto. It is in their best interest to turn them into best sellers. Yeah… That is lottery ticket grade, wishful thinking.

    What else did I expect? Honestly, I hoped to find a magic lamp. Many marketing experts can promote something simple, like a book. All an author needs to do is go to website X, pay $50, and BAM! The experts take care of everything. Instant book sales! Woo-hoo! Money in the bank! More wishful thinking.

    The problem is that if someone has money, others will take it. Why should book promotion be any different? I located many marketing sites that promised success for pennies. Unfortunately, the services they offered were laughable. Even worse, they blast people with spam, which angers them. Plus, these sites offered no metric of success and no guarantees—the textbook definition of wasted money.

    Every self-published author faces the same marketing wall. There are millions of old and thousands of new books, with one hundred coming out daily. This vast array of solid titles competes for the reader’s attention. Remember that readers also like eating, social media, television, sports, movies, exercise, work, family, travel, and other costly activities. Somehow, a self-published author must break through that entire spectrum to convince a reader they should click “buy it now.”

    For example, a reader could purchase The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy (an excellent read) or Interviewing Immortality (An astounding book. Trust me, I wrote it.) by an unknown self-published author.

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy is a well-written classic that everybody should read. Why would a reader spend hard-earned cash on a self-published nobody? Another possibility is to purchase a six-pack of Diet Coke. Let’s think this through. Go with the established author because it is a sure bet to be entertained. “You have purchased The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. Thank you for choosing Amazon.” Good choice.

    Will I ever sell over three books a month? I believe in myself, and the few people who read my words provided positive feedback. This sentiment encourages me, and I have a positive writing future ahead of me. Blah, blah, blah. Answer the question. Alright, alright. The path I have chosen is difficult. Marketing is a skill that I have put little effort into developing.

    What I am missing is a bubbly personality and advertising drive. What if I took the leap and spent money on a billboard with my books? Yeah, I will get right on it…

    I have never been one to give up, and I see success in my distant future. What I need is to be more engaging and spread my wings wider. I am not on Twitter (X), Instagram, YouTube, or any other site, and if I expect any success, social media needs to be part of my core plan.

    I did have one idea. Pay a YouTuber to promote my book. Lots of people promote works through YouTube. It’s fast and easy. Girrrrr. I’m not too fond of that option. Too much risk. Too much money. Girrrrr. I’m in the way of my success.

    You’re the best -Bill

    February 03, 2024

    Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

#writing #marketing #books