Saturday, May 31, 2014

"Red Fog" to Appear in "The Good Fight"

I got some really exciting news today--my short story "Red Fog" will appear in Emby Press' upcoming anthology The Good Fight!

Emby Press is the premier publisher of monster hunter fiction, and as a crazy huge monster hunter fan, it's an incredible honor to be featured in one of their anthologies.

What's especially exciting is that The Good Fight is a sort of genre mash-up, focusing specifically on superheroes fighting monsters! It's like my two childhood worlds colliding!

Of course, this style of story has been done before. I remember quite vividly when DC Comics published the first Batman/Dracula Elseworlds story. I was blown away by that story, my imagination completely captivated by Batman taking on vampires. It was that story that got me back into collecting Batman comics for awhile (though I have to confess that "normal" Batman--aside from Batman: The Animated Series--was never quite as cool to me as the Batman-as-Van-Helsing motif).

Last year, I caught up on my Tomb of Dracula reading, and it was always a bit of a thrill to see more traditional costumed superheroes crossing paths with the King of Vampires. It's a combination that probably shouldn't work, but there's something ingrained in this subgenre that really speaks to me.


If you think about it, it is the most boiled down, pure, depiction of Good versus Evil. A monster represents humanity's dark side, reflecting our most carnal, selfish, violent impulses. A superhero, on the other hand, embodies everything noble humanity could be. Superheroes--as a concept--serve as a sort of moral standard of selflessness, bravery, and compassion. So, to have these two opposite forces clash sets the stage for all manner of commentary on the struggles we face in that battle between Light and Dark.

For my own contribution to this battle, I present "Red Fog"--a tale that harkens back to my first taste of "superheroes vs monsters" from Batman/Dracula, and stars a superhero of my own creation: Light Sphere. My readers might remember Light Sphere as he also appeared in my comic book-styled action adventure novel Rift Jump back in 2012. It turns out I've got more Light Sphere stories left in me and it was great fun to revisit him and plant him right in the middle of a harrowing vampire encounter (read more about the creation of Light Sphere here).

The Good Fight is due for release this fall from Emby Press, the perfect time for battlin' monsters. I hope you all check it out. Head over to the official announcement to read the full list of contributors to this massive volume of superhero horror!

In the meantime, if you haven't heard my other good news, don't forget that my first Syfy Channel creature feature Snakehead Swamp will air on Syfy, June 28th at 9 PM Eastern!

1 comment:

Tim Blake said...

Cool Greg, the exposure certainly will make it worthwhile. Hope to here more about what you are working on eventually.