Finished absorbing Issue#8. Is it just me or do the covers just get better and better. This cover wistfully transported me back to the 1980's and my monthly sojourn to AKA comics in Glasgow to pick up my orders. Captured the nostalgic scent of excitement as I clutched a brown paper bag full of glossy titles (at least, I think it was comics...). This issue of Murky Depths is the most comic-orientated so far, with some terrific artwork for the fiction that ties it all together. And the fiction, image-laden and always thought-provoking transforms into a comic in my head.
Favourite story this time - 'The Undead' by Lawrence Buentello.
Favourite artwork - difficult one to call with the whole issue full of striking images - so I'll shout Edward Norden, Nancy Farmer and Paul Drummond.  

--Last edited by Ilan on 2009-05-11 15:09:01 --

The covers do get better, definitely! The minute I saw this one, I thought of Watchmen. And yes, I do have all my Murky Depths issues alongside my copy of Watchmen on my bookshelf.

As for a favourite story and illustration? Thats a difficult one. All the stories are great this time and the art too. If I really had to choose I guess I'd say Nosing with the Four-stroke Kid by KC Ball. Weird but brilliant little story. And Jenna White's illustration is wonderfully detailed but I also love Nancy Farmer's work for Out of Time. Its poignant and evocative and really captures the feel of J Westlake's story.

The comics are fantastic as usual. I'm thinking my favourite would be James Johnson's Hero in Hell. Great idea and Alberto Cortes' art is spot on.

Great issue. Keep them coming!

I would agree that Hero in Hell is the best of the comic strips.

I liked Peachy the most out of the prose stories. It was short but said everything it needed to and made me think of old shockumentaries like Threads with a little bit of Stephen King's Cats Eye thrown in.

Really liked Out of Time too.  

--Last edited by luke on 2009-05-17 17:28:27 --

Quote :

Really liked Out of Time too.

Thanks, Luke!

I enjoyed every single story in this issue. 'Peachy', 'Nosing With The Four-Stroke Kid', and 'What The Tongue Will Taste' were my favourites. Just my personal faves. All three are the type of story that will stick with the reader for quite a while.

All of the comics were great. Luke's was action-packed as usual. I also really enjoyed 'The Pilgrimage' - it reminded me of the kind of one-off piece you might find in a prog. of 2000AD.

Poetry was good, Matt Wallace's piece and the R@t report were riveting as always, and all of the illustrations were top-notch.

Another very strong issue, in my opinion.  

--Last edited by Westy on 2009-05-24 14:44:08 --

A wonderful issue; I really enjoyed all the stories. "Collecting James" is original; "Peachy"very unsettling (in my opinion); "Out of Time"excellent and illustration was awesome; all the other stories great.
I was very impressed by "Hero in Hell". I just LOVED the story; quite like Alan Moore's idea of a superhero. I THINK that Alan Moore would probably appreciate the story, but this is only a personal opinion. I read the story twice.
Thanks to the editors, the writers and the illustrators for their wonderful work.

Oh, well, I am not wrong about "Hero in Hell". Happy to see that other people found similarities with the WATCHMEN. Just read the other comments after I've sent mine. Apologies...

Watchmen, Wanted and now Hero in Hell prove that the superhero genre is not dead. Just needs brave writers to send the costumed weirdos in the right direction.

It was a GREAT idea to send a super hero to HELL... "Hanging around with the first, the greatest super villain of all time". I really loved that one.
That doesn't mean that all super heroes should go there.
What about a super hero fighting... nightmares?

I think Marvel had a villain called Nightmare. There was a great Marvel Knights story-arc in which Daredevil, Moon Knight, Black Widow and Punisher got sucked into Cloak's portal and ended up in Nightmare's realm. It was peopled entirely by the evil New Yorkers that had crossed Cloak's path. Punisher, of course, loved it there and never wanted to leave. No innocent bystanders to accidentally stray into his crosshairs.

DC Vertigo's Sandman strip by Coraline's Neil Gaiman had some cool nightmare characters like the Corinthian who had rows of teeth in his eye-sockets and ate other people's eyeballs.

Hmm. Mix Hero in Hell with the Punisher's role in that Marvel Knights story and you have a hero trapped in a realm of monsters and loving it. Could be the makings of an awesome story there. Any takers?

Congratulation again to James Johnson. Your little tale seems to really have got synapses firing out there.

Luke

It's great to see people enjoying the story and inspiring other writers to play with similar ideas. I'll more than likely turn it in to a bigger story or at the very least do a follow up at some point. Be interesting to see him reach other levels - so I can explore the parallels to Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost even further. I always write my shorts as self contained stories (I hope lol), but always give a feeling that it can be taken further due to the world I build.

Indeed, Watchmen was an influence and it was perfectly timed to be released around the time of the film. It's once again, one of those homages.

Really would be interesting to see what Alan Moore thinks of it. Just to be mentioned in the same sentence is good enough for me. Anyone familiar with my writing and especially The Enemy's Son will pick up on my interest in the origins of Good vs Evil - what trutly makes a flawed character? Superheroes are perfect to explore this. It's classic mythology afterall.

Thanks again everyone!  

--Last edited by james johnson on 2009-05-25 16:58:13 --

To Luke C: I 've read the Sandman and I know the Corinthian. I didn't know about Marvel's Nightmare, though. Thank you for the info, I will try to find it and read it, I am sure I will like this story. Your idea of mixing the two stories is excellent. Why don't you try it? Well, it's up to you of course...

To James Johnson: Thank you for this wonderful story. Keep up with the good work; I think that many people -myself included - would love to see more of your stories. I think you ought definitely work on your other ideas. I would be delighted to see Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost with a super hero story. That must be something...

It's on the cards. I'm busy working on two graphic novels at the moment with Leonardo M. Giron - horror western, Dead Man's Gold and sci-fi actioner, Fugitives.

Thanks for all your support and keep an eye out.

Candra, Westy -- I'm glad you liked Nosing with the Four-Stroke Kid.  I was so pleased with Neil Struthers' illustration.  He captured the mood of the story and his interpretation of The Rider was spot on.

Of course I will. And thank you for your answer.