#Hyper Mystery Comics

[chernobog13]

Hyper Mystery Comics #1 (May, 1940).

“It’s new!  It’s different!” claims the cover.  That’s for sure, but one thing it’s not is good.

Our main guy, Hyper the Phenomenal (real name Don-Vin) is as goofy as that cover image.  Just dig that funky helmet!  He spends half the story - which is long, drawn out, and continued the next issue - with his magnetic hands stuck to a metal door! 

Actually, all the stories in this comic are long, drawn out, and continued in the next issue.  If any of them were compelling, or even half decent, that might’ve been motivation to buy the second issue.

As bad as this issue was, the blurb on the inside front cover was what actually compelled me to search out the second issue:

Kind of wild for a comic in 1940 to be advertising a “female impersonator” as one of its characters (and would cause riots in many places across the USA today).  I need to read this issue, if only to see if this feature is as bad as I think it’ll be.

[imastoryteller]

The Paradoxical Character: 19 Unique Trait Pairings

Here’s a list of 19 wildly unusual, highly contrasting trait pairs that blend quirky or fantastical attributes. These could make for delightfully strange, otherworldly, or surreal characters:

Immensely Patient & Chronically Forgetful Character Idea: They can wait for years without complaint but never remember why they started waiting in the first place. Their endless patience is undercut by the confusion of purpose, creating an aura of timeless mystery.

Unbearably Charming & Involuntarily Invisible Character Idea: This character has charisma in spades but is cursed to flicker out of sight randomly. Their allure is magnetic, but people constantly forget they were even there, adding to their mystique and frustration.

Perpetually Cheerful & Pathologically Suspicious Character Idea: They radiate sunshine and kindness yet believe everyone is secretly plotting against them. Their optimism is baffling, considering they’re convinced of hidden dangers everywhere.

Mind-Reading Empath & Emotionally Oblivious Character Idea: Able to feel others’ emotions intensely, yet baffled by their own, this character has no clue how they themselves feel. They’re highly attuned to everyone else but entirely alienated from their own heart.

Limitless Curiosity & Existentially Terrified Character Idea: Endlessly fascinated by every detail of the universe, yet they’re constantly haunted by the fear of the universe itself. Every new discovery brings wonder and intense dread, creating a fascinating internal tug-of-war.

Brilliant Strategist & Hopelessly Absent-Minded Character Idea: A tactical genius who can plan a perfect heist, yet constantly forgets their own plan halfway through. They’re sought after for their brilliance but just as likely to wander off mid-operation.

Supernaturally Persuasive & Pathologically Indecisive Character Idea: They could talk anyone into anything—if only they could decide what they wanted to say. Their powers of persuasion are legendary, but they take forever to make a single choice.

Ancient Wisdom & Childlike Innocence Character Idea: Despite being impossibly old and wise, they approach every situation with the wonder of a child. They’re both sage and novice, baffling people who come seeking advice but receive only wonder-filled observations.

Obscure Knowledge Hoarder & Shameless Gossip Character Idea: They know every forgotten fact of history yet can’t keep a secret to save their life. This character’s deep knowledge clashes hilariously with their loose tongue, turning historical mysteries into idle chatter.

Zen-like Tranquility & Quick to Panic Character Idea: Usually the calmest person in any room, until anything unusual happens, at which point they’re the first to run. People turn to them for peace until their sudden freakouts reveal a hidden, hilarious irony.

Hyper-Logical Thinker & Ridiculously Superstitious Character Idea: Obsessed with logical consistency yet terrified of stepping on cracks or upsetting minor spirits. Their rationality makes them a master problem-solver, but they’re comically fearful of common superstitions.

Effortlessly Graceful & Magically Clumsy Character Idea: They’re naturally elegant in all they do, but objects randomly fly out of their hands or shatter in their presence. They’re revered for poise but cursed by chaos, creating an aura of unpredictable charm.

Telepathically Intuitive & Immensely Gullible Character Idea: Able to sense the unspoken thoughts of others, but easily duped by the most obvious lies. They sense everyone’s hidden motives but constantly believe in harmless nonsense.

Exceptionally Knowledgeable & Epically Lazy Character Idea: They’ve accumulated endless knowledge from books but refuse to do anything with it. They could save the world but prefer napping and observing others fumble around in ignorance.

Magnet for Coincidences & Cynically Skeptical Character Idea: The most absurd things constantly happen around them, yet they refuse to believe in coincidences. This character is a walking contradiction of fate and disbelief, surrounded by odd events they disdain.

Hyper-Attentive Listener & Mute Character Idea: They pick up every nuance of conversation and are incredibly insightful, but they can’t respond out loud. People find comfort in their presence but struggle to understand their silence and deep gaze.

Radiantly Optimistic & Obsessed with Disaster Preparedness Character Idea: Always smiling and convinced things will work out, yet constantly building bunkers and storing supplies. Their sunny outlook is shadowed by an apocalyptic readiness that baffles everyone.

Unbreakable Memory & Instantly Distracted Character Idea: They remember every moment of their life in perfect detail but are so easily distracted that they rarely finish sentences. They’re a walking history book if only they’d stay focused long enough to share it.

Boundless Energy & Always Asleep Character Idea: They have an endless zest for life and could do anything—if they could just stay awake. People are drawn to their energy, but they frequently fall asleep mid-sentence, leaving everyone in suspense.

[gollancz]

Guys. Christmas is coming. Consumerism is in the driver's seat and GAWD don't I know about the existential ennui of all these faceless corporations trying to schill you their wares. It's cold. Impersonal. Bleak.

So I, a fellow tumblr user, will instead try to schill you MY wares, so that when you purchase these items you can say "Hey, that person from tumblr worked on this", and feel the warmth of HUMAN CONNECTION in a way that is completely normal and not parasocial at all. We really are friends. I promise. Yes, you. Love you, bestie. Remember the boop war? Good times. Fond memories.

THIRTEEN STOREYS and FAMILY BUSINESS by Jonathan Sims

Tumblr's favourite Nightmare Factory @jonnywaistcoat has two novels out and they're phenomenal horror that also punch you in the throat with SOCIAL COMMENTARY and FEELINGS. He's so adept at tapping into the specific part of my brain that feels fear like a small child - not the adult creepy scared that I normally get around horror, but specifically the kind of fear that almost freezes your limbs and vocal chords with a terror you don't quite understand because there is so much in the world that you don't know, but you know that somehow this thing might be quick enough or smart enough or sneaky enough to get you before you can get to the safety of your parents sort of fear.

THIRTEEN STOREYS is a haunted house novel, but set in a refurbished block of flats. Each chapter follows a different resident being haunted in a different way, with a style to match the flavour of ghost. It's all tied together phenomenally and brutally.

FAMILY BUSINESS is a story about ghosts in a different way, following a woman who joins a post-mortem house cleaning service while grieving the death of her best friend. But as she removes the stains from the houses of the dead, she begins to suspect something else is removing even more.

Both of these titles are available from Gollancz worldwide!

THE LAST UNICORN, THE WAY HOME, THE INNKEEPER'S SONG and A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE by Peter S. Beagle

Obviously Peter's work needs no introduction, and our editions aren't available in the US and Canada, but I've had a wonderful time working with Peter and his team to bring these beautiful books back to the UK. Meeting him at Worldcon this year was such a magical moment, and he was jet-lagged and I had gone through sleep deprived into hyper and was bringing an Extremely Weird Energy to every interaction I had that day, resulting in this photo:

THE LAST UNICORN and THE WAY HOME are a matched pair of wonderful fairy stories. THE WAY HOME has two novellettes in it, and the first - 'Two Hearts' - won the Hugo award. It will also destroy you.

A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE was Peter's first ever novel, and it's wistful and romantic and so beautiful.

THE INNKEEPER'S SONG is his epic fantasy quest, it's an adventure story that reads almost lyrically. Also there's an orgy in the middle which caught me by surprise when I was reading it for the first time on the train into work.

HIGH VAULTAGE by Chris and Jen Sugden

It's possible that someone on this website doesn't know I was involved with this book but don't worry, I will HUNT THEM DOWN AND TELL THEM. This is the first book I took all the way through the editorial process from end to end and I am SO PROUD of it and Chris and Jen and their wonderful world of @victoriocity. Officially one of the seven funniest books published in the UK this year, shortlisted for the Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. It's a chaotic, bonkers murder mystery set in an alternate Victorian London which is the most gleeful dystopia I have ever encountered.

Featuring:

Grumpy Sunshine besties

The Victorian Equivalent of the Chuck Norris Meme

A robot who undertook a course in People Management

An indefatigable beagle

This is another book that you can get from Gollancz all over the world, and you SHOULD because it's amazing. Go into your local bookshop and ask them to order it into stock. It's a great Christmas present. It's my firstborn book baby (like that's a completely normal thing to say when I didn't even write it). Also if you're a fan of the podcast, why not tell the Guardian how great it is, and make a nuisance of yourself until they review. (I would, but the form asks for your name and then they'd know I didn't suddenly discover Victoriocity this year. Either that or think I was a very careless editor.) If you've not listened to the podcast yet, you absolutely should. It pings all my Douglas Adams receptors in the best way. If you like HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE, if you like CABIN PRESSURE, VICTORIOCITY is the perfect addition.

HAMMAJANG LUCK by Makana Yamamoto

SLIGHTLY cheating because HAMMAJANG LUCK isn't out in North America until January (pre-orders make great Christmas presents guys), but it IS out in the UK and the rest of the world next week! This is my second big editorial project and it's a Big Gay Space Heist ft. disaster lesbians, trans characters, and a tech billionaire getting put in his place. It's joyous and energetic and crammed full of Hawaiian pidgin as a love letter to the diaspora. @makana-yama is a phenomenal writer and this is their love letter to their communities, families both born and found, while also a statement on the victims of gentrification (and how those are disproportionally BIPOC communities). PLUS:

friends to enemies to cautious allies to lovers

trans cyborgs

Suck It Space Elon

You know that One Scene in Charlie's Angels where Cameron Diaz is in the white body suit and breaking into the safe and has to stretch out to hit two buttons at once? Yeah. That's the vibe.

Being able to work with Makana is a delight, and HAMMAJANG tapped into all the feelings I got watching LEVERAGE for the first time, so I went to watch it again while I was editing. Also OCEAN'S 8.

DEEP BLACK by Miles Cameron

So, barring Branderson, Miles Cameron may be one of our most prolific authors. He writes a minimum two books a year, one SFF and one historical fiction (as Christian Cameron) and he is... An absolute phenomenon. He IS the Chuck Norris meme. I'm obsessed with him. He's former US military intelligence turned naturalised Canadian Hippy, has written over fifty novels, can turn his hand to any genre and write it fantastically, is a practical archaeologist - running large scale re-enactments from a variety of periods ranging from Bronze Age right the way up to the Victorian era, using traditional techniques to allow academics to study how the practicalities of weapons, clothes, food etc. would have worked in practice. Two years ago he won a medieval combat tournament in Verona, a clear ten years older at least than the next oldest competitor, he teaches Historical European Martial Arts, but ties it into the history of martial arts globally. He can make his own clothes, ink, leatherwork. He's a ballet dancer. I once took him for a day out and he ended it in a different shirt and shoes from the ones he'd started in. I asked him for an author photo and he sent me this:

DEEP BLACK is the sequel to his critically acclaimed SF debut ARTIFACT SPACE, where he has taken his research and experience of global historical cultures and extrapolated to create an interplanetary future where the best of all are celebrated. And then Aliens Happen. And then, in reaction, Capitalism Happens (which is covered in the short story collection BEYOND THE FRINGE).

He's such a thoughtful and erudite speaker, if you're curious about his work, I'd recommend listening to his episodes on the Friends Talking Fantasy podcast, and also his appearance on The Publishing Rodeo.

If SF isn't your bag, he's also got:

Arthurian fantasy

Bronze Age fantasy

Medieval Mages fantasy

A CURSE OF CROWS - Lauren Dedroog

I actually inherited Lauren when a colleague of mine departed for fresh pastures, which gave me the great opportunity to work on this series which is so vastly different from my usual fare. It's epic, sweeping, romantic and lush, with such detailed description and complex political machinations, while also being brutal, dark and heavy (tw: for sexual assault, torture etc, etc.). If you like Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare, this should hit the sweet spot. Lauren is an ICU nurse when not writing, and this was somehow created when she was putting in a million hours in hospitals during COVID. The feat boggles my mind.

A CURSE OF CROWS is out now in the UK, Australia and Europe, and it won the People's Choice for Standaard Boek's Book of the Year award in 2023, in her home country of Belgium. It will be hitting shelves in North America next September! A DANCE OF SERPENTS is where I get to pick up the editorial mantle, and that has just landed in my inbox this week so I am excited to dig in.

Featuring:

Harold, they're lesbians

Murder baby is actually a cinnamon roll

Sensitive wings are sexy

For serious, though, I'm lucky enough to work with a lot of authors I'm genuinely obsessed and astounded by. And yes, I do get to work on Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson and Andrzej Sapkowski, but they're not MY authors - they're led by the incredible Gillian and Marcus who I'm not 100% certain sleep. There are so many people on the Gollancz list who I could recommend for DAYS (and will, if you so request), but this is my stable of superstars.

[vintagegeekculture]

Because she was an intentionally mysterious woman initially only seen in a single episode, and before she got an on-air backstory in the recent streaming series, Star Trek supplementary material developed contradictory information on who - or what - Number One, the female first executive officer of the Enterprise, was. To my count, she has four different, completely incompatible backstories in the comics and novels, and this is absolutely unique in Star Trek, which usually keeps it consistent.

Peter David, in his New Frontier novels, identified Number One as a long lived immortal human mutant (like Flint from the original series) named “Morgan Primus” who was an early genius in cybernetics and artificial intelligence, which is why the Enterprise computer has her voice. One of the names Morgan Primus assumed to hide her immortality was Morgan Lefler, and one of her daughters was Robin Lefler, Wesley Crusher’s love interest from the Next Generation Series played by Ashley Judd. Robin Lefler did not inherit her mutant ability to heal all injuries.

Alternatively, the DC Star Trek Comics of the early 1980s said that Number One was from an obscure planet of peaceful, open, friendly telepaths who resemble humans exactly, and that she was present at first contact with Starfleet. They explained that her blunt, direct, undiplomatic manner is due to her being from a telepathic culture that values total honesty. This would make her the first telepath on the Enterprise, with Spock and Arex coming later. Her planet was created before the Next Generation, but her species being a peaceful, open, telepathic race resembling Mediterranean humans who are not well known or commonly encountered in the original series era….well, that certainly sounds an awful lot like Betazoids to me. If this backstory is true, she may have been the first Betazoid seen on screen, in much the same way fans generally believe Trelane was either Q or a member of the Q Continuum.

D.C. Fontana’s only Star Trek novel, “Vulcan’s Glory,” was one of the earliest attempts to give the character a backstory, and was the most consequential long term. The first novel set in the era of the first Star Trek pilot with Captain Pike and a young Spock, "Vulcan's Glory" identified Number One as being an Illyrian, a race of human-like beings who specialize in species wide breeding programs and genetic improvement. This genetic superiority is why she was cool, intellectual, aloof, and a bit arrogant. Her nickname “Number One” came from the fact she was the supreme product of the hyper-competitive Illyrian system, and won at everything from academics to athletics. According to DC Fontana, her actual Illyrian name is impossible to pronounce, so when dealing with humans, she assumed the human name “Una Chin-Riley.” Una of course, being “Number One” in Greek.

As DC Fontana is such an important figure in Star Trek history and only actually wrote one Star Trek novel in her life, many future materials used the backstory established in “Vulcan’s Glory,” like the David Stern Pike-era novels of the 2010s....but more importantly, the Discovery and Strange New Worlds series, which canonized the “Una Chin-Reilly” name by using it on screen (I remember gasping when Pike called her Una in a Discovery episode, meaning they were going with the Fontana backstory, a detail that may not have been significant to the casual viewer). Since DC Fontana wrote “Vulcan’s Glory” in the 80s, a lot more information was learned about the role of genetic engineering in the Federation, however, and interesting things were done in that series to bring her in line with everything we’ve learned since in Deep Space 9 and Enterprise about augmentation and the society wide prejudice against it. For example, they established that the fact Number One was Illyrian was not public knowledge, but that she pretended to be human her entire life.

The one person who didn’t see fit to give her a backstory or even a real name was John "Johnny Redbeard" Byrne in his comic series about the Cage era Enterprise, who thought the mystery of the character was the most interesting thing about her, and he was deliberately cagey about any details. To Johnny Redbeard, she was just “Number One.” There was a running joke that every time someone says her actual name, or when we see her personnel file, it was blurred out, or somebody’s thumb was over it, and so on. It was rather like the running joke where Mr. Burns never remembers Homer Simpson's name. Johnny Redbeard loves mystery men and women who don't talk about their past, since that was the characterization he famously gave to Wolverine in his X-Men comics.

The one detail of Number One's past that is clear is that Number One in Byrne's comics is competent, mysterious, and has mystique, certainly, but she is completely human, without any powers. Byrne always got exasperated that his X-Men co-creator Chris Claremont added fantastical and far out details to the background of X-Men characters (like how Nightcrawler's girlfriend Amanda turned out to be a sorceress) because he felt "some people should just be allowed to be normal." Byrne always said his original idea for Wolverine's "true" backstory was that he was a Vietnam veteran in intelligence who volunteered for bionic experiments that wiped his memory, and disliked the idea he was immortal, and vetoed the very, very early Dave Cockrum idea Wolverine was an actual mutated wolverine who achieved sentience and a human shape (which early X-Men comics hint at). Byrne was reportedly enraged that they gave Moira MacTaggart a mutant power, as he saw her as just being a scrappy Scottish housekeeper.

Johnny Redbeard didn’t give Number One a past (other than to show she was on the Enterprise's shakedown cruise with Robert April as a rookie officer), but he did give her a future, as he showed an older Number One as a starship commander in the Kirk era (aging gracefully with a white tuft like Tongolele), and later, a flag officer in the Motion Picture era.

To what extent are these backstories compatible? Well, with what we currently know about Number One, that she hid her true species and status to avoid prejudice, it could be that some of the other versions were tall tales she spread to obscure her true origins. The John Byrne idea she served as an Ensign with Robert April in the Enterprise's very first mission hasn't been confirmed, but hasn't been denied, either. The Peter David "Morgan Primus" backstory is completely incompatible, but perhaps there are some elements to it that are true, like the idea that the early part of her career involved working as a computer engineer in artificial intelligence, which is why the computer has her voice.

[nekropsii]

ALPHA TROLLS RANKED BY HOW WRONG THE FANDOM AT LARGE IS ABOUT THEM:

This is a personal challenge, based entirely on my own experience and perspective, and also ranked from Most to Least Correct. I was bored, and thought this might be fun.

Putting this under a cut, because it's long as hell.

MEULIN LEIJON

People get her mostly correct, from what I’ve seen… Most of the time, fan content of Meulin is absolutely recognizable as Meulin, but her pride in her deafness + joy of learning new ways to interact with the world through/due to her disability is always removed, and I do not often see people tackle the Toxic Positivity aspect of her character. That seems less like character assassination, though, and more like a combination of people not actually playing through the Openbounds, people not being able to fathom disabled people (especially those who gained a disability later in life rather than being born disabled) being happy, and general fandom distaste for the idea of touching anything uncomfortable, especially when that uncomfortable topic is highly mundane, normalized, and potentially applicable to them or their loved ones. Meulin’s toxic positivity was, of course, commentary on Tumblr’s ecosystem at the time, so… It was much harder to touch back then.

ARANEA SERKET

People tend to get her general, broad strokes personality right, but unfortunately she gets treated pretty roughly for the crime of Being A Serket. People refuse to understand her motivations, and she often gets demonized for what she was doing around/during [S] Game Over, even though that was something she’d gotten pushed to and also was cool as fuck to watch. God forbid a woman do anything.

DAMARA MEGIDO

People are right about the racism, 100%. It is completely despicable, hard to look at, and extremely blatant. She does, however, have character outside of that. No, it isn’t “whore”, it’s more like “angry, dysfunctional abuse victim”, and she’s genuinely a very interesting and tragic character. But, again, people are right about the racism, so she gets to be placed way up here.

MEENAH PEIXES

She is such a chaotic little bastard. I love her. I really do. Please understand that she genuinely does not understand the concept of consequences. This girl didn’t have a Lusus, she didn’t have parents, it was functionally illegal to tell her “No, you can’t do that.” That would fuck up literally anyone’s moral compass. That’s not me hand waving away all the fucked up and bad shit she’s done, we all know what she did, but people tend to forget this aspect of her character and it pains me deeply, because it is a very genuinely interesting concept that I want to see more of. She’s capable of regret, we’ve seen her feel it, I just don’t think foresight is her forte. No one raised her to consider consequences, or help her experience them in a healthy way, because nobody raised her period.

Also, her ass is not butch, she is the girliest girl in the entire comic. She is about hot pink and glitter and kiss marks and unicorns and cute little puns and you will respect that. She is not masculine. Her ass is not masculine nor is she butch. Let her be her hyper-feminine self.

LATULA PYROPE

Please for the love of god there is more to her character than “Gamer Girl” and “Mituna’s Girlfriend”. You are falling for her fucking ruse. Please. Please. Please recognize that her entire character is about internalized misogyny, and being forced to overcompensate for misogyny in gaming circles as a gamer who happens to be a woman. Please. I’m begging.

KURLOZ MAKARA

His character is not that deep, it’s mostly just a string of events he is mysteriously, inexplicably involved with. The Makaras are extremely Function Over Form- their characters practically do not exist, they're mostly just plot devices that exist to push the story along. I'm sorry to Makara fans. You just invented a guy in your mind and decided he was real. He is also not that soft, though, and his relationships with both Meulin AND Mituna are not healthy. Hard to stop people from ascribing cutesy squishy lovey dynamics to random men who happened to have looked at each other once, though. Some people truly haven't graduated from 2012.

HORUSS ZAHHAK

I am begging people to consider that maybe the biggest issue here is not that he is “Bad Otherkin/Therian Representation” and is in fact maybe the fact that Hussie was actually making fun of Systems when he was writing Horuss. Because Horuss is canonically a system. He uses the word system. He uses the word switching. He uses the word host. He literally talks about his Plurality at length in extremely upfront, plain terms. I don’t know how him being “Bad Otherkin Representation” was and still is the main discourse about him. It makes me insane. That is a commentary that truly writes itself. Talk about having your priorities out of wack, honestly...

PORRIM MARYAM

No, she is not a MRA, she’s just a regular feminist who happens to live on a different planet with different politics and social hierarchies from Our Real World Earth’s USA. Whatever argument you’re about to pull out of your ass to say that she sucks is bad. She already explained what she meant by that, in more detail, very clearly, and she was right. Half the time she’s literally just giving you factual information about what Beforus was like, and literal plot synopses. She isn’t saying anything insane. She’s literally normal. I don’t know why people cannot handle or process this. Porrim has not ever said anything controversial. If you disagree with this you’re either misconstruing her on purpose or you fell for Kankri’s bait, and that’s just fucking sad at that point.

Also, she’s more than a sex object, and her tits are not huge. Honestly, half the shit she was saying was just “I am more than my sex life”, and so many people took that and made her main character trait her sex life. Just pathetic.

RUFIOH NITRAM

This man is a fucking war criminal and I will stop at nothing until he is behind bars for his crimes against Damara. Raging misogynist. Total fucking cunt. Just the worst. If I talk any more about this, this part will be 1,000 paragraphs long. But also, I’m begging people to recognize his relationship with disability, too. He was similar to Meulin in the sense that he didn’t mind his disability, and his biggest gripe with it was the way that Horuss tried to “fix” it… Which is an interesting way to expand upon how Beforus’s culling system is not only very explicitly ableist, but mimicking real world systemic ableism. I also want people to recognize that Hussie is actively having a conversation about the reclamation of slurs with Rufioh’s character, and how not letting people reclaim such language is doing nothing but giving the word power against them while stripping away their own personal agency. Rufioh’s a complicated guy, and he’s interesting and also the worst, and I am really tired of how he gets watered down to nothing but “Pretty Boy Victim Of His Inexplicably Psycho Ex”.

MITUNA CAPTOR

Holy Fucking Shit, You Guys Are Ableist.

KANKRI VANTAS

To this day I see people saying he was just Hussie making fun of SJWs. To this day. To this day people think Hussie was trying to make Every Tumblr Leftist look bad, and that he hates them Because They Are Leftists. When will people recognize him as a bootlicker to the oppressive class and the violently bigoted. When will people recognize that. When will people recognize that this is more of a commentary on the legitimate real flaws of Tumblr’s politics at the time. When. When.

When will people stop portraying him as a lovey-dovey Catholic Whore. I’m going to stab my fucking eyes out and then kill everyone in this building. Me when it's based and cool to ship an aroace character with a sexual predator. I GUESS.

CRONUS AMPORA

I say this with every ounce of sincerity I can possibly muster as a person: What the literal actual fuck.

[thewertsearch]

JASPERSPRITE: I think you should tell him that you like him you might not get the chance if you dont. […] AC: :33 < i know, but its just not that simple. i could make someone else jealous i think, and what if he doesnt f33l the same way, and, urrgh, its so complickated

I totally understand Nepeta’s perspective here. She’s always been hyper-aware of the meteor’s relationship dynamics, and would naturally be overwhelmed by the interpersonal implications of pursuing Karkat.

That said, I think this was a misstep on her part. I don’t think that Terezi – the rival I assume she’s alluding to – would actually mind sharing Karkat with Nepeta. The latter is clearly looking for a redrom, and Terezi always seemed to have red and black feelings for Karkat. Having Nepeta fill his hearts quadrant would help Terezi settle into spades, thus stabilizing their relationship.

JASPERSPRITE: I have another story that might give you hope even though it should be noted again that im only a cat. […] JASPERSPRITE: Yes one time i was with rose and i was sitting there dressed up in my suit with her as happy as can be. JASPERSPRITE: But then she disappeared! JASPERSPRITE: The whole place disappeared and i was in another place. […]

Ooh, now this is one of the oldest mysteries remaining in the comic.

Come to think of it, it’s odd that Rose never asked Jaspersprite about this event before. Sure, she asked him why he meowed as he was spirited away, but she never asked him where he was spirited away to.

JASPERSPRITE: […] There was no rose there was someone else. JASPERSPRITE: I guess i loved her too in time but never as much as rose it just wasnt the same.

A woman or girl, then. My original theory was that Jaspers was snatched by either Rose or Mom - but since Jaspers clearly didn't recognize his new owner, I'm going to have to reassess things.

...I suppose it still could have been Rose or Mom, but they'd have to look very different from the Lalondes we know, so that Jaspers would no longer recognize them. Perhaps an older version of Rose, from much later in the comic - but then again, wouldn't a cat still recognize Rose by smell? Jaspers seems to be telling us, quite clearly, that his new owner was not a Lalonde.

Well, what are the other possibilities, then? I'm assuming his owner was a human, because if Jaspers was stolen by an alien, he'd probably comment on the fact. Plus, the only troll with any interest in Jaspers is Nepeta - and Nepeta won't be doing very much of anything very soon.

I guess he could have been swiped by some version of Jade, such as the future incarnation who serves as the Pen-Pal's 'grandmother'. I have no idea what she'd want with Jaspers, or why she'd return him - but we still don't know anything about Future Jade's activities, so that's just par for the course with her.

JASPERSPRITE: I kept waiting to see rose again but never did and finally i lost hope that i would and then i died. JASPERSPRITE: But then i became alive again and i got to see her and i was so happy! Purr purr purr purr purr. JASPERSPRITE: Thats my story and thats why i think theres always hope even if you die. AC: :33 < so, youre saying that maybe i will have to die to get to be with him? JASPERSPRITE: Yes maybe. :3

I certainly hope not. Not because I want Nepeta’s ghost to be lonely, of course – I just don’t want Karkat to be entering the afterlife any time soon!

[beesmygod]

navel-gazey retrospective: man my pain is like truly almost entirely gone. i had allergy and effexor woes for like 2-3 years and then the last 2 years overlapped with the terrible mysterious joint disease+effexor tapering (AAH!!!! my back is only just starting to feel truly free!!!!!!) so its extremely welcome to only experience like a weird 1-2 pain scale achey hour or two a day at worst. it was so bad. i'm still not 100%, im still so tired all the time, but much, much better than i used to. things are looking up and im slowly getting back in the saddle. it's slower than i want, but it's at least trending upward.

sorry for being completely unhinged for several years. thank you for being patient with me if you could stomach it, because it is only in hindsight that i realize how caustic and vile it could be. i am pretty ashamed of my behavior during this time. knowing this can and will happen again if there's a pain flare/weird med issue is making me hyper-vigilant about my behavior to prevent this from just playing out over and over for the rest of my life, forever. im going to keep doing what im doing now, which i hope is unobtrusive and respectful. i was a miserable jerk and i am sorry i made it everyone else's problem.

sincerely, if it were not for several things i think i would have been completely fucked: medicaid, being able to do comics for a living, and adam. if not for the flexibility of the work i do, i would not be able to have taken all that time off to try to at least inch toward an understanding of what was going on with me and take long periods of time to recover from it. people were endlessly kind with me and the sporadic update schedule that crept up on me in the previous years and i appreciate it. my life was improved by your support directly and it continues to be improved by it. it helped a lot.

but i was only truly able to have that incredibly loose schedule because of adam, who worked his ass off not only at his job, but also by picking up my slack around the house (there was a point where moving dishes from the table to the kitchen became "impossible" ?? and i'd have to wait until morning to do it??), cooking dinner every night, helping with laundry, demonstrated endless patience and respect for me when i spent an extraordinary amount of time sitting on the couch staring at my phone, covered bills when i needed the months off, and really just stepped up and showed up when i know he's exhausted too. thanks adam love you...!

[nuggetofthesea]

We're excited to see so many friends using Hyper City in their comics. Ashe created it to justify crossovers where it wpuldn't make sense otherwise, and explain why a lab would be under an art studio, and I found the concept interesting and got to work with it and expand on it.

So for any who also want to know how it works, here is what we have established so far:

Hyper City is always there if you are looking for it. It exists outside of reality and once you leave the town you are in, it is always a 20 minute drive away off a road tou've never seen. No matter where in the world or what world or reality you are in.

Once inside the City it operates on its own laws. Magic users require a license, shapeshifters have to be registered, etc. If unsure, it has a mayor. Mayor is not a fan of us in canon. Eirher way, they have protocol for various realities.

The city exit will always send you where you came from. So it is still hard to visit others without direct travel. But easy to set up a spot in the city to meet up.

The city is huge, and has its own set of other mysteries, rumors, and stories. The reality hub aspect us just the tip of the iceberg.

If you are ever in need of a location and can't think of where something exists, Hyper City is there for all our friends to use. It's a strange city. Go ahead and add to it if you want. ^-^

[queenofviolenceandnerds]

~~Tim Drake headcannons~~

•shortest of the batboys

•5’8-5’10

•Percy Jackson reincarnated

•the sassiest mf ever

•OCD

•ADHD/ADD

•Italian descent

•listens to true crime podcasts

•has longer hair

•like to the collar of his shirt

•it’s so silky and healthy too

•has his ears pierced

•and his nose

•nerd

•collects comic books, funkos, anythjng related to one of his hyper fixations he has

•smartest member of the league

•fight me

•hacks things for fun

•he once hacked all of Wayne enterprises as an April fools prank (Bruce was NOT happy)

•he was raised catholic but turned atheist

•probably paints his nails

•he jump scared dick one night (he thought he was a vampire, turns out it was just sleep deprived Tim)

•loves crime and mystery books

•regularly goes to comic cons

•cosplays in secret

•watches kallmekris and Markiplier

•secretly streams on discord when he games

•runs a photography account on instagram

•conspiracy theorist

•he’s nocturnal

•he hates sleeping at night so he just passes out wherever during the day

•loves trying different types of coffee

•ruined his eyes so he wears contacts or glasses

•wears a medical bracelet stating he’s missing his spleen

•loves gossiping

•watches crime shows

•listens to twenty one pilots and Fall Out Boy

•loves Hamilton

•always wears silver jewelry (rings, earrings, necklaces)

•lactose intolerant but doesn’t care

•loves Italian food

•antisocial asf

•he’s so awkward I love him

•he’s a feminist

•believes in all rights and equalities

•the most pretty batboy

•like stunningly pretty

•lives in oversized hoodies and sweats

•blunt, doesn’t register anyone’s feelings whatsoever

•designs his own video games

•menace to society

•no one is safe from his menace antics

•loves baseball

•more of a cat person

[odditiesnoctobermidnightroad]

It’s Halloween-time at last. Besides the ebook of “ Mouse”, which we’ve of course read because as you know- we’re BIG fans of “Mouse the Witching Cat”, the author is having a special sale of the book! 

No, not just the 2023 ebook of Mouse, which will come with your purchase, but the ENTIRE CURSED PHYSICAL HARDCOVER EDITION FROM 2019!!! Yep, HARDCOVER! The scariest of covers!

And scratchily signed and jagged-with OMINOUS black sharpie marker! Each book is individually signed and it looks to be as though there’s some kind of cursed extra-coloring page included! What could it mean? What DOES it mean??!!?

And in addition to BOTH copies of the book and coloring page you’ll also get an extra hyper-realistic bowtie-clips and SUPER SPECIAL SECRET scary mystery surprise item. WHAT WILL IT BE?

And then if you wait FIVE seconds (email @ frankilew96@gmail.com) after purchasing, you’ll also get all the special “How Mouse met Crooner” prequel comic in an OMINOUS ZIP. file! So scary! 

Only five of this special bundle are available to five lucky real hyperrealistic victims people throughout the world. Will YOU take the risk? Will YOU dare to support the curse and carry on it the name of Mouse and all her -not!- cutesy witchy goodness?

Ô̵̧͙̭͉̼̫̝̦̯͙̞̝̼͔̖̩̅͋̈́̓͛̓̈́̒͗̈͋̒͝͝͝n̴͎͎̳̜̺̩̤͖͍̹̠͈̘̥̥̮̖͛́̇͆̿̄͆͂̉͑͛̕l̷̙̻̙̭̩̭̭̹͇͆̉̈̈́̊̑̑͜͠y̶̢̧̨̨̤͇̜̯̝̜̰͖̬͉̰͆̃̈͆̉̋̆̀̉͛̇́̋̄̉͠ͅ ̵̹̱͔͍̼̤̼͔͎̫̲̯̒̈̆̄̈͗̊̈̂͘͘͘͜͜͝͠o̷͓̩̰͖͆n̵̻͔̟̓̏͒̀̀̒̂͑̒̌̏̈́̆̓̒̌͠e̵̡̨̧͔̩̝̟̟͚͇̪͑̌ ̵̥̣̐͂͋͑̽͒̇̍͋̀͛̉͝͝w̵̧̩͈̣̞̪͚̻̜̭̹͕̮͕̫̆̊́̄͐̎͌̔̃́̃͗̐͝͠ạ̸̧͖͎͍̳̞̠̩̙̌̋͗͊̆̿̄̏̑̑̏̏̚̕̚͜͝ẙ̴̳̝̦͙̟̑́͑͊́͠ͅ ̶̢̬̙̯̲͙͎̰̘̒̈́͑̍̑̏̀̇͆͘͠ẗ̴̛̰͓͇̪̓͐̚͝ọ̷̥̘̱̣͈̰̗̣̪̠͍̏̿͜͠ͅ ̶̢̥̪̬͈̺͇͈̳̥͍̱̞̣̜̳̂́̅̀̃̂̆̑ͅḟ̷͝��̲̦͚̠͙͈̻̦̣͇̩̺̩̼ͅi̷̪͙͋͗͑͌̆͋̕n̴̨͖͉̭̦̳̱̹͇͍͙̦͇͓̼̎͂͋͊̀̽͊̄͛͗̐͆̏̅͌̓͘ͅḍ̸̪̖̲̳̎̓ ̵̨͎͕̞̥͇̗̭̮̲̩̻̽́̐͑̂͝͠ͅō̸̧̼u̵̢͔̹͉̦̪̳̫͔̟̺͔̰͐̉t̴͙̰͓͘ͅ…̸̛̳̟̣̤̩̣̘̲̅̆̐̀͗̌̄̈́̒̿

The curse is only purchasable directly off our site and our Etsy store. Purchase there, or email us at franklew96@gmail.com for more information.

Sales starts 11 pm pst on Sept 30th. Only $31 usd from now until November 1st 2024.

[chernobog13]

Pursues him with his what now?

[archivalofsins]

I think if I said who my favorite characters in media were, it wouldn't surprise anyone here. Instead it'd be like that explains so fucking much while saying nothing. So fuck it.

A list of favorite characters from every hyper fixation I've ever had.

YuYu Hakusho (I would recommend both the manga and anime bpth are very good times.)

Yusuke Urameshi Keiko Yukimura Kazuma Kuwabara (I love Kuwabara he's great- He's amazing good guy.).

Since we're on Yoshiro Togashi's work anyway-

Hunter x Hunter

Killua Zoldyck Leorio Paladiknight Knuckle Bine

Detective Conan

Shinichi Kudo (I too am irresponsible and full of hubris I would have followed that criminal too at his age.) Ran Mori Heiji Hattori

Shaman King

Yoh Hao Asakura

It's equal but I lean more favorably towards Yoh. Favorite Yu-gi-oh series and protagonist

Yu-Gi-Oh GX

Judai Yuki (I don't think this says anything. I'm just correct, actually.)

Bleach

Orihime Inoue (Always forever sweet lady amazing girl.) Captain Unohana Oldman Yamamoto Toshiro Hitsugaya Kenpachi and Ichigo (I like them both to about the same degree.)

Naruto

Naruto Hinata Neji Shikamaru Sakura Ino Tamari

Oh, wait Akamaru. Yep that's every- oh and Shino! Wait and Choji. Probably Tamari's entire team, too, and can't forget Neji. In fact there we go he's up where he belongs. Naruto has a huge fucking cast. Most of them are interesting chaaracters. Bleach has a fucking huge cast as well.

Code Geass

Lelouch Euphemia Suzaku Akito from Akito the exiled (this is also correct).

Boruto

I'm committed to what I like-

Boruto Shikadai Chocho (this is just correct too actually I don't look in this fandom so fuck it I make this rule now) Himawari Inojin.

One Punch Man

Garo (I said he could beat Saitama in the manga and my nephews made fun of me because he's never won anywhere else. But that shit was a fight in the manga instead of a one hit out.) Metal Bat (I have a character type leave me alone. Yes, I recognize having Kuwabara, Knuckle Brine, and then him here sets a pattern. But I'd argue it's a good one.)

Chainsaw Man

Denji Makima Nayuta Kobeni Asa

Pandora Hearts

Oswald Gilbert Oz Elliot Marie Ada Sharron Lily

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning (Spiral Suri no Kizuna)(read this in middle school sooo this is going off memory.)

Ayumu Narumi Hizumi Mizushiro

Nabari No Ou (read this in middle school sooo this is going off memory.)

Tobari Kazuhiko Miharu Yoite Kouichi

Kagerou Days

Shintaro Ayano Seto Konoha Hibiya

Kingdom Hearts

Terra Roxas Axel (Lea) Xion Vanitas Ventus Xemnas (Look my first game was days and he was a decent boss). Larxene Sora

Oshi No Ko

Aqua Hoshino Akane Kurokawa Taiki Himekawa Kana Arima Frill Shiranui Shun Yoshizumi

Batman comics and animated series

Harley Quinn (since batman the animated series) Damian Wayne (since Son of Batman movie) Bruce Wayne (Yes, Bruce is below his son. I'm not sorry.) Poison Ivy (since Batman the animated series.).

Spider-man

Peter Parker Mile's Morales (from the films).

Calvin and Hobbes

It was the first thing I enjoyed reading. I don't think I have to explain this but I liked everyone that appeared frequently in this.

Deadpool (mostly due to the Spider-man team up comics and the movies.)

W.I.T.C.H

Irma Hay Lin Will Taranee Cornelia Elyon

Totally Spies

Alex Clover Sam

Martin Mystery (A show nobody knows)

Martin

Invader Zim

Dib Gaz Tak

Gravity Falls

Dipper Pines Pacifica Mabel Stanley

I was typing this up during that whole other thing people may have seen. I don't know what this list can tell anyone about me. It is funny to go over for me personally because a lot of the characterization stuff I like from Milgram can be found in most of these series. Which is proably why I have trouble actually picking favorites in regards to Milgram since all of the characters have traits I enjoy.

But yeah that's a little bit about me I guess. I do enjoy a lot of the characterization I see in Milgram. This is much more casual and generally being written up to give some idea of my likes. Though most of these are good watches, reads, or plays. Most are pretty well known but I would recommend Spiral since it's not that talked about in general.

Well, that's it.

[marveldcnerdys]

The Flash: The Scarlet Speedster Who Defies Time

The Flash, one of DC Comics' most iconic superheroes, has captivated audiences for generations with his incredible speed, heroic heart, and timeless battles against evil. As a beacon of hope and justice, the Flash has evolved through multiple incarnations, each bringing a unique flair to the legacy of the fastest man alive.

The Origin of the Flash

The Flash first appeared in 'Flash Comics #1' in 1940, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. The original Flash, Jay Garrick, gained super speed after inhaling hard water vapors during a laboratory accident. Jay's streamlined helmet and Mercury-inspired design set the stage for the speedster legacy.

However, the most famous version of the Flash, Barry Allen, debuted in 'Showcase #4' in 1956. Barry, a forensic scientist, was struck by lightning in his lab, doused with chemicals, and transformed into the Flash. Barry's introduction marked the beginning of the Silver Age of Comics, revitalizing superhero storytelling.

The Speed Force: Source of Infinite Power

At the heart of the Flash's abilities lies the Speed Force, a mysterious extra-dimensional energy field. It grants speedsters their powers and allows them to achieve incredible feats, such as running faster than light, phasing through objects, and even time travel. The Speed Force connects all speedsters across time and space, making it a central element of Flash mythology.

Key Characters Who Have Worn the Mantle

Barry Allen: The most famous Flash, known for his scientific mind and heroic spirit. Barry's self-sacrifice in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' remains a pivotal comic book moment.

Wally West: Barry's nephew and successor, Wally took on the mantle after Barry's apparent death. His tenure as the Flash expanded the character's powers and explored deeper emotional themes.

Jay Garrick: The original Flash and a founding member of the Justice Society of America (JSA).

Bart Allen: Also known as Impulse and Kid Flash, Bart is Barry's grandson from the future.

The Flash's Rogues Gallery

No hero is complete without their villains, and the Flash boasts one of the most colorful rogue galleries in comics:

Reverse-Flash (Eobard Thawne): The arch-nemesis of Barry Allen, a time-traveling villain obsessed with destroying Barry's life.

Captain Cold: Leonard Snart wields a cold gun and leads the Rogues, a team of Flash's enemies who value loyalty and honor among thieves.

Gorilla Grodd: A hyper-intelligent, telepathic gorilla from Gorilla City.

Mirror Master, Heat Wave, Weather Wizard: Each of these villains has unique elemental abilities, making them formidable foes.

Iconic Storylines and Events

Crisis on Infinite Earths: Barry sacrifices himself to save the multiverse, a defining moment in comic book history.

Flashpoint: Barry's decision to save his mother disrupts reality, creating a darker alternate timeline.

The Return of Barry Allen: A landmark story where Barry seemingly returns from the dead, testing Wally West's growth as a hero.

The Flash in Other Media

The Flash has enjoyed significant success beyond comics. The 1990s TV series starring John Wesley Shipp brought the character to live-action. More recently, Grant Gustin's portrayal in The Flash (CW series) has introduced a new generation to Barry Allen's heroism. Ezra Miller's cinematic Flash has also explored the multiverse concept in the DCEU films.

Why the Flash Endures

The Flash's legacy is rooted in more than just super speed. He represents hope, scientific curiosity, and the power of self-sacrifice. His stories explore themes of family, legacy, and the consequences of tampering with time.

From his vibrant costume to his heart-racing adventures, the Flash continues to inspire fans around the world. Whether through comics, television, or film, the Scarlet Speedster's journey is far from over, as he races into the future with unstoppable momentum.

[vintagegeekculture]

Murphy Anderson cover featuring the Spectre dueling his opposite number, Shathan the Eternal. It is one of the few DC Comics to visually depict the Prophet Muhammad, which Islam generally views as being in bad taste.

The Spectre, a vengeful force created by Superman creator Jerry Siegel after he was mugged one night, was one of the last of the 1940s heroes to be revived in the 1960s, mainly because as a ghost of a murdered police officer who rose from the grave for revenge, he was at odds with the hyper-rational, atomic age pulp scifi informed DC Comics created by former scifi fandom members. Even here, Shathan the Eternal is less a traditional devil and more similar to a quantum physics and other dimensional take on demons, reminiscent of John Carpenter's approach in Prince of Darkness which mingled Satanism with particle physics.

Pulp fans will recognize two different references to pulp scifi, as per the course in 60s DC Comics, created by former fandom members:

The title "Beyond the Sinister Barrier" is a reference to the 1930s pulp novel "Sinister Barrier," by Eric Frank Russell. Because it was horror/fantasy as opposed to the typical hard science demanded of his audience, John W. Campbell created the pulp magazine Unknown specifically to publish it, possibly the best fantasy magazine of its decade.

Shathan the Eternal is a reference to the Shaver Mystery (one of the most bizarre incidents in scifi fandom history and a very recent and strange controversy at the time of this publication), which featured a villainous giant devil by that name.

[fipindustries]

What makes Worm a better story than its' sequels?

oh boy, time to shit on ward, my favourite thing to do!

in many ways i feel worm is simpler. This might sound weird coming from such a famously big and ambitious story but when you get down to it its incredibly simple. Is the basic underdog anti hero story set in a fairly standard superhero world. A bullied girl tries to be a hero but the world is dark and complicated and heroes are flawed and corrupt so she gets pushed into being a supervillain and yet she is sort of a robin hood type where she does "villanous things" in order to help people.

She gets more and more powerful and eventually she saves the world by beating god who was actually evil all along.

Like this is all standard classic underdog subvertion where dark is not necesarily evil and light is not necesarily good. Megamind does this, despicable me does this. Taylor is an incredibly compelling, hyper pragmatical, utilitarian genius strategist and she is also a nerdy shy socially anxious girl who gets bullied. She meets and befriends a bunch of cool, rebellious edgy teenage friends. It explores classic superheroe tropes by grounding them in reality and showing the dark logical implications of the classic innocent superhero world of comics. Like watchmen did, like the boys did, like top ten did, like astro city did. The list goes on. It has a shitton of fascinating, cool, complex characters, all who slot very easily into some comic book archetype. It has some of the most intricate and well thought out worldbuilding, and a series of really clear and compelling mysteries to solve.

Ward by contrast is... messy. The world was broken and pushed forward into a post apocaliptic setting so it cant be classic superhero fare anymore. But also it never fully commits to really explore the post apocaliptic side of it either so is just kind of a muddled mess. The powers get esoteric and harder to really grasp. The tone and the narration becomes incredibly dour and morose and depressing to wade through. The characters are generally less likeable. It focuses a lot on trauma and recovery and the boring, no fun, tedious work of improving your mental health. The fight scenes get boring and confusing. The pacibg gets really slow, the plot feels aimless at times. Suddenly the tone gets a lot more judgy, when in the past the story seemed to be a lot more interested in exploring and empathizing with its villains in here the bad guys tend to just be evil assholes and that is kind of it. The protagonist is a boring angry humorless self righteous depressed stick in the mud who cant help but think of the world in terms of simple good and evil. Its a trudging tedious plodding crawl to a messy ending that is honestly a retread of the ending of the first book where the guy tries to escalate the stakes to upstage the ending of worm but makes everything feel meaningless and pointless.

Is just not fun to read, it feels like homework. It feels like doing taxes. It feels like its trying to be so adult and mature and dramatic and serious that it lost all entertainment value or joy of experiencing fiction.

[thequiver]

you got any indie comics recommendations?

OH BOY DO I

So some of these are educational graphic novels bc of who I am as a person but they're SUPER GOOD and you should still read them - but here's my list of recommendations in no particular order

Marie Curie: A Quest for Light (a graphic novel bio of the famous scientist that highlights her politics!)

Folklords (only 5 issues, does some really cool stuff with subverted fantasy tropes, Ansel is a cutie, 8/10)

The Magicians (this is based on the book series by Lev Grossman, and if you're familiar with the FX show you already know the premise, but it's VERY FUN and I like it so it's on here)

The Good Neighbors (this is more of a YA vibe and as the title suggests deals with fae nonsense, very fun)

Something is Killing the Children (some other comics go along with this one like House of Slaughter, all are in the horror genre, and it's a GREAT TIME if you're into that sort of thing)

Shubeik Lubeik (THIS IS A REALLY COOL BOOK ABOUT WISHES AND HOW THOSE WOULD LOOK IN A MORE REALISTIC CAIRO AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH)

Pixies of the Sixties (this is a period piece that deals with things like xenophobia and racism while also playing up the aesthetics of 1960s London and fairies)

Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard (a graphic novel bio of the first African-American fighter pilot)

Little Monsters (a horror story about children vampires in a post apocalyptic setting)

Judas (yes, Iscariot, it's a really fascinating look at the Biblical figure)

Heavy Vinyl (wlw, late 90s record store, teen girl vigilante fight club- good times)

Grimm (based on the NBC show of the same name, there are other titles set in this world too, I'm very fond of this extremely trashy fairtytale-cop show mashup and how poorly it represents cops)

Godshaper (there's a god for every person, except one and he teams up with a god who doesn't have a person and together they travel around looking for a warm welcome and a paying rock gig)

Evita, the Life and Work of Eva Perón (a biography of the former Argentinian first lady)

Eat the Rich (a little bit like Knives Out)

Carmilla: The First Vampire (queer feminist murder mystery inspired by the gothic novel, Carmilla, and pulling from Chinese folklore)

Bone Parish (a necromantic horror story about the rich peddling drugs made with the ashes of the deceased)

Blue Book (true tales of ordinary people encountering the strange and impossible - ex. alien abductions)

Art Brut (equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller set on a backdrop of a trip through art history)

Aristotle (biography of the philosopher dealing with more than just his ideas)

Alienated (a story about having the power to change the world but not being ready to wield that power- more YA vibes but a good read for any age imo)

Abbott (and Abbott: 1973- a tabloid reporter investigates grisly crimes she knows the police have ignored and that she knows are occult in origin)