Well, this was chilling: a truly brilliant and original take on one of comics' most inherently tragic figures. Using him as a lens to examine the total end of the word - the curse of being alone after everything else is gone - was a brilliant idea. Tonally, it reminds me a little of 'Last Knight on Earth' (DC) and 'Ruins' (Marvel). Were they influences on this story, by any chance? Either way, this is masterful!
Thanks, PVT—for the read and the kind/thoughtful comments. I really do appreciate it when someone engages with my work, and I will try to respond with all the honesty I can muster.
I have not read LKOE or Ruins. I actually do not really read comics at all anymore. I grew up in the 80’s, and I traded Marvel Cards and watched all the Saturday morning cartoons, but never went too deep into the Marvel/DC universe. I read the Watchmen comic a million times, but other than that, I just dabbled. Recently, I have felt a pull to go back and reread some of the classic comics I have missed over the last 25-30 years.
The influence or inspiration for this story was actually Mickey Rourke in “Barfly,” the movie. I have not read Bukowski’s book. I always had this fantasy of Solomon Grundy as a bottom-of-the-barrel drunk who gets beaten up or murdered but keeps returning from the grave to go back to the bar for another round. I have written various versions of this story using other characters as proxies, and this is the first time I have written any actual Solomon Grundy fiction. It took a different direction, but I think the tone of recursive anger and destruction comes through. I will probably take another shot at this narrative again sometime. Maybe I’ll check out those comics you mentioned, and it will spark something new.
Again, thank you so much for reading and engaging with my story.
You’re very welcome — and thank you so much for your insightful reply. I like your version of Solomon Grundy channeling Mickey Rourke’s Barfly energy, lol. It’s a really interesting take on the character. Also, it’s awesome to hear from another fan of Watchmen: I love that book. Definitely some of Alan Moore’s finesh work.
But yes, I can heartily recommend Last Knight on Earth and Ruins. They’re beautiful, but also serve as meditations on hopelessness and, in the case of LKOE, on the same kind of repetitive futility you were driving at with this Grundy story. LKOE does allow space for optimism or redemption — it manages to end on a surprisingly positive note, despite the bleak route it takes to get there. It’s an interesting counterpoint, perhaps, to your own musings and well worth a read.
Wow! Thank you — I hope my humble little short story collection can live up to expections! I’m glad I could recommend LKOE, too — it’s one of my favourite DC universe stories from the last few years. :)
Grundy is a fascinating character. Without getting into the nearly 100 years back story, he at various times has different levels of intellect. I always wondered what he would be like at some of those times in-between. He rarely has clear motivation,
There’s something devastating about giving Grundy clarity after the world ends.
Well, this was chilling: a truly brilliant and original take on one of comics' most inherently tragic figures. Using him as a lens to examine the total end of the word - the curse of being alone after everything else is gone - was a brilliant idea. Tonally, it reminds me a little of 'Last Knight on Earth' (DC) and 'Ruins' (Marvel). Were they influences on this story, by any chance? Either way, this is masterful!
Thanks, PVT—for the read and the kind/thoughtful comments. I really do appreciate it when someone engages with my work, and I will try to respond with all the honesty I can muster.
I have not read LKOE or Ruins. I actually do not really read comics at all anymore. I grew up in the 80’s, and I traded Marvel Cards and watched all the Saturday morning cartoons, but never went too deep into the Marvel/DC universe. I read the Watchmen comic a million times, but other than that, I just dabbled. Recently, I have felt a pull to go back and reread some of the classic comics I have missed over the last 25-30 years.
The influence or inspiration for this story was actually Mickey Rourke in “Barfly,” the movie. I have not read Bukowski’s book. I always had this fantasy of Solomon Grundy as a bottom-of-the-barrel drunk who gets beaten up or murdered but keeps returning from the grave to go back to the bar for another round. I have written various versions of this story using other characters as proxies, and this is the first time I have written any actual Solomon Grundy fiction. It took a different direction, but I think the tone of recursive anger and destruction comes through. I will probably take another shot at this narrative again sometime. Maybe I’ll check out those comics you mentioned, and it will spark something new.
Again, thank you so much for reading and engaging with my story.
You’re very welcome — and thank you so much for your insightful reply. I like your version of Solomon Grundy channeling Mickey Rourke’s Barfly energy, lol. It’s a really interesting take on the character. Also, it’s awesome to hear from another fan of Watchmen: I love that book. Definitely some of Alan Moore’s finesh work.
But yes, I can heartily recommend Last Knight on Earth and Ruins. They’re beautiful, but also serve as meditations on hopelessness and, in the case of LKOE, on the same kind of repetitive futility you were driving at with this Grundy story. LKOE does allow space for optimism or redemption — it manages to end on a surprisingly positive note, despite the bleak route it takes to get there. It’s an interesting counterpoint, perhaps, to your own musings and well worth a read.
Nice. I just ordered the LKOE graphic novel. Thanks for the recommendation. And I ordered a copy off Brief Odysseys of lulu. Looking forward to them.
Wow! Thank you — I hope my humble little short story collection can live up to expections! I’m glad I could recommend LKOE, too — it’s one of my favourite DC universe stories from the last few years. :)
This one is especially bleak, and since Grundy is so simple, it makes us really resonate with the hopelessness he feels.
Grundy is a fascinating character. Without getting into the nearly 100 years back story, he at various times has different levels of intellect. I always wondered what he would be like at some of those times in-between. He rarely has clear motivation,
money, power, domination mean nothing to him.
How would he fill this void.
Thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
You’re welcome, and you do truly raise some interesting questions!