Gary Scott Beatty On Coronavirus and Fear

EDITOR'S NOTE:  In this installment, Gary checks in on everything from Coronavirus to big screen television to 80's horror/adventure flicks and, oh yeah, a little thing called Welcome To Dunwich . . . . . .

Hello from Aazurn Publishing Secret Headquarters, where Welcome to Dunwich is in the coloring stages and the talented Tom Mandrake (The Spectre, Creeps, Swamp Thing) has agreed to illustrate the cover. Tom and I are old convention associates. His collaborations with writer John Ostrander on series like Grimjack, The Spectre and The Kents are my definition of comic book brilliance. There's nothing to show from him yet, but I don't think Tom would object if I showed off one of his pages from The Swamp Thing Giant, currently on the stands. +++   FIGHTING STUPIDITY: A recent 5W Public Relations survey indicated 38% of Americans wouldn't buy Corona beer "under any circumstances" because of fears of the coronavirus. I'm doing my part for the company -- I just bought a Corona six pack. Anheuser-Busch has said they have not seen a drop in sales (but of course they'd say that). Does it seem to you people are becoming increasingly stupid? +++ I've been tearing apart my big screen/Xfinity setup trying to figure out why it keeps dropping me off the internet. It's not the 'net (works fine on my trusty computer). The next step is to direct plug in the internet connection and reboot whatever software makes this LGTV go. It's not a great TV, but we've become used to it, and it's nice to change eye-distance for entertainment after a long day of staring close-up at a computer screen for work. Time. It's all about having the time.   I did manage to catch Tremors on Netflix. Not exactly my kind of horror, the last of the movies with that '80s adventure vibe, but I forgot how funny it was and how well rounded the characters were. Practical effects (physical, not CGI) makes Tremors interesting viewing. Tremors (1990) is on Netflix here. +++   Above (and top), a portion of a panel from Welcome to Dunwich, drawn and inked by me. Yes, it's grim. If you want to see the full panel and the inks before coloring, plus more thoughts from me about the new texture in the coloring, drop over to my Patreon here. +++ An interesting juxtaposition: the more militaristic we become, the more we fear. Remember Frank Herbert's litany against fear, used by the Bene Gesserit in the novel Dune. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” In glorious service to our Aazurn overlords, Gary Scott Beatty StrangeHorror.com