Comic Short Fiction

BETTY WILDE Flapper Fiction Betty Wilde has always believed that the best parties begin after midnight. By then, respectable New York has gone to bed, the streets belong to the reckless, and the hidden doors of Manhattan's speakeasies swing open for those who know where to knock. Betty knows them all. She moves effortlessly through smoky jazz clubs and candlelit rooms, turning heads wherever she goes, collecting admirers as easily as she collects champagne glasses. At thirty-something, she has long since stopped apologizing for the way she lives—or for the men she chooses. Then she meets ...

LUCCA COMICS & GAMES FAIR: THE FINAL FRONTIER. STEP INTO A SCI-FI ADVENTURE WHERE NO FAN HAS EVER GONE BEFORE. What happens when two die-hard fans and comic-con exhibitors get carried away by their overly fertile imaginations? Meet Carlo and Renzo. They’ve traveled to the historic, walled city of Lucca, Tuscany, for Europe’s biggest Comics and Games festival, eager to make a profit selling official Star Trek merchandise. But between the crowded pavilions, a live midnight vampire show, and the late-night walk back to their hotel, reality begins to fracture. To pass the time, Carlo reads ...

Something is moving beneath the houses of Carroway Island. Nobody can say exactly what it is—but that hardly stops anyone from talking. As strange nighttime noises stir the little Chesapeake Bay community, every fresh report makes the mysterious visitor larger, stranger, and considerably more dangerous. Nervous residents want answers. Mayor Pike sees the makings of a tourist attraction. And Crazy Jack Mercy seems to know rather more than he is willing to explain. Soon, an island accustomed to weathering storms is tying itself in knots over what might be lurking beneath its floorboards. ...

Teach your child patience! * * * * * * * * * "You forgot the mail?" The king yelled at the snail. But the snail stayed as calm as could be. He was not afraid of the king, you see. He knew where the gift was; he knew what to do. The monsters learned that patience pays off too. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of children wanting everything "here and now". This story describes just such a situation. I hope you and your children will enjoy it and learn from it. 子どもたちに辛抱について教えてくれる１冊！ 「郵便を忘れただと？」王様はカタツムリ君に...

El tío Manuel se despertó una mañana de mal humor, La alarma de su reloj lo molestó por el ruido abrumador. Gritó: “¡Cállate, reloj!” y agitó su puño fuertemente, Presionó el botón de APAGADO de forma insolente.

What if the world’s not ending, it’s just having an allergic reaction to itself? Step into the wings of the Apollo Theatre with Reggie Porter, the most dangerous man in British comedy (according to Zara, his manager, and possibly MI5). With a biro, a Greggs leaflet, and six pages of forbidden insight, Reggie isn’t just doing a set, he’s detonating sacred cows one punchline at a time. From gay frogs to £6 cheddar, from God to oat milk, The Gig is not a short story, not a manifesto, and definitely not safe for anyone still clinging to certainty. It’s a stand-up sermon. A comic ...

What happens when the supernatural collides with bureaucracy? Usually paperwork. In The Universe Requires a Form, gods, monsters, dragons, golems, radioactive crustaceans, ancient evils, corporate weapons, supernatural spies, and one remarkably useful llama discover that humanity’s greatest defense against the impossible may not be courage, magic, or superior firepower. It may be forms. Across thirteen wildly inventive stories, ordinary people find themselves confronting situations no training manual was designed to cover. An intern accidentally signs his office into Hell. An insurance ...

Humans think they run Grimborough. The cats know better. Meet Felix Ninewhiskers: alley cat, self-appointed chairman, criminal mastermind and proud owner of more confidence than common sense. Together with the Alley Council—a nervous grey cat who distrusts buckets, an enormous ginger obsessed with sausages, an elegant former aristocrat, a one-eyed storyteller whose impossible tales keep turning out to be true, a curious kitten with a talent for magical trouble, an old sailor still waiting for his captain, and a shadowy mischief-maker nobody ever sees coming—Felix has one simple ambition...

A small town is ruined by black rain, and two police officers find themselves face to face with the creatures lurking in the flooded streets. In the wild west, an aging gunslinger returns to his favorite brothel, only to encounter a fathomless black tar that's devouring everyone within. Paramedics find a remedy for a zombie virus outbreak - but can the survivors come to terms with their cannibalism? These stories and more fill Growing Dark, a collection of Kristopher Triana’s darkest short stories.

"Having stolen billions of dollars and been responsible for the unnecessary slaughter of thousands, I must still confess on the record that even my worst actions were never born of ill will." An infamous supervillain tells her side of the story in this epic retelling of her long and storied life. From her infant genius through her would-be world-conquering, this notorious antagonist looks to explain her personal motivations and unique perspective on the various exploits for which society has falsely judged as wrong and evil. This memoir also recounts the many legendary confrontations with ...

Father Tom is a truly loveable character, who despite his best intentions, tumbles from one misadventure after another, while trying to help out his friends. Standing six foot two, the only thing bigger than Father Tom’s stature, is his heart. He’s always on hand to help out friends or neighbours, but things rarely go to plan. This collection of stories follows Father Tom, and other legendary characters, on their wild and wacky escapades. The phrase, it seemed like a good idea at the time, could well have been invented just for them. These were the events that made growing up in a small...

El tío Manuel pensaba que los días silenciosos eran los mejores, Se relajaba en casa con un libro y tenía descansos mayores. Las fiestas ruidosas no eran del agrado del tío Manuel, En su cumpleaños su familia lo sorprendía con un pastel.

The world is not as solid as it pretends to be. In this collection of strange, funny, darkly magical stories, reality frays at the edges, and the people holding it together are rarely the ones in charge. They are children who know better than to ignore spilled milk. Old women with crochet hooks and terrifying competence. Cats who understand where the bodies are buried. Soldiers facing mercy in the snow. Cold War operators hearing saints and demons in the static. Cruise directors trying to keep passengers entertained while mythological judgment boards the ship. Raygun heroes fighting tyrants...

After several years in the military, Kirby Jackson just moved back to his coastal hometown to open up his dream coffee shop. But his best friend and co-owner, Ryan, just had to add his own flair: Comic books. And the business isn't off to a good start. On the cusp of telling Ryan the grim news, he finds his friend with a knife in his back. The shop’s mascot, a stubborn dachshund named Gambit, might hold the keys to solving the case. But he ain't talking. His woofs are only for treats...Or are they?

The bestselling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake returns with a wondrous collection of dreamy, strange, and magical stories. Truly beloved by readers and critics alike, Aimee Bender has become known as something of an enchantress whose lush prose is “moving, fanciful, and...

When the fourth-grade nerd Demetrius clashes with his bully at lunch, he daydreams about a universe where he fights as his favorite heroes—at least, he assumes it’s a parallel world. Hopefully, Dee will figure things out fast! Kung Fu Crack Baby is a short story and excerpt from the bestselling novel Cracks Of Light, a riveting coming of age story about a young boy who learns lessons about life and the supernatural. Cracks of Light is part of The Cracks Of Light Series by John Charles Reedburg.

Feeling isolated and lonely during a pandemic quarantine, writer Jimmy Barton throws himself into a new project, a graphic novel called 1987. It is the story of Jennifer, a lost love from his past that never was. As he writes and draws, the focus of his work intensifies and becomes obsessive, until one day, he draws Jennifer into his life for real, straight out of the pages of 1987. Jennifer the Sketchbook Girl is a delightful, addictive, funny, suspenseful, and romantic tale of imagination from James J. Caterino, the author of Super Hornet 1942, The Green Girl, The Mesomorph, and The Girl ...

Flagler Beach Florida is quite the small town, eclectic and quirky... and filled with many unique characters. Nerdz Comics and More offers not only great comics and collectibles, but great characters as well! The fifth book in the Flagler Beach Fiction series. Contemporary fiction and a fun beach listen! Includes 10 short stories and author notes!

Above a quiet pub off Holborn, forgotten words gather, misused words complain, and language itself occasionally asks for help. Welcome to the Norfolk & Sentence: no music, no sport, just words — and crisps, if you ask properly. Upstairs, in the snug, lives the Tip-of-the-Tongue Society: a peculiar fellowship of words people nearly remember, almost use, or quietly abandon for something easier. There is rictus, sharp-eyed and newly remembered; mizzle, soft as almost-rain; cilice, severe as self-punishment; asportation, theatrical and faintly illegal; and gleek, a retired verb with a ...

It's the final day of the Underguard tournament and Erick has a problem. A problem wrapped up in a blue, costume parka named Heidi. She's bossy. She's bitchy. And she's constantly on Erick's nerves and mind. If he doesn't do something soon, his team is going to lose to her. It's a gambit, but a surprise bet with Heidi might turn the tides. And, looking at Heidi's plump rear in those tight yoga pants, might just give Erick the needed motivation to finally tame his tumultuous rival.