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Comic Books for Fighting Fascism – Superman

Cover of Action Comics #1 by DC Comics

This series of posts was inspired by the Popsmart Instagram series Films for Fighting Fascism by Professor Shannon Mancus. She’s much smarter than I am and has more degrees than I do but I bet I’ve read more comics than her.

The Creation of Superman Fought Fascism

In 1938, two Jewish men from Cleveland debuted a character in a comic book titled Action Comics #1. Jerry Siegel was the writer and Joe Shuster was the artist. At the time, in Germany, the Nazi regime had bastardized the concept of the Übermensch from Friedrich Nietzsche to justify racial supremacy. The two comic creators subverted this idea and named their character Superman. It was an obvious attempt to redefine what might be considered “superior” in the minds of the world.

The creators imagined someone strong enough to stop evil the moment the hero sees it. Superman was built to defend the most vulnerable. He is a protector who sides with the underdog, fights tyranny, and stops corruption.

The Nazi party actually noticed this subversion. In 1940, the official SS newspaper, Das Schwarze Korps, published a vitriolic attack on Jerry Siegel, calling him an “intellectually and physically circumcised chap” and mocking Superman as a Jewish fantasy. The creators’ act of creation was so powerful it drew direct fire from the Third Reich before America even entered the war.

To even entertain the notion that Superman would kowtow to an authoritarian regime, or any government with strict dictates against freedom of thought and expression is farcical on its face.

Yet even today there are those on the political right who claim that Superman is meant to be a stoic character, god-like, who is not only physically but emotionally invulnerable. One who would never crack a smile, cry at the death of a loved one, or become angry at the United States government shooting protestors in the streets. The premiere issue of Action Comics debunks all of that.

In his first comic, Superman fights corrupt politicians, domestic abusers, and corporate fat-cats. In essence, Superman was a New Deal Democrat right from the start. He was seen as the hero who could put a halt to fascism, not one who might uphold it. He didn’t start with god-like powers either. Yes, he was stronger than the average man and invulnerable to bullets. But there were limits. He could not yet fly. He could take large leaps. He could lift cars above his head without trouble. Yet there was no indication his strength was limitless. Nor has there ever been the indication that Superman can’t be hurt, bleed, or even die in all of his long history.

While acting stoic and showing no empathy at the suffering of others from authoritarian aligned people might on the surface look “manly” and hero-like, it is not. That is just performance. One of the first and most crucial tools of tyranny is to dehumanize others. The only way to do that is to remove our empathy for one another. To remove our community and act as if we don’t feel the pain of those in need is the goal of all authoritarian regimes. Often that starts by encouraging hypermasculine attitudes as if showing emotions is a weakness rather than a universal human experience.

Superman is a true hero to and for the people. He’s an immigrant from a dead culture who sought refuge in America. Upon arrival he immediately began contributing to society and helping people. Rather than seeing humans as alien in his Kryptonian view of the world, he strives to become the most human amongst us.

Superman Continued to Fight Far Right Agendas Long After Action Comics #1

In comparison to other comic book characters of the World War II era, Superman was a little slow to join the fight in an overt manner. But when he did join the fray, it happened even before Captain America famously punched Hitler on the cover of his 1940 debut. Instead of a standard comic issue, the creators of Superman published an imaginary story in Look Magazine depicting how the hero could end the war. It might have been more bold to put the story into Action Comics but it was still a poke in the eye of the Nazi regime. But his fight against those with ridiculous ideas of racial superiority didn’t end there.

Just after the war, Superman was hugely popular and had his own radio show. In 1946, the Adventures of Superman radio show ran the “Clan of the Fiery Cross” storyline. Activist Stetson Kennedy had infiltrated the KKK, learned their secret code words, rituals, and hierarchy, and passed the information to the show’s producers. By exposing the Klan’s ridiculous secret handshakes and titles on a massive children’s broadcast, the show stripped away the mystique and terror of the group. It humiliated them, destroyed their recruitment numbers, and mobilized the community against them.

Gene Luen Yang, a Bay Area comic book creator best known for American Born Chinese, has a fantastic and fascinating graphic novel loosely based on the Clan of the Fiery Cross storyline titled Superman Smashes the Klan. Written in 2019 the book proves Superman is as against hatred now as he has ever been.

In Action Comics #900 (2011), Superman actually renounced his US citizenship because he was tired of his actions being used as political policy by the US government after he walked with peaceful protestors in Iran. While some on the right viewed this as being un-American, Superman was exercising one of our most fundamental freedoms as Americans. The right to peacefully assemble. A right the government in Iran is still suppressing even now. Superman, at this point, realizes that even American government can be led towards authoritarianism and he is a symbol more meaningful than any single government. As our own government shoots protestors, it is reassuring to know if Superman were real, he would be in the streets protesting with us.

Absolute Superman is a current title featuring an alternate universe in which Superman is directly confronting billionaires, using his empathy to try to understand the world today, and taking action. Again he displays radical empathy. He’s intensely affected by the pain and deaths of those around him. The most current iteration of the character is still doing what he did in his debut comic.

The act of reading these stories alone is a tool against fascism. These stories teach us that the most heroic of heroes is one that feels emotional depth, understands those in need, and then does something about it. No matter the cost to himself. Yes, he is physically invulnerable to most things. However, losing one life of any human is more devastating to Clark Kent/Superman than dying from kryptonite poisoning.

Some people have criticized the most recent film adaptation of the character as showing him being too kind. With Superman that is literally impossible. His whole character is radical empathy and meaningful kindness. And his hope is to spread this kindness to the world.

Superman Creates Community

By DC Comics – DC Comics, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78165388

If you look at the long history of the world’s most famous superhero you will see that he believes in hope for others so strongly he himself becomes a symbol of hope in the real world. The S shield that he wears on his chest is one of the most universally recognized symbols on the planet.

Young kids in Kansas in 1946 could wear that symbol on their chests believing there was hope to stomp out the KKK. People in Iran can wear the symbol believing Superman would stand with them in a fight for an equal society. Because he did. And we, as Americans, can march in the streets wearing his symbol, knowing it is one of hope that stands against government overreach.

Superman doesn’t just care about those he fights for either. He cares about those he fights against. He has the power to snuff out any human life in the blink of an eye. Yet this hero has a long-running arch nemesis whom he cares deeply about. Lex Luthor has come in many forms from mad scientist, to corrupt business mogul, to scheming politician. Yet he lives. Why? Because fundamentally, at his core, Superman has hope. He has hope that even the worst of us, those of us who have wronged others, and are self-dealing have the capacity to be better.

Fighting fascism means building community. This means there are going to be times when we have to realize people have the capacity to change. While we should hold people accountable for their actions, there are those caught in the grip of an authoritarian movement right now in America that will need us all to display Superman’s greatest strength. His radical empathy and sense of community.

A List of Standout Superman Stories for Fighting Fascism

If you want to dive deeper into the history, the anti-authoritarian roots, and the radical empathy of the Man of Steel, add these ten essential stories to your reading list. Most of these you can find on DC Universe Infinite if you have it. My preferred method is checking them out from your local library. I’ve added the links for convenience but they are not affiliate or sponsored links.

1. Action Comics #1–10 (1938)

  • By: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
  • The Blueprint: The original Golden Age run where Superman acts as a New Deal populist, directly fighting corrupt politicians, slumlords, domestic abusers, and corporate profiteers who oppress everyday citizens.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – Action Comics #1

2. Look Magazine – “How Superman Would End the War” (1940)

  • By: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
  • The Blueprint: The historic, two-page feature story where the creators bypassed US neutrality laws to show Superman flying to Berlin, demolishing the Nazi war machine, and dragging Hitler to the League of Nations.
  • Read it here: Internet Archive – Look Magazine

3. The Adventures of Superman Radio Show – “Clan of the Fiery Cross” (1946)

  • The Blueprint: The groundbreaking 16-part radio serial that weaponized real-world Ku Klux Klan secrets, codes, and rituals to humiliate the hate group, tank their recruitment numbers, and build community resistance.
  • Listen to it here: YouTube Playlist – Clan of the Fiery Cross

4. Superman Smashes the Klan (2020)

  • By: Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
  • The Blueprint: A brilliant modern graphic novel adaptation of the 1946 radio show. It explores bigotry, immigrant identity, and structural racism through the eyes of a Chinese-American family in Metropolis and a young Clark Kent coming to terms with his own alien heritage.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – Superman Smashes the Klan

5. Action Comics #775 – “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?” (2001)

  • By: Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, and Lee Bermejo
  • The Blueprint: Superman faces off against a cynical, violent team of anti-heroes called The Elite. It stands as the ultimate rebuttal to anyone who claims Superman should be a cold, executioner-style god, proving that his restraint is a deliberate choice to reject authoritarian power.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – Action Comics #775

6. All-Star Superman #10 – “Never-Ending” (2008)

  • By: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
  • The Blueprint: A masterpiece of emotional scale. Facing his own mortality, Superman spends his time protecting the micro-details of the planet, culminating in a legendary, life-saving act of pure empathy for a lonely teenager.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – All-Star Superman #10

7. Action Comics #900 – “The Incident” (2011)

  • By: David S. Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda
  • The Blueprint: The controversial and powerful short story where Superman renounces his U.S. citizenship to prevent the federal government from using his personal, anti-authoritarian actions—like walking with peaceful democratic protestors in Iran—as state policy.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – Action Comics #900

8. Superman: Peace on Earth (1998)

  • By: Paul Dini and Alex Ross
  • The Blueprint: A stunning graphic novel exploring the limits of power. Superman attempts to spend a day feeding the starving populations of the world, only to discover how dictatorial and militarized regimes weaponize human deprivation to stay in control.
  • Read it here: Goodreads – Superman Peace on Earth

9. Absolute Superman (2024–Ongoing)

  • By: Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval
  • The Blueprint: The most current, modern run reimagines Kal-El without his usual safety nets. Left to navigate a cruel world alone as a blue-collar immigrant, he uses his radical empathy to directly confront exploitative corporations, corrupt systems, and billionaires.
  • Read it here: DC Comics – Absolute Superman Hub

10. Superman Red & Blue (2021)

  • By: Various Creators
  • The Blueprint: An anthology series stripping the character down to his core traits. It focuses entirely on everyday kindness, showing how a person with unlimited physical strength uses small acts of solidarity to mend broken communities and instill hope.
  • Read it here: DC Universe Infinite – Superman Red & Blue (2021)

Next Time

My next post in this series will be on Maus by Art Spiegelman.

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Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in!

black and white dartboard

Hello internet people! Welcome to Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! In this post I’ll be going through the progress I made on my movie, book, and ttrpg challenges for the year so far. If you’re doing any of the challenges as well, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for movies!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! Movie challenge
Slick Dungeon’s Movie Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

I watched a few movies this month but only one met a challenge requirement. I was recommended I Saw the TV Glow by a friend. And it was a great recommendation. If you didn’t see my review already, check it out here. But I will say, the best film I watched in January was Hereditary. Great movie if you like horror. I also watched Nosferatu which I thought was fine but not groundbreaking. And I watched We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. To me, that one is not worth your time. It does have a decent performance by Anna Cobb though.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for Books!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! Book challenge
Slick Dungeon’s Book Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

This one is going to be a little bit of a cheat. I read a book of short stories which is not yet released. It is called Four Dark and Stormys and a Hangover by Dan Kaminski. It’s a book of horror novellas but I’m counting it as a book of short stories. My review will come soon so watch for that this month. I think for next month I’ll be reading a fantasy book called Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for TTRPGs!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! TTRPG challenge
Slick Dungeon’s TTRPG Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

In January I read the rule books for a TTRPG called Along the Leyline. I’ll be doing a review of it on this blog later this month. And once I’ve gotten a chance to play it, I’ll do a more comprehensive rules breakdown of the game. There are a lot of similarities between this one and Dungeons & Dragons but I will say the rules for Along the Leyline are more streamlined and easier to follow. There are lots of strengths here and a few spots for improvement but I’ll go into detail more on that in a post later this month.

How is your progress going?

Now that I’ve shared my updates with all of you, I would love to know if any of you have taken these challenges. Watched any movies, read any books, or done any of the TTRPG challenges? Please let me know in the comments!

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Usagi Yojimbo – Comic Book Recommendation

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most complex and sweeping samurai epics of all time. This book has been published since 1984 and it is still going. If you are looking for a great comic book read that is not a superhero comic, Usagi Yojimbo stands tall as one of the best ever made. While it has its legion of fans, the comic is often overlooked by new readers because it looks a bit cartoonish and cutesy. Much like Bone which is cute on the surface but is truly a massive fantasy epic, with Usagi you get far more than it looks like on the cover.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

What is Usagi Yojimbo about?

The word Usagi means rabbit. Yojimbo means bodyguard. That’s a pretty good description of what this is about. But there is so much more to it. This is set at the beginning of the Edo period in Japan when the country was just coming under the rule of the shogunate and people were still feeling battle scars from recent history.

Each story follows Usagi on an adventure where he often protects the innocent or rights some wrong. Reading the books gives the same feeling you get when watching some of the greatest Akira Kurosawa samurai films.

There is an expansive cast of characters, several who come and go, and some who you meet only once and never again. A larger story line exists in the series. But it is possible to pick up any volume of the series and get an entire story.

My only word of caution here is to be careful about giving it to very young kids. There is nothing explicit here but there is some blood. And considering this is a samurai story, characters die. Generally, it’s fine for almost all audiences though.

How do I get started?

There is a long and complicated publishing history to this comic. It’s gone through several publishers. The character has always belonged to the creator, writer and artist Stan Sakai, but he’s moved Usagi to a few different spots for different reasons. Lucky for us, however, the numbering of the series is pretty straightforward. There are over 40 numbered volumes plus some omnibus editions and other volumes and crossovers that pop up here and there.

While I think you can really jump in anywhere, as long as you are reading a collected story, I think the best volume to begin with is Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin. This collects the earliest comics and starts out the proper story. If you start here and read through, you also get to see the progression of Sakai’s art style. It takes him just a bit to land on the tone he wants but once this gets going, it is a jaw dropping body of work.

You can get the first volume on Amazon by clicking the image above or the link here. It’ll cost you $19. If you buy through one of my links it really helps out this blog without any extra cost to you.

If you have a lot of cash to burn and you know you want to get in to Usagi, there is also the Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition: 2 Volume Hardcover Box Set. That will set you back at least $116 though. You can get the paperback version for $99. The nice thing about this set is you get the first seven Usagi stories plus some extra artwork and cover gallery. It’s a big price tag though. But if you want it you can grab it right here.

Usagi Yojimbo conclusion

Ready to settle in for a great long read that will transport you back to Edo Japan, full of depth, action, and an unforgettable cast of characters? Usagi Yojimbo is perfect for that. Stan Sakai’s epic is one of the most brilliant comics ever made. Look past the cuteness of the character if that is not your thing. And if it is, then embrace it because there is lots of cuteness too! But either way this is an incredible comic which I simply cannot recommend enough.

Give it a read and let me know what you think!

P.S. want to see some of my superhero comic reviews? Take a look at my series on the Marvel 616 comics here!

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Flash Fiction Friday – Love Bites

woman holding mug of cappuccino
woman holding mug of cappuccino
Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

Happy Friday everyone! Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!

Love Bites by Adam Wright

The zombies were dead. The doors were bolted. I fell in love. 

She sat across from me, a light cut on her forehead. Red blood trickled down her face in tiny droplets. Her hair was short. It doesn’t pay to have long hair when undead creatures grab at it. At one time it was dirty blonde. We’d been through a lot together. I was a wall street broker and she was my barista. We’d met each other day after day for years. I didn’t know her name and she always misspelled mine. In the end it didn’t matter. 

We knew the drill. Get inside, barricade yourself. Clear the area if any were left. Check for wounds. Scratches hurt but would heal. Bites were the end. Once bitten, there was only one end. I would prefer a bullet to the head over becoming one of those things. She agreed.

When you go out into the world amongst diseased and desiccated corpses, there is a smell. It hangs there like rotted meat swarmed by maggots. Most of the world smells that way now. So even as we run together, sweat and body odor rising into our nostrils, the human smell of it is all you want to cling to. The aliveness of the other person. It’s comforting even when you know your life could end at any moment. You’d do anything to protect that one other living thing next to you.

We learned to trust each other. She saved my life on the day of the outbreak. I was lucky enough to be at the front of the line and she grabbed my hand and rushed us to the exit. We evaded the mass of undead. We hid in sewers and raided grocery stores. I found weapons. We both learned to shoot. I still prefer the aluminum bat. 

I knew enough to get a campfire started on that first day. We soon learned that was a bad idea. We still do it when we’re locked indoors and can make sure no light is let in. You can’t fall asleep though or the fire will take you. 

We’ve done everything right for as long as we can. We have survived. I’ve tried not to fall in love. When you get close to someone it’s a weakness. I have seen couples come and go. Usually one ends up shooting the other. It’s good to have a partner. Bad to be in love.

If I was going to fall in love with anyone in my life it would have been her. We didn’t know each other well but she was always kind. I tipped well. I didn’t want love to begin with but now I had the worst kind of love. A dangerous love.

The real problem? I didn’t love her for her body, her kind soul, or her good deeds. I loved her for her brains. The bite didn’t even sting anymore.

Without saying a word, I passed her the gun and closed my eyes.

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Mistborn

This year the Cosmere role playing game is going to release at the end of the year. I thought now would be a great time for me to dive back in to the Cosmere books and I decided to start by re-reading Mistborn.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

If you want to get your own copy to read this year, it would help my blog out a lot if you purchased through the image above or clicked here.

Synopsis:

Once, a hero arose to save the world. He failed.

Ever since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist controlled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler.

But hope survives. A new uprising is forming, one built around the ultimate caper, the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind, and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The first book in the Mistborn series introduces us to the main players and sets up the world they operate in. And it establishes the rules of magic for the world. This is a dystopian world where ash falls from the sky and the despotic Lord Ruler has governed for a thousand years. He stays in power by oppressing the Skaa people and making sure the nobility is beholden to his whims.

But in this world there are people with special gifts. They can do a kind of magic called Allomancy. The way this works is they ingest a small amount of metal. Then they use that metal to allow them to do things like enhance their senses an strengthen their bodies. And even, in one case, they can see briefly into possible futures.

Out of this world a few characters come up with a bold plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Kelsier, a famous thief recruits Vin, a teenage urchin, to put his plan into action. The story is from Vin’s point of view as she learns about the nobility, the Skaa, the Lord Ruler, and Allomancy.

But there is a reason this Lord Ruler has reigned for so long. He has every resource at his disposal. The bold plan of Kelsier’s may be doomed.

While I don’t think this is the best book of the series, it does a great job of establishing the heroes, villains, and mysteries of the world. As with a lot of Brandon Sanderson books, the magic system is complicated. But it works well and makes for some really memorable scenes. The opening scene of the book alone is one of the most epic in fantasy novels.

If you like fantasy books and you haven’t read Mistborn I highly recommend checking this one out. To take away any confusion, this book is known as Mistborn but you’ll also see it titled Mistborn: The Final Empire. You might even find it as just The Final Empire.

If you like heroic fantasy set against impossible odds, this book is for you.

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Flash Fiction Friday -Totality

eclipse digital wallpaper
Photo by Drew Rae on Pexels.com

Happy Friday everyone! Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!

Totality

During the eclipse I saw my life flash before my eyes. Jennifer held my hand, her soft fingers interlaced with mine. We were both a little breathless after climbing up the hill to get to the best vantage point in the neighborhood. She was not just an amateur astronomer, she was about to earn her doctorate in the science. But her eyes still lit up at the idea of an eclipse. And she wanted to spend it with me. 

We had set out folding chairs, filled our thermos up with hot cocoa, layered up in our warmest winter jackets and waited for the early evening when the eclipse was predicted. A total eclipse of the sun this time. As she explained to me the vast distances between us, the moon, and the sun from the moon, I couldn’t help feeling her passion. It was the way I felt about her. 

For about the millionth time she reminded me not to look directly at the sun. I had no plans to do so. We looked through our eclipse glasses and they reminded me of watching a 3D movie. There were plenty of other couples and families around us. I thought briefly of what it would be like when we had kids.

Then she gripped my arm and gave a little gasp. 

“First contact,” she said.

I thought of Star Trek. But then I realized she meant the eclipse was happening. 

It seemed like forever as the sun dimmed and the black shadow of the moon grew. I started to feel a pit in my stomach grow. There was something unsettling about it to me.

Eventually she whispered in my ear, “Second contact, Isn’t this exciting?”

I nodded but I felt as if I was becoming weightless. A strange smell wafted into my nose. It was a smell of rot and decay. 

Her hand gripped mine tighter and suddenly it didn’t feel like her young, soft skin. It was hard bone. I tried to look at the eclipse, fearing what I would see beside me.

When a rattly whisper came again from my right side, the voice sounded like Jennifer’s grandmother. 

“Totality.”

Suddenly I was spinning. I closed my eyes against the total darkness.

 When I opened them I remembered where I am now. In this hospital. In this bed where they bring me pills. They tell me it will make me better but they are liars.

I know what happened on the day of the eclipse. The moment it was over, just as Jennifer said, “Fourth contact” I bent down on one knee and brought out the ring. She said yes. 

The smell of decay had been my own from this very bed. Foul and filthy. I hate it. The feeling of unease was my mind telling me I was about to come back to this hell of a reality.

On that day, when I felt myself spin I saw the two of us married, we had five children, she became famous and I became an accountant. That’s what I thought would happen. In reality, she did become famous, at least, among academics. She wrote several books. I became an office drone for a tech company. We only had two kids.

But that memory of the eclipse, the things I saw that moment? They felt more real than anything I experienced.

Now, it’s cruel. I am there. There with my Jennifer, about to relive the most important thing in my life, with my love. I see it, I feel it. But then a man in scrubs snaps his fingers at me and says, “Hello Mr. Sinclair, how are we today?”

I’m confused. I don’t know who he is or where I am for a moment. He is not Jennifer and as far as how I am? I tell him. “I’m shit today. Who are you?”

He tells me but I don’t remember him five minutes later. My children come to me. Sometimes, I think Patty is Jennifer. At least, that’s what they tell me. I only know that day, that moment. The eclipse. If I can get back there to that moment, I could do it all over again with her. Perfect, the way it was.

They shove applesauce at me on a tray. The lights are bright. Like looking at the sun. Jennifer would not approve. The bony skeleton hand I feel when I remember that day is my own. I wake up holding my own hand, thinking it’s Jennifer. She’s been gone for so long.

I want to be out on the grass with her again. Full of life and youth and possibility. Waking up and seeing that your love is gone, you are old, and there are strangers everywhere? It’s hell. It’s a nightmare. I just want to rest. I want to see Jennifer again. There is only that moment for me. That moment, that day, her amber eyes tearing up. Her kiss on my lips. That’s the moment I want forever. And I keep getting it, only to come back here. To find an old man in an old body with a confused mind at the end of his life. A well lived life but one this old man can’t remember. I feel about as far from my youth as the moon is from the sun.  But I can remember the eclipse.

As I grow irritated and sleepy once again, I see Jennifer’s young face. I feel her hand grip mine. She places glasses on my eyes so I can see the eclipse. I hear the words again.

“First contact. Second contact. Isn’t this exciting? Totality.” My nerves are on edge, my stomach is spinning. I’m about to ask the most important question of my life.

“Fourth contact.”

“Will you marry me?”

As my eyes darken for what might be the last time I hear her voice. I always hear her voice. She says, “Yes. In totality.”

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Flash Fiction Friday – New Year, New… Me?

pexels-photo-29957518.jpeg
pexels-photo-29957518.jpeg
Photo by Sami TÜRK on Pexels.com

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are having a good week. Here’s a little story I wrote, hope you like it!

New Year, New… Me?

When I awoke in the new year I looked in the mirror. I wish I had not done that. There were warning signs. In the dark of the room where I woke, my feet pressed against a footboard on a bed too small for my body. I wasn’t sure why but my fingers felt… thinner. And longer. It was a room I was familiar with. One I’d been in many times. My friend Pete must have given up his bed for me. I didn’t recall drinking the night before but I had no clear memory of it either.

I was wearing button up flannel pajamas. I have never, in my life, worn flannel anything. And I was wearing a… ring? A gold band. Oh shit. Did I get so hammered I got married last night? I rubbed my chin to find no beard. A bit of stubble but no beard. Whatever happened couldn’t have been good.

I walked into the bathroom. I took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. Then I turned on the light. Pete’s face looked back at me in the mirror. I stumbled backwards and hit my head. Pete’s head I guess. It still hurt me though. If I was in Pete’s body, where was Pete? 

I’m a relatively cool headed person. I keep it together when everyone else loses it in board meetings. I knew the first thing to do here was to stay calm. I got dressed, wearing clothes from Pete’s closet, socks from his dresser, and I put on Pete’s shoes. No one saw me leave Pete’s house. 

I walked three houses down to my house. It’s a big yellow house with white trim. I should’ve repainted it a decade ago. I realized I didn’t have my key but it didn’t matter. As I walked up to it, a woman I have never seen walked out, a toddler in hand.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Just wondering if this is for sale?” I figured my quick thinking would cover any awkwardness.

“Pete, you’re joking. We talked about this at length last night. Bad enough Rosey keeps trying to get me to sell. At least she’s an agent. Aren’t you like a stockbroker or something?”

“Mutual funds.” I muttered. I knew that’s what Pete did. We’d been best friends since third freaking grade.

“Right. Well anyway the answer is still no and I’ve got to get the kiddo to daycare so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off.”

In a daze, I just moved aside. If I was Pete, and someone else lived in my house, where was I? Who was I?

I waited around, sitting on the pavement for hours outside of Pete’s house. I watched for signs of myself coming or going from anywhere. Nothing.

As the sun went down and the air got cooler, I decided to head back into Pete’s house. I knew his wife would be back soon. Every year she spent New Years Eve with her mother and came back late the next day. I didn’t know what I would do when I saw her. How could I explain to her where Pete had gone? Anything I tried would sound out of this world, put me in an institution, crazy. But her husband was… Well, I didn’t know where the real Pete was.

When I did see Rosey, the last thing I expected happened. She walked up to me, her brunette hair tied in a bun, her hands full of luggage, and her chestnut brown eyes staring at me, and she gave me the most passionate, loving kiss.

Confession time. I’ve been in love with Rosey since before Pete even met her. I introduced the two of them. I never stood in Pete’s way because, well, Pete does love her, and he’s a good man. Was? I’m not sure. 

When Rosey pulled away, I opened my mouth to try to say something. To find some way to explain. But suddenly, it was like I was Pete. I could remember everything Pete had done with Rosey. I remembered the scent of the perfume she used on our wedding day. Pete’s wedding day. I remembered the first time I made her laugh so hard she snorted. It was Pete telling the joke but it was now, my memory, from Pete’s point of view. There was the time the two of us went white water rafting and I fell overboard and Rosey just laughed as I struggled to swim back to the boat. I still found it embarrassing but Rosey thought it was hilarious. I should say, Pete found it embarrassing, but he was somehow me.

It took only a few moments for me to feel like I was Pete. But there has always been this small part of me that knows I am not. I had all of Pete’s memories, knowledge and skills. The next day, I went to Pete’s work and did Pete’s job.

Through the years I looked for myself. There was no record of my mother or father. I went to all of the addresses I had lived in. Even the college dorms but there was never any mention of me. 

I grew old with Rosey. We had children together. I’ve tried a couple of times to explain this situation to her but it never makes any sense. Pete’s gone, yet Pete is me. And I’m, well I guess I’m here. 

I can’t complain much. Rosey is the best person I know and my life has been full of bliss and wonder. But where the hell is Pete? I hope he’s okay but somehow I don’t think he is. Every year I wake up on New Years Day thinking this is the year it will switch back. It’ll snap me back to reality and I’ll lose Rosey but gain Pete. 

But so far, since that first year, it’s always been New year… new me. Maybe next year. Who knows?

Posted on by slickdungeon

2025 Book Challenge!

person standing on stacks of books
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2025 Book Challenge!

The 2025 book challenge is simple. Pick an item on the list. Find a book that matches. If you are reading a book and realize it fits an item, check it off! Download the list right here or from the image below to get started!

Slick Dungeon's 2025 Book Challenge!
Slick Dungeon’s 2025 Book Challenge!

Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!

  1. My favorite book is Lord of the Rings.
  2. For a book assigned in High Schools I will re-read 1984.
  3. For a book with a blue cover – I haven’t decided what book to do here. But one of the ones I read in 2025 is bound to have a blue cover.
  4. I’m in the middle of the Mistborn series. Finding a fantasy book should be easy.
  5. For a non-fiction book I’ll either read a biography (probably about a musician) or something about the comic book industry. I love learning more about both of those.
  6. A book you saw someone reading in a movie – This will be a surprise. I’ll just pick the next book someone reads in a movie I am watching.
  7. For a book of short stories I’m reading You Like it Darker by Stephen King.
  8. For a book with an amazing first line – Technically two lines but The Restaurant at the End of the Universe starts like this – “The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” How great is that?
  9. Most people know the end of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It ends with the perfect line – ‘He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.’
  10. For a book that is not on a best seller list, I’ll decide the month I read it. To make sure it’s not on a best seller list. There are plenty to choose!
  11. For a book with only a few characters I will read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
  12. I reserve the right to change this one. But I’m planning to read Carrie Fisher’s memoir The Princess Diarist.

Let me know how it goes!

I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you read along. And how it goes if you do.

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

Posted on by slickdungeon

Challenge Yourself! Books, Movies and RPGs for 2025

black and white dartboard
black and white dartboard
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon here. 2024 had plenty of challenges for most of us, a lot of them not the fun kind. So I decided to bring back my book, movie, and TTRPG challenges. This year I invite you to challenge yourself!

For the next three days come back here to find out what the challenges are and download a copy for yourself.

When I started this blog I used to do a book, movie, and TTRPG challenge every year. That got to be a lot so I took a break but I’m bringing them back. When they are all out you can download not one, not two, but three absolutely free challenge checklists. Whether you love movies, books, tabletop role playing games, or all three, there is something for you.

Each list has 12 challenges. One per month should be doable but if you are an overachiever, feel free to knock these out in 12 days or less. If you do take up any of these challenges let me know how it went. And if you happen to post it on your social media, feel free to tag me so I can follow your progress.

Challenge yourself! The Rules

  1. There are three separate challenges, one for books, one for movies and one for tabletop role playing games. I’ll tell you about each one and give suggestions for how I plan to meet the challenge.
  2. Once I finish a challenge I will check it off and then post about it. This challenge is for you so feel free to post about it or just enjoy it on your own. If you do post somewhere, let’s compare notes!
  3. These can be done in any order. I’m not judging you and there’s no grade here.
  4. If you want to double dip on any of these feel free. I’m not going to do that but it’s your life, do what you want.
  5. This is not a rule but these will be downloadable PDF’s so feel free to download and print them or pass them on to friends, relatives, neighbors, or office mates looking for something to do! Share, share, share!

How can I get these?

Just come back here tomorrow and you’ll see the movie challenge. The next day grab your book challenge. And on 1/5 get your TTRPG challenge. That’s it!

I hope you enjoy the challenges I made. Don’t forget to let me know if you plan to play along and how it goes if you do.

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

PS. Want to see my challenges from previous years? Check them out here and here.

Posted on by slickdungeon

In a Flash Volume II Out Now

In a Flash Volume II is out now!
In a Flash Volume II is out now!

Hello all! Last February I participated in the Storytelling Collective’s Flash Fiction challenge. As a result, one of my stories is in their collection, In a Flash Volume II. The details for how/where to purchase are below. Don’t just grab it to support me though, there are over 40 writers who contributed so you’re sure to find something you like! This challenge is always a blast and this year it was themed on J. R. R. Tolkien inspired prompts. But there is far more than fantasy in these pages. Just about every genre you can imagine shows up. It’s a great read!

All of the stories are short so it’s perfect for a bedtime read each night.

You can get a digital copy, a softcover, or both. Prices range from $4.99 – $14.98 depending on what version you purchase.

If you are more into poetry, there is also a newly published book called COLLECTIVE VERSES Vol 4. I did not contribute to this but if you love poetry I highly recommend grabbing a copy.

Purchase details for In a Flash Volume II

Available now at DriveThruFiction.com:

IN A FLASH VOL. II featuring flash fiction by a global group of writers.

Support emerging voices by picking up a print or digital copy. 

Published by @StorytellingColl’s publishing imprint, Scribemind Books. 

Purchase details for Collective Verses Vol. IV

Available now at DriveThruFiction.com:

COLLECTIVE VERSES VOL IV featuring poetry by a global group of writers.

Support emerging voices by picking up a print or digital copy. 

Published by @StorytellingColl’s publishing imprint, Scribemind Books.

If you like my writing

If you enjoy my short stories and want to see another collection I have been featured in check out the first volume In a Flash!

Thanks, and happy reading everyone!