JONES & WRIGHTSON'S FREAK SHOW ADDS THREE STORIES

[MattBrady]

Press Release

Taking the advice of retailers around the country, Desperado Publishing increased the story page count and cover price of its just released novella, Freak Show, by Bruce Jones and Bernie Wrightson, by adding three complete black and white, classic short stories. The additional short stories all feature words and pictures by Wrightson and the total package is wrapped in a color cover featuring all-new Wrightson art. The cover price is $14.95, up only two dollars from its original solicited price.

In Freak Show, a humble man, lonely at heart, seeks out the rejected “special people” of the world, taking these misbegotten outcasts under his wing in a traveling show of oddities, performing from town to town. In his kind, yet lonely journey, this man of compassion also seeks something else, a mate – someone to love – willing to return all the kindness he’s shown his less fortunate troupe of oddities. When he finds that someone, his life is complete...until her pregnancy. She gifts him with a “special” child of his own. His fury at God and the world for such a betrayal, drive him to a state of revenge and hatred that reveals his true inner self – a self his traveling carnival of “special people” wreak their own twisted revenge upon.

“In speaking to the retail community, I was told that it would make sense, in their opinion, if we added some extra material to the Freak Show package to beef it up a bit and give readers more than just the one story,” Joe Pruett, Desperado publisher said. “Unfortunately, this meant that I’d have to raise the cover price a bit, but I was reassured that this wouldn’t be a problem if the material I added was top quality. I think I’m pretty safe then, because what’s been added is amazing.”

Freak Show is available now. To see a five-page sample, follow this link: http://www.desperadopublishing.com/P...20Preview.htm.

For more information on Freak Show and other Desperado Publishing titles, please log onto their web site at www.desperadopublishing.com

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Read the main story last night. Beautifully drawn stuff from Wrightson there, and Jones' story is engaging. I know a lot of people these days will have problems with the narration, but I enjoyed it on its own merits.

Haven't read the new backup stories yet, though. Those are from a different time and look much much different. I'll need a bit more patience to hammer through those.

-Augie

[OcCaM]

So what is the page count on this? I really can't justify $15 for 64 pages (what their website states.) Then again, Amazon.com states 64 pages and $13 so who knows?

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Originally posted by OcCaM
So what is the page count on this? I really can't justify $15 for 64 pages (what their website states.) Then again, Amazon.com states 64 pages and $13 so who knows?

64 black and white pages. Hardcover book. $15. The main story is just over 40 pages and gorgeous.

And it'll take you longer to read these 40 pages than most 6 issue mini-series these days. There's a lot of text on these pages, and a lot of art you'll want to stop to stare at.

-Augie

[stvnhthr]

What are the back-up stories that were added? I'm guessing some of Bernie's old short stories?

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Originally posted by stvnhthr
What are the back-up stories that were added? I'm guessing some of Bernie's old short stories?

Exactly. One is from 1970, and Wrightson is obviously very new at this. One is a nice gray wash job, although there's so much space taken up by the narration, the art feels very compressed. The third is a two page Nosferatu story -- again, mostly text, but with some nice pen and ink work hidden between. . .

-Augie