Return to Fiction Writing; Graphic Novel Based on Lost Horror Film

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Some of you may had noticed that I skipped posting back on the 4th of the month, as far as Monday posting goes. I posted for the IWSG blog hop that Wednesday and it didn't make up for that Monday's missed post since I said I had to keep it short. I had to reduce the writing during that week because, as I also said in that IWSG post, my mom passed away back in October and so that was the week of her funeral. I just got back on track earlier last week (Wednesday I think it was) and so that included returning to working on my fiction projects, namely my upcoming short story collection, "Bad Apps". Needless to say, I'm back on track with my weekly blog posts. So, I have some about my latest progress on "Bad Apps" and, in sci fi/fantasy news, about an upcoming graphic novel adaptation of a lost silent horror film that starred Lon Chaney Sr.

Back On Track with ‘Bad Apps’

My short hiatus from my fiction writing wasn't really a full one. When you’re a writer and lose a loved one, it seems like all time stops. It's like you really don't care about your art at the moment, you just want to tend to that mournful period and be with family and friends. At the same time, you remember that you're an artist because making your art is nearly your oxygen, and so you're inclined to fit your work into every spare moment. Yet, you just can't emphasise your art during that time. So, during that week of the funeral, I did some work on my short stories for "Bad Apps" here and there but in no more than five-minute time frames. Other than that, most of the writing I did was in my daily journal. 

Now that I can function more clearly with my writing projects, I’ve returned to typing in the character revisions to one story, “Virtual Voodoo”, and the grammatical edits in the other, “Game Night”. Also, I’m submitting another segment of “Virtual Voodoo” to my writer’s group for critique. 

Lost Silent Horror Film to Be Adapted into a Graphic Novel 

The 1927 silent movie "London After Midnight" has been considered a lost film due to the last, known existing print having been destroyed in a fire in the 1960s. According to Turner Classic Movies' website, the movie is not only listed by the American Film Institute as one of the “Ten Most Wanted ‘Lost Films’” but also considered to be “the most famous of lost films.” However, in a way, it is to be reborn in another narrative format: the graphic novel. 

The story to this film directed by Tod Browning concerns an inspector's (played by Lon Chaney Sr.) investigation of an estate that's owner is believed to have killed himself. While the estate becomes occupied by people thought to be vampires, the inspector suspects that the owner's death was not a suicide. The movie’s lost status has made it popular along with Chaney's iconic vampire figure depicted with cape, top hat, and an all-fang evil grin. 

I've always wanted to see “London After Midnight” (like, I’m sure, thousands of other horror film fans have) but, because there are no prints known to exist, there’s a big chance that it will never be seen again in its original format. The closest thing to the original film that currently exists are still photos from the set that were made into a movie by film preservationist and scholar Rick Schmidlin in 2002.  

The second closest thing to the movie in existence can be said to be the upcoming graphic novel adaptation. It will initially release as a leatherbound edition limited to supporters of the book's Kickstarter project who donate the minimum amount by December 2, 2024. A trade paperback edition will be offered in stores at a later date which, at the time of this writing, is not yet known. 

The “London” graphic novel is a collaboration between the grandson of Chaney, Ron Chaney, and comic book writer Dirk Manning with art by Joshua Ross.  While Manning is creating the comic adaptation due to the probability of  all copies of the film being out of existence, Chaney is involved in the creation for purposes of preserving and perpetuating his "'family's legacy and heritage'" as he's quoted saying in a Comicon.com article.  For sure, the graphic novel will help save this lost film from going into total oblivion.

The leatherbound edition of the "London After Midnight" graphic novel might be a little out of my budget. But, being a longtime Lon Chaney fan, I'm planning on purchasing the paperback edition whenever it comes out. What about you? Will you be supporting the graphic novel's Kickstarter project to receive the limited leatherbound book, or will you purchase a copy when it comes out in paperback? For those of you who are writers, how do you handle your writing projects during unexpected crises? 

Until next time . . .