NIGHTMARE WORLD #47 - "In the Meantime..."

[Dirk Manning]

NIGHTMARE WORLD #47 - "In the Meantime..."

"I want answers!"

http://nightmareworld.com/images/pages/meantimecover.jpg (http://www.nightmareworld.com)

By Dirk Manning (Writer) with Josh Ross, Austin McKinley, Brent Engstrom, Jason Meek, Mark Winters, Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon and Jim Reddington (Illustrators/Letters).

Winner of the 2003 Corrie Award for Best Online Comic!!

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[midnightsun]

Oh this is going to be sooo good, I thought maybe the kid from "No More Tears" was that poor little kid at the end of "Preys To Be Lured", I'm glad to see he's not. we are going to find out quite a bit here......I think......I HOPE!! :banana:

[Dirk Manning]

Oh this is going to be sooo good, I thought maybe the kid from "No More Tears" was that poor little kid at the end of "Preys To Be Lured", I'm glad to see he's not. we are going to find out quite a bit here......I think......I HOPE!! :banana:

Dude... you're going to find out so much stuff in this story your head may very well explode.

Seriously... you've been warned.

I mean, good gravy, this first installment alone has a gaggle of hints -- as does the cover -- but it only gets more juicy from here! :w00t:

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[AthenaRose]

I like the Sidhe (would you pronounce that 'sith'?) - they are nice and creepy.

[CyberV]

I KNEW IT! The aliens aren't the villains! They were the ones causing the rapture, taking humans all over the planet during all those armageddon stories! Remember those newsclippings from a few stories back?

[Joshua P]

With everything written here and the talent :w00t: involved, will this be bigger then the standard eight pages?

Nice to see This thread picked up again in NW...looking forward to the answers.

:kewl: :banana:

JP

[Dirk Manning]

I like the Sidhe (would you pronounce that 'sith'?) - they are nice and creepy.

I'd have to talk to Len O'Grady about this to give you a definitive answer (he's the one who originally told me he wanted to do a staory about the Sidhe -- which helped prompt him and I doing the story "The Same Deep Water As You"), but I *BELIEVE* it's pronounced ike this:

Sid-hee

I think.

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Dirk Manning]

I KNEW IT! The aliens aren't the villains! They were the ones causing the rapture, taking humans all over the planet during all those armageddon stories! Remember those newsclippings from a few stories back?

:laugh:

You're pretty much right on the money, bro.

I mean, really, if God isn't in Heaven ("Mine") and the Angels are all down here fighting the monsters ("Disasterpiece" and "Preys be the Lured") then who's sucking all of the people into the sky? :blink:

That's one of the things I am going to be doing with this story... answering a lot of questions that most people haven't thought to ask. :har:

Also, yeah, I did indeed allude to the fact that the people being sucked into the sky were alien abductions on the cover to "A Therapy For Pain." Good catch. :bounce: :banana: :bounce:

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Dirk Manning]

With everything written here and the talent :w00t: involved, will this be bigger then the standard eight pages?

Nice to see This thread picked up again in NW...looking forward to the answers.

:kewl: :banana:

JP

Nope, this is going to be an eight page story... but it's going to consist of four two-page stories (and one one-page story if you cont the cover by Josh Ross and Austin McKinley). :w00t:

Brent Engstrom did the first installment about the Sidhe and the boy from "The Same Deep Water as You" and kicked major booty on it.

The next three parts will feature Jason Meek(!!!) colored by Mark Winters(!!!!!) covering the pact between ______ and _______, Mark Winters fully illustrating (WOOY!!!) the first (and only) meeting between ______ ________ and ___ ________ and Renae de Liz (colored by Ray Dillon) revisiting the aftermath of ________'s actions...

It's going to be sweet, I'm REALLy excited about it and I hope you all enjoy it too! :har:

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Hybris]

Yea I can't wait for next thursday :banana: I've only seen the first part and I'm already loving this story over most of the others :laugh:

[Joshua P]

I just read part 2...Dirk, you have a gift for Irony. The last thing Lucifer says put the most evil grin on my face. Well done. Compliments to the art team...Lilith is as beautiful and deadly as ever.

As stated, I am enjoying the behind the scenes of this...looking forward to the next chapter.

JP

[mwinters]

Just a heads up, Jason Meek has a couple of Lilith sketches up at his blog (http://ockhamsketchbook.blogspot.com/) . They're SEXXXY! Show the boy some luv! Check 'em out!

[midnightsun]

Oh those two are guna be in soooo much trouble when the Father finds out!

[AthenaRose]

Oh, come on - Lilith isn't going to fall for the promises of The Deceiver is she? Is she?!

[Dirk Manning]

Oh, come on - Lilith isn't going to fall for the promises of The Deceiver is she? Is she?!

Hmmm... that's the million dollar question, isn't it?

You may want to re-read THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS (where Lilith is specifically mentioned) for some hints... and draw your own conclusions from there. ;)

But, yeah, I sure as Hell (lol) wouldn't trust Lucifer. :laugh:

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Joshua P]

After reading part three it definitely paints "There's no home for you here" in a VERY different light. Which leaves the obvious question; why did they want Danforth out of the way? What would he have prevented?

Hmm...an answer and a question. Good one.

JP

[jmeek2004]

I'm very impressed with the clever way Dirk has managed to make some of the smaller stories work in the larger scheme of things. :thumbs: And the art on this one is fantastic. I like Mark's version of Thelma much better than mine :kewl: .

[midnightsun]

Wow! How can so many questions be answered in just two pages! :thumbs:

[Eddie MountainGoat]

This is, by far, the COOLEST story to date.

I'm grinning ear to ear, and struggling not to get out of my seat, and jump up and down, screaming "HELL YEAH!!!"

Well done, Dirk et al.

[Hybris]

Hm wait a second, Thelma Lushkin didn't exist (or at least go by that name) until a while after the Armageddon, but here she's saying something about the "coming Armageddon". Does that mean there's 2? Or was the event we've seen not the real Armageddon at all?

[AthenaRose]

Beautiful pages for part 3.

[jmeek2004]

Hm wait a second, Thelma Lushkin didn't exist (or at least go by that name) until a while after the Armageddon, but here she's saying something about the "coming Armageddon". Does that mean there's 2? Or was the event we've seen not the real Armageddon at all?


I think what's going on in the latest story is this is the rise of power of "Thelma Lushkin". It takes place when no one (the citizens of the world befor armageddon) knows of her yet. And for whatever reason, before armageddon, Lucifer needs to take over this fellas uber-corporation that owns a large chunk of "the east coast". Lilith's spawn then run amok, then leave, and then the events of A Therapy For Pain happen. Although, I could be completely off. Dirk never tells me anything :man: .

[Dirk Manning]

Hm wait a second, Thelma Lushkin didn't exist (or at least go by that name) until a while after the Armageddon, but here she's saying something about the "coming Armageddon". Does that mean there's 2? Or was the event we've seen not the real Armageddon at all?

I think what's going on in the latest story is this is the rise of power of "Thelma Lushkin". It takes place when no one (the citizens of the world befor armageddon) knows of her yet. And for whatever reason, before armageddon, Lucifer needs to take over this fellas uber-corporation that owns a large chunk of "the east coast". Lilith's spawn then run amok, then leave, and then the events of A Therapy For Pain happen. Although, I could be completely off. Dirk never tells me anything :man: .

Thanks for the kinds words everyone!

Here's the skinny...

As I've previously hinted at in A THERAPY FOR PAIN (in both the story itself and on the cover), Thelma Lushkin is indeed an alias. "Thelma" was indeed originally...





(Do you really want to know all this?)





(You sure?)





(OK, fine.)





"Thelma Lushkin" was originally Betsy from BREAK STUFF. William -- as seen here -- is indeed the demon that carries her off at the end of the story.

(You see, Jon Hook? You remember when you gave me grief about the "left field" ending of that story way back in the day? It paid dividends, didn't it? :nyah: )

Anyway, yeah. Part Three of IN THE MEANTIME... takes place before THEE Armageddon. Yes, there was only one. As Jason proposed, Lucifer (and Lilith?) wanted some of their own in place in some of the major corperations in the world... inclducing Danforth Enterprises. Heck, especially Danforth Enterprises given teh fact that Danforth himself also doubles as an evil criminal kingpin. :eek:

It's not that Danforth was really standing in the way of anything... but rather that Lucifer (and Lilith?) wanted (a now "corrupted" Thelma) in charge of the company... and no pesky superhero around to thwart their plans for the "New World Order" that would be in place after the Armageddon came and went, either.

Remember PREYS BE THE LURED? Remember Lucifer telling teh cardinal that there were "dark days" ahead? Heh.

Guess what, folks... he wasn't lyin', and post-Armageddon stories such as THERE'S NO HOME FOR YOU HERE, A THERAPY FOR PAIN, THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS (among others) and more should prove just that.

Also, for the record, the fact that Samuel's daddy in SLEEP NOW IN THE FIRE looks similar to Dan Danforth from THERE'S NO HOME FOR YOU HERE is a *complete* coinsidence. Seriously. Swear to God.

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[darkenedbeach]

There are NO coincidences in Nightmare World!!!!!!! :man:
Great stuff.... V.....

[midnightsun]

aiyiyi! The halls of your mind are convoluted indeed. Lucky for us!! ;)

[SkyWookiee]

"Thelma Lushkin" was originally Betsy from BREAK STUFF. I think someone identified her back when A THERAPY FOR PAIN was discussed.

[midnightsun]

I think someone identified her back when A THERAPY FOR PAIN was discussed.


True that. Course Dirk had to practically hit me over the head with it before I got it :laugh:

[Joshua P]

Wow...didn't see this coming. I always wondered how that story fit into things.

Thank you Dirk for these four little tales. It's amazing to see some of the ways everything tied together. I'd like to see another story like this up the way, though with only five left :cry: I doubt we'll see it.

So thank you for a good issue. Can't wait to see the next one. :thumbs:

JP

[midnightsun]

Ah I see....Thats how he was able to come back and save her. Interesting that Arkalina (who is sooo beautifull!!) didnt put him back when she realized her mistake, good thing too!

so much has been answered here and yet there are still so many questions. I am as always amazed at your ability to weave these individual storys that all come together somehow too :thumbs:

I LOVE THIS STUFF :carrot:

[CyberV]

Huh. It ends where, for us, it began. Interesting.

Dirk, when this is all said and done, you have GOT to give us a chronological list of the stories...

[midnightsun]

You know another story that I always wondered about is "Happiness in Slavery". Where does THAT one fit in I wonder....is he a demon or a wizard, is she really happy or is she under a spell? And the dude who trys to save her, whos that? Is he nobody or (which is far more likely) someone we have already met.

I am sure that if I am patient, I will find out. Its just something I wonder....

Ya know I just went and took another look at "Happiness", it had been awhile, and I think that Poor Tim is just Tim. Now that I look at it with all that we know behind it I think the more important question might be, who is the big guy driveing? Could that be William?

[SkyWookiee]

#47 is amazing...

[Hybris]

As I've previously hinted at in A THERAPY FOR PAIN (in both the story itself and on the cover), Thelma Lushkin is indeed an alias. "Thelma" was indeed originally...

"Thelma Lushkin" was originally Betsy from BREAK STUFF. William -- as seen here -- is indeed the demon that carries her off at the end of the story.

Well yea I knew that, but I thought Break Stuff took place after the Armageddon, so there'd be no Thelma Lushkin previous to it.

[Eddie MountainGoat]

So, now we know that the "Armageddon Beast" referred to by Danforth, in #16 page 5, was indeed a direct part of the armageddon. And I guess the third panel on that page shows the immediate aftermath of the Armageddon, in Megalopolis.

This makes me wonder, though. Danforth says that the confrontation between the beast and the ultra-hero was their "second encounter". He also says that the beast "escaped confinement". So, what happened the first time? And who "confined" the beast?

My thinking is, the beast was a Great Old One, and its confinement was its forced slumber. But how would Danforth know about any of that, unless he was familiar with the Necronomicon?

It seems that #6 "Break Stuff" happenned before the Armageddon, but the disguised demons must have already been on Earth, laying the groundwork for ... something. Which explains why Thelma/Betsy's ability to sense them "poses a host of unforeseen potential problems".

But what we still don't know is what they needed to "examine" her for, why they didn't simply kill her (even if it was to be after the examination), and why she'd take a name that's an annagram of "Kill all humans", and head a corporation under an annagram of "humans die", when she's working for Lucifer (who seems to want human loyalty, not human destruction)? And, I suppose, how she could even sense them, in the first place.

And has anyone noticed any alterations to the older covers?

[XtianthaDon]

But what we still don't know is what they needed to "examine" her for, why they didn't simply kill her (even if it was to be after the examination), and why she'd take a name that's an annagram of "Kill all humans", and head a corporation under an annagram of "humans die", when she's working for Lucifer (who seems to want human loyalty, not human destruction)? And, I suppose, how she could even sense them, in the first place.

That brings up an interesting, and philosophical (if not blasphemous) point. If you were going up against God and his army of followers, why would you want to lure humans to Hell just to torture them? Wouldn't you WANT them on your side, to the point where you give them everything they ask in exchange for their eternal servitude? Or is human destruction simply a means to the end that is human loyalty?

[AthenaRose]

That brings up an interesting, and philosophical (if not blasphemous) point. If you were going up against God and his army of followers, why would you want to lure humans to Hell just to torture them? Wouldn't you WANT them on your side, to the point where you give them everything they ask in exchange for their eternal servitude? Or is human destruction simply a means to the end that is human loyalty?

I'm not sure it's a blasphemous suggestion. After all, God and the Devil are locked in an eternal struggle, and the ultimate prize is humanity. God wants us to choose to follow him for His own sake - the Devil is prepared to stoop to any depths to tempt us away. Every soul successfully corrupted is 'one in the eye' for God, in a way. But whereas God is saddened by the loss of the soul because it ultimately means misery for the person, the Devil is angered when a person truly turns to God.

Maybe...

I'm a Christian, but I don't really spend much time thinking about the Devil, so I'm making this up as I go along. You could tell, couldn't you?