NIGHTMARE WORLD: The Movie (Seriously!!!)

[midnightsun]

Ok theory #2: Aliens stock this planet with a bunch of diffrent animals and such, like humans. They sample all the diffrent flavors and find they like us the best but at that time there wernt to many of us and we were all hairy. Over time they also discovered we are alot of fun to *play* with, they start coming around in thier various forms (Sonseeahray, Same deep Water as You) cuz they like messing with us to see what we will do, they get pretty comfortable and come around alot but then there is an accident and a bunch of them get killed (Trust Your Mechanic).Things are fairly calm for awhile but then we go and bring a boat load of them here(We who are Not as Others). They slaughter a bunch of us but back off a little to conserve the food supply. Some of them even breed with us(Not for You) to see what will happen and werewolves, vampires and sucbie are some of the results (Dont stop Danceing). Meanwhile Satan has noticed what is going on and that God seems to be laying around doing nothing about it (Mine). He has indeed made his play with the help of a bunch of demons and such, some of which find they like it here and try to turn away from the "Revolution" and make a home here( Club Hell). He also has Brian Carter (You oughta Know), whom I think might be Samual (Sleep Now in the Fire), who seems to have been born just to call up Cthulhu (The things that Should not Be). About now the aliens decide there are enough of us to have a nice mass harvest, which most mistake for the rapture, some also get crazy religuos hoping to be chosen next time around (Freak on a Leash). Meanwhile Cthulhu influences a couple of idiots to call all his friends for him (Disasterpiece) and BOOM ya got armageden. Even tho God seems to have abandoned heaven the Angels know what to do so they do it and go home, still no God so Satan moves in and starts to call a few friends of his own to win friends and influence people (Break Stuff, No One Knows) and they set up camp. He has completly blown God off (Preys to Be Lured) which I believe is a big mistake cuz I think the big guy is just bideing his time, and looking for a certain opening. He do like to use the little people to save the world. Ever seen the movie Frailty?

Or something like that....maybe.

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by midnightsun

Ok theory #2: Aliens stock this planet with a bunch of diffrent animals and such, like humans. They sample all the diffrent flavors and find they like us the best but at that time there wernt to many of us and we were all hairy. Over time they also discovered we are alot of fun to *play* with, they start coming around in thier various forms (Sonseeahray, Same deep Water as You) cuz they like messing with us to see what we will do, they get pretty comfortable and come around alot but then there is an accident and a bunch of them get killed (Trust Your Mechanic).Things are fairly calm for awhile but then we go and bring a boat load of them here(We who are Not as Others). They slaughter a bunch of us but back off a little to conserve the food supply. Some of them even breed with us(Not for You) to see what will happen and werewolves, vampires and sucbie are some of the results (Dont stop Danceing). Meanwhile Satan has noticed what is going on and that God seems to be laying around doing nothing about it (Mine). He has indeed made his play with the help of a bunch of demons and such, some of which find they like it here and try to turn away from the "Revolution" and make a home here( Club Hell). He also has Brian Carter (You oughta Know), whom I think might be Samual (Sleep Now in the Fire), who seems to have been born just to call up Cthulhu (The things that Should not Be). About now the aliens decide there are enough of us to have a nice mass harvest, which most mistake for the rapture, some also get crazy religuos hoping to be chosen next time around (Freak on a Leash). Meanwhile Cthulhu influences a couple of idiots to call all his friends for him (Disasterpiece) and BOOM ya got armageden. Even tho God seems to have abandoned heaven the Angels know what to do so they do it and go home, still no God so Satan moves in and starts to call a few friends of his own to win friends and influence people (Break Stuff, No One Knows) and they set up camp. He has completly blown God off (Preys to Be Lured) which I believe is a big mistake cuz I think the big guy is just bideing his time, and looking for a certain opening. He do like to use the little people to save the world. Ever seen the movie Frailty?

Or something like that....maybe.

You, uh, know that you just described the doctrine of Sciencetology, right?

Interesting theory... but you were more on the money the first time around.

Brian Carter is not Samuel... but as I said before, we *WILL* see Samuel again both here and in another certain series you should all be reading...

I will toss out one more tiny teaser, though, that probably won't really help too much:

Brian Carter? Hands-down my favorite character in series... possibly second only to Lucifer.

The REAL funny thing is that I actually tie all the loose-ends together in NIGHTMARE WORLD #50 using only about a page...

Mind you, Josh Ross is drawing the story... so it could have anywhere from 1 to 100 panels on it, but still...

There's just one little piece that will tie a good bulk of these stories together...

The question is, has anyone stumblem across it yet?

Dirk Manning will neither confirm nor deny nothing.

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[midnightsun]

THATS what scientology is about?!? I knew L Ron Hubburd was a sci-fi writer so I should have guessed but to be honest I've never read any of his books.

Dang I put alot of time into that theory too. And I was more on the money with the one paragragh guess.

[BarroomBard]

Ok, I have a theory that I just pieced together, so it might be a little shakey. I'm just going to put them down in a random order, and try to tie them all up at the end.

1. Brian Carter met the chosen who tried to eat his face when he went into the bar in "Mine".("What's the worst that can come from a one-night fling?"- probably the most fateful line ever)

2. Thelma Lushkin is actually Betsy Summers, the girl who was kidnapped by demons in "Break stuff." They took her because she can sense them, which is a problem because everyone thinks they're defeated. She ended up changing her name to avoid the police, who want her in connection with the murder of josh angel and her boyfriend. She made a deal with the demons to keep their secret, in exchange for which she became the head of an influential corporation.

3. The guy from "No one knows" is God, who tries to keep Nightmare World on the air so people will be prepared when the armageddon occurs. At the end, Aarron Wiesbrod is still alive, which seems inconsistent with the Lucifer that we've come to know and love. (Although, alternatively, Tom being Satan would explain why Sinestra DeEvil, Thelma Lushkin, and the Glamour Boyz all appear on the same magazine cover, all being celebrities tied to Satan)

4. James, from "Disasterpiece" is Famine, from "Enjoy the Silence". He shows up, in the movie, right between Brian beginning his journey to find Cthullhu and Disasterpiece. James leads the forces of God in the battle of Armageddon.

5. The battle in "Disasterpiece" is the Armageddon.

6. I think it is possible that what the cardinal believes is the devil in "Preys" is actually God, testing the faith of his believers. You see, god did not abandon earth, but rather came down to heal and rebuild it.

So, I guess my theory is basically that Lucifer caused Brian Carter to enter Pickwick tavern, which caused him to meet Vanessa the Chosen. This experience drove him mad, which caused him to kill his wife, steal a book from Arkham University, and seek Ry'llyheh (no idea how to spell it). In the meantime, God had temporarily left heaven to influence events on earth, in preparation for Armageddon. At the same time, James, also known as Famine, arrived on earth and began fulfilling his role in the prophecies.

James and Brian fought for dominance, which just happened to take the form of the apocalypse. After three days of combat, James' forces finally won and the next day, God was in the Vatican trying to test the faith of his remaining cardinals.

Six months later, the demons, under Lucifer, were still around, despite popular belief they were defeated (it was actually the old ones and Cthullhu who were defeated). They kidnapped a young woman named Betsy Summers because she could sense their presence. To save herself, she sold her soul to the devil, and became Thelma Lushkin, leader of Dumashine enterprises.


Ow. That hurt my brain. I just hope I didn't waste my time with all this.

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by BarroomBard

Ok, I have a theory that I just pieced together, so it might be a little shakey. I'm just going to put them down in a random order, and try to tie them all up at the end.

1. Brian Carter met the chosen who tried to eat his face when he went into the bar in "Mine".("What's the worst that can come from a one-night fling?"- probably the most fateful line ever)

2. Thelma Lushkin is actually Betsy Summers, the girl who was kidnapped by demons in "Break stuff." They took her because she can sense them, which is a problem because everyone thinks they're defeated. She ended up changing her name to avoid the police, who want her in connection with the murder of josh angel and her boyfriend. She made a deal with the demons to keep their secret, in exchange for which she became the head of an influential corporation.

3. The guy from "No one knows" is God, who tries to keep Nightmare World on the air so people will be prepared when the armageddon occurs. At the end, Aarron Wiesbrod is still alive, which seems inconsistent with the Lucifer that we've come to know and love. (Although, alternatively, Tom being Satan would explain why Sinestra DeEvil, Thelma Lushkin, and the Glamour Boyz all appear on the same magazine cover, all being celebrities tied to Satan)

4. James, from "Disasterpiece" is Famine, from "Enjoy the Silence". He shows up, in the movie, right between Brian beginning his journey to find Cthullhu and Disasterpiece. James leads the forces of God in the battle of Armageddon.

5. The battle in "Disasterpiece" is the Armageddon.

6. I think it is possible that what the cardinal believes is the devil in "Preys" is actually God, testing the faith of his believers. You see, god did not abandon earth, but rather came down to heal and rebuild it.

So, I guess my theory is basically that Lucifer caused Brian Carter to enter Pickwick tavern, which caused him to meet Vanessa the Chosen. This experience drove him mad, which caused him to kill his wife, steal a book from Arkham University, and seek Ry'llyheh (no idea how to spell it). In the meantime, God had temporarily left heaven to influence events on earth, in preparation for Armageddon. At the same time, James, also known as Famine, arrived on earth and began fulfilling his role in the prophecies.

James and Brian fought for dominance, which just happened to take the form of the apocalypse. After three days of combat, James' forces finally won and the next day, God was in the Vatican trying to test the faith of his remaining cardinals.

Six months later, the demons, under Lucifer, were still around, despite popular belief they were defeated (it was actually the old ones and Cthullhu who were defeated). They kidnapped a young woman named Betsy Summers because she could sense their presence. To save herself, she sold her soul to the devil, and became Thelma Lushkin, leader of Dumashine enterprises.


Ow. That hurt my brain. I just hope I didn't waste my time with all this.

Welcome to the forum Barroom Bard!

I've gotta tell ya'... that's a darn fine theory you've got there!

As in the case with several other of the theories... some points are DEAD ON THE MONEY and a few others... not so much.

You've *OBVIOUSLY* put a lot of thought into this... so allow me to reward you with a few tidbits:

1) That was indeed Brian Carter going into the bar in "Mine." Great observation!

2) Another great call on Thelma really being Betsy. Keeping with my "out of order" way of telling these stories, "Break Stuff" does indeed take place right after the Armaggedon. (This is why I had to chuckle to myself when people gave me grief out of the "Left-Field" ending back in the day... Little did they know of my plan!)

3) The happenings in "Disasterpiece" do indeed spark the Armageddon that is shown in "No More Tears" and "Preys Be the Lured" (among others)...

4) James is not Famine. However, we will be seeing him again... albeit not necessarily just in NIGHTMARE WORLD.

5) Lotsa people out there seem to think that God is somewhere on Earth tooling around with mortal affairs. Is that really the case... or all you all just being optimistic?

Welcome again, my friend! I hope this adds more fuel to the fire (for everyone) and I look forward to seeing you around here a bit more, ya' hear?

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Eddie MountainGoat]

Having re-read a few of the stories, to get my top twelve for the forum (which I recommend everybody does, and see what you come up with), I had a few thoughts.

Firstly, I'm not sure that Thelma is Betsy (unless I misunderstood you, Dirk?). The demons wanted Betsy for some kind of "examination" (#6 p8) and probably wouldn't let such a potential threat go. Even if they got what they wanted out of the examination, they don't need to grant her commercial success, to keep her quiet. They've demonsrated time and again, that they have no problem with simply killing humans. Less effort, too.

On that point, full credit to midnightsun, for getting at the true meaning of Thelma Lushkin ("Kill the humans"), and Dumashine ("Humans die"). These do not reflect the demons' agenda (Lucifer wanted loyalty from the Cardinal, in #37). The demons want the humans on their side, not for them to be wiped out. Thelma's names sound more appropriate for a follower of Ctullhu. Except that he and his lot were destroyed, in the Armageddon (or perhaps sent back to sleep?).

Which brings me to my next point: We didn't see Famine and the other Horsemen, at the Armageddon (though I thought BarroomBard's idea, about James, was brilliant). Furthermore, Octavia refers to Famine's task as "The end of everything" (#10 p6). However, we know that life continued on, after the Armageddon. So, I'm thinking that the Armageddon and the Apocalypse are not one and the same, and the latter is yet to come. This fits in with Lucifer's warning in #37 "Preys be the Lured", that "Much darker days" lie ahead.

Any thoughts?

[midnightsun]

Thanks Goat! I gotta tell ya tho, Check out Betty's nose and boobs and then check out Thelma's, I dont know how she survived but I'm still sure that is her. besides if you reread all of Dirks entry's you;ll see he pretty much hits us with a brick so we "get" it

Yes Welcome Barroom! Thats a heck of a good theory but Brian didnt kill his wife cuz he went bonkers, he did it cuz he wanted to protect her from Cthulhu. Thats what I think anyways.

Course I'm also one of those optimist that thinks God is still holding out some hope for mankind

[BarroomBard]

Well, not solely because he went bonkers, but you know, anytime someone has Cthullhu's nature revealed to them do go insane. And if he hadn't gone at least a little batty, he wouldn't have gone looking for Cthullhu to begin with.

On a similar note, did you all see today's installment of "Frozen"? It appears that Vanessa is much older than we thought.

[midnightsun]

Originally Posted by BarroomBard

Well, not solely because he went bonkers, but you know, anytime someone has Cthullhu's nature revealed to them do go insane. And if he hadn't gone at least a little batty, he wouldn't have gone looking for Cthullhu to begin with.

On a similar note, did you all see today's installment of "Frozen"? It appears that Vanessa is much older than we thought.

Yeah good point about the bonkers thing, though if you read "The Thing That Should Not Be" you'll see that things with Brian have always been a little hinky. I think that Brian was born to call Cthulhu and once he was confronted by Vanessa and realized it wasnt all dreams and hallucinations, he came to realize that......yeah I could definitly see how that could put a guy over the edge!

Nice freakin catch on that Vanessa thing, that Cthulhu statue has really been around!

[Ryushi]

Originally Posted by Dirk Manning

4) James is not Famine. However, we will be seeing him again... albeit not necessarily just in NIGHTMARE WORLD.

Just a quick thought on this one. I believe that James is Samuel especially with all the hints you have dropped that Samuel will be appearing in another story line that is running. Could be wrong but I felt enough on it to register just to say so.

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by BarroomBard

Well, not solely because he went bonkers, but you know, anytime someone has Cthullhu's nature revealed to them do go insane. And if he hadn't gone at least a little batty, he wouldn't have gone looking for Cthullhu to begin with.

On a similar note, did you all see today's installment of "Frozen"? It appears that Vanessa is much older than we thought.

Originally Posted by midnightsun

Yeah good point about the bonkers thing, though if you read "The Thing That Should Not Be" you'll see that things with Brian have always been a little hinky. I think that Brian was born to call Cthulhu and once he was confronted by Vanessa and realized it wasnt all dreams and hallucinations, he came to realize that......yeah I could definitly see how that could put a guy over the edge!

Nice freakin catch on that Vanessa thing, that Cthulhu statue has really been around!

You're both right, of course.

While Brian certainly was one of those "sensitive" to the looming threat of The Great Old Ones... seeing Vanessa transform and hearing that all of his paraniod "dellusions" he suffered from since childhood (see: "The Thing That Should Not Be") indeed sent him completely over the edge... as is the case whenever someone sees any of Lovecraft's ilk.

As for Vanessa... yeah... it does indeed seem she may be quite a bit older than it originally seemed, huh? Of course... there's still four pages of "Frozen" to go (as of this posting) so... we'll see.

I will say this, though... the Cthulhu statue in "Frozen" is indeed the same one seen in Chapter One of TALES OF MR. RHEE... so there. Let a whole new sense of speculation begin!

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by Ryushi

Just a quick thought on this one. I believe that James is Samuel especially with all the hints you have dropped that Samuel will be appearing in another story line that is running. Could be wrong but I felt enough on it to register just to say so.

Welcome to the boards, Ryushi!

I was always more of a Ken guy myself, but hey, to each his (or her) own!

As for your hypothesis... I'm really debating how much I should say... so I'll make you a deal. If you post in the "Top Twelve" thread and let me know what your "Top Twelve" favorite NIGHTMARE WORLD stories are I'll spill the beans on Samuel's *TWO* upcoming appearances...

How's that for a deal?

Dirk Manning aims to please.

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by Ryushi

Just a quick thought on this one. I believe that James is Samuel especially with all the hints you have dropped that Samuel will be appearing in another story line that is running. Could be wrong but I felt enough on it to register just to say so.

James and Samuel are indeed two different people.

However, both of them will be re-surfacing in a certain little comic you may have heard of called TALES OF MR. RHEE!!!

James will make his first appearance in Chapter Three and Chapter Five will feature Samuel quite extensively.

In fact, I don't know if I should tell you all this... but I guess I will since you're taking the time to come visit.

Josh (Ross, of course) just read the script to Chapter Five and he was... pretty taken aback by it to say the least. He's usually a man of few words, but his response to it, in part was, "Yeesh... this one will have people talking."

Let the speculation begin... and I hope you decide to stick around, Ryushi!

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning

[Eddie MountainGoat]

Okay, I can accept that Thelma MIGHT be Betty. But this doesn't explain why she wants us all dead (when Lucifer doesn't). And, why the demons didn't kill her. And, how she could sense them.

The only thing I can come up with, is this: Famine is the rider of the black horse, in Revelation. Famine wears black, in #10. Thelma wears white. Is she the first horseman of the Apocalypse (usually associated with Pestilence, but most Bible scholars agree that the white horse's rider is "Religious Deception")?

Also, I know it's going back to an older subject, but I still love monsters, so I'm going to have another crack at them.

I don't think they're alien-related. Niether Prime Ape nor Lizard King look much like the aliens, in #33. I think that Monster Island may be the same island that the Dragons used as a refuge, in #30 "In my darkest hour". It's a long-shot that Lizard King may be a descendant of the dragons, or perhaps one of them. Alternatively, this could simply be one of those "forgotten by civilization" islands, where monsters like Prime Ape just occur, naturally.
Or, perhaps they're connected the Armageddon. Dirk confirmed that they're not Titans, but in #16 "There's no home", it was the "Armageddon Beast" that weakened the world's greatest Ultra-Hero (although Danforth finished him off).

(Incidentally, Dirk, did you have any idea what the Superman Returns movie would be like, when you wrote that one?)

It's not far-fetched, that when Danforth referred to the "Armageddon Beast" (p5), he was being descriptive; This thing has some link to the Armageddon. But I don’t think it’s a direct link. The demons have all gone undercover, and the Great Old Ones are dead.

However, Danforth says the Beast had "escaped confinement". From where? Monster Island? Perhaps. But how would it have been “confined” there, in the first place?

Baring in mind the obvious length of time, between #16 and #12, my thinking is this: The Armageddon left a lot of the demons’ and Great Old Ones’ blood, severed limbs, etc. just lying around. Humans, being humans, couldn’t leave well enough alone, and when society picked up again, the scientists and governments and shady organizations started playing with this genetic material. They created the first of the monsters.

But then, #16 happened, and it became clear that these things could not safely be contained. Why not exterminate them all straight away? Maybe Monsters Rights Activists (RSPCM!!!) got the courts to prevent it. Maybe they simply couldn’t (Lizard King mentions that the humans have “finally” devised a weapon capable of destroying monsters).

Fortunately, Monster island is discovered, so it’s unanimously agreed, to dump them all there, and never talk about it again.

But the monsters breed, and evolve rapidly (why not? They’re genetically engineered, and from super-DNA anyway!), and grow big enough to cross seas, on their own.

Comments?

PS Now that we know that the Rhee stories are within the Nightmare World continuity, it's going to make things harder - and more interesting - to work out! I'm eagerly anticipating your next move...

Oh, and "the Cthulhu statue in "Frozen" is indeed the same one seen in Chapter One of TALES OF MR. RHEE"? I thought so

[Dirk Manning]

Originally Posted by Eddie MountainGoat

Okay, I can accept that Thelma MIGHT be Betty. But this doesn't explain why she wants us all dead (when Lucifer doesn't). And, why the demons didn't kill her. And, how she could sense them.

Well... it could be that she wants to kill them... or perhaps she and the demons just have a nasty sence of humor...

The only thing I can come up with, is this: Famine is the rider of the black horse, in Revelation. Famine wears black, in #10. Thelma wears white. Is she the first horseman of the Apocalypse (usually associated with Pestilence, but most Bible scholars agree that the white horse's rider is "Religious Deception")?

That could be it to though, huh?

Hey... what fun would it be if I gave you ALL the answers.

(I do research the heck out of this stuff, though... I'll tell you that.)

Also, I know it's going back to an older subject, but I still love monsters, so I'm going to have another crack at them.

I don't think they're alien-related. Niether Prime Ape nor Lizard King look much like the aliens, in #33. I think that Monster Island may be the same island that the Dragons used as a refuge, in #30 "In my darkest hour". It's a long-shot that Lizard King may be a descendant of the dragons, or perhaps one of them. Alternatively, this could simply be one of those "forgotten by civilization" islands, where monsters like Prime Ape just occur, naturally.
Or, perhaps they're connected the Armageddon. Dirk confirmed that they're not Titans, but in #16 "There's no home", it was the "Armageddon Beast" that weakened the world's greatest Ultra-Hero (although Danforth finished him off).

Does seem kind of coincidental that two stories both reference an island that monsters use for a safe-haven, doesn't it... except there are very few coincidences here.

As for the "Armadedon Beast"... heh... good catch on the name.

(Incidentally, Dirk, did you have any idea what the Superman Returns movie would be like, when you wrote that one?)

None at all... the bastards. My story was written way back on 12-28-03... WAAAAAAAAAAY before there was any talk (that I know of) of a SUPERMAN movie... or let what Bryan Singer had planned for him.

It's not far-fetched, that when Danforth referred to the "Armageddon Beast" (p5), he was being descriptive; This thing has some link to the Armageddon. But I don’t think it’s a direct link. The demons have all gone undercover, and the Great Old Ones are dead.

However, Danforth says the Beast had "escaped confinement". From where? Monster Island? Perhaps. But how would it have been “confined” there, in the first place?

Baring in mind the obvious length of time, between #16 and #12, my thinking is this: The Armageddon left a lot of the demons’ and Great Old Ones’ blood, severed limbs, etc. just lying around. Humans, being humans, couldn’t leave well enough alone, and when society picked up again, the scientists and governments and shady organizations started playing with this genetic material. They created the first of the monsters.

But then, #16 happened, and it became clear that these things could not safely be contained. Why not exterminate them all straight away? Maybe Monsters Rights Activists (RSPCM!!!) got the courts to prevent it. Maybe they simply couldn’t (Lizard King mentions that the humans have “finally” devised a weapon capable of destroying monsters).

Fortunately, Monster island is discovered, so it’s unanimously agreed, to dump them all there, and never talk about it again.

But the monsters breed, and evolve rapidly (why not? They’re genetically engineered, and from super-DNA anyway!), and grow big enough to cross seas, on their own.

Comments?

Yeah... my head hurts.

Kidding. Actually... you're pretty close to what I had in mind. You go into a little more detail, perhaps, but TOWN does specifically take place after the Armageddon... so...

PS Now that we know that the Rhee stories are within the Nightmare World continuity, it's going to make things harder - and more interesting - to work out! I'm eagerly anticipating your next move...

Oh, and "the Cthulhu statue in "Frozen" is indeed the same one seen in Chapter One of TALES OF MR. RHEE"? I thought so

Heh... dude... DO NOT even bother trying to figure out where RHEE fits into the NIGHTMARE WORLD continuity. You'll know come Chapter Five... I promise.

Until then, I can almost guarantee that you won't have enough clues to figure it out... not even all of you put together.

SINcerely,
Dirk Manning