Welcome to the City of the Dead

The Stranger known as: the 4th Horseman carries with him a darkness.

by MJ Preston

Along with generating a pile of Equinox art I also start creating work for a pictorial I was going to call: The 4th Horseman. The concept was simple enough. A stranger carrying a bag walks into a city and unleashes something that changes city into a hell on earth. Not a new concept by any means. Author Richard Matheson gave us 'I am Legend' which spawned three films adaptions: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971) and I am Legend (2007). Along with Matheson's influential novel, the film Resident Evil (2002) used biological disaster caused by an evil corporation to turn people in Racoon City into cannibalistic zombies. It also went on to become a major franchise and set into motion an epidemic of zombie movies. Including the critically acclaimed HBO series 'The Walking Dead' based on the Graphic Novel originally penned by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore in 2003.

After the 4th Horseman arrives things change drastically.

     Over saturation and the fact that I don't think my Artistic ability is anywhere near the caliber of illustrators like Tony Moore forced me to face reality. So after a flurry of creativity I got back to writing and abandon the idea of doing a graphic novel. At least in this particular genre. But that is not  to say that I am completely out. I have looked at a few other concepts, including adding illustrations to books. And that is because I truly love this medium of work. It is a lot of fun.

In the City of the Dead law enforcement is a must.

      The one thing I did get from this exercise was the inspiration for a couple of new books. No, not books about the City of the Dead, but characters were spawned  from these ideas.  

     Even though 'The 4th Horseman' concept has been shelved my third novel, still in its infancy, was inspired by some of what came from this exercise. My latest project, Acadia Event also has a character who would have been originally cast in 'The 4th Horseman Graphic Novel'. So all is not lost in the fall of an idea. And I still hold onto some of these pictures with an almost freakish sentiment.

After the event that uleashed change the switchman still works the railroad. 

     Although not all writers use art to spur on their creative side I believe that what you see here on this page is the inner working of my minds eye. How that comes to be is really not all that complicated. I get a visual inside my head, pictures begin to form, and from that I begin to build the characters, places and the events that connect them. I can't speak for other writers, but assume that they have a similar experience when they go down that rabbit hole.

What waits down darkened corridors is anyone's guess.

 
     After a computer crash last year, I lost the bulk of the pictures I'd generated in my week long frenzy, but I did manage to salvage a few. I still look back on this fondly and think to myself. Maybe there is still something there. 

    Who knows. I hang onto everything, even pieces that have been excised from my writing because they didn't work. In my den, office, workspace, I have the original draft manuscript for The Equinox which telephone book sized hulk of paper riddled with post-it notes and red ink. Sometimes I'll pick it up and leaf through it and look at what was taken out. Taken out for good reason by the way. Even that which was tried and did not make the cut is still part of me and the process. 
 
    Well, that about sums it up for this blog entry. Next I'll show of some of my artwork in regard to my latest project with the working title: 'ACADIA EVENT'

     I must say that I have really had fun with this Blog Hop thing that a co-host Mike from The Dark Discussions Podcast passed along. His blog is: Unnatural Selections. I suggest you check him out along with all the other folks participating in this May Monster Madness Blog Hop [See details below]

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Visit: MJ Preston's Official Webpage

MJ Preston is the Author of the Horror Novel: THE EQUINOX

His new novel ACADIA EVENT is forecasted for release in late 2013
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 RATED AS ONE OF THE 
BEST HORROR NOVELS TO HIT BOOKSHELVES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS!!

'The Equinox' is a tour de force of brilliant writing, fast-paced action, and gritty characterisation. 

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