The Reason Why – Anonymous

Last year I wrote a series of blogs talking about my various projects both in novel and comic formats. The idea was to give a little insight into… well, into the “Why” of it all. A little background on what compelled me to write that particular story. They were really posts that should have been written a long time ago, but for some reason the idea to put it all down hadn’t occurred to me. Looking back at them now, I realize that I’ve missed a couple of shorts.

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I never like the movies or shows where the Big Bad Guy kills off his lieutenant for no reason (Batman 89 being the one time that I do like it, if I’m being honest, there isn’t much better than “Bob… gun.”). But you think about these massive plots super villains have to come up with all to get one over on the hero. They must delve deep into the recesses of their minds in order to figure out the exact way to ensure the hero falls into their trap. To do that requires a bunch of henchmen to help out. These are the forgotten men and women. Perhaps they are as damaged as the villain and see them as a guiding light for their own darkness. Maybe they follow because they see that there is opportunity for a lot of money or power (or both) and like any good business, you want to get in on the ground floor. Or maybe, they are just lost and need someone to give them direction.

I might have subconciously been pulling for these guys.

No matter why they are there, they get to be treated like crap most of the time. They are going to be the ones who are thrown in front of the hero. The ones to randomly find a bullet from the police. The ones who get left behind when the getaway vehicle only has room for 4 people… sorry.

Or, from time to time, you get to be killed by your own boss for… reasons.

It’s a thankless job, and I’m not really sure why anyone would do it at all. For some reason that part of the setup stuck with me: why would they keep doing it? And that’s when I realized that this anthology needed to have a story from the lowly’s perspective. This idea where maybe someone had wised up a little bit. Realized that the way things were going, they were just as likely to end up in a box six feet underground as anywhere else.

Maybe, just maybe it might be time to explore your retirement plan?

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Anonymous” by John McGuire

“In Vigilante City, there are opportunities to be found whether you are on the right side of the law or the wrong side. However, the glitz and glamour of being the villain captured on the evening news isn’t all it is cracked up to be. And for one anonymous henchman, he has a plan to get his last score.”

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John McGuire is the writer of the sci-fi novel: The Echo Effect.

He is also the creator/author of the steampunk comic The Gilded Age. If you would like to purchase a copy, go here!

Click here to join John’s mailing list and receive preview chapters of upcoming novels, behind the scenes looks at new comics, and free short stories.

His other prose appears in The Dark That Follows, Hollow Empire, Tales from Vigilante City, Beyond the Gate, and Machina Obscurum – A Collection of Small Shadows.

He can also be found at www.johnrmcguire.com