This was the first in a series of Gideon's Army stories I had planned to do. I'd outlined about four more stories, with the intention of having different artists do each short story, creating an anthology of sorts. Someday, I may get around to doing it. Later stories will actually involve other people . . . and the title, Gideon's Army, will make sense. Let's just put it this way: Barbara Jones may end up being a "recruit" in his army.

I'd also considered drawing it myself . . . in the style of my The Ballad of the Freak story. Actually, I considered doing Gideon's Army as my 24 Hour Comic Day project instead of what became The Ballad of the Freak.

And I've also thoguht about doing something with Gideon in the modern day. Gunslinging blind vampire hunting Jesuit walking modern day America? There's something cool about that idea.

On this project, I got to work with two of my favorite hard workin' Joes: Joe Endres and Joe Spicer. They are both old friends, and I love it when I get to work with friends.

I've always wanted to write a vampire story . . . but I wanted to find something that would be "my twist". My little stamp on vampire mythology. Not that I'll reinvent the wheel or anything. But something that would make MY vampire story be a little bit different than other people's.

The blind gunslinger isn't my twist. My twist is in the cross, and what it does and how it does it. It goes along with vampire lore, but at the same time it's a little bit different than anything I've seen presented.

Spiritually thinking, as a Christian I think what attracts me to the idea of the vampire is that it is blatantly anti-Christ. Christianity is, in part, about receiving the gift of spiritual immortality through the blood of Christ in his sacrifice. Vampirism is, in part, about taking physical immortality through the "theft" of someone's blood. Christianity is about loving others because of the love Christ showed us. Vampirism is about loving self, and self first. That's a huge simplification, but I think it adequately explores my attraction. And, truth be told, in this there is a very interesting metaphor for life.

Who knows? I have a special place for Gideon, though.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I've written some notes that will be posted after the last page of the comic. See you there. :)

~ Ben

Gideon's Army, The Quick and the Undead, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

And here's the original write up I did about this project.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I love, love, love circular storytelling. I can't remember when I knew that I'd be mirroring the first page in the last page, but I'm certain I considered it as early as when I wrote and drew the first page.

Back to being subtle, notice Gideon's shirt. There's no star. That's the end of his story arc. Again, I like the parallelism here. They each had a crisis of faith. The subtle implication is that Gideon gave up his star when he left the keys behind, and his brother used the keys to let the Freak go. His miracle.

It may be too subtle, but for me, looking back at the story, it was the only ending I could have had. I like the way it wraps itself up. Maybe, someday, I'll come back to this story. Perhaps rewrite it to make it better and smoother. Perhaps get a real artist to work on it. But then, there's a big part of me that says . . . why? I've already done this story.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

With only two pages to finish the story . . . and wrap up all the character arcs, I may have rushed things. Perhaps these two pages are a bit too subtle. But the things left on the desk are the cause of the reverend's smile . . .

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

This page still smells of Sharpie.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

After realizing the father wasn't a bad guy . . . or at least, realizing the father had realized he was a bad guy, which put him on the road to being a good guy . . . I had to have this scene. I was pleased with the way this minor character's story arc played out.

Truth be told, I was pleased that all of the cast's story arcs played out nicely. Since this was a "by-the-seat-of-the-pants" type of thing, it could have turned out just awfully. As it stood, it was an experience of discovery, and I felt like I was discovering a worthy story.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

We saw the Freak show up in silhouette earlier. Now we see him in all his glory.

He sort of surprised me with his line at the end of this page.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

And my favorite line of the story:

"My brother is a fair man."

"Your brother just pistol whipped you in the face."

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

At this point in the story, I'd expected someone to come out as a clear cut bad guy. But, truth be told, by now all the characters (even the father) were really growing on me. I found myself relating to all of them. And understanding them all. That may be why I like this story so much.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

My favorite page.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

Something else, as a writer, I found myself trying to do is to tell the story with visuals rather than words. That's why there's very few captions explaining time passing and such. I really wanted this story to be told through the visuals, action, and (inevitably) dialogue (but not to the point of relying on dialogue as a crutch).

I love the parallelism on this page. I love the way the two men's actions reveal their character.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I love Gideon's expressions on this page.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

More interpersonal conflict. Keeping things vague on this page was a mixture of necessity and intentionality.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

On this page, I really got into the roll of artist . . . and, just because, I used a lightbox. I'd never used one before, but I enjoyed doing it. By now, like I said, I was feeling like an artist and so I enjoyed using the tools of the artist.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

This page started with the layout. My hope was that it reminded people of stained glass windows. I was really trying to force myself to think like an artist.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I really, really like the undertaker's character. When he showed up, it was another nice character moment. The "call to action" for our good little preacher, to put it in archetype language.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

More interpersonal conflict. Keeping things vague on this page was a mixture of necessity and intentionality.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I like the name Gideon, although I regretted naming THIS brother Gideon. This could have been the first Gideon's Army story if I'd have named the other brother Gideon. In fact, I considered killing off this brother and having the other brother take on his name so he could become the Gideon of Gideon's Army . . . but then I realized that meant that Gideon's first story would have been drawn by me. Not a very auspicious beginning for him.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

By this time, a few hours had passed. Time I'd been able to mull things over while inking the pages and what not. By this time, I knew what the conflict was going to be about . . . vaguely. :)

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

Still vague conflict. But in these first two pages, I found myself focusing more on character than on plot. The characters really informed the story.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

I drew this page with no idea what the story was really going to be about. I just knew it was going to be a western. I needed some conflict and figured vague conflict was better than none.

All things considered, as much as I like this story, this first page turned out to be just right.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

Not much more to add to this. What I COULD add to this is found on the final page.

~ Ben

The Ballad of the Freak, “Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.