Immobilized and writhing on the ground, the squad leader clutched his wounded arm and looked up to see John Scarecrow walking toward him. “Who … who are you, man?”
Scarecrow kicked the squad leader’s gun away with his foot. The firearm skidded across the blacktop with an uneasy scraping noise until it was safely out of reach. John pulled out a pair of handcuffs and reached down to slap them on. As he cuffed the felled criminal, he said in an ominous voice, “The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.”
The Scarecrow & Lady Kingston
John Scarecrow is a real, living and breathing scarecrow who has joined the LAPD. Julie Kingston is his partner – a good cop with a bad temper and an itchy trigger finger.
Together they investigate a series of bizarre murders involving the violent murders of upscale call girls, the assassination of a U.S. senator, and death threats against one of Hollywood's leading ladies. Then things get weird – and they find themselves at the center of a notorious assassin’s intricate web of murder.
Only one thing is certain–when the Scarecrow and Lady Kingston are on the case, there’s never a dull moment!
Together they investigate a series of bizarre murders involving the violent murders of upscale call girls, the assassination of a U.S. senator, and death threats against one of Hollywood's leading ladies. Then things get weird – and they find themselves at the center of a notorious assassin’s intricate web of murder.
Only one thing is certain–when the Scarecrow and Lady Kingston are on the case, there’s never a dull moment!
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S&K / Excerpt from Chapter 1: Cogitating Over Coffee
“Oh, you just think you’re so much better than everyone else, with your one hundred and eighty I.Q. and your irresistibly tight ass, but I have news for you, missy. I’m gonna share my secret with the world.”
“Great,” Julie replied in a droll monotone.
“And you know what? They may not worship me like that zombie fella, but I can help change lives! Don’t say I won’t because I will. You’ll see.”
“Again, his name was Jesus.”
“God, Kingston! Why do you have to be such a downer?” Waving her hands around in the air, making small circles, Beck added, “Your negativity is so overwhelming. It’s like a black hole that just sucks all the positivity out of the air and turns everything into a dark void as black as your empathy-starved soul.”
“Right then. Well, as generous as it is of you Beck, and as interesting as this conversation has been, I was wondering, before your busy schedule of bringing enlightenment to the multitude, could you be a godsend and with your superior fucking wisdom, knowledge, and almighty powers,” Julie said, holding up her coffee cup toward Beck as if it were a peace offering, “warm up my coffee for me?”
“Great,” Julie replied in a droll monotone.
“And you know what? They may not worship me like that zombie fella, but I can help change lives! Don’t say I won’t because I will. You’ll see.”
“Again, his name was Jesus.”
“God, Kingston! Why do you have to be such a downer?” Waving her hands around in the air, making small circles, Beck added, “Your negativity is so overwhelming. It’s like a black hole that just sucks all the positivity out of the air and turns everything into a dark void as black as your empathy-starved soul.”
“Right then. Well, as generous as it is of you Beck, and as interesting as this conversation has been, I was wondering, before your busy schedule of bringing enlightenment to the multitude, could you be a godsend and with your superior fucking wisdom, knowledge, and almighty powers,” Julie said, holding up her coffee cup toward Beck as if it were a peace offering, “warm up my coffee for me?”
S&K / Excerpt from Chapter 7: The Great Escape
Kateland Rameses Beckensale stepped into the light, silken strips of her smooth bare legs peeking through her leather chaps. She was dressed like a mix between a cowgirl and a prostitute. A long, tan, tattered duster completed her ensemble, and her coat-tails flapped in the breeze, revealing black bikini bottoms under her leather chaps.
“That outfit is not the least bit historically accurate,” Julie observed. Beck just stared back at her with a blank look on her face. Julie continued, “I mean, the tight cut of the leather vest seems designed only to maximize your cleavage, and the way that it reveals your fleshy midriff doesn’t seem to fulfill any useful purpose either. In all honesty, it looks like a second-rate cosplay outfit.”
Nudging the brim of her cowboy hat back, Beck coolly took the cigarette out of her mouth, blew a couple smoke rings, and flicked it away. “Oh ye of little faith, this outfit serves a very useful purpose.”
“Oh, really? And what on Earth could that possibly be?” Julie asked.
“To annoy you. Obviously. Besides, you’re one to talk, Kingston.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You always dress so inappropriately.”
“Inappropriately?” Julie looked down at her leather jacket and tattered blue jeans, with tears across her thighs just to add a touch of sex appeal. “What are you talking about? This is a perfectly fine outfit for a plainclothes cop to wear.”
“Yeah, a cop from Chicago maybe. And you’re wearing a freakin’ leather jacket in the middle of summer. It’s L.A. for God’s sake!”
“Well Miss Priss, why don’t you take me shopping next time you go and you can pick my outfit for me!”
“Fine. I will!”
“Fine!”
“It’s a date then.’”
“Fine!”
Beck and Julie shot each other irritated looks, but both women were secretly excited to have unintentionally made an impromptu shopping date with one another.
“That outfit is not the least bit historically accurate,” Julie observed. Beck just stared back at her with a blank look on her face. Julie continued, “I mean, the tight cut of the leather vest seems designed only to maximize your cleavage, and the way that it reveals your fleshy midriff doesn’t seem to fulfill any useful purpose either. In all honesty, it looks like a second-rate cosplay outfit.”
Nudging the brim of her cowboy hat back, Beck coolly took the cigarette out of her mouth, blew a couple smoke rings, and flicked it away. “Oh ye of little faith, this outfit serves a very useful purpose.”
“Oh, really? And what on Earth could that possibly be?” Julie asked.
“To annoy you. Obviously. Besides, you’re one to talk, Kingston.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You always dress so inappropriately.”
“Inappropriately?” Julie looked down at her leather jacket and tattered blue jeans, with tears across her thighs just to add a touch of sex appeal. “What are you talking about? This is a perfectly fine outfit for a plainclothes cop to wear.”
“Yeah, a cop from Chicago maybe. And you’re wearing a freakin’ leather jacket in the middle of summer. It’s L.A. for God’s sake!”
“Well Miss Priss, why don’t you take me shopping next time you go and you can pick my outfit for me!”
“Fine. I will!”
“Fine!”
“It’s a date then.’”
“Fine!”
Beck and Julie shot each other irritated looks, but both women were secretly excited to have unintentionally made an impromptu shopping date with one another.
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About The Scarecrow & Lady Kingston Art
The Scarecrow & Lady Kingston was originally created as a comic book pitch. But upon failing to get any traction or interest by publishers and editors, I decided to adapt the script I had written into prose. I only had enough for a novella length book, so for the final novelization I added an entirely new ending. The book catches the pulpy, fun, excitement that a serialized comic has, and is something many people comment on -- saying that it gives the book a very unique quality as compared to your standard, more traditional prose novels.
The art in the sequential samples (in rough draft thumbnail form only) was done by my longtime artist friend Sedat Oezgen. The above two images were done by Thomas Nachlik, who is a freelance artist who has done work for Top Cow comics and D.C. comics. Meanwhile, the above purple pin-up art with the cards floating in the background was done by the talented Alex Rubzow. You'll notice there is one piece of art that is drawn in the American animated style -- this was done by the comic book artist Loston Wallace.
The art in the sequential samples (in rough draft thumbnail form only) was done by my longtime artist friend Sedat Oezgen. The above two images were done by Thomas Nachlik, who is a freelance artist who has done work for Top Cow comics and D.C. comics. Meanwhile, the above purple pin-up art with the cards floating in the background was done by the talented Alex Rubzow. You'll notice there is one piece of art that is drawn in the American animated style -- this was done by the comic book artist Loston Wallace.
