The latest issue of the Official Mr. Zeus Fanclub Newsletter…
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Hi, gang! (We need a name for my fans…. Zeusites? Zeusians? Thunderers? Help me out here….)
I think I’m gonna try a slightly different format this issue. Using a typical Question-n-Answer style, I’m going to address a few of the questions that people at cons and book signings have been asking me lately. See how many of them you already knew the answers to. Anyone who has heard me talk about all of these must be superfans! (Super-Zeusians?) OK, first up…
Q: What’s with the name of your newsletter? Do you think you’re brilliant or something?
The Birth of Minerva (by Rene Antoine Houasse)
A: Hah! Hardly! Growing up, I was a big fan of Greco-Roman mythology. I forget what grade I was first introduced to it, but I loved reading about gods and demigods and heroes and monsters and all that crazy stuff. Didn’t believe any of it, of course. But, that stuff is like comic books for the ancients. In fact, several heroes and villains I know or know of have been inspired by characters from those old tales. I’m one of them! You knew that, right? (A few even claim that they are those characters from the myths and legends!)
As Wikipedia will tell you, Zeus (aka Jupiter to the Romans) was “the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus.” That’s why I incorporated the thunder-n-lightning shtick into my superhero identity. Anyway, one of Zeus’ many children was Athena (aka Minerva), the goddess of wisdom, courage, law & justice, and a bunch of other stuff. But, Athena wasn’t born the normal way. After sleeping with Metis, goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, Zeus remembered a prophecy that Metis’ children would be more powerful than their father. Rather than just killing Metis, he swallowed her; but, it was too late, because she had already conceived. Zeus later got a terrible headache and one of the other gods tried to help by splitting Zeus’ skull with an axe. (Doesn’t sound like “helping” to me!) When he did, Athena jumped out, fully grown and armed, and shouting a war cry. Weird, I know. But, that was the inspiration for the title of this newsletter. Plus, it’s sort of a play on words, since I, Mr. Zeus, am putting my own thoughts down on “paper”.
Q: Where do you live? Also, do bad guys ever find you and try to fight, even though you’re retired?
A: Well, now, if I told you (and everyone reading this, which might include bad guys) where I lived, then that would be a problem, wouldn’t it? Other than mentioning the region of the U.S. where I live, I have been very careful not to give away too much. There are three reasons: 1) fans, 2) press, and 3) villains. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love all my fans, and I really appreciate their/your loving me in return. But, just like other celebrities, I sometimes get hounded by the press, and I like to have a retreat to get away from it all. I don’t have millions of dollars, so I can’t afford a big mansion with lots of security like some movie stars, singers, and athletes. But, I found a modest-sized place where I can have some privacy.
When I was wrestling as “Hacksaw Jack”, my real name — Jacob Szymanski — eventually became known to the public. (I think it was in a magazine write-up about up-n-coming wrestlers.) When I started superheroing as “Mr. Zeus”, I didn’t advertise that I used to be Hacksaw Jack, ‘cuz I wanted my new career to be a “fresh start”. I originally kept an apartment and credit card in the Szymanski name; but, once I moved into the Atlantia Compound, I had living quarters and an expense account. When I retired, I legally changed my name, and my attorney and I created a network of shell companies through which I own my home, car, etc., and get paid for conventions, signings, royalties, and those other jobs I’ve written about.
Before you ask, no, neither my new name nor my company names have any connection to my old name or Greco-Roman mythology or anything like that. That would have been cool, but then the wrong people — from stalkers to former enemies looking for vengeance — would probably figure it out too easily. I’d like to avoid any such surprises, thank you very much.
Q: What does your family think of your superheroing? Have they ever been in danger?
A: I don’t talk about my family much, but here’s the scoop. My father died a long time ago, when I was a little kid. My younger sister died of a rare disease when we were teenagers. (One day she seemed normal, the next she started exhibiting weird symptoms. She was eventually diagnosed and within a few months, she was gone.) I never met my stepbrother, since he was in the military and deployed overseas when my Mom married his Dad. He never visited us, and then he was declared M.I.A. shortly after I graduated high school.
My Mom and stepdad weren’t exactly thrilled with my wrestling career, what with all of the violence. So, you can imagine what they thought when I transitioned into superheroic adventuring. Of course, once I showed them my newfound abilities — especially the invulnerability and superstrength –, they were somewhat mollified. As the months and years passed, and they saw not only that I could handle myself but that I was making a difference, they grew to accept my chosen profession and not worry about me so much.
I can only think of two times when they were in danger that had anything to do with my superheroing exploits. Once, early in my career, I was walking with them at night in the city, when we were mugged. Well, almost. There were street punks — one with a gun, and the others had knives. I hesitated to do anything for fear that my parents might get hurt; but then one of the punks made a move toward my Mom. I grabbed him by the wrist and flung him into the guy with the gun. Then… well, let’s just say that it helps to have skin that is impervious to most knives and bullets, though the guy with the gun didn’t even get off a shot. They weren’t in any shape to mug anyone for a few days after that, either. (We called the cops to arrest them, of course.)
The second time happened a few years later, when my Mom was at a concert with some friends. Some wannabe terrorist decided to blow up that concert hall with over 4000 people in it. He had no idea my Mom was there, but I did. I heard the call on a police scanner and rushed over. I found his bombs and, with the help of the local LEOs, got all but one of them defused without any casualties. (The final bomb had a glitch, and I managed to toss it into the bay before it exploded.)
By the way, my Mom and stepdad have since retired and moved… somewhere I won’t mention, ‘cuz they prefer the safety of anonymity. (They use government-approved aliases, too.)
Q: What’s happening on the writing front? Any books coming out?
A: I got a book deal! “But, don’t you already have one?”, you ask. “You’ve already written two books.” True, but Capes, Masks, & Tights — Oh My! and The Rise of Mr. Zeus are non-fiction and largely autobiographical. The sequel to Rise is still in the planning stages, too. But, this new contract is for a fiction novel co-authored with Phil Prendergast. Remember how I mentioned meeting him back at last year’s Hype City Sci-Fi and Comic Convention, and we discussed working together? Well, this is that. (Did you know that, before his success with “Shadows of Eternity” graphic novels, Phil wrote a half dozen popular adventure novels under the pseudonym “Taryn Vail”? OK, you probably knew that, but I didn’t. Shame on me.)
I resurrected a few story ideas I had several years ago but wasn’t able to follow up on — being an unknown quantity when it came to fiction writing, no publisher was interested — and showed them to Phil. One idea was a heroic epic that takes place in ancient times. (Not sure if it will be in a real place like ancient Greece or some imaginary land like Cimmeria.) Another was a futuristic war adventure. One was a murder mystery involving a rather unusual and somewhat eccentric character. The last one was a straight-up superhero story.
Phil liked them all but favored the murder mystery, so once I flesh out the plot some more, he’ll write a first draft, and we’ll see how that goes. Meanwhile, he has agreed to be my writing coach, and now he has me reading Story by Robert McKee. (Highly recommended for all aspiring fiction writers, by the way. Peter David is another genre author who swears by it.) If the collaboration goes well and the book sells decently, there is an option for two more novels co-authored by the two of us. After that, I’m hoping for an opportunity to fly solo (no pun intended).
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Purple, of course.
Q: What are your Top 3 favorite TV shows ever?
A: “24”, “Alias”, and the original “Star Trek”.
Q: What musical artist are you somewhat ashamed to admit that you listen to?
A: Err, Just… no, Celine Dion.
Alrighty, that’s enough of that! Stay strong, my friends!
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End transmission…
* All ideas copyright Christopher Harris, 2013-2016.
Heroes and Aliens 