KILLER MUSIC TO MURDER TO: Naming The Four Issues Of 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER'
Updated: Apr 20
Everyone who has ever written a comic book has put a lot of thought into the title of the book they are writing. They take time to build the story, develop the characters and do the necessary research to make their book the best it can be. However, when it comes to writing a book that is published issue by issue, there is one factor that we don't think about too much until the scripting phase...The title of each individual issue.
MUSIC ABOUT A MADMAN
Over the years, I have begun to put a lot of thought into the titles of individual issues. I want them to pop. When I work on the title for a book, I want it to be something that grabs a potential reader's attention and hooks them in. Then I want the individual issue title to make them think, 'Oh, yeah, I can't wait to read this issue'!
You see, there are three things the individual issue title needs to do:
It needs to make the reader excited
It needs to aptly fit the story of the issue
It needs to NOT giveaway what takes place in the issue
That's not an easy feat to pull off. If I named a single issue 'Death From Above' and no one dies in the issue or experiences a metaphorical death, then the reader will feel cheated...And you really don't want your reader to feel cheated!
So when it came to 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER', I took a lot of time thinking about the titles for each individual issue (or chapter). And as you can tell, I don't always refer to them as 'issues' when it comes to the credit page of each issue. With 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER', I opted to call them 'chapters'. Although, my personal favourite is to call them 'Acts'. Cause when it comes to a mini-series, the majority of the time, each issue is a single act of the larger narrative.
While I was writing 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER', it was hard coming up with the individual chapter titles. I spent hours pottering around my home, doing odd chores while trying to think of titles. Then I took a break to practice the songs I like to play at open mic nights and various shows.
When I rehearse, there are a few songs that I really like to start off with. And on this occasion, I decided to start off with a song called 'The Recluse'. It's a song written by Murderfolk Troubadour, Amigo The Devil. While it is partially about finding a way to abandon self-destructive habits, it is also about Ed Gein. Then I remembered there was another song of Amigo's that I like to cover, which was also about Ed Gein. So I started to do some research.
As it turns out, there are a lot of songs that have been written and performed over the years about Ed Gein. On top of that, there is even a band that calls themselves, 'Ed Gein'. Some of these songs I had never heard before. Then to my surprise, there were several that I had heard before and never knew were written about the infamous Butcher of Plainfield...And that's when it hit me...Each issue (or chapter) should be named after a song about Ed Gein. But only if the song title fit with what was happening in that particular issue...And luckily for me, it worked!
So let me walk you through each chapter title and show you the songs that the titles came from.
CHAPTER ONE: NOTHING TO GEIN
It should come as no surprise to any of you that I like my Metal music...To be fair, I like all different genres of music, however, Metal is my go-to genre. That's why picking this song about Ed Gein was an easy choice for me.
When Mudvayne released their debut album 'LD. 50', the metal world was taken aback by the song 'Dig'. But what everyone overlooked was their Ed Gein inspired song 'Nothing To Gein'.
If you're not into this particular genre of music, then you may not enjoy this song. However, for people like myself, this song is mesmerizing and strangely haunting. Which should be surprising considering the subject matter.
'Nothing To Gein' was the perfect song title to use as the title for chapter one of 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER'. The chapter doesn't just focus on Satan trying to convince Ed to be his Demon Hunter, while Ezra does all he can to convince Ed that he is not fit for the job. It's a chapter about how Ed sees himself and how he feels about himself due to decades of abuse at the hands of his overbearing, zealous mother.
If you haven't heard the song 'Nothing To Gein' by Mudvayne before, then you can check it out below:
CHAPTER TWO: THREE FOR FLINCHING
Next up is a song from this band's self-titled album from 1997. These guys are unique, experimental and completely insane! I am, of course, talking about the band, The Dillinger Escape Plan and their song 'Three For Flinching (Revenge Of The Porno Clowns)'.
Now, I did some research and apparently, this song is about Ed Gein. Although, it's hard to find any concrete evidence of this. However, I decided to roll with it as it was the perfect title for chapter two.
I don't want to give anything away, considering issue two hasn't come out yet. However, when you take into account the cliff-hanger at the end of Chapter One, it'll be no surprise that this was a fitting title for Chapter Two. Although, the 'Revenge Of The Porno Clowns' part of the song title didn't fit, so I didn't use it.
The song is an acquired taste and once again is more suited for those of you who enjoy Metal. I don't know about you, but this is the kind of song that I could imagine appearing on a snuff film.
If you haven't heard the song 'Three For Flinching (Revenge Of The Porno Clowns)' by The Dillinger Escape Plan before, then check it out below:
CHAPTER THREE: THE WEIGHT
Remember earlier when I mentioned Amigo The Devil and his song 'The Recluse'? I mentioned there was another song of his that was about Ed Gein. And that song is none other than 'The Weight'.
Unlike the other entries n this list, Amigo The Devil doesn't play Metal...He plays Murderfolk, a dark subgenre of Folk Punk. The genre covers topics such as abuse, drugs, suicide, the occult, mental illnesses and serial killers. In Amigo's case, he often writes love songs as told through the eyes of famous serial killers.
'The weight' appeared on his debut album 'Volume 1', and it's a song that I often cover when I perform. It has a cheerful, upbeat rhythm to it and is framed by the beautiful tones of the banjo. But listen to the lyrics. They have dark undertones hidden away that tease the listener.
Once again, I cannot say too much about #3 of 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER'. It's currently in production and I don't want to risk spoiling anything in #2. However, what I will say is this: it's obvious in #1 that Ed is carrying a 'weight' with him wherever he goes.
If you haven't heard the song 'The Weight' by Amigo The Devil before, then check it out below:
CHAPTER FOUR: DEADACHE
Last but certainly not least comes from a band who competed in the Eurovision song contest. You wouldn't think that they would be a part of such an event. Especially when you hear their music and see the costumes they wear.
Interestingly enough, in 2013, I was a guest at a convention in Dortmund, Germany and sat next to me was Mr Lordi, the frontman of the band, in full costume. It was an absolute pleasure talking about comics with him!
But I digress...Lordi released their fourth studio album in 2008 and titled it 'Deadache'. The titular track on the album turned out to be a song about Ed Gein.
The song is catchy, fun and the chorus is great to sing along to. I could listen to it for hours on end and while writing 'ED GEIN: DEMON HUNTER', I had the song on repeat.
I didn't just name the fourth and final chapter of the mini-series after the song because I liked it. I didn't do it because it was the fourth issue and the song was from Lordi's fourth album. I did it because it really does fit!
I can't tell you why or how it fits but I can assure you, when #4 is in your hands, you'll understand.
If you haven't heard the song 'Deadache' by Lordi before, then check it out below:
Of course, I started this post off by mentioning a song by Amigo The Devil called 'The Recluse' which is also about Ed Gein. So I would be doing you guys a huge disservice if I didn't feature that song in this post. So check out 'The Recluse' by Amigo The Devil below:
Well, that's it for this post. I sincerely hope you've had as much fun reading this post as I have writing it. Please, feel free to share this post with your friends, family & whoever else you think will benefit from it. Alternatively, you can share it on your social media accounts or e-mail it to some of your friends.
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Until Next Time: Give 'Em Hell
Sincerely,
Lucifer
