The Lonely Tombstone

    (Image, 2005)
™ and ©2005 Steve and Nikki Niles, Illustrations ©2005 Benjamin Roman

Horror writer Steve Niles, (Cellar of Nastiness), seems to have mellowed a bit, (although it may be the influence of his wife and co-writer, Nikki), as evidenced by this whimsical narrative of a lonely young girl and her tombstone. Well, it’s not her tombstone in the literal sense, (unless the Niles are being very cagey). It is an isolated marker that she discovers and to which she ascribes many possible histories. The tombstone fills a void in her life created by her alienation from peers and parents.

This story, although it is more of a character sketch, speaks to the loneliness and estrangement that everyone feels at one time or another, even though that void is usually not filled by a slab of granite. The art by Benjamin Roman is expressive and appropriate; lending an air of humor to what otherwise would have been a macabre ending.

— George Haberberger
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#1

October, 2005
Cover Price: $5.99
4 copies available from $1.99 		Steve Niles, Nikki NilesBenjamin Roman