(Originally published as THIS SICKNESS 1, 2008)
ADULTS ONLY.
John Linton Roberson has been an independent cartoonist, writer, and illustrator for over 25 years, and has produced 22 publications as Bottomless Studio since 1998.
He is the adapter of Frank Wedekind's Lulu (Book 1 and 2 available here and at Amazon & Comixology, and ongoing serialization in THIS SICKNESS), the creator of Vladrushka for Eros/Fantagraphics, and the co-creator (with John E. Williams) of Uncle Cyrus.ย Occasionally he is heard, usually at length, on Tim Young's Deconstructing Comics podcast.
Charles Elgin Alversonย (October 13, 1935 โ January 19, 2020) was an American novelist, editor and screenwriter who sometimes used the bylineย Chuck Alverson. He co-scripted the filmย Jabberwockyย (1977).
Alverson was born inย Los Angeles,ย California. He grew up in Los Angeles County, and graduated in 1953 from high school inย Redondo Beach. After service in the 11th and 82nd Airborne divisions of theย U.S. Army, he graduated fromย San Francisco State Collegeย (English, 1960) andย Columbia Universityย (Journalism, 1963).
In the early 1960s Alverson was an assistant editor (underย Harvey Kurtzman) ofย Help!, taking over afterย Gloria Steinemย and followed byย Terry Gilliam,ย and then a reporter forย The Wall Street Journal. During a break from theย WSJย in 1967, he was a "square" (or non-addicted) resident of the anti-drug cultย Synanonย inย Santa Monica, California, for six months. After moving to Britain in 1969, he wrote forย Rolling Stoneย and British newspapers. In 1980, Alverson was managing editor of the Britishย environmentalistย
After living inย Radnorshire,ย mid-Walesย from 1970 to 1975, Alverson moved toย Cambridge, England, where he was an activist, including a month-long vigil against the United States's bombing ofย Iraqย in 1990 and resistance toย Margaret Thatcher'sย poll tax. He was arrested twice but was not charged.
Films and books
Alverson was co-screenwriter of Terry Gilliam's filmย Jabberwocky, and co-developer of the story[1]ย and co-writer (uncredited) of the first draft of the screenplay that becameย Brazilย (1985).
Alverson wrote a dozen novels (four of which have been published in six languages), including the thrillerย Fighting Backย (1973). Inย Goodey's Last Standย (1975) he introduced San Francisco private eye Joe Goodey, who returned inย Not Sleeping Just Deadย (1977).ย The New Yorkerย describedย Goodey's Last Standย as "the next best thing to finding a new and unsuspected Raymond Chandler phantasmagoria."ย In the crime fiction bibliography, Golden Gate Mysteries, Randal Brandt wrote:
Joe Goodey is a San Francisco shamus who appeared in two novels by Charles Alverson. Jonah Webster "Joe" Goodey makes his debut inย Goodey's Last Standย (1975). He is a San Francisco homicide detective whose career is cut short when he mistakes the mayor's cousin for a gunman and shoots him. Goodey is then told, in no uncertain terms, to either resign and get the hell out of town, or face charges for attempted murder. Maybe, after things cool down, he can return to the city and get a private investigator's license. His exile from San Francisco is short-lived, however, when he is called back to the city to investigate the murder of a popular North Beach stripper named Tina D'Oro, who also happened to be a special friend of the mayor's. Inย Not Sleeping, Just Deadย (1977), Goodey is hired to investigate the mysterious death of a young woman at a Monterey County commune/rehab clinic called The Institute. Goodey is a wisecracker who would never be accused of having enlightened views about women or minorities, but he is honest and a basically decent guy.
Alverson's credits also included children's books, short stories and short film scripts, some of which have recently been adapted to comics by the cartoonist John Linton Roberson, includingย Rapunzelย and the parodyย the Story of OH!