MY SECRET WARS OF 1984

DENNIS ETZEL, JR.

ARTWORK BY ELAINE M. RODRIGUEZ

B L A Z E V O X [ B O O K S ] Buffalo, New York

My Secret Wars of 1984 by Dennis Etzel, Jr. Copyright 2015 Published by BlazeVOX [books] All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the publishers written permission, except for brief quotations in reviews. Printed in the United States of America Interior Design and Typesetting by Geoffrey Gatza Cover and Interior Art by Elaine M. Rodriguez First Edition ISBN: 978-1-60964-223-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944621 BlazeVOX [books] 131 Euclid Ave Kenmore, NY 14217 Editor@blazevox.org

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[envoi] 366 sentences as 1984a leap-year progression as "the progress of a line or sentence, or a series of lines or sentences, has spatial properties as well as temporal properties." 1984's secret wars raged inside comic books, movies, dungeons, and dragons "pressing back against the pressure of reality" of our neighborhood against my mother coming out.

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[A couple of amazing things] A couple of amazing things just happened. A large TV transmission tower collapses under the weight of the ice, along with many trees and large tree branches. A mark of their life without protest, without rage. A nightmare on Elm Street.

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[A phrase of absolutism] A phrase like "I advocate" does not imply the kind of absolutism that is suggested by "I am". A tool / made out of thought. A totalitarian dictatorship over my childhood is over, so now what? A transition from middle to high school, from thirteen to fourteen. A transition that crosses through the unknown X.

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[A wave of sheer force] A wave of sheer force. Accustomed to Topeka's customs. After a radioactive spider bites me, I develop superpowers of fragility. All molecules obey my every whim. All through the night. All week, I've been seeing my bear in my dreams. Almost paradise.

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[Alphabetized to represent] Alphabetized to represent the mind's organization of what is found. Although dungeon or wilderness adventures are fun, consider the characters' reasons for being. America has a way of blanketing out things. An aftershock of the aftermath. An alphabetized collection of comics, role-playing adventures, and music on tapes, as representation. An inker inks over the debris adding details.

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[An unspent lunch money] An unspent lunch money becomes a sustenance of comic books. And a number of pages were excised by that agency head there, the man in charge, and he sent it on up here to CIA, where more pages were excised before it was printed, says Ronald Reagan. And as soon as we have an investigation and find out where any blame lies for the few that did not get excised or changed, we certainly are going to do something about that, says Ronald Reagan. And as the heroes watch, they are watched in turn. And each evening the pace back home matches the sun's setting. And I start high school at my lowest. And now we are putting up a defense of our own, says Ronald Reagan.

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[And suddenly somebody] And suddenly somebody says, "Oh, it's got to be up there, and it's Star Wars," and so forth, says Ronald Reagan. And the experience of using it, which includes the experience of understanding it, either as speech or as writing, is inevitably active. And I fail to protect from the night.

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[Anywhere I walk] Anywhere I walk I wear my Walkman. Apparently, any manipulation of these controls activates this apparatus, which senses the intent of its user and accomplishes what is desired. Are we ourselves? As a matter of fact, there are some pretty scientific and solid figures about how much space there still is in the world and how many more people we can have, says Ronald Reagan.

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[As a scholar] As a scholar of origin stories, I research each superhero I know. Assembly is my favorite, moving around the room of others. Beat Street. Because we have language we find ourselves in a peculiar relationship to the objects, events, and situations which constitute what we imagine of the world. Because we're off in a strange land, up to our ears in a little secret war that may decide the fate of the universe. Better to say nothing and hope he slowly discovers the truth for himself or hides from it forever.

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[Between women] Between women and men, sexism is most often expressed in the form of male domination, which leads to discrimination, exploitation, or oppression. Between women, male supremacist values are expressed through suspicious, defensive, competitive behavior. Bordered labyrinth, with dragons to guard the boundary, as my fighter centers. Breakin'.

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[But if guilt] But if guilt is established, whoever is guilty we will treat with that situation then, and they will be removed, says Ronald Reagan. But no one knows whether Armageddon, those prophecies mean that Armageddon is a thousand years away or day after tomorrow, says Ronald Reagan. But these things do not affect the adventure or the game. But when you keep star-warring itI never suggested where the weapons should be or what kind, says Ronald Reagan.

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[By drawing a panel] By drawing a panel for my story, a box surrounds me. By level 25, the "home base" has become either a strongly fortified castle complex or secret stronghold. By using unarmed combat rules, characters are free to perform acts of heroic fantasywrestling huge opponents to the ground, or escaping from imprisonment when no weapons are available. Challenging sexist oppression is a crucial step in the struggle to eliminate all forms of oppression.

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[Closes] Closes. Cold wars everywhere. Comic books continued my dialogue with language as I sought my story within costumes. Coming out of a bad marriage, my mother comes out. Crackling up / like a wall of prairie fire / in a somersault silver / to climb blank air. Cruel summer. Curled over for the walk back home, my pages touch the landscape until, hooked by the wind, they detach from my staples.

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[Dancing in the dark] Dancing in the dark. Daydreams of fighting supervillains surround while unsure of those around me. Delay: The victim automatically loses initiative for the next round. Destruction is widespread throughout the city, with Gage Park in Central Topeka especially hard hit. Do they know it's Christmas? Doctor, doctor. Dune. Dungeon adventures are common, and a few short wilderness journeys usually occur.

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[Each illustration] Each illustration holds potential for intensity, for intensities that require several word balloons. Each moment stands under an enormous vertical and horizontal pressure of information, potent with ambiguity, meaning-full, unfixed, and certainly incomplete. Each superhero has an origin story for misunderstanding what makes a power. Each time, the image is more distinct. Each written text may act as a distinction, may be a distinction. Elections with margins.

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[Electric dreams] Electric dreams. Electricity is not restored in some areas for over a week. Entangle: The victim cannot attack, cast spells, or move until a Saving Throw is successful. Even words in storage, in the dictionary, seem frenetic with activity, as each individual entry attracts to itself other words as definition, example, and amplification. Eyes without a face. Fans, especially young fans often suggested to me "one big story with all the heroes and all the villains in it," so I proposed that.

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[Feminism defined] Feminism defined as a movement to end sexist oppression enables women and men, girls and boys, to participate equally in revolutionary struggle. Fits and starts, half stars. For cover, he holds up his indestructible shield. For me, a central activity of poetic language is formal. For monster summers / slammed wind / on weighted bough.