PART 1 — THE EYE SEES ALL July 27, 2005 Outside City Hall 4:00 PM 1 “No more leash laws,” a student shouted up City Hall’s steps. He swung a protest sign over his head— GOOD DOGS ROAM FREE written in black marker. “Superheroes aren’t the villains,” yelled a woman passing out bottled water to the assembled crowd. Several policemen stood blocking the doors, brandishing armored shields with the letters

PART 2 — THE SHADOWS RIDE TONIGHT July 27, 2005 Curleyworld 8:45 PM 1 “Guys, Dogboy has something we—” Cindy said as she stopped in the dressing room doorway. Mirrors lined the walls. Formica countertops hung underneath, with ample room for the performers to lay out their makeup and supplies. No performers had been there for years. This was Curleyworld, behind the main stage. The amusement park closed down years

PART 3 — THE DEMON’S SEAL July 28, 2005 Inside City Hall 7:52 PM 1 Bronson flipped the page in his SPRING-HEELED JACK’S FIGHTIN’ FOURTEEN comic book as the street lights came on outside the bathroom window. The cover showed a group of Golden-Age-era heroes battling an evil cloud. When he was done, he rolled up the comic and stuck it in his back pocket. A quick peek out from

It’s the end of the world as he knows it. In “Eye of the Scarab,” the stakes are higher than ever for Dogboy, also known as Bronson Black. Tasked with spying using a mystical scarab device, he learns the hard truths about privacy, trust, and betrayal. As Colta City teeters on the brink of chaos, Bronson, entangled in a web of deception involving his closest allies and haunting Lovecraftian monsters,

1 The Professor, the Fighter, and the Cowboy   Osbert bounded down the alleyway as fast as his stubby legs could carry him while he shoved a piece of baguette in his mouth. Hot John (a bulky man with a mallet where his hand should be) ran ahead of him carrying a plastic garbage bag over his shoulder. “Hey. I think this soup’s got a leak,” Hot John said. “Of

2 Lights and Shadows   His feet dangling over the ledge, Bronson Black watched over his city from the roof of Colta City General Hospital. He chewed a bite from the egg salad sandwich he’d bought before going on patrol. The summer heat didn’t subside even at this late hour, so he’d decided to take a break and eat it before it spoiled. He took the last bite then lowered

3 Things You’d Rather Not Think About   Bronson Black’s Dogboy mask sat on the TV in his small— but comfortable— room located below the shop where he worked. Across the room his cape served as a blanket while he rested in the bed. He slept, but it wasn’t an easy sleep. The cape was damp with sweat. He thrashed around, throwing his pillow to the floor. No, it wasn’t

4 The Carnival Town Compromise   Curleyworld was barely visible from the main road running past it. The grass grew waist high between the parking lot and the main entrance. Jungly trees reached through the tall chain link fences surrounding the park, barbed wire curling around at the top. From the right angle one could see a roller coaster’s crest or the cables that once carried sky ride cars from

5 Worst Birthday Ever “I gotta confess something, Charley old pal. Today was the worst birthday ever,” Dogboy said to the destitute codger sleeping against the light pole. He’d finished up his work without incident, leaving the shop in Mr. Horum’s capable hands. He’d hung around at the arcade for a few hours, feeding quarters into the sundry games. “I don’t know if she doesn’t like arcades, but this is