Wayne R. Smith (1959--2020)

[iwayray]

Goodbye Ghosts ejb edited.pdf

Today in 2020, writer Wayne R. Smith took his own life at his home in Williamsport, PA. E. J. Barnes will continue to post his writings on his Tumblr from time to time for the foreseeable future.

"Goodbye Ghosts" is a contemporary story. It involves people whose family members die in accidents -- one whose parents die in a plane crash, another whose wife and children die in a car crash. Deaths of loved ones, including unexpected deaths in accidents such as car crashes, occur frequently in Wayne's stories; I'm not entirely sure why deaths in car crashes were particularly frequent. Wayne's mother, by contrast, died of cancer while he was still a teen; I forget whether he was in high school or college at the time.

I made only a few edits to this, mostly copyedits, and a few run-on sentences that got broken up. To add to the sense of place, I gave the previously unnamed bookstore a name.

[iwayray]

Andrea Knew Too Much 2020.03.05 ejb edited 2022.11.pdf

Andrea Knew Too Much was one of the last stories that Wayne worked on before his death on 17 March 2020. It's longer than most of his short stories, almost ranging into novella length. The very political science fiction could be said to be a comment on his own life, a lifetime of high potential thwarted at every turn, starting with a precarious youth marked by tragedy and abandonment, and a system arguably designed to let good and smart people with little money fall through the cracks.

It's been over a year since I last posted one of Wayne's stories here. I'll try not to let that happen again. He wrote a lot of stories, only some of which I'd had a chance to read before he died, so it will take some time. -- E. J. Barnes

[iwayray]

Friend of the Devil ejb edited.pdf

It is one year today since Wayne chose to leave us. It's hard to say what he would have thought and felt about this past year, including the election and the events of 6 January 2021. "Friend of the Devil" is another contemporary horror story of his, longer than many of his contemporary stories. I remember reviewing this one in an early draft. The political themes in this one are unavoidable. The edits I've made include fleshing out some of the conversation with the therapist, and adding some sun-shielding clothing for Ned. Some of Wayne's other stories have protagonists named Ned; I'm not sure of the significance. -- E. J. Barnes

[iwayray]

Antlered Invasion The ejb edited.pdf

"The Antlered Invasion", short story by Wayne R. Smith

Science fiction or satire? “The Antlered Invasion” draws on Wayne’s lifelong interest in heroic drama. A few edits here, mostly just punctuation and the occasional word change; otherwise as is.

[iwayray]

Jovial Yule ejb edited.pdf

Jovial Yule, short story by Wayne R. Smith

“Jovial Yule” was one of Wayne’s favorite Christmas-season greetings; he’d often sign his holiday cards with it as a closing salutation. I always figured he made it up. If anyone knows any different, please let me (his literary executor, E. J. Barnes) know. Despite the jokey title, this is another contemporary family drama. Content warnings: Profanity, alcohol abuse, infidelity, suicide.

[iwayray]

Bus Trip and the Test of Love The ejb edited.pdf

“The Bus Trip and the Test of Love” is a Smith story I’d never read until after Wayne’s death earlier this year. This one seemed to call for only some copyedits, stuff like punctuation and a few word replacements; I didn’t do any rewriting at all. Today would have been Wayne’s 61st birthday. His birthday fell on Thanksgiving often enough that we would joke about his birthday being Thanksgiving. But it also tended to prompt me to call him on the phone on or around Thanksgiving. Content warnings: Profanity, suicide.

[iwayray]

Sky High ejb edited.pdf

Smith literary executor and sometime collaborator E. J. Barnes again, with a link to another short story by Wayne. This one, from 2015, is science-fiction, or arguably science-fantasy. Bittersweet as hell, this story gives the protagonist a background similar to the one he described to me for himself. Content warnings: Sexual situations, mild profanity, suicide.

[iwayray]

Grief is a Forest ejb edited.pdf

Wayne Smith literary executor E. J. Barnes posting again on Wayne’s account. “Grief is a Forest” is one of Wayne’s later stories; I as unaware of it until after he died. I consider it one of his finer contemporary stories (that I’ve read so far -- there are so many pieces of his I haven’t even tackled yet). I’ve mostly tweaked punctuation and such, but I’ve added a few lines to the men’s conversation in the living room, and added a paragraph where he talks about how Shaun didn’t like putting the dog, Connie, on a leash, primarily to fill out how rural people might have different reasons not to want to leash their dogs.

[iwayray]

Judas and the Jackdaw The ejb edited.pdf

Horror-fantasy by Wayne R. Smith

A lot of Wayne’s fiction incorporated horror, supernatural, or contemporary fantasy elements (less often science fiction). This is a story that Wayne wrote many years ago and asked me to look over; I helped him with the description of the jackdaw, but in this version which I edited today, I realize I needed to correct my former description. CW: drug abuse, sex, mobsters

[iwayray]

Elyn of Arcturus ejb edited.pdf

Sorry there was no story last weekend; my (ejb’s) computer was in the repair shop, and there was no way to access my backup drive without a machine. Despite the title, this is not a science-fiction or fantasy story. There are autobiographical elements here, as Wayne was the son of a single mother; however, Wayne has gone beyond what his mother did to make ends meet, as well as his speculations as to his father’s profession, and considerably punched up the crime and violence. CW: prostitution, gun violence.

[iwayray]

I Am Poured Out Like Water ejb edited.pdf

"I Am Poured Out Like Water" by Wayne R. Smith

This is one of the first prose stories of his that Wayne ever showed me, back around 1990 or not long after. This version is the one he last edited on 16 January 2019, with a few minor edits by me. From cues such as the reference to the Piper Aviation factory, I surmise it was set in Lock Haven, PA, where Wayne went to college. -- E. J. Barnes, literary executor

[iwayray]

Thanks to everyone

Although the donations for the GoFundMe to cover Wayne’s funeral and probate expenses did not hit the original target, his nominated executor was pleased to find that the final bill for his funerary expenses were considerably less than he had originally been told would be likely. Therefore, the final sum collected was able to cover Wayne’s expenses. Thank you to everyone who donated. This GoFundMe has now been closed.

[ejbarnes]

Thanks to everyone who donated to the GoFundMe to cover my late colleague Wayne R. Smith’s funeral and probate expenses. As it turns out, the balance on his cremation turned out to be less than was originally quoted, so while we fell short of our original target, we still raised enough to cover everything. Big virtual hugs to everyone! To close this series of works that Wayne and I produced together – his scripts, my art – I post here a couple of editorial cartoons, and a full-color one-page comic. All three of these are framed and ready to hang. Get in touch with me at [email protected] if you want any of them; 50% the proceeds will go to Wayne’s estate (which, with the biggest expenses out of the way, is most likely to be one or more of the charities previously discussed, plus a family homeless shelter in Williamsport).

* Bush’s Plan for Saving Social Security (2005), ink and acrylic on Bristol board. Published in The Commons (Brattleboro, VT).  7 1/4″h x 8 1/2″w (12 1/4″h x 13 1/2″w framed). $100.

* FDIC (2008), ink, ink wash, and gouache on Bristol board. Published in The Recorder (Greenfield, MA). 7 1/4″h x 8 1/2″w (12 1/4″h x 13 1/2″w framed). $150.

* Vernon (2010), ink and watercolor on watercolor paper with digital lettering on acetate. Published in Polite Company Magazine. 14 1/2″h x 10 1/2″w (18 1/2″h x 14 1/2″w framed). $250.

[iwayray]

A couple of cartoons, and one last comic collaboration, between Wayne and E. J. Barnes. Thanks to everyone who donated to Wayne’s funeral/probate GoFundMe.

[ejbarnes]

Backtracking a little in time here, to 1992. This two-page comic was written by the late Wayne R. Smith (@iwayray), penciled by me, and inked (after rearranging the panels) by Myke Maldonado, another member of Shoptalk/No Name APA. Myke has the originals (somewhere); these are photos of copies. This demonstrates why, though DuoShade was popular with illustrators in the early ‘90s, it died out before Zip-a-Tone did: It ages faster. As I recall, though, I LOVED penciling that filthy bathroom. “The Truth Fairy” (1992), Wayne R. Smith, E. J. Barnes, and Myke Maldonado. Ink on DuoShade. Dimensions unknown.  Content warning: Toilet use, head injury, groin injury, inconvenient truths.

[ejbarnes]

E. J. Barnes, Illustrator (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Another collaboration between me and the late Wayne R. Smith, an unpublished one-pager. CW: Explicit robot sex, malfunctioning mechanical genitalia. Larger than the other pages I've posted, but as it's only ink and gouache with no Zip-a-Tone, I'm offering it for less than "Little Hitler" or "Bunnyman", but more than "More Heat Than Light." Donate $90 to Wayne's fund and it's yours postpaid. https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-r-smith-funeral-and-probate-fund

On my Mastodon feed: A 1998 one-pager scripted by Wayne R. Smith and drawn by me. Still violent, but slightly less so than the previous one; however, more explicit, so NSFW to the max. “Erobotix”, unpublished (Gee, I wonder why). Now you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home (or phone). If you give $90 to the Wayne R. Smith Funeral and Probate Fund, I’ll send it off to you in a protective rigid mailer. Email me at [email protected] to lay your claim.

[iwayray]

Another NSFW collaboration between Wayne R. Smith and E. J. Barnes (@ejbarnes​). Nothing topical here (unlike the previous three), just violent robot sex. The original for this is being offered as an incentive to donate $90 to the Wayne R. Smith Funeral and Probate Fund. Email E. J. at [email protected] .

[ejbarnes]

E. J. Barnes, Illustrator (@[email protected])

Attached: 3 images Another story on which I collaborated with the late writer Wayne R. Smith, who died in Williamsport, PA, 3/17/20. "More Heat Than Light" (1991) was published in 1992 in Issue #3 of Gauntlet: Exploring the Limits of Free Expression. CW: Gun violence, head injury, racism, sexism, arson, ad hominem/feminam language, and the late Sen. Jesse Helms being forcibly sodomized with a protest sign. Donate $75 and one of these originals can be yours. https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-r-smith-funeral-and-probate-fund #MastoArt #Wayne R. Smith

I just posted on Mastodon a 3-pager I worked on with Wayne R. Smith that was published in 1992 in Gauntlet: Exploring the Limits of Free Expression. “More Heat Than Light” was designed for Gauntlet’s “Politically (In)Correct” issue. In all the years they’ve had the credits up online, they still bill me as B. J. Barnes. To show you the comic, I’m linking to Mastodon from here because it’s got content warnings galore. “More Heat Than Light,” Wayne R. Smith and E. J. Barnes, 1991. Ink and gouache on Bristol board, 14″h x 11″w. Please contact me at [email protected] if you’d like any or all of the original pages (shipping included) in exchange for a $75 per page donation to Wayne’s funeral GoFundMe. https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-r-smith-funeral-and-probate-fund

[iwayray]

A 3-page comic collaboration between Wayne R. Smith and E. J. Barnes, created 1991, published 1992 in Gauntlet: Exploring the Limits of Free Expression #3. Content warnings listed on the Mastodon post linked to above.

[ejbarnes]

A one-pager Wayne R. Smith (@iwayray) and I worked on in 1990; I’d forgotten about it.  Some NSFW language. A send-up of Larry King Live interview show on CNN, at a time when rap music was first hitting the radar for white listeners, thanks to shows like Yo! MTV Raps and the 2 Live Crew controversy. “Larry Queen Live,” Wayne R. Smith and E. J. Barnes, 1990. Ink, gouache, and Zip-a-Tone, 14″h x 11″w. Please contact me at [email protected] if you’d like the original (shipping included) in exchange for a $100 donation to Wayne’s funeral GoFundMe. https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-r-smith-funeral-and-probate-fund

[iwayray]

The GoFundMe for Wayne’s funeral/probate fund is ongoing. If you’d like the originals of any of the pages E. J. Barnes has been posting recently, of collaborations between her and Wayne, contact her at [email protected]. You can have this art (shipping included) for a contribution to the GoFundMe. This page here is $100.