"The End" Week: Wasteland #18!

I know I didn't read all of this series during its original run; and I'm not even sure I like it that much. But there are a couple stories from it that I still vividly recall, even all these years later? That's something, then, isn't it? From 1989, Wasteland #18, "The Casebook of the Dead Detective: '86'" Written by John Ostrander and Del Close, pencils and letters by Donald Simpson, inks by Bill Wray and William Messner-Loebs.

Wasteland was ostensibly a horror anthology book, mostly? More of an existential dread than the usual horror fare in comics. Not as bloody...usually. Also, several issues feature possibly-autobiographical stories from Del Close, whose name you might not know offhand, but who trained and coached a ton of comedians you would recognize. I recall at least one that was pretty funny! Not entirely plausible, but you still hope it's true; like that.

This issue's a bit of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare, that seemingly ends with the writers going their separate ways; Close exploring further underground, while Ostrander briefly considers a mushroom but then decides to give it a pass. Which may or may not mean anything! It's impressive they got 18 issues out: Vertigo was still four years away, and honestly, it might've been a weird fit even there...A note I might have to come back for: editor Mike Gold breaks a rule and explains a joke, as an opportunity to plug Patricia Highsmith's book Little Tales of Misogyny, which I might have to finish later.