Those Who Carry the Burden

References

I first read about Estries in The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism. In particular, I liked the idea of filling their mouths with dirt to keep them from rising again. This is probably the only thing I didn't take any sort of artistic license with.

The second issue of Preacher is referenced in a flashback. The first few issues are collected in Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas.

Trevor ignores Simon while playing Darkstalkers. The game was originally released in arcades, and was later ported to the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn. It's no longer being produced. However, Capcom created a Darkstalkers game for the PSP called Darkstalkers Chronicles: the Chaos Tower

Influences

The biggest influence on my writing has been Neil Gaiman. In particular, American Gods and The Sandman Series. American Gods explores the idea of how ancient gods fit into the melting pot that is the United States, and how our modern gods(media, for example) shape the country. The Sandman is the story of the king of dreams. He and his siblings, called The Endless, define and shape reality. After being imprisoned for seventy years, he begins to question himself and the way he has gone about his responsibilities for untold millennia.

I also really like the portrayal of vampires in Preacher, a comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Cassidy is an alcoholic brute, but a likable alcoholic brute.

If you'd like to check out the entire Sandman and Preacher library, I've thrown together an Amazon link.

Recommendations

I'm working on a "Those Who Carry the Burden" playlist, featuring songs that either inspired the story in some way, or remind me of it. Look for it soon!