Member-only story
True Believers is a full-length novel by Thom Dunn, based on his play of the same name. It’s a satirical tale of star-crossed lovers, aspiring comic book creators, crazed fanboys, cybernetically enhanced humans, women in refrigerators, real-life superheroes, and girls who dress like Slave Leia as their lives intertwine over a whirlwind weekend at a comic book convention in the early 2010s.
The book will be serialized on Medium throughout the month of April 2020. Here is the first chapter. Check back every day for more chapters!
Darkness fills the edges of his vision as Calvin Elder brings the domino mask down. His eyes close as he gently rubs the corners, smoothing out the spirit gum that holds it to his face. Sure, it might sting if he’s forced to tear it from his skin in the heat of battle, exposing his identity to those who would do him harm. But he expects no such conflict today — nor this weekend at all, if everything goes well.
In truth, Calvin could sleep soundly with the small black infinity shape still adhering to his flesh. For his mask is more than just of means of protecting, nay, creating his identity. On the contrary: it’s the silicon beacon that keeps the darkness out.
Calvin pulls aside the heavy blackout curtains and stares out at the bustling city below: the…
