I love Chinese comics and I love ghost stories. I was hoping that I might find inspiration from Chinese comics but, sadly, cannot get hold of any of the horror comics.
It also seems my book of traditional Chinese ghost stories went missing years ago without me knowing.
I did remember one name and -voila! Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhong_Kui
And with a title like "King of Ghosts" how can you not be inspired?
As related on Wikipedia -I remember the story being MUCH longer- this is how Zhong Kui became....
Yes, the story has the ring of many others over the centuries and then in comic books -Jim Corrigan, cop, gunned down and then resurrected by The Higher Power to combat evil. And Atlas (Seaboard Periodicals) Grim Ghost was a betrayed highwayman, hung and resurrected by Satan to find and bring him evil souls as...The Grim Ghost.
Forgive my ignorance if there has been a comic book adaption of this story but I think "the Black Tower treatment" is needed. I see a whole Tales of Terror 2015 (volume 5) dedicated to Chinese and Japanese ghosts. Hmm?
But first, those Green Skies need taking care of!
It also seems my book of traditional Chinese ghost stories went missing years ago without me knowing.
I did remember one name and -voila! Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhong_Kui
And with a title like "King of Ghosts" how can you not be inspired?
As related on Wikipedia -I remember the story being MUCH longer- this is how Zhong Kui became....
.... the King of Ghosts!!
According to folklore, Zhong Kui travelled with Du Ping (杜平), a friend from his hometown, to take part in the imperial examinations
at the capital.
Though Zhong achieved top honours in the exams, his
title of "zhuangyuan" was stripped by the emperor because of his
disfigured appearance. In anger, Zhong Kui committed suicide upon the
palace steps by hurling himself against the palace gate until his head
was broken.
Du Ping buried him.
During his judgment, the Hell King
saw potential in Zhong. Intelligent enough to score top honors in the
imperial examinations, but damned to hell because he committed suicide.
The Hell King, judging Zhong Kui, then gave him the title, as the King of Ghost, forever
to hunt, capture, maintain and order ghosts. After Zhong became King of Ghosts in Hell, he returned to his hometown on Chinese New Year's Eve.
Yes, the story has the ring of many others over the centuries and then in comic books -Jim Corrigan, cop, gunned down and then resurrected by The Higher Power to combat evil. And Atlas (Seaboard Periodicals) Grim Ghost was a betrayed highwayman, hung and resurrected by Satan to find and bring him evil souls as...The Grim Ghost.
Forgive my ignorance if there has been a comic book adaption of this story but I think "the Black Tower treatment" is needed. I see a whole Tales of Terror 2015 (volume 5) dedicated to Chinese and Japanese ghosts. Hmm?
But first, those Green Skies need taking care of!
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