versuslitjournal

[versuslitjournal]

Unleashed | Kate Shuknecht

  for The White Wolf

i. I could hope to know the violence of you. Sudden rush, breakage, certain burn, gnash, bleed that inevitably happens when time to feed. I’m game for pain. I could hope to know motivations more than aggression bent, and foraging. I could. But seem to weigh and wait. The dreams say distraction. I aim to claim you anyway. Angle widens, foreground white. Wolf grin. Background…

[versuslitjournal]

Beaks of Nowl | John W. Sexton

cosmobears hibernate in ice … Russia a myth on far Europa

the other eye of Polyphemus … second sight

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Poems | Jennifer Lynn Krohn

Lucy’s Plea

                                                                                ~

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[versuslitjournal]

Mighty Paul | Jordan Wiklund

Lumbering through the forest, Paul heaved his mighty axe upon his mighty shoulder. The axe was…

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From the 'Uncle Ted' Series | Eric Hove

Uncle Ted Talks About Mercy

We are sitting on the three season porch on a Sunday night with gas…

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[versuslitjournal]

Versus Issue #0 is what you've been waiting for. Inside these 25 pages you'll find monsters and auras, a Starfleet Captain and a discussion about the paradox of liking comic books while being a girl.

Featuring some of the best content from the last six months, and designed with loving care by the ladies at broadcraft press, this limited edition issue will not disappoint.

Arriving to you bagged and boarded, this little monster will fit nicely with the rest of your comic collection -- or begin a new collection for you.

[versuslitjournal]

[versuslitjournal]

Superhero Tattoo Flashes

Illustrations by Derick James

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[versuslitjournal]

Voltron was a very different experience for kids growing up in Oman than it was for kids watching it here in America, mainly because it was in Arabic. Furthermore I did not know Arabic, so to me it was a foreign cartoon in an alternate foreign language.

[versuslitjournal]

What's the deal with Velma Dinkley? Poet Gabrielle Civil let's us in on Scooby Doo's most overlooked sleuth.

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The patrician dream of Edina, however, is no place I recognize. Instead, the Edina I recognize–the Edina where I work–constitutes the architectural fallout of a wealthy and affluent area, the mid-century explosion of which scattered shards of amorphous office centers from its potent, post-war nucleus. I drive through a monotone landscape of stark and uncompromising buildings, utilitarian in design, uninspiring at best, slung low on the horizon in one- and two-story rectangles of mortar and glass. At the epicenter lies the Regis building, worldwide headquarters of Regis hair salons and products. My office sits like a gravelly cinder block just down the street.

I once clamored to work in an area like Edina.

[versuslitjournal]

The visitor entered the hangar as visitors always entered the hangar–with her head tilted back and her eyes peering upward. The ceiling rose so high, and created such an overawing feeling of vastness of space, that to find oneself beneath it suddenly was to find oneself a small prey animal suddenly, exposed, on an endless unbroken plain. The immensity of the hangar suggested nature, but was emphatically human. Far from inspiring, therefore, it cowed. Its floor stretched away to an indoor horizon. Its far walls stood unseen, just shadowy probabilities.

The visitor glimpsed Ivek. She called to him: “Mr. Protector. Mr. Protector.”

[versuslitjournal]

Engage!

The inaugural submissions are up! Go check out a lovely spread of essay, poetry, and fiction here, at our main website.

And if you can't even wait long enough to click that link, here are some visual sneak peeks of today's newly published works:

[versuslitjournal]

Calling all ARTISTS!

The writing submissions have been pouring in for Versus, and we are very close to getting them up and rolling on the website.  Much like a comic book, however, our celebration of pop culture will be nothing without art!

So we are throwing up the Bat Signal, and asking for any and all art submissions that feature pop culture icons, sci-fi battleships, or fantastical landscapes.  If you have some steampunk superheroes or watercolor wastelands, we'll give them a good home!

It's a great opportunity to showcase your talents, and all accepted art will be used within the Versus online journal as standalone works of wonder or in tandem with a complimentary writing submission. But oh! There's an even greater possibility...

Versus Literary Journal also publishes a print edition biannually - and your art could be in it!  Imagine your art, fully credited and finely printed, going out into the hands of literary nerds the world over.

With our Winter (and inaugural) issue fast approaching, we need your art now!  All contributors get a copy of the issue delivered to them free of charge, but there's a BONUS!

If we select your art for the cover, you'll also get a $42* prize!

Submissions can be sent to versus.editors@gmail.com.

Size limit: 300 dpi | mp3 | .png, .tiff, .bmp, .jpeg

Further guidelines can be found on the journal's submission page.  Questions can be sent via e-mail or through the tumblr's ask.  Submit today!

* The answer to life, the universe, and everything - including how much to give away in prize money.

[versuslitjournal]

At a loss for what to submit?

Familiarize yourself with our mission and the kinds of work we’re looking for. If you’ve read Gary Jackson’s Missing You, Metropolis, you’re already ahead of the game. We want you to tell us something new about Spider-Man or Big Barda or why  Prometheus was the finest sci-fi film in recent history or maybe that reality television is the great American backlash against feminism or how She-Ra has transformed your ideas about femininity and heroism. We want your insights. We want your imagination. We want to live and breathe in your fantastical landscapes of dragons and elves. We want to remember why we all loved Voltron or Adam West’s Batman. Tell us why the God Particle is a revelation. Show us these worlds; tell us why they matter.

[versuslitjournal]

The Good Ship Versus Has Just Hit Atmo

Versus Literary Journal has officially launched!

Thanks to the charitable donations of a noble few and the unbridled enthusiasm of a great many, Versus reached it's Kickstarter goal with time (and change!) to spare.

We have wasted no time in putting your efforts and ours to good use: check out the journal at versusliteraryjournal.org, and if you participated in the Kickstarter campaign or late-night pep talks over wine, bask in the glory of internet fame on our Sidekicks page.

There's still a lot of fun work to be done, so keep an eye on our tumblr and facebook pages for updates - including news about the up-and-coming Versus Launch party!