May you live in interesting times, they said.
May you publish interesting things, they did not say—but it’s what we do, what The Deadlands has done from our first issue, and here we are with Issue #35.
This issue feels unlike others before it, and so this little note: You might want to hydrate before you jump in. Have a snack. Stretch those limbs. Check your heart—is it there, is it ready? Make sure your chair is attached to the floor. Turn the phone off. Grab the tissues. Tie your shoe laces or hitch up your socks.
This is a heavy issue, dealing with our extremely modern world. It covers topics such as meat processing, the N-word, and the decades-long genocide in Gaza. The terrain will be difficult, but it will be worthwhile. Let us go into this together and come out on the other side better than when we went in.
E. Catherine Tobler
July 2024