Bewildering Stories welcomes...

John G. Hancock

John Gregory Hancock rates a Welcome message not because he’s a new contributor but because he goes back a very long way. In fact, he comes close to being a founding contributor to Bewildering Stories. His “Pepe the Club-Footed Elephant,” which he illustrated himself, appeared in issue 6, ten years and exactly 500 regular issues ago. Back in those days, our Biographies department, let alone the Welcome messages, did not yet exist.

At long last, BwS is very pleased to extend an official welcome to John and to thank him for being with us at the beginning and for the stories and poems he graciously contributed in those early days.

John has made a lifetime career as a professional illustrator. He says it’s a lot of fun and has been very rewarding especially in terms of recognition. He even has a gallery of celebrity drawings on Twitter. He’s always wanted to write and has finally begun really to get into it.

“Cerberus” makes the mythological three-headed dog and gatekeeper of Hades into something of a conversationalist, although he’s businesslike and aware of his schedule. He asks his latest customer, Burt, an unusual question: what is Burt’s idea of Hell? That is, if you had to choose, what would you choose? The result is ironic humor that readers may want to keep in mind in case they meet Cerberus someday.

John Gregory Hancock’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, John. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!