The South Douglas Cemetery Part 1

Jul02
by on July 2, 2012 at 1:00 am
Posted In: Graveyards and cemeteries

This past weekend my wife and I ventured out to visit the South Douglas Cemetery located on (surprise!) South Street in Douglas. Not a huge cemetery but within its walls are some beautiful old headstones and obelisks. We each had a camera and took dozens of photos between us. When I started to go through them all it was hard narrowing down the selection of close to 200 pictures! So I will show you the fruits of our labor over the next 3 weeks. This week I’ll concentrate on some of the wider views so you can get a sense of the ‘lay of the land.’ Enjoy! And come back for more next week as we take a closer look at some of the headstones.

Note: All photos are copyright and property of www.thegraveyardgang.com

0Comment

Folklore and Legends

Jun27
by on June 27, 2012 at 2:00 am
Posted In: Folklore and Legends

One of my interests is in folklore and legends, particularly those that come from my native New England. Being one of the oldest parts of the country it has a long history of strange and spooky stories. Many fears and superstitions were brought here from Europe and some are still deeply rooted in our culture.

Over the years I have amassed a huge collection of books recounting these tales, many written by authors Edward Rowe Snow and Robert Ellis Cahill. The Snow and Cahill books are a treasure trove of material with tales of ghosts, witches, haunted houses, old ships and pirates.

Witch illustration by Howard Pyle

One of my favorite stories is that of the deserted village of Dogtown. Once located near Gloucester, Massachusetts, this small village of about 100 people was named after all the dogs, unkempt and underfed, that roamed the streets. It was mainly populated by ‘old crones’ who were widows of fishermen or soldiers and had to resort to ‘arts’ such as fortune telling to make a living. Because of the ‘old crones’ and wild dogs the town gained the reputation of being the home of shape changing witches and werewolves. Today all but nothing reamins in the overgrown area but it is reported to be haunted.

Every now and again I’ll write another blog recounting another spooky or strange story from New England. I will also be incorporating some of these into the adventures of The Graveyard Gang. In fact, the next issue (#2, which I am currently working on) is loosely based on one of these mysterious tales.

0Comment

The ‘Lost’ graveyard, Douglas, MA

Jun25
by on June 25, 2012 at 5:00 am
Posted In: Graveyards and cemeteries

Since I live in New England, I thought I can share with you my visits to some of the incredible graveyards and cemeteries in the area. First off, take a look at this one, just a few hundred feet from my house!

Down the street from my home is hidden in the woods, a forgotten graveyard. It must have been for one of the first families to settle in the area, since most of the last names are ‘Chase’. Take a peek, it’s really cool, my only regret is I wish I saw this before some helpful neighbor cut away some of the brush and small trees. But it’s still an amazing site smack in the middle of the woods.

Note: All photos are copyright and property of www.thegraveyardgang.com

0Comment

My creative process

Jun20
by on June 20, 2012 at 5:00 am
Posted In: My Creative Process

I want to use this post to answer a few questions I think you might have about my comic.

Why did I set ‘The Graveyard Gang’ in the past, specifically in the 1930s?
A big reason I set this in the past was I did not want to have TV, computers, or video games in my story. With children as my main characters, those items would have to be part of the story if it took place in 2012. This way I have the kids in a decade where they can be outside all the time, and wander here and there around town. Also I did not want to create an ‘alternate’ contemporary world where I would have to explain what this world has or does not have. The 1940s had WWII and the 1950s up was out because of TV and besides, the 1930s have always interested me.

Why is it take place in Massachusetts?
Well for one, it’s where I live. Secondly, I love all the history and folklore that comes with it. Can you think of a better locale for a spooky comic?

Where did the idea for the ‘Gang’ come from?
I am a huge fan of the old Hal Roach ‘Our Gang’ comedies (or as you may know them, The Little Rascals). These were a group of kids who usually meant well but got into all kinds mischief. (Now I’m talking specifically about the pre-Alfalfa comedies, when the kids were much more troublesome, not sicky sweet and yes I am a geek about this stuff!) So if you know this about me it’s not a big leap to see ‘The Graveyard GANG’ spring from ‘Our GANG’, and the thought that initially popped into my head was what if the kids from those films fought monsters. Originally I had an different main character for my comic and I came up with the ‘Gang’ as part of his supporting cast. This main character is now a supporting character in this comic and you will be meeting him soon. Once he’s introduced I will tell you more about him and why I ‘demoted’ him.

Is this one long story?
Well yes and no. I am treating this as a comic book that I ‘deliver’ online. So it will be broken up into ‘issues’ with a front and back cover. There will be 12 issues per ‘season’ and right now I have a plan for the first five. Each season will have a ‘big bad’ (yes I‘m a Whedon geek too!) and there is an overall story for all five. But unfortunately, because I do this part-time and still have a full-time day job, issues won’t be able to come out monthly. With your support, maybe someday…

That’s it for now, any questions?

0Comment

Opening day is here at last!

Jun19
by on June 19, 2012 at 5:00 am
Posted In: Random Ramblings

Hello and welcome!

My name is Rich Clabaugh and I am the creator of this new comic book ‘The Graveyard Gang’ (that you can read online for free!) It has been a long journey for me to get here, since the ideas for this book have been brewing in my head for over 20 years. I have many exciting stories to tell about our young heroes as they face all kinds of evil. Also look for my blogs about my creative process, movies, comics, folklore, and of course, graveyards.

This comic book is an all ages (10 and up?) horror book. I don‘t think there are enough of these so I hope this can be a book that parents can share and enjoy with their kids. Yes, there will be scary moments, some violent moments, and some funny moments but my little one (10 yrs) is fine with it so I guess it will depend on your youngster.

My other pages, Cast, Creature Features, and Visit Ghostport are up but the clickable buttons are not because they will unfold during the course of the stories, I don’t want to reveal too much before it appears in the comic. Oh and please sign up and follow me on Facebook and Twitter as I will be posting content there as well.

Last but not least, I want to shout out some thank you’s.

I want to thank my Wife and Children for all their patience and support, I couldn’t have got this far without them. I love you all very much.

I want to thank my Mother and Father for all their love through the years and for indulging me with my comic book collection.

I want to thank my Friends for their help, advice, and encouragement, you’re the best!

And finally I want to thank You for reading my stories, I think you’ll enjoy them, so come back often and tell your friends to join us!

0Comment