I came very close to writing this essay in the actual book. I felt that I had a duty to explain the creative process behind The Cattle Have Fangs, if nothing else. I have been very vague about several of the particulars regarding this project. It has been an agonizing two year long process- from the inception of the novel while I was still working on American Evil, to the immediate realization that this would be the most daunting project that I would ever work on.
It has been a long, difficult process to produce a novel that probably will not sell many units- it was a project made for the fans. It came about out of a desire to create a ‘true’ sequel to the Joker movie, in which the corrupt city elite are dealt with and eliminated. Of course, being a spiritual successor to a Batman project meant, in all honesty, that I was very concerned initially that the characters, themes, and settings would be far too similar to Batman iconography. It was a nightmarish ordeal to come up with a setting that was simultaneously influenced by its inspiration, while still remaining distinct from it. I had been very critical of series like Invincible and The Boys for essentially being edgy versions of Superman and the Justice League respectively. So I was rather put off by the prospect of essentially doing something that amounted to an ‘edgy’ Batman. (Curiously, I noticed during the creation of the book that no one seems to have done an Edgy Batman… they always want to do Justice League or Superman for some reason)
In the end, I felt that the Joker’s movies were very universal, and the reason that movie resonated so well with younger audiences really had nothing to do with Batman at all. With that realization in mind, I conceptualized a corrupt crime ridden city quite distinct from Gotham- in which normal people do little things that influence real positive change around them.
It is an ‘anti’ Batman story in the most literal way possible: Batman does not save the city, normal people do. In fact, a Batman figure- someone who operates outside the law- is nothing but detrimental to society, and does nothing to fix the actual problems that plague everyday people.
I confess the original intention behind the story was to make an ‘evil’ Batman- the exact same thing only realistic. But in the end I felt like that angle was lazy and stupid, and compromised. I created a character that WANTS to be Batman- who has the money and resources to control the city and its people with an iron fist- but, in spite of all of his power and influence, nothing goes his way, and inevitably all of his evil plans collapse all around him.
The character of Bill Finger was inspired by my observations of real world billionaires, such as Bill Gates and other members of the World Economic Forum- people who believe that they are changing the world through for the better through their own extreme means, only for their machinations to fail in the most spectacular way possible. In Bill Finger’s case, his attempts at ruling the world are foiled at every turn by ordinary people who do not believe in his cause. In fact, most of them don’t even understand what his agenda even is- they are fighting against him for their own happiness and personal fulfilment. Those who side with Finger in the hopes of becoming wealthy and successful once he wins are continually burnt, until he has no true allies on his side at all.
Ultimately the Cattle Have Fangs is based on my vision of the future- that the current political structure is unstable and will collapse. The idea that the current crop of elites are so wealthy and powerful that they can’t be removed from power is downright silly. In many ways it has already started. The idea that the ‘normies’ are going to just ignore our cultural decline indefinitely is very observably not true, and we are already starting to see new movements and groups rise to correct the real problems facing society. The fact that these problems will NOT be corrected overnight should not deter anyone. If anything, it should encourage people to fight even harder.
The Cattle Have Fangs is a novel about how, over time, people will start fighting harder and harder. The idea that people will passively sit by and allow things to get worse the way the boomers did is silly. Boomers only behaved that way because the system worked for them. And we are already seeing the beginnings of a real uprising everywhere around the world, just like in The Cattle Have Fangs.
One of the fantastic things about being independent is that I can share these ideas that would be rejected wholesale by mainstream publishers. I am very thankful that you have taken the time to read this, and all of my future work.
The Cattle Have Fangs will release on 11/19/2026.