So much of this one brought back memories- most of them BAD. When I migrated further South (I grew up in "the capitol of the Confederacy"), I was appalled to find myself in what I call "the Soft South" (as in "soft in the head"), where I was referred to as "a damn Yankee" and told that the capitol of the Confederacy was Atlanta, Georgia... "Green" is the kind of friend I would've given anything to have had (especially when I sat through J.R. Bookwalter's THE DEAD NEXT DOOR or perused my own FANGORIA collection). As for the Holier-Than-Thou crowd, be advised that they ARE here (there's literally one church every two blocks here in Crack Town) and they ARE Fanatical (two of my nieces, who were into Goth and Punk, were harassed to the point of having to leave school). The Fanatics have never been able to distinguish between Reality and Religion. (Have the anti-abortionists ever considered having their children spayed and neutered?) It's when LIGHTNING BUG devolves into clumsy clichés that it loses its way (and its Power). (Are we supposed to believe that a self-professed "gore fan" would faint at the sight of his own blood...?) Until that happens, it's a grim but Honest look at Fatherless Southern Kids (the kind I've known my entire life) who have no recourse but Fantasy.
Review of Lightning Bug
