Part of the Montoya’s Journal experience involved a band called Darkseid’s Bitch whose leader, Walter “Serration” Mintassa, turned up mysteriously dead in the middle of a tour. When I visited Greg Rucka last October, one of the things we discussed was the possibility of making Darkseid’s Bitch an actual band, or at least producing actual music.

Having played in punk bands since high school, I volunteered to put some guitar chords together to lyrics that Rucka and his co-conspirator Eric Trautmann had already put together. The result was the song, “Ashes” that found its way to a Darkseid’s Bitch MySpace page. The inspiration for the music and the iconography of the band came from every teen-age goth-punk’s favorite stand-by: The Misfits. Guitar and bass were played by me, drums were created by Fruity Loops, and lyrics were screamed into a microphone in my bathroom, while hoping that my wall-sharing neighbor, an elderly AME Zion lady minister, wouldn’t be able to discern what I was singing about. The introductory line came from The Day the Earth Stood Still. The song progressed in stages, as heard below:

• First instrumental recording
• Instrumental w/ record scratches + reverb + intro
• Final version

In addition to the song, I also worked up some images, including a picture of myself as Serration. My wife applied various kinds of black make-up to my eyelids while I freaked out about having my eyes poked. The result was not quite Glenn Danzig, even with a half-assed attempt at a devillock. It wasn’t even really Matt Skiba.

• Serration pic, pre-doctoring
• Serration pic, post-doctoring
• Darkseid’s Bitch MySpace background
• Bootleg album cover

Thanks go to Greg and Eric for letting me participate in the fun!

Property of R. Montoya

Page 1:

High Madame’s Binding (unlikely)

Prophet’s Codex

Sana’a Edition

Bastard’s Folio (unlikely)
Miser’s Edition (Check British Museum)

Fitzgerald’s “Modern” Interpretation (Tot says talk to O’Neill at Metropolis U.)

Køller Commentary (unconfirmed)

Page 2:

Mannheim=prophet

A’Daire=High Madame (“pope” or high priest)

Where is the High Madame?

Is she gone for good?

A church can survive without a Pope; can it survive without a leader?

?

Page 3:

[Insert: Copied page from Fitzgerald edition of Crime Bible.]

Page 4:

Daughter’s “convent” in Barcelona: 387 calle Del Cavellers:
Security:

Video covering all accesses; building is alarmed, but not obviously so.

Fenced, controlled access at gate; no dogs, but walking patrols

(2) person units
Armed but concealed, no long guns visible;
coms are handheld
(base station/controller must be inside, maybe third floor?)
Walkers on 60 minute circuit daylight; double teams from 2000 to 0400,

circuit completes every 13 to 15 minutes.

Page 5:

[Paperclipped: Photograph of "convent" in Barcelona.]

Page 6:

[Drawing of Bat logo with "nanana"s]

Surveillance notes (September 17th)

0343 – unkn cple departs, chauffeured vehicle. !Diplomatic plates?

0407 – delivery van – “Mercat Santa Catarina” (the irony kills me)
0427 – unidentified male C arrives, kept waiting at door; Cordoba greets him in person. (VIP?)

0600 – male from 0427 dep – changed clothes; maybe he’s OoS?
0117, CF, maybe late 20s. Alone, very nervous.

Knocked off for sleep at 0858, no activity to speak of.

Page 7:

Surveillance resumes 1530 approx

2124, group of four males (all C, 40s–50s) arrives
2137, female, Asian, late 50s, arrives
2158, D. Macho and M. Diego arrive
(3 nights in a row!!!)

Page 8:

2232, Stefan Miniara (Real Madrid striker!) arrives with three others (possibly teammates?)

2308, multiple arrivals, 12 total, mixed male and female, all unidentified.

2343, shifted overwatch to southwest face.

2358, I swear I saw someone with a goat.

[Drawing of a crazy goat with the note, "WTF"]

Page 9:

0017, Cordoba spotted poolside. Reading group? Seems to be teaching.

(What edition is she using???
Need to get access to the house!!!)

Nervous CF:

Nina Acosto @ barcelona  Consulate

((+34 93 280 22 27)

Page 10:

[Paperclipped: Surveillance photograph of Montoya in Question garb.]

Page 11:

July 17th
Free downloads of new DS album (wow, that’s an original idea).
Gave it a listen. It’s not just me, it’s full of Dark Faith refs.

background and intel
Darkseid’s bitch
band formed three years ago in baltimore.

Founder/lead singer/guitars – Serration
(rn Walter (HAH!) Minstassa) 24

Bass – Vomit
(rn Charles “Chuck” Kobrinsky) 22

Drums – Pillage
(rn Steve Birch) 26

Guitar – Cruella
(rn Phoebe Smith) 23

Page 12:

Band is managed by StarDoG Ent, Metropolis;
road manager is Glenna Reisch, 40s.

Charlie had a file on StarDoG Entertainment; some question as to their finances.
Suspected money laundering, connection with Ridge-Ferrick Industries.

[Drawing of multiple question marks]

Page 13:

July 30th
Wreck Room show, NYC.

SRO. Mixed crowd, teens to 30s or so? Lots of audience participation, spitting, etc. Sprayed crowd with pig’s blood (I hope it was pig’s blood) during “Power Eats its Young.”

Also, turns out I’m now too old to pass as a groupie.

[Drawing of Lethargic-Lad-looking face]

Need to talk to Tot about more appropriate clothes.

[Drawing of cloud and lightning bolt]

Page 14:

August 7th
The Anarchy Library, Downey.

“Serration” and “Vomit” got in a fistfight on stage. Didn’t look staged.

[Drawing of grimacing face]

Get a room already!

“Cruella” cut herself with straight razor. Crowd went nuts.

Police closed the club, brought the band in; Reisch showed up with metric ton of attorneys in tow; everyone out, no charges brought, by 6am.

Neat trick.

Page 15:

August 8th
Shady Acres, San Jose.

Took opportunity to search the tour bus during the show. Personal belongings entirely as expected – standard mix of the embarrassing and the humiliating. Drug paraphernalia in abundance; alcohol.

Mintassa/Serration has photocopies of selected passages from Fitzgerald’s Modern in his personal belongings. Lots of marginalia, but not in his handwriting.

Letters (snail mail!) from
Professor Stanton T. Carlysle,
University of London,

Page 16:

discussing Black Book references. Unclear if Carlysle actually knows anything or is simply curious. Had to duck roadie security before I could finish.

Made it inside for encore. Cruella dressed “naughty nun,” anointed Serration with “blood from stone” during encore, “High Madame’s Slave.”

Ritual much as described in Sana’a Edition.

Disturbingly accurate.

Page 17:

[Insert: Ashes All Fall Down lyric sheet]

Page 18:

August 9th
Crowne Plaza, San Francisco. No show.

Vomit and Pillage both went out; remained on surveillance, hoping to see Serration. No joy, but had steady stream of visitors and press throughout the day.

No sign of Cruella.

Reisch appeared twice; second time with unk male, 30s?; looks like a mean piece of work.

Page 20:

August 11th
Eskapo’s, San Francisco.

Rowdy damn show.

[Ink blotch]

Another fight broke out, this time in the audience. bouncer party.

Same unk male in crowd; made me in crowd.

Page 21:

August 14th
Dirrrty Club, Coast City.

Overflow crowd. Was ID’ed same unk male before entry; Glenna Reisch had me barred at the door.

Bouncer very sincere, unk male continued watching (private security, maybe? Certainly professional).

Tried to argue the point and was forcibly removed. Didn’t fight; no point.

Richard would’ve been proud.

Page 22:

[Insert: Setlist and unused ticket to Dirrrty Club]

Page 23:

August 15th

Minstassa’s dead.

Initial reports are OD. Tour suspended.

Need to see the body before Reisch goes to claim it and why the hell does the band manager have power of attorney?

Page 24:

[Insert: Coroner's Report]

Page 25:

August 17th

No joy in getting a look at Mintassa…he’s already in the ground.

Discrepancies in Mintassa’s cause of death. big ones.

Was he shot or did he overdose?
And who shot him?

Page 26:

[Insert: Toe tag; two bullet casings; two pills;]

Page 27:

August 21st

Overheard btwn Unk male and Reisch, phrase, “Order of the Stone.”

Red Rock ref? Or list, as in a sequence?

Reisch apparently heading to Leipzig.

Will follow.

Page 28:

August 26th

Leipzig.

Reisch dead, MVA. No details.

No leads.

Page 29:

August 27th

Lead. Search Reisch’s room; stole her laptop. Emails from Srta Isabella Cordoba, Barcelona. Oblique references to “spreading the word.” Quotations from Book of Lilith.
Reisch was DoL.

Leave for Barcelona tomorrow. Booked at the Saint Gervasi hotel. They have 24 hour room service

Page 30:

[Insert: Boarding pass]

Page 31:

August 27th

Never saw him coming. Lucky he just wanted the laptop.

Feels like the GU marching band is drilling in my skull right now. Think I’ll go throw up and lie down. Or maybe lie down and throw up.

Had to happen eventually, right?

[Small drips of blood]

Page 32:

Sept 19th
If they’re really trying to kill you, are you still being paranoid?

Saw ad in latest issue of The Metropolitan for new book by Professor Stanton T. Carlysle,

A Blasphemous Mythology:
The Religion of Crime.
Quotations from lots of smart people talking about Carlysle as a folklorist and academic.

“When it comes to separating truth from fiction, Carlysle is a peerless advocate for rationality and reason. A must-read for fans of intellectual discourse and rational thought.”

[Blank pages hereafter. Other inserts: Gotham Gazette front page. Darkseid's Bitch flyer. Tucked in back of moleskine -- telegram and IM transcript.]

Boarding pass on Ferris Global Airways back to Barcelona.

Gotham Gazette International Edition about Barcelona hotel fire. Montoya’s notes speculate that she was the target.

Telegram from Tot (in Nanda Parbat) to Montoya (in Leipzig).

IM conversation between (I’m assuming) Renee and Tot, using the LexChat interface.

Flyer for Darkseid’s Bitch show — “The Weeping Mothers, Crying Daughters Tour.”

Darkseid’s Bitch set list from final show (including a Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds cover!).

Ticket from final Darkseid’s Bitch show at the Dirrrty Club in Coast City.

Coroner’s Report for Walter “Serration” Mintassa. Ruling: Drug overdose.

Toe tag from brown-covered journal. Cause of death: “Multiple gunshot wounds.” Comments: “Do not release; open investigation.”

Toe tag from black-covered journal. Cause of death: “Overdose.” Comments: “Release to next-of-kin; Investigation closed.”

The front side of the page from the Fitzgerald translation of the Crime Bible.

The back side of the same page.

Photograph of the Daughters of Lilith “convent” in Barcelona.

Surveillance photograph of the Question from brown-covered journal.

Surveillance photo of the Question from the black-covered journal (appear to be part of the same sequence–note the location).

The cover of the black journal.

The cover of the brown journal (apologies for the blur).

Flyer for Darkseid’s Bitch concert — pristine, uncreased version accompanying black journal. Brown journal’s flyer was folded inside.

A yellowed page from the Crime Bible, with Montoya’s notes on some sort of code.

A photo of the Daughters’ “convent” in Barcelona, Spain.

A surveillance photo of the Question, from the “convent” maybe?

A lyrics sheet for the Darkseid’s Bitch song, “Ashes All Fall Down.” Notes by both “Serration” and Montoya.

Darkseid’s Bitch setlist. Again, notes by both “Serration” and Montoya.

Ticket to Darkseid’s Bitch show at Dirrrty Club in Coast City. $14.00.

Coroner’s report for Walter “Serration” Mintassa.

Toe tag from Walter “Serration” Mintassa, open investigation version.

Bullets and pills. But which one killed Serration?

Boarding pass from Ridge-Ferrick airlines for Renee M. Montoya — departing from Leipzig-Halle for El-Prat.

“14 Killed in Barcelona Hotel Blaze” — The cover of the Gotham Gazette!

Telegram from Tot, still in Nanda Parbat.

IM conversation (via LexChat, no less) between Tot and Montoya as Renee tries to track down the multiple editions of the Crime Bible.

Douglas Wolk, who also found a Montoya journal, wrote of the journal as an artifact from a fictional dimension that shouldn’t exist in our world. I’m not sure what to think, but I know it’s a mystery — and as my old pal Encyclopedia Brown will vouch, I love a good mystery.

I’ve set up this page as a place to chronicle my dissections of the journal(s) so that you can take part in the process too.

PAGE CONTENTS:

• Photos of journal + artifacts
• Artifacts scans pt. I – The Question in Barcelona
• Artifacts scans pt. II – Darkseid’s Bitch
• Artifacts scans pt. III – The investigation continues
• Transcript of journal entries

OTHER COPIES:

• Matt Brady at Newsarama
• Joe Field at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff
• Matt Olsen at ComicBloc
• Douglas Wolk at Savage Critic