Back in late 2001/early 2002, I wrote and illustrated a fine children’s tale, entitled Rabbit and Future. It was about a Rabbit and his robot friend Future. They were the best of friends. But one day, Future malfunctioned. And he was an out-of-date robot, so Rabbit had to travel the lands to find the one person/thing with the part he needed to fix his good friend Future.
But the only person he could find with said part was a shady character named Fat Grady. Grady agreed to fix Future but only if he could eat Rabbit as payment. Rabbit didn’t want to be eaten but he wanted his friend Future to live onward. He loved his friend that much.
So Grady fixed Future and when he awoke, Rabbit told him about his impending doom. “What?” said Future, “You can’t do this.” But Rabbit had to, as he was a man of his word. So Grady ate him, against Future’s protest.
Don’t get sad yet though, because the story had a happy ending. Future got pissed and shot lasers out of his eyes at Grady, and Rabbit came back to him and they were friends till the end.
The sad thing happened a few months later, when a film by Curtis Hanson called 8 Mile came out. In that film, Marshall “Eminem” Mathers plays an upcoming rapper named B-Rabbit. His friend and mentor? Well, his name was Future. Rabbit and Future. How could this be? A big Hollywood film, starring one of the world’s biggest rappers and directed by an Academy Award winning filmmaker, has an odd similarity to my little story.
Regardless, the story never saw the light of day. I tried and tried and tried to come up with new names for my characters but these two names were simply perfect. Just look at them.
Rabbit and Future (3/2008, based on works created in 2001/2002)
What else could I have named them? I’m not quite sure. Maybe when I am 75 and compile an anthology of my works, Rabbit and Future will present itself. Until then, this is all I can show.
Fire in the Master’s House is Set (9/2011)
Pictures of Doom! 