The Gonterman Archive

The Prose

Throughout recorded human history, the written word has been a powerful tool. It has forged civilizations, made powerful men and women rise and fall, and shaped the destiny of generations. Whether any of this was considered during the formation of what would become the Internet is a question beyond the scope of this archive. But as time moved on, as discussions erupted and stories were written, it was clear that even in the digital sphere, words were important. That the sparse scribblings on a digital screen could perhaps be more important than any book sitting on a shelf.

In the early 90’s, as the Internet still embraced Usenet and webpage graphics were sparse, David Gonterman knew what power a keyboard could have. Engaging with the people he met on AOL and beyond, ideas for a number of stories formed in his head. Self-assured of his talents, he did what so many others would on a format powered by a keyboard. He began to write. Early on, it was about the pop culture he enjoyed, expressing his joy in the world of “fanficts,” meant to amuse his newfound compatriots. But with each new era in the life of Gonterman, the words would change, the ideas would grow, and his attempt to be more than a man self-inserting his persona into a tale of love and loss would begin anew.

It’s impossible to argue there aren’t stories below that read like a hurried draft. Studying closely his early works, there are clear indications that a chapter in a story would be edited after reaching the masses, previous revisions becoming lost to time. This frantic form of composing and release is perhaps what resulted in utilizing software terminology to define his public drafts, “Beta” and “Version 1.0” becoming a common sight in the Gonterman lexicon.

But just how successful has he been at any given time? Well, sometimes it’s not enough to just hear about David Gonterman. Sometimes, you must experience it first hand.

Piasa (1995): The prequel to Blood and Metal, this story served as the foundation for everything that David Gonerman is infamously known for. Obstentiably a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fanfiction, three former rangers team up with Davey Crockett to fight against the legendary Piasa Bird in St. Louis. Then his arm gets shot off. Piasa also serves as “Period 1 in the Orange Ranger Trilogy.”
Blood and Metal (1995-1996, 1998): A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction unlike any other. Beginning as a narrative connected to a group of Sonic roleplayers, the series took on a life of its own. Includes the sequels, spin-offs, and even a handful of stories written by others meant to take place during the BAM narrative.
Period Two of the Orange Ranger Trilogy (1996): Released between the two halves of Sailor Moon: American Kitsune Instalment 6, the true sequel to Piasa reveals the untold story of how David Kintobor returned from the world of Mobius back to 90’s St. Louis. Technically, it’s a Power Rangers fanfic. But it’s so much more than that.
Sailor Moon: American Kitsune (1996): Perhaps his most infamous work, SMAK is often the story people share when one asks “who the heck is David Gonterman?” Posted in various Sailor Moon Internet communities at the time, the story was technically a sequel to Blood and Metal, even though the two were being posted concurrently. The plot was simple: a 20-something man who has come back from the dead and can morph into a fox power ranger ends up catching Sailor Moon who fell from the sky after being flung from Tokyo to Colorado. With each installment, his ostracizing from that community grew, until finally he walked away, forever leaving the story of Sailor Moon and Davey-kins incomplete.
Firestorm (1996): A simple yet ambitious concept, Firestorm stood out from David Gonterman’s other writings of the mid 90’s. Utilizing his character Johnathan Brisby, the collection of stories was meant to portray the intellectual property of the Walt Disney Company in ways a corporate mindset would not allow. This is what remains, including work co-written by others.
NiTRO (1998): Once upon a time, Gonterman’s fanfics were seen only in the small corners of fandom he resided in. Then, they were discovered by the writers of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fanfiction. The backlash resulted not only in David cancelling the three ongoing fanfics above, but spurred the creation of another multimedia project. It ended not soon after.
Incomplete Touched By An Angel Fanfic (1999): It is what it is.
The Book of Foxfire (2000-2003): Recollecting his thoughts, it wouldn’t be long before David Gonterman set off once more on another ambitious project - to have all his future stories exist in a single, cohesive world. Instead of having a number of stories focusing on one single character, the throughline would revolve around a protagonist collect the stories of others. While this format didn’t last long, it set the seeds for what would come later.
Mystic Mice (2004): While the Firestorm concept was abandoned in the wake of NiTRO, the character Johnathan Brisby was not. With a quick name change to “Johnny Briz” (to differentiate him from the Secret of NIMH character), the 1930’s-esque cartoon mouse is offered to the world as a replacement for Mickey Mouse. Discovered by a familiar looking Adam Packbell, and teaming up with Roy E. Disney, Johnny was meant to become an underground symbol for traditional animation, free from the pressure of mass market appeal. At least, that was the hope.
Lady Shazell (2004): Resurrecting his character from the comic strip Night Soldiers, Lady Shazell was meant to be a retelling of that saga, with a stronger emphasis on romance than on traditional action.
Magic: The Gathering - The Stories (2004-2005): For a handful of years, roleplaying company Wizards of the Coast would have open calls, where people could submit samples of their prose in the hopes of becoming an official writer for their licensed books, including those based on Magic: The Gathering. Building from his Planeswalker comic, David Gonterman worked on a handful of stories within that universe, submitting a proposal during the 2004-05 round.
Lost Boy Found (2007): Working on and off on a number of comics and short stories during the 2000’s, what had originally started as the “Book of Foxfire” evolved into Lost Boy Found. A full length novel, it tells the story of Adam Packbell, who mysteriously disappeared in 1980 only to reappear fifteen years later. It doesn’t take long before the impossible seems true - that this child had been swept away to Neverland, becoming one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. Also includes the short lived Adam Packbell blog.
Scarlet P.I. - The Novel Series (2007, 2011, 2013): As the second incarnation of the Scarlet P.I. comic wound down, David Gonterman began work on his second novel, Murder in Main Street U.S.A. But that wouldn’t be the end of Sarlet Foxfire’s adventures on the printed page...
Blood and Metal - The Novel Series (2007-2009, 2011): Nearly fifteen years after writing the original fanfic, Gonterman was struck by inspiration. To rewrite the original Blood and Metal, but remove the Sonic elements and replace them with an original world, to finally tell the full story. This is as far as he’s gotten.
Seven Swords International (2008): After having discovered the Chinese animation Rainbow Cat & Blue Rabbit, David Gonterman, along with long-time friend and collaborator Ivan Mayne, worked together to make their own version for international audiences. Contained inside is the Google Site, which features an outline and extensive character profiles. Oh yeah, Johnny Briz is there, too.
Johnny Briz (2010-2012): Beginning in 2010, and leading up to webcomic The Ballad of Johnny Briz, a number of attempts were had to try and relaunch Johnny and his world. As featured on Disney Echo.
Shendilavri (2011-2012): Intended to be a crossover between Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, the proposed “Hubworld Brand” was both fiction and a homebrew campaign. Much of what existed is lost, but here is a snippited that survived.
Foxfire@DriveThruRPG (2016-2017): Diving deep into the world of Dungeon & Dragons, David Gonterman created a number of PDF’s, available for purchase. This includes Æthercoil Magazine, which follows “the development of David Foxfire's 5E Campaign world.” Links to the Foxfire storefront.
Ashes of the Dawn (2019): After a number of years, David Gonterman returns to write a brand new, full length novel. Being the first public draft, the promise of revisions has already been mentioned by the author. As to what it’s about? Well, reading it straight from the horse’s mouth might be the best way. It’s his latest, but is it his greatest? That’s for you to decide.
The Kingdoms the Dragons Loved (2020)
Return.