The story alternates between different characters' stories, and in the first 60 pages we've been introduced to Newell Ewing, a twelve year old boy who loves comic books, and is a rebellious boy who is friends with Kenny. Kenny is an older teenager, who is a very talented nude comic book illustrator. Kenny and Newell have a plan to go out one night...the night that Newell goes missing. Kenny comes in contact with Bing Biederboxx, an awkward 24 year old man who realizes his unsuccessful nude comic book series, who at a short run-in tells Kenny that he has talent. We are also told about the relationship between Newell and his parents, he talks back to his parents and makes inappropriate remarks; behavior in which his parents think are due to his 'tween age. The relationship between Lorraine and Lincoln Ewing is losing sexual activity, and Lincoln is seemingly walking on eggshells around Lorraine.
This novel is creepy and makes me feel uneasy and naive. I'm sure part of this feeling is due to my lack of knowledge of the culture of Las Vegas, but most of it is due to Bing Biederboxx. When the columbine event is broadcasted, Bing realizes how much alike the boys who commited the horrible slaughter he is: "...he also possessed a firsthand undeerstanding of the ways in which an act of destruction can be viewed as a piece of creation, the means by which an act of violence might translate into a perfect piece of art...he did not tell anyone that he'd watched the real-life slaughter play itself out while surrounded by the same neighbors who's doppelgangers were to be chased through his computer game's virtual hallways...Bing had identically rendered, specifically so he could inflict bloody damage upon their images" (20). Another part where Biederboxx terrifies me is in a chatroom with his friends he comes up with a genius idea to create 3-d tattoos. These tattoos would call for, "not one but FIFTEEN electricity-laden needles injected marginally toxic chemicals into LAYERS of skin" ( 61). And when asking where they could experiment their idea his friend suggests, "Runaways dude. Nobody cares about runaways" (61). The fact that we know Newell will come in contact with this man, and that Newell is a runaway is absolutely terrifying. The sick and twisted mind of Biederboxx is a serious and dangerous threat to Newell, and makes the reader begin to understand the danger of the characters.
Another character who seems less threatening is Newell's friend Kenny. His shy nature hides his disturbed mind, but he also puts butterflies in my stomach. During an argument with his mom, Newell jokingly says about Kenny, "'A total perv...serious. He's gonna take me out tonight and abuse me" (32). However, later on the the novel Kenny is rummaging through his dad's porn collection, making artistic touch ups on the naked models, Bock writes, "And he was not ashamed of being a perv who rummaged through his dad's cardboard boxes for dirty magazines; indeed, in this realm of his own creation Kenny did not worry about the currents that run between a naked woman, the guy doing her, and the noyeur getting off the scene" (36). This shows Newell's naivety, and though he jokes about things like this they could seriously happen. So far this novel has been scary, and makes me want to continue to read about what will happen to Newell, and how all of the disturbed characters will play out in the story.
