director / writer / producer
“An Afternoon” is a live-action web series based on the graphic novel “In the Afternoon” by Emmett Mercer. The story follows three men on a journey to the brink of a vaudeville apocalypse.
“In the Afternoon” was a three book series released in the spring of 1993. Although it had little commercial success, the series was critically praised for its tragic depiction of slapstick humor. The books served as a commentary on the evolution of comedy and an unsuccessful attempt to escape the past.
Following the release of the books, Mercer went on a 30 city promotional tour. Mercer abandoned the tour after six days upon hearing a single fan’s misinterpretation of the book’s overall theme. Disheartened with the misguided enjoyment of his work, he halted distribution of the books and requested that the remaining copies across the country be destroyed. Mercer himself led a book-burning rally in his back yard on November 12, 1993. He was quoted as saying “I will do what is necessary to preserve the integrity of the world I have created.”
After almost two decades of successfully remaining out of the public eye, Mercer unexpectedly agreed to a web-based interpretation of his work. Per Mercer’s request the first installment of the web series corresponds directly with the first book.