Julia Wertz

A True Pet Sematary Story

“But Ma, the fear makes me feel ALIVE!”

Deathbed

01 Jun 2026 • 2 min read

A six panel comic page, the first of three, drawn in black and white. Panel 1: Young Julia Wertz is sitting up in bed, reading a book. The narration reads "I was ten when I first read Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary,' over the course of one long and terrifying week." // Panel 2: A frightened Julia continues to read 'Pet Sematary' by flashlight under her covers. The narration reads "My obsession with King's books began a few years earlier, when I stole 'The Shining' from my older brother. For some reason, the moving animal topiary scared me senseless. (Omitting that scene from the movie adaptation was an egregious misstep on Kubrick's part.)" // Panel 3: Julia's mom is walking away from her, carrying a stack of Stephen King books. The narration reads "My mom tried dutifully to confiscate the books, but I put up a good fight." Julia is saying "But, Ma, the fear makes me feel alive!" Julia's mom replies "Excuse me?! Talk like that is exactly why I'm taking these books away!" // Panel 4: Julia's mom is handing one of the books back to her, and saying "Fine. But, if you get scared about shrubbery again, you can wake your brother up. I don't want to hear it!" An excited Julia replies "YEEEEES!!!" The narration reads "In the end, I won." // Panel 5: The narration reads "A few months earlier, our cat Babykins - a mangy, arthritic, ancient fossil of a pet - disappeared." Babykins is depicted alongside several arrows detailing her various maladies: "Mangled ear, origin unknown," "Weird rat tail," "Like a thousand years old," "Probably gross butthole but I don't remember," and "Named after a character in a Richard Scarry book." // Panel 6: The narration reads "We assumed she had crawled off to die in peace, as is the way of outdoor cats." The panel depicts a tombstone, upon which is engraved in script "R.I.P. Babykins - a mercurial cat of limited affection who slunk off this mortal coil without alerting anyone. Will be marginally missed. Survived by nine other unruly outdoor cats."

A six panel comic page, the second of three, drawn in black and white. Panel 1: The narration reads "In 'Pet Sematary,' as with all of King's books, there was one pivotal part that caused my guts to churn in fear. It was when Church, the (dead) cat, returned home and sat on the lowered lid of the toilet, swaying, with 'muddy yellow-green eyes.'" The panel depicts a very scraggly looking cat with yellow-green eyes sitting on a closed toilet seat. // Panel 2: A scratching sound at her bedroom window causes a seemingly anxious Julia to look up from her book. The narration reads "Just as I finished that passage, I heard a familiar scratching noise on my window." // Panel 3: The narration reads "It was the noise Babykins used to make when she would climb up onto the roof and sneak into my second-story window at night, to sleep at the foot of my bed." Julia opens her window to reveal the source of the noise, a cat who she greets with a "Hey, kitty!" // Panel 4: The narration reads "Knowing she was dead, I assumed it was one of the other cats. When I opened my window, I was shocked and horrified when Babykins spryly jumped through." The cat jumps in Julia's window, which unnerves her. // Panel 5: Babykins is curled up at the foot of Julia's bed, while Julia looks on warily. The narration reads "She was clean, groomed, and energetic. Her slow, arthritic movements were gone; she moved with the agility of a cat ten years younger. She settled at the end of my bed, and looked up at me..." // Panel 6: The narration, in a dripping horror-style font, reads "...with yellow-green eyes." Babykins stares straight at the reader; her eyes are wide open and yellow-green in color.

A seven panel comic page, the third of three, drawn in black and white. Panel 1: The narration reads "Babykins returned to the window every night during the week I read 'Pet Sematary.' I was both terrified and fascinated by this baffling turn of events." The panel depicts Babykins, still with yellow-green eyes, staring at a nervous Julia, who is saying "Hey, kitty...nice kitty...totally-not-scary-at-all kitty..." // Panel 2: The narration reads "When I finally told my mom, she surmised that Babykins must have been taken in by a neighbor and given medicine and regular baths." Julia's mom attempts to assuage her daughter's fears by saying "That's the only logical explanation! But it's strange that she only comes back at night. I haven't seen her at the food dish in the morning, when I feed the other cats. So weird!" // Panel 3: Unconvinced, Julia asks her mom "But...but why are her eyes yellow?" Julia's mom replies "I don't know. Maybe it's from the medication? Or just because she's really, really old." The narration reads "I didn't disclose that I was reading "Pet Sematary," knowing that she might revoke my Stephen King privileges if she knew I was up in my room spiraling out in fear every night." // Panel 4: The narration reads "Coincidentally (or so I'd like to think), when I finished the book, Babykins stopped coming to my window. Then my mom delivered the bad news." Julia's mom sits at the foot of her bed, gently telling a mournful Julia "I'm so sorry, but your dad ran over Babykins with the truck by accident. I'm sorry, sweetie, but she's dead." // Panel 5: A medium shot of Julia hugging her knees, saying "No..." Panel 6: A close up shot of Julia hugging her knees a little tighter, saying "No, she's not..." Panel 7: An extreme close up shot of Julia with fear in her eyes, hugging her knees tighter still, saying "She'll never be dead."

About the Author

Julia Wertz is a professional cartoonist/writer, amateur historian, and part-time urban explorer. She does monthly non-fiction comics for the New Yorker, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, the Believer, the Best American Comics, and other publications.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she spent a decade in New York City before settling in Sonoma County, CA, with her partner Oliver (yup, the Oliver from Fart Party) and their son, Felix. Her newest graphic novel Bury Me Already (It’s Nice Down Here) was released by Black Dog & Leventhal/Hachette in April 2026.