Like Hercules, the writer labors to finish and publish a book, yet often there’s little ripple upon society’s waters. Then there’s the special one that unleashes a tidal wave, eventually overwhelming its creator and his supporters.

In 1999, Sander Hicks, publisher of small indie press Soft Skull, read that St. Martin’s pulled the controversial book Fortunate Son about then presidential candidate George W. Bush from bookshelves. Written by James H. Hatfield, it was, in his words, mostly a rushed clip job -- composed of rehashed previously published material and shaky suppositions. Still, given Hicks’ leftist bent (he was the lead singer of a punk band and the janitor in the building housing Soft Skull in the basement), he knew this was a book to champion.

The story of what happens to Hicks and Hatfield as Fortunate Son is brought back to market is laid bare in the insightful documentary, "Horns and Halos" by filmmakers Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky.

Hatfield’s previous books, the documentary informs us, were such light fare as Lost in Space: The Ultimate Unauthorized Trivia Challenge for the Classic TV Series, and The Ultimate Unauthorized Star Wars Trivia Challenge. But the most damning evidence of Hatfield’s fancifulness was his lies hiding his criminal past.

The Bush camp revealed that Hatfield had served time for several felonious indiscretions including embezzlement, burglary, and did some five years in the joint for solicitation of capital murder. Thus St. Martin’s rescinded the book.

Fortunate Son alleged that dubya was busted for cocaine use, and the record was expunged due to dad wielding his political influence. Further, Bush the elder worked more magic to catapult his son’s name to the top of the Air National Guard list during the Vietnam War. 60 Minutes thought Hatfield’s journalism was mightily suspect. In an episode from 2000, Leslie Stahl royaly punked him on the show. How ironic then that four years later, 60 Minutes II is journalistically slapped for allegedly uncovering documents attesting to Bush’s favored treatment with the Guard. And that those documents were proven to be fakes.

Through all this mishagas, and a lawsuit or two (though not one brought by the Bushites), "Horns and Halos" depicts Hicks sticking by his writer and the book more than a hoochie mama loves her bling. The young publisher flogged the book tirelessly, in between mopping floors and unclogging toilets. He also had to deal with Hatfield’s e-mail tirades, and the author’s battles with depression, with him disappearing for days at a time when he was needed for appearances. A love-hate relationship is forged as the two are beset on all fronts by foes and non-believers.

Despite their hard work, Hatfield didn’t realize any real money. He was a new father and couldn’t pay his bills. This was probably his last hurrah as a writer he states toward the end of the film. Fortunate Son was Hatfield’s boon and bane...his horns and halos for all to see. In 2001 Hatfield committed suicide.

For his labors, Hicks was fired by his board. Their precarious financial stability he exacerbated was given as the reason. Though it is interesting to note Fortunate Son continues to be a seller for Soft Skull.

What if all writers had a committed publisher like Hicks working like a locomotive stoker to sell their books? Wouldn’t that be sweet? Okay, that’s pretty unrealistic, and maybe Fortunate Son was hokum anyway. These two men merely deluded modern-day Quixotes tilting at windmills of their own imagining.

But in the second edition of the book from Soft Skull, Hatfield named sources as a response to some of Fortunate Son’s detractors. Hatfield claimed that is was Karl Rove (He Who Casts no Shadow) who called him unsolicited to tell him about Bush’s cocaine arrest. Given Plamegate (named for Valerie Plame, the CIA agent who Rove admits blowing her cover to reporters), could it be that Rove did call Hatfield, aware of the writer’s criminal past? Figuring Hatfield would be skewered, the alleged often-rumored drug use discredited, and his candidate would get a sympathetic bounce in the polls.

Naw, that’s too fantastic.

Isn’t it?

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Gary Phillips has a EC Comics-inspired short story entitled "Hill 19" in the upcoming Retro Pulp Tales from Subterranean Press.