FEATURED POST:
A new essay in which I reflect on the toxic nature of cynicism and the need for skepticism in our age of misinformation.
CURRENCY OF CYNICS
A new essay in which I reflect on the toxic nature of cynicism and the need for skepticism in our age of misinformation. Read More
PROM DRESS
Lael Littke's Prom Dress was certainly not what I expected, and ended up being one of the better Point Horror books I’ve read so far. Read More
FAVORITE INDIE COMICS: SPRING 2021
I'm trying something new and make thing first (of hopefully many) posts about some of my favorite self-published indie comics. Read More
MY HAIRIEST ADVENTURE
Goosebumps #26: My Hairiest Adventure was a mess of ideas that never really added up to a coherent story, which was too bad because it had some really enjoyable weird moments. Read More
ROAD TO NOWHERE
Christopher Pike's Road to Nowhere is a slow burn read with a powerful message and all the twisted creepiness you could want. Easily one of his best books. Read More
ATTACK OF THE MUTANT
Goosebumps #25: Attack of the Mutant was really creative and a whole lot of fun, but all of that was almost undone by the sloppy third act. Read More
WANTED
Caroline B. Cooney's Wanted was one of my all-time childhood favorites. Thankfully it still holds up as an edge-of-your-seat thriller, even if there are a few glaring plot holes along the way. Read More
SKI WEEKEND
Fear Street #10: Ski Weekend was a solid thriller that made good use of its characters and setting. One of the better books in the Fear Street series so far. Read More
PUERTO PLATA 2019
In early 2019, Dierre and I really needed a break. Between me travelling for work and multiple comic book conventions, and Dierre working multiple jobs while starting grad school, we finally blocked out a week fo us to do exactly one thing: relax. Read More
PHANTOM OF THE AUDITORIUM
Goosebumps #24: Phantom of the Auditorium was an enjoyable mystery with some serious flaws, making it a slightly better-than-average book in the series. Read More
THE STEPSISTER
Fear Street #9: The Stepsister is a tightly-woven psychological horror. Even though I figured out the big twist early on, I still enjoyed seeing how it all unraveled. Read More
RETURN OF THE MUMMY
Goosebumps #23 Return of the Mummy doesn't live up to its predecessor but still had some good scares. I just wish Goosebumps villains would consistently have better motivations than vague notions of world domination. Read More
STAY YOUNG
It is the time of year for resolutions and aspirations. It is also an opportunity to name the ways in which we hope to become the best versions of ourselves. Read More
FAVORITE BOOKS 2020
My list of favorite books and comics from 2020 is here. I had to leave out a lot of good ones this year. Read More
FAVORITE ALBUMS 2020
I made another list of my favorite albums of the year! And some of them actually came out in 2020! Read More
SILENT NIGHT 2
Fear Street Super Chiller #5: Silent Night 2 is this years Christmas Horror special. It doesn't quite live up to the first book, but there's plenty of stupid criminals, mean girls, and holiday cheer to go around. Read More
GHOST BEACH
Goosebumps #22: Ghost Beach was almost as creepy as I remembered it being. It got more right than it got wrong, but it fell frustratingly short of its potential. Read More
LEANING INTO MY FEARS
When something scares the shit out of me, my reaction is to learn everything I can about it. It’s my way of bringing the monsters out of the dark scary closet and into the light. Read More
THE LOCKER
Richie Tankersley Cusick's The Locker is a creepy, atmospheric teen horror novel that hit all of the right notes for me. While not the most original, it's easily the best I've read in the Point Horror series so far. Read More
GO EAT WORMS
Goosebumps #21 Go Eat Worms really earns its reputation as one of the worst books in the series. The main character is the most horrifying part of the story. Read More
ROLL ME AWAY
Back in the late spring of 2020, I realized that the ongoing quarantine was really taking a toll on my mental health. Then I came across an old revelation: few things can bring me joy the way biking does. Read More
THE HALLOWEEN PARTY
Fear Street Saga #8: The Halloween Party is one of the best-rated books in the series, but I found it to be a convoluted mess. Check out my full review of this year's Halloween Special. Read More
FEAR STREET SAGA: THE BURNING
Fear Street Saga #3: The Burning is a twisted, bloody, and ultimately satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I had a lot of fun with this one. Read More
FEAR STREET SAGA: THE SECRET
Fear Street Saga #2: The Secret suffers from a lot of classic "middle book" problems, but still manages some good scares and sets up the third book nicely. Read More
FEAR STREET SAGA: THE BETRAYAL
Fear Street Saga #1: The Betrayal kicks off the most popular trilogy in the franchise with a bang. 25 years after it's release, it holds up really well. Read More
THE BABYSITTER
R.L. Stine's The Babysitter is one of his first teen horror novels, and certainly his most popular outside of the Fear Street and Goosebumps franchises. I'm happy to say that it's largely withstood the test of time. Read More
THE SCARECROW WALKS AT MIDNIGHT
Goosebumps #20 The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight had some great atmospheric horror but it fell short of becoming one of the stronger books in the series. It left me with a lot of questions about scarecrow logic. Read More
FALL INTO DARKNESS
Christopher Pike's Fall Into Darkness is the only one of his YA books to ever get a movie adaptation. It was as twisted as I have come to expect, but definitely not my favorite of his. Read More
DEEP TROUBLE
Goosebumps #19: Deep Trouble is a fun read but it doesn't stand out from the pack. I appreciate how the book cover implies Jaws, even though the story turned out to be something else entirely. Read More
FLIGHT 116 IS DOWN
Caroline B. Cooney wrote a bunch of popular teen horror and mystery books back in the 90s. I was drawn to Flight 116 is Down because plane crashes terrify me. It did not disappoint. Read More
MONSTER BLOOD II
Goosebumps #18: Monster Blood II was the first sequel in the series and it features one of the most iconic Goosebumps covers. If only that could have made the book more interesting. Read More
WHY I’M AFRAID OF BEES
Goosebumps #17: Why I'm Afraid of Bees is one of the worst-rated in the series, but I didn't find it to be quite that bad. Read More
EUPHORIA
Last year I wrote and produced a short comic called "Euphoria" with artist Eleonora Kortsarz and letterer Frank Cvetkovic. The LGBTQIA+anthology it was intended for never went to print, but I wanted to share the comic we worked really hard on. Read More
HAUNTED
Fear Street #7 is a creepy redemption ghost story that I liked in spite of it's more problematic elements. One of the more solid books in the series so far. Read More
WHISPER OF DEATH
Christopher Pike knows how to write a twisted horror story. Whisper of Death was a wild one, even by his standards. For me, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Read More
FENCE
In my latest review for Geeks OUT, I took a look at the first three volumes of the heartwarming YA comic series Fence. Read More
THE BEAST WITHIN
There's a new chapter of Dream Crasher out, and I wanted to shed some light on what goes on behind-the-scenes in my creative process. Read More
ONE DAY AT HORRORLAND
Goosebumps #16: One Day at Horrorland is for the fan-favorite and one of the most iconic books in the series. I'm happy to say that this one lives up to its hype. Read More
BUDAPEST 2016
Since we're all cooped up inside under quarantine, I thought it would be a good time to revisit some past trips, starting with Budapest, exactly four years ago this week. The world has changed a lot since then. Read More
THE ACCIDENT
Diane Hoh is my first attempt at diversifying my reading selections for the Pulp Horror series. I can't let R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike have all of the glory, it just so happens that most of the Point Horror writers were women. Read More
YOU CAN’T SCARE ME!
Goosebumps #15: You' Can't Scare was... tedious. I came for the mud monsters but all I got was a series of failed pranks. Read More
THE WHITE TREES
My latest review for Geeks OUT takes a look at fantasy miniseries The White Trees by Chip Zdarsky, Kris Anka, and Matt Wilson. Read More
MONTGOMERY 2019
As Black History Month comes to a close, I have found myself reflecting on my trip last year to Montgomery, Alabama. I thought it was finally time to write about it. Read More
BROKEN HEARTS
Fear Street Super Chiller #4: Broken Hearts is an extra twisted Valentine's Day extravaganza. I hope you're ready lots of murder, petty drama, and bad poetry! Read More
THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP
Goosebumps #14: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp started out strong, but then got lost in the woods. It's still worthy of its status as one of the fan favorites, even if it did fall short of what it could have been. Read More
THE SLEEPWALKER
Fear Street #6: The Sleepwalker was exactly the sort of creepy atmospheric horror story that I live for; the kind that sticks around for awhile long after you’ve finished the book. Read More
DESIGN OF A DECADE
I did an Instagram series looking back at the 2010s and choosing a photo to represent each year. I've collected them all on here. Read More
PIANO LESSONS CAN BE MURDER
Goosebumps #13: Piano Lessons Can Be Murder is a weird one. Like, I thought I knew where it was going until I hit the last twenty pages and the book took a nosedive into WTF territory. The ending felt less like a plot twist and more like a fever dream. Read More
MONSTER
Christopher Pike really surprised me with it's brutal and unflinching nature of this book. It was easily my favorite nostalgia read since I started doing this crazy project. Read More
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…
Goosebumps #12: Be Careful What You Wish For... is a messy one. It's got everything from unoriginal tropes to confusing character motives. I was even inspired to write a motivational pep talk for the protagonist, who proved incapable of learning anything over the course of the story. Read More
NEW YORK COMIC CON 2019
I didn't have a table at NYCC this year, but I still went! It was a four day whirlwind that left me with lots to unpack. Read More
THE HAUNTED MASK
Goosebumps #11: The Haunted Mask is one of the best-remembered books from the series, and it holds up pretty well. And my review is here just in time for Halloween. Read More
CHEERLEADERS: THE THIRD EVIL
Fear Street Cheerleaders #3 is here to finish what The Evil started. I hope you're ready to read about the horrors of cheerleading camp and the shortcomings of demon logic. Read More
CHEERLEADERS: THE SECOND EVIL
Fear Street Cheerleaders #2 is here, which means The Evil is back! Things are about to get bloody repetitive in here. GO TEAM! Read More
CHEERLEADERS: THE FIRST EVIL
Fear Street Cheerleaders #1 kicked off the first of the infamous Fear Street trilogies. It's got teen spirit, a notorious Evil spirit, and plenty of Razzmatazz. Read More
A LOOK BACK AT SINA GRACE’S RUN ON ICEMAN
For my latest article for Geeks OUT, I decided to take a look back at Sina Grace's acclaimed run on Iceman with some new context in mind. Read More
THE WRONG NUMBER
Fear Street #5: The Wrong Number is easily one of my favorite book covers in this series. Even though I didn't find this one all that scary, I still really enjoyed it. Read More
FLAME CON 2019
I had another great year at Flame Con, selling some books and catching up with some of my favorite comic creators out there. Read More
THE GHOST NEXT DOOR
Goosebumps #10: The Ghost Next Door scared the shit out of me as a kid. It still holds up as one of the creepiest and most unsettling books in the series. Read More
ELECTRIC CITY COMIC CON 2019
A new post detailing my adventures in tabling, this time at the magnificent Electric City Comic Con. This little one-day show in upstate New York has been my favorite so far this year. Read More
GOODNIGHT KISS
Fear Street Super Chiller #3: Goodnight Kiss is perhaps best known for its vampires that refer to blood as "nectar." It made me think of hummingbirds instead of bats. Read More
FORTUNATE BEASTS
In my latest review for Geeks OUT, I take a look at Letters for Lucardo: Fortunate Beasts. It is the second book of the acclaimed Iron Circus graphic novel series by Otava Heikkila. Read More
HUDSON VALLEY COMIC CON 2019
A brief write-up of my tabling experience at Hudson Valley Comic Con in May 2019. Read More
WELCOME TO CAMP NIGHTMARE
Goosebumps #9: Welcome to Camp Nightmare is the first book in the series I’m giving a perfect score to. It's well-constructed, unpredictable, and isn't afraid to get weird. Read More
MY BROTHER’S HUSBAND
My latest review for Geeks OUT. My Brother's Husband is an all-ages manga series that tells a powerful and heartwarming story of grief, family, homophobia, and forgiveness. Read More
THE GIRL WHO CRIED MONSTER
Goosebumps #8: The Girl Who Cried Monster is about a monster librarian who likes to remove his human face and eat flies after the library closes. Unfortunately for him, Lucy is dead set on snitching exposing him. One of the wilder twist endings in the series. Read More
THE NEW GIRL
Fear Street #1: The New Girl is the book that first introduced us to Shadyside back in 1989. The ghostly cover and the creepy prologue had me hoping for something better, but this review is for the book that I got. Read More
NYC QUEER COMIC FAIR 2019
NYC Comic Fair April 27th & 28th, 2019 Bureau of General Services, Queer Division 208 W 13th St #210, New York, NY 10011 Overview The NYC Queer Comic Fair is a small convention put on by the Bureau of General Services Queer Divison, Carmine Street Comics, and Wabisabizinez. ... Read More
IMPOSTOR SYNDROME
One of the most disgusting feelings I have experienced is the fear of being late for a job that I hated. Being in a hurry to get to a place that made me miserable was a part of my routine for three years. I’m still untying the knots it left in my stomach. Read More
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY
Goosebumps #7: Night of the Living Dummy is probably the most iconic book in the original series. It's really a shame that it doesn't come close to living up to its hype. Read More
LET’S GET INVISIBLE!
Goosebumps #6: Let's Get Invisible was a bit slow-moving for a Goosebumps book, but it paid off with one of the creepiest endings in the series. It should surprise no one that the creepy endings were always my favorite. Read More
THE DREAMER’S PARASITE
Dream Crasher #5 is here and I couldn't be more excited about starting the second arc of the story. I wrote up a little post on what went into making this particular chapter. It touches on some of Dream Crasher's history, reveals some of its literary influences, and divulges how an ... Read More
THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB
Goosebumps #5: Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is probably my favorite Goosebumps book so far, even though I have no memory of reading it as a kid. It's got adventure, a fast-moving plot, and some really legitimate scares. Read More
KENYA PART III: KISUMU
The last part of my Kenya trip took us to the shore of Lake Victoria in the Southwestern corner of the country. It is an area of the country that has been historically neglected by the national government, and our site visits reflected as much. The task of writing out this whole trip has been a Read More
FAVORITE BOOKS 2018
I've been doing one of these every year since 2012 on my old blog. It's a new blog on a new website, but rules have stayed the same. These are my favorite books and comics that I read this year, not necessarily books that were released this year. Read More
FAVORITE ALBUMS 2018
My Top 10 favorite (not necessarily new) albums from 2018, plus some rediscovered gems. Read More
SILENT NIGHT
Fear Street Super Chiller #2: Silent Night is sort of like Mean Girls but with more murder. I usually prefer the supernatural books in this series, but this one really delivered. Just in time for Christmas. Read More
KENYA PART II: MOMBASA
The second part of my Kenya trip took us to Mombasa, along the East African coast. As with part one, this is a journal style recount of my trip; I'll be saving some of the deeper reflections for later posts. Read More
REMEMBER ME
Christopher Pike was right up there with RL Stine in terms of writing books that terrified me as a kid. Remember Me seemed like the perfect book to kick off this Pulp Horror subseries with. Read More
NEW YORK COMIC CON 2018
I tabled for the first time at New York Comic Con and had a hell of a weekend. I put together some of the highlights with some pictures and observations. This was a great way to close out my cons for the year. Read More
SAY CHEESE AND DIE
Goosebumps #4: Say Cheese and Die is hands down one of the best titles and covers in the original series. I only wish the story was equally as good. Read More
KENYA PART I: NAIROBI
I recently went on a 10 day trip to Kenya. It was a remarkable experience and I am still processing it. But I went ahead and wrote up a journal-style post with lots of pictures and some video. I will be breaking it up in to three separate parts because it's a lot to cover. Part I will focus Read More
MONSTER BLOOD
Goosebumps #3: Monster Blood is the only book in the original series to get 3 sequels... which is kinda perplexing given that the first installment is a bit of a mess, and not just in the way that the cover implies. Read More
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Living in the moment takes a lot of work for me. Sometimes it takes balancing on one leg for standing bow with sweat dripping from every pore in order to actually feel present. For my blog this week, I wrote about hot yoga with Yoga To The People and the impact it's had on my mental and ... Read More
PARTY SUMMER
Fear Street Super Chiller #1: Party Summer was the book that launched the Super Chillers; my favorite Fear Street subset when I was a kid. It had some good characters and setup, but the execution was disappointing. Don't tease supernatural and give me an over-used trope. Read More
THE APOLLO MIXES
For the last five years, I have been channeling my grief into making mixes. Read More
STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT
Goosebumps #2: Stay Out of the Basement had some great ideas but wasted a lot of time with fake scares. Margaret was an incredibly dull protagonist, even by Goosebumps standards. Read More
WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE
Goosebumps #1: Welcome to Dead House is where it all started. It still holds up as one of the more solid and genuinely creepy books in the series. Read More
FLAME CON 2018
Flame Con August 16-17, 2019 The Times Square Sheraton New York, NY Overview: This was my fourth time at Flame Con. In 2018 they moved to yet another new venue, leaving Brooklyn for Times Square. Tables sold out in a matter of hours and I was initially on the waitlist, but I ... Read More
FITS OF NOSTALGIA
I go through these fits of nostalgia every couple of years, and this time I decided to start reading all 62 original Goosebumps books and blog about it. Read More
KICKSTARTER & THE ANXIETY FACTOR
Thoughts on Pursuing Your Dreams Without Sacrificing Your Own Well Being. Last September, I ran my second successful Kickstarter Campaign with my creative partner Reed Olsen. This is my experience, and what I learned. Read More
THE RED THREADS OF FORTUNE
The Red Threads of Fortune by nonbinary queer Singaporean author JY Yang picks up four years after the events of The Black Tides of Heaven and centers on the prophetic twin Mokoya. Read More
BARCELONA 2018
Me at peak tourist, #touristAF. I landed around noon in sunny Barcelona, and easily found my way to my friends Anton & Sion’s apartment. We went out for a delicious lunch at Dual Cafe. It was nice catching up and talking Drag Race drama. After that, Anton and I wandered around the beautiful Read More
LONDON 2018
I’m trying something new here. In the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad for work, and in turn I’ve made the most out of exploring these different parts of the world every chance I get. This is not my attempt to become a travel blogger, but I’m trying my hand […] Read More
3 RIVERS COMIC CON 2018
When I am driving by myself and in a stressful amount of traffic, I am really good at going in the opposite direction that the GPS tells me to do. I did this no less than three times on my drive out to Pittsburgh for 3 Rivers Comic Con. Nothing like making a long trip […] Read More
X CON 2018
This is the second post in the blog series I’m dubbing Convention Logs. I am going to try and write up one of these every time I do a show. It’s a way of both documenting and sharing what I did and who I met, and I can never resist the opportunity to sneak […] Read More
THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN
The Black Tides of Heaven by nonbinary queer Singaporean writer JY Yang is an impressive feat of both subtly and depth. While fantasy isn’t usually known for its brevity, Yang manages to deliver a richly textured world packed with fascinating characters in a single 236-page novella. Thankfully, Read More
SARATOGA COMIC CON 2018
The Saratoga Comic Con has consistently been one of my better shows since I started tabling, and for the third year in a row did not disappoint. Sales were great. I hosted a panel and participated on another. This was also the first show I had copies of Dream Crasher Volume 1 on hand. I […] Read More
EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES
For my latest Geeks OUT Review, I take a look at the first issue of the new Snagglepus miniseries. Read More
FAVORITE ALBUMS 2017
My Top 10 favorite (not necessarily new) albums from 2017, plus some rediscovered gems. Read More
EXTRACTING BEAUTY FROM THE DARKEST OF PLACES
This essay was originally posted on Geeks OUT. Seven years ago, I started working on a comic book with my good friend Reed Olsen. It would go on to become the series Dream Crasher, which we are now self-publishing through Kickstarter. Dream Crasher is a 12-chapter story about a group of ... Read More
THE DYNAMIC QUEER CHARACTERS OF BONE STREET RUMBA
I first discovered Daniel José Older when he appeared on the excellent When Toxic Masculinity is a Villain panel at Readercon in 2015. I was inspired enough to immediately to pick up my own copy of Half-Resurrection Blues and started reading it on my way home. One of the most satisfying ... Read More
LETTERS FOR LUCARDO
In my latest review for Geeks OUT I take a look at the latest Iron Circus Comics graphic novel series, Letters For Lucardo by writer and artist Noora Heikkila. It tells the story of an interracial, inter-generational queer Vampire/Human couple, and does so with the tenderness its subjects deserve. Read More
SOLARPUNK: FIGHTING THE TRAJECTORY OF OUR DYSTOPIAN FUTURE
In my latest article for Geeks OUT I take a look at the growing solarpunk movement, which aims to envision a sustainable and more equitable future. Read More
THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF DIGGER
In my latest article for Geeks OUT, I did an exposé on the eccentric characters of my favorite webcomic: Digger. Read More
NULL SPACE: LGBT REPRESENTATION IN THE FINAL FRONTIER
In my second article for Geeks OUT, I took a closer look at the infamous "gay" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read More
SCI-FI ALIEN(ATION): DIVERSITY AND BIGOTRY IN SCI-FI FANTASY
In my first blog for Geeks OUT, I wrote about a panel discussion I attended on diversity and alienation in the world of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Read More
NYCC 2014: PART III
Saturday – October 11 After a solid night’s sleep, Jaime and I started our day in Artist Ally. I picked up volume one of Runners by Sean Wang. I’m in the middle of reading it now, and it’s really quite good. I also stopped by Dirk Manning’s booth in isle H8 (easy to remember from Friday’s ... Read More
NYCC 2014: Part II
Friday – October 10 Jaime and I left bright and early on Friday so that I could get there in time for the panel Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. From all of the stories and bits of advice I keep hearing, I […] Read More
NYCC 2014: PART I
Back in June, Jaime and I both sat in the NYCC ticket queue for a good hour before he finally got in and grabbed us both passes for Friday and Saturday. When my spot in the queue finally broke I snagged one for myself for Thursday. This would be my first year going to Comic Con with […] Read More
STAR TREK: SEASON ONE SCRAPBOOK
I decided to watch Star Trek: The Original Series in its entirety, and I found myself really struck by the show's photography. I finally decided to port them over from Tumblr. Read More
SOMETIMES I DON’T MIND
I celebrated New Years 2011 with a kiss. I was in love for the first time in my life. Not infatuated, but actually in love – with someone who changed the way I thought about that over-used, intangible word. Blair was poet and a musician. He had a voice that could fill a crowded subway tunnel ... Read More
WHAT STARTED AS A WHISPER SLOWLY TURNED INTO A SCREAM
July 23, 2011. My sister and I went to catch a matinee of The Deathly Hollows – Part II. As we left the theater, I noticed that you hadn’t called or texted me back. I had grown accustomed to your daily text “Good Morning, Punk,” or some variation. This was when I first realized that ... Read More