Comics

I have a story in Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death, a comedy/horror anthology by some of the best comics writers and artists in the business today (and me) adapting classic Edgar Allan Poe stories in irreverent ways.  It’s a riff on the lesser-known (and very druggy) Poe story “Silence: A Fable.” In my version, a demon drags Poe to the present day and introduces him to various modern horrors: Amazon reader reviews, Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg—that sort of thing. Best of all, the story is illustrated by Joltin’ Johnny Lucas, and he delivered just the right blend of MAD Magazine comedy and EC Comics terror.  Plus: Other contributors to the book include Mark Russell, Stuart Moore, and Tom Peyer, Frank Cammuso and Peter Sneibjerg. (Published September 27th, 2022.)

Snelson: Comedy Is Dying is the story of Melville Snelson, a washed-up comedian who peaked in the 1990s, and a dark satire of the grifters who complain about cancel culture to ever-growing audiences of subscribers. From YouTube provocateurs to alt-right comedy podcasters to the amazing, ever-shrinking world of journalism, Comedy Is Dying is a look inside the mind of a bitter, middle-aged entertainer who will do anything to stay relevant. Artist Fred Harper’s imaginative eye for realism and caricature makes every page a special-effects extravaganza. Colored by Lee Loughridge, lettered by Rob Steen. Read a preview of the complete first issue at The Beat! (Published March 16, 2022.)

Planet of the Nerds (illustrated by Alan Robinson, colored by Felipe Sobreiro, lettered by Rob Steen, with backups by Randy Elliott) is the story of three jocks who are frozen in the 1980s and thawed out in the present day, only to learn that nerds rule the world. Read a sample of the first issue at Flickering Myth. (Published October 29th, 2019.)

I contributed six backup stories to The Wrong Earth, a witty and inventive superhero book written by Tom Peyer and illustrated by Jamal Igle—three stories set in the golden age of superhero comics and three set in the grittier modern age. Here’s a sample page of a short story that artist Frank Cammuso and I contributed to the series. (Published May 14th, 2019.)

Illustrated by Russ Braun, my story “The Sphinx” is collected in the first volume of Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror, along with short comics by Mark Russell, Peter Milligan, and Ann Nocenti. It’s the short tale of an esoteric documentary filmmaker who is feeling immense pressure to make more commercial work. Then a giant insect attacks! (Published October 15th, 2019.)