Holidaze and New Year's Announcements
Saying goodbye to 2023, and looking at my 2024 comics releases so far!
The so-called “liminal week” is one of my favorite times of the year. It feels like a refresher as much as it feels like going absolutely off the rails, scurrying away last minute plans, defiantly staying up past my self-imposed bedtimes, and just being. I’ve also finally managed to get to Act 2 in Baldur’s Gate, if that’s any indication of how busy I usually am. (I’ve had the game since September…)
It also happens to be when my birthday is, falling nearly perfectly between Christmas and New Year’s. All my celebration spent up in one week, and then it’s back into the wilds of the next life cycle. I try to cherish the time but I do always get whatever equivalent of the ‘Sunday Scaries’ comes with the eve of the New Year. Did I do enough? Did I rest enough? Is the manufactured “newness” of another year actually just one small blip on a massive, incomprehensible spectrum our human brains try to parse as linear time?
Who’s to say!
2023 was filled with personal and professional growth for me, a lot of sprouting from seeds planted in years before. I never really could have guessed where I’d end up in terms of publishing projects, roller derby achievements, friendships, and all on that first day of the year. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to list some of my highlights here before shouting about what’s coming in 2024.
A Fond Look Back
In vaguely chronological order, here are some things I’m proud of from 2023:
I made B-Team for my roller derby league (and promptly tweaked my knee during tryouts, teaching me a valuable lesson about rest and recovery). I played a total of 3 competitive bouts for the season, and I was voted the Most Improved Player award at our holiday party this year!
Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors released! My first professional comics work, and with the vaunted Archie Horror label no less. Working with that whole team, from the other writers to the artists to the editorial folks, was a dream of an experience. I got to do my first pro signings too! Now I am happy to deface people’s funny books if they ask nicely.
I did my first ever Wondercon panel- Women in Comics: Making Horror! Sharing a stage with Sandy King Carpenter, Melody Cooper, and Amy Chu (who also wrote for Archie Horror, which lead to some humorous Amy Chu/Amy Chase conversations) was incredible. And I spent the hour stuffing down feelings of “I don’t belong here.” Because I did.
Chilling Adventures Presents: Welcome to Riverdale was perfect… almost too perfect! What a magical experience it was working with the powerhouse talent that is Liana Kangas. Creating this creepy, beautiful story with them was an absolute dream, and I’m so grateful to Team Archie for inviting us back to do this one, which was a pitch I truly was proud of. For the second annual Month of Mayhem, no less!
I made good on my goals to type up my D&D campaign notes for a game I’ve been in for the last two years, run by the fabulous Jordan Patrick Finn. The notes document is up to 85 pages in a Google Document, and not finished yet! Things are getting spicy as our party tries to outrun Umberlee’s agents on the high seas.
I pulled off my Clicker Halloween costume inspired by The Last of Us. It was a real “trust the process” project that came out better than I could have imagined. I won “Scariest Costume” in my office’s annual costume contest. Damn right.
Finally, the Newburn backup story “Loaded Dice” began this December. I got to see Chip in person at LACC earlier in the month and talk with him about the collaboration — he is, as always, nothing but the nicest and most supportive guy, and I’m grateful he shared his platform with Fabian Lelay, Desolina Fletcher, Toben Racicot, and myself to tell a fun four-part crime story.
An Exciting Look Ahead!
No rest for the wicked, as I’ve got already-announced projects releasing from now until May 2024, so let’s take a look at what’s coming up:
January-March 2024 will see the release of the remaining three chapters of Loaded Dice in Newburn #14-16. Be sure to pre-order, as these single issues will be the only way to read the full story at this point. Plus, it’s the final issues of an amazing crime series by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips!
Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors: Fresh Meat features the return of the entire creative team from the first volume, back for seconds! This Archie Horror prequel will release on March 20, 2024 and already features awesome covers by Adam Gorham and Aaron Lea. I’m once again teamed with Federico Sabbatini, Ellie Wright, and Jack Morelli for “Lord of the Fries,” a tale of how the diner got its sinister twist.
On April 3, 2024, my biggest book to date (in more ways than one) drops- Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft- Caravan of Curses. This has been almost a year in the making, co-written with the incomparable Casey Gilly and accompanied by an all-star adventuring party of artists: Sarah Stern, Jose Jaro, Eryk Donovan, and Silvia Califano. This is an oversized, officially licensed 80 page oneshot set in the Domains of Dread, meaning there will be a lot of freaky fantasy horror and creepy characters to fall in love with. You do NOT want to miss this one. There’s a variant cover by Silvia Califano as well that features some of our cursed protagonists.
Lastly, I have an officially licensed Ghostbusters Tarot Deck and Guidebook publishing in late May from Insight Editions. It’s already been delayed once, so I’m hoping to stays on track here, but this carefully prepared tarot deck features your favorite heroes and phantasms from the first two Ghostbusters films. Use it to guide your meditations and deal with the pesky spirits in your life! The wildly talented Ben Turner is on art, and there are a few card previews up already:
That’s all that’s been revealed so far, and I’ve had such a great time working on several iconic licenses this last year. I can’t wait for you all to see what’s coming next! I have one more big license collaboration to reveal next month, and it couldn’t be more different than my usual oeuvre — but it’s a little punny, making it a natural fit for my style of writing. More news on that soon!
For now, I’m wishing you all the happiest, healthiest of new years. Thank you for all the support of my goals and achievements this year, and I can’t wait to make even more stories for you in the next one.
Fast Stats:
Currently Watching: Yellowjackets Season 2 (oh my god oh my god)
Currently Reading: My Little Pony Classics Reimagined: The Unicorn of Odd
Currently Playing: Astarion Simp Simulator 2023 (but now I’m actually, finally on Act 2)
Currently Listening: The Yellowjackets Theme on repeat because I’m in deep
Happy New Year!! Congratulations on all your accomplishments! That *was* a great Halloween costume. XD I’m excited for all you’ve got in store for 2024!