The Kickstarter campaign for my upcoming book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, was successful. Thank you to everyone who pledged their support, shared the Kickstarter link, or invited me to promote the book on their podcast or livestream.

Starving Author Press, my publishing company, will publish Truth Before Comfort this fall. As I described in my article, Announcement: The Truth Before Comfort Kickstarter is Now Live, this is a nonfiction book that collects my Substack pieces and additional material. It also features a foreword by Phil Falco, cover artwork by Jorge Santiago, Jr. and an index.

The Pile Bookstore in Berwyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, will be the first online or brick-and-mortar store to carry Truth Before Comfort. The shop will have four copies before the book’s official release date. This is because Pile Bookstore owner Rebecca Lewis backed my Kickstarter at the Retailer Package tier.

Truth Before Comfort will be available for order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at any independent bookstores in the bookshop.org network this fall. I haven’t set the exact date yet, but we’re shooting for September or October.

This was my fifth successful Kickstarter campaign. The Truth Before Comfort campaign ran for 30 days, from May 3 until June 3. 65 people pledged their support. The project raised $1,877, exceeding my minimum funding goal by $87.

Select reward tiers from the Kickstarter campaign are still open to late pledges. This means a reader interested in pre-ordering a Truth Before Comfort e-book, paperback and/or postcard can still do so on the Kickstarter page.

The Retailer Package tier is also available as a late pledge for any bookstore, comic shop or boutique interested in carrying the book. Retailers can also pre-order Truth Before Comfort on Ingram, the largest book distributor in the world, in the coming months. If a store is in the Chicago area, I can stop by and sign any books that staff ordered through Ingram.

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I Talked Batman & Bill, The Killing Joke, Archie’s Movie Mania and CBR on Podcasts and Livestreams

All Four Shows were Unique Experiences and Allowed me to Expose a Different Side of Myself and My Work

While promoting Truth Before Comfort, I was a guest on two podcasts, the Archie and Me Podcast and the Drunken Pen Writing Podcast, and two livestreams, Saturday Morning Comics Talk and Critical Affection.

The Archie and Me Podcast, hosted by Brandon Clarkson and Josh Wright, had me on as a guest on the Thursday, May 14 episode. I talked about the Truth Before Comfort chapter that deconstructs Reggie Mantle. We also reviewed Archie Comics 85th Anniversary Presents: Archie’s Movie Mania #1, a 32-page comic book anthology written and drawn by various creators and published by Archie Comics on May 13.

When discussing the Truth Before Comfort chapter, “Reggie, the Archie Comics Character, has a Softer Side,” on the Archie and Me Podcast, I said:

I then recapped the first story in Betty’s Diary #20, published by Archie Comics in 1988, saying:

Later in the episode, I praised the late, great Dan DeCarlo’s artwork in Alien, the third story that appeared in Archie Comics 85th Anniversary Presents: Archie’s Movie Mania #1. Describing a panel where Betty, Veronica and Veronica’s cousin Mimsy are at a sleepover, I said:

Saturday Morning Comics Talk, hosted by Ed Davis, had me on the livestream, along with four other guests, Madelein Holly-Rosing, Mike Scrase, Richard Jones III and Aaron Wroblewski, on Saturday morning, May 30. All four guests plugged our Kickstarter projects. We also each named a book-to-movie adaptation that we thought failed, and explained why.

I chose the 2016 film Batman: The Killing Joke, an animated movie adapting the 48-page graphic novel of the same name, published by DC in 1989. To pad the runtime, roughly half the movie was added material, focusing on Commissioner Jim Gordon’s daughter, Barbara Gordon.

As I complained:

I also condemned some of the discourse around Batman: The Killing Joke, saying:

This was a mathematical miscalculation, as Batman: The Killing Joke is closer to 40 years old, not 30. Nevertheless, the point still stands. This poorly received movie shouldn’t be considered relevant anymore.

Describing Truth Before Comfort on Saturday Morning Comic Talk, I said:

Critical Affecton, hosted by Sarah White, Amanda Plimpton, Kevin Davis and Fred Schwartz, had me on the livestream, along with frequent guest Aaron Wroblewski, on Monday evening, June 1. The five of us had a conversation about Batman & Bill, a Hulu documentary about how Bill Finger was denied written credit for co-creating Batman until after he died. I also promoted my Kickstarter and discussed the Truth Before Comfort chapter “Comics Will Break Your Heart.”

Regarding Kirby and the saying “comics will break your heart,” I said:

This newsletter is focusing on my statements from recent show appearances. I strongly recommend listening to the Critical Affection episode to hear everyone else’s remarks about Batman & Bill.

As White said:

Mentioning something I learned from Batman & Bill, I said:

I also quoted something that Jerry Robinson, the co-creator of Robin and the Joker, said in Batman & Bill, which was:

The Drunken Pen Writing Podcast, hosted by Caleb James K. and Spencer Church, had me on as a guest on the Thursday, June 2 episode. A reader seeking information about me and my upcoming book will likely view this show appearance as the most in-depth. The hosts spent almost the entire 45-minute episode interviewing me about comics, other media, journalism, my time at CBR, my Substack and Truth Before Comfort.

I said in my Instagram story that I “got to basically just complain about capitalism for 45 minutes straight” on the Drunken Pen Writing Podcast. This is admittedly a little reductive.

That said, K., Church and I spent a significant amount of time on topics such as: how film companies exploit comic book creators, the absurdity of CBR demanding writers make weekly quotas when they’re freelancers and the similarity between Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and modern-day billionaires.

K. asked if I could republish any of my CBR work for Truth Before Comfort. I said that I couldn’t because Valnet, Inc. owns the copyright, adding:

I also confessed that some of my essay deconstructing Reggie Mantle and my Substack review of Archie is Mr. Justice #4 was repurposed material originally written for CBR. I reviewed the first three issues of Archie is Mr. Justice for CBR, but left nearly everything I wrote about Reggie on the cutting room floor.

It’s hard to say which show I had the most fun on or which appearance makes me feel the proudest. When I was on the Archie and Me Podcast, I shared the hosts’ passion for Archie Comics and enjoyed this camaraderie. I shared several belly laughs with the hosts of Critical Affection, and I got to examine comic book history with them. When I was on Saturday Morning Comics Talk, I shared the platform with four other Kickstarter creators, and it made me feel like I was a part of something greater than myself. Lastly, I was able to let loose and vent about how much I hated capitalism on the Drunken Pen Writing Podcast. All four shows felt like unique experiences where I got to share a different side of myself and my work. Even though I went on these shows originally to plug Truth Before Comfort, they were great experiences for reasons beyond the opportunity for self-promotion.

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I’d appreciate it if readers listened to these podcasts and watched the archives of these livestreams on YouTube or Facebook. What stands out to you could be completely different than the moments I wanted to highlight.

Also, be on the lookout for Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist.

Dear readers,

All too often, the world of comic book journalism and media criticism is bogged down by clickbait headlines, brand promotion and blind nostalgia. I aim to cut through that noise. I aim to bring you Truth Before Comfort.

My latest book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, is finally available for pre-order on Kickstarter. The campaign will run until June 3. Please pre-order the book, either in physical or digital format, purchase other goodies, such as postcards and copies of other books, and help me bring this project to life.

Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist will be my fifth book and my first nonfiction work. My previous books were two poetry collections and two novels. Truth Before Comfort will collect most of my Substack articles and feature additional material in its chapters to support my underlying thesis. Truth Before Comfort will also include a Preface and an Afterword where I tie everything together and reflect on my philosophy as a journalist and media critic. And, it will have a Foreword by indie comic book writer Phil Falco, whom I wrote about in Three Comics to Read for Pride Month.

Jorge Santiago, Jr., the As the Moonlight Shines and American Bug cover artist, knocked it out of the park again with the Truth Before Comfort cover artwork. The book also has a cover logo by Winston Gambro, who previously made some last-minute design changes to the Massacre at the Comic Shop spine.

The Kickstarter will offer postcards featuring the Truth Before Comfort front cover artwork, Massacre at the Comic Shop bookmarks and the option to purchase my other books, Massacre at the Comic Shop, American Bug, Diesel Doctrine and the Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires and As the Moonlight Shines. At one of the reward tiers, you can help me donate a copy of my poetry book American Bug to the Prison Book Project, a nonprofit organization that provides books to prisoners across the United States. There will also be a stretch goal for prints of the Jack Kirby portrait that Richard Pace drew to illustrate the poem “Comics Will Break Your Heart” in American Bug.

Again, you can find the Kickstarter for Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist Kickstarter here. I hope you can help me bring this project to life. Thank you.

In love and solidarity,

Nick Ulanowski

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Announcement:

I’m launching the Kickstarter campaign for my next book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, on Monday, May 5.

The prelaunch page for the Kickstarter is already live. Please hit the follow button to be alerted when the campaign goes live. Early support can make or break a campaign, so I’d really appreciate it.

You can also scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the first look at the full front and back covers of Truth Before Comfort. I’ve also included details about the book and what will be available in the Truth Before Comfort Kickstarter.

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, a 5-issue miniseries written by Ryan North, drawn by Mike Norton, published by DC in single issues in 2025 and collected in a trade paperback in 2026, explores the origins of Superman’s superpowered dog, Krypto. Every issue except Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 includes scenes where Krypto heroically saves people. However, at its core, the miniseries is a heartfelt tearjerker about a lost dog searching for belonging and a worthy companion.

Most of Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 focuses on Superman and Krypto’s home planet, Krypton. It shows Jar-El and Lara Lor-Van, Krypto’s original owners and Superman’s birth parents, and their lives in the final days of Krypton. Reading Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 made me realize it actually makes perfect sense that two astrophysicists would name their dog after their planet. The issue leans into Krypton’s destruction as a climate change allegory, with no one listening to Jar-El and Lara as they accurately predict the planet’s near-future demise. There’s an especially memorable moment in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 when Lara gets into an unexpected political argument with a fellow dog walker in the park.

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton largely retains Krypto’s backstory from his first appearance, Adventure Comics #210, a comic I reviewed in Three Great Moments in Superman Comics. In other words, Krypto was used as a rocket test pilot for Jar-El and Lara’s plans to evacuate into outer space. Nevertheless, the miniseries also introduces the idea that Krypto had other owners and companions on Earth before bonding with a young Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas.

Each issue after Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 takes place on Earth, features a new companion for Krypto and tells the story of a different stage in Krypto’s search for friendship and belonging. Lex Luthor adopted him as his pet in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #2, and Krypto learned that he can’t settle for just anyone. Krypto met a little girl lost in the wilderness in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 and identified with her because he, too, was lost. After Krypto realized he needed to share more in common with his best friend than suffering, he met a fellow dog in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #4. After an unfortunate incident, Krypto realized that he needed a fellow superpowered being instead. Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #5 ended with Krypto reuniting with Superboy, who had previously been his companion as a baby on Krypton.

To better understand the book, I recently chatted with Norton about Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton. Norton is a Chicago guy with whom I’ve had many great conversations, but this was my first time talking to him as a journalist. We also discussed his webcomic about President Donald Trump’s first term, Lil’ Donnie, and why he stopped making it. You can listen to the nearly 18-minute-long interview in its entirety on YouTube, but here are some selected excerpts.

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Nick Ulanowski: Tell me about Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton.

Mike Norton: Krypto is a miniseries we did last year – sort of to tie into the new Superman movie that came out, because he’s a big part of that. They came to me and said, “We need to have something Krypto-ish out there. And you like dogs. Draw us a dog.” And that was pretty much it.

Ryan North was involved. So, I knew it was going to have some humor to it, but I wasn’t super familiar with his work. And he really did make it as heartfelt as you would expect a dog comic to be.

Ulanowski: So, part of why it was published was because everyone loved Krypto in the Superman movie?

Norton: It was definitely a request – not a mandate, but a request – that we try and steer Krypto’s looks to look more like James Gunn’s dog in the movie. I did a mix in between. He’s a little bit of the old, and I just gave him a little more shagginess. Because the new guy is definitely poodle-ish in the way that he appears.

One of the things that I learned while I was doing this is that Krypto has had a lot of different looks. He’s never really been one breed. It just depends on what the artist drawing him at the time wants to draw.

They usually present them as this little white lab character – and that’s what I was used to. But as I did research, I was trying to decide what my take was going to be. I noticed that he’s been drawn as like a Labrador, as a Great Dane - as a pit bull I’ve seen in some issues. It’s very strange to see. The only similar thing is that they were all white, and they all had a red cape.

I tried to make him look mutt-ish – sort of every dog, so that people from now on will look at it and go, “Oh, yeah, this can be whatever I want him to be.” I’ve homogenized him a little bit.

Ulanowski: I imagine DC approached you because you created Battlepug, a webcomic and comic book series about a dog.

Norton: Yeah, for once. Usually, I get called in because somebody’s dropped out or I’m replacing somebody. This is one of those few instances where they came to me and said, “Hey, you’re the dog guy. You want to draw a dog? You want to draw the dog? And I’m like, yeah, “Okay, that sounds great.”

Katie Kubert contacted me. And then, Sabrina Futsh was the editor on the book. She’s very good at what she does, and she loves this dog so much. Probably the biggest fan of the book is the editor. So, yeah, it was a real nice experience.

Ulanowski: The lettering in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 was softer whenever a character wasn’t saying something like “good dog” or Krypto’s name. Why was this dropped in later issues?

Norton: I’m not exactly sure. I think most of it must be because there’s just not as much dialogue in the rest of the series. We made it Krypto’s book after that.

We wanted his interface with the world to be like a dog. He responds when you talk directly to him, and he responds to certain words. So, those are obviously the words that he understands. We wanted them to talk to him so that you, as the reader, know what’s being said. But we also want to show that Krypto doesn’t care about anything unless what you’re directly saying to him is something he thinks is important.

Ulanowski: Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #4 made me cry.

Norton: It made me cry while I was drawing it. It was awful to draw. And like I told you before, I had to ask the editors several times because I didn’t believe them when they said, “Yes, you can draw this in the comic book.” I was sure that somebody higher up would see it and go, “No, you cannot sell this to kids.” But yeah, they let it through. They just put a warning in the book, and I appreciate them for that.

Ulanowski: Why haven’t you brought back your political cartoon, Lil’ Donnie?

Norton: When I started Lil’ Donnie back during the first time, I was full of furious rage. Not that I’m not now, but I was definitely more of a “I have to find a way to express this and show my point in all of this”. I didn’t make it through the whole presidency. I stopped because, after a while, it became too much of a grind. And I was like, “I have a job. I have to draw other comic books. This guy, I don’t want him to beat me.”

Ulanowski: Yeah, you drew three new Lil’ Donnie comic strips every week.

Norton: And often, I’d draw the same strip over because he would do something that day. I would be like, “Well, I got to draw something about this instead.” So, I realized after the first volume that I was like, “This guy is beating me. I don’t like that. So, I just decided to ignore him. And once he was gone, I was like, “Well, that’s it.” And now he’s come back. And there’s something different about it now. I know so many more people who are affected more this time than the first time.

Ulanowski: Yet, there’s less art about it.

Norton: I watched a thing with Conan O’Brien, who really put it succinctly. And he’s like, the reason he doesn’t do jokes about Trump is because it’s not funny. He can’t find humor in it. Everything he does is a parody of a parody. And it’s like, you can’t make something funny out of something so absurd that is actually happening. You can parody it, but it’s not funny because it’s literally what’s happening. And so, I reached that point too, where it’s like I don’t find anything cathartic about it. It only makes me angry.

I don’t think it’s helping other people, and it’s definitely not helping me. It started a very serious, deep depression that I’m just now crawling out of. And like I said before, I don’t like that this guy, who should be at the bottom of the pit somewhere, is getting one over on me. So, I’m just leaving it alone until I let nature take its course, and we can all have a parade.

Ulanowski: Something that made Lil’ Donnie stand out was the way you drew different members of the Trump Administration, like Kellyanne Conway, as a ghost.

Norton: That was the part that I had fun with because that’s using my skills. Mitch McConnell reminded me of a dried apple doll that they make in East Tennessee. And I was like, “Well, that’s where he’s from. He totally would be a haunted dried apple doll.” I tried to make these obscure references that I hope people got, but if they didn’t, I didn’t care. And so, that was the part that kept me sane. But eventually, it was just too much all the time. That part was the part I enjoyed - exercising that muscle.

Ulanowski: That was the best part.

Norton: I’m glad you say that. Because, I mean, not a lot of people are putting the musician Steve Miller in their Trump parodies. That makes me laugh. I don’t know if it makes anybody else laugh, but it makes me laugh. And I need to laugh.

Ulanowski: Why do you love comics?

Norton: The milestones in my early life were cartoons – Star Wars and the comic books my dad would bring home on his way home from work every day. He would stop at a gas station back when they had comic books at a gas station. And he’d bring me home Spider-Man comics. And I was like, “There’s nothing better in the world than being able to see a story like this.”

When you’re a young kid and you’re learning how to read, you feel like you’re figuring something out. And that’s so personal. You know that other people are doing this, but it feels like only I know about this. Even though this is a million-copy published book that other people are buying, you’re like, “This is my thing.” And so, when it’s such an intimate relationship, of course, you want that to go on forever. From an early age, that was the only thing I wanted to do – be able to talk to other people that way.

I feel like I may have done that, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. All I want to do is this, anyway. It’s like it’s in my programming now. And so, I just do it for me. That’s all I care about is telling stories this way. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s the only thing I ever want to do. It’s like breathing at this point.

Ulanowski: Well, thank you for your time.

Norton: Thank you. I’m glad we actually did this.

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As previously stated, my upcoming book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, will be available for pre-order on Kickstarter in the coming days. The Kickstarter will also offer postcards, bookmarks, prints and the option to order my other books. The campaign will launch on May 4, the Monday after Free Comic Book Day, and run through June 3.

Typically, this is a monthly newsletter. However, I’ll send out a Special Announcement to my Substack subscribers with more details about the Kickstarter and the book. Stay tuned.

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), an annual convention owned by ReedPop, was held at McCormick Place in Chicago from Friday, March 27, through Sunday, March 29. It featured attendees in costumes, over 500 artists and comic creators in Artist Alley, hundreds of panels, over a dozen celebrity guests and onsite comic book grading and signature authentication from Certified Guaranty Company (CGC). About 100,000 people attended C2E2 2026, according to a ReedPop press release.

I hosted, organized and moderated the ‘Why Horror Comics?’ panel on Saturday, from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. in Room S405-A, and the ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ panel on Sunday, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in Room S404-B. Horror comic creators Tim Seeley, Alton Simpson, Tom Kelly and Dan Mendoza joined me on stage for the ‘Why Horror Comics?’ panel. Simpson joined me again at the ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ panel, along with Kickstarter comic creators Dan Parent, Joseph Duis and Eric Palicki.

Before ‘Why Horror Comics?,’ I caught up with Mendoza in Artist Alley, and he expressed what the saying “comics will break your heart” means to him. Also, in my interview with CGC Comics president Matt Nelson, he discussed the origins of third-party comic book grading and the different types of paper used for printing, depending on the time period.

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Horror Creators Share Laughs and Reflections at the ‘Why Horror Comics?’ Panel

Tim Seeley, Alton Simpson, Tom Kelly and Dan Mendoza Join Me on Stage

“Just like there are different types of horror movies, from slashers to psychological horror to campy monster movies, the same is also true for horror comic books,” I said during my opening remarks at the ‘Why Horror Comics?’ panel on Saturday.

After pausing briefly, I added, “Unfortunately, Kat Calamia and Phil Falco of Lifeline Comics aren’t here today, but we have the one and only Dan Mendoza here.”

I wanted to acknowledge the loss without dwelling on it. At the same time, I couldn’t downplay how exciting it was that Mendoza was on stage with us. Mendoza wrote and drew Zombie Tramp #13, a comic I called “one of the best horror comics ever made” in a review published by CBR in Jan. 2025.

Calamia and Falco were originally scheduled to be on stage at both my panels at C2E2 2026. The next day, in my opening speech at ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’, I explained they couldn’t make it due to a family emergency, adding, “but we have the one and only Eric Palicki with us.”

Seeley, co-creator of Hack-Slash and Revival, told the ‘Why Horror Comics?’ panel audience why he sees comics as an effective way to tell a horror story.

“There’s a relationship in comics, which is the panels, and then between them is the gutter. […] I told you what was in the panel - here’s some characters, here’s some mood, here’s some lighting, here’s some background. And in the gutter is you - you did that, I implied it.’

“Comics are great for horror because it’s all about you participating in this process,” Seeley said. “If you think about most horror movies, if you see the monster right away, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m out.’ But if the monster is implied, and you do a lot of work, it’s far better. And comics have that advantage completely.”

“You don’t have a soundtrack,” Kelly said, emphasizing why building mood is crucial in a horror comic. “You don’t have an actor or an actress to save you if the writing’s a little weak.”

Simpson said that when he wrote Vampires of New Jersey, Witches of Westchester and Werewolves of Brooklyn, he was inspired by people he met at a gothic nightclub in the 1990s who believed they were real vampires, witches and werewolves.

“I was fascinated by whether or not people believe that, as we know vampires and werewolves, or is it just how they choose to live?’

“I wrote about an underground vampire club in Newark, New Jersey,” Simpson said, referring to QXT’s Night Club, adding that the club contacted him six months later. “The head vampire is Madam X. She became a friend of mine. She invited me up for a couple of events.”

Kelly reflected on how his interpretation of Mary Shelley’s original Frankenstein novel from 1818 inspired him to create Foot Fist Frankenstein.

“My main character is Frankenstein’s monster. And you read Mary Shelly’s book, and you realize the monster’s the good guy,” Kelly said. “I explored the father-and-son element in my book. You make your own monster and then have to deal with it because it’s your responsibility. Or you don’t because you’re a shitty dad, and then he comes back for you.”

Mendoza said that when he created Zombie Tramp in 2009, he was in a different place in life, and it was easier to write about someone committing deadly violence against abusive men and other wicked, power-hungry individuals.

“Everything was done from the standpoint of a female character who’s had a terrible life. She’s been through human trafficking and all this other bad stuff. And then on top of all of that, one day, she gets turned into a zombie. […] I started doing all these stories about people in general who are the worst of people, and she became a beacon of bad karma.’

“It was 16 years ago when this started. I was a completely different person. I was very morbid and hateful towards the world. So, it was easier to write her,” Mendoza said. “I’m 51 now, so I’ve kind of, like, matured.”

The audience laughed.

“You became a good person, and you ruined everything,” Seeley said, making the audience laugh harder.

Kickstarter Creators Talked Self-Publishing at the ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ Panel

Dan Parent, Alton Simpson, Joseph Duis and Eric Palicki Join Me on Stage

“We don’t have to ‘get published’ to have a book,” I said in my opening remarks at the ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ panel on Sunday, quoting the Acknowledgments in my 2023 horror novel Massacre at the Comic Shop. “The more successful your self-published book is, the more you’re showing these companies that, like a straight-shaving razor, the old ways are unnecessary.”

“The stuff on Kickstarter – it’s unfiltered,” Parent said, describing why comic book fans should support crowdfunding campaigns. “People are putting their ideas and their projects up there that haven’t gone through corporate companies. They haven’t been through editors who make you change things and revise things.”

Palicki said that Manticore, a 56-page hardcover graphic novel written by Palicki and drawn by Chris Peterson, is “not something that an American publisher is going to be interested in,” adding that comics like Manticore are more popular in Europe.

“This is something that I can put on Kickstarter and find an audience,” Palicki said. “Whereas, most of the publishers you think of off the bat aren’t going to touch this kind of a book, if only for the expense of production. Making a hardcover is quite a bit more expensive than a softcover.”

“Doing Kickstarter has allowed me to continue making comics for over 10 years,” Duis said.

‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ panelists discussed stretch goals, add-ons and reward tiers offered to supporters of their Kickstarter campaigns.

“My most successful add-on is just a Dropbox link to that entire back catalog of comics [I’ve made.] It costs me nothing to make it, aside from my yearly subscription to Dropbox,” Palicki said. “Anyone who backs my Kickstarter at that tier level has access to 400 or 500 pages of additional material.”

Duis said that his Kickstarter campaigns have offered lapel pins depicting the medieval symbol, the Order of the Dragon, as it appeared in Order of Dracula, a comic book series written by Duis, drawn by various artists, including Don Cardenas, and published by Heresy Studios LLC.

Parent said that if a Kickstarter campaign for Die Kitty Die, a comic book series he writes and draws with Fernando Ruiz, raises a certain amount of funds, the books are automatically upgraded from a paperback to a hardcover.

“If you’re doing stretch goals, you need to know before you launch how much your stretch goals are going to be, what your backer or your monetary threshold is going to be for that stretch goal,” Duis said. “It’s just like setting your campaign length or campaign goal. All that stuff you need to figure out ahead of time.”

“It’s okay to fail, as long as you learn from your mistakes,” Simpson said.

Simpson fondly recalled meeting indie filmmaker Kevin Smith after copies of his comic sold out at Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, a comic shop that Smith owns in Red Bank, New Jersey.

“I told Kevin, ‘You’re the indie guy that inspires everybody,’” Simpson said. “You shot a movie with this guy’s money, and this guy’s credit card, and you made it. […] When I look out, I see hundreds of Kevin Smiths. And he literally started tearing up, and we started hugging.”

Near the end of both ‘Why Horror Comics?’ and ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’, I showed audience members Jorge Santiago Jr.’s cover artwork for my upcoming book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, available for pre-order on Kickstarter this May.

CGC Comics President Matt Nelson Explains the Origins of Third-party Comic Book Grading

Due to the Cover Paper Stock, Silver Age Comic Books can be in Worse Condition than Older Comics

In my interview with Nelson, he said that before CGC was founded 26 years ago, collectors often had to take the seller’s word for it when determining the condition of a comic book.

“Grading back then was subjective because typically the person grading the book was the one selling it or buying it,” Nelson said. “There was an ulterior motive. The money motive was in there, which can sometimes affect the accuracy of the grade. So, with CGC, being an independent, third-party grading service, it took that factor out of the equation.”

Nelson clarified that this wasn’t the only reason CGC was established, but it was “a side effect.”

“CGC wasn’t meant to go in and police the hobby. But inevitably, it did make people fall in line with making sure they weren’t pulling any shenanigans on collectors,” Nelson said.

Today, many collectors use CGC because of how the comic book looks in the CGC holder, Nelson said, adding that “it frames it real nice.” If a collector gets a CGC employee to witness a comic book signing at a convention like C2E2, the signature can be authenticated with a yellow label.

Nelson said that throughout the 20^th century, most comic books were made with pulp paper. Pulp replaced higher-quality, more expensive types of printing paper, such as parchment paper, that were more commonly used in the 19^th century.

“Pretty much everything printed on paper from the late 1800s all the way through the 20^th century was pulp – and degrades at a faster rate because it has acids in the paper,” Nelson said.

Comic books from the 1950s and 1960s often have lower grades than their Golden Age counterparts, despite being newer, because of the paper stock on the covers, Nelson said.

“The interior pages are kind of the same, but the cover stock on Golden Age books is thicker. So, it holds up better to defects – handling defects and also aging defects,” Nelson said. “The Silver Age comics were printed on very thin paper.”

Zombie Tramp Creator Reveals What “Comics Will Break Your Heart” Means to Him

As I explained in my Aug. 15, 2025 Substack article, “comics will break your heart” is an adage attributed to Jack Kirby, the co-creator of the Marvel Universe. While talking to Mendoza in Artist Alley, he made known what those words mean to him, saying:

Mendoza said he sees another meaning in “comics will break your heart,” adding:

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If you want to hear the entire audio of my ‘Why Horror Comics?’ and ‘Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?’ panels at C2E2 2026 or my interview with Nelson about CGC Comics, I posted all three to my YouTube channel.

I also interviewed Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton artist Mike Norton at C2E2 2026, but I’m saving this reporting for my Friday, May 1 newsletter.

Lastly, as previously stated, I plan on launching the Kickstarter for my upcoming book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, in May. Follow me on Kickstarter to stay tuned.

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the plot and ending of I Fell for a Commie, a public domain comic from the 1950s that can be read for free online.

I Fell for a Commie is a 9-page comic written by an unknown writer, drawn by Charles Sultan and published by Quality Comics in Love Secrets #32 in 1953. It was a bizarre piece of Cold War-era propaganda that didn’t even attempt to argue its pro-capitalist, pro-imperialist perspective. There was nothing in the text or subtext that gave readers a compelling reason to be against communism. Instead, I Fell for a Commie presented its anti-communist viewpoint as a given that every reader already believed.

The story began with Gladys, a young woman, at the employment office looking for work. Sam, a bearded man, was loudly complaining that despite being a veteran, he struggled to survive while the wealthy and well-connected never faced the same hardship. Gladys didn’t meaningfully argue with Sam and only objected to his proclamation that she was “all worn out and tired” like him. Because Sam was considered to be disturbing the peace, the police were called, and he was thrown out of the building. Gladys, who was seen talking to Sam, and his friend Tom, the titular commie in I Fell for a Commie, were ejected with him.

Gladys fell in love with Tom in I Fell for a Commie after knowing him for a few days, only for Tom to unexpectedly break up with her. Gladys then spotted him in a car with a woman she knew, Ruth, so she asked her the next day if they were dating. Ruth said “no,” explaining that she belonged to the Young Americans Club and that Tom was another member. When Gladys attended a Young Americans Club meeting, she was greeted with signs reading “Stalin is Your Friend” and “Lenin and Soviet Russia.” Gladys quickly realized it was a communist organization. She joined and regularly attended its meetings to be close to Tom again.

For most of I Fell for a Commie, Gladys bit her tongue, nodded along and pretended to agree with Tom and his friends’ communist ideas. The reader was meant to root for someone too insincere and cowardly to communicate her staunch disagreements with the man she professed to love.

At one point, Gladys thought to herself:

In other words, Gladys believed it was wrong to question the motives or morality of her government. In Gladys’ view, there was no sound reason for an American to question nationalism, imperialism or capitalism. She dismissed Tom’s sentiments as his judgment being clouded by a lengthy Cold War with no end in sight. It never occurred to Gladys that Tom might have a point about the government or that his friends’ views stemmed from legitimate frustrations with their material conditions.

I Fell for a Commie equated communism with sympathy for Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union, suggesting that communist ideas are nothing more or less than allegiance to a foreign government. However, even someone with the most basic, cursory understanding of communism should know better. The last sentence of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and the most famous quote from the book, was “Workers of the world, unite!” Even if the Communist Party USA was sympathetic to Stalin in the 1950s, communist philosophy has never been about loyalty to any government. It’s about solidarity with the global working class.

The first page of Love Secrets #32 had a half-page advertisement for weight-loss tablets. It featured a drawing of a woman in her underwear, standing on a scale, weighing herself, and excited to have lost weight. The ad also depicted a man whispering to another man, “Nice girl, alright, but she’s too fat for me.”

The ad’s unmistakable message was that women must buy weight-loss products to be loved. It read:

Looking at this ad in Love Secrets #32, nearly 75 years later, it feels like a parody that would be in The Onion or on a late-night television show. It looks like it was explicitly made to satirize how commercialism and consumerism can erode women’s self-confidence. Did Quality Comics see the irony of publishing an ad like this right before I Fell for a Commie, a story telling readers that socialism, not capitalism, was the problem? It’s extremely plausible that they didn’t, and this was pure shamelessness.

The Out of this World blog joked in 2010 that I Fell for a Commie was “authored by Senator Joe McCarthy himself during his spare time between witch hunts.” As I mentioned in my Substack article, Three Great Moments in Superman Comics, McCarthy led Senate hearings in 1953 and 1954 about suspected communists. The targets were academics, schoolteachers, labor organizers, politicians, actors, screenwriters, scientists, journalists and others. If someone expressed left-of-center views, including supporting civil rights or opposing United States foreign policy, or engaged in same-sex relations, they were scrutinized and often removed from public life.

As McCarthy said in 1953, the year I Fell for a Commie was published:

If this I Fell for a Commie review sounds too harsh, understand that McCarthyism couldn’t have succeeded without the proliferation of anti-communist propaganda in the 1940s and 1950s. Also, I Fell for a Commie wasn’t really written by McCarthy but by an exploited worker who was never credited for their work – a common practice in the comic book industry before the late 1960s.

Near the end of I Fell for a Commie, Gladys snapped and threatened to report the Young Americans Club to the authorities for treason. Responding to this, the organization threatened to kill her. This plot point is laughably absurd.

As the second-to-last paragraph of The Communist Manifesto said:

In other words, according to Marx and Engels, a socialist revolution is only possible if its organizers clarify their plans and goals to the world. If American communists in 1953 were deathly afraid of people discovering what they believed, it was largely because of McCarthyism and Red Scare propaganda, like I Fell for a Commie. Additionally, even if this comic were a memoir rather than fiction, it would be a poor reflection of the Young Americans Club, not communism itself.

The final panels of Fell for a Commie revealed that Tom wasn’t a communist after all. He was an FBI agent tasked with infiltrating left-wing activist groups to investigate and disrupt their activities. The reader was supposed to find comfort and relief in this plot twist. Thank God for our brave federal agents keeping us safe from workers organizing and anti-war protesters! Isn’t it wonderful that Tom wasn’t actually a communist but an undercover cop and an outside agitator? This is a happy ending, don’t you know? Three cheers for the American empire – Rah! Rah! Rah!

As a romance comic, I Fell for a Commie is beyond boring. Other than their ideological differences, the reader was given no reason to care about Gladys and Tom. When the couple kissed, it looked like two manikins with their faces pressed together. There isn’t a single panel in this comic with an interesting or emotive facial expression. I originally planned to review I Fell for a Commie for the month of Valentine’s Day, but that would’ve been an insult to lovers everywhere.

What’s most remarkable about I Fell for a Commie and similar media from the same time period is that it doesn’t even seem like effective propaganda. Nevertheless, somehow, it was effective. That’s what’s so disheartening about it. To this day, Americans never fully recovered from the hangover that came after being peddled nonsense like I Fell for a Commie, terrified of anything that could be construed as “socialism.” This says something pretty bleak about the gullibility of humankind.

I Fell for a Commie isn’t a comic that’s so bad, it’s good. It’s just bad. Unless you’re a culture critic or fascinated by Red Scare propaganda, it’s not even worth reading out of morbid curiosity. I Fell for a Commie is humorless, poorly written trash. It’s only remembered because it’s the product of a time when Americans, especially middle-of-the-road Americans in the suburbs, lost their fucking minds.

Rating: 1 out of 10.

Love Secrets #32 is in the public domain and can be read for free, including the ads, at ComicBookPlus.com. I Fell for a Commie was reprinted in Weird Love #1, a comic book anthology reprinting Silver Age romance comics, published by IDW Publishing in collaboration with Yoe Books in 2014.

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I’m excited to share that I’ll be moderating two panels at C2E2 in three weeks. Both will feature a star-studded cast of creators from mainstream and indie comics with diverse outlooks and resumes.

My panel, Why Horror Comics?, is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in room S405-A. My other panel, Why Comic Book Crowdfunding?, will be held on Sunday, March 29, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., also in Room S405-A.

Also, I plan to launch the Kickstarter for my first nonfiction book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist, not long afterwards. The book will collect my Substack pieces, be professionally edited and include additional material to tie into my underlying thesis and fit the format of a book. Truth Before Comfort will feature cover artwork by Jorge Santiago, Jr., a foreword by Phil Falco, a preface, an afterword and an index.

Audience members at my C2E2 panels will be the first to see the Truth Before Comfort cover artwork.

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Robert Macauley choked up while reading an excerpt from his book, Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul, at the 15th annual Book of the Year Awards, hosted by the Chicago Writers Association (CWA), on Friday evening, Jan. 23.

The CWA is a collective of authors and other writers, mostly based in the Chicago area, that provides networking, bookselling and learning opportunities and promotes its members online through a CWA Member Directory.

Because I Knew You won Best Traditional Nonfiction. Other awards included Best Indie Nonfiction, Best Traditional Fiction and Best Indie Fiction. This year, for the first time, the CWA added Best Traditional Poetry and Best Indie Poetry.

For a book to qualify for Book of the Year, it had to be published between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. The contest was submission-based and open to CWA members and nonmembers, but nonmembers had to pay a higher fee to submit their book.

The Book of the Year award ceremony had previously been held at the Warwick Allerton Hotel in downtown Chicago. This year, it was moved to The Book Cellar, an independently owned bookstore in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Several dozen people attended the event, including CWA members, other book lovers and the award winners’ friends and family. The Book Cellar served wine and lattes to attendees.

Award winners gave short speeches and read excerpts from their books.

Macauley was the last speaker of the evening. He said this placement wasn’t accidental but something he requested because of the highly emotional nature of his selected reading.

Because I Knew You, the book Macauley read from, is about his experiences as a palliative care physician who treats children, the life-threateningly ill kids he’s known, their families and how this profession helped him overcome his trauma as a survivor of child abuse.

WebMD described palliative care physicians as doctors who “prevent and ease suffering for people who have serious illnesses or who need end-of-life care.”

Macauley, a Portland, Oregon resident, has been a pediatric palliative care physician for about 20 years and practices at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Macauley read aloud one of the two stories in the chapter When Hello Means Goodbye. It was about telling two parents that their unborn triplets couldn’t survive, as it was months before viability.

According to Because I Knew You, the triplets were born prematurely and lived for about 25 minutes. Following Macauley’s advice, the parents held their offspring for their entire lives, accepting the reality of their fates instead of denying it.

Macauley said he had to give these parents “the cool, hard truth,” explaining that their best option was comfort care rather than fruitlessly attempting to save the triplets’ lives. While truth and comfort can often be at odds, Macauley said in his line of work, they go hand in hand.

I caught up with Macauley about a week after the Book of the Year Awards and chatted with him on the phone. He discussed palliative care, Because I Knew You, how he feels about winning Best Traditional Nonfiction and his philosophy on truth and comfort.

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Nick Ulanowski: Who am I talking to?

Robert Macauley: This is Bob Macauley. I’m a pediatric palliative care doc in Portland, Oregon, and I just wrote a memoir about the work that I do with kids who are dealing with serious illness.

Ulanowski: How do you and your colleagues provide comfort to seriously ill kids and their families?

Macauley: We have a team made up of physicians as well as a nurse, social worker, chaplain and art therapist. So, when we get involved with a patient, being that we do pediatrics, it’s rarely just the patient. It’s usually the family as well for understandable reasons. We try to get to know them really well – what’s important to them, the things that they really want to achieve, the things that they’re afraid of happening, where their sources of support come from, how they look at life and how they manage in really difficult situations.

Once we get to know them, we try to craft a treatment plan that reflects their goals and values. If the patient is having symptoms, whether that’s pain, nausea or a lot of other symptoms, we try to help with that both using medication and non-pharmacologic things. And then, we try to support them through what is really an incredibly difficult road that no one is ever prepared for because no one should ever have to walk. And we continue to walk with them down that road wherever it may lead.

Sometimes, it leads to the child’s death, despite all the stuff we’re trying to do to help them, and we support them through that. Sometimes, kids are amazing. They get better.

Ulanowski: That sounds like a tough job.

Macauley: I’ve had many parents that I’ve worked with say, “You know, you have such a tough job,” and I’ll always reply that I know of one job that is a million times harder than mine, which is theirs. I’m walking alongside them, but I’m not walking that path the way they are, because it’s not my child.

I work in academic medicine. Meaning, I work for a university. My job is not only to take care of kids, but it’s also to write articles, teach and all the other things that come with academia. And for me, that’s kind of a lifeline.

I have periods of time where I’m on duty at the hospital. We usually do a week at a time. And when I’m doing that, that’s kind of all I do. The rest of the time, when I’m not on duty, until my next week rolls around, I get to do the other stuff - the teaching and the writing. That’s very restorative for me because it lets me pay attention to myself, do a little self-care and make sure that I’m able to bring my best self to the work that I do.

Ulanowski: Still, what I imagine would be uniquely tough about a job like this is seeing this suffering over and over again. How do you manage that emotionally?

Macauley: There is a cumulative effect here. You go through one really tough situation with a family, and that’s hard. It adds up after a while.

One story I tell in the book is about a family that I worked with, probably about 15 years ago. They had a baby who was born with a very rare condition. We had to work through a lot of stuff, and he survived. He’s still alive now, living his best life, and is an incredible soul. It was really hard at the beginning, and I got to be pretty tight with this family. The dad and I got to be friends.

A few years later, we went to a music festival together with our families. We were sitting together, listening to music. He turned to me and said, “I finally figured out what it is you do.” I was like, “Well, cool, tell me. I’m dying to know what you think I do because I’m trying to figure it out myself.” And he said, “You take a really crappy situation, and you make it less crappy.” He didn’t say “crappy,” but we’ll keep it PG-rated. And I was like, “Yeah, that’s true.”

For some people, they’re like, “Well, that’s nothing.” I’m like, “No, it’s actually a really big deal.” Do I make everything all better? No. Do I take away everyone’s sadness? No. But do I make something that’s so unfair and so hard a little less hard? I’d like to think I do, and I’d like to think that means something.

Ulanowski: How are you feeling about your book, Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul, winning Best Traditional Non-Fiction at the Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year Awards?

Macauley: I am so honored. I guess technically, by the dictionary definition, I can now call myself an “award-winning author.” I guess I’m allowed to do that - not that I’m going to in casual conversation. But I’m amazed by that. I have a big imposter syndrome.

Smart people, if they have an idea for a nonfiction book, they write a proposal and they get some publisher who says, “Yeah, if you write it, I’ll publish it.” I did it the other way. I just wrote it. It’s so personal that I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to write it. So, I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep.

So, I wrote it, and that took a couple of years. When I was done, I was like, “Okay, I’ve got to try to get this out in the world.” I think I probably stopped counting rejections at 50 or more. I don’t remember how many I got. I tried everything - anything and everything that I knew. There was a period of time there where I was like, “I put too much heart and soul into this thing. I will get it out in the world somehow.”

If you had said to me, “Actually, you will eventually find a publisher, and you’re going to win this award from the CWA, I would have been like, “No freaking way.” So, I feel incredibly blessed.

Ulanowski: Why does Because I Knew You have two blank pages in the middle of the book?

Macauley: The intention of it was to lead the reader to a point of like, “Okay, I’ve been looking for this answer. This is the guy. He’s not the best ever, but he seems pretty well-equipped to answer it.” And then there’s nothing. And to sort of drop people into the nothingness.

I don’t have an answer. What I can do is I can enter into that suffering with them, and the injustice and the unfairness of it. If people want to write things in there, they certainly can, but it was more my intention to say that there is no easy answer. Maybe there is no answer, and I’m not going to come up with one.

Ulanowski: Tell me about the excerpt from Because I Knew You that you read at the Book of the Year Awards.

Macauley: There was a mom who came into the hospital during very, very early labor – too early and too premature for the babies to survive. And she was carrying triplets.

One option would have been when they said, “Could you try to save our babies?,” the team could’ve said “no” because it was not going to be possible. But they couldn’t bring themselves to do that. Because you have these parents who, in the course of a day, went from thinking they had four or five more months in order to prepare for their baby’s arrival to saying, “Oh my gosh, they’re coming now, and we’re going to lose them.” And it was just heartbreaking.

So, the team was all ready to go. The parents were asking for maximal treatment, and I met with the parents on a couple of occasions over the course of the evening. At length, I got to know them and told them, “There’s really no chance your babies are going to survive.” And they very understandably said, “Well, we can’t not even try.”

I ended up sharing with them a bit of a different perspective that came to me in the moment during that conversation. I said, “Look, if we go down this path, your babies are going to die, and they’re going to die in the ICU, after having gone through a whole lot of stuff. And if we choose a different path and focus on comfort, then you can hold them for their entire lives.”

It felt to me that that different perspective was very meaningful to them. They talked more and eventually decided to focus on comfort when the babies were born. And they did indeed hold them for their entire, very brief lives. During their lives, all they knew were their parents’ arms and not all the different procedures that we have to do in the intensive care unit.

Ulanowski: It sounds to me like you, ironically, chose truth before comfort by telling them the truth that they needed to hear.

Macauley: I certainly think I told them the truth. I think there are many ways to tell the truth. I don’t mean to obfuscate or say we’re playing fast and loose with the facts, but there are different ways of telling the truth.

So, one of the things we do in our work is we use big words, like strong words like “death.” We don’t use euphemisms. I don’t talk about people “passing away,” “moving on” or stuff like that. We name what is going to happen. And I think that’s really important because otherwise people may misunderstand, or we might sugarcoat something that deserves to be spoken plainly and understandably.

One of the things that sometimes people think is that truth and comfort are two different things. Like, you have to choose one or the other. You can be really sweet and sugarcoat things, and that’s the comfort side, or you could be blunt and speak the cool, hard truth, which is the truth side. I don’t actually think that they’re diametrically opposed. I think there are ways you can speak the truth in an unkind fashion. I certainly would never want anyone to do that. But I think that if we try to sugarcoat things or soft-pedal things, then I think that ends up leading to more suffering because people may misunderstand.

It also overlooks the fact that there’s no getting away or avoiding the fact that this is terrible stuff. Like, parents are supposed to have babies that outlive them, that they care for through their childhood and that they watch grow up. That’s what’s supposed to happen. Sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s awful. And if we try to not acknowledge that or try to make it seem like it’s not so bad, then I think that, first of all, it’s not very truthful. And second of all, I don’t actually think that’s very comforting because parents and kids, they understand way more than I think we give them credit for.

The number of times someone has said to me, “These parents, they just don’t get it.” I’m like, “No, I think they get it.” I just think they’re having a hard time processing it because their heart’s breaking. So, our job is not to force them to confront something. Our job is to walk with them as they come to understand this thing that we’ve told them.

Ulanowski: Well, Robert, thank you for your time, and have a great rest of your day.

Macauley: Thank you so much, Nick. I really appreciate it. You’re welcome. Have a good one.

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If you enjoyed this interview, you can tip me on Venmo. My Venmo username is @Nick-Ulanowski, and the last four digits of my phone number are 8844.

A Christmas Carol, originally titled A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, is a novella written by the British author Charles Dickens in 1843. It’s been adapted into hundreds of movies and television specials. The story is a mainstay for annual Christmas plays across North America and the United Kingdom. Comic publishers have paid homage to A Christmas Carol with titles like Zombies Christmas Carol from Marvel and Red Sonja 2021 Holiday Special from Dynamite Entertainment. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy landlord in London who hates Christmas, being haunted by the ghost of Jacob Marley and three spirits who show him the past, the present and a potential future, is iconic.

There are parts of the book that are missing in most adaptations of A Christmas Carol, somewhat obscuring Dickens' redistributionist message. In one scene, Scrooge’s bedroom was filled with phantoms, who were wealthy, now dead and agonizing over their lack of consideration for social welfare in life. In another, the Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge that miners, lighthouse workers and sailors were laboring under abhorrent working conditions. Lastly, two starving children, named Ignorance and Want, were revealed to be at the feet of the Ghost of Christmas Present. A Christmas Carol was an explicit condemnation of London’s ruling class and an expression of proletariat rage. Meaning, Scrooge’s social standing was directly responsible for the suffering of the city’s working class, a problem that could only be fixed by systemic change, not charitable acts.

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A Christmas Carol Crossed Over with the Muppets and Red Sonja

The 1971 Animated Movie is One of the Closest to Charles Dickens’ Source Material

The Muppet Christmas Carol, a 1992 Disney movie directed by Brian Henson and starring Michael Caine, is one of the most popular adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Caine played Scrooge, Gonzo the Great played Dickens, narrating the story, Rizzo the Rat accompanied Dickens as an audience surrogate and various Muppets played other characters from A Christmas Carol. Unlike many adaptations, The Muppets Christmas Carol understood that Dickens had a sense of humor. It was a heartfelt movie, featuring memorable songs and bits of dialogue and narration taken word-for-word from the original novel.

Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, was split into two people, Jacob Marley and Robert Marley, in The Muppets Christmas Carol. Statler and Waldof, the heckling Muppets, played the Marley brothers. Despite everything great about the film, this was a mistake. It would’ve been better if a new Muppet had been created for Marley, like what the filmmakers did for the three Christmas ghosts.

As the narration in the fourth paragraph of A Christmas Carol said:

Scrooge and Marley were frequently mistaken for one another in the original novel. Marley’s death was exclusively mourned by Scrooge, an experience that helped propel him to change his ways. Scrooge didn’t want to end up like Marley, but knew he’d been living his life the same way. The Muppets Christmas Carol traded this clever subtext for a cheap laugh by comparing Marley to trash-talking hecklers instead of Scrooge himself. When Marley and Marley appeared again in The Muppets Christmas Carol, at a Christmas party shown to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Past, young Scrooge didn’t even interact with them.

To borrow an observation from YouTube video essayist The Obsession Labyrinth, Marley is often comic relief in A Christmas Carol adaptations, not just The Muppets Christmas Carol. However, as she pointed out in her excellent video, The Disturbing Reality Behind A Christmas Carol, there was nothing comical or relieving about the character in the way Dickens portrayed him. As will be discussed in the next section, Marley expressed several pages worth of regret and remorse, eternally agonizing over the indifference he had shown in life.

A Christmas Carol (1971), a 25-minute, animated, made-for-television movie, was one of the closest adaptations of the source material. It’s the only A Christmas Carol adaptation to win an Oscar, having won Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards in 1972, and is currently streaming for free on YouTube. While A Christmas Carol (1971) didn’t reflect Dickens’ sense of humor to the same degree as The Muppets Christmas Carol, it effectively depicted some of the more frightening images from the original novel. It also showed how Scrooge wasn’t just a sinful man, but part of a larger economic system where London’s ruling class was responsible for the suffering of its poor population. A Christmas Carol (1971) might have been the only A Christmas Carol film or television adaptation where the proletariat rage expressed by Dickens was on full display.

Red Sonja comic books featured a take on A Christmas Carol in Sonja’s Carol, a 10-page comic written by Mirka Andolfo and Luca Blengino and drawn by Zulema Lavina. Sonja’s Carol was published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2021 in Red Sonja 2021 Holiday Special, currently available for purchase on GrahamCrackers.com.

Red Sonja is a highly skilled, ancient warrior with red hair, a sword and an impenetrable, metal bikini. She was created for Marvel Comics by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith in 1973. Originally, she was essentially a genderbent Conan the Barbarian, whom she appeared alongside in the early years. Since Dynamite bought the rights to the character in 2005, Red Sonja has appeared with Vampirella, a scantily clad, pansexual, vampiric alien, in comics such as Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica and Vampirella vs. Red Sonja.

Sonja’s Carol wasn’t a straight adaptation of A Christmas Carol, but it featured some of its most iconic story beats and echoed its more uncomfortable themes. In Sonja’s Carol, Red Sonja was a paid assassin for Draken, a tyrannical king in Vanheim. While drinking alone in her snow-covered cabin, she was visited by a spirit who showed her the past, the present and a potential future. The spirit showed Red Sonja that she’d been killing innocent people for the king, and if she continued on this path, she could die alone and unmourned in the woods at the hands of a vengeful Vanheim citizen. Red Sonja cried into the palm of her hand, realizing the error of her ways. The comic ended with Red Sonja staring angrily at the king and drawing her sword.

A Christmas Carol Condemned the Ruling Class, Not Just Scrooge

Three Christmas Ghosts Showed Scrooge Difficult Truths About London’s Working Class

The first ghost to haunt Scrooge on Christmas Eve was his business partner, Marley, who died exactly seven years ago on that very night. Marley had a distinctive pigtail, which stayed a part of his appearance as an apparition. Nevertheless, Marley was now translucent and wore a heavy chain, which Dickens described as being made of “cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses wrought in steel.” The chain symbolized the hardship that Scrooge & Marley, the name of Scrooge and Marley’s real estate and moneylending business, inflicted on London’s working class. “I wear the chain I forged in life,” Marley explained to Scrooge, adding, “I made it link by link, yard by yard.”

For several pages, Marley told Scrooge about the tremendous regret he felt for his greed and coldness. When Scrooge complimented him, saying that he was “always a good man of business,” Marley retorted, “mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business.” Immediately after Marley’s Ghost floated out of Scrooge’s home, he saw the ghosts of countless other members of the ruling class outside his window. They all felt the same as Marley in their eternal afterlives.

As Dickens wrote:

In other words, A Christmas Carol wasn’t merely a story about the sins of Scrooge and Marley. It was about the ruling class and the lack of consideration they showed for the well-being of their fellow countrymen. Unfortunately, these phantoms don’t appear in most A Christmas Carol adaptations.

When the Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge around London, he saw grocery shoppers carrying wicker baskets, bakers fastening their aprons and parishioners in their best outfits. The spirit showed these people to Scrooge on Christmas Eve to humanize the working class, a group he, as a wealthy man, believed were inferior to him. Notably, Scrooge’s employee, Bob Cratchit, wasn’t named until this chapter of A Christmas Carol. Previously, he’d been simply referred to as “the clerk,” underscoring the lack of humanity Scrooge had seen in him.

A Christmas Carol adaptations sometimes hint at the destitution in working-class Victorian London. However, they usually omit the scenes where the Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge the miners, lighthouse workers and sailors. The miners lived and worked in a desolate place where almost no plants grew because rainwater was diverted by giant rocks dug from the earth. The sailors worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, listening to the deafening noise of the sea. An older lighthouse worker had a scarred face, damaged by years of laboring in harsh winds. Dickens was expressing contempt for the Industrial Revolution in A Christmas Carol, showing that it came at the cost of environmental devastation and brutal labor conditions.

The Ghost of Christmas Present was a giant in a loose green robe with white fur and a holly wreath around his neck. When he introduced himself to Scrooge, he described himself as young. In most of his interactions with Scrooge, the spirit was full of joy and good humor. That said, throughout the hour, his hair grayed, his demeanor hardened and he said he was about to die. He also revealed a terrifying truth that’s absent from nearly all A Christmas Carol adaptations.

Two starving children, a boy and a girl, had been at the feet of the Ghost of Christmas Present the whole time, clinging to his robe. The children wore ragged clothing and had scowling expressions. The spirit said they weren’t his offspring, but rather, they belonged to humankind. The Ghost of Christmas Present said their names were Ignorance and Want, adding that doom would follow because of them.

Earlier in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge suggested sending the poorest members of society to prisons and workhouses instead of meeting their basic needs. When Scrooge asked the Ghost of Christmas Present if the starving children had any “resource or refuge,” he sarcastically replied, “are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” The spirit and the starving children then departed, leaving Scrooge with the most terrifying ghost of the evening, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

A Christmas Carol, in its original conception, wasn’t about one man’s greed as much as the class structure itself. Dickens was writing about the struggle of the proletariat under capitalism and the lack of accountability faced by the bourgeoisie. When Scrooge agreed to change his ways at the end of A Christmas Carol, it wasn’t primarily because he learned to have compassion for other people. It was Scrooge worrying that he could die alone, hated by everyone around him, including his employees, his city and his family. It was Scrooge dreading what awaited him in the afterlife, as others in the ruling class appeared to forever remain in agony. Lastly, it was Scrooge fearing what may happen to people like him if clerks, miners, sailors, lighthouse workers and hungry families collectively decided that enough was enough.

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In my last Substack article, I said I’d be reviewing Zombies Christmas Carol, a five-issue miniseries published by Marvel, today. Obviously, I didn’t do that. This typically means you can expect my review at a later date, but I’ll be moving away from anything related to Christmas in my Feb. 6 newsletter.

If you enjoyed this analysis of A Christmas Carol, you can tip me on Venmo. My Venmo username is @Nick-Ulanowski, and the last four digits of my phone number are 8844.

The spirit of giving is alive all year round for Mark Weiss, president and founder of ComicBooks for Kids (CB4K), a nonprofit organization based in Saint Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

CB4K ships free boxes of kid-friendly comic books, toys and other goodies to approximately 200 children’s hospitals and other healthcare facilities nationwide, operating out of a few suites in a commercial building.

“Each box weighs about 35 pounds. It has T-shirts, coloring books, comic books for kids, comic books for teens, graphic novels, Funko pops, action figures, Manga and more,” Weiss said, adding that all-ages comics are bagged separately from those rated Teen or Teen+. “So, the hospitals know how to appropriately give out the comic books we send to them.”

Nearly a dozen comic publishers and dozens of retailers donate comics and other products to CB4K, according to CB4K’s website. Collectors also donate comic books, and financial donations help stock CB4K’s inventory.

Weiss, 68, retired from his career in Information Technology shortly after founding CB4K. He said he initially planned to spend only a few hours per week on CB4K, not expecting it to become a full-time endeavor. Providing comic books to kids in hospitals quickly grew into a much larger project than he had anticipated, Weiss said.

CB4K was established in April 2017, days before the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Weiss had previously attended C2E2 for personal enjoyment, but in 2017, he said he was “on a mission” to promote CB4K and recruit publishers, retailers and collectors to donate comic books.

“I didn’t want this to be the Mark Weiss charity. I wanted this to be the comic book industry charity for kids,” Weiss said.

Weiss fondly recalled the moment when he approached the Dark Horse Comics booth at C2E2 2017 and asked if they wanted to be part of CB4K.

 “The lady looks at me, and she goes, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ And I said, ‘Listen, I’ll never turn down a hug, but can I ask why?’” Weiss said.

According to Weiss, the Dark Horse staff member told him that just minutes earlier, another booth attendant had said, “it’s such a shame that we don’t have any organization we could donate these books to that we end up throwing so much away.”

After founding CB4K, Weiss also started ComicBooks for Troops (CB4T), which provides comic books to active-duty members of the United States Military. CB4T operates out of the same warehouse as CB4K.

 “Wolverine popping claws through someone’s neck is not something I want to give to a kid in a hospital,” Weiss said, recalling donations that CB4K has received and explaining the origins of CB4T.

Weiss said that even when providing comic books to the military, his warehouse doesn’t handle M-rated comics.

“The military has told me violence is okay, but we don’t want to distract our soldiers with sex. The military has actually told me that,” Weiss said. “There’s enough pinup material in regular Teen+ comics. […] So, we just make that call to stay away from Mature titles.”

CB4K’s first exclusive variant cover was an Archie #700 cover drawn by Chicago comic book artist Art Baltazar, published in 2018. It featured Archie and the gang as small children rather than teenagers, sitting on a hospital bed and reading comics, with the CB4K logo on the lower-right corner.

Zone Comics & Games, a comic shop in Homewood, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, sold copies of CB4K’s Archie #700 variant, making the store an early supporter of CB4K.

“I decided to support CB4K because I was looking for a way to connect my hobby with my desire to help people,” said Joe Bullaro, former co-owner of Zone Comics & Games. “All great communities need connection and a sense of community to thrive. It also requires an investment into new generations.”

CB4K has published several other variant covers since 2018, including but not limited to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #102 cover by Kevin Eastman and Superman #39 covers by Baltazar, Jerry Ordway and Chrissie Zullo.

In Superman #39, written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, drawn by Barry Kitson and published by DC in 2018, the Justice League visit a group of kids at a children’s hospital, which is why it’s often reprinted for CB4K variant covers.

Baltazar became a CB4K board member earlier this year and illustrated ComicBooks for Kids! #1, an all-ages comic book published by CB4K. He’s appeared on stage with Weiss and his daughter, Michelle Weiss, who helps run the organization, at the annual CB4K panel at C2E2.

“CB4K gives me an opportunity to bring smiles to kids in hospitals through my characters and stories while they read my comics,” Baltazar said. “I love helping these kids. Knowing that I can bring happiness to kids, even for a moment, is very rewarding. I believe in ComicBooks for Kids.”

To donate money to CB4K, visit comicbooksforkids.org/donate. If a publisher, retailer or collector wants to donate comics to CB4K, they can email mark@comicbooksforkids.org.

‘Tis The Season to Read Christmas Comics

Archie Comics, Zenescope Entertainment and Calvin & Hobbes all have Worthwhile Holiday Gems

Archie Comics published Archie’s Christmas Spectacular, a 32-page anthology comic book written and drawn by various writers and artists, on Dec. 3. It’s currently available at your local comic shop, on MidtownComics.com and Archie Comics’ website.

As was discussed in my Substack Article, Betty’s Diary #20 and Betty & Veronica: Senior Year Revealed Reggie’s Softer Side, Archie Comics has been sidelining Reggie Mantle in recent years, making him a less important character. While Reggie isn’t on the cover of Archie’s Christmas Spectacular, he makes an appearance in the first story in the anthology. In Chill Out, a five-page comic written and drawn by Dan Parent, Reggie took Sugarplum, one of Santa’s holiday helpers, on a date to the North Pole High Winter Dance. There was a funny but embarrassing moment in Chill Out when Sugarplum mistakenly believed Reggie was complimenting her. Sugarplum’s facial expression changed from delight to anger after she realized Reggie was calling himself beautiful and irresistible, not her.

Last year, I wrote the article, The 10 Best Calvin and Hobbes Christmas Comics, for CBR. It contains images of ten Christmas-themed Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, along with my analysis of them. I’m very proud of this piece, and reading it would be a great Holiday gift to me. Also, check out my CBR article, Grimm Tales of Terror 2024 Holiday Special Review: A Festive Holiday Tale for Horror Fiends. As I explained in this review, Grimm Tales of Terror 2024 Holiday Special is a top-notch Zenescope Entertainment comic, a great horror comic and a worthy Christmas comic. It’s currently available for purchase online from GrahamCrackers.com and Zenescope’s website.

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Next month, I’m reviewing Zombies Christmas Carol, a five-issue miniseries published by Marvel in 2011, and comparing it to the original novel, A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens in 1843. Expect the review online and in your emails on Friday, Jan. 2.

If you enjoy this Substack newsletter, you can tip me on Venmo.

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Warning: The following contains spoilers for the ending of Hack/Slash: Back to School, available now from Image Comics.

Hack/Slash is a creator-owned horror comic book series usually written by Tim Seeley, but occasionally by other comic book writers. It was created by Seeley and artist Stefano Caselli in 2004. Hack/Slash has been collected into seven massively sized Deluxe Omnibus hardcovers. Devil’s Due Publishing, an independent comic publisher owned by Josh Blaylock in Chicago, originally published the series, but Image Comics has published it since 2010.

Hack/Slash: Back to School, a four-issue miniseries written and drawn by Zoe Thorogood, edited by Seeley and published by Image Comics in 2024, stayed true to Hack/Slash’s monster-of-the-week roots by introducing a new slasher in each issue except the finale. Simultaneously, it had a much more terrifying, looming threat present throughout the miniseries. The way Thorogood played with the comic book medium in Hack/Slash: Back to School is nothing short of genius. Some characters introduced in Hack/Slash: Back to School initially appeared one-dimensional. However, the book slowly revealed that they were using said character traits to hide or cope with their traumas and insecurities. The ending of Hack/Slash: Back to School is a powerful tearjerker but controversial on Goodreads among naysayers who missed the point.

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Cassie Hack and Vlad Hunt “Slashers” in Hack/Slash

Chicago Writer Tim Seeley Co-created the Horror Comic Book Series in 2004

Hack/Slash stars Casandra Hack, a young, bisexual woman who hunts “slashers” with a nail-encrusted baseball bat in short skirts, dark-colored clothing and combat boots. The other central character in Hack/Slash is Cassie’s monster-hunting partner, Vlad. He’s a large man with a deformed face and a gas mask who looks like a terrifying slasher himself at first glance.

A slasher is the type of monster that’s found in the slasher subgenre. Defining “slashers, Cassie said in Hack/Slash: Euthanized, the first Hack/Slash comic book:

In later issues, Cassie said slashers are messier than serial killers, leaving behind a bloody trail that’s easier to track, and they enjoy “ironic” kills. She gave the examples of a smoker getting burned alive or a horror writer being stabbed to death in the shower, like the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho.

In my CBR interview with Seeley, he said he originally wrote Hack/Slash as a therapeutic exercise and a venting outlet. It was born out of frustrations that came from drawing kid-friendly G.I. Joe comics for Devil’s Due, his first job as a freelance comic book creator. Unlike G.I. Joe, Hack/Slash had graphic violence, sexual situations and adult language. Seeley also said that, unlike some of the buildings and weapons he drew for G.I. Joe, he didn’t need to do any research to write Hack/Slash because he was a lifelong fan of horror and B-movies. This allowed him to add Hack/Slash to his already busy schedule as a full-time editor and graphic designer at Devil’s Due.

Originally from rural Wisconsin, Seeley has been a professional cartoonist in Chicago for most of his adult life. His recent creator-owned comic book series, Local Man, was inspired by his fear of being forced to return to a rural Wisconsin residence. Cassie is also from rural Wisconsin, and early Hack/Slash comics often seemed to express anger and resentment toward insular, closed-minded people in rural America. In Hack/Slash: Euthanized, rural Wisconsinites called Cassie and Vlad “freaky city kids” because of her gothic fashion and his unusual appearance. In another scene, she told Vlad that she must hunt slashers because it’s better than working a 9-to-5 job and having to accept how strange she is, compared to people from her hometown.

If a comic book fan knows about Hack/Slash, they’re likely familiar with Cassie’s weapon of choice - a baseball bat with nails sticking out and the words “Kiss It” engraved on it. Cassie’s weapon has appeared on countless comic book covers, and HackSlash.com sells stickers and patches depicting it. Nevertheless, a baseball bat with the words “Kiss It” didn’t appear until Hack/Slash: Comic Book Carnage, the third issue of Hack/Slash. The baseball bat didn’t have nails until Hack/Slash vs. Chucky, published by Devil’s Due in 2007, three years after Hack/Slash’s debut. In the earliest Hack/Slash comics, Cassie used a machete and a handgun to fight slashers. This change makes sense because Vlad uses a machete and a sword, and Cassie’s iconography should be distinctive.

Despite Vlad’s outward appearance, he is more kind-hearted and capable of providing comfort than Cassie, who is more guarded and as prickly as the nails on her baseball bat. This makes Vlad a suitable monster-hunting partner when dealing with traumatized victims she’s unable to calm down. This characterization of the duo cleverly subverts the expectations that readers might have due to stereotypes and preconceived notions. After all, women in society, especially young women like Cassie, are expected to smile constantly and be nurturing. Additionally, the slasher subgenre is filled with large, deformed men like Vlad who are psychopathic monsters.

The stark difference between Cassie and Vlad’s personalities was demonstrated in Hack/Slash: Resurrection #5, written by Tini Howard, drawn by Celor, edited by Seeley and published by Image Comics in 2018. Cassie and Vlad were camp counselors at Camp Indico River, a slasher hunting camp for children. After one of the camp’s attendees, Sierra, delivered a sharp blow to a zombie’s head, slaying her first monster, she saw Vlad and Cassie in front of her. The child’s reaction to seeing Vlad was immediately positive, and she gave him a huge hug. Vlad proceeded to mentor Sierra and smile warmly while Cassie, standing nearby, did nothing of the sort. Two pages later, Cassie sarcastically referred to Vlad as having a “soft, make-a-wish heart.”

Hack/Slash: Back to School has Top-Notch Character Writing

Character Traits that First Seem One-dimensional are a Cover for Insecurities

In many Hack/Slash comics, Cassie will hear about a potential slasher on the news and travel to investigate the killings with Vlad. In Hack/Slash: Back to School, Darla Ritz, owner of Hunters for Hire & Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls, sent Cassie and her classmates on missions to hunt slashers. Meanwhile, Vlad, whom Cassie recently met, stayed back at the school. Hack/Slash: Back to School took place shortly after Cassie’s origin story. As is long-established Hack/Slash lore, the first slasher that Cassie slayed was her own mother, an undead lunch lady who murdered Cassie’s school bullies.

Among other themes, Hack/Slash: Back to School is about a lost soul searching for new familial love in the aftermath of traumatic loss. Describing Hack/Slash: Back to School, Thorogood said on Instagram:

Cassie kept a journal in Hack/Slash: Back to School, providing readers with narration throughout the story. As I wrote about in my CBR review of Archie is Mr. Justice #1, comic book narration doesn’t work if it’s distracting and/or replaces story beats that should be drawn into the comic. The narration in Hack/Slash: Back to School didn’t do this, but instead provided insight into Cassie’s thoughts, feelings and motivations. This enhanced the story and made the book even more of an addictive page turner. Additionally, as will be discussed in the next section, the pages of Cassie’s journal became an integral part of the sequential art itself in the final issue. This brilliantly utilized the comic book medium in a way this reviewer has never seen before.

In one of Cassie’s journal entries, she proclaimed what could be the thesis of Thorogood’s character writing in Hack/Slash: Back to School:

Like Cassie and the rest of Darla’s students, Darla dealt with the trauma of being a final girl in Hack/Slash: Back to School. While Darla was starring in a slasher movie, a real-life slasher killed everyone except her on set. After the slasher gouged out her right eye, she grabbed the real-life chainsaw on set and slayed her first slasher. Refusing to be a victim, Darla learned how to hunt slashers and started training young women to do the same.

Hunters for Hire & Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls had a mission control center with a blackboard covered in photos of slashers. Slain slashers were crossed out with red ink. The story took place in 2005, and Darla’s students were expected to spend an hour a day on news sites and web forums, searching for stories about potential slashers.

Cassie fought alongside three other young women in Hack/Slash: Back to School – “Baby Boo,” a bubbly blonde in revealing clothing, Samantha Cain, a goth who shifts from Cassie’s enemy to lover throughout the story, and Mabel Fernandez, a tomboy, gamer and tech genius.

When Boo was introduced in Hack/Slash: Back to School #1, she was hanging upside-down while fighting a tentacle monster. Her plaid blue miniskirt was flipped over, resting on her stomach and revealing her skimpy pink underwear. Throughout the miniseries, Boo made sexual jokes, enjoyed showing her body and had a bubbly personality. It initially seemed as though Boo was meant to titillate straight male readers. However, as the story developed, she proved to be a more complex character.

Boo craves male validation so intensely that it dominates her personality, even in entirely female spaces. Time after time, Boo falls in love with the first guy to make a crude remark about her body. This insatiable desire for attention leads to self-destructive behavior and traps guys in toxic relationships where they feel they can never leave her. Additionally, Boo’s huge smiles, giggles and playful quips are a coping mechanism to keep from feeling perpetual agony.

When Sam was introduced in Hack/Slash: Back to School #1, she gave Cassie the cold shoulder. As Boo explained it:

Sam is afraid of intimacy because she’s worried that people will notice her flaws. She keeps others at arm’s length with a rough and tough exterior. Sam rarely smiles and frequently makes harsh, sarcastic comments. Cassie and Sam competed with each other on Cassie’s first slasher hunting mission. Nevertheless, after bonding, they became romantic partners.

Mabel is the heart of the slasher-hunting team. She’s the only character in Hack/Slash: Back to School that never seems to get on anyone else’s nerves. Mabel was also the first person to make Cassie feel welcome at Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls. Thorogood successfully made readers care about Mabel, Boo and Sam, making the ending to Hack/Slash: Back to School a tearjerker.

The Ending to Hack/Slash: Back to School is Twisted and Heartbreaking

Zoe Thorogood Draws Terrifying Images and Uniquely Utilizes the Comic Book Medium

Thorogood masterfully utilized the comic book medium to tell the story in Hack/Slash: Back to School. On one page, the panels switched back and forth between Cassie’s beating heart and the scene. This built tension while also showing the central protagonist’s intense emotions. On the next page, flashback illustrations were intermeshed with the present-day story, and readers had to examine it closely to determine which was which. This conveyed how someone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can sometimes confuse what’s currently happening with a past event, especially during an episode.

Throughout Hack/Slash: Back to School, in between defeating smaller threats, Cassie and her classmates tracked down an undead creature that was possessing children and making them murder their families. All the slashers in the miniseries were creepy, but this one, the Mother, was especially unsettling. Children longing for a healthy, happy family but don’t have one were the most susceptible to her possession. The Mother showed images of picture-perfect happiness to a child or young adult. While being fed these images, the Mother possessed them, and they slaughtered their loved ones.

Near the end of Hack/Slash: Back to School, Cassie was possessed by the Mother and killed everyone at Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls. Cassie’s possession was first revealed with a two-page splash after Cassie and Sam told Boo they were considering running away together. The happy, tender scene on the upper left-hand corner of the left page burned away, revealing notebook pages with various phrases scribbled aimlessly and chaotically across them. Readers had seen Cassie’s thoughtful and coherent journal entries throughout the miniseries. Meaning, she couldn’t have written these notebook pages. Before readers could fully comprehend this reveal, they turned the page to see a horrific two-page splash of Cassie, the Mother and a bloody murder spree.

Vlad, coming from the shed outside Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls, where he was living, was the only one who could successfully slay the Mother. As he proclaimed:

Vlad took off his gas mask, put it on Cassie and carried her out of the burning building. Vlad had Cassie’s memory wiped of the events of Hack/Slash: Back to School. In the final pages of the miniseries, readers saw the positive, heartfelt relationship that Cassie and Vlad have years later.

The ending to Hack/Slash: Back to School is controversial on Goodreads. Reviewer Drew Canole said that Cassie getting her memory wiped by Vlad “makes the whole thing a tad pointless.” This is the most liked Hack/Slash: Back to School review on the platform. The Goodreads community upvoting Canole’s review is beyond frustrating. It misses the point so badly that it may have triggered my TMJ to flare up.

Cassie doesn’t remember the events of Hack/Slash: Back to School, but Vlad does. In many Hack/Slash comics, Cassie vents to Vlad about her psychological trauma, emotional turmoil and innermost thoughts. Hack/Slash: Back to School revealed the burden that Vlad is willing to carry for his best friend. This recontextualized the character and everything he says and does in subsequent stories.

Vlad wiping Cassie’s memory of the events of Hack/Slash: Back to School showed how much he already understood her before knowing her for very long. Cassie was already filled with guilt, blaming herself for her mother killing her school bullies. Knowing what she did to everyone at Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls could’ve been enough to break her. Besides, it would be weird if Cassie supposedly learned a lot from Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls but never once mentioned it before in 20 years’ worth of Hack/Slash comics.

The horrific reveal near the end of Hack/Slash: Back to School might make readers sink further into their seats as the gravity of the tragic situation weighs on them. Readers might not even realize how much they’ve grown to care about these characters until they’re abruptly and violently taken away. I cry a lot during movies, but I don’t usually cry while reading comics. However, I was bawling like a baby the first time I read Hack/Slash: Back to School #4.

The ending is all the more heartbreaking, considering why Cassie was susceptible to the Mother’s possession in the first place. Cassie felt normal for the first time in her life at Darla Ritz’s Academy for Girls. She was able to get a good night’s sleep for the first time since slaying her own mother. Cassie felt like she belonged among young women who had experienced similar trauma. Her classmates became her found family who loved her, Darla became her maternal figure and Sam became her girlfriend. It was easy for readers to feel happy for Cassie, only for this to abruptly end with her possession and a bloody murder spree.

Hack/Slash: Back to School is a great book for someone who’s never read a horror comic before or a seasoned Hack/Slash fan. It’s creepy, twisted, beautiful, sexy, creative, heartwarming, heartbreaking, tragic and thought-provoking. Hack/Slash: Back to School goes places that only a good horror story can, and it evokes feelings that can only come from reading a comic. There’s a reason why Hack/Slash: Back to School was nominated for an Eisner award, which is like the Oscars for comics, in the best Writer/Artist category in 2024. While the decade is only halfway over, Hack/Slash: Back to School will undoubtedly be one of the best horror comics of the 2020s.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Hack/Slash: Back to School is available at your local comic shop and wherever books are sold. Read it.

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If you want to read about other comics that I rated 10 out of 10, check out my CBR reviews of Zombie Tramp #13, Action Comics #1 and Batman: The Killing Joke.

Also, read my reporting on the No Kings protest in Homewood, a South Suburb of Chicago, on October 18 for the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle.

Dear Readers,

The last six months have been quite a ride. I officially launched my Substack newsletter on April 4, the first Friday of the month. Since then, I’ve consistently had new comic book reviews and comic industry news stories posted at 10 a.m. CST on the first and third Friday of every month.

Nevertheless, this scheduling will now change. Throughout the foreseeable future, I’ll only be updating on the first Friday of the month. In other words, this bimonthly newsletter is being reduced to a monthly one.

I need to slow down. I’ve turned down paid freelance work so I could make my own self-imposed deadlines on Substack. I’ve said “No” to plans with friends because of the same time crunch.

Since launching my Substack, I’ve reported on the DC: Celebrate Superman panel at C2E2 2025 and profiled three creators in Artist Alley at the same convention. I’ve researched the history of Superman and written about what the character represented in each era of comic books. In another piece comparable to a Media Studies research paper, I wrote about the history of Pride Month and the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ comics. I also reviewed the Archie Comics superhero comic book, Archie is Mr. Justice #4, and the self-published superhero comic book about Jewish trauma and identity, Samson #1.

I’ve reported on the Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 book release party at the Horror House Shop in Chicago and interviewed cartoonist Matt Hansel at the event. I’ve reported on the No Kings protest in Chicago and tied it into an analysis of the newspaper comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I’ve compared the 1990s Goosebumps book The Haunted Mask with its television and graphic novel adaptations. I’ve deconstructed the Archie Comics character Reggie Mantle and exposed his softer side. I’ve reported what the saying “comics will break your heart” means to different comic book creators and the debate about whether or not Jack Kirby ever actually said this. Lastly, in what was the bastard child of this Substack, I wrote about social media addiction and why I believe writers are especially susceptible.

Comic creators have given me positive feedback that I’ve greatly appreciated. Notably, after writing Three Comics to Read for Pride Month, I emailed the article to Lynn Johnston, the creator of the newspaper comic strip For Better or For Worse. She replied to me, saying:

Additionally, after I posted my review of Archie is Mr. Justice #4 on Instagram, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 writer Blake Howard commented:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Devin Whitlock, a fellow comic book journalist on Substack. He shared my article, Three Great Moments in Superman Comics, and said:

It should be noted that Samson #1 writer Ben Lacy included a quote from my Samson #1 review on the Kickstarter page for Samson #2, which also brought a smile to my face. Other comic creators have shared my Substack articles on social media, including but not limited to Maddi Gonzalez, Phil Falco and Ryan Francis.

Unfortunately, despite my work resonating with people, I haven’t gained a single paid subscriber. In my first Substack article, Nick Ulanowski is Reviewing Comic Books and Reporting on Comic Book News, I said:

In other words, I planned to eventually transition this Substack to featuring only one free monthly article. That’s essentially what I’m doing. However, instead of writing one free article and one paid article each month, I’m only producing one article, and it’s free.

I hope that by reducing the quantity of newsletters, I can improve the overall quality of my work. This is a one-man show. Meaning, I haven’t hired an editor, graphic designer or social media promoter. Occasionally, mistakes and poorly worded sentences slip through the cracks in the emails sent to my subscribers, but are later fixed on Substack’s app and website. Giving myself more time should help prevent this from happening. Also, among everything I’ve done on Substack, I’m most proud of my heavily researched deep dives into a subject matter - Three Great Moments in Superman Comics and Three Comics to Read for Pride Month. However, both of these articles took more than two weeks to complete.

It would be different if I were still getting paid to contribute to a comic book website like CBR or Bleeding Cool. Not only would I have editors, graphic designers and social media managers employed by the same company that hired me, but there would be a different personal standard for quality. This Substack is entirely my own project, so it should be my best work. 

This is why I won’t be reviewing Hell of a Job #1 from Weird Brain Entertainment, despite saying I would in two previous newsletters. I don’t have enough to say about it to write a good piece of media analysis that would make me feel proud. That said, please read what I wrote about Hell of a Job #1 writer Dave Franchini in my Substack article, Writers and Artists Share Their Insights at C2E2 2025, and listen to my interview with him on YouTube.

I’m currently reading, re-reading and reading about Hack/Slash, a horror comic book series created by Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli that has been consistently published for over 20 years. You can expect an article about Hack/Slash to be posted online and sent to your email next month. I might tie it into a broader reflection on why horror comics are great. Giving myself more free time will make it easier to write another deep dive into a subject matter while still prioritizing my paid journalism work.

It would’ve been nice to have an article about Hack/Slash finished in time for Halloween. However, even if I did, my most Halloween-appropriate article would’ve still been The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1) Review. It’s not only about a horror comic, a prose novel and a television program, but a review of a story that mostly takes place on Halloween night.

This isn’t the end of my Substack. I still care deeply about this writing project. I’m even considering compiling all my Substack articles into my first nonfiction book sometime down the line. So, don’t worry, dear reader. This ain’t over yet. 

Talk soon!

In love and solidarity,

Nick Ulanowski

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Nick Ulanowski will return in Hack/Slash: Back to School Review: One of the Best Horror Comics of the Decade on Friday, November 7.

The original Goosebumps series consisted of middle-grade children’s horror novels. It was written by R.L. Stine and published by Scholastic and Parachute Press from 1992 until 1997. The series encompassed a total of 62 books. One of them was Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask, published in September 1993, ten months after the first Goosebumps book, Goosebumps #1, Welcome to Dead House.

The Haunted Mask is about an 11-year-old girl, Carly Beth, who acquires a living Halloween mask that becomes her actual face and unleashes the monster within her. While there are many great psychological horror stories intended for adults and/or teenagers, The Haunted Mask is one of the most thematically complex psychological horror stories ever written for children under 13. Fox Kids couldn’t have made a better choice when choosing The Haunted Mask to be the first television adaptation of a Goosebumps book, originally airing on October 27, 1995. Scholastic also made the right decision when picking The Haunted Mask for their first full-length Goosebumps graphic novel adaptation.

Whether it’s television, comics or the original source material, The Haunted Mask has mostly the same plot. However, all versions effectively utilize the medium in which the story is being told, illuminating the strengths of each respective medium. Both fans of the original novel and the Goosebumps television episode are likely to enjoy The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1), written and drawn by Maddi Gonzalez and published by Scholastic in September 2024. It couldn’t have been a creepier and more dynamic comic adaptation of the 32-year-old Goosebumps book.

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The Haunted Mask is a Great Introduction to Psychological Horror

The Themes of Subconscious Desires and Hidden Identities are Complex for a Children’s Story

Stine explained where he got the idea for The Haunted Mask in The Official Scarezine #4, a monthly magazine that was mailed to Goosebumps Collectors Club members in the 1990s, saying:

One reason people enjoy wearing Halloween costumes or cosplaying at comic book conventions is what their costumes reveal about their personalities. It allows them to act in ways that might seem odd or inappropriate in everyday life. For example, if someone feels like a witch, they can put on a pointy hat and cackle with delight on Halloween night. However, people usually can remove their costumes at the end of the evening and return to their normal, civilized selves. In The Haunted Mask, Carly Beth faces the frightening realization that she can’t take off her mask and might be forced to remain a Halloween monster forever.

The id, a person’s subconscious identity in psychoanalytic theory, takes over Carly Beth in The Haunted Mask. Tired of being called a scaredy-cat and teased by her peers, she bought a terrifying mask from the forbidden backroom of a small Halloween store. After putting it on, Carly Beth became what she hated in her quest for revenge. She bullied other trick-or-treaters, frightened her best friend Sabrina and enacted revenge on her friends Chuck and Steve, terrifying them in a manner that left them quivering in their socks.

As the living Halloween mask slowly turned into skin and became Carly Beth’s actual face, she transformed into something more primal, angry and terrifying. It’s left open to interpretation how much the titular mask was a separate, evil entity controlling Carly Beth and how much it was simply allowing her to act on her deepest, darkest desires. Many children’s horror stories end with a group of kids defeating a threatening monster. However, in The Haunted Mask, it’s more about Carly Beth overcoming her own internal demons - and she was only able to do this because of the love and support of others.

Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask is One of R.L. Stine’s Best Books

The Physical Description of the Titular Mask Remains Consistent Across All Media

Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask, the 1995 television adaptation and the 2024 graphic novel all feature nearly identical plots. However, the original novel is unique in that it thoroughly details Carly Beth’s personal thoughts and feelings in its narration. This slightly changes which themes are the most pronounced.

In the original novel, the reader was keenly aware of how often Carly Beth felt guilt and doubt throughout the story. The internal monologue also showed how frequently she had to reason her way through poor decisions and dismiss obvious red flags about what the haunted mask was doing to her. Because of this peak behind the curtain, Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask feels even more like a revenge tale than its adaptations do. While all three versions of the story make it clear that Carly Beth wanted to get back at not only Chuck and Steve, but also a world that made her feel afraid, Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask most emphasized how determined she was in achieving this goal.

When describing the appearance of the titular mask in Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask, the narration said:

The following paragraph added the detail that the mask had a “broad forehead.” The narration also referenced a few pages later that the mask had “pointed ears.”

Like all books in the original Goosebumps series, Tim Jacobus painted the cover artwork for Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask. As Jacobus explained in the interview for my Substack article, Writers and Artists Share Their Insights at C2E2 2025, he was completing the Goosebumps cover illustrations at the same time that Stine was writing the books. These monthly deadlines occasionally caused a dissonance between a book’s contents and cover artwork. For instance, the cover of Goosebumps #19, Deep Trouble featured a hammerhead shark lurking in the water as a human swimmer was nearby. This was despite the story being entirely about mermaids and sea monsters

Nevertheless, Jacobus’ cover artwork for Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask was extremely consistent with both Stine’s physical description of the mask and the book’s thematic elements. In Jacobus’ illustration, he included drool dripping from the menacing Halloween mask, not Carly Beth’s mouth, indicating that the mask was either alive or transforming Carly Beth into a hideous monster. In another brilliant detail, the mask cast an ominous shadow over Carly Beth, a shadow that appeared larger than its actual physical size. This signaled to the reader that the mask was a sinister force that could consume Carly Beth and twist her identity into something much darker if she allowed it.

Stine and Jacobus’ mask design was used again, without any creative liberties, in both the 1990s Goosebumps television series and The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1).

While the television adaptation of The Haunted Mask pulled no punches in its creepy supernatural imagery, some of the human cruelty from Goosebumps #11, The Haunted Mask was noticeably absent. The original novel had two scenes, not one, when dozens of kids at Walnut Avenue Middle School simultaneously laughed at Carly Beth. The detail that two teachers laughed with them was also omitted. The scene where Chuck and Steve fed Carly Beth a worm was kept. However, their meanest prank in the book, one that resulted in Carly and Sabrina’s science fair project being ruined, was replaced with a more lighthearted prank that was essentially just them jumping out and yelling “boo.” Finally, the scene where Carly Beth, while wearing the haunted mask, robbed another trick-or-treater of his sack full of candy, was also not included in the television program.

The Haunted Mask Graphic Novel is Captivating and Dynamic

Writer and Artist, Maddi Gonzalez, Understands What Works and Doesn’t Work in a Comic

The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1) is the first full-length graphic novel adaptation of a Goosebumps book. However, it’s not the first Goosebumps comic. Under the same Graphix imprint, Scholastic previously published four Goosebumps comic anthologies – Creepy Creatures, Terror Trips, Scary Summer and Slappy’s Tales of Terror. Each anthology adapted three Goosebumps books into roughly 42-page comics. IDW also published four Goosebumps miniseries – Monsters at Midnight, Horrors of the Witch House, Download and Die! and Secrets of the Swamp. The IDW Goosebumps comics were kid-friendly horror comics in the style of a Goosebumps story that included nods and homages to monsters and storylines from the original Goosebumps book series.

When adapting the story of The Haunted Mask into a comic, it couldn’t have come alive more thrillingly and dynamically than it did in The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1). Despite being extremely familiar with this story and knowing nearly everything that was going to happen next, Gonzalez’s comic was completely captivating. It even had splash pages of horrific reveals - something that always improves a horror comic. Despite the graphic novel being appropriate for children, some of the images in the story’s climax were genuinely unsettling.

Gonzalez’s drawings are a masterclass in how to draw facial expressions and depict raw emotions through visual illustrations. Both Stine’s narration in the original novel and Kathryn Long’s acting in the Goosebumps television program were successful in making the reader or viewer empathize with Carly Beth. However, The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1) showed her emotional reactions in a way that only a comic is able to do. Whether she was feeling sadness, anger, pride or joy, it was zestfully conveyed in how her face was drawn in every panel. Additionally, the panel where the background disappears and the reader only sees a chorus of mocking laughter surrounding Carly Beth was especially effective.

It was a nice touch to re-interpret the haunted mask as something that moves and contorts the same way a normal human face does. This detail wasn’t specified in the original novel, nor was it depicted on the Goosebumps television program. However, Gonzalez drawing it this way was congruent with the lore and made the comic livelier and more fun to read.

The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1) contains a few Easter eggs that are likely to make adult Goosebumps fans smile. In an early scene in the comic, Chuck and Steve wore gloves that looked like large, green, furry, clawed monster hands. They were the spitting image of the monster hands on the cover of Goosebumps #45, How to Kill a Monster. In the Halloween store, the shopkeeper suggested that Carly Beth buy a mask of Stine’s face, adding that he thought he was “a TV character.” Also, when Carly Beth was walking home, one of the street signs said “Jacobus Court.”

It's also worth mentioning that Carly Beth wore a pink sweatshirt and blue overalls in addition to the haunted mask on Halloween night in The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1. This is notable because, while she was wearing a pink sweatshirt and blue overalls in Jacobus’ original cover artwork, she’s never described as wearing this outfit in the original novel. She never wore it in the Goosebumps television program either.

Overall, The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1 is a great psychological horror story that fully understands the medium of comics. Whether someone is a kid or an adult, or a Goosebumps fan or not, it’s worth checking out this Halloween season.

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Rating: 9 out of 10.

The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps Graphic Novel #1) is widely available at book stores and public libraries. Read it.

Horror comic book writers and artists gathered at the Horror House Shop, a horror and sci-fi memorabilia store in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, for Guerrilla Publishing Group’s Tales from The Cryptic Closet 4 book release party on Saturday, Aug. 16.

A steady flow of horror comic book fans came in and out of the store throughout the afternoon. They bought comic books, artwork and merchandise, got their copies of Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 signed by the creators and enjoyed conversation with one another.

Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 is the fourth horror comic anthology in Guerrilla Publishing’s Tales from the Cryptic Closet series. Its publication was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in a campaign that ran from Feb. 15 until March 17.

As my CBR review of Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 explained:

Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 Kickstarter backers received their physical copies in May or June. Others bought Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 variant covers from Guerro and Miller’s booths at C2E2 in April. However, the Horror House Shop event marked the book’s official release and wider availability.

Along with other short horror comics and creepy pin-up artwork, Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4 contains Devil’s Door, a six-page comic about a detective tracking down a Satanic serial killer in Prohibition-era Chicago. It’s written by Miller and drawn by Mathew Hansel in the style of a newspaper comic strip, such as Dick Tracy.

Hansel had original art pages from Devil’s Door for sale at the book release party. I caught up with him and he shared his thoughts on newspaper comic strips, social commentary in comics and the creative process. You can listen to my 14-minute interview with Hansel in its entirety on YouTube, but here are some selected highlights.

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Nick Ulanowski: Tell me about your work.

Matt Hansel: I’ve been a professional cartoonist for about 27 years now. I’m most known for my work on Underdog, Pink Panther, Rocky & Bullwinkle and the classic cartoon characters. And right now, I’m promoting an anthology that I worked on, that I had a story in, Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4.

Ulanowski: How did Guerilla Publishing approach you about Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4?

Hansel: Guerrilla publishes my book Marty and Spud. When they were putting the team together for Tales 4, they asked me if I was interested in doing a story. I said, “yeah.” They said, “Ben’s got a script,” and I said, “alright, Ben is one of my favorite writers.” I think Ben is eventually going to be recognized on a talent on the level of Danny O’Neil in terms of his comic book writing. So, I was excited to do a story that he had written.

Ulanowski: You said your artwork in Devil’s Door, your contribution to Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4, was very inspired by Dick Tracy?

Hansel: Yes. Chester Gould and one of his assistants, Dick Locher, who took over the strip, are huge influences of mine. And when I got Ben’s script and he had some character descriptions in it, that was immediately what popped into my mind. I told him about it, and he was like, ‘yeah, do it.’ So, I did it in a Dick Tracy kind of style - or at least as close as I can get. And I really enjoyed doing it.

Ulanowski: Are you often inspired by comic strips when drawing comic books?

Hansel: Yes. I grew up reading all those classic comic strips – Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Hägar the Horrible, Beetle Bailey and all the rest. And so, that has had a tremendous influence on my art style, my approach to doing things and some of the esoteric things that people don’t think about, like the lettering, placement of black spaces on the paper and things like that.

Ulanowski: You grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes? How old are you?

Hansel: I’m 49. So, I’m right in the right age to have read the whole thing in real time as it was being published. And Bill Waterson is a big influence on me. My own characters, Marty and Spud, take some inspiration from Calvin and Hobbes, but also Dennis the Menace and another strip from the ‘30s called Dickie Dare. It was about a boy who’d fall asleep while reading a book. He and his dog would wake up in the book, and then they’d have to finish the adventure.

Ulanowski: Comic books are a medium, not a genre. In theory, you can do all kinds of things with a comic book, but there are surprisingly few people drawing in a comic strip style in comic books.

Hansel: Yeah, and I haven’t figured that out. In the old days, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the goal was always to have a comic strip. That was the pinnacle of a cartoonist’s career, and you were slumming it if you were in comic books. And now, that’s switched. Now everyone wants to have their own comic book. But in the ‘50s and ‘60s, there was more of an attempt by the artists to emulate the newspaper strips. And you’re right – now that just doesn’t seem to exist that much anymore. Off the top of my head, I can’t even think of one.

Ulanowski: Even though Devil’s Door is in the style of a comic strip, it’s still like a comic book in its panel layout. It even has a splash page of a creepy reveal, which I always like to see in horror comic books.

Hansel: Because I knew this was going to be a horror comic, I really thought about a lot of black placements. You want to use a lot of shadows. One of the characters, you don’t ever really see his face until you see his shadow, which is a trick I picked up from Batman artist Norm Breyfogle. Definitely, my approach was to have a lot of black. I wanted to have as much black as I could.

Ulanowski: How much did you or Ben Miller figure out the panel layouts?

Hansel: Ben listed Panel 1 Description, Panel 2 Description, etc. He didn’t say anything about layouts or anything like that. So, I did layouts on my own. I used his panel descriptions.

Ulanowski: You mentioned that you have a degree in journalism and have worked in journalism. I imagine there’s a connection, to a certain degree, between being a fan of newspaper comic strips and being a journalist.

Hansel: I knew I wanted to be a writer or a creator of something as a kid. I was really pushed towards doing journalism and things like that, and so that’s what I did. My love of newspaper comic strips really propelled that as well because I wanted to be in the newspaper alongside Dick Tracy and whatever else.

Ulanowski: Personally, I grew up reading newspaper comic strips, but I didn’t really read comic books until I was an adult. Are you similar?

Hansel: Yeah, there were no comic shops when I was growing up. So, the newspaper comics were my fix. Otherwise, I’d have to wait until we went to the pharmacy or the gas station to try to find an issue. As you know, back then, getting consecutive issues was hard. You might get issue five but not see issue six. And then all of a sudden, issue seven was out. So, newspaper strips were a way to consume that material on a daily basis. Because we’d get a newspaper every day and read Dick Tracy, The Phantom, Spider-Man or whatever else.

Ulanowski: You mentioned Bill Waterson and Howard Chaykin as influences. Both of those artists include a lot of social commentary in their work. Do you do that with your stuff?

Hansel: Not yet. I haven’t reached a level where I can incorporate it without it being too ham-fisted. So, as I mature as a creator and work on that, I think it’ll start creeping in. But right now, it doesn’t have a ton of that in it. Marty and Spud is probably the closest thing I do to social commentary. And that’s more just about living every day to the fullest extent and having adventures.

Ulanowski: We’re at the book release party for Tales from the Cryptic Closet 4. How are you feeling right now?

Hansel: I’m feeling good. We’ve had a good crowd. The store’s been busy. We’ve had a lot of people come through, and it’s been exciting. This is the first time in a long time that most of the Guerilla gang has been in one spot. So, it’s been great catching up with everybody. Because I haven’t seen them in person for quite some time.

Ulanowski: Why do you love comics?

Hansel: It’s a medium that has such potential to do anything, and especially nowadays. There are comic books about cooking. There are comic books about fixing your car. There are comic books about everything these days. I think the medium is starting to live up to its potential, that it can do anything.

Ulanowski: Well, thank you for your time.

Hansel: Thank you.

Catch Me at Printers Row Lit Fest Tomorrow

I’m Slangin’ Books and Prints at the Chicago Writers Association Tent

Please come see me tomorrow at Printers Row Lit Fest, the largest outdoor literary festival in the Midwest. Printers Row Lit Fest is on the streets of South Dearborn, from Ida B Wells to Polk, but you can just punch “637 South Dearborn Street, Chicago” into your GPS device. Entrance is free.

I’m selling my books and prints at the Chicago Writers Association tent from 12:30 until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6. If you mention that you’re subscribed to my Substack, I’ll give you a free print of your choice. My prints include but aren’t limited to Jorge Santiago Jr.’s American Bug cover artwork, Kevin P. West’s Massacre at the Comic Shop cover artwork and Kristin Palmer’s vampire illustration that was in my book of poetry, As the Moonlight Shines.

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Also, six comic book writers whom I’ve written about on this Substack have active Kickstarter campaigns where you can pre-order their upcoming comics.

Eric Palicki, who was quoted in Comics Will Break Your Heart, has a Kickstarter for Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists: Digest Edition. Joseph Duis, who was mentioned in the same article, has a Kickstarter for Colorful Heresies #1, a horror comic anthology. Kat Calamia, co-writer of Witches of Oz #1, one of the comics reviewed in Three Comics to Read for Pride Month, has a Kickstarter for Ozma: The Trans Witch of Oz #1, a one-shot comic book that takes place in the same universe. Witches of Oz #1 co-writer Phil Falco has a Kickstarter for the slasher-horror comic The Last Case of Deven & Taylor #2. Samson #1 writer Ben Lacy, whose comic was reviewed in Samson #1 Review: A Superhero Comic Exploring Jewish Trauma and Identity, has a Kickstarter for Shark of War #9. Finally, Dave Franchini, who was profiled in Writers and Artists Share Their Insights at C2E2 2025, has a Kickstarter for Anti-Christine and the Four Unicorns of the Apocalypse #1.

In all of these Kickstarter campaigns, other comic books they wrote are available as add-ons. While links sometimes don’t work in Substack emails, if you read this article on the Substack app or website, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Talk soon!

Jack Kirby, the co-creator of the Marvel Universe, reportedly gave a cynical piece of advice to pastel painter James Romberger in the 1980s. According to Romberger, when he was a young and budding artist, he met Kirby at a comic convention in New York, and Kirby said to him:

The story goes that after receiving this advice from one of his heroes, Romberger stayed a fine artist and achieved great success in the field. His gritty landscape paintings of the Lower East Side of Manhattan can be found in several New York City art museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

Nevertheless, comic book fans, creators and journalists have debated the legitimacy of this famous Kirby quote. After all, the quote’s source is a private conversation, not something that Kirby said on the public record. Additionally, Fred Van Lente, writer of the six-issue miniseries, The Comic Book History of Comics, and co-writer of the play, King Kirby, questioned its legitimacy on philosophical grounds.

As Lente said in my interview with him at C2E2 2024:

As a journalist, it would be irresponsible to claim that, without a doubt, Kirby said, “comics will break your heart.” However, as a poet, I honestly don’t care if he actually did or not. The legend is that Kirby said it, and this is one of the prevailing stories surrounding the King of Comics. It’s a powerful saying that resonates with me and others in the comic book world.

Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists writer and Wave Blue World contributor Eric Palicki is among those for whom the saying “comics will break your heart” means something. When this Substack journalist asked him about it, Palicki said:

I imagine that Kirby, despite his passion and success, had conflicting thoughts and feelings about comics. It makes sense that he’d express feelings of bitterness and resentment, especially in a private conversation with a fellow artist. When Kirby was drawing X-Men, The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, much of the public still viewed comics as the lowest form of art. Also, to this day, the average person probably has no idea who Kirby is, despite likely being familiar with his frequent collaborator, Stan Lee.

Comic book artist Richard Pace drew a portrait of Kirby to illustrate my poem, “Comics Will Break Your Heart,” in my book, American Bug, published by Starving Author Press in 2021. The ink drawing featured images of comic book panels on Kirby’s button-up shirt.

Comic book writer Joseph Duis wrote a short essay for American Bug, explaining what the saying “comics will break your heart” means to him. In his explanation, Duis mentioned bad actors, bigotry and disappointment when meeting your heroes, but ultimately said that he loves the indie comic book community and wants his friends in the comic book industry to succeed.

While it’s a clear nod to Kirby, my poem, “Comics Will Break Your Heart,” is about my own feelings and experiences. The titular phrase “comics will break your heart” is repeated throughout the poem, but I changed the refrain each time and included a notable twist in the very last line.

Here’s the full text of “Comics Will Break Your Heart,” the way it appears in American Bug, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in my Etsy store:

“Do you have a problem with me?” I asked, like a hot-headed fool
That probably shouldn’t have been the first thing I said, it wasn’t cool
But I’d been bottling it up for months, tossing and turning in bed
I couldn’t understand why you didn’t stick up for me, so I was seeing red
I didn’t know if it was because you disliked me now or if you just didn’t care
I’m sorry I didn’t even say “hello,” I just burst out and asked you there
It was a complete lack of tact, I was rude, and to my credibility it was a blow
Like, maybe the lies you heard were true and I’m just a low-life zero
Asking you in Artist Alley “is there a problem?” like a crazy weirdo
I’m glad you engaged maturely and we had a heartful, meaningful conversation
To your credit, a different person would have made that a shittier situation

Comics will break your heart, kid
They’ll break your stupid heart
Don’t read sequential art, stick to reading prose
Because comics will break your heart, kid
Comics will break your heart

You said that wasn’t it at all and you were still cool with me
But when I told people you were my friend, it put a target on your head
You said when I dropped your name in my report, it was “like a conflict of interest”
I was reporting a horror comic writer who physically threatened me
I wanted to be able to walk the convention without feeling sick to my stomach
I didn’t want to have to worry about him approaching me and flexing his muscles, ick
This writer had intimidated me in Artist Alley and boasted security would take his side
“Who are they gonna believe? Me or you?” he proclaimed, my guts tearing up inside
It turned out he was right because the showrunner banned me from the con instead
I reported a powerful figure for what he did and he was able to get me removed instead
Allowing him to continue his behavior as a predator with fake-ass good-guy cred

Comics will break your heart, kid
Comics will break your heart
Don’t let this be your passion, don’t go to shows
They’ll only break your heart, kid
They’ll break your fucking heart

Their harassment policy on the convention’s website explicitly mentions “false accusations”
I guess this applied to me, it was fucking bullshit and felt like total devastation
So, I posted online what the horror comic writer did and how the convention handled it
And how the con accused me of lying and how they banned me as if I were the troublemaker
When I said this horror comic writer made me feel afraid, I really truly meant it
But I guess in this process I made an enemy of a showrunner, what the shit?
To your wholehearted credit, you told me you cut your ties with this horror comic writer
But that wasn’t because of me but because of others he used and abused
It sounds like you didn’t care about me and I’m not sure we were ever really friends
You said me telling people you were my friend was “like a conflict of interest”
You said I went up against a showrunner who runs a con where you make money
But I wasn’t trying to attack the showrunner, I just wanted to be able to feel safe

Comics will break your heart, kid
They’ll break your fragile heart
But you can’t let it get to you, you have to just move on
Comics will break your heart, kid
People will break your heart

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Next Up: A Review of Hell of a Job #1

I originally intended to have my review of Hell of a Job #1, a new horror comic book written by Dave Franchini, drawn by Jordi Garcia and published by Weird Brain Entertainment, online today. However, I’ve had a busy couple of weeks, including celebrating my birthday, which was on August 14. You can expect this comic book review online and in your emails on Friday, September 5.

Also, if you live in the Chicago area, come say “hi” to me at Printers Row Lit Fest, the largest outdoor literary festival in the Midwest. Not counting my journalism work, this will be my first public appearance as an author this year, and I’m very excited about it. I’m selling books and prints, including paperback copies of American Bug and 8.5” x 11” prints of its cover artwork, at the Chicago Writers Association tent from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 6.

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Warning: The following contains discussions of misogyny and sexual violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Superman is an alien refugee from the planet Krypton and a red cape-wearing superhero with the secret identity of newspaper journalist Clark Kent. Lois Lane, a reporter at the same newspaper as Clark, is one of Superman’s love interests. Superman helps and protects the defenseless. This has been the lore throughout every era, from Superman’s first appearance in Action Comics #1 in 1938 to the comic books published by DC today. Nevertheless, other aspects of Superman lore haven’t been as consistent.

In the Golden Age of comics, Superman was a quick-tempered social activist. There was an especially memorable moment in Action Comics #1 when Superman stopped a creepy man who refused to take Lois’ “no” for an answer. In the 1950s, the character interpretation of Superman as a soft-natured superhero with the attitude of a Boy Scout was born. This era gave us another great moment in Superman comics in Adventure Comics #210 when Superman, as Superboy in Smallville, realized that his bond with Krypto, a superpowered dog from Krypton, began when he was a baby and Krypto was a puppy. Lastly, in the Modern Age, Superman is a symbol of hope for the struggling masses. Superman for All Seasons, published by DC in 1998, had a heartbreaking moment that showed the sacrifices Clark made to become Superman and the emotional burden he carries.

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Superman Stopped a Creepy, Self-Entitled Man in Action Comics #1

In the Golden Age of Comics, Superman was an Outlaw and a Radical

In the Golden Age of comics, defined as approximately 1938 through 1955, Superman was introduced as an alien refugee, a quick-tempered outlaw, a socio-political radical and a character who wasn’t averse to committing violence against the powerful and power-hungry. Action Comics #1, Superman and Lois Lane’s first appearances, written and drawn by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, and Superman #1, written and drawn by Siegel and Shuster in 1939, both had narration that stated:

Superman couldn’t fly in his early years. He didn’t have this power until Superman #10, written by Siegel and drawn by Leo Nowak in 1941. However, Superman could leap tall buildings in a single bound, with the proportional strength of a grasshopper.

Action Comics #1 is widely considered the first superhero comic book and is believed to have ushered in the Golden Age. Countless comic book covers across publishers and genres have paid homage to the Action Comics #1 cover artwork, including The Amazing Spider-Man #306 from Marvel Comics, Kevin Keller #5 from Archie Comics and Lady Death: Apocalyptic Abyss #1 from Coffin Comics. Additionally, the iconic cover is displayed as a mural on the outside of the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Illinois

While many comic book fans recognize the cover of Action Comics #1, fewer are aware of the context being depicted - Superman stopping a creepy man who refused to take no for an answer.

When Clark and Lois were out dancing in Action Comics #1, they were interrupted by Butch Matson, who demanded Lois dance with him. After she declined, Butch and his friends grabbed Lois and stuffed her into a green automobile, the one on the cover of Action Comics #1. The men drove Lois out of the city and into the countryside. While the comic doesn’t explicitly say that these men were rapists, it was strongly implied. Fortunately, in one of the greatest moments ever in a Superman comic, Superman stopped the moving vehicle with his bare hands. He then smashed the car, rescued Lois and strung Butch up on a telephone pole.

Other great moments in Action Comics #1 included Superman breaking into the governor’s mansion, getting an innocent woman off death row, throwing a wifebeater against the wall like a dart and repeatedly jumping high into the air as the Washington DC lobbyist in his arms screamed.

It should be noted that I wrote about the deeper meaning and historical context of Action Comics #1 in my CBR article, Action Comics #1 is One of the Greatest Works of Anti-Fascist Art Ever Made, arguing that it was “a Jewish expression of solidarity for everyone else who was also being kicked around by society.” Since I’m not retreading the points I already made, please consider reading the piece if you haven’t already done so.

DC published a sequel to Action Comics #1 in the anthology Action Comics #1000 in 2018. The Car, a five-page comic written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner and drawn by Olivier Coipel, revealed that Butch’s father died during World War I, his mother when he was 13, and as a teenager, he was raised in an orphanage. Superman told Butch, “you’ve had your fair share of knocks, and you can keep on knocking back,” or become a better person. The reimagining of Butch in Action Comics #1000 was shortsighted. The problem with this man wasn’t that he was angry and belligerent, but that he felt entitled to a woman’s body. Men who come from enormous privilege can and do have the same sexist attitudes and commit the same types of violent acts. 

Krypto’s Origin Story as a Kryptonian Test Pilot was Revealed in Adventure Comics #210

In the Silver Age of Comics, Superman Spread American Values Worldwide

The Silver Age of comics, defined as approximately 1956 through 1970, is when the interpretation of Superman as the big, blue Boy Scout was cemented and when he was endowed with Godlike physical strength and other fanciful superpowers. No longer did Superman gleefully torment the greedy and corrupt or throw machine gun-toting goons off skyscrapers to plummet to their deaths. Instead, Superman was a bastion of politeness and a hero capable of seeing the good in all people. While Superman’s slogan “truth, justice and the American way” was first said in 1942 in the radio show, The Adventures of Superman, this interpretation of the character’s ideals was most pronounced during the Silver Age.

Lawmakers held Senate hearings in 1954, charging that comic books were corrupting America’s youth and being published in poor taste. This was in response to Seduction of the Innocent, a book written by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham in 1954 that blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency. Simultaneously, in 1953 and 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy led Senate hearings about suspected communists whom he and others wanted removed from public life.

To avoid government regulation, the comic book industry censored itself by establishing the Comics Code Authority (CCA) in 1954. For a comic book to be sold on newsstands, it needed the CCA’s stamp of approval on its cover, showing that it abided by their guidelines. This included rules like “Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority” and “Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited.” The CCA effectively killed horror comics until Warren Publishing launched Creepy in 1964, Eerie in 1966 and Vampirella in 1969, which were sold as magazines instead of comic books to avoid CCA censorship. Additionally, the CCA helped transform superhero comics from often transgressive storytelling into sillier, campier and more lighthearted fare.

Today, DC juxtaposes Superman, a superhero with a sunny disposition, with Batman, a darker, more stoic superhero. However, this couldn’t have been the motivation for Superman’s change in characterization in the Silver Age. Both men were usually smiling in this era.

In the Foreword to the book Superman in the Fifties, comic book writer Mark Waid argued that Superman’s characterization in the Silver Age was a product of post-World War 2 attitudes. After helping the Allied Forces defeat Nazi Germany, Waid said that Americans felt patriotic and believed their nation to be a force for good as “the world’s police,” adding:

Silver Age Superman lore, such as Jor-El having been a superhero on Earth before Superman, is usually ignored in the Modern Age. However, the existence of Krypto, Superman’s superpowered pet dog, is a notable exception.

Krypto first appeared in Adventure Comics #210, written by Otto Binder, drawn by Curt Swan and Sy Barry and published by DC in 1955. This predated Supergirl’s first appearance in Action Comics #252 by four years. Krypto was troublesome and unruly, but joyful and kind-hearted, potentially reminding readers of both Superman and their own pet dogs. Adventure Comics #210 revealed that before Jor-El launched Kal-El into outer space, he tested the rocket’s design on Krypto. In other words, Krypto wasn’t only the last dog of Krypton, but a family dog that originally belonged to Superman’s birth parents.

Adventure Comics #210 was about Superman when he was still Superboy in Smallville, Kansas. After Krypto used X-ray vision to locate a bone buried deep in the ground, Superboy observed that he not only shared his super strength, but his other abilities, too. There was a particularly memorable moment in Adventure Comics #210 when, after reading Jor-El’s note, Superboy realized the bond he shared with Krypto began when he was a baby and Krypto was a puppy.

As Krypto licked his face, Superboy said with tears in his eyes:

Adventure Comics #210 has action, adventure and a Lana Lang appearance. However, at its heart, it’s about a boy being reunited with his dog and learning how to take care of him.

The Burden of Being Superman was Depicted in Superman for All Seasons

In the Modern Age of Comics, Superman is a Symbol of Hope

In the Modern Age of comics, defined as approximately 1986 through the present day, Superman is a symbol of hope for the struggling and suffering masses. He’s the superhero who prevents a child from falling off the ledge, comforts a young woman on the verge of suicide and stops planetary destruction. Superman is a beacon of virtue and a guiding light, inspiring the citizens of Metropolis and the world to do good deeds.

Some comic book creators use Jesus Christ symbolism when writing the character, but this is a mistake. Two Jewish men from Cleveland created Superman in the late 1930s, the height of global antisemitism, and he was analogous to Jewish refugees fleeing Europe. It’s more appropriate for Modern Age comic creators to depict Superman as a metaphor for Moses, the prophet who led the ancient Israelites to freedom, as this is more relevant to Jewish theology.

Superman for All Seasons, a four-issue miniseries written by Jeph Loeb, drawn by Tim Sale and published by DC in 1998, is a top-notch Modern Age Superman comic. Each issue took place in a different season of the year, a metaphor for the chapters in Superman’s life. Each issue also featured a different narrator – Jonathan Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Lana Lang.

Sale’s artwork in Superman for All Seasons was incredible. The book had breathtaking two-page splashes of Clark and Jonathan enjoying the sunset together in Smallville, the Metropolis skyline with a Metropolis: Home of Superman billboard in the foreground and Superman flying through outer space. Ten years before Clark was called “the red-blue blur” in Season 8 of the CW television series Smallville, Sale drew a blur of thick, red, blue and yellow lines to show the supersonic speed of Superman flying through the air.

Superman for All Seasons effectively showed the emotional burden of being Superman and the personal sacrifices Clark made to become a superhero. This is a common theme in Spider-Man stories, but it’s rarely explored in Superman comics, especially with this level of weight and gravitas.

Shortly before Clark and Lana, the girl next door and his first romantic love, graduated from Smallville High, he lifted her into the air and revealed that he could fly. He told her he had a responsibility to use his powers for good, adding that this meant moving to Metropolis, where he could make a bigger difference than in Smallville. Lana was visibly distressed while airborne, a reaction that contrasted with Lois’ attitude in Superman for All Seasons, who was thrilled by a similar experience in Metropolis. Afterwards, Clark and Lana passionately kissed, and he promised to return someday to Smallville.

There was a heartbreaking moment in Superman for All Seasons when Clark returned to Smallville for the first time, only to discover that Lana wasn’t there anymore. Clark was holding a bouquet, meant for Lana, when Pastor Linquist, who was helping tend the Lang family’s garden, informed him that she had left Smallville at the same time as him. This was after years of Clark being unable to keep in touch with Lana or know her whereabouts in life.

At this point in Superman for All Seasons, it didn’t make sense why Lana was avoiding Clark. However, in the final issue’s narration, Lana explained it when she recounted the night that Clark revealed to her that he could fly:

Lana, a mild-mannered hometown girl, realized that she needed to have dreams beyond getting married and having kids. However, this didn’t erase her initial feelings of disappointment in Clark. By the end of Superman for All Seasons, Clark and Lana had reconciled, and she expressed admiration for him becoming Superman, someone she said was making the world a safer and more caring place.

Superman can smash a car, see through walls and bounce bullets off his chest. Nevertheless, Superman for All Seasons demonstrated that his greatest strength is his humanity. We don’t have Superman by our side in the real world, but we can still overcome emotional hardships in our lives and defeat evil and injustice in society. Whether it’s from the Golden Age, the Silver Age or the Modern Age, great Superman comics serve as a reminder of this power and possibility.

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My next comic book review will be about Hell of a Job #1, a horror comic book from Weird Brain Entertainment. You can expect it online and in your emails on Friday, August 15.

Writers seem to be more susceptible to social media addiction than the general public. While many people become addicted to scrolling social media feeds on their phones, writers become addicted to posting. With every bit of engagement we receive, we get a hit of endorphins. With every post we make, we’re telling another piece of an ongoing story.

Nevertheless, posting too much can worsen the quality of a writer’s work. When we post on social media, we’re using energy that would be better spent on actual writing. Additionally, posting can become a replacement for real-world conversations, also inhibiting the writing process.

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Every Social Media Account has a Narrative, but Writers Have More Complicated Ones

Social Media Personas are Created Before the Writer Even Realizes It

For writers, social media accounts become places where we share our thoughts and feelings about everything from international politics to the president of the United States to the people who own the social media platforms to the quirks of our neighborhood to the movies we watch and the books we read. We share our life stories, details about our daily lives and our views of the world. We post honest, wholehearted opinions about most public figures but share exclusively positive opinions about our writing colleagues. We post pictures showing how much we love our partners and/or our families, and how much we enjoy the company of our friends.

Most non-writers only focus on one, two or three topics when posting on social media. They do this because that’s the narrative of their social media accounts. They’re telling the world that they’re one or more of the following: Bookworm, gamer, Chicago Bears fan, leftist, MAGA, husband, wife, father, mother, friend, cosplayer, bar hopper or gym rat. However, writers can’t help themselves. Our narrative on social media has to be bigger and more grandiose.

Everyone has a narrative they tell on social media. However, for most people, the narrative has a simple and precise throughline. However, a writer’s social media narrative is how the posts we write relate to earlier posts we made. In other words, a writer’s narrative is complex and ever-growing. Just as writers write to discover what we think, we also post to discover what we think.

To a writer, a social media account is like a public diary, with all the quirks, strengths and weaknesses of private journaling. However, because what we post on social media doesn’t fully reflect our deepest thoughts, we create social media personas. We develop an online alter ego when we post. This transformation can happen gradually, often without us realizing how the two personas differ from each other.

Writing and posting are two different animals. When writers write, we pause, reflect, proofread and wait before releasing our thoughts to the world. However, posts are raw, spontaneous and unedited. For this reason, posting can lead to embarrassment when someone in the “real world” asks us about a post and we don’t know how to respond. After all, we weren’t in the same headspace when we were sitting on the couch and authoring that post as we are now, in a physical space, talking to you. It’s not that we didn’t mean what we said in the post. It’s just that we changed our minds and/or no longer feel that way.

In other words, our posts can become difficult to coexist with our everyday lives. While this isn’t unique to writers, we are especially prone to falling into this trap. Over time, if we gain self-awareness about this dilemma, it can start to feel like we’re being fake, exposed and/or overly dramatic. We begin to feel a type of embarrassment that becomes increasingly difficult to express, convey or even personally understand. This is when a writer will either delete their social media accounts or attempt to take a break from them.

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk Want You to Stay Addicted to Their Shit

Billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, both owners of social media companies, want you to keep posting so they can make more money. Social media companies pay developers to design their apps and websites in ways that keep users addicted.

The infinite scroll is a notable example of this capitalist innovation. Facebook was the first website to implement an infinite scroll in 2011, with Instagram and Twitter following suit in 2016. However, before the age of social media, a website’s content wasn’t all displayed on a single page that could be scrolled through forever. Instead, a website was separated into several different webpages. Those of us in our 30s and 40s might recall that, unlike its successors, the social media website MySpace, at the height of its popularity in the mid-to-late 2000s, was split into different webpages. This web design is still used today on Amazon and Google, but not on social media websites. 

Writers should be mindful and stay vigilant about the ways that social media companies want to keep their users addicted. Like everyone else, writers get an adrenaline rush every time we post and a hit of dopamine with every like, reply or comment we receive. However, for us, the adrenaline and dopamine are especially potent. They’re quick fixes, like a drug addict consuming a low-quality stash, while we wait for the satisfying completion of our next writing project. However, posting quick, unfiltered thoughts can replace energy that would be better suited to actual writing, thus weakening a writer’s overall body of work.

Another way that social media addiction can be detrimental to a writer’s work is when posting starts to replace conversations. After all, conversations with friends, family and partners inform the writing process. Having fewer real-life conversations can result in fewer inspirations. While it’s possible to use social media for a conversation in private messages, if the “conversation” is public, it’s still posting and has all of the problems that come with that.

Conversations Can Inspire Quality Writing; Social Media Can Hinder It

Posting Several Times a Day is Sometimes Called “Shitposting” for a Reason

When we write, we’re able to elaborate on our thoughts instead of them being forced into the confines of a few sentences. Since writing is more long-winded than posting, we’re able to express complex ideas that are less likely to be misconstrued. As much as some self-proclaimed shitposters might claim they intended for their posts to garner negative reactions, in reality, they’re making excuses to rationalize an unfortunate situation. In other words, to use social media slang, it’s pure cope.

Any journalist who’s worked in the field long enough knows that even something we’ve painstakingly explained with the most careful of wording can be misread, misconstrued and misinterpreted. Whether this is in good or bad faith, the result is the same: anger towards you and/or the news organization that employs you. With this in mind, realize that a short, quippy post is even more likely to provoke someone.

That said, unless other posters are actively dogpiling on you, most people, whether they’re friends, family or casual acquaintances, won’t bother telling you how they misinterpreted your social media post. It doesn’t matter if it was a post about a movie or a hot-button political issue. It still wasn’t viewed as important enough to make a point of contention. After all, it’s likely that they don’t generally disagree with you. They figure it’s not worth getting into an argument about this one post.

This isn’t to say that writers should stop posting altogether. However, it’s a good idea not to immediately make a post responding to a major news story or every thought you want to express. Instead, you should take the time to pause and reflect – just as you hopefully would for a piece of writing. Additionally, if a series of thoughts isn’t worth incorporating into your writing in some way, it’s probably not worth posting about them. If you can’t figure out how to use these thoughts in your writing, maybe have conversations with your friends and family instead of posting them online. You can also keep a private journal for catharsis and not rely on social media for it.

When writers post on social media, it should be more focused on promoting our writing and ourselves as writers than expressing our innermost personal thoughts. Don’t make a multi-paragraph-long Facebook post, a long thread on BlueSky, Threads or “X” or an Instagram story full of words. Don’t feed the capitalist machine by actively generating more profits for Zuckerberg and Musk. If you have an opinion that you want to express, use it to fuel your writing. If we aim to be better writers, we shouldn’t let posting replace writing, journaling or conversations.

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Next Up: An Article About Superman

I haven’t yet finished Three Great Moments in Superman Comics, my first Substack article about DC Comics. However, you can expect it to be online and in your emails on Friday, August 1. In the meantime, be sure to check out my CBR article about Superman’s first appearance, Action Comics #1 Is One of the Greatest Works of Anti-Fascist Art Ever Made.

Also, if you enjoyed this article, consider reading my horror novel, Massacre at the Comic Shop, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and my Etsy store. Social media drama bleeding into the real world is a major theme in Massacre at the Comic Shop. A free preview of the book can be read on Medium.

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the plot and ending of Archie is Mr. Justice #4, available now from Archie Comics.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 was written by Blake Howard, drawn by Frederico Sabbatini and published by Archie Comics on May 21, 2025. It’s the gut-wrenching conclusion to a four-part miniseries where the teenage redhead Archie Andrews is reimagined as a Superman-like superhero and Riverdale is portrayed as a bustling city with skyscrapers and busy streets. A different creative team wrote and drew each issue of Archie is Mr. Justice. However, as Archie is Mr. Justice #1 writer Tim Seeley explained in my CBR interview with him, the entire miniseries was planned out in what he compared to a TV writers’ room. Each issue told the story from a different character's perspective, and the timing of some events overlapped with other issues.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 was told from Reggie Mantle’s perspective. It showed how Reggie became Mr. Justice’s adversary, Kid Wicked, and the henchman of a Lex Luthor-like Hiram Lodge. In my Substack article, Betty’s Diary #20 and Betty & Veronica: Senior Year Revealed Reggie’s Softer Side, I analyzed the character of Reggie and expressed what I’d hoped to see in Archie is Mr. Justice #4, stating that I’d like it to present the nuances of the character and not depict him as an irredeemable jerk. Not only did Archie is Mr. Justice #4 fulfill these criteria, but it’s one of the best Reggie stories ever told since the character’s first appearance in Jackpot Comics #5 in 1942. Additionally, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 is a great superhero comic book, a well-crafted ending to the four-part story and a powerful tearjerker about rage, jealousy, friendship and redemption.

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Archie is Mr. Justice #4 Finally Reveals Mr. Justice and Kid Wicked’s Origin Stories

Compared to Previous Issues, The Miniseries’ Finale Spends No Time Exploring the Wider Universe

Not only did Archie is Mr. Justice #4 tell the origin story of Reggie’s supervillain alter ego, Kid Wicked, but it also told Mr. Justice’s origin story. It also finally showed how Mr. Justice died, something that had been looming over the miniseries since Archie is Mr. Justice #1.

During a Riverdale High field trip to the Riverdale Science Museum, infamous school bully Fangs Fogarty convinced Reggie to throw a small explosive device at the lab coat-wearing scientist giving a presentation to the class. It wasn’t until the device was about to explode in Reggie’s hand that he realized Fangs had lied when he said it would only make a bang and not hurt anyone. Reggie was feeling alone and desperate to be liked by Fangs. Archie and Reggie had previously been close friends, but they’d been drifting apart. For this reason, Archie paired up with his new friend, Jughead Jones, to be his “safety buddy” on the field trip. Reggie’s only option for his safety buddy was Fangs, leaving him vulnerable to Fangs’ peer pressure.

After Reggie threw the explosive device at the museum scientist, Archie jumped in front of it to protect him, and Reggie lunged toward it to protect Archie. Like a scene from a Silver Age superhero comic, the lab explosion gave Archie superpowers, transforming him into the superhero Mr. Justice. Later, Hiram utilized the same scientific technology to bestow Reggie with superpowers, seeing potential in him as a henchman for his powerful real estate and tech company, Lodge Industries. However, while Mr. Justice was embedded with superpowers, Kid Wicked had to keep taking a Lodge Industries serum to maintain his superpowers.

Hiram originally wanted Reggie to become a superhero like Mr. Justice, but one who, unlike Mr. Justice, was on the side of Lodge Industries and corporate interests. Eventually, Hiram was willing to settle for Kid Wicked, a supervillain whose destructive fights with Mr. Justice made him look bad to the working-class citizens of Riverdale.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 spends no time exploring the larger universe of Archie is Mr. Justice. Unlike previous issues, this one doesn’t dive into Mr. Justice’s hostility towards Hiram, Lodge Industries’ changes to and plans for Riverdale or the city’s class conflict. Also, unlike Archie is Mr. Justice #3, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 doesn’t introduce new antagonists. This straightforwardness in the narrative was a good choice. By now, readers already know this world, and adding plot elements unrelated to Reggie, Kid Wicked or the death of Mr. Justice would’ve been unnecessary and too distracting for a final issue. It would’ve made the ending of Archie is Mr. Justice less satisfying and the emotional impact of Archie is Mr. Justice #4 weaker.

That said, Archie is Mr. Justice has a narrative inconsistency. In Archie is Mr. Justice #1, Fangs told Archie, “there’s something different about you now ever since the museum trip,” indicating that the scene occurred after Archie gained superpowers. In the same scene, Archie defended Jughead when Fangs bullied him, and this was strongly implied to be the moment when Archie first became friends with Jughead, the new kid in town. However, when the museum scene was shown in Archie is Mr. Justice #4, Archie and Jughead were already depicted as close friends.

Plot holes don’t always matter. Hyper-focusing on questions like “how did Bruce Wayne get back to Gotham after escaping Bane’s pit in the movie The Dark Knight Rises?” isn’t good media criticism. A more thoughtful analysis asks questions like “what were the characters’ motivations?” and “how did the storytelling make audiences feel?” Nevertheless, this narrative contradiction in Archie is Mr. Justice matters. It would’ve been interesting to be able to re-read Archie is Mr. Justice #1 and notice how Archie is Mr. Justice #4 recontextualizes this moment. Unfortunately, it appears to contradict it instead.

Reggie’s Dark Path in Archie is Mr. Justice is Understandable but Immoral

Envy Can Destroy Yourself and Everything Around You if You Let It

Thematically speaking, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 brought the miniseries to new heights. Archie is Mr. Justice effectively demonstrated how anger can cloud a person’s judgment, how power can corrupt their morality and how jealousy can destroy everything within themselves and around them if they allow it.

Reggie feels like the world has chewed him up and spit him out in Archie is Mr. Justice #4. He was lied to and peer pressured by Fangs, who pretended to be his friend. Reggie’s father, the Riverdale Gazette owner Marty Mantle, isn’t proud of his son’s accomplishments as a star athlete on Riverdale High’s football team. Instead, Marty gives all his attention to his work, his employees, including Reggie’s peers Archie and Jughead, and is obsessed with Mr. Justice giving his newspaper top-selling news stories. Feeling hurt, angry and distraught, Reggie couldn’t control his road rage, ultimately pushing away Veronica Lodge, who before this incident had adored him.

The narration in the previous issues of Archie is Mr. Justice was from each issue’s protagonists, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, and they all spoke to the same reporter, Harper Lodge. However, the narration in Archie is Mr. Justice #4 was what Reggie was writing in a journal. In the narration, Reggie said:

Not only was this Reggie’s internal monologue, but it was the lesson in Archie is Mr. Justice #4. As Howard said on the May 22, 2025 episode of Archie and Me: An Archie Comics Podcast:

It’s true — feelings of jealousy are extremely relatable. It’s common for someone to, at some point in their life, become so green with envy that they lash out at those who don’t deserve it. Envy can not only cause someone to harm the person they envy but also offend and alienate friends and allies, ultimately damaging their own reputation and mental health. There’s a reason why an internal struggle is sometimes referred to as a “demon.” It can feel like an amorphous thing separate from one’s self, which they yell at and tell to go away, only for it to return again and again.

Like many of the best superhero-supervillain relationships, Mr. Justice and Kid Wicked have stark similarities. They’re both teenagers from Riverdale High, and they’ve run in the same crowds. They both dated Veronica. The two characters have mostly the same superpowers. They both gained superpowers from the same scientific advancements. However, their paths diverged because Archie remained pure of heart, while Reggie was consumed by an all-encompassing desire to settle scores, fueled by rage, self-loathing and jealousy.

Nevertheless, the real villain of the story is Hiram, a real estate billionaire and tech company CEO. Hiram was the central antagonist in Archie is Mr. Justice and the man behind the curtain, exploiting Reggie’s vulnerabilities for his own benefit, in Archie is Mr. Justice #4. Hiram showed no remorse for his evil actions throughout the entire miniseries. Unlike Reggie, Hiram doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities — or at least none beyond a mistaken and misguided belief that he’s improving Riverdale, rather than exacerbating injustice.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 Will Make Readers Cry Multiple Times

It Understands Reggie Mantle and What Makes the Character Great

While every issue of Archie is Mr. Justice has moments likely to bring a tear to the reader’s eye, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 has them throughout the comic. It was heartbreaking when Fangs lied and told his teacher that throwing the explosive device at the museum scientist was “all Reggie’s idea.” When Reggie wept in his father’s car, it was difficult, as a reader, not to cry along with him. It was gut-wrenching to see Reggie go down a dark and destructive path, fall into the wrong crowd (i.e., Fangs and Hiram) and commit an irreparable action he’ll regret for the rest of his life. Kid Wicked didn’t mean to kill Mr. Justice, only hurt him, and Mr. Justice didn’t fight back, knowing that Reggie’s superpower serum was wearing off and doing so would’ve likely killed him.

The moment when Reggie, to protect Archie, dove in front of the explosive device he threw at the museum scientist was top-notch character writing. It showed that despite Reggie’s ill-conceived actions, he didn’t want to see his friend get hurt. This is exactly the type of nuance my May 2, 2025 Substack article said I was hoping to find in Reggie’s depiction in Archie is Mr. Justice #4. It showed that Reggie is neither irredeemable nor a purely malicious character.

Despite everything Reggie did wrong in Archie is Mr. Justice, there’s still good inside of him. This character interpretation was only strengthened when, after serving time in prison, Reggie told the court that he doesn’t believe he should be granted parole, adding:

Oof. Talk about a punch to the gut. Long live, Reggie Mantle — possibly the best character at Archie Comics when written correctly.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 is now available for purchase at your local comic shop and on the Archie Comics website. Read it.

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Not only did I interview Tim Seeley about Archie is Mr. Justice, but I also reviewed all three previous issues of the miniseries for CBR. I wrote this review to be accessible to someone who hasn’t read Archie is Mr. Justice, or any of my other reviews, but I’d still appreciate it if you checked them out here, here and here.

Also, I couldn’t be prouder of my CBR article about the anti-fascist subtext of Action Comics #1 and my deep dive into Batman: The Killing Joke and the Joker’s publication history. However, I’ve yet to write about a DC comic book on Substack. This will likely change on Friday, July 18. Stay tuned!

More than five million protesters across all 50 states and in every major American city took to the streets on Saturday, June 14, marching against the policies of President Donald Trump. The nationwide event, dubbed “No Kings Day,” was the same day as Trump’s 79th birthday. Protests were scheduled roughly the same time as Trump’s military parade in Washington DC, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, established on June 14, 1775. Protesters said the military parade coinciding with Trump’s birthday wasn’t a coincidence, but part of a broader trend of Trump seeing himself as a king rather than a public servant responding to the will of the people.

It would be easy to compare the nationwide No Kings protests and the presidential administration that inspired them to comic strips in Doonesbury and The Boondocks, two newspaper comics known for their overt political statements. However, comic strip fans have something else to read and process their thoughts about these current events – Calvin and Hobbes, a newspaper comic written and drawn by Bill Watterson that ran from 1985 until 1995. Calvin and Hobbes was ahead of its time in its anti-commercialism, environmentalism and the truth that Watterson spoke to power. Furthermore, there’s one particular Calvin and Hobbes snowman strip that comes to mind when thinking about how past kings and contemporary business and political leaders participate in exploitation.

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Approximately 75,000 No Kings protesters marched in downtown Chicago, organizers told Block Club Chicago, making it one of the largest protests in Chicago history. In some ways, Chicago’s No Kings protest seemed as much against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal law enforcement agency established in 2003, as it was against President Trump. The familiar "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA" chant was changed to "No 'Ice,' No KKK, No Fascist USA." Additionally, the chant, "No Justice, No Peace, No Racist Police," transformed into "No Justice, No Peace, No Racist I-C-E." Many protesters carried signs with messages specifically about ICE, easily outnumbering any other target besides Trump himself.

As No Kings protesters gathered at the Daley Center, Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine and Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar played on the loudspeakers. When passing by Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, a nearly 1,400-foot-tall skyscraper with Trump’s name plastered across it, protesters booed, yelled “You suck!” and chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

While Trump’s critics often consider him more authoritarian than most or all previous American presidents, comparing powerful businessmen and elected politicians to kings isn’t a new idea. Karl Marx, one of the founders of Sociology and author of Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto, said that feudalism, the political and economic system in which kings, queens and royal families own the land and the economy’s means of production, was never actually abolished. Marx argued that feudalism only evolved into the modern system of capitalism, a society in which a small number of wealthy elites, the bourgeoisie, control the world’s resources and exploit the working class in the same manner as the kings before them.

As Marx said in his 1848 essay, The Manifesto of Class Struggle:

In other words, in Marxist social theory, companies are built on the backs of their workforces. Workers in a capitalist system don’t receive most of the fruits of their labor. Instead, the workers produce value for the company while the company owners, like kings, reap most of the benefits. Additionally, the government employs men with guns who protect and serve the interests of the rich by defending their property and maintaining this system of exploitation.

Watterson isn’t an avowed Marxist. However, both Calvin and Hobbes and Watterson’s public statements frequently offer critiques of capitalism. As I explained in my CBR article, The 10 Best Calvin and Hobbes Christmas Comics, Watterson fought tirelessly against Universal Press Syndicate to prevent his comic strip from being merchandized or ever having any on-screen adaptation. In his view, allowing corporations to transform Calvin and Hobbes into anything other than a comic strip would destroy the artistic integrity of his creation.

Watterson repeatedly referred to licensing rights as “exploitation rights” in The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, adding:

Watterson often included social commentary and symbolism in Calvin and Hobbes. For instance, in the titular storyline in the comic strip collection, Weirdos from Another Planet!: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection, Calvin and Hobbes fly to Mars on Calvin’s wagon to escape from Earth’s pollution. This was one of the earliest examples of Watterson making an environmentalist statement in Calvin and Hobbes.

In the Calvin and Hobbes strip originally published on October 20, 1990, Calvin was unwillingly grabbed and carried to the bathtub by his mom, who ignored his demands to stay put. In Calvin’s view, his moral principles were being ignored and disregarded, whether he agreed to a compromise or not. In The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, Watterson said he wrote and drew this strip because of his frustrations with Universal Press Syndicate, feeling he was losing his battle with them for the licensing rights to Calvin and Hobbes.

In the December 29, 1995 Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin showed Hobbes a snowman he made of a snowman eating a snow cone with a huge smile on his face. At first, Hobbes was pleased at the sight of the happy snowman. The lesson initially appeared to be about how sometimes life’s simplest pleasures can bring the most joy. However, in the last panel of the strip, a grimmer truth was revealed. After seeing the body of another snowman face down on the ground, Hobbes realized that the snow cones could only be built on the backs of other snowmen.

Both CBR and ScreenRant have articles referencing this Calvin and Hobbes snowman strip. The CBR article has three author bylines. ScreenRant has two articles referencing the strip, each with one byline. This means that a total of five writers from Valnet, Inc. wrote about the strip. Additionally, dozens of Reddit users discussed the strip with one another, responding to a 2018 r/calvinandhobbes post. The comic strip critics and online shitposters referred to the imagery in this Calvin and Hobbes strip as a “murder mystery” and “cannibalism,” never once mentioning exploitation. However, this reading of the strip misses what’s most compelling about it.

The way this Calvin and Hobbes strip showed the cruelty of exploitation in such a simple but eloquent manner was top-notch sequential art. The snowman enjoying his snow cone-eating lifestyle at the expense of another snowman is the same exploitation that Marx argued the workers of the world experience under global capitalism. The exploitative snowman had the same attitude about other snowmen that Trump has shown toward discarded members of his presidential cabinet, fired contestants on his NBC game show, The Apprentice, and employees and tenants in his real estate and business empire. They’re seen as disposable and less important than his own power and greed.

To dismiss the December 29, 1995 Calvin and Hobbes strip as merely a story about physical violence is to overlook Watterson’s brilliant symbolism in favor of a painfully literal interpretation. This reading fails to recognize who in the real world most closely resembles the exploitative snowman. He isn’t most comparable to a serial killer like Jeffrey Dahmer, who committed cannibalistic murder because of his sickness and sadism. He shares much more in common with king-like figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and President Trump, who indulge in lavish lifestyles, without caring about how it negatively impacts the rest of us, whom they see as lowly peasants.

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In my last Substack article, I said that you could expect my review of Archie is Mr. Justice #4 to be posted today. However, once again, I felt compelled to address current events instead. I will write a review of the comic book very soon, though. You can expect it to be online and sent to your email on Friday, July 4.

Also, check out Episode 37 of The Rabbit Hole of Research, available here on Substack and wherever you get your podcasts. I was a guest on the episode and talked with the hosts about invisibility in comics, movies and literature.

Pride Month, from June 1 to June 30, is an annual observance commemorating the Stonewall riots that took place in New York City’s Greenwich Village from June 28 to July 3 in 1969. When the NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn, a local gay bar, the LGBTQ+ community fought back by throwing rocks and debris, setting fires and smashing windows. In the 2020s, Pride Month has become associated with fun-filled celebrations sponsored by local governments and multinational corporations adding rainbow filters to their Facebook profile pictures.

For decades after the Stonewall riots, it was illegal for men to engage in sexual activity with each other in many states across the United States. This was referenced in What’s My Age Again? by Blink-182, a hit pop-punk song from 1999, when Mark Hoppus described a prank phone call, singing, “I said I was the cops and your husband’s in jail, this state looks down on sodomy.” Additionally, illegal rendezvous between gay and bisexual men at a highway rest stop being busted by state troopers was depicted in the 1998 romantic comedy, There’s Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz. It wasn’t until 2003 that the Supreme Court ruled “sodomy” laws unconstitutional in its Lawrence v. Texas decision, legalizing it in all fifty states.

Despite the progress that’s been made, it can feel like society is drifting backwards again. With the rise of Christian nationalism, the election of Donald Trump as America’s 47th president and a 6 to 3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, LGBTQ+ rights are in jeopardy. This is why fans of comics and comic strips should explore stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters and seek out comics and comic strips from LGBTQ+ creators. After all, art has the power to deepen understanding, comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. The 1993 For Better or For Worse comic strips where Lawrence came out of the closet, the 2010 comic book Veronica #202 from Archie Comics and the 2024 comic book Witches of Oz #1 from Lifeline Comics are all excellent places to start.

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Lawrence Poirier’s Coming Out Story in For Better or For Worse is a Tearjerker

Lynn Johnston, the Comic Strip’s Creator, Recalls Both Threatening Hate Mail and Positive Fan Mail She Received

For Better or For Worse was a newspaper comic strip written and drawn by Lynn Johnston that originally ran from 1979 until 2008. It was about the everyday life of the Patterson family and their friends in suburban Toronto. For Better or For Worse was unique in that all its characters aged in real time. In other words, Michael Patterson and his friend and neighbor, Lawrence Poirier, went from being small children to teenagers to adults in For Better or For Worse.

Lawrence came out as gay at age 17 in For Better or For Worse strips that ran from March 26, 1993 until April 24, 1993. The strips can be read for free on fborfw.com and were reprinted in the book, There Goes My Baby!: A For Better or For Worse Collection. At first, Michael reacted poorly, wondering if this meant Lawrence was attracted to him. However, after a heartfelt conversation, Michael accepted Lawrence. Unfortunately, Lawrence’s mother, Connie, and his stepfather, Greg, didn’t react as kindly. Greg kicked his stepson out of the house before eventually welcoming him back. After his return, Lawrence and Connie hugged while Greg looked on with a warm, wistful expression.

There was a memorable moment in For Better or For Worse when Michael told Lawrence that maybe he was confused and mistaken about being gay. Lawrence responded by saying, “Mike, my mind is crystal clear.”

Johnston told the Roanoke Times in 1993:

Just as Michael was the first person whom Lawrence told, Johnston said that when her brother-in-law, Ralph Johnston, came out of the closet, she was the first person he told. She said some of the dialogue in Lawrence’s coming out story was based on this event. She said other elements of Lawrence’s story were inspired by stories her brother-in-law shared with her about other LGBTQ+ people he knew. Additionally, Johnston said she had a gay comedian friend, Michael Boncoeur, who was murdered, and she wanted to honor him in For Better or For Worse.

Lawrence wasn’t the first openly LGBTQ+ character in a newspaper comic strip. This honor goes to Andy Lippincott in Doonesbury, who first appeared on Jan. 27, 1976, and first mentioned being gay on Feb. 10, 1976. However, Lawrence was the first openly LGBTQ+ character outside of Doonesbury, an extremely political comic strip that some newspapers have relegated to the Editorial page instead of the Comics section. To put this in perspective, five of the most recent Doonesbury comic strip collections have drawings of President Trump on the cover. For Better or For Worse, on the other hand, was essentially a comic strip about a white, middle-class family in the suburbs. Unlike Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, Johnston wasn’t used to dealing with controversy.

Johnston and her editors at Universal Press Syndicate received threatening letters because of Lawrence’s story. She said that some small, local newspaper editors in the United States who published the strips feared for their safety, as it was often easy for community members to find them while having coffee in public. Johnston said that living in rural Canada prevented her from experiencing comparable safety concerns. She was hard to find, and if a stalker came looking for her, her neighbors would protect her, Johnston said. In addition to the hate mail, Johnston recalled a positive letter she received from a parent who hadn’t talked to their lesbian daughter in three years, and was finally inspired to reconnect because of For Better or For Worse.

Lawrence’s story is a powerful tearjerker, but parts of it feel somewhat dated. Lawrence and Michael discussed “two-spirited” people in Native American cultures, which is more accurately about gender identity than sexual orientation. Additionally, Michael’s initially adverse reaction would hopefully be different in 2025 when teenagers are usually more socially conscious than they were in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, parents kicking LGBTQ+ teenagers out of the house is unfortunately still common. It’s another example of how, no matter how much society progresses, it feels like some things never change.

Veronica #202 Introduced Archie Comics’ First LGBTQ+ Character, Kevin Keller

Riverdale Accepts Kevin for Being Gay, but He Still Feels Like an Outsider

Veronica #202 was written and drawn by Dan Parent, inked by Rich Koslowski, lettered by Jack Morelli and published by Archie Comics in 2010. In celebration of this year’s Pride Month, Archie Comics reprinted Veronica #202 in a facsimile edition on Wednesday, June 4, available now on Archie Comics’ website and your local comic book store.

Veronica #202 introduced Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first LGBTQ+ character and one of the main characters in the CW television series Riverdale. Parent, who identifies as bisexual, described Kevin as “the boy next door.” In other words, he’s handsome, kindhearted and generally more well-adjusted than other Archie Comics characters. Kevin also starred in three volumes of Kevin Keller and the five-issue miniseries, Life with Kevin. The latter was similar to the 1990s and 2000s television sitcom, Will & Grace, and re-imagined the teenage blond as an adult journalist living in New York City with Veronica as his roommate. However, years before Life with Kevin, it was immediately established in Veronica #202 that Kevin planned to study journalism in college.

As my CBR article, Archie Comics Was the Best Comic Publisher of the 2010s, explained, Veronica #202 marked the beginning of Archie Comics’ rebranding. Many comic book fans thought of Archie Comics as retro at best and archaic at worst - glamorizing 1950s America and an idyllic past that never actually existed. However, after John Goldwater took over as CEO in 2009, he brought the publishing house into the 21st century with fun, lighthearted comics, such as Veronica #202, which depicted Riverdale as a futuristic society to emulate, and more mature stories, like Mark Waid’s six-volume Archie run.

Everyone in Riverdale immediately accepted Kevin for being gay in Veronica #202. Nevertheless, Parent still wrote it in a relatable manner for LGBTQ+ readers and their real-life struggles. After all, Kevin was the new kid in town, an outsider, in Veronica #202. In later publications, Kevin became good friends with Veronica and a part of Archie’s friend group. However, coming from a military family and moving from place to place throughout his life, Kevin felt like a perpetual outsider, never being able to break free from this internal complex.

When Kevin told Jughead that he was gay in Veronica #202, his only reaction was pondering how to use this information to get back at Veronica for “making a fool” of him. Jughead convinced Kevin to wait before telling her about his sexual orientation, claiming that she was “sensitive” and needed to be let down more easily. Hilarity ensued as the persistent brunette continued to romantically pursue Kevin after other characters realized he was gay.

Veronica #202 isn’t just a good comic to read for Pride Month, but for anyone curious about Archie Comics. It features visual humor, banter between Jughead and Veronica, competition between Betty and Veronica and appearances by lesser-known Archie characters, including Dilton, Chuck, Nancy and Ethel. One especially amusing panel showed Betty, fed up with being viewed as too nice, flicking off the angel on her shoulder with her thumb and index finger and opting to listen to the devil on her shoulder instead.

Witches of Oz #1 Reimagines the World of Oz with a Queer Romance

It Also Reminds Readers that Social Progress Can Sometimes Reverse Course

Witches of Oz #1 was written by Phil Falco and Kat Calamia, drawn by Roberta Ingranata, colored by Warnia K. Sahadewa, lettered by LetterSquids and published by Lifeline Comics in 2024. It’s available for purchase on LifelineComics.com.

Calamia, who identifies as bisexual, and Falco, who identifies as gay, founded the company in 2022. The duo uses Kickstarter to crowdfund Lifeline Comics publications. Calamia and Falco have an active presence at comic conventions in the United States and Pride festivals on the East Coast. According to Lifeline Comics’ website, the publisher will appear at six Pride festivals this month.

Speaking on the mission and philosophy of Lifeline Comics, Calamia said:

Witches of Oz, an M-rated miniseries or potential ongoing series, is in the same universe as The Beast & Snow, a comic book series about a queer romance between a werewolf and vampire, and Nightmare in Wonderland, which is Lifeline Comics’ take on Alice in Wonderland.

Witches of Oz #1 reimagines the world of Oz created by early 20^th-century author L. Frank Baum. It begins the story of an enemies-to-lovers queer romance between Glinda, the so-called “Good Witch,” and Margot, the so-called “Wicked Witch of the West.” Margot is named after Margaret Hamilton, the original actress who played the character. This detail establishes Witches of Oz as having a different continuity from the Broadway musical, Wicked, where the character’s name was Elphaba.

Eight years after the events of The Wizard of Oz, the people of Oz were seeking a new scapegoat for their growing economic anxieties in Wizard of Oz #1. They turned their sights to Glinda, who, in a last-ditch effort, recruited Margot for help. This required Glinda to apologize and confront her overwhelming feelings of guilt, and Margot had to leave behind her life of seclusion.

Regarding the happy ending in The Wizard of Oz, Glinda’s narration in Witches of Oz #1 said:

However, with the conditions in Oz having worsened in the years since, she added:

When the United States Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states in 2015, many LGBTQ+ rights advocates mistakenly believed that justice had triumphed once and for all. They thought that nothing further needed to be done. Glinda’s narration in Witches of Oz #1 expresses the reality of this shortsighted attitude.

Witches of Oz #1 differs from Veronica #202 and Lawrence’s coming out story in For Better or For Worse in that it has no historical legacy within the broader context of LGBTQ+ media. No one at Lifeline Comics was afraid for their physical safety because of Witches of Oz #1’s publication. Its LGBTQ+ representation didn’t send shockwaves through the world of indie comics. Instead, in a way, Witches of Oz #1 represents everything we’re fighting for – a good, LGBTQ+ comic book that simply exists and is enjoyable to read. After all, in an ideal future, there will never again be anything controversial about including LGBTQ+ characters and themes in art and entertainment.

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My next comic book review will be about the long-awaited Archie is Mr. Justice #4. Expect it online and in your emails on Friday, June 20.

Samson was a legendary Israelite warrior and judge with superhuman strength in Jewish theology. In Samson #1, written by Ben Lacy, drawn by Jhonesbas Craneo and published by Biting Comics in 2024, Samual Zucker gained superpowers after Nazi scientists experimented on him and his brother, Sol, in the Auschwitz concentration camps in the 1940s. He became the superhero, Samson, and helped the Allied Forces fight the Nazis in World War 2. After the fall of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, Samson was a superhero in Israel until he immigrated to the United States. In Samson #1, in 1990, Zucker learned from Joseph Stein, an Interpol agent and Nazi hunter, that the UburFührer, a Nazi super solder who gained superpowers from the same sadistic Nazi scientist who experimented on him and his brother, was still alive. This propelled Samson to come out of retirement, once again donning his Star of David-emblazoned superhero costume.

Samson #1 is a superhero comic with good-old-fashioned Nazi punching action, a superpowered gorilla and disturbing images of scientific experiments on human beings. Despite Samson #1’s Cover C paying homage to Alex Ross’ Superman Forever #1 cover artwork, Samson has more in common with what a comic book fan would expect from a Captain America comic than a Superman comic. Samson #1 is strongest when exploring the themes of Jewish trauma and identity, including a few haunting panels that look like something that could’ve been from a horror comic instead of a superhero comic. Samson #1 shows promise for what’s to come in the ongoing series, a story about battling Nazis decades after they were ostensibly defeated in the 1940s.

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Biting Comics is Comic Book Writer Ben Lacy’s Publishing Company

Samson #1 is One of Several Comic Books Written by Ben Lacy and Published by Biting Comics

Lacy, a Jewish comic book writer from South Carolina, started Biting Comics in 2020 with the publication of Shark of War #1, a comic about a part-robot shark protagonist. In the last five years, Biting Comics has published about a dozen comic books and hardcover collections written by Lacy, including eight issues of Shark of War, a Shark of War, Volume 1 hardcover, three issues of The Vicious Vixens of Dakuwanga and The Cthulhu Man #1, both of which take place in the Shark of War universe.

Lacy has supported over 200 comic book-related Kickstarter campaigns and uses the Kickstarter platform to fund Biting Comics publications. Additionally, he’s extremely active on Facebook, regularly engaging with and promoting other self-publishers and indie comic book creators such as Part-Time Comix, Hersey Studios, LLC and my publishing imprint, Starving Author Press.

Samson #1 is Lacy’s first superhero comic. He described it as a “passion project” that’s been years in the making, adding:

When asked about the elevator pitch for the Samson comic book series, Lacy said:

The scenes in Samson #1 jump back and forth between the titular character’s backstory in the 1940s and present-day 1990. While Samson #1 would’ve been better if the art style or coloring had changed when depicting its flashbacks, at no point in Samson #1 was the transition between the two time periods confusing or jarring. Lacy said he plans for Samson to be an ongoing series, adding that the first arc will likely span four or five issues.

A Jewish Superhero Comes out of Retirement in Samson #1

Holocaust Survivor Samuel Zucker Must Confront His Past Traumas to Gain Any Sense of Closure

Samuel Zucker was living a quiet, peaceful life in suburban New York in 1990 in Samson #1 until Joseph Stein, an Interpol agent and Nazi hunter, knocked on his door in the middle of the night. Stein told him that Oliver Danneker, the Nazi super soldier better known as the UburFührer, was still alive. The UburFührer was created by the same Nazi scientists who experimented on him and his brother in the Auschwitz concentration camps fifty years ago. Stein said he wanted Zucker to don his Samson superhero costume once again to accost and arrest Danneker at his home in Chicago, where he’s been hiding from international law, and take him to Israel to stand trial.

Like many of the most beloved and acclaimed Captain America comics, such as Ed Brubaker’s six-year-long Captain America run, Samson #1 has elements of a political thriller. Readers see how different political forces struggle with one another for power. Additionally, characters must work within existing socio-political and economic systems to achieve their individual goals and objectives.

Similar to how Captain America occasionally works with the United States government and the military-industrial complex while also, paradoxically, being frequently at odds with these institutions, this appears to have been Samson’s former relationship with the State of Israel. While Captain America dons the stars and stripes on a red, white and blue costume, Samson’s costume resembles Israel’s flag. As Lacy said in the Deluxe PDF of Samson #1:

Samson begrudgingly comes out of superhero retirement in Samson #1 in 1990 because of his trauma as a Holocaust survivor and a desire for some sense of closure. In other words, at its heart, this isn’t a story about a New Yorker, an American or a former Israeli. It’s about Jewish trauma and Jewish identity. Ultimately, Samson doesn’t fight for any particular nation or city. Just as Captain America fights for what he sees as the best American ideals, Samson fights for the Star of David, a Jewish religious symbol dating back thousands of years, that he has emblazoned on his chest.

Samson #1 is at its Strongest When Addressing Jewish Trauma

Samson #1 effectively builds anticipation for what’s to come in the series. However, in a vacuum, the comic’s most compelling moments are when it wrestles with Jewish trauma and identity. Some of the panels drawn by Craneo of the Nazi’s cruel experimentation resemble images that could’ve been from a terrifying nightmare, which explains why the titular character is still suffering from night terrors fifty years later. Samson occasionally speaks Yiddish, a mostly dead language that was nevertheless spoken by approximately 85% of Jews killed in the Holocaust.

While information about the Holocaust is available to read and stories about it are passed down from generation to generation, very few people can personally remember it - as in, access images of it from their own memory. As time marches on, fewer and fewer people with firsthand experience at Auschwitz are still alive. However, as Samson said:

“Never forget” is often said about the Holocaust. It’s an atrocity that humankind should always remember so that nothing like it ever happens again. However, the narration on the first page of Samson #1 cleverly uses the phrase to convey an important element of the protagonist’s character.

Samson and Captain America’s Similarities are Stark, and their Differences are Revealing

When Captain America first punched Hitler on the cover of Captain America Comics #1, written by Joe Simon, drawn by Jack Kirby and published by Timely Comics in 1941, it was before the United States entered World War 2. While the comic book cover is iconic today, Timely Comics received death threats from Nazi sympathizers in the United States.

After the Avengers unearthed Captain America from the ice, where he’d been preserved for decades, in Avengers #4, written by Stan Lee, drawn by Jack Kirby and published by Marvel Comics in 1964, comic book writers started depicting him as a man out of time. Captain America is a man who’s the product of a bygone era. He attempts to figure out his place in this new world while desperately trying to hold onto the American ideals he once wholeheartedly believed.

Captain America and Samson have very similar superpowers. They’re both skilled fighters with super strength and agility. However, Captain America gained his superpowers after willingly taking an experimental drug from the United States Military. Samson, on the other hand, was brutally experimented on by Nazi scientists against his will, inadvertently turning him into a superhero who fought against them. In other words, despite having similar origin stories, Samson’s origin story makes Jewish trauma and heritage inherent to his character, while for Captain America, it’s having served in the United States Military.

Some of the best dialogue in Samson #1 was between Stein and Zucker at the beginning of the comic. In only a few pages, it effectively conveyed who the protagonist was and what readers can expect from this series. At first, Zucker said he didn’t want to don the Samson costume again, saying:

Stein clarified that he had official papers from the United States Justice Department, granting him permission to accost and arrest the UburFührer. Additionally, he explained that the United States Military, the FBI and the Chicago Police have all been instructed to stand down and let him do it, adding that someone with superpowers like him is best equipped to stop someone else with superpowers. Speaking more honestly, Stein also said:

This moment was more than just one character explaining something to another character. Lacy was winking at the audience, stating why it could be more satisfying to see Samson at Biting Comics do what Captain America has done in Marvel and Timely comic books.

Overall, Samson #1 is a good comic book. It’s worth checking out if you find the premise intriguing. Samson has the potential for greatness, and the first issue is a solid, engaging read.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Physical copies of Samson #1 can be purchased from the Biting Comics webstore. As promotion for the Samson #2 Kickstarter, which launches on Tuesday, May 20, writer Ben Lacy made PDFs of Samson #1 available for free in a Google Drive folder.

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Reggie Mantle, the dark-haired teenage boy at Archie Comics, has a bad reputation. He was shown to recklessly put others in danger in Archie #20, written by Mark Waid, drawn by Pete Woods and published by Archie Comics in May 2017. He was a clinical sociopath and a self-entitled misogynist in Afterlife with Archie #9, written by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa, drawn by Francesco Francavilla and published by Archie Comics in March 2016 as part of a horror comic book series about the zombie apocalypse. More recently, Reggie’s been depicted as a destructive, costumed supervillain, Kid Wicked, in Archie is Mr. Justice, the new, four-issue superhero miniseries from Archie Comics.

In my CBR article, Archie Comics was the Best Comic Publisher of the 2010s, I highly praised Afterlife with Archie and Mark Waid’s six-volume Archie run. However, this was despite the writers’ extremely negative interpretation of the character of Reggie, not because of it. These depictions are less compelling than how Reggie is presented in Betty’s Diary #20, published by Archie Comics in 1988, and Betty & Veronica: Senior Year, a five-issue miniseries, written by Jamie Lee Rotante, drawn by Sandra Lanz and Kelly Fitzpatrick and published by Archie Comics in 2019. In these comics, Reggie is shown to be good at heart, regularly volunteering at a retirement home and unafraid to cry in front of Veronica about his grandmother’s terminal illness. In these iterations of the character, Reggie isn’t hiding his secret identity as a supervillain or sociopath. Instead, Reggie hides his softer side to maintain his carefully constructed “bad boy” persona.

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Reggie Mantle is Full of Himself, but Not a Bad Guy

Even Though Archie and Reggie are Rivals, They’re Still Friends

Reggie Mantle first appeared in Jackpot Comics #5 in 1942, a year after Archie Andrews, the titular redheaded teenager at Archie Comics, first appeared in Pep Comics #22 in 1941. Reggie is a skilled prankster, Riverdale High School’s class clown and Archie’s friend and rival. His first solo series, Archie's Rival Reggie, published by Archie Comics from 1941 through 1952, alluded to the competition between the two boys in its title. While Veronica Lodge, the confident brunette and sassy, rich girl, usually has eyes for Archie, she sometimes shows interest in Reggie, too. Additionally, Betty Cooper, the kindhearted blonde and down-to-earth girl next door, views Reggie as a worthy friend.

On the cover of the Reggie and Me (Archie Comics Presents), a 2019 trade paperback that reprinted Reggie and Me comics from the 1960s and 1970s, Reggie was proudly leading Archie, Betty and Veronica on a hike through the woods. Archie, not enjoying being reduced to the role of a follower, made a snide remark about Reggie, comparing his friend to a porcupine. Archie’s analogy made the girls laugh, bringing him back to the center of attention.

In other words, as Silver Age comic book writers were well aware, Archie actively participates in his rivalry with Reggie. He’s not an innocent bystander to Reggie’s pranks and trash talk. It should also be noted that the Reggie and Me (Archie Comics Presents) cover also features a collage of four sketches, including two sketches of Archie and Reggie kicking each other in the butt.

Just as Veronica and Betty are friends and rivals, Reggie and Archie are friends and rivals. However, it seems like Archie Comics fans and creators have trouble accepting this contradictory relationship dynamic. Why is that, though? Perhaps it’s because we live in a patriarchal, capitalist society where men and boys are taught to crush their adversaries like pesky bugs. Additionally, western audiences are more familiar with the competitive nature of certain female friendships as it’s been thoroughly explored in movies like Mean Girls and Jennifer’s Body.

If Reggie is such a rotten, selfish person and malicious narcissist, what does Veronica see in him? Why does she have romantic feelings for Reggie? If Reggie doesn’t have a softer side, why is Betty, of all people, friends with him? Could it be that this character interpretation doesn’t stem from Reggie’s whole personality but instead, Archie’s perception of him? After all, Archie is usually the protagonist in these stories. Generally, readers are seeing the world how Archie sees it.

Archie and the gang traditionally included five teenagers: Archie, Jughead, Reggie, Betty and Veronica. However, many newer comics, including Archie’s Comic Spectacular, which will be published tomorrow on Free Comic Book Day, on Saturday, May 3, only show Archie, Jughead, Veronica and Betty on their covers. Reggie is excluded from these comic book covers despite the artwork seemingly supposed to represent every main character at Archie Comics. To provide another example: On the cover of Archie Christmas Spectacular, published by Archie Comics in 2023, Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica are the only characters riding Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. Where’s Reggie? What’s going on at Archie Comics?

Betty’s Diary #20 Depicted Reggie as Volunteering at a Nursing Home

He’s Also Not Afraid to Cry and Grieve in Front of Veronica in the Book, Betty & Veronica: Senior Year

In Reggie’s Gift, a six-page comic written by Sam Kujava, drawn by Bob Bolling, inked by Rudy Lapick and published by Archie Comics in Betty’s Diary #20 in 1988, it was revealed that Reggie volunteered twice a month at the Senior Citizen Center in Bayport, a town outside of Riverdale. He leads the elderly residents in sing-alongs, assists the jitterbug contests, referees the shuffleboard games, plays bingo, chess and checkers with them and reads stories to them.

Betty discovered Reggie’s volunteer work in Reggie’s Gift while shopping for her grandmother’s birthday at a gift shop nearby. After noticing Reggie’s car pull into the retirement home’s parking lot, she went inside the building to investigate. Witnessing the senior citizens’ appreciation for Reggie’s volunteer work, Betty decided against a gift shop purchase. She realized there was something that would be an even better birthday gift – her time.

Reggie volunteers at the Senior Citizen Center because Miss Finklehoof, an elderly woman in a wheelchair, lives there. When Reggie’s family first moved to Riverdale, she babysat him. He helped her with the gardening. Miss Finklehoof was Reggie’s first friend before he befriended Archie and the gang.

When talking to Betty, Miss Finklehoof called Reggie “Reginold” and described him as a “fine, sweet boy.” Reggie was embarrassed that Betty discovered his softer side and made her promise not to tell anyone, adding:

While Betty told Reggie his volunteer work “could only improve your image,” she still agreed to keep his secret.

In Betty & Veronica: Senior Year, a five-issue coming-of-age miniseries written by Jamie Lee Rotante, drawn by Sandra Lanz and Kelly Fitzpatrick and published by Archie Comics in 2019, Reggie wept and grieved his soon-to-be deceased grandmother in front of Veronica. It’s hard to imagine Archie being secure enough in his masculinity for this. However, Reggie needed someone to listen to him and didn’t care if Veronica saw him hurt and vulnerable. As they sat together at Riverdale Hospital, Veronica caressed Reggie’s back as he leaned into the palms of his hands and cried.

Explaining why he was distraught, Reggie told Veronica:

After graduating from Riverdale High in Betty & Veronica: Senior Year, the experience of watching his grandmother deteriorate in a hospital bed motivated Reggie to pursue nursing school.

Archie is Mr. Justice #4 will Reveal Reggie’s Supervillain Origin Story

Hopefully, It’ll Be More Nuanced than Other Comics Depicting Him as Irredeemable

Archie is Mr. Justice #4, the conclusion to the four-issue miniseries, will be published on May 21, 2025. Archie is Mr. Justice #1 was narrated by and told from Jughead’s perspective. Archie is Mr. Justice #2 was from Veronica’s perspective. Archie is Mr. Justice #3 was from Betty’s perspective. Lastly, Archie is Mr. Justice #4 will be from Reggie’s perspective. It should be noted that I reviewed the first three issues for CBR and interviewed Archie is Mr. Justice #1 writer, Tim Seeley, about the miniseries.

While the details have yet to be revealed, Archie is Mr. Justice #3 hinted at why Reggie likely became the masked supervillain, Kid Wicked. His jealousy of Archie and Mr. Justice was probably the main motivating factor. Hopefully, Reggie’s depiction in Archie is Mr. Justice #4 will be more complicated than “he’s just a petty, irredeemable jerk.” Not only would giving the character more nuance be more compelling storytelling, but it would be a trend in the right direction for Archie Comics.

Please, Archie Comics writers and artists, I’m begging you: Stop the erasure of this iconic character. Reggie is a part of Archie and the gang. Also, when writing him, take the lead of Jamie Lee Rotante and Sam Kujava. Show the softer side of my dude, Reggie Mantle. Thank you.

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