In the blink of an eye the leaves have changed, the winds have picked up, and we've entered chunky turtleneck weather. Kidding! The brisk weather shift you’ve felt this week is just a phase. Earth is still in revolt and the planet's future is uncertain. Next week when it's 90 degrees again and you see me sweatily climbing the N train stairs in agony, please don't remind me of the first sentence of this paragraph. But summer is officially over. That much is true. Walk into any Walgreens and you'll see. The beach balls and squirt-devices are all being replaced by vibrating motion-activated ghosts, spooky Halloween tumblers (for Mom!), and plastic beagle skeletons. They still lock up the facewash though! Because drugstore chains have become product-gulags. In other news...

A few weeks ago I was a guest at the Wellsboro Comic Con in Wellsboro, PA, a delightful little town surrounded by foliage where things close early. This was my 3rd time attending. The organizers are just the best (shout out to the crew at Pop's Culture Shoppe!) and it's always great to hang with creator friends I only get to see once or twice a year. The big cons are fun, don't get me wrong, but SDCC and NYCC aren’t accessible for everyone. Small town cons give people in the country’s nooks and crannies a chance to enjoy the party. A small town con allows so much more time and space to connect with fans in meaningful ways. When someone tells you they drove three hours to buy something you made, it's nice to be able to have a conversation. I didn’t have a single friend who cared about comic books the way I did until I was in my 30’s so I love an opportunity to watch people discover the power of art in real time. I also love to watch local cosplayers meet up and let their freak flag fly. It’s their time to shine! And shine they do in their debatably breathable spandex. This is the magic of the small town comic con.

The first small town con I attended was in the 90's in Louisville, Kentucky. My mom had seen a listing for it and asked if I wanted to go. UM, HELLO, YES I WOULD LIKE THAT VERY MUCH. But me, being a child entrepreneur, wanted to sweeten the deal. What if instead of simply attending, I had a table where I sold my wares? "You don't have any wares," my mom said plainly, without looking up from her paper. But I did have wares. You see, in the days before streaming, when your favorite shows weren't readily available, they were often being sold illegally on VHS. These weren’t pristine copies by any means. Many were of questionable quality and recorded from tv. But they were all we had. How else were people supposed to watch forgotten television like Legends of the Superheroes: The Roast and the unaired Power Pack pilot? I discovered this world while searching for old episodes of the Super Friends, a show I was determined to find after it vanished from the airwaves never to be heard from again. I’d seen an ad in Comics Buyers Guide, posted by writer and comics historian Andy Mangels, for a catalog called VIDEO SUPERHEROES which featured a selection of rare tv shows and movies. Send him one dollar and he’d send you a massive list of delicacies. So that’s what I did. The anticipation almost killed me. When the catalog finally arrived it was like my whole world opened up. It was 12 pages long and featured thousands of episodes of TV meticulously sorted and chronicled. Movies too. For $20 you he’d give you 2 hours of the material of your choosing, made to order. He also accepted trade. Or you could send him a few VHS tapes and he’d fill ‘em up for you. So easy, right? This wasn’t a money-making venture by any means. Andy really cared about this stuff and wanted to share the wealth. The whole endeavor was about collectors connecting over their favorite media in a world before the internet made things a million times more accessible. So yes, of course I placed multiple orders. Andy put his phone number out there so I’d call him and we’d chat about Super Friends. He very kindly took my calls even though I talked his ear off. I was THAT KID. Almost 30 years later Andy had me on his LGTBQ+ panel Out in Comics at San Diego Comic-Con (the longest running SDCC panel in history!) and it was a really beautiful full circle moment for little 90’s Brandon.

Video Superheroes gave me an idea. Though I didn’t have anything close to Andy’s collection, I’d been recording stuff for years and had every episode of The Flash and Superboy meticulously edited without commercials and in great condition. Oh the lengths I’d go to in service of the perfect real time edit. I’d sit under the TV with my finger firmly on the pause button like I was about to launch a nuke. My parents didn’t always understand the commitment but they accepted it. In an era way before the MCU, comic book superhero media was miles away from it’s tipping point. Every few years we’d get a few dribbles with the exception of the occasional blockbuster or two. “There’s gonna be a Batman thing on Entertainment Tonight in a minute!” my mom used to yell so loud it scared our Lhasa Apso, Tish. Seconds later, I'd race into the living room, toss my “compilation” tape into the player and perfectly cue it up. By the end of 1992 I had two full tapes of Batman movie tidbits- interviews, commercials, behind the scenes specials and anything else that popped up. My pride and joy, however, was the short Batman: The Animated Series pilot. One of my first acquisitions from Andy Mangels and a true rarity at the time. So, in closing, technically I did have wares. Certainly enough to be a regional bootlegger. After successfully convincing my parents this was a worthy endeavor, we reserved a table.

The convention was at the Galt House in Louisville KY, where we also stayed. Very atypical set-up. Just a big ballroom filled with back issue long boxes and the long haired men who owned them. There I was at my table complete with decorated poster-board advertisement, small TV and VHS player. I had to give ‘em the razzle dazzle. My service was called Heroes on Demand. For $25 I’d make you a tape with whatever you wanted on it. A surefire hit! Sadly, I didn’t make a single sale. It was okay though because the event was still exhilarating. The icing on the cake was finding Alex Toth’s original model sheet of Black Manta from Challenge of the Superfriends for $20! I couldn’t believe it. Those small town cons can surprise ya.

Bits -n- Bobs

Full disclosure, I'm dying to tell you about the projects I'm currently working on. It’s difficult not to! These are my babies after all. But NDAs prevent me from sharing juicy details at the moment. Fingers crossed one of them will be announced soon. They’re kind of a big deal! I say that tentatively and without hyperbole. What I can tell you is that 2026 will be an exciting year of releases for me if all goes according to plan. In the meantime, you can check out my newest 2024 offerings: DC Super Villain Mad Libs, Looney Tunes Mad Libs and Marvel Double Feature.

ATTENTION TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS and ASSORTED EDUCATORS: Now that the new school year is upon us, I’m available for Author Visits! Need someone to talk to students about being an author? I can do that. Need someone to hammer home a specific message about writing and reading? I’m happy to focus on the needs of your curriculum. Let’s do some Mad Libs, talk about Rube Goldberg and his Amazing Machines or write some life stories! I’ll even bring books to giveaway. If you or someone you know is interested, have them contact me via my website.

Have you watched The Boyfriend on Netflix? If not, you should! It’s the most docile reality dating show I’ve even encountered. A group of cute Japanese boys work together at a coffee shop while trying to date one another. And, in a wild twist, none of them are despicable, wine-throwing monsters. Quite the opposite. The drama is so beautifully innocent and the boys’ reactions are all so earnest that it almost feels like a prank show. I downloaded the theme song which means I’m a fan for life.

Are you registered to vote? Double check. The stakes of the 2024 election are higher than ever. I know we say that every cycle but it’s true. Project 2025 is the GOP’s terrifying plan to gut the country and we have to stop it. They want to eliminate the Department of Education which is certifiably insane!!! They also want to throw librarians who carry LGBTQ+ books in jail among many other disgusting things. Want to send postcards with me? It’s just one of many ways we can turn the tide.

Thank you for reading!

Bear with me as I figure out what I want this newsletter to be. 😊