Happy almost Halloween, friends and freaks and foolish mortals! ’tis the spooky season, and while you’re getting ready to haunt your neighborhood or a major metropolitan area, I am super happy to say…

RETURN TO THE MOTHERFREAKING FUN FACTORY IS OUT AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!

Indeed indeed, since our last installment the book has been available via most major booksellers in hardcover, paperback or as an audiobook. You can get yours via the publisher — Blackstone Publishing — or however you enjoy securing your reads and/or listens. Personally, I would appreciate you grabbing copies via my author page at Bookshop, in order to help support independent booksellers. And if you see me at a convention or locally, I’d be happy to sign your copy.

The book has been a getting decent informal response, as far as I can tell on social media and sales have been fair. The publisher ran a Goodreads giveaway during the month which resulted in over 5,000 entries and the book being added to approximately 4,700 “want to read” shelves.

Earlier this month, Crimereads ran an essay by me which highlighted ten novels, films, and comics that inspired the novel. Here’s an excerpt:

Look, let’s get right down to it: horror movies scare me.

They always have, since my initial viewing of Poltergeist in 1982 at the tender young age of seven or eight. Due to the fog of time, the reason I watched it in the first place—or was allowed to—definitely escapes me (I’m fifty-one; I barely know what I did last summer…though I can firmly say, it was not a viewing of the horror movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer.)

But I know this: watching that hand come through a television set, reaching for five-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (“they’re heeeeere”), was enough to put me off unnerving visuals, heart-hammering jump scares, disturbing faces, haunted houses, and darkened basements forever.

Nope nope nope; not this guy. If I’m at the movie theatre (even with my kids) and a frightening trailer creeps out before my eyes, with that eerie, foreshadowing music or specific hushed vibe…I’m gonna close my eyes or look away and wait until it’s replaced by Jumanji 4. No Ring for me, thanks. Keep your creepy smile to yourself, Parker Finn. The Backrooms? Forget about it. Gimme a well-lit lobby right up front, where the people are, where a guy can be safe.

The book was also included in both Reactor Magazine and Gizmodo’s October line-ups. In addition, I did interviews with the Cullman Times (that should be out closer to Halloween), the Bergen Record, and was even featured on FOX2 in Detroit (hometown!) in a televised segment by Sydney Little called Lit Happens with Syd which airs Saturday, October 24th in Detroit. Finally, I’ll be doing an in-person signing in Brooklyn the first Sunday in November for those in the New York area who want to get a copy and say hello—for more on that, follow me on social media as the details get finalized.

I’m thrilled the book is out and that people are reading it. Look, you write and promote for so long, and you’re in your own little bubble, and it feels like that’s all you’re talking about and wonder if anyone is actually enjoying it… but then you get emails and tagged in posts and texts about how folks enjoyed it and can’t put it down, and holy shit why did they read this thing at night, and yeah…you realize that it’s actually making people feel something emotionally (good or bad.)  And that’s a fantastic, cathartic feeling as a writer. So if you did buy or read the book, or listened to it as an audiobook…thank you. I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t and will soon, I hope you enjoy it, too. If you're a reviewer or podcaster who covers horror books, novels or thrillers & want to chat, let me know. Also, if you liked the book and are on Goodreads or any books site, please please please leave us a good review. 

One of the best moments actually surrounding the book (you know, aside from the release and the whole we’re making a movie thing) came earlier this month at New York Comic Con. 

(Oh, and my 11 year old told his good friend's father that the title of my book was actually "Return to the Motherfucking Fun Factory", forcing the kid’s father to look it up online because he was sure that wasn't right. I found this out, btw, at a back to school night.)

But wait—before we get to NYCC, a quick note about that fact that

I’M APPEARING ON A PANEL AT THE NEW YORK JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL IN NOVEMBER

Yeah, I was invited to participate on a panel at the festival, taking place Sunday November 15th at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park. Our panel is titled “Fear and Trembling: Jewish Horror” and is happening from 12:45-1:45 in the Keeping History Center on the third floor. Moderated by Michal Schick, we’ll discuss tackling the horror genre from a Jewish perspective, and explore how Jewish history, legend, and life impact their perspectives as scribes of all things scary.

If you are local to New York and attending the event (or didn’t know it was happening and would like to), I hope you can come check out the panel and then get yourself a signed copy of Fun Factory from 2-2:30pm in the Events Hall on the second floor.

Look, is Fun Factory a particularly “Jewish” book? I mean, there’s a lot of guilt and responsibility… and it was written by a Jew…but I wouldn’t say that the novel is necessarily Judaically themed. That being said, I’m looking forward to the panel and talking about fear, horror, golems (I just assume?) and other Judaic ghost stories.

Hope to see you there!

Okay, back to 

NEW YORK COMIC CON

So yeah, we did that thing. This year was the twentieth anniversary of the convention — an event I’ve been attending more or less religiously for all twenty years… unless, of course, my religion actually prevented me from doing so (because it coincided with a Jewish holiday.) 

At the first NYCC, I debuted Brownsville, my very first original graphic novel, and sold out because NBM Publishing, the book’s original publisher, was able to get a table right at the front next to the big DC Comics pavilion. This year, I debuted Fun Factory, my very first original prose novel, and we also sold out of all copies because folks dug the pitch and were intrigued. 

We also did this Jewish Identity in Comics panel, and it was a huge success. We had a full, engaged, galvanized room and rarely have I been at a panel like this (especially at a con as big as NYCC) with so much engagement by the attendees coming up to speak to the panelists after the panel was concluded. I think this was a room eager to connect with its community, and it's so important to show how important Jewish representation is in publishing, in comics, and every level of the arts. Thank you to all who came, listened, came up to chat after, and tolerated me dropping several f-bombs throughout the panel. Thank you to author and comics historian Roy Schwartz for organizing and moderating the panel, and for the fantastic panelists into whose ranks I was honored to be included: Michal Shick, Alex Segura, Sarah Singer, and Julian Voloj. Seek out their work.

Look, I love New York Comic Con. It’s a fantastic event, and well attended (perhaps too well attended) and I get to see old friends, make new ones, and connect with fans. But let’s be support clear: it is a completely different convention than it was twenty years ago. It is no longer a comics convention; it’s a pop culture convention. The focus is no longer on comic books, friends — in fact, the last few years most of the comic book publisher booth have been shunted off into the far right corner of the show floor, something that would have been unheard of when NYCC first opened its doors.

The DC, IDW and Dark Horse booths are all clustered together near the nacho stand now, and only Marvel maintains its placement neat the center (though, admittedly, slightly off to the side. Now, of course, we do have many manga, anime and traditional non-comics book publishers —the Big Five — holding down the central node, but they are of less interest to many of the attendees than the video game and collectible offerings filling the left end of the floor. I would say that the comics have become ancillary to the show’s true draw…but that would be fibbing once you head downstairs to the Artist’s Alley.

I love the spectacle of the show floor but this year it felt to me like the real center of the convention was in AA. Traditionally, Saturday is the busiest day of the show, but by the time I headed downstairs on Friday afternoon the Alley was pure pedestrian gridlock. There were five aisles, and all of them were crammed with consumers, cosplayers, creators, and collectors lining up to buy books, get sketches, meet creators, and generally connect with the folks behind the tables. Friday felt like Saturday—and from what I heard, Thursday felt like a Friday. By the time I returned to the show on Sunday, the Alley was still pretty packed but at least there was finally a little room to breathe. Sales, from what I heard, varied depending on who you were. Sure, folks like Scott Snyder, Tom King, Katie Cook, Chris Claremont and others had constant, lengthy lines of people waiting to see them—but you also had mid-tier to indie creators standing around looking for sales. This can be frustrating, especially when you inspect how much it cost to be stationed at one of the tables. Costs to sell your wares at New York Comic Con have raised exponentially year over year, and I’m not just talking about the costs of airfare and lodging, but rather the cost of the Artist Alley tables themselves and the cost of a professional weekend badge—nearly $200, when it used to be free.

Okay, so yeah; I get it. It’s a business and the business keeps changing—more focus on the show working with large corporations who manage and bring in a popular stable of writers and artists, more focus on studios like Tiny Onion, more focus on organizations like CGC and other professional grading companies. I understand where ReedPop (who runs NYCC and many other domestic pop culture conventions) is getting its money, and getting it more consistently than an independent creator looking for table space.

But I mean, come on; that’s the spirit and origins of these conventions, and in some cases their heart and soul. If you price out the working professional from being able to afford not only entry but also table space… unless those professionals are given access or space by a publisher, studio, or corporation…they aren’t going to come. And maybe that’s what ReedPop wants? Just bring in the folks who draw the lines, draw the fans, and to hell with the independent creators, let them fend for themselves if they even can? I couldn’t say. But often that’s how it feels. 

I’ve been trying to get a table in the Artist’s Alley at NYCC since the show came back from the pandemic in 2021, the year Savor came out from Dark Horse. Every year I apply; every year I get rejected. For five years. Now, okay— I’m aware that I’m not the draw that many of my colleagues are, folks with books regularly on the shelves or nominated for and winning awards. But there are also plenty of creators tabling at NYCC who are simply selling prints or books that are just like me, and I’m sometimes unsure why one of us got rejected and the other did not. I don’t begrudge the folks who managed to score a table—and I get that there are limits on space—but it’s also frustrating to consider that because I’m not part of a specific talent agent’s stable of creators or wasn’t grandfathered in and don’t know the right palms to grease.

Wandering the alley, watching fans and editors connect with creators as they roamed the aisles, or noticing the talent at the tables connect with one another… there was definitely a moment this year that I felt somewhat adrift—on the outside looking in—considering my career and how plugged in I was to the overall industry, community, and where it was that I wanted to go from there. I’ve often referenced the peaks and valleys of a career in comics, and a lot of us —yes, even some of you reading this — are going through it, over and over. I even had a long conversation about it with colleagues after hours…and there is a concern by folks in the industry (especially starting out, or doing their first few books) that you constantly have to break back into comics, over and over, and those who stay the course and keep putting out books, keep getting green lights and find themselves on panels and invited to events have somehow figured it out while you or I have not.

I mentioned some of this to a well-known colleague on Friday (someone who is all of the above) while hanging at his table and he smirked, stood up, and pointed down the aisle to everyone meeting and greeting and signing and selling and said “every one of those folks feels the exact same way that you do. No one is comfortable. No one is secure. We’re all in the same boat here, Neil.”

So…should we feel better about that? Be happy because everyone is struggling, all of us feeling the same way together? Is that how we in the industry should get to sleep at night? Honestly, I don’t know that I love that. We might be in the same boat, trying to get more work and visibility and get out of the valley, but how come some of us are in cabins and some of us are in steerage? What aren’t some of us doing — you and I, those who might relate to some of this — to have work that resonates enough to get us to both the literal and metaphorical table?

Yeah. I have been thinking about this a lot since the end of the convention, staring down the barrel of a robust Writing Plan I still want to produce and release, at ambitions I have and stories I want to tell. I do have projects coming out in 2027—two licensed comics, an anthology short, maybe a non-fiction book (waiting on final approval for that one.) None of those are a creator-owned original book or comic (though I’m working on some of those, too), and none of those will be a “buzz” project or turn into a runaway hit. But hey, folks still have faith in my writing. I am a working writer, and I will get back to telling new original stories and you’ll have new Kleid books or comics in hands. But will they set the world on fire? Will I achieve my ambitions, and earn my place at the table? And how can I consistently ensure my time in the valley—working on stories, crafting them with focus and voice and precision and effectiveness— is brief and valuable in pushing me ever upwards, towards the peak, toward a place where I can exist on a plateau between valley and peak, never falling even if I’m never reaching the heights?

You know, a lot of it is about having faith in yourself… and faith in, well, positive things coming your way.

Okay, stay with me, all right?

I one hundred percent know that I’m luckier — and have had more opportunities — than most. But I’m still human, and I do feel moments of despair, struggle, what have you. Oh! And I have a new mantra, by the way. This isn’t a weird non sequitur — it’s something I’ve developed over time because I’m human and feel moments of despair, struggle, what have you, the internal creative, personal and professional struggles that are tangentially related. Most who know me — as a person, a creator, a writer — understand that I am and always have been a person of faith. That’s a hard thing to be — believing in something or someone or some force that you cannot see or touch, that is not a visible part of our lives until it very much is. I do believe in miracles; I do believe prayer helps. I know many of your reading this newsletter may not, and that is cool. I don’t judge, and I support whatever it is you do believe in, even if just the determination of personal will, the development of talent and skill, blood, sweat and tears. Me? I do believe in all of that… but I also believe in Higher Power—call It G-d, call It Hashem, Lord, Creator, Master of the Universe, the Force, whatever you choose to call It, I truly believe there is more to this clockwork, beautiful existence than just man and beast, sweat, science and struggle. I have faith — ”emunah” in Hebrew — and again, to those who know me well, this is no big surprise. This is the “Nice Jewish” part of “Nice Jewish Comics & Words”, yeah, even if not every single Jew out there agrees with me or my levels of belief and observance.

Sometimes though, especially when toiling in the valley and watching colleagues celebrate wins or success on plateaus above or at the peak, I do forget I’m a person of faith and blame luck or a number of reasons why I am not achieving the same… and then I get anxious. And I realize as I type this — it’s not easy to do or say or write — that what I’m about to state is difficult to understand or even perhaps relate to if you don’t believe in a Higher Power (and I am not trying to offend or upset those who don’t — I’m me; you’re you, and everyone believes in something different, and that’s okay)… but even with the right medication or therapy, I need something to remind me not to spiral and so I decided that I needed a mantra, something to say out loud or in my head to re-center myself.

There is a Hebrew phrase at the end of  Ashrei, a thrice-daily prayer in Jewish tradition, which is designed to praise G-d’s universal mercy, justice, and daily sustenance. The Hebrew transliteration is “Pote’ach et yadecha, u’masbia le’chol chai ratzon” or “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor.” That’s a powerful thing to consider if you do believe in a Higher Power in this or any universe — satisfying every living thing with favor. That’s huge and a concept that’s nearly impossible to fathom. And sure, there are a lot of living things and some need more favor than others. Is my need for creative success greater than someone who needs to be housed or needs food because they haven’t eaten in months or are in dangerous or harmful living situations, in the middle of war or destruction, being persecuted or imprisoned, rounded up and tortured? Fuck no, comics boy. My need is infinitesimal. For the most part, I live a pretty decent, cushy, modern life. My problems are first world upper-middle-class entitled problems. But…they are my problems. And I do have them. We all do — and there are obviously some of us who are dealing with problems and needs far far worse than others.

But, again: anxious guy. So in those cases — when something in my life becomes unmanageable or hard to deal with — I simply say that above phrase to myself (Pote’ach et yadecha, u’masbia le’chol chai ratzon) and take a deep breath. I realize that most of my problems either aren’t insurmountable and can be overcome with help, hard work. support, patience, time, and practice. And while the anxiety doesn’t go away one hundred percent, at least I can understand my problems are manageable (unlike many, many others in this world) and my ambitions are just that. I simply have to remind myself that some day, eventually —with faith — after said Higher Power deals with all the real problems in the world and helps those who truly need it, maybe a little favor will come my way, too.

It’s a big world; it might take a good, long time. That’s okay. I say my mantra, breathe, and power forward, renewing my determination to affect what I can when I can, keep trying my hardest, and hope and pray things will get better and move in the right direction because of my diligence when the time is right. And when those things do happen, I make a point of thanking said Higher Power, appreciating that it isn’t necessarily luck but a mixture of work, discipline, faith and something unknowable: call it timing, call it coincidence, call it fate. Whatever. Pote’ach et yadecha, u’masbia le’chol chai ratzon. You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor. It’s not for everyone, and many reading this might scoff at my beliefs. But they’re mine. And it works for me, so no worries.

That mantra has become effective for me. No, maybe my career hasn’t drastically changed yet for the better, and I can’t say it will. But I have faith and try to remain positive that it will. Honestly? The first day I started saying my mantra, I got offered one of the aforementioned licensed projects. So, maybe not a clear sign or leading indicator of the future, but it allows me to forge ahead and keep trying. 

Will I find myself behind an Artist’s Alley table at New York Comic Con anytime soon, or be invited into regular, consistent, high-profile projects? As stated by another object of faith, the Magic 8-ball, “cannot predict now.” But what I can predict is that for the time being, I feel less anxious about it. I may be in the same boat as everyone else in this crazy little industry… but at least I’m not always worried about not (yet) being a captain or even a first mate. 

Pote’ach et yadecha, u’masbia le’chol chai ratzon. You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor. I may not be completely satisfied… but at least things will be a bit more favorable. I’ve got faith in it and in me. Twenty years ago I sold all the copies of my first original graphic novel at NYCC; this month, twenty years later, I sold all the copies of my first original horror novel, too. In twenty years from now, if I stick to my guns and say my mantra and keep on working and dreaming, who knows what else I can achieve?

Anyway, here’s Buzz Lightyear getting a New York slice. See you at New York Comic Con 2027:

HERE’S WHAT I HOPE TO ACHIEVE

Currently, here’s what’s left on the 2026 Writing Plan”

• Project Situation (licensed all-ages comic): submitted a revised outline and its back with the licensor. Hoping it’s the last round, because we need to get eighty pages of script written. Cross them fingers.

• Project Rise (biopic all-ages comic): outline approved yesterday; scripting next week. It’s only fifty pages of script and some back matter, and the outline truly informs it so hopefully not too bad. This is with a publisher I’ve never worked with before, and I’m hoping to do more with them if they dig the final book. 

• Project Hot Mess (licensed non-fiction book): outline approved by the licensor; waiting for internal approval with publisher, hoping soon. This is going to be a good one, if it’s all systems go. 

• Project Beast (anthology story): hey, I got a six-page story accepted into a fun anthology that’s about to be crowdfunded. I need to knock two pages off the script I’d already executed, so that’s a day’s focus. Looking forward to seeing this one illustrated and in print.

• Project Roads? (Spec horror novel): got interest on this from my Fun Factory editor, so I’m working up an outline. This could actually be the next horror novel instead of Project Coney Dog, which I’m pitching folks as a comic…so wish me luck. Though I have to say, why did I choose to write a book about time travel when I have little knowledge about how quantum physics works and now I have to read all this STUFF. For the record, the last time travel book i wrote sent a guy from the Bronx into the past to face King Arthur when a baseball hit him on the head, so

• Project Red, Book 1 (spec supernatural crime novel): I seriously really need to finish this. I’m almost there, but other work keeps getting prioritized. 

• Project Shabbat (spec comic): Need to get am outline down for this, too. Again, paying stuff keeps getting in the way.

That’s it for the year. I’m sending out a few pitches that are done—Project Makkot, Project Benjamin—but in terms of writing, above is all that’s left. Additionally, I’d still really like to place a Medieval printed collection some place. If you want to see one or own one, tell your favorite publisher while I lean into

THE LIGHTNING ROUND

Happy Halloween, kids. Here are some treats:

• Haven’t seen Whalefall yet because honestly, that trailer freaked me out. But we have family consensus that if any of us ever get whalefalled, the rest of us will hunt down and kill the whale, Captain Ahab style

  

• Loving the new GET JIRO adaptation on HBO Max. If you haven’t read the books by the late Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose from DC Comics, pick ‘em up and then enjoy the show. If we ever made a Savor cartoon or TV show—also a “food / fighting” graphic novel—I’d want it treated with this level of care. I’m not in the whole “get staffed on a TV show” world but this would be a show on which I’d love to write. Damn. Check it out.

• We’re not going to talk about the Detroit Lions before Thanksgiving, but maybe someone should remind their defense that there’s a football season happening? I mean, 71% of Americans may be exhausted right now, but about 40% of them are Lions fans.

• These new Taschen compact comics looks fantastic. I was perusing a bunch of the larger volumes when I was recently in London, but I would definitely want to pick up some of the compact line if I could.

  

• RIP Josh Cassara. His X-Men work is absolutely gorgeous. A fantastic artist. Way too young. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and fans

• I read this comic when Kelly first posted it, but just read it again and I can relate to a lot of what's in this. Give it a read. After almost 50 years, I finally agreed to therapy and it did help me through some dark + difficult moments. If you're struggling, please reach out to someone—even me—for help.

• fyi, I am now three episodes into Widow's Bay and that crawlspace scene almost made me throw my TV set out the goddamn window. I can’t watch any more because of the anxiety. Instead I finished all of the first season of Pluribus (a completely different level of terror) but I really should go back to visit the Bay, right? Maybe in the daylight.

• Sony deciding "hey, you know what: Madame Web? Failed. Morbius? Failed. Kraven? Super failed. But you know what's gonna rope in all them kids...? THE CLONE SAGA" is, like, peak Hollywood folks not understanding comics

• I made an impassioned pitch for writing Ragman to the audience at the "Jewish Identity in Comics" panel at New York Comic Con and the need for Jewish representation in mainstream comics. It would be great if someone started a petition for the folks at DC Comics + made this happened, right? #LetNeilWriteRagman

• My kid watched that terrible AI Wonka show. If that thing is not proof that Willy Wonka is a monster, I can tell you for a fact my horror novel—not made with any AI—definitely is.

• Hey, I got a bunch of Cyclops (Cyclopes?) to do the thing at NYCC. Go go Spider-Man meme.

• So... I had several moments at NYCC where I was talking to fellow pros who basically dropped our conversation mid-stream to grab/talk to a different pro while I stood there, waiting.
  
  Folks, I get that we don't want to miss opportunities... but at least be considerate and intro/include all parties. I completely understand this happening if a customer or fan comes by a pro's table while I'm chatting with them—and I ALWAYS step aside to make room for that, and will happily wait or quietly excuse myself so business can happen or fans can get valuable time. But this wasn't that.
  
  It's awkward to be shunted aside by a colleague during a conversation so they can talk with someone they deem "more important." All I might suggest is...think about the person you were talking to + consider either introducing or including them so they don't stand there wondering whether or not to go.
  
  I also have to thank those of you I said hi to who, on their own, reached across to another pro / industry person to introduce me without asking, because they knew it would be great if we met. That is so appreciated; I always try & do the same. You know who you are—you're fantastic. Thanks again.
  
  Anyway, just something I've been thinking about—it didn't ruin my con, nor did it affect my opinion of the folks who did this (it happened at least three times, btw.) But hey...try to think about how you might feel if the shoe had been on the other foot? 

• One year from now you're gonna need extra car insurance because billionaires will just be dropping on your car from above with their air thrustered Cybertrucks

• Protip: One thing I’m learning each year as a writer is that no one will promote your book for you as well as you will, so roll up your sleeves and get it done.

• Just found this fun drawing in an old sketchbook. I should find something to do with this guy one day.

• I just finished the new King/Straub Other Worlds Than These, which is Talisman 3, starring that book’s protagonist Jack Sawyer (also from Black House) and damn it’s a corker of a sci-fi / fantasy novel that’s kissing cousins to King’s Dark Tower cycle, of which I am an avid fan. Hard to put down. It’s like reading a Mandalorian tale in a Skywalker universe if “Mando” = “Jack Sawyer” and “Skywalker” = “Deschain.” Gloriously its own; indulgently nostalgic.

• Someone sat next to me in synagogue this past Saturday—a community acquaintance—and said “I don’t pretend to know anything about books or comics but I see your progress on social media and all your promotion and it’s so damn admirable and you deserve congrats or something.” Me: “did you buy a book?”

All right, that’s enough lightning. Have fun this Halloween, you ghouls n’ golems. Dress up like your favorite anxiety. Give a bunch of comics to unsuspecting children. We’ll see you back in a month for turkey, stuffing, pie, and football.

Scream ya later,

Neil