Yesterday, I learned I was a recipient of the 2025 Comics Criticism Mini Grant. Each year, Tiffany Babb, her family and a small group of donors accept applications for those doing work in comics criticism in print, audio or video. Each awardee (determined by the number of donations) receives $250 to further the work they do in comics. When I saw the Google Form reposted on my feed via Greg Pak, I figured I’d take a shot in the dark. I never thought I’d win, but at least I would expose my work...
8 days ago • 2 min read
Check out my picks for New Comic Book Day 3/19/25! Happy New Comic Book Day! This week is absolutely stacked, and I feel sorry for everyone like me who was already a little overwhelmed. From new entries like DC x Sonic The Hedgehog and Absolute Flash to ongoing events like One World Under Doom, we've got a lot of reading to do this week. But paint me red and call me a sucker, because I'm here for all of it. An Unexpected Return Last week, Marvel released Reggie Hudlin's blockbuster Black...
14 days ago • 2 min read
To be a collector is to ignore a thousand red flags at one point or another. To be a comic collector is to ignore a billion. Right now, I've got about 150 single issues sitting near my desk, and I'm about to add 12 more this Wednesday. My typical routine is: Buy a bunch of comics. Scan all the Marvel comics for their Free Digital Codes. Read Marvel on my iPad Read DC Comics via the DC Infinite Ultra subscription... also on my iPad. Gather my single issues once a month and file away in short...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Man.. February is over already! While there's not much to mourn since it's Black History Month all year long around here, that means it's been nearly 3 months since the last interview on Comics Are Dope (The Podcast). I know I should give myself grace, as I had a pretty good reason for breaking the weekly streak. But on the internet, momentum is everything. Suddenly, posting Episode 58 feels a lot like posting Episode One -- and I'm Jar Jar Binks. I do have a few interviews I never got around...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Oh, hey! Long time no e-mail, huh? Last time we did this, I was 10 days away from closing on a home. Today, I'm just over 2 weeks removed from having a new baby. To say life has been a blur would be an understatement. My video production has come to a screeching halt. I actually filmed an unboxing the other day, but it was comically terrible. So bad, I deleted even the raw footage of it from my hard drive. It felt like the video creator's version of coming back too soon from a sports injury,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Some time in the next few weeks, I'm going to have to pack all my family's belongings into a moving truck and into our (hopefully) forever home. Of course, my entire comic collection is coming with us. Some terrible habits over the years meant I had to spend a week just organizing my books. But that part is done, and now I can pack up all the boxes. As tempted as I am to just hire a moving company, I have trust issues. I'm already over this process, and never want to do it again. Check out my...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I've been holding onto a bit of a secret. For the last several months, my wife and I have been house hunting. It started out as just window shopping, scoping out neighborhoods and making mental notes for the end of our lease next year. But when we found out we were expecting another child, it became clear we needed a space upgrade ASAP. Simply put, we can't fit another human in this house, so... we're moving! For peace of mind's sake, I don't talk much about my private life on the internet....
4 months ago • 1 min read
It's been a crazy couple of weeks, huh? Amid all the upheaval, perhaps the biggest change in my daily routine is having to post more on BlueSky, where my follower count jumped from 500 to 1500 seemingly overnight. If you're up for adding another time suck to that rectangle you spend way too much time looking at, it seems BlueSky is where the bulk of comic creators have landed after a concerning update to Xwitter's Terms of Service agreement. Repost this image (if you dare) Saturday, I decided...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Fun fact: I started typing this email nearly 2 weeks ago, back when I was still pretending I wasn’t dog tired and didn’t need a break after the whirlwind that was New York Comic Con. I crashed into a sleep coma the Tuesday after NYCC and left this message sitting in the drafts. In the week since, I’ve had a major auto repair, a surprise flat tire on my way to vote the next day, and had to put down my mom's family dog. And that was all AFTER the splitting headache that knocked me out last...
5 months ago • 2 min read