Make*A*Wish: San Francisco to become Gotham City for a day
The Make*A*Wish Foundation will turn part of San Francisco into Gotham City on November 15 to fulfill the dream of 5-year-old Miles to become Batman. Miles, who has leukemia, is…
Dead Universes (Part IV): Defiant Comics reading order
Originally published October 28, 2013 | Updated April 2026
Originally published in 2013, this post provides a deep dive into Defiant Comics and a detailed reading order for Jim Shooter’s third major shared universe creation. In 2026, this post carries new significance. The Schism Kickstarter, which successfully funded in 2025, will finally deliver the 160 pages Shooter created in 1994 before Defiant’s closure halted completion. For the first time in over 30 years, collectors and readers can experience Shooter’s vision for how the Defiant universe was meant to conclude. This makes understanding the chronological reading order more important than ever.
(more…)Bad Buys: McSweeney’s Book Release Club
On occasion we must gather to censure rather than celebrate those publishers who provide us book addicts with our fixes. I come to bury McSweeney's Book Release Club, not to…
Good Buys: Powell’s Books’ Indiespensable book club
Book clubs are a good risk. The greatest risk of receiving regular books in the mail is that you won't care for the book. As I love a shelf of…
Dead Universes (part III): Reading order
Originally published October 18, 2013 | Updated April 2026
Originally published in 2013, this post explores how to approach reading three major Dead Universes: Defiant, Valiant, and the Ultraverse. The reading strategy you choose affects how you collect. Do you read series-by-series as they were originally published? In chronological order? Or by release date? Knowing this decision upfront will help you invest in Dead Universes strategically.
This post has become even more relevant in 2026. ShooterWorks.com‘s notes on Schism, Defiant’s never-published universe-wide crossover event, now pair with an active Schism Kickstarter that successfully funded in 2025. All 160 pages of Schism were penciled and inked in 1994 before Defiant’s closure halted completion. Backers will receive at minimum digital issues 1 through 4, with print editions and hardcover collections available at higher tiers. This makes the reading order question more urgent for collectors interested in completing Jim Shooter’s vision for this universe.
Deciding how to read a Dead Universe informs the best way to collect a Dead Universe. Do you read it series-by-series, as it was originally published? In chronological order? Or by release date? Knowing this will help determine how to invest in Dead Universes.
(more…)SF Guardian’s readers name Isotope Best Comic Store in the Bay
Isotope: The Comic Book Lounge, 326 Fell Street in San Francisco, has been named Best Comic Book Store by readers of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Isotope proprietor James Sime…
Last Gasp’s Ron Turner to be roasted at LitQuake
When I wrote about comic related events at San Francisco's LitQuake this year I made one glaring omission: LitQuake’s 2013 Barbary Coast Award Roast of Last Gasp's Ron Turner. Last Gasp is perhaps one of…
Mixed Media: A Shirley Jacksonesque conversation about Shirley Jackson
“It’s just that,” said Miss Pryor as she stabbed her cigarette out, “there’s a rather beastly amount of italics.”“The better to brainwash you with,” said Ms. Queen, who was rather…
Dead Universes (part II): Best Practices
Originally published October 8, 2013 | Updated April 2026
The best practices for collecting Dead Universes differ from modern comics. Whether you’re starting with Defiant, Valiant, or the Ultraverse, these principles will help you build a complete collection affordably and strategically. Originally published in 2013, this advice remains relevant in 2026 because the fundamentals of smart collecting haven’t changed.
In the previous post, we explored how accessible Dead Universe collecting can be. The barrier isn’t cost, it’s strategy. Unlike hunting for mint condition variants, collecting Dead Universes is about completing stories affordably. Here are the principles that will guide your approach.
(more…)Review: The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan
As part of r/horrorlit’s Horror Novel a Day writers, I’m pretty sure of two things: I took on too many novels (six total) and my definition of horror is suspiciously…