[Letters From the Labyrinth] Brian Keene Newsletter 153

Hi. I'm Brian Keene and this is the 153rd issue of Letters From the Labyrinth -- a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
When I was a kid, my favorite thing in the entire world was collecting comic books. I've written about the first comics I ever bought, back in 1976. You can read that essay at Stephen King Revisited.
By the time I was in sixth grade, I had amassed the biggest collection of 1970s Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Gold Key, and Charlton Comics in all of York County, Pennsylvania (and got revenge on a bully in the process). I told that story on Scott Edelman's Eating the Fantastic, which you can listen to here.
When I was 14, that comic book collection was destroyed in front of me, one by one, as punishment for telling scary stories. I wrote a novel about that called GHOUL, which you can purchase in paperback, e-book, and audiobook.
Undeterred, I set out rebuilding that collection, and by the time I was a senior in High School, I had rebuilt the entire thing and grown it ten-fold.
In the mid-Nineties, I sold that collection, which by then consisted of 47 long white boxes of comics. I got a little less than $28,000 for them. It was enough for a down-payment on a house.
I didn't stop collecting comics, though. By then, i'd switched over to archival formats -- Marvel Masterworks, The Spirit Archives, etc. -- hardcover collections reprinting those comics of old, but slim enough that I could keep them on my bookshelf.
Last year, when i was in the burn ward, a friend sent me some 1970s comic books. Not the nice archival hardcovers, but the original floppy comics. I was hopped up on morphine, so I'm not sure who sent them. I think it might have been Victor LaValle, Maurice Broaddus or Weston Ochse. But reading them filled me with a wonderful sense of nostalgia that those archival reprints just don't recapture. The advertisements. The smell. the feel. The Letters Pages.
After getting out of the burn ward, and recuperating enough that I could go out in public while wrapped up like the Mummy (something I no longer have to do -- (indeed, unless you really look closely at my arm, and peer beneath the hair, you can't even tell i was burned) -- I marched into Comix Connection here in York, and began re-building that comic book collection from my youth.
That's what I've been doing this past year. That's been my hobby. It brings me joy and peace and happiness.
I don't buy new, "modern" comics, nor do I read them. But anything 1970 to 1985? That's my sweet spot.
As for the now? Well, like many, I prefer the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the current Marvel Comics Universe... but I also like to eat and pay my bills and I'm not opposed to writing those characters.
THOR: METAL GODS is an 8-episode audio and prose serial written by myself, Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, and Yoon Ha Lee. It is available in both audio and ebook from SerialBox and Marvel for just $9.99. CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER
My episodes -- which are episode 3 and episode 6 -- read like 1970s Marvel Comics, and feature cameos from beloved cosmic characters of that time such as Howard the Duck, Pip the Troll, The Elf With A Gun, and others. Yes, I've written a ton of comic books in my career. For both Marvel and DC. I've been lucky enough to pen adventures for Superman, Devil Slayer, the Justice League, Harley Quinn, John Constantine, Doom Patrol, and many more.
But barring any last second editorial interference, THOR: METAL GODS is the absolute closest I've ever come to effectively capturing the storytelling that enthralled me as a kid and continues to bring me joy today. I'm proud as hell of it, and I hope you'll pre-order. If you like Thor and Loki from the movies, you'll like this just as much. But if you liked comics back in the day?
You'll remember why.
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER

This Week's Podcasts:
STEPHEN KOZENIEWSKI VS. THE WORLD - The Horror Show with Brian Keene - Ep 237
Brian, Mary, Dave, and Matt offer a heartfelt remembrance of Sid Haig and bid a fond farewell to John Urbancik. Then Stephen Kozeniewski returns to the show to discuss SKINWRAPPERS, collaborations, SLASHVIVOR, the CLICKERS reboot, and more! Plus a look at new horror comics from Mike Hawthorne, Matt Miner, and Christopher Peterson.
Listen for free on YouTube – iTunes – Spotify – Project Entertainment– iHeartRadio – Stitcher
DEFENDERS DIALOGUE - Ep 77
Stolen from Tony Stark and coveted by both the Stilt-Man and the Stranger, the Null Bomb threatens to engulf the galaxy in a crushing wave of cosmic horror. Can Ghost Rider, Hercules, Black Widow, Iceman, Angel, Black Goliath, and Darkstar stop it in time? Christopher Golden and Brian Keene discuss The Champions issues 12 and 13.
.Listen for free on iTunes – YouTube – Project Entertainment – iHeartRadio – Stitcher
Mary SanGiovanni has started a new post-apocalyptic novel for her Patreon subscribers. Five bucks unlocks it for you right now. CLICK HERE TO READ IT.
Brian Keene Radio is up and running again, after suffering a crash during the telethon earlier this month. Streaming free right from the top of my website. Go give it a listen.
Regretfully, due to a family health situation, I will be unable to attend New York Comic Con and have had to cancel my Oct 3 appearance. Grady Hendrix will be filling in for me instead (and my thanks to him for doing that).
Okay, that's it for this week. As always:
PATREON - Where I post new short stories, writing advice essays, two serialized ongoing novels, and behind-the-scenes stuff.
TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.
YOUTUBE - Where I'm posting free stuff each and every day.
I'll see you back here next week!