Storycomic Weekly Newsletter: May 9th
ALWAYS POSTED A WEEK EARLIER ON PATREON
🚨 Storycomic Patreon Update for Creators 🚨
If you're an author, indie comic creator, game designer, or storyteller looking for more visibility, the Storycomic Patreon is one of the easiest ways to get your work in front of a growing audience.
For just $5 a month (about the price of a cup of coffee), you get some real promotional benefits:
🎙 Front-of-the-Line Recording Access
I’m often booking podcast interviews three months in advance, but Patreon members jump to the front of the line. This is especially helpful if you have a time-sensitive launch, Kickstarter, or new release coming up.
🔗 Permanent Show Notes Promotion
Your website or project link will be included in the show notes of all interviews as long as you’re a member.
📣 Social Media Promotion
We’ll regularly help promote your projects across Storycomic’s social media channels.
And remember, the Storycomic podcast has over 30,000 downloads, so it’s a great way to get your work discovered by readers and fellow creators.
For the cost of a coffee each month, you get promotion, visibility, and priority booking.
If you’re a creative looking to grow your audience, it’s a pretty great deal.
👉 Join us on Patreon and let’s share your story with the world.
Benjamin Hunting returns with Dead Air, a sci-fi/horror mystery tuned to the wrong frequency
Benjamin Hunting is back on the show to talk about Dead Air, his sci-fi/horror comic built around a killer premise: a ’90s university radio crew starts picking up something they can’t explain — and years later, their adult counterparts (in 2011) are still living with the consequences. The story runs on that uneasy feeling that the past doesn’t stay put… especially when it’s been recorded, broadcast, and buried under static.
In our conversation, Benjamin digs into how he structures a time-split narrative so it feels like one continuous mystery instead of two separate stories. We talk about the unique tension of radio as a storytelling engine — sound, silence, signals, and the way a voice can feel intimate even when it’s coming from somewhere it shouldn’t. He also shares what it takes to keep a long-form puzzle coherent: tracking timelines, planting clues, and making sure every issue gives readers both answers and new questions.
Most importantly, we talk about the new push: Benjamin’s Kickstarter campaign for Dead Air #1–3, which is live now and makes it easy for new readers to jump in from the beginning. If you love indie comics, creeping mysteries, and stories that feel like you’re stumbling onto a transmission not meant for you, this episode is a fun listen — and Dead Air is a project worth checking out.
Sharon Darrow on editing The Country in the Mirror and the work of witness
In this episode, I’m joined by Sharon Darrow, an award-winning author and poet whose work spans young adult fiction, narrative poetry, and now a major editorial role at Rootstock Publishing.
We focus on The Country in the Mirror: Poems of Protest & Witness, an anthology edited by Sharon Darrow and published by Rootstock on April 21, 2026. The collection brings together nearly ninety poets, creating a wide-ranging chorus of dissent, grief, outrage, and care — the kind of book that doesn’t let you look away.
Sharon’s broader career is equally deep. Rootstock notes titles including Through the Tempests Dark and Wild: A Story of Mary Shelley, The Painters of Lexieville, and her narrative-in-poems TRASH, among other recognized works.
In our conversation, we talk about what it means to edit in a moment of tension: how to hold space for different voices, how to keep the work honest without sanding down what’s sharp, and why poetry can still be one of the most direct ways to tell the truth. If you’ve ever wondered what poems can do in public life, this episode is a good place to start.
Project Update: Slow, but Still Forward
Things are still moving at a slower pace with Appliance, but it is moving forward. I’ve been continuing to chip away where I can—reviewing, refining, and keeping the project active even if progress isn’t happening in big bursts.
It’s one of those stretches where consistency matters more than speed. As long as I keep showing up to it, the work keeps advancing.
I’ll have more to share soon as things start to come together a bit more.
Book Review: Curious George My First Bedtime Stories – One Story at a Time
There’s something really nice about a book that naturally fits into the rhythm of bedtime, and Curious George: My First Bedtime Stories does exactly that. Lately, I’ve been reading one story a night with Iggy, and it’s turned into a simple, dependable part of the evening routine.
Each story is short, gentle, and just the right length to wind things down without dragging things out. Of course, this is Curious George, so there’s always a little bit of mischief mixed in—but it’s toned just right for bedtime. Nothing too wild, just enough to keep things fun and engaging before lights out.
What I really appreciate about this collection is how easy it is to pick up and read. There’s no pressure to read a lot—just one story, start to finish, and you’re done. That makes it perfect for those nights when everyone’s a little tired but still wants that shared moment.
For Iggy, it’s been great having something consistent. He knows what to expect, looks forward to it, and enjoys seeing what George gets into each night. And for me, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best parts of the day are the simplest ones—just sitting down together and reading a quick story.
Curious George: My First Bedtime Stories is exactly what it aims to be: easy, fun, and perfect for ending the day on a good note.
Personal Update: Expo Weekend and Spring Momentum
I spent all of last week at the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Expo with Elizabeth, and it was a great time all around. One of the highlights for her was getting to meet Claudia Christian. Most folks recognize her from Babylon 5, but Elizabeth knows her best as the voice of Xal'atath from World of Warcraft, which made it even more special. She was really excited, and it was fun to see that kind of moment firsthand.
On the work side of things, spring is fully in swing now, and you can feel it. Both the paper and the radio are picking back up, with more activity, more advertising, and just a better overall pace compared to the winter months.
We’re also getting close on a couple of big updates. The new radio automation software is almost ready to go, and the updated newspaper website is just about finished as well. It’s nice to see those longer-term projects nearing the finish line.
All in all, a busy but really enjoyable week—some fun experiences on the personal side, and good forward momentum on the work side.
Elizabeth with Claudia Christian
Joe Ferris doing caricatures!
Friend of the Show, Bob Brunelle was at the show too!