Year in Review: 2016

2016, the year that felt less like progress in the 21st century and more like a Dark Sun prequel. If y'all need me, I'll be hanging on out this Pride float with these cool party people. 

But it wasn't all bad, was it?

I mean, besides Penny Dreadful finishing its glorious run--which is something I am not quite over yet.

One good thing that happened in 2016 is that this blog finally got organized. Check out that sidebar! Every prophet in his house. Hopefully that trend will continue for as long as this blog stays active.

The thing I'm most proud of in 2016 is that Morbid Fantasies, my book about Gothic literature, finally came out and sold out within days. I'm also pretty stoked that Heretical Sexts was able to make a pdf of it available for free for all the people that missed out on getting a physical copy. Morbid Fantasies is easily the best thing I've ever written, so to see it come into being and made beautiful with the help of artists I truly admire was like living in a waking dream.

It was also great that I got to contribute to both volumes of Mlle Ghoul and Becky Munich's Occult Activity Book!

2016 was also the year I started co-hosting a podcast about weird books with my dear friend Tenebrous Kate. I'm told that our show is "howlingly funny." We've covered some strange stuff--from ultraviolent New Weird of BleakWarrior to the occult pulp adventure of Dennis Wheatley to the Gothic traumatizing of adolescent women in the work of V. C. Andrews. So far we've done five episodes, and we're not stopping there; you should see the list of books and authors we're planning on covering. Get caught up on the madness here.

Speaking of podcasts, did you know that Reynaldo Madrinan and Kiel Chenier are doing a podcast called Rey and Kiel Can't Do Dark Fantasy? Well worth your listening time, and I don't say that just because I got a shout-out in the second episode.

On the gaming front, I finally got off my ass and ran a Google+ game in my Krevborna setting. It managed to last sixteen sessions before a bout of illness and the insanity that is the end of the semester conspired to stall it out. Even so, I think it was a fairly successful and fun game; Jez Gordon called it his "favourite game this year" and Eric Diaz called it "one of my favorite campaigns as a player, ever." Trey from Sorcerer's Skull talked about it here. Compliments, I take them.

Running the Krevborna game definitely taught me some things that I will use to run an even better game next year. Here's a haiku:

Twilight, fog rolls in

Out of the darkness comes screams

Sweet Saintly Blood, ghasts!

I even have a recruitment poster ready for the next time I start up a Krevborna game.

According to Goodreads, I completed reading more books in 2016 than I have in any year since I've been using Goodreads to track my yearly reading. It felt like I wasn't reading as much as I should have been, but it turns out that I was ahead of the curve. I'll have my list of the best things I read in 2016 up later in the week.

I'm glad that I didn't drop off at all in my complete read-through-and-blog-about of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and managed to get that project done. Ten volumes of any long-running comic is a commitment, but it was worth it. You can read all my natterings on the series here. Thanks again to Scott Martin for sponsoring my read-through of Overture!

My favorite movies of 2016: The Witch and The Handmaiden.

What is 2017 going to be all about? I don't know either, but I know that these screencaps from Penny Dreadful accurately depict me at the start of 2016 versus me at the end of 2016:

Maybe you feel that way too. In which case, I want to tell you about Renoir. 

You know the name Renoir, even if it doesn't immediately conjure up any of his paintings in your mind. You know that he's a master artist; if you don't know that, know that his paintings hang in the Louvre, the Tate, and the Met. He painted throughout his life, even when he became old and his hands were deformed by arthritis and age.

Late in life, Renoir was visited by a younger artist whose name you might also know--Henri Matisse. Matisse watched the elderly Renoir work and was astounded; he was astounded that the elder man continued work even though it pained him to do so.

Renoir needed an assistant to place the brush in his hand, for he didn't have the strength to grasp it himself. He needed help moving the canvas because the mobility he had was stolen from him. Each brush stroke seemed to bring agony.

Matisse couldn't understand why Renoir continued to paint when it hurt him. Renoir explained to Matisse, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains."

There might be dark days ahead. There are days that will hurt you. I hate that this is true, but that doesn't make it any less true. And yet, remember that even amid the pain it is worthy and right to strive to bring more beauty into the world.

This is what I want you to know: the pain passes, but the beauty remains.

Hold Out Your Bag for a Treat

Did you miss out on physical copies of MORBID FANTASIES? Well, we're in a trick or treating mood, so to celebrate Halloween, we're offering a completely free PDF copy of the book for you to read and enjoy. Follow this link to download your copy: http://bit.ly/morbidfantasies

Brought to you by Heretical Sexts, the finest purveyor of 'zines known to man.

Morbid Fantasies

Morbid Fantasies, a book I wrote about Gothic literature, is now available to purchase directly from Heretical Sexts.

Here's the ad copy for the book: Morbid Fantasies is a richly illustrated reader's guide to Gothic literature, guiding fans both old and new over the ever-changing face of this most ghoulish of genres. In its pages, scholar Jack Shear covers the history, key themes, and major books in the Gothic movement from its inception through the current day. It's a love letter to this often misunderstood and under-appreciated form of entertainment, hand-bound and designed by Tenebrous Kate with featured illustrations by Dana Glover, Becky Munich, and Carisa Swenson.

This is what I want you to know about the book: I can honestly say that this is the publication that means the most to me. The ideas in Morbid Fantasies came directly from me researching and teaching Gothic literature for over ten years. And yet, this isn't an academic book; Morbid Fantasies is a book for anyone with an interest in Gothic fiction. My aim was to give the casual reader a primer on the Gothic's history, an idea of what to look for as you read, and a road map to what to read as you venture into the literature. Gothic novels were written to be enjoyed by people who read for pleasure, who want to experience wonderment and fright, and I want to help you find the enjoyment, wonderment, and fright I've experienced while reading these books.

This is what I want you to know about the artists who illustrated the book: the women who lent their talents to this project have taken my words and elevated them into something resplendent and fine. I was a fan of each artist who contributed to the book long before they were approached about working on Morbid Fantasies; each of them is ridiculously talented, and I am humbled that they deigned to gild my book with their art. Becky, Carisa, Dana, Kate--thank you.

This is what I want you to know about the publisher: Kate is a stalwart friend, and the best collaborator I could ever hope for. Not only do we have a reciprocal appreciation for the other's talents, we like to inspire each other to run with our ideas to see where they lead. Morbid Fantasies wouldn't exist if Kate didn't say "I want to publish that" when I mentioned the notion of writing a reader's guide to the Gothic. More than anyone else involved in the book, Kate kept the fires burning and the target in sight. And since Kate hand-assembled each book, the accolades for the book's aesthetic value are hers to collect. Kate--well, you already know how dear you are to me.

The hardcover version of Morbid Fantasies has already sold out. The softcover remains available, but only in strictly limited quantities. It's only available here, at the Heretical Sexts shop. And if you want to add any of the other 'zines for sale from Heretical Sexts, you won't be sorry.

Love Holocaust

The comic I wrote is now available from Soleilmoon: Love Holocaust. Of all the weird things I've made money writing, this is probably the weirdest. Looks like the deluxe hard-bound is already sold out, and the soft-bound is going fast.

"Love Holocaust is a 12 page fan-fiction comic book describing an imaginary romantic encounter between Douglas P (Death In June) and Boyd Rice (NON). The story, written by J. Guignol, draws inspiration from Death In June’s legendary songbook. Illustrator Tenebrous Kate turned the story into a comic book, and has lovingly hand-made each copy. The covers are hand-printed linocuts with gold ink on black paper. Limited numbered editions of 27 hard-bound and 50 soft-bound copies."

Here's what Dangerous Minds has to say about it.

Great Moments in Historical Sluttery

My friend, collaborator, and dwarf-acrobat-playing pal Tenebrous Kate has been tearing it up with a series on some of history's most interesting women over at Slutist!

Ride shotgun with Calamity Jane.

Or get Byzantine with Empress Theodora.

Or maybe shake it off with Anita Berber.

And if you can't get enough of Kate's art, now is a great time to get caught up with her webcomic Super Coven. The current story arc is called "The Devil Riffs Out," and I may have had a hand in it.

'Zines

The first in a series of posts detailing what I am currently finding inspiring.

I. Zines

Zines were a big part of my early 90s high school experience, so it has been interesting to watch them make a comeback in recent years. If you're currently in the grips of Zine Mania--whether through nostalgia or first-blush contact with small press insanity--you NEED to check out the zines put out by Heretical Sexts.

Heretical Sexts is a small-press imprint dedicated to producing "weird words on dead trees" and "publications for discerning creeps." Full disclosure: I've contributed writing or editing to the various Heretical Sexts projects, but believe me when I tell you that these things are the real deal. The writing is out there; the voices in these zines are unique; the art and production values are all top-notch. Thus far there are three stand-alone issues you might want to grab:

My Dream Date with a Villain: 14 contributors describe their romantic encounters with infamous characters from history and fiction. Always humorous, sometimes horrific and occasionally erotic, this fully-illustrated volume includes a range of subjects including Elizabeth Bathory, Doctor Doom, Ilsa She-Wolf of the S.S., the Hamburglar, Madame Defarge, and many, many more. (Include my tale of longing for Bellatrix Lestrange.)

Forever Doomed: 28 pages of essays and comics by Tenebrous Kate taking a tongue-in-cheek look at all things doom: The Metal Mid-life Crisis of "Black Roses"; Adventures at Maryland Deathfest; Erotic Rites of the Nazgûl; Dennis Wheatley: Unlikely Icon; Style Lessons from "Curse of the Crimson Altar"; "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie."

Witch Women: Witch Women is an exploration of the many facets of the relationship between femininity and the occult. The zine features original art and essays ranging from the esoteric to the light-hearted: “Hag Couture,” cheeky advice on fashion and ritual realness by S. Elizabeth; “Ace of Worlds,” an encounter with the tarot by Tom Blunt; “The Scarlet Women,” an illustrated history of erotic magic written by Heather Drain and illustrated by Tenebrous Kate; “Darkening the Coven,” an RPG supplement by Jack W. Shear; Art by Dana Glover, Becky Munich, and Carisa Swenson. (I actually think "Darkening the Coven" is the best RPG thing I've written.)

At $5 a pop, these are a steal. The BigCartel shop is here. You know what to do. You know what to do.

* * *

Speaking of zines, I just got these in the mail from Thuban Press:

If you like the idea of kinky post-scripts to Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," definitely do yourself a pervy favor and check out "In Pace Requescat" and "The Hideous Dropping Off of the Veil." For a more traditional and lovely take on a Victorian fairy tale, Julia Gfrorer's illustrated version of Oscar Wilde's "The Star Child" cannot be beat.