Nightmare Fuel, Issue 238

ISSUE 238: CRAZY FLIPPER FINGERS

While we were there, I started up a conversation with the owner. He’s about my age. He co-owns the place with three friends. They’ve been open for just a few months. All the machines (they have 45 or so) are from their own personal collections. He told me, though, that he and his buddies had owned no pinball machines at all until a year and a half ago. He said that they had visited a similar establishment in Tennessee around that time. They fell in love with the idea and gotten inspired. With no knowledge of pinball (other than they liked playing) and not a lot of starting funds, they used that inspiration to make something amazing happen. 

I took a roadtrip to the St. Louis area this weekend. That’s twice in a week, yes. This time I went with my son, some of his friends, and one of my pals to attend a haunted house. Before we went to the haunted house, we stopped at one of my favorite restaurants for some Mexican food and sangrias. I haven’t been there in years. Since I last visited, a new spot opened up next to the restaurant—The Lazarus Pinball Museum. 

We poked our heads inside to be briefly distracted by the flashing lights, buzzes, and bells. While we didn’t have time to browse the games before dinner, we decided to come back after the haunted house. After a couple of hours of frights, what better way to rap up the evening than playing pinball for a couple of hours?

There are lessons there. 

Be on the lookout for inspiration.

Always.

Be ready to act when inspiration strikes.

We all have bags of excuses slung over our shoulders. We lug them around the way Art the Clown lugs around his trash bag full of bloody weapons. And we’re quick to use them. But wouldn’t it be more awesome if that bag was filled with “Fuck yeahs”?

Also… this is my low-key declaration that I’m opening a pinball museum. 

I was a guest on the Awesome Comics Podcast this week. We discussed the darkness within the X Men universe, my own work ethic and process to putting characters through bad times, and much more. It was a fun conversation and not to be missed. Find it HERE. 

A few years back, I got a call from Brian Hurtt. He was at GenCon while I was stuck at home. 

“Have you ever heard of TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN’S SKULL?” he asked. 

I had not.

“I’m grabbing some copies for you, because you’re gonna love it.”

And he was right. TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN’S SKULL was loaded with great Sword and Sorcery fiction that I absolutely adored.

Now, a few years later, my friends at Outland Entertainment have taken over the magazine and they are preparing to release their first issue. And this one features a new story by yours truly! 

The Kickstarter campaign only has a few days left, so please consider backing the project. It’s beautiful and full of amazing fiction and art. 

The campaign can be found HERE.

Speaking of awesome Kickstarters—my pals in A Sound of Thunder have a campaign running for an awesome new comic!

Queen of Hell: Initium is a four-issue horror-fantasy adventure comic series from writer Rafer Roberts (Rick and Morty, Grumble, Minecraft) and artist Mike Ratera (Conan the Conqueror, Stalag-X), and is published by and based on the music of metal band A Sound of Thunder. This campaign will pay for the printing of all four issues of Initium and for the production of all other rewards associated with this campaign.

You can support the campaign HERE.

VENOM WAR: DEADPOOL #2

Deadpool may be trapped in a city full of zombified symbiotes and symbiotized zombies, but he's always got old friends to call on when he's against a wall! He'll face the madness with monstrous allies like Frankenstein('s Monster) and Man-Thing — not to mention Silence, Princess... and another surprise guest star you will NOT see coming!

If this issue’s “special guest star” doesn’t inspire at least one action figure, I’m not sure what the world is coming to. 

THE NINE LIVES OF SALEM #1

Salem was once a powerful warlock whose misuse of powers led him to live the rest of his life in servitude, acting as a cat familiar to a family of witches. But even in feline form, he can't escape the sins of his past. And when some familiar faces return seeking revenge, he might just use up all of his nine lives trying to save himself from their wrath.

Just in time for Halloween, here’s a one-shot to get you in the spooky mood!

You mean besides pinball?

Once again, Shakma 2000 dominated Halloween/horror trivia! We ALMOST fell thanks to an entire round of TWILIGHT questions, but we recovered!

I watched TERRIFIER 3 and loved it. I think I like TERRIFER 2 a little better because it leaned more into supernatural world-building, but this was bloody good fun. The stuff I liked best, of course, was the stuff that was most similar to the second movie. It’s cool to see an iconic horror monster like Art taking shape.

 And I took my son and his pals (and one of my pals) to Creepyworld in the St. Louis area. As always, a terrific time getting scared. 

All events are subject to change at a moment’s notice, but here is where I’ll be appearing in the next several months!I 

October 26 - 27, 2024 - Cowtown Comic Convention, Fort Worth, Texas

All Year Long - KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES, Worldwide

THE SHOCK SHOP - My online store, where you can find exclusive covers you can only get directly from me!

PATREON - Here, I post a serialized novel, a serialized comic book, short stories, and other cool materials.

CULLEN'S AMAZON STORE - Listen! If you have a local comic shop or bookshop, PLEASE visit them and order your books from them. If you don't have a shop, though, or if you can't get my books from your local bookseller for some reason, this Amazon shop has tons of options.