Everyone’s a critic these days, but within the literary universe, the art of critiquing is no task for the meek. Dissecting the nuts-and-bolts of what makes a story work — or not — takes a trained eye. There are miles of distance between a one-star stinker and a five-star phenomenon, and recognizing those differences requires the work of the assertive; those unafraid to flay the flesh from characters and dig deep into the viscera of influences and motives, or to call out those narrative plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. It’s the business of Rick Hipson and the like, shored up by chops that take decades of commitment to develop. Or took decades — a time investment that Hipson’s latest release, A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them (Crystal Lake Publishing), is hoping to shave down as much as possible. Continue Reading
Steven S. DeKnight, whose credentials include writing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is coming out with his own comic Hard Bargain, with art from Leno Carvalho. Hard Bargain, which follows Frank Harding, P.I. and mixes noir with monsters, has been described by DeKnight as a dream thirty years in the making. DeKnight spoke to Cemetery Dance about his influences, how the dream came to fruition, and how writing comics compares to writing for TV. 
The famous and infamous EC Comics — known for horror classics like 
The Synopsis
What should have been a breeze of a bank heist for James Glenn and his crew goes violently wrong, forcing them to flee, blood-stained and angry. They stumble onto a remote lodge that doesn’t open for another month — a perfect place to lie low until the heat’s off.
When the lights go out…that’s when things change. When masks are put aside, and eerie truths are laid bare. It’s when towns grow extra streets and cul-de-sacs which don’t exist in daytime. When whispered wishes and fantasies become reality. When our deepest fears and most powerful longings become flesh. When ambitions become obsessions which overpower us, and leads us to our ends.
The Synopsis
Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Derek Charm is mixing horror with humor in his new comic, Toxic Summer, and its first issue drops on May 1 from Oni Press. High school graduates and friends Ben and Leo are expecting a great summer as lifeguards, but things go from bad to worse when there’s a toxic spill. Charm spoke to Cemetery Dance about his influences, the extremes of horror and humor, and what he hopes readers take away from his newest work. 
The Synopsis