Happy 2024/Birthday Updates

Hi all! I hope 2024 has been treating you… well, as well as it can be. It’s an understatement to say things have been going easy this year, and I mean that on the most global of levels. But no matter what your situation is, I hope you’ve been able to find moments of joy when and where you can.

---

As for me, today is my 36th birthday. I’m very open about my age, I don’t know why. I just see no reason in not being. 36 is a strange number, it’s inching closer to 40 but it doesn’t really feel like anything. At least not yet. Minus the lower back pain, that is. I’ve also been showered all day with incredibly kind messages from some wonderful people. It makes me feel so very loved, and sometimes my silly little brain tries to trick me into thinking I don’t deserve that kindness. Today I’m allowing it, and I’m trying to allow it and pay it forward each and every day. I hope if you’re reading this, you experience that same kind of love on your birthday, and every day, and feel no shame in reaching out to the people you care about to let them know how you feel.

---

Now, for some housekeeping. You may have noticed I revamped this website a bit. I came up with the new logo while working on some logo options for my husband’s solo music project (check that out here, btw!). I liked my new one so much I not only wanted to reskin the website with it (and, hopefully, make it a bit more accessible), but I’m even considering making it into stickers. Let me know if you’d buy one! And now, a few fun things of note since the New Year:

• I’ve started contributing to a local newspaper, the Yonkers Ledger. I’m really happy to get involved with my community in a new way. My first article ran last month and was about a fabulous art exhibit called “Out in Yonkers,” on display at the White Plains Public Library until 2/29. Check that out here: “Out in Yonkers” Exhibit Celebrates the LGBTQIA+ Community (theyonkersledger.com)

• I had my final “Archie’s House of Horror” article run on Daily Dead, about Archie’s last two modern releases of 2023, Darkling and Sabrina’s Holiday Special. In this one, I talk about Dark Academia and it’s proximity to horror: Archie’s House of Horror: SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH: HOLIDAY SPECIAL and DARKLING - Daily Dead (happy to announce I’ll be continuing this column in 2024)

• I’ve been moderately successful at continuing to update my Substack, though I’m eager to amp up my output there even more. My last few nostalgia-fueled pieces were about emo, Y2K, and snow days. Friendly reminder that you can subscribe for free (or for a nominal fee to unlock bonus content) here: https://jamielrotante.substack.com/

• My Razorcake articles raged on! My last two were about never shutting up and learning to make friends as an adult. Please be sure to also give my good friend Jenn’s art Insta some love, as she creates all the fabulous illustrations that accompany my pieces.

• TODAY is the Final Order Cut-off for Archie Horror’s first release of 2024: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors: Fresh Meat. Missed the chance to lock your order in at your local comic shop? You can still preorder on our website. And beat the crowds by preordering in advance for April’s horror title, The Cult of That Wilkin Boy: Initiation.

• Archie Comics also announced a major event miniseries launching in May, called ARCHIE COMICS: JUDGMENT DAY. I’m incredibly excited about this project and am fortunate to work with the stellar team of writer Aubrey Sitterson, artist Megan Hutchison, colorist Matt Herms, and letterer Jack Morelli. A dream team for a bonkers project that you absolutely can’t miss. Read all about it over at TheWrap. (You can even start preordering it now, if you so wish!)

• Minor plug, but I bit the bullet after debating it for a while and purchased myself a FreeWrite Traveler. I can’t recommend it enough, it absolutely helps with distraction-free writing, which I so often desperately need. No commission or anything for clicking that link/purchasing, I just wanted to shout out a cool as hell product!

• I learned “Zombie” by The Cranberries on bass guitar.

---

Alright, gang, that’s all that’s fit to print. Now I’m going to indulge in a little video game-age and get some rest. I’ll try to make these less infrequent but, as always, I make no promises. Catch you on the next one!

September Updates

It’s been a pretty busy two weeks since I last checked in! If you’ve been following me on any of my socials, you probably already know the big Archie news. But if not, feast your eyes upon these two beauties:

These gorgeous pieces of art are both by the incredibly talented artist Matt Talbot, and feature Michael Myers from the iconic Halloween film franchise stalking Sabrina, Betty, and Veronica. These art prints are exclusive to the H45: 45 Years of Terror in Pasadena, CA the weekend of 9/30-10/1. This is Archie Horror’s first time tabling at a horror convention, and also my first time ever visiting California! If you’re on the West Coast and planning on attending, make sure to stop by the Archie Horror booth and say hi!

You can read all about it over on Bloody Disgusting: EXCLUSIVE: Michael Myers Stalks Archie Icons on Special Prints for "Halloween: 45 Years of Terror" Event! - Bloody Disgusting (bloody-disgusting.com)

---

In personal writing news, my newest essay for Razorcake is live now! It’s about navigating other people’s issues and crises while also maintaining my mental health. I’m always grateful to have a safe space in Razorcake to share these personal thoughts and mental health and anxiety analyses. Art below from my dear friend Jenn Martinez-Flood.

And in one last bit of personal writing news, I will be returning with a new article on my Substack this week. If you haven’t subscribed, it’s called “Streams of Unconsciousness,” and I use the space to wax poetic and write critical analyses and essays about pop culture and life in the 1990s and 2000s. It’s an ode to nostalgia and, without giving too much away, here’s a little sneak peek at what this week’s article will be about:

You won’t want to miss this one. That goes live on Friday.

But before that, I'm trying something new on my Substack. Moving forward, paid subscribers will get some additional content, including album reviews—where I revisit formative albums from my youth and teen years as an adult—and diary entries. These diary entries are either plucked straight from my online journals from my teenage years or written in the current day as a recollection of key moments in my youth - early 20s. These will be a bit more freeform and personal, hence the paywall. The first one is called “Manic Girl Summer,” and goes live tomorrow, so if you’re interested, now’s the time to sign up!

That’s all that’s fit to print. Now it’s time to get some sleep!

Spooky Season is Upon Us!

Happy September, friends, or as it’s better known: Halloween-Eve!

If you know anything about me, it’s that I live for Halloween. My husband’s birthday is on Halloween. We were engaged on Halloween. It’s the best holiday there is, and I’m all for the idea of expanding its celebrations throughout October and September.

So you can imagine how grateful I am to work at a company that’s also all-in on celebrating Halloween. Heck, Archie celebrates it pretty much year-round! But to kick off the more official Spooky Season, I wanted to update you on a few new titles that’ll get you into the spirit!

---

First, out RIGHT NOW (if you can still manage to nab a copy) is the SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic, featuring a brand new story I wrote!

It’s always a thrill to work on these fun, classic stories. It’s even more thrilling when I get to work with the fantastic Holly G! Her unbridled enthusiasm for all things Archie, but especially for everyone’s favorite teenage witch, is unmatched—and it shows in every page of art she turns in! The unstoppable group of Jim Amash on inks, Jack Morelli on letters, and Glenn Whitmore on colors are rounding out the team. It’s always neat to work with such a legendary crew!

Editor-in-Chief Mike Pellerito had the brilliant idea to bring more magical characters into the Archieverse, starting with Sabrina’s new nemesis, Amber Nightstone, who was introduced in last year’s Sabrina Anniversary Spectacular. He expanded on that even further by giving her two nefarious sidekicks: Jade and Sapphire. Together, the three have powers of fire, wind, and water. It was a blast getting to work with these new characters and bring them to life! Expect to see more of them in the future!

If your local comic shop is out of stock on this one (which it very well might be!) you can grab a copy on the Archie webstore while supplies last.

---

Next up, on sale in bookstores everywhere 9/12, is probably one of the projects I’m the proudest to have ever worked on: the ARCHIE HORROR PRESENTS…. CHILLING ADVENTURES GRAPHIC NOVEL.

This graphic novel anthology collection features the first seven one-shot/anthology style comics Archie Horror has released. This is a bit of a testament to the start of my tenure as Senior Director of Editorial at Archie, and to see it all together in such a beautiful package (with striking cover art from horror master Robert Hack), is kind of jaw-dropping. For more info on the stories inside, check out this infographic:

This beauty is available in comic shops right now (since 8/23, as you can see) and, as mentioned earlier, in bookstores everywhere 9/12. Archie Horror is here in a big way this Halloween, and if you’re looking for a great jumping-on point, this is the perfect book for it. As always, you can also purchase this easily from the Archie Webstore. (Psst… if you order now, there’s a special sale going on, too!).

If you find the lovely Madam Satan gracing the cover and interiors of Archie Horror Presents… Chilling Adventures rather alluring, then fear not! Her story also continues this month with the MADAM SATAN: HELL ON EARTH one-shot comic, on sale 9/20!

Don’t forget to grab a copy of this gorgeous Madam Satan: Hell on Earth variant by artist Soo Lee!

Madam Satan has become a horror icon for us, and her journey is far from over. Pick up this comic in comic shops or on the Archie webstore to experience another frightful leg of our journey.

And show your love of all things Madam Satan with our brand new collection! T-shirts? Coffee mugs? Water bottles? We’ve got it all!

---

And if you’re going all-in on Halloween now, too, we’ve got a whole section for your happy haunting needs!

---

Ok, folks! That’s all the news that’s fit to print! Be back with more updates in the very near future.

Stay cool, and stay spooky!

Creeptober 2020 Writing Challenge Day 28: Conspiracy Theory

“Conspiracy Theory”

“Did you hear about this new trend going around with kids online? It’s called “I Know a Game.” Have you heard this? Apparently, these kids are messaging each other to play a game, and then the next thing you know they just up and disappear. Just go missing. Parents, I’m telling you, watch what your kids are doing on the Internet.”

Nina shook her head and turned the radio station off. These conspiracy theory-peddlers masquerading as pundits did nothing but drive her blood pressure up, yet she constantly found herself tuning in when she had to go on long drives. She wasn’t one for the socio-political commentary, but she had a soft spot for alien encounter stories. As much of a skeptic as she was in life, part of her wished that, just once in her life, she could experience something otherworldly. Something that couldn’t easily be explained away. Something to break up the routine.

She glanced at her GPS, she still had another four hours left in her travels. When she first took this job at the new startup, Nina was hoping that it would give her the kick in the pants she needed to change her lifestyle. Unlike her last dead-end job, which kept her going into a call center every day from 9:00 - 5:00, then spending all of her free time miserable and dreading going back to work, this one actually offered her the opportunity to travel. Excited by this prospect (and the help of a bump in salary), Nina jumped at the chance. And so she took a position in the research department of a new soft drink company, Koola Kola.

What Nina didn’t realize, however, was that “travel” wasn’t nearly as luxurious as it sounded. It wasn’t first-class flights to exotic locales on all-expenses-paid business trips. It wasn’t long, scenic drives on the company dime with stopovers in five-star hotels. It was just a lot of driving in her sedan, burning her own pockets for gas money that she would have to wait until the end of the month to get reimbursed for, to some of the most boring and sometimes downright seedy destinations. It was a lot of hours by herself in her car, sometimes springing for a quick stay at whatever motel was nearby, or sometimes driving all the way there and back in one night just to get it over with.

And, moreover, Nina didn’t exactly know why she was taking these trips. Her job was at a research company and seemed innocuous enough; all of her travel was dropping off materials to labs and potential business partners. It usually was just a few file folders or a banker’s box worth of items—something that a company with as much startup capital as hers should be able to just ship with insurance. But she didn’t ask too many questions or protest too much—getting that time on the road was still a diversion. On her best days, she’d spend the night at a bed and breakfast and find a cozy coffee shop or breakfast nook to fuel up in the morning. It was in those moments she could engage in some good people watching, writing down bits of conversations she’d hear, gathering material for the book of essays she swore she’d write someday.

So aside from audiobooks and podcasts, conspiracy theory radio shows became a source of entertainment for her time alone. It allowed her to escape, if even for only an hour or two here and there, into the unknown. It allowed her to play with the idea that there could be other people out there, watching us from afar. She could get lost in worlds where people had nefarious motives and industries were using people as guinea pigs, all extreme scenarios she didn’t buy for a second—but it added the appropriate dosage of fiction into an otherwise boring reality.

As Nina scanned through her phone, trying to find a good true crime or paranormal podcast to start, she looked up just in time to notice a massive antlered animal jump in front of her car and sprint into the woods, causing her to abruptly swerve to the side of the road. Once she caught her breath and allowed her heart rate to slow back down to normal, she got out of the car to observe the damage, if any, that was done. Staring down the front of her car, it looked as though there were a few scuff marks and some dents to her fender, nothing too tragic. She took some pictures, hoping she could write it off or get some cosmetic repairs done courtesy of Koola Kola.

Whatever it was that hit her car, though, couldn’t have escaped completely unscathed. It moved so fast, though, it was like it wasn’t hit at all. She looked deeper into the woods and noticed that it was still standing there, staring back at her. She only caught a quick glimpse and noticed it didn’t seem to be hurt or bleeding before quickly jumping back into her car—she didn’t know what it was or why it was staring, and she wasn’t willing to find out. The weirdest part that it didn’t look like any moose or deer she had ever seen before. She could have sworn it had the face of a rabbit.

Nina tried to calm her nerves as she started her car again. She didn’t want to lose too much more time, this was a trip she was hoping she could do in one night. That’s when she realized something—unlike her usual trips, this one had her transporting more precious cargo than the usual file folders.

“Shoot! The box,” Nina got out of her car again and popped open her trunk. Unfortunately, she was right. The box she was transporting, a medium-sized, square, briefcase-style box with a number of intricate locks, had been knocked over on its side. It didn’t appear to be damaged but had definitely been shaken up in the turmoil. Nina closed her eyes and hoped this wasn’t one of the only batches of a new soft drink that her company was concocting. She hovered her thumb over her manager’s number on her phone, bracing herself to reveal the bad news to him. But something inside her told her to say nothing, and instead break the cardinal rule she had been given on each and every one of these trips:

Whatever you do, don’t open the cargo. It’s completely confidential and can only be opened by its intended recipients.

Surely, in this situation, they’d understand. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and placed them on, then pulled a bobby pin out of an emergency makeup bag she kept in her car, and got to cracking open the locks. Immediately she gasped as the smell hit her. Whatever this drink was, she could tell it was already going to fail on a mass-market level with a scent like this. She cracked open the last lock and held her breath.

Inside the box sat what appeared to be a human brain.

Nina slammed the box shut and dry-heaved. She carefully locked it and examined it to make sure there were no visible signs of tampering. She got back in the driver’s seat and steadied her hands on the wheel. Carefully, she pulled back onto the road, noticing the piercing red, laser-like eyes of the animal still staring at her from the distance. She couldn’t understand why a soft drink company would have her transporting a human brain to an unspecific location at night. She didn’t know just what else she had transported in her travels, either.

She just knew that she had to say nothing about what she saw. This never happened, and she wouldn’t ask any questions. She would drop the box off at its intended location, and turn around and head home. There would be no stopovers tonight.

Then, first thing tomorrow morning, she was going to find a new job. A desk job somewhere. Something delightfully boring.

Creeptober 2020 Writing Challenge Day 27: Vibration

“Vibration”

bzz. bzz.

“Where the hell is that damn phone?” Alison cursed as she clumsily tossed around the pillows on her coach. After sum fuss, she located the cell phone between the couch cushions.

“No missed calls. Weird,” she thought to herself as she studied her phone screen. It was almost as if it was sending out a signal to her to find it, as if the couch would swallow it whole like it did loose change and various pieces of jewelry. Alison places the phone on the coffee table and went about her chores.

A few hours later she heard the vibrations of her phone ringing again from the kitchen. She quickly turned the heat down on her stove and ran over to see who was bothering her while she cooked dinner. Once again, there was no call, incoming or missed. She shrugged it off, phantom vibrations were fairly common. A symptom of our overly-connected lives.

Back at the stove she heard it again. This time more distinct than before. She hesitated before going back to check, she wanted to finish making her soup. That’s when it hit her—the phone was in her pocket. Surely she’s feel it if it were ringing.

And, moreover, the volume was on.

She slipped the phone from her pocket to check, just in case. Nothing. But the vibrating noise was clear as day, there was no way it could be in her mind. She considered that maybe her upstairs neighbor’s phone must be going off. She probably dropped it on the floor and left it there on her way out. Satisfied with this theory, she ladled some soup into a bowl and sat down for dinner.

bzz. bzz.

Alison took another sip of soup.

bzzzz. bzzzzzzz.

She hoped her neighbor would get home soon and call back whoever it is that’s trying to reach her.

bzzzzz. bzzzzzzzz.

The vibrations continued intermittently throughout the evening. Finally, she heard her upstairs neighbor’s footsteps right before she went to bed.

“Good. At least that won’t keep going off while I’m trying to sleep.” Alison thought to herself as she lay in bed.

But no such luck. If anything, the vibrations sounded louder. Closer. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.

bzzz. bzzzzzzz.

bzzzzzz. bzzzzzz.

bzzzzzzzzz. bzzzzzzzz.

“Stop calling me. I’m busy,” a man’s voice whispered.

Finally someone answered the damn phone. And Alison finally figured out where it was coming from.

He was inside her bedroom closet.