A Scary October
This October has, in many ways, been extremely exciting. First and foremost, it saw the launch of HALLOWEEN TEAM's first two issues - something I've been anticipating for a long, long time. It's been such a rush to get those first two issues of the comic book out there for people to read - and just in time for Halloween to boot.
But this month has also been difficult in a lot of ways. After finally (unfortunately) getting COVID at the end of May, I realized in July that I was suffering from some seriously scary and at-times debilitating Long COVID issues. It started with a few nerve-racking "attacks" of lightheadedness and vertigo that left me stuck in bed for multiple days. In between attacks, I'd start to feel a little better and more functional - but I was still dealing with persistent issues of dizziness and lightheadedness that seemed to be triggered by certain situations. Being in any sort of group setting was difficult. Sitting on certain kinds of surfaces made my head twinge. Being on video calls - or in any situation where my eyes and ears were darting back and forth between different things - was challenging. Talking for a long time uninterrupted made me feel faint. I stopped driving longer distances and relied on rides from others. I continued to work from home, even as my colleagues returned to the office on a more full-time basis. I started seeing an endless series of doctors and specialists. Various symptoms came and went - though the biggest new one from the Fall was elevated blood pressure, and with it, a heightened feeling of anxiety. Certain meds seemed to help mask the symptoms, but even then ... there were good days and bad days, and the lightheadedness and vertigo issues never completely went away.
After a more mild September, my symptoms really began flaring up again in mid-October. On the day the second issue of Halloween Team released - 10/25 - I had my first "attack" in quite some time, while in the waiting room of my ENT doctor. The next day, I was excited for the opportunity to participate in a podcast to help promote the comic - but while on the (live-streamed!) show, I began to experience lightheadedness attacks and thought I might be about to have the awkward and embarrassing experience of passing out on a live show. Luckily, that didn't quite happen - and the interview ultimately came out pretty good - but still, a bit of a harrowing thing to go through. It was frustrating, because I wanted to be at my best ... but instead felt like I couldn't quite put my best foot forward.
I know that so many have been going through similar challenges these last few years. Not only are many suffering from the effects of Long COVID, but the continued dangers of the pandemic have made many - in particular the immunocompromised - reluctant or unable to participate in everyday life as normal. For a writer like me, the combination of COVID risk and my ongoing Long COVID issues mean no conventions, no networking functions, no mixers, and no attending other events that might help me to promote my new comic. I know for many of us writers, the general stress from - waves arms - *all of this* can make it difficult to be creative, to get writing done, and to put the time and energy into promoting and marketing our content. It took me a long time to find the creative energy to write again after the events of 2020. Now, my bigger concern has been finding the ability to perform the physical act of writing. I tend to be a pretty "intense" writer - really getting into a zone when I'm writing and not stopping for a lot of breaks. I've had to really reconsider how to get writing done with these new (but hopefully temporary!) Long COVID limitations. And as I mentioned above, while part of me wants to do anything and everything I can to promote the new comic ... I've got to be careful to pace myself until I'm feeling better.
Still, it feels especially gratifying to come out with a comic book during this particular moment in time. Since the start of the pandemic, my weekly digital "stack" of new comics has taken on a particularly special meaning. No matter how rough my week was or how crazy the world seemed to get, the ritual of reading my newly-purchased comic books each week provided something to look forward to, something to put a smile on my face, and a means of escapism and joy that, often, really calmed me and lifted my spirit during tough times. I hope that Halloween Team can bring some joy to at least a few readers in that same way.
Over the next few months, I'll be focused on continued recovery and good health. But it's funny - I feel like those of us who are fans of books, comics, TV, movies, videogames, etc. - we all live in two worlds. We have these amazing, vivid fictional worlds that we can escape to whenever we choose. We have the ability to somehow forget about our problems and, for a time, live vicariously through our favorite fictional characters. We have one foot in the real world, sure - but there's a part of us that is always dreaming.
So here's to the power of stories and storytelling. Whether you're a writer or reader or both, great stories can get us through even the toughest of times. Maybe that's a small part of why I love horror and Halloween - because they take our fears and, in a strange way, make them fun and exciting and somehow ... more manageable? Horror allows us to take what scares us and position these fears as mere challenges that, if we're brave enough and tenacious enough ... we can overcome.
In HALLOWEEN TEAM, our gateway character Tommy Taylor relishes a good mystery. He can't quite crack the meta-mystery of what to do with his life as an aimless thirty-something - but give him a monster, mad-scientist, or evil cult - and he won't stop until he learns the truth, saves the day, and solves the case. I sometimes feel the same way. Life, especially these days, can at times feel overwhelming and out of control. But maybe if we just approach it case by case, mystery by mystery ... maybe we can, somehow, figure it all out. And when the going gets really rough, when our lives seem to be spiraling ... we always have stories to turn to.
So ... onwards and upwards, and Happy Halloween!
But this month has also been difficult in a lot of ways. After finally (unfortunately) getting COVID at the end of May, I realized in July that I was suffering from some seriously scary and at-times debilitating Long COVID issues. It started with a few nerve-racking "attacks" of lightheadedness and vertigo that left me stuck in bed for multiple days. In between attacks, I'd start to feel a little better and more functional - but I was still dealing with persistent issues of dizziness and lightheadedness that seemed to be triggered by certain situations. Being in any sort of group setting was difficult. Sitting on certain kinds of surfaces made my head twinge. Being on video calls - or in any situation where my eyes and ears were darting back and forth between different things - was challenging. Talking for a long time uninterrupted made me feel faint. I stopped driving longer distances and relied on rides from others. I continued to work from home, even as my colleagues returned to the office on a more full-time basis. I started seeing an endless series of doctors and specialists. Various symptoms came and went - though the biggest new one from the Fall was elevated blood pressure, and with it, a heightened feeling of anxiety. Certain meds seemed to help mask the symptoms, but even then ... there were good days and bad days, and the lightheadedness and vertigo issues never completely went away.
After a more mild September, my symptoms really began flaring up again in mid-October. On the day the second issue of Halloween Team released - 10/25 - I had my first "attack" in quite some time, while in the waiting room of my ENT doctor. The next day, I was excited for the opportunity to participate in a podcast to help promote the comic - but while on the (live-streamed!) show, I began to experience lightheadedness attacks and thought I might be about to have the awkward and embarrassing experience of passing out on a live show. Luckily, that didn't quite happen - and the interview ultimately came out pretty good - but still, a bit of a harrowing thing to go through. It was frustrating, because I wanted to be at my best ... but instead felt like I couldn't quite put my best foot forward.
I know that so many have been going through similar challenges these last few years. Not only are many suffering from the effects of Long COVID, but the continued dangers of the pandemic have made many - in particular the immunocompromised - reluctant or unable to participate in everyday life as normal. For a writer like me, the combination of COVID risk and my ongoing Long COVID issues mean no conventions, no networking functions, no mixers, and no attending other events that might help me to promote my new comic. I know for many of us writers, the general stress from - waves arms - *all of this* can make it difficult to be creative, to get writing done, and to put the time and energy into promoting and marketing our content. It took me a long time to find the creative energy to write again after the events of 2020. Now, my bigger concern has been finding the ability to perform the physical act of writing. I tend to be a pretty "intense" writer - really getting into a zone when I'm writing and not stopping for a lot of breaks. I've had to really reconsider how to get writing done with these new (but hopefully temporary!) Long COVID limitations. And as I mentioned above, while part of me wants to do anything and everything I can to promote the new comic ... I've got to be careful to pace myself until I'm feeling better.
Still, it feels especially gratifying to come out with a comic book during this particular moment in time. Since the start of the pandemic, my weekly digital "stack" of new comics has taken on a particularly special meaning. No matter how rough my week was or how crazy the world seemed to get, the ritual of reading my newly-purchased comic books each week provided something to look forward to, something to put a smile on my face, and a means of escapism and joy that, often, really calmed me and lifted my spirit during tough times. I hope that Halloween Team can bring some joy to at least a few readers in that same way.
Over the next few months, I'll be focused on continued recovery and good health. But it's funny - I feel like those of us who are fans of books, comics, TV, movies, videogames, etc. - we all live in two worlds. We have these amazing, vivid fictional worlds that we can escape to whenever we choose. We have the ability to somehow forget about our problems and, for a time, live vicariously through our favorite fictional characters. We have one foot in the real world, sure - but there's a part of us that is always dreaming.
So here's to the power of stories and storytelling. Whether you're a writer or reader or both, great stories can get us through even the toughest of times. Maybe that's a small part of why I love horror and Halloween - because they take our fears and, in a strange way, make them fun and exciting and somehow ... more manageable? Horror allows us to take what scares us and position these fears as mere challenges that, if we're brave enough and tenacious enough ... we can overcome.
In HALLOWEEN TEAM, our gateway character Tommy Taylor relishes a good mystery. He can't quite crack the meta-mystery of what to do with his life as an aimless thirty-something - but give him a monster, mad-scientist, or evil cult - and he won't stop until he learns the truth, saves the day, and solves the case. I sometimes feel the same way. Life, especially these days, can at times feel overwhelming and out of control. But maybe if we just approach it case by case, mystery by mystery ... maybe we can, somehow, figure it all out. And when the going gets really rough, when our lives seem to be spiraling ... we always have stories to turn to.
So ... onwards and upwards, and Happy Halloween!
No comments have been added yet.
