Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories The Comic Vault1 Comment on Review: “Dr. Werthless” by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell 
“Dr. Werthless” by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell
Dark Horse Comics (July 2025)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
If you read comics, you’ve likely heard the name Dr. Fredric Wertham. His 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent had as big an impact on the comics industry as, say, the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics, or perhaps the work of Stan Lee.
In fact, Wertham’s book was so impactful, it nearly killed the entire comics industry.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Tick Town by Christopher A. Micklos 
Tick Town by Christopher A. Micklos
Castle Bridge Media (June 2025)
Reviewed by W.D. Gagliani
Giant bloodsucking beasts invade… screams the cover copy, and if you’re like me, that’s about all you need to crack open this short novel and wait for the fun. So you may know going in what you’ll get, and the question is: how rip-roaringly entertaining will it be?Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories InterviewsLeave a comment on Jim Burns on Illustrating IT 
Stephen King’s novel IT is getting a new, limited edition (only 500 copies) book from Folio Press that features illustrations from Jim Burns, who is probably best known for his science fiction and fantasy artwork. The limited edition also has an introduction from director Guillermo del Toro. Burns spoke to Cemetery Dance about getting involved with the project, his introduction to IT, working in the horror genre, and more.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw 
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
Tor Nightfire (July 22, 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)
I FREAKIN LOVE THIS BOOK! I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to read Cassandra Khaw. I have 3 other books of theirs on my shelves and I don’t know why I kept skipping over them.
Welcome to The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted — the “premiere academy for the dangerously Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.” DONE. SOLD. TAKE MY MONEY. Here we meet Aleesa — she’s been kidnapped and forced to go to Hellebore but is told this is a place where she will find acceptance and a “normal life” after graduation. However, on graduation day, the faculty decides to eat the class. One must be sacrificed every night or everyone will be killed. There can only be one survivor. Or can there?Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories Night Time LogicLeave a comment on Night Time Logic with TJ Price 
“Niemandswasser,” “The “un-defined in Fiction,” and “Liminal Space”
Night Time Logic is the part of a story that is felt but not consciously processed. It is also the name of this interview series here at Cemetery Dance and over on my YouTube channel.
Through in-depth conversation with authors this column explores the night time part of stories, the strange and uncanny in horror and dark fiction, and more.
My short story collections with Cemetery Dance are full of the kind of stories that operate with Night Time Logic. My latest is called Phantom Constellations and is coming in November 2025.
With the release of my fourth short story collection, Creatures of Liminal Space, on my mind, the anthology Between Doorways caught my attention. I recently spoke with TJ Price about liminal space and the anthology.
We began our conversation with a question about the meaning liminal space to him.Continue Reading
Stay On The Line by Clay McLeod Chapman with Illustrations by Trever Henderson
Shortwave Media (July 30, 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Clay McLeod Chapman is the undeniable king of grief horror. He’s torn readers apart with his lyrical, evocative stories exploring addiction in Ghost Eaters (named one of Vulture’s Best Horror Novels of 2022) and the loss of a child, as in his Southern gothic folk horror novel What Kind of Mother and his Bram Stoker Award-nominated novella Kill Your Darling.
Stay On The Line is another tale of grief’s haunting phases and lasting impressions, yet it still feels unique from Chapman’s other titles. Trevor Henderson’s accompanying illustrations are the cherry on top, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Henderson’s Stay On The Line style reminded me of Stephen Gammell’s iconic illustrations in Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: The Terror At Love Lake by Joey Powell 
The Terror At Love Lake by Joey Powell
Mad Axe Media (May 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
The Terror At Love Lake is a cosmic, snack-sized tale of a teenage cheerleader, Diane. Coming of age for women incites fear. Men look at you a little too long. Sure, they were creepy before, but now it’s like a hunter spotting prey. The vulnerability of a child transpires into a fight for autonomy.
This reviewer was impressed by author Joey Powell’s ability to create an authentic narrative that explores women’s constant struggle for personal agency and the threat of coercers. Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: The Last Delivery by Evan Dahm
The Last Delivery by Evan Dahm
Iron Circus Comics (June 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Evan Dahm was born in 1987, growing up in Asheville, North Carolina. He’s been a resident of Brooklyn, New York since 2010, and has been creating and self-publishing comics online and in print since 2006. His prior work includes Vattu and Order of Tales, the Iron Circus graphic novels The Harrowing of Hell and Rice Boy, and The Island Book series for First Second. His newest book is The Last Delivery. Continue Reading
Beyond the Bounds of Infinity edited by Vaughn A. Jackson and Stephanie Pearre
Raw Dog Screaming Press (July 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa 
Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
Berkley (February 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Island Witch is an unforgettable and culturally rich good-for-her horror novel I cannot stop talking about. After reading This Cursed House by Del Sandeen, Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen, and Jordan Peele’s anthology Out There Screaming, I’ve been on such a historical fiction and female rage kick. Island Witch is topical, with themes like colonialism, colorism, racism, feminism, and misogyny. It’s a razor-sharp exploration of the violent experience of girlhood and womanhood, perfect for readers seeking a horror book with historical and social depth.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine 
Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine
Dark Matter INK (September 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Angela Sylvaine has a knack for writing nostalgic horror. In her 2023 novel Frost Bite, Sylavine received praise for the nostalgia factor and her ability to create a horror story that reads like a B movie. It’s campy. I thought the same when reading the author’s 2024 novella Chopping Spree.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories ReviewsLeave a comment on Review: Stone Martyrs by Erik Hoffstatter 
Stone Martyrs by Erik Hoffstatter
Aquaducts Press (February 2025)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer, born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic. He roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. His newest novella is Stone Martyrs.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories The Comic VaultLeave a comment on Exclusive Preview: Deathgasm 1.5 – Director’s Cut
Readers of Cemetery Dance can get the exclusive first preview of the graphic novel Deathgasm 1.5: Director’s Cut. With words from Peter Bune and illustrations by Industrias Lamonicana, the pages can sweep people right back into the Deathgasm movie. Writer and director of the film Jason Howden remarked, “Between the events of Deathgasm 1 and Deathgasm 2 was a story that I needed to tell.” You can check out the current Kickstarter for it here!Continue Reading
There’s Something Sinister In Centerfield by Robert P. Ottone
Cemetery Gates Media (June 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Robert P. Ottone wrote one of the most unsettling and raw books I’ve ever read, The Vile Thing We Created; think modern-day Rosemary’s Baby. But that’s just the half of it. Satanic worship? Or is it witchcraft?
Given the intensity of The Vile Thing We Created, I had no idea what to expect when I heard Ottone wrote a middle-grade horror story called There’s Something Sinister In Centerfield. Ottone, however, is no stranger to children’s literature. Check out The Sleepy Hollow Gang.Continue Reading
Author Cemetery Dance OnlinePosted on Categories The Comic VaultLeave a comment on The Comic Vault: Armored by Michael Schwartz
A Kickstarter is currently going on for the hardcover edition of Michael Schwartz’s ghostly comic book Armored. Schwartz, who spoke with Cemetery Dance in 2023, is back to talk about the extras in the campaign, the other ghost comic he’s been working on, and his podcast centered on Wizard Magazine.Continue Reading
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