I’m happy to report that the STRANGER THINGS middle grade boxed set that includes ZOMBIE BOYS, THE BULLY, and ERICA THE GREAT has made one of the BookScan Top 20 bestsellers lists for December 2023!

These books were written by yours truly, with Danny Lore co-writing ERICA THE GREAT. All the books feature line art by Valeria Foccavia, colors by Dan Jackson, letters by Nate Piekos, covers by Ron Chan, and editing by Spencer Cushing and Konner Knudsen.

These books were a ton of fun to work on and an interesting challenge. The show itself would probably be rated R if it were a movie. But these are middle grade books for young readers. So we had to thread the needle by finding stories that mattered and felt true to the series without making use of more adult levels of action and violence.

I think we did a pretty darn good job and found fun stories with real emotional resonance — and I continue to be thrilled that the books seem to be finding their audience.

Huge thanks to the wonderful creative teams on these books and to all the readers, reviewers, and retailers who have spread the word!

Ask your local comic shop to hold a copy for you or order it here at bookshop.org!

I was thrilled to discover that STRANGER THINGS: TOMB OF YBWEN was the 13th best selling trade on the NPD BookScan Top 20 “Superheroes” Graphic Novel list for September!

The book was written by yours truly with interior art by Diego Galindo, colors by Francesco Segala, letters by Nate Piekos, and a lovely cover by Kyle Lambert (which you can read about more on Kyle’s site).

Writing this book meant a lot to me — on the surface, it’s a hugely fun ’80s treasure hunt, but under the surface it’s about grappling with bereavement, and it’s all heart, all the time. I loved working with editors Spencer Cushing and Konner Knudsen and the entire creative team and am so gratified the book’s resonated with readers.

Here’s the official solicit:

It’s January 1985, and the Hawkins crew survived their battle with the mind flayer, but Will and Joyce are still reeling from the recent death of Bob Newby. Will’s friends have been too busy with their girlfriends to notice how much he is struggling. After he and Mr. Clarke discover a mysterious map Bob left in a box of old nerdy memorabilia, Will rallies the crew to investigate. Collects the four-issue miniseries.

Please do feel free to ask your local comic shop to hold a copy of the book for you today or pick it up via Bookshop.org!

Thrilled to report that STRANGER THINGS: ERICA THE GREAT hits comic shops today! Written by Danny Lore and yours truly with art by Valeria Favoccia, colors by Dan Jackson, letters by Nate Piekos, and cover by Ron Chan!

From the official blurb:

In this middle grade foray into the 80’s-nostalgia hit series from Netflix, when Erica’s frenemy loses track of her mother’s prized parakeet, the two will have to work together to return the bird safe and sound, or deal with the consequences. They learn that even the toughest and smartest people need a little help now and then.

Ask your local comics shop to hold a copy for you today!

Excited to report that starting this September, Dark Horse is publishing a four issue comic book miniseries called STRANGER THINGS: TOMB OF YBWEN, written by yours truly with line art by Diego Galindo, colors by Franceso Segala, letters by Nate Piekos, and covers by Galindo, Marc Aspinall, Kyle Lambert, and Irvin Rodriguez!

Here’s the official blurb:

It’s January 1985. The Hawkins crew survived their battle with the terrible Mind Flayer, but Will is still reeling from the recent death of Bob Newby. Will’s friends have been too busy with their girlfriends to notice how much he is struggling. However, Will finds a way to bring the team back together again when he and Mr. Clarke discover a mysterious map Bob left in a box of old nerdy memorabilia. Will rallies the crew to investigate and they find more than they could have imagined. Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen explores grief and friendship all while capturing the Stranger Things’ sense of adventure.

And here’s my quote from the io9 announcement:

“I’m so thrilled to be working with such an amazing team on a story that combines classic ‘80s treasure hunt hijinks with impending natural disaster and a high-stakes emotional story as Will grapples with the aftermath of the death of Bob Newby,” Pak said in a press release. “Diego, Francesco, and Nate are capturing the wonder, danger, and emotion in every page and every panel. And as always, it’s a thrill to be working on a story that fills in key emotional context for our heroes while giving unexpected characters a chance to really shine. I’ll just say if you like Mr. Clarke, you’re gonna LOVE this book!”

Huge high five as always to our Dark Horse editors Spencer Cushing and Konner Knudsen.