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JamesTheBalladeer

@jamestheballadeer.bsky.social

650 followers 760 following 590 posts

Novelist, short-story scribe, poet, editor, reviewer, comic-book aficionado, selenophile. Librarian-adjacent. Town & Train, small-town Canadian horror novel & Fear Itself short-story collection from Lethe Press. In indie stores & on the amazons.🍀🩷💜💙🌈

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · Jan 14

Re-introducing myself-a writer/editor/reviewer/comic aficionado.
Town & Train is my small-town Canadian horror novel. Fear Itself (also Lethe Press) is my short-story collection.

Green cover with red tree knots. Title: Fear Itself: Stories. James K. Moran

Cover of book: Black, blue and grey interior of a train car. Title: James K. Moran. Town & Train

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 1h

You're more than welcome, Algie. Great work. We are getting through, one way or another. Hope you are, too. Digging your recent posts, btw.
Many writing projects a goin'; just need a good short-fic market at the moment.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 1h

Yer welcome. Will keep checking in on your work.
Wasn't going to read the new Cap, but now I will. Zdarsdy'd again! ;)

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 5h

Terrific review by @mobilesuitzero.bsky.social of Chip Zdarsky's startlingly good (by many accounts) and very clever, optimistic and fresh reframing of the Captain Americab (aka Steve Rogers) mythos.
Terrific work, Zee. Will check on ol' Cap again now...

GateCrashers @gatecrashers.bsky.social · Jul 2

"America's current 'heroes' are driven by hate, by the act of revenge. America has changed."

@mobilesuitzero.bsky.social reviews Captain America #1, the launch issue of Chip Zdarsky and @valerioschiti.bsky.social's new Marvel Comics series. gatecrashers.fan/2025/07/02/c...

Captain America #1 Review

The America Captain America returned to when he was pulled from the ice was different than the one he left, Captain America #1 faces it.

gatecrashers.fan

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Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

GateCrashers @gatecrashers.bsky.social · Sep 3

The much anticipated Batman #1, from the dream team of @mattfraction.bsky.social and @jorgejimenezart.bsky.social is out today, and @mobilesuitzero.bsky.social dives into this debut issue! gatecrashers.fan/2025/09/03/b...

Batman #1: The Empathy of the Dark Knight

Batman #1, the new relaunch of DC's iconic comic by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez, is out today and we dive into the much anticipated issue.

gatecrashers.fan

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Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 7h

“Why don’t you just keep your mouth shut?”

Well, it seems like Jeffries and Schumer both had someone talk with them.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 7h

WATCH— @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social : “You’re doing this for clout. You’re not gonna talk over me. You voted for the big ugly bill that cut $1 Trillion from Medicaid & gave tax cuts to your billionaire donors.”

@repmikelawler tried to ambush Jeffries, who didn’t back down

(From DC examiner)

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 10h

You're welcome.
Happy for you. Super-cool.
I have had (some) martial-arts training and would have been torn between asking about the writing of the Hap & Leonard series ... or asking for mixed-martial arts tips from the grandmaster. Both are arguably grandmaster topics, IMHO. ;)

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 14h

P.S. I dig how earnestly happy you both look in the pic.

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 14h

That's kinda totally ... $%#@ing amazing. Good on you!
I read his new novel The Donut Legion this summer. Great pulpy conspiracy culture stuff.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 14h

Finally reading @peteratkins.bsky.social 's All our Hearts are Ghosts & Other Stories
(Spooler alert: it's quite good)
jameskmoran.blogspot.com/2025/07/fina...

Finally reading Peter Atkins' All our Hearts are Ghosts & Other Stories

writing comic books horror

jameskmoran.blogspot.com

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 1d

Alwats freakin' love hearing @joerlansdale.bsky.social on Lovecraft eZine: A Horror Podcast.|
A conversation with Joe R. Lansdale about his ESSENTIAL HORROR collection & more.
His views on writing—& his writing—always fire me up. Just read Donut Legion. Podbean.
www.podbean.com/ea/dir-p2qa7...

A conversation with Joe R. Lansdale! His new ESSENTIAL HORROR collection, and more

📺 If you want to WATCH this episode, go here: https://youtube.com/live/qGmpfr-qe7U 💥 "Some kind of Bubba Ho-Tep": An conversation with Joe R. Lansdale! 👉 THE ESSENTIAL HORROR OF JOE R. LANSDALE: htt...

www.podbean.com

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 2d

Jest about ta finish last one. Will letcha' know.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

Liking a lot about the show Alien: Earth. But ... having a rough time with how this series gets a lotta mileage outta: a) characters bolting down steam-obscured corridors, b) aliens chittering like dolphins and c) aliens burrowing into human or other bodies in Exciting New Ways.

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

Liking Alien Earth. But ... having a rough time with how this series gets a lotta mileage outta: a) characters bolting down steam-obscured corridors, b) aliens chittering like dolphins and c) aliens burrowing into human or other bodies in Exciting New Ways.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

We have a spider drawing these beauts of webs diagonally across the inner threshold of our potting shed, these Steve Ditko Spidey cover specials, using the guy wires of the webbing architectural world.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

For @ajdolman.bsky.social .....

E.E. Knight @eeknight.bsky.social · 3d

Don't know anything about the dude who likes bourbon but 🍀

Democrat Cats @democratcats.bsky.social · 4d

I love this woman so much…

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

Dang—looks like a Canadian waiting for the mail during the ongoing Canada Post strike.

Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 9d

In any other country, if federal agents fired upon journalists when unprovoked — what would we call it?

If federal agents marched down streets demanding papers — what would we say?

Authoritarianism — let’s not pretend it’s something else when it happens in our American cities.

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

Shoot! Sorry to hear. Hope you get through it soon.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

Ouch! Still ...thanks! Trailer feels overhyped, amped even, just in time for October.

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

I approve. ;)

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 3d

I dig reviewer @briantallerico.bsky.social 's take on
V/H/S/HALLOWEEN, the latest flick on this shopworn femranchise. share.google/KMQClanh3yG9...

V/H/S/HALLOWEEN movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert

One of the best entries in this now-annual anthology series.

share.google

Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 8d

Adore @tomking.bsky.social & Ryan Sook's
Black Canary: Best of the Best six-issue series. Thanks so much, you and the creatives crew.
jameskmoran.blogspot.com/2025/09/tom-...

Tom King's Black Canary: Best of the Best is the Best of Comics

writing comic books horror

jameskmoran.blogspot.com

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Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

Comic Book Couples Counseling @cbccpodcast.bsky.social · 11d

“When you're writing for icons...there is only so much autonomy that you have and control over the characters.”

Chip Kidd tells us how he & Michael Cho made their lack of autonomy in corporate comics the point of The Avengers in the Veracity Trap. Listen🔗🧵⬇️

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Reposted by JamesTheBalladeer

Comic Book Couples Counseling @cbccpodcast.bsky.social · 9d

“I would say there's graphic design and then there's authorship.”

We spoke with Chip Kidd about the artistic satisfaction he gets from creating comics vs his graphic design day job. Listen🔗🧵⬇️

Child Chip Kidd & Child Michael Cho shout worriedly at each other.

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JamesTheBalladeer @jamestheballadeer.bsky.social · 8d

Parliament, btw.