Onsite at Comic Con: Flame Con 2026
Spenser Nellis, Mad Cave Studios / Papercutz, shares a look at the CBC panel, Creep it Real!
Flame Con is a fantastic long-running event that creates an inviting and safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies to celebrate the fandoms they’re passionate about every year and this year was no different (except for the new venue at the Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square, which was great). The energy I felt walking the show floor, seeing attendees bonding over their interests and making new friends, was electric.
With thanks to Geeks Out! and the Children’s Book Council, I was happy to attend the Creep it Real! Panel, celebrating queer horror for kids and teens and the creators who bring these nightmares to life.
The panel consisted of four fantastic creators in a lively discussion of the genre they love and how they bring the things that go bump in the night to life for young readers, including: Corinne Halbert (she/her/hers) – creator of Scorpio Venus Rising (Silver Sprocket), Mina Soriano-Elwell (she/her/hers) – writer of Undercover Monster (Mad Cave Studios / Papercutz), Taylor Grothe (they/them/theirs) – writer of Hollow (Peachtree / Peachtree Teen ), and moderated by Simón Estrada (he/him/his), artist of Otto Normal’s Monsterton (Andrews McMeel).
After the panel, the panelists met attendees for a book signing hosted with thanks to the official bookseller of the show, The Twisted Spine Books, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
All in all, it was another fantastic Flame Con and I want to give thanks to Geeks Out! for bringing it all together for the community every year and to the Children’s Book Council for hosting the panel, as well as all the talented creators who participated.
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