Halloween

Pumpkinspice is Back Again!

pumpkin-headed demon sprinkling spice on a moonlit night
| Mister Kessell

It’s late August and there’s a slight chill to the air, one of a few signs that my favorite season is near.

Merle the squirrel sniffs the air in autumn as leaves fall

I’m speaking about Fall of course, it’s the best, most spooky season and a time when I really come alive.

comic drawing of a bat boy lying in a pile of orange and red leaves in the woods
This is how I roll

One of the other indications of Autumn’s approach is the return of Pumpkinspice Everything!

a pumpkin headed demon returns to sprinkle pumpkinspice on food products in late august
Pumpkinspice is back! Again. And again and again.

I made this funny illustration five years ago poking fun at this phenomenon. I call it “The Return of Pumpkinspice.” I posted about it here on my blog.

It was both a critique of our consumer culture and an homage to Pumpkinhead, one of my favorite horror films of the 1980s. My illustration had a brief, nearly viral couple of weeks, which was exciting. Seeing something that I thought was funny also being liked and shared by hundreds of other strangers on the internet! Wowzers.

So why am I going on again about this Pumpkinspice thing? Word on the street is that Starbucks has released their Pumpkinspice creations earlier than usual this year. And I am here to continue to ridicule it while also enjoying the trendy flavor of the season.

What are your thoughts? Are you a fan of the spice?

In the years since, I’ve revived Pumpkinspice from time to time, most recently in this Batboy comic from last Fall.

batboy and merle love the smell of pumpkin spice in the fall
Pumpkinspice bringin’ back those spicy pants!

You’ll find this and many other hilarious comics in my latest Batboy Collection, Shvitzin’ to the Small Stuff which is available on Amazon.

Thumbnail of Book cover with Batboy dressed in 1980s gym shorts, leg warmers and headband doing aerobic exercise and sweating puddles. Title of the book is "Shvitzin' to the Small Stuff: Yet another Batboy Comic Collection by M. R. Kessell

Additionally, I have one signed and numbered, limited edition “Return of Pumpkinspice” 11×14 Print available in my Etsy Shop. Grab it now before it’s gone FOREVER!

a pumpkin headed demon sprinkles pumpkin spice on an assortment of coffee and food products
The last 11X14 Print available on Etsy

You can also grab Pumpkinspice as a T-shirt in my Amazon shop, or as a mug or a print here in my Redbubble Shop.

So will we see yet another incarnation of that evil Spice Demon in years to come? Probably, maybe, most definitely, yes!

Until next time, my friends, MAY THE SPICE BE WITH YOU!

M. R. Kessell is a dark artist and a writer/illustrator of silly comics. Check out his portfolio here. You can follow him on Instagram. Stop by and say HEY!

HITCHCOCK LEARNS ABOUT SUSPENSE

| Mister Kessell
Rare behind-the-scenes photo of Alfred Hitchcock reading Downhill From Here: A low Budget Batboy adventure
Rare behind-the-scenes photo of Alfred Hitchcock reading Downhill From Here: A low Budget Batboy adventure

Recently dug up from the archives, this rare photo shows Alfred Hitchcock learning a thing or two about suspense and humor from that classic comic zine Downhill From Here: A Low Budget Batboy Adventure.

Just kidding, this is what I like to call movie magic! Seriously, though, Alfred Hitchcock has read my new zine, why don’t you head over to my new online shop and get a signed and numbered copy. This is the first printing of 100, it may be the last!

In other news, it is finally October! The month when all of us weirdo monster kids get to shine! What are you doing for Halloween? What’s your costume gonna be? Any Fall plans?

In addition to his latest zine adventure, Batboy is being plagued by some demonic stuffed animals that have moved into his house. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for this creepy, yet funny, storyline.

Batboy looks worried when he stumbles upon a gang of creepy stuffed animals hogging his bed. The caption reads: "He didn't know where they had come from or why they were there. The only thing Batboy knew for certain: It was their bed now."
SEE! CREEPY I TELLS YA!

DO YOU LIKE TO BITCH, MOAN AND WHINE?

JOIN THE BATBOY COMPLAINERS CLUB TODAY!

It’s so simple! Just one easy step! CLICK HERE to head on over to my new shop and get yourself this beautiful 2″ enamel pin!

Batboy two inch enamel pin Text Reads: "Take it from Batboy: Complaining is a very rewarding hobby"

Displaying this pin anywhere confirms your membership in the Batboy complainers club! When you receive your pin, you will find the COMPLAINT FORM on the back, please fill it out and post it wherever you get your social media!

#batboycomplains

Stay tuned for more updates, I might have some last-minute show announcements in the coming weeks for all my New Jersey and Pennsylvania folks out there.

BROOKLYN HORROR CON THIS WEEK!

| Mister Kessell

HEY EVERYBODY! I’m going to keep this post short, I’ve got a lot of work left to do for the Brooklyn Horror Con this Saturday and Sunday. Come down and ENJOY YOURSELF!

I’ll be in the Artists’ Alley with original paintings, prints, mugs, sculptures, and books!

Bela says, “YOU WILL COME TO THE BROOKLYN HORROR CONVENTION, MY CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!”

You don’t want to let Bela down, do you?

Okay, be there and be square.

Later!

Brooklyn Horror con 2021

| Mister Kessell

GREETINGS, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!

I’m super excited to announce that I will be appearing at the first annual Brooklyn Horror Convention October 23rd & 24th 2021. You can find me somewhere in the Artist Alley. I will post more info as it becomes available.

In preparation for my first real convention appearance, I’ve been painting up a storm and having a blast!

Below you can see one of my dear friends who will be attending the convention.

Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11x14 Canvas Board by M. R. Kessell 2021
Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11×14 Canvas Board

In addition to my original paintings, I will have an assortment of prints and postcards. Good ol’ Pumpkinspice will be on hand to ruin your pastries and spoil your coffee drinks.

The Return of Pumpkinspice, 11x14 print by M.R. Kessell
Pumpkinspice ruining your breakfast

I will also have a few copies of my illustrated book on hand. Pick one up for the monster kid in your life. I’ll even sign it for you (although that might actually decrease its value.)

If you can’t wait until October, you can order a copy from Amazon, by clicking here!

I’ll be posting more in the upcoming weeks, I’ve got quite a few new artworks to share with you! Hopefully you’ll want to come peep them in person.

I might also do a few posts on the logistical prep as an artist for their first convention appearance. I’m learning a lot and hope the info could be helpful to some of you.

Until next time!

Halloween Hijinks in December

| Mister Kessell

It’s been over a month, but I’ve finally gotten around to compiling a video of the fun I had creeping around Brooklyn in my trash wild man costume.

Is that Sasquatch? A living pile of leaves and toilet paper? No, just a creepy wild man.

I’ve been toying with this costume idea for a few years but have never been able to get it together.

wild man creature sitting back in recliner pencil sketch
Ever since I did my sketchbook series of domesticated wild men. Which you can see here.

As with most of my ambitious projects, it was years in the making but then ultimately a spur of the moment, headfirst dive into cardboard, paper and duct tape. Maybe I can do a follow up with a few of the step-by-step progress photos in my messy, cramped apartment.

pagan woman in black with skull in a basket poses with a tall, wild man creature at Halloween 2020 in Brooklyn, NY.
A wild man with his pagan woman.

As you can see, I had way too much fun during this weird, pandemic Halloween of 2020. At least something was kinda normal for once.

Until next time!

Do you know that I tweet about stuff? I think I’m pretty entertaining, you should probably come hang out and say hi. It’s super fun. And if not there, why not check out my YouTube channel?

Halloween Creeps

| Mister Kessell

This will be a short post, I need to claw my way back through the hot glue spider webs and continue working on my two separate Halloween costumes.

Blue monster with horns has a belly ache
This monster has eaten too much candy already.

I’ve also been working on a Halloween party playlist. I’m currently at 10 hours of music and still open to suggestions. Let me know if I missed anything.

If you’re a fan of horror movie themes, spooky novelty songs, dark punk, zombie surf, and rib cage percussion ensembles (I made that last one up) then you might enjoy this. It’s over on Spotify.

Until next time!