Holidays
“Mars Attacks Christmas” Is Out Now!
If you thought I only worked on Hanukkah-themed projects during the wintertime, you’re wrong! You want proof? Well, look no further than Mars Attacks Christmas, the new trading card set which is out now from Topps! I wrote the story outline and the “back-of-the-card” text for all of the Mars Attacks Christmas base “storyline set” cards (and a number of the insert cards as well). The base cards were illustrated by Terry Wolfinger, and the insert and sketch cards were illustrated by Jason Crosby, Rob Demers, David Acevedo, Ryan Finley, and a few other folks. I had SO much fun working on this card set, and I’m really proud to say that I contributed to it. A huge thanks to the folks at Topps for hiring me. *
Here’s an official description of the Mars Attacks Christmas set from the folks at Topps:
The Martians have returned to attack Earth, and this time it’s Christmas. 2026 Mars Attacks Christmas features a collection of never-before-seen artwork across the base set and inserts, bringing the iconic Mars Attacks characters into a festive Christmas setting with colorful and dynamic parallels.
Collect the 50-card base set to discover how the battle for Earth unfolds, with the story continuing across a variety of insert sets. Look for Caught in the Crossfire Autographs, featuring celebrities fighting off the Martian invasion, including Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman, Jeff Goldblum, and more!
Collectors can also find limited relic cards featuring items recovered from the battlefield between Santa Claus and the Martians, as well as ultra-rare sketch cards from top artists showcasing Mars Attacks characters with a Christmas twist.
Here’s a look at some of the cards (both the fronts and backs of ‘em):
For more info, or to buy a full set of Mars Attacks Christmas cards, CLICK HERE and HERE.
To read an interview with Mars Attacks Christmas artist Jason Crosby, CLICK HERE.
* In full disclosure, I should probably point out that Mars Attacks Christmas was far from the first project I’ve worked on for Topps. In fact, I’ve worked as a freelance copywriter/gag writer for Topps since 2008. Keep watching this site, though, because I’ll probably be putting up some more blog posts soon where I’ll be talking about some of the other Topps projects I’ve worked on over the years, and where you can find them! I think it’s also important to mention that Mars Attacks Christmas was the first Topps project I worked on that involved the Mars Attacks IP, which was very important for me personally. The Mars Attacks trading cards were rereleased (or reissued? Not sure what the proper term is) when I was a kid, and they were a big influence on my creative sensibilities. So working on Mars Attacks Christmas was a real “coming full circle” moment for me. **
** And when I said, “A huge thanks to the folks at Topps for hiring me,” I should add, “Especially Shay Atwood, Ryan Carroll, Aaron Abrams, and Nick DeChristopher.”
“Potato Pancake” GN Selected As PJ Library Title
I’m happy to announce that my graphic novel The Day I Became a Potato Pancake has been selected as a PJ Library title, and it’s also the recipient of PJ Library’s Grinspoon Jewish Story Award (GJSA).
This means that this book has been selected for use in PJ Library’s fall 2026 lineup.
The Day I Became a Potato Pancake was written by yours truly and illustrated by the incredible Beilin Xu. It was originally published in the fall of 2024 by Behrman House, via their Apples & Honey Press imprint. The book is about two kids, Naomi and Ben, whose friendship is put to the test when Ben is transformed into a walking, talking potato pancake.
Here’s what critics have said about this book:
“This speculative, character-focused graphic novel highlights aspects of Jewish identity and culture through multiple lenses to craft a goofy yet nuanced read.”
“This is a really funny Hanukkah-themed sci-fi graphic novel for middle grade or early chapter book readers…It’s a silly read that kids will love.”
“I happily recommend this book to all readers.”
Anyway, I just want to thank Chris Barash, Tasha Flagg, and everyone else at PJ Library for this great honor. Know what? I had a wonderful time writing The Day I Became a Potato Pancake. The work is its own reward, right? But over the past two years since its initial release, it’s been really gratifying to see this graphic novel find an audience. To see critics and audiences respond to it in such a positive way. And now to have won this award, and to have had the book selected as a PJ Library title? That’s just the cherry on top. Except that I don’t like cherries. They really…I don’t know. I don’t like the way they taste. (No offense to people who like cherries.) Who started that whole deal, anyway? Putting a cherry on top of an otherwise delicious ice cream sundae. Was there a period of trial and error there? Did they first put a pickle on top of a sundae and that didn’t really gel with the taste of the ice cream? Then they tried a nectarine and they were like, “Closer, but we’re not quite there yet…” And THEN they tried a cherry? And why do we spell it “sundae,” while the day of the week is “Sunday”? I mean, it’s not like there’s a computer in my pocket which is shaped like a Pop-Tart, and which could answer that question for me in a matter of nanoseconds. Oh wait, there is! Never mind!
Happy New Year from Li’l Nosferatu!
Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to 2026! And welcome to my “year-end wrap-up” blog post for 2025. Look, before you say anything: yes, I’m writing a “year-end” post the day after the year ended. Which is probably against the rules, but as I’ve learned over the years, I don’t like rules. Rules are stupid. Also, I was busy yesterday.
So. Here are some of the best things that happened to me in 2025:
I wrote many, many books. Most of them were for kids. Some of them were for adults. Here are the titles of some (but not all) of those books:
The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions.
The Fantastic Four Little Golden Book.
Stitch: Out-of-This-World Numbers.
Also, in January of 2025, I began working as a writer and narrative designer for an upcoming video game called Shadows of Dawn, which is being developed by Next Player Games. Currently, I’m still working on the game with the good folks at NPG.
And as you may recall, back in 2023, I wrote two episodes of the animated preschool series Hey! Fuzzy Yellow. In 2024, one of the episodes began airing and streaming. But starting in 2025, both episodes (“Boomerang Jelly Car” and “Sculpture Jam Abstract”) began airing and streaming. I wrote the scripts and the song lyrics for both episodes. As of this writing, Hey! Fuzzy Yellow still hasn’t begun airing or streaming in the US, but it’s available in various countries in Europe, Central America, and South America.
I also wrote the script for a Passover-themed children’s audio drama, titled “Mort the Misinformed Morsel of Matzah,” which was released in the spring of 2025 as part of Yoto’s 5-Minute Spring Holiday Stories collection. The title character, Mort, was even voiced by a friend of mine, Eli Schiff!
And there are several other projects I worked on throughout 2025, some of which will come out this year. I announced one of them, 96 Facts About Chappell Roan, in my previous blog post. (That book comes out on January 13th.) But I’ll announce some of my other upcoming projects ASAP. Please keep checking this site for more info!
BTW, I wouldn’t have worked on any of the aforementioned projects without the book editors, video game producers, and TV showrunners who gave me these writing gigs in the first place. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who hired me in 2025 (or really, anyone who hired me at any time, ever). And I mean that.
You may also be wondering about the “Baby New Year” photo which adorns this blog post. See, to usher in the new year, I’ve put a “2026” sash around a puppet I built. I call him “Li’l Nosferatu.” If you’re obsessed with me (and why wouldn’t you be?), you’ll notice that I’ve occasionally posted pics of Li’l Nosferatu on social media during the past couple of years. For today’s purposes, Li’l Nosferatu is playing the part of Baby New Year.
Someday, I’ll explain the backstory behind this puppet, because there is indeed quite a bit of backstory there. Basically, I built the puppet for a project which never came to fruition. But more on that some other time.
And to anyone who’s reading this, I just wanted to wish you the best for a wonderful new year!