Ben Crane
@bencranewrites.com
He/him. Writer and editor of prose and comics. COSMIC CADETS, A MAN OF LIES, SYSTEMIC. Profile pic by @andyalvesart.bsky.social
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Ben Crane
@bencranewrites.com
· Nov 16
Since we all seem to be doing re-introductions, and I've got some new followers, hi there! I'm Ben!
I write comics and novels for both kids and adults with a focus on finding hope through community, particularly in moments of darkness.
I also love talking about board games and my idiot dogs.
I write comics and novels for both kids and adults with a focus on finding hope through community, particularly in moments of darkness.
I also love talking about board games and my idiot dogs.
Announcing: SCATTERED FUTURES, 3 quiet stories of hope and human connection in a harsh and uncaring future, with stunning art from @sierrabravoart.bsky.social @m3rtyn.bsky.social and @jnyfmg.bsky.social. I hope you'll sign up to be notified when we launch!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/672...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/672...
Coming soon: Scattered Futures: 3 short sci-fi comics (32 pages)
Three full color science fiction stories of human connection in a harsh and fractured universe.
www.kickstarter.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Announcing: SCATTERED FUTURES, 3 quiet stories of hope and human connection in a harsh and uncaring future, with stunning art from @sierrabravoart.bsky.social @m3rtyn.bsky.social and @jnyfmg.bsky.social. I hope you'll sign up to be notified when we launch!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/672...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/672...
Reposted by Ben Crane
Your challenge for today.
Indie comics rely on pre-orders. Go to League Of Comics Geeks where you can search by FOC or Final Order Cutoff. Find yourself a book not DC/Marvel/Image and tell your shop you want it. Take a chance on something new and support indie creators. 👍
Indie comics rely on pre-orders. Go to League Of Comics Geeks where you can search by FOC or Final Order Cutoff. Find yourself a book not DC/Marvel/Image and tell your shop you want it. Take a chance on something new and support indie creators. 👍
January 31, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Your challenge for today.
Indie comics rely on pre-orders. Go to League Of Comics Geeks where you can search by FOC or Final Order Cutoff. Find yourself a book not DC/Marvel/Image and tell your shop you want it. Take a chance on something new and support indie creators. 👍
Indie comics rely on pre-orders. Go to League Of Comics Geeks where you can search by FOC or Final Order Cutoff. Find yourself a book not DC/Marvel/Image and tell your shop you want it. Take a chance on something new and support indie creators. 👍
Reposted by Ben Crane
Comix 4 All loves to support comic creators in reaching library shelves and here is another example-
Cosmic Cadets: Contact by Ben Cane, Mimi Alves and Priscilla Tramontano. Published by Top Shelf Productions in paperback format on April 25, 2023, 160 pages. @bencranewrites.com
#comix4all
Cosmic Cadets: Contact by Ben Cane, Mimi Alves and Priscilla Tramontano. Published by Top Shelf Productions in paperback format on April 25, 2023, 160 pages. @bencranewrites.com
#comix4all
January 29, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Comix 4 All loves to support comic creators in reaching library shelves and here is another example-
Cosmic Cadets: Contact by Ben Cane, Mimi Alves and Priscilla Tramontano. Published by Top Shelf Productions in paperback format on April 25, 2023, 160 pages. @bencranewrites.com
#comix4all
Cosmic Cadets: Contact by Ben Cane, Mimi Alves and Priscilla Tramontano. Published by Top Shelf Productions in paperback format on April 25, 2023, 160 pages. @bencranewrites.com
#comix4all
This game is an absolute delight and I am so happy it is finally coming to Steam! Do yourself a favor and go wishlist this true gem!
Hi friends! I'm happy to announce that our little mouse-bouncing adventure Beast Breaker will finally be playable on Steam!
Everyone thank our friends at @kandofactory.bsky.social for making this possible.
Lots of details about all the new stuff here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfQ...
Everyone thank our friends at @kandofactory.bsky.social for making this possible.
Lots of details about all the new stuff here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfQ...
Beast Breaker Steam Announcement - A Message from Vodeo Games
YouTube video by Kando Factory
www.youtube.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:06 PM
This game is an absolute delight and I am so happy it is finally coming to Steam! Do yourself a favor and go wishlist this true gem!
Reposted by Ben Crane
a week or so ago @tonyisabella.bsky.social was looking for as complete a list as she could assemble of comic creators who are trans-inclusive
i named a whole bunch of folks, so i added in a buncha editors and made a starter pack!
i named a whole bunch of folks, so i added in a buncha editors and made a starter pack!
January 26, 2026 at 10:29 PM
a week or so ago @tonyisabella.bsky.social was looking for as complete a list as she could assemble of comic creators who are trans-inclusive
i named a whole bunch of folks, so i added in a buncha editors and made a starter pack!
i named a whole bunch of folks, so i added in a buncha editors and made a starter pack!
Putting together a Kickstarter with the current state of... everything, feels absolutely fucking weird and insensitive. But art must continue. Art of hope and life and love as much as art of anger and righteous wrath. All of it is essential. Art reaffirms our humanity.
January 27, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Putting together a Kickstarter with the current state of... everything, feels absolutely fucking weird and insensitive. But art must continue. Art of hope and life and love as much as art of anger and righteous wrath. All of it is essential. Art reaffirms our humanity.
Reposted by Ben Crane
If Tiktok becomes unusable due to its new owners I would loooove it if the book community there went to a social media platform that's text based. Please sir/ma'am/mx, I am an author, I hate video. 😭
January 26, 2026 at 5:23 PM
If Tiktok becomes unusable due to its new owners I would loooove it if the book community there went to a social media platform that's text based. Please sir/ma'am/mx, I am an author, I hate video. 😭
Thank you to @sandagnguide.bsky.social for covering Cosmic Cadets: Accused! "An improvement on a good first Cosmic Cadets, suggesting a solid franchise set to run."
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! and vol 1, Contact! are available at your favorite book/comic shop!
theslingsandarrows.com/cosmic-cadet...
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! and vol 1, Contact! are available at your favorite book/comic shop!
theslingsandarrows.com/cosmic-cadet...
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! | Slings & Arrows
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! | The Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel Guide
theslingsandarrows.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Thank you to @sandagnguide.bsky.social for covering Cosmic Cadets: Accused! "An improvement on a good first Cosmic Cadets, suggesting a solid franchise set to run."
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! and vol 1, Contact! are available at your favorite book/comic shop!
theslingsandarrows.com/cosmic-cadet...
Cosmic Cadets: Accused! and vol 1, Contact! are available at your favorite book/comic shop!
theslingsandarrows.com/cosmic-cadet...
I'm writing reviews for Comic Book Yeti now! I got an early look at Armaveni, a powerful account of the Armenian genocide and diaspora that blends memoir, oral history, and mythology to great effect.
CBY Contributor @bencranewrites.com has an advance review for you of Armavani from @nadinetakvorian.bsky.social, a semi-autobiographical account of a young teenage girl during the summer when she learned her family’s story from the Armenian genocide.
www.comicbookyeti.com/post/armaven...
www.comicbookyeti.com/post/armaven...
Armaveni-Advanced Review
The result is a book that is powerful and personal, a history of an atrocity that is not well known outside of the communities it affected, and a tale of the generational trauma cascading through near...
www.comicbookyeti.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:41 PM
I'm writing reviews for Comic Book Yeti now! I got an early look at Armaveni, a powerful account of the Armenian genocide and diaspora that blends memoir, oral history, and mythology to great effect.
Any #AffinityPublisher experts know what's going on here? PDF export with otherwise identical settings, turning JPEG compression OFF cuts the size of the file in half? Am I somehow losing quality when I turn off compression? Help me understand!
January 1, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Any #AffinityPublisher experts know what's going on here? PDF export with otherwise identical settings, turning JPEG compression OFF cuts the size of the file in half? Am I somehow losing quality when I turn off compression? Help me understand!
Reposted by Ben Crane
Just because you aren’t transgender doesn’t mean transgender people aren’t real.
December 31, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Just because you aren’t transgender doesn’t mean transgender people aren’t real.
I want to write a book titled "Secret Things I Can't Talk About Yet" so that whenever I'm listing my credits, it'll look like I have way more going on than I do.
December 29, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I want to write a book titled "Secret Things I Can't Talk About Yet" so that whenever I'm listing my credits, it'll look like I have way more going on than I do.
QRP to reintroduce yourself.
I'm a writer and editor of prose and comics. I tell stories of finding hope and empathy in darkness, because the alternative is unacceptable.
Wrote: COSMIC CADETS, A MAN OF LIES
Edited: SYSTEMIC
I also do freelance dev editing, and play too many board games.
I'm a writer and editor of prose and comics. I tell stories of finding hope and empathy in darkness, because the alternative is unacceptable.
Wrote: COSMIC CADETS, A MAN OF LIES
Edited: SYSTEMIC
I also do freelance dev editing, and play too many board games.
December 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
QRP to reintroduce yourself.
I'm a writer and editor of prose and comics. I tell stories of finding hope and empathy in darkness, because the alternative is unacceptable.
Wrote: COSMIC CADETS, A MAN OF LIES
Edited: SYSTEMIC
I also do freelance dev editing, and play too many board games.
I'm a writer and editor of prose and comics. I tell stories of finding hope and empathy in darkness, because the alternative is unacceptable.
Wrote: COSMIC CADETS, A MAN OF LIES
Edited: SYSTEMIC
I also do freelance dev editing, and play too many board games.
Still thinking about the giant 3-story dollhouse I saw on the side of the road in the pouring rain the day after Christmas.
December 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Still thinking about the giant 3-story dollhouse I saw on the side of the road in the pouring rain the day after Christmas.
This is tomorrow! If you're in #SantaCruz and looking for a gift for a middle grade reader, come check out our #scifi #adventure #comics about kids having adventures in space at Atlantis Fantasyworld!!
Then Saturday 12/20, we're thrilled to be hanging out with the lovely folks at Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz. 1020 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. We'll be there all afternoon, from 12-5PM!
December 19, 2025 at 10:47 PM
This is tomorrow! If you're in #SantaCruz and looking for a gift for a middle grade reader, come check out our #scifi #adventure #comics about kids having adventures in space at Atlantis Fantasyworld!!
Reposted by Ben Crane
In addition to this administration trying to kill kids, and they're also coming for our binders? OUR BINDERS.
December 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
In addition to this administration trying to kill kids, and they're also coming for our binders? OUR BINDERS.
Settle is a beautiful little ponder on what it means to be alive and how we build meaning into that life. If Jason hasn't closed his store yet, get yourself a last-minute gift. It was one of my favorite books last year.
Today. is the LAST day to place an order in my online store! Shutting it down tonight so act fast if you want my comics and prints. jasonhorncomics.bigcartel.com/products
December 19, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Settle is a beautiful little ponder on what it means to be alive and how we build meaning into that life. If Jason hasn't closed his store yet, get yourself a last-minute gift. It was one of my favorite books last year.
Congratulations, Kevin! This looks absolutely gorgeous!
Go check out The New Space Age!
Go check out The New Space Age!
It's NEW COMIC BOOK DAY - and it's a special one with the debut of The NEW SPACE AGE featuring art from Savannah's Mike Becker and colors by our own Kevin Betou! Get your copy signed January 17!
December 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Congratulations, Kevin! This looks absolutely gorgeous!
Go check out The New Space Age!
Go check out The New Space Age!
Every time I take intercity rail in the US, I am upset both that *this* is the best we can offer, and that having any level of quality and service is the exception in this country. I'll still take a mediocre train over a 100 mile drive every day if I can. I just wish we had good trains.
December 16, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Every time I take intercity rail in the US, I am upset both that *this* is the best we can offer, and that having any level of quality and service is the exception in this country. I'll still take a mediocre train over a 100 mile drive every day if I can. I just wish we had good trains.
Reposted by Ben Crane
🚀 Join us TODAY at Collector's Paradise PASADENA as we welcome creators BEN CRANE + ANDY ALVES for a special 𝘾𝙊𝙎𝙈𝙄𝘾 𝘾𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜!
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
December 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM
🚀 Join us TODAY at Collector's Paradise PASADENA as we welcome creators BEN CRANE + ANDY ALVES for a special 𝘾𝙊𝙎𝙈𝙄𝘾 𝘾𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜!
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
TODAY! Just a few hours away!
🌑 Join us TOMORROW at Collector's Paradise PASADENA as we welcome creators BEN CRANE + ANDY ALVES for a special 𝘾𝙊𝙎𝙈𝙄𝘾 𝘾𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜!
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
December 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TODAY! Just a few hours away!
Reposted by Ben Crane
2026 is going to involve some truly unhinged book marketing on my part. I can't wait.
"What if Cady and Regina just...kissed, in Regency gowns?" is just the beginning (pre-order my rivals-to-lovers sapphic Regency Romance, LIKE IN LOVE WITH YOU, coming January 13th, 2026)...
"What if Cady and Regina just...kissed, in Regency gowns?" is just the beginning (pre-order my rivals-to-lovers sapphic Regency Romance, LIKE IN LOVE WITH YOU, coming January 13th, 2026)...
December 12, 2025 at 10:42 PM
2026 is going to involve some truly unhinged book marketing on my part. I can't wait.
"What if Cady and Regina just...kissed, in Regency gowns?" is just the beginning (pre-order my rivals-to-lovers sapphic Regency Romance, LIKE IN LOVE WITH YOU, coming January 13th, 2026)...
"What if Cady and Regina just...kissed, in Regency gowns?" is just the beginning (pre-order my rivals-to-lovers sapphic Regency Romance, LIKE IN LOVE WITH YOU, coming January 13th, 2026)...
Come pick up a great holiday gift for the middle-grade reader in your life! Or bring them so we can say hi!
Cosmic Cadets is a "stellar choice for middle-grade comics fans" (Booklist), and "everything I want in a kids off on their own adventure" (Mike Maihack, Cleopatra in Space).
Cosmic Cadets is a "stellar choice for middle-grade comics fans" (Booklist), and "everything I want in a kids off on their own adventure" (Mike Maihack, Cleopatra in Space).
🌑 Join us TOMORROW at Collector's Paradise PASADENA as we welcome creators BEN CRANE + ANDY ALVES for a special 𝘾𝙊𝙎𝙈𝙄𝘾 𝘾𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜!
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
@bencranewrites.com
@andyalvesart.bsky.social
@idwpublishing.com
@topshelfcomix.bsky.social
Details: bit.ly/cosmiccadets1213
December 12, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Come pick up a great holiday gift for the middle-grade reader in your life! Or bring them so we can say hi!
Cosmic Cadets is a "stellar choice for middle-grade comics fans" (Booklist), and "everything I want in a kids off on their own adventure" (Mike Maihack, Cleopatra in Space).
Cosmic Cadets is a "stellar choice for middle-grade comics fans" (Booklist), and "everything I want in a kids off on their own adventure" (Mike Maihack, Cleopatra in Space).
#WakeUpDeadMan really is that good. Not only a perfectly crafted whodunit, but a staggering celebration and defense of humanity amidst a showcase of terrible people. Where Glass Onion skewered the flaws of our society, Wake Up posits a path to healing. See it. In theaters if you can. It's beautiful.
December 12, 2025 at 6:02 PM
#WakeUpDeadMan really is that good. Not only a perfectly crafted whodunit, but a staggering celebration and defense of humanity amidst a showcase of terrible people. Where Glass Onion skewered the flaws of our society, Wake Up posits a path to healing. See it. In theaters if you can. It's beautiful.