NEW YORK COMIC CON 2026 – DAY FOUR: R.L. Stine, Jimbo, Jem Garrard, PUMPKINHEAD 2 [NYCC 2026]

R.L. Stine Pumpkinhead 2 Panel from NYCC 2026

New York Comic Con 2026 Write Up on R.L. Stine‘s Tubi Panel

R.L. Stine fans came to this panel at New York City’s Comic-Con in order to hear their favorite children’s horror story writer speak. Stine is the renowned 83-year-old author who is well-known for his Goosebumps book series. Stine hasn’t been quite as successful as an adult book author (he’s only written a handful of those books), but his young (and old) fans were present at NYCC in order to see the hugely successful author. Stine said that it wasn’t too hard for him to get to NYCC as he’s a New York City Manhattan resident.

Joining the renowned Stine on the stage was Jimbo, a star of the upcoming Tubi movie due out next year, Afraid of Clowns. Jem Garrard, who directed the just released on Tubi, Pumpkinhead 2, joined them for a fun discussion on the career of the horror author. It was a lively discussion that revealed a lot of cool tidbits for fans.

When asked about his writing process, it was revealed that Stine outlines his work as a writer and has clear goals in mind when he is writing his books. An author of hundreds of stories, Stine is a truly gifted horror author, even though he’s been deemed just a “training bra” for Stephen King books, according to the writer.

Stine named his favorite horror movie when asked by an audience member, and it was revealed to be the 1932 film, Island of Lost Souls, which Stine said made audiences throw up way back when. That picture, inspired by the work of H.G. Wells, stars screen legends, Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi.

Jimbo added a lot of fun to the proceedings as it was made known that the humorous performer winning the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2023 was a major accomplishment. Garrard automatically cast Jimbo in the major clown role in Afraid of Clowns, an upcoming 2027 project, based on Jimbo’s quite lively presence.

It was also revealed that a project based on Stine’s The Babysitter is in the works. A scary, bone-chilling tale that, according to Stine, has occasionally made real-life babysitters a little afraid to work their jobs, this is a project which hasn’t gone before the cameras yet but was teased as an upcoming endeavor for Stine fans to take note of.

Pumpkinhead 2 star, Cassandra Peterson (AKA Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), joined the panel on video with a recorded message urging people to check out her new horror film, which just premiered on Tubi a couple of days ago. Garrard was thrilled that they managed to get Peterson to star in the new horror movie, now showing on Tubi. A clip of Pumpkinhead 2 was shown at Comic Con and certainly stirred up excitement for fans of the first film who had not yet seen the new picture.

Stine had been asked about his thoughts on AI, and the person who asked that question and then, in an interesting twist, answered it, suggested we still need human creativity, which is so essential in making literary works that inspire school-aged children.

A young woman at the panel told Stine about his tremendous influence over students and how amazing it was. People are actually reading more because of Stine’s literary excellence in his very entertaining genre. Jimbo admitted loving Stine’s work from an early age as well.

Stine is a literary genius, and his influence continues to grow as long as the author keeps writing although his work will certainly continue to live on for many generations of fans. Stine also reminded the panel he doesn’t write books without getting paid, which is interesting information for anyone who wonders if he writes things just for fun.

How committed he is to his craft is evident in that he has only gone without writing for about a week or so at a time. Writer’s block is something he hasn’t really faced in his distinguished career. It’s the perfect time to pick up a Goosebumps book or any other Stine book, especially given the time of year we’re currently in!

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