From Fanghoul to Superhero: IP Voice & Narrative Ownership

For the 2024 Monster High San Diego Comic Con doll, I led narrative development across the product experience— writing both the collectible comic book and the package storytelling that framed the doll’s action hero-inspired design. My story also served as inspiration for the Monster High booth artwork at SDCC, extending the narrative beyond packaging into an immersive brand presence. 

Comic Con is fandom at its most electric. What better place for Ghoulia to take center stage than the space where superheroes, self-awareness, and camp collide?

My Role: Narrative Strategist

Ghoulia Yelps is a fan-favorite Monster High character, and canonically, a “fan ghoul” herself. Within the Monster High universe, she’s obsessed with zombie-turned-super hero Dead Fast.

The original Dead Fast Ghoulia doll debuted at the 2011 Comic Con, featuring a cosplaying Ghoulia who came with a fanfic-style comic book where she wrote herself in as Dead Fast’s adoring sidekick. 

My task, 13 years later? Write another Dead Fast Ghoulia comic book, but this time, make her the hero. No damsels in distress here; just ghoul empowerment.

This wasn’t simply about writing a comic — it was about honoring a legacy and evolving a character.

I dove deep into Monster High lore, researching the original Dead Fast world-building and revisiting Ghoulia’s voice and the tone of early Monster High storytelling. From there, I wrote a story that:

• Added to the canon and grew Ghoulia in a way that centered her as the hero
• Channeled the tongue-in-cheek, meta humor characteristic to Monster High
• Justified the brand’s presence at Comic Con
• Provided deep cuts to reward longtime collectors

The story and execution were mine to shape, from narrative arc to tonal balance to embedded Easter eggs.

After writing the script, I worked with the graphic illustration team, who brought my words to life with gorgeous drawings that truly put the “comic” in “comic book.”

See below for a Monster High instagram post I was featured in!

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Packaging as Cinematic World-Building

The doll’s pose — mid sprint, bursting through a window in a blaze of motion — called for copy that felt equally electric. Motion blurs and dynamic illustrations further convey this lightning-fast feel. Rather than describe the product statically, I wrote a cinematic freeze-frame that captures a split second when the whole convention stops and stares at the superhero zipping past. 

The goal was to ensure that packaging, comic, and booth visuals all felt like extensions of the same story world.

I was overjoyed to not only see my comic book printed on such a large scale, but also see it used as framework for the brand’s booth artwork. I also got the chance to participate in an autograph panel and interact with hundreds of Monster High fans. It was a moment where my role as a storyteller went beyond copywriting and expanded into creative direction and IP world building, leading overall brand strategy.