Daniel
H.P.
Gastelum

Author. Magician. Occultist.
Man of Mystery. Victorian Medium.
Bastard of the Mystic Arts.

Los Angeles, CA.

Magic

At the young age of 12, I decided to pursue magic professionally. Studying with various teachers in Southern California and The McBride Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas, my magical journey has been nothing short of bizarre. 

I love performing in spaces that seem unconventional for magic shows. I cut my teeth with closeup magic at The Rocky Horror Picture Show off Santa Monica Blvd, as well as the various comic book and fan conventions across CA. I learned crowd control, improvisation, and humor from performing on Fremont Street in old Vegas. Most importantly, I discovered who I wanted to be by wandering my hometown of Los Angeles with a deck of cards in hand.

Some of the events I've worked on include Anime Expo, Anime California, Yaoi Expo, Wasteland Weekend, The Wasterlander's Ball, Gallifrey One, and The Witches and Wizards Ball in 2017. 

Magic has been my lifeline in times of hardship, as well as a beacon of adventures to come. I can't wait to see what happens next and what you'll see when it's ready. 


Fiction

I told my parents that I wanted to be a magician when I grew up. They suggested finding a backup plan, which was reasonable. You never know if or when or how you'll become the Sorcerer Supreme. I decided to play it safe. On February 29th, 2012, sitting on a bench at Disneyland, I decided to write comics.

I love the medium. The stories that have impacted me most have been comic books ranging from capes and cowls, science fiction, fantasy, to astonishing biographies. Like magic, sequential art gets misunderstood by everyone outside the bubble. The stories I write are all immensely personal, covering my obsessions of pop culture, my struggles with addiction, to love letters of my hometown.

As I'm writing this, you can read CHSR: A Rock and Roll Car Crash, my anthology series GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY, as well as my love letter to pulp detectives ARIA: A Cyberpunk Mystery. CHSR: A Rock & Roll Car Crash TRACK 2 arriving in early 2021.


Mysteries


The distance between Heaven and Earth
is but a yard.
It is found on mountaintops,
and in small Shinjuku bars.
You may be inside one now.
You may travel far.
I gaze upon your eyes,
those twin, dwindling stars.
Can you hear it? Can you feel it?
I see it on your face.
There are you. Here am I.

Inside this Thin Place.