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The always entertaining wordsmith Kiel Phegley recently posted a retrospective look at his Halloween costumes through the years, and it made me wish I had photos on hand of some of my own. I still consider the massive cardboard Pac-Man costume my mother made for me back in Elementary School to be the greatest costume ever created in the history of Halloween, to be honest. Sure, I couldn’t really move around, sit down or even scratch my nose when I was wearing it — but I was a life-size Pac-Man, godammit! People fled my chomping jaws of doom and trembled at the site of my yellow form! (Or at least, that’s how I like to remember it — without the crying and “please somebody help me get back on my feet” stuff.)

Even so, there have been a few more good ones over the years. When I lived in Albany, I held a pretty large Halloween party each year, and as the host, felt challenged to come up with something mildly creative each time the holiday rolled around. One year, I was a “beatnik poet,” dressed all in black with a beret and a notebook. I composed haikus for everyone at the party and could really dig the scene, man.

Some costumes were more obscure, though, like this one (click on each image for the full gallery from that year’s party):

Halloween 2005: The Greatest American Hero and The Flaming Carrot

That’s my brother and I, and despite how proud I was of my costume, his was a miracle of modern costuming. The flames at the top of his carrot head lit up and shimmered, and he went so far as to wear green flippers around the party all night.

Another year I was Hunter S. Thompson — and due to my belief that it would really make the costume complete if I carried around a bottle of Wild Turkey all night, this is the only photo I have of that year’s costume. Anyone else out there have one for me? I know some of you were there.

Halloween 2004: Hunter S. Thompson

Two years ago I went all-out with an obscure comics costume, and dressed up as Yorick, the main character from Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man. No one at the party “got” the costume, but I’m still proud of the “comics cred” this one afforded me.

Halloween 2006: Yorick and Snakes on a Plane

This year, I went significantly more low-key with my costume, and donned a shoulder holster and fedora for Matt’s “noir”-themed Halloween party.

Halloween 2008: Hardboiled Detective

Next year, a better costume. I promise.