Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks joins the show to talk about her new graphic novel Inbetweens and the evolving role of comic creators. Hicks discusses her (tough) love of horror, operating outside the box, the path to release for Inbetweens, battling boredom, Inbetweens' origins, its evolution, the leads of the book, its timeframe, the gender disparity of animation, changing requirements for cartoonists, the evolution of the internet, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, slowing down, and more.

Writer/letterer Aditya Bidikar joins the show to talk about his first major comics writing project, In Your Skin at Image Comics. Bidikar discusses his feeling about tackling that new project, putting yourself out there, the evolution of In Your Skin, the parasocial side of the project, the importance of character, how the book's artist Som signed up for the book, how that collaboration changed the project, lettering and writing, the behind the scenes work on the book, Tiny Onion's impact, whether he wants to keep writing, his lettering workload, finding the right mix, challenging yourself, and more.

Writer/artist Skottie Young joins the show to talk how his work on Lobo at DC Comics and his views on comics and art. Young discusses the artists that hit him the most, the intersectionality of comics and music, the visual foundation of Lobo, playing with the character's history, the origins and nature of the project, the power of no, the coolness of Marie Javins, doing Lobo at the right time, working for DC, misunderstood parts of Lobo, the world of Stupid Fresh Mess, the power of community, following your passion, discoverability, I Hate Fairyland's longevity, how Stupid Fresh Mess shapes what he does, and more.

Writers (and comics journalism legends) Laura Hudson and Tim Leong join the show to talk their new Mad Cave series Exploit and their journeys to it. Hudson and Leong discuss the power of honesty, publishing their first comic, the evolution of Exploit, whether they always wanted to make comics, how the series developed, the impact of collaboration, Exploit's origins, channeling frustrations into the work, the book's energy, the importance of looking cool, print journalism trends, looking at comics from the outside, and more.

In an episode recorded in-person at this year's annual conference for the trade organization for comic shops, ComicsPRO, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald and the head of Lunar Distribution and Discount Comic Book Service, Christina Merkler, join the podcast for a vibe check about the event and state of the industry. Up first, MacDonald joins to share her read on the event, how it compares to previous editions, what stood out, and more, before Merkler visits us to talk about how passion is fueling this moment for the direct market, the spread of new readers, blind bag management, building on this moment, creating urgency, Lunar's expansion with Viz Media and Yen Press, what has them hopeful about where comics are headed, and more.

Writer Chris Condon joins the show to talk about his comics career, his new Vertigo series The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery, and more. Condon discusses managing the promotional side of comics, his comic origins, the power of gimmicks, his love of comic art, his film background, how That Texas Blood came together, the journey of Brutal Dark, what made Vertigo the right home for that project, how having editors changed things, collaborating with Jacob Phillips, Ezra Cain as its lead, the structure of the series, his Marvel exclusive, writing Big Two Comics versus creator-owned, his tip for aspiring creators, and more.

Writer James Tynion IV joins the show to talk about his incredibly busy slate and how he's navigating it all. Tynion discusses the recent Exquisite Corpses pop up in Paris, how he's managing his project load, prioritizing your work, building up speed as a writer, figuring out which projects are a yes, Vertigo's potential impact, the direction of the market, Vicky from w0rldtr33, the Exquisite Corpses card game and its Kickstarter, developing in parallel, adult animation as a focus, how the market feels, what creators miss with their work, avoiding burn out, and more.

Writer/artist Tony Fleecs joins the show to talk about his life and career in comics and his work on comics like Feral and the upcoming Deathstroke: The Terminator. Fleecs discusses comic shop living, his comic origins, 1990s comic energy, how those comics impacted him as a storyteller, having comics that speak to your age, how My Little Pony changed his life, the success of Stray Dogs, putting animals in peril, the art of Feral and Stray Dogs, when Feral came together, running a creator-owned comic business, how Deathstroke came together, what DC Next Level is, the different versions of Deathstroke, how the market affects his approach, putting himself out there, and more.

Artist Charlie Adlard joins the show to talk about post-Walking Dead living and his new Image Comics graphic novel, Altamont. Adlard discusses a recent signing, becoming a different Charlie, figuring out which projects to take on, the constant drumbeat of deadlines, leaning in different directions, the story of the Altamont Free Concert, what made that story a draw, how Altamont came together as a graphic novel, coloring the book, how he thinks about art, its journey from France to America, Altamont's commentary, what's guiding him these days, verisimilitude, his love of Lego, and more.

Journalist Susana Polo joins the show to talk about her interesting year and a bevy of subjects we didn't get to highlight from the wider world of comics in 2025. Polo discusses post-Polygon living, the loss of personality-driven sites, how the Polygon experience shaped her, the reverse energies of 2025's comic movies, the muted comics conversation, recency biases, the importance of back catalogue, Worldcon, expanding the comic box, the insane number of crossovers, Harley & Ivy: Life & Crimes, expanding genres, Marvel's lack of excitement, Batman's quality, Mark Waid's eternal nature, the European comic invasion, things we're excited for in 2026, Vertigo's return, the Archie/Oni partnership, the reverse European comic invasion, Avengers: Doomsday, and more.

Writer Scott Snyder joins the show to talk about Absolute Batman and his past few years at DC and beyond. Snyder discusses his initial uncertainty about Absolute, his journey to Absolute Batman, the power of fear, their approach to making the best story, collaborating with Nick Dragotta, his experimentation phase, the ethos of the book, finding a balance, creating a sense of urgency, the single issue form, the current environment, the Next Level books, his role as a hype man at DC, imposter syndrome, arc titles, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.

Big Clutch Comics' Shawn Kirkham joins the show to talk about the collectible side of the comics world. Kirkham discusses his stray cat adventures, Kirkham's background, what Big Clutch Comics is, how his work at Skybound informed that work, what fuels him, the current secondary market for comics, how it's different than previous booms, how new readers are playing a part, the secondary market as a guide, comics marketing, the sustainability of blind bags, Ultimate Endgame's blind bags, how collectibles fit in the comic ecosystem, what creators can do in that space, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.

Retailer Patrick Brower returns to the show to talk about the year that was in his Chicago-based comic shop, Challengers Comics + Conversation. Brower discusses his weird year, the year in Challengers itself, the consistent nature of 2025, what drove the year's success, Absolute Martian Manhunter's surprising heat, the performance of the Absolute Batman Annual, managing different printings, Marvel's "terrible" year, where non-Big Two comics are, the complicated environment for creators, new readers, how they're behaving, other trends from 2025, struggles from the year, systemic problems, what could be done on the marketing side, Universal Distribution, sales charts, how he's feeling about 2026, and more.

Cartoonist Beetle Moses, aka Harris Fishman, joins the podcast for my annual Comic of the Year chat, as we talk about his social media-based comic strip Beetle Moses. Fishman discusses the year for Beetle Moses (the comic), figuring things out, his own comics journey, putting in the reps, his art style, the depth of the strip, Beetle Moses' origins, how people reacted to making the move into comics, his big year, the atemporal nature of comic strips, his most well-liked comics, moving into longform, turning Beetle Moses into a business, how his 2026 is looking, and more.