Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Writer/artist Jim Starlin joins the show to talk about his career and the soon-to-be crowdfunded omnibus for his comic series, Breed. Starlin discusses his freestyling ways, how he approaches storytelling, the projects he's the most proud of, learning from his collaborators, The Death of Captain Marvel, the comings and goings of publishers, bringing Breed back, how he views himself, where he starts with his stories, creating and building on characters, writing for others, KGBeast, the evolution of comics, what keeps him motivated, and more.

Retailer Steve Anderson joins the show to talk about what he's seeing at his comic shop chain in Maryland and Virginia, Third Eye Comics. Anderson discusses Free Comic Book May, the importance of turning your shop into a destination, being more than a comic shop, creating crossover appeal, how the year has been in his shops, standout performers, the area of effect of big hits, marketing comics, Third Eye's expansion, his product mix, what's working, what isn't, the X-Men transition, the cyclical nature of comics, and more.

Artist/writer Sanford Greene joins the show to talk about his work in this week's Doom #1 and where he's at in his career. Greene discusses the origins of his Doom book, its nature as a story, the book's focus, working with Jonathan Hickman, writing comics for the first time, his art on the book, the title's unusual nature, Doom's NBA comp, how Bitter Root changed things for him, how his career is shifting, future interest in writing, his work on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, art style, and more, before we close with a chat about the NBA playoffs (as of May 6th).

Artist Humberto Ramos joins the show for a rare in-person episode, as we chat about his career, art, and love of comic book artists. Ramos discusses the different types of conventions, experiences, his love of art and artists, the artists that inspired him, the early days of his career, learning from each project, Mark Waid's impact, learning from his peers, becoming an influence himself, what keeps him motivated, how he views his own art, and more.

Cartoonist Patrick Horvath joins the show to talk about his path to comics and his IDW series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees. Horvath discusses the convention experience, the appeal of comic art versus movies, the costs of creativity, learning on the job, how his route to comics changed his approach, the origins of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, thinking in story, the book's lead, serial killers, selling anthropomorphic characters, his creative process, knowing where you're going, his use of gouache, his learning curve, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering, the book's hit nature, where he's headed, and more.

Artist Jacob Phillips joins the show to talk about his career and busy dance card with Newburn, That Texas Blood, and The Enfield Gang Massacre. Phillips discusses how he works, managing schedules, his speed, how coloring himself impacts his process, tackling multiple roles, how he ended up as a comic artist, illustration work, the different steps in the process, happy accidents, his work on Megalopolis, his crime heavy slate, genre requirements, balancing multiple projects, drawing for yourself, photo reference, finding solutions, his cover work, what's next for him, and more.

ShortBox and ShortBox Comics Fair's Zainab Akhtar join the podcast this week to talk about her journey in comics, the recent closure of ShortBox, and what's next for the Comics Fair. Akhtar discuss how things have changed since ShortBox closed, the different roles of a publisher, ShortBox's evolution, the amount of work connected to it, the path to closing, how ShortBox Comics Fair came to be, the variety of comics in the Fair, Fair comics versus ShortBox comics, production value, the quarterly boxes, staying true to yourself, her love of comics, how her experiences have changed those feelings, and more.

Writer Murewa Ayodele and artist Dotun Akande joins the show to talk about their careers, collaboration, and current Oni Press series, Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods. Ayodele and Akande discuss the launch of their new book, figuring out who and what to listen to, how they became comic readers, their influences, their path to comics, computer science, print versus digital, Akande's path to becoming an artist, how Akogun came to be, their own take on gods, the oversized nature of the book, the book's structure, the variant covers, how their goals have changed, and more.

Inklore's Editorial Director Rebecca "Tay" Taylor joins the show to talk about her career and what's going on at Inklore, the imprint at Penguin Random House that's publishing manga, manhwa, manhua, webcomics, and graphic novels. Taylor discusses what editorial really is, how Inklore fits her, where things were when she started in comics, Nightwing, her path to comics, previous roles in comics, editing single issues versus graphic novels, what Inklore is, its audience, the global aspect of her job, how Lore Olympus fits, where she finds new projects, vertical scroll to print, connecting with comic markets, the convention world, and more.

Cartoonist Katie Cook joins the show to talk about her career and her recently released graphic novel, Nothing Special Vol. 1: Through the Elder Woods. Cook discusses recent challenges, her early comics, the importance of newspaper comics, the art school experience, the environment when her career started, the origins of Gronk, My Little Pony's impact on her career, how her career evolved, Nothing Special's origins, getting used to the Webtoon format, how she works, converting it to print, telling your own stories, her love of Star Wars, how the job of making comics has evolved, what has her excited, and more.

Writer Kieron Gillen returns to the show to talk about the end of his time at Marvel and the beginning of the next creator-owned phase of his career. Gillen discusses finishing his Marvel run, the language of comics, how he's changed over this stretch, ending a story he didn't start, closing Krakoa out, the data pages, favorites and challenges from his time at Marvel, the X-Office, the con experience, The Power Fantasy's arrival, responding to your collaborators, research, pop comics, what he's most excited about next, and more.

IDW's Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier joins the show to talk about his career and his work on the Artist's Editions program. Dunbier discusses the upcoming Batman: Year One Artist's Edition, the story behind the Artist's Edition, his time as an original art dealer, his path to WildStorm, his role there, that stretch at WildStorm, the origins of DC's Absolute Editions, his role at IDW, the first years of the Artist's Edition program, how he decides what to feature, digital art's impact, assembling the books, complicated projects, how much art he really has, and more.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis joins the podcast to talk about his current Dark Horse Comics series Masterpiece and this moment in time for his career. Bendis discusses focusing on his own work, being a night person, collaboration and collaborators, the longevity of his relationships, how Masterpiece came together, going anti-cliche, simplifying the work, building projects for collaborators, his adeptness at writing young characters, getting out of scenes, decompression, the evolution of comics, finding inspiration, rhythmic writing, the evolution of Jinxworld, helping the next generation of creators, the ups and downs of comics, and more.

Comic Book Herald's Dave Buesing joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of the X-Men. Buesing discusses what Comic Book Herald is all about, the importance of helping people find where to start, how the experience has shifted his views on comics, our takes on the Krakoa Era, how it'll be viewed in retrospect, our expectations for the Tom Brevoort Era of the X-Men, and more, before we get into our X-Men Fantasy Draft, during which we both cast the comics we predict will be part of the line versus the titles we want to see, but also chat about why Uncanny X-Men is certain to return, which Krakoan had the biggest glow up, how Marvel Unlimited fits, getting trapped in expectations, and much more.

Cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi joins the show to explore his journey to completing his Scholastic Graphix series, Amulet. Kibuishi discuss the early days of Amulet, the time between its conception and launch, the evolution of comics, how much Amulet changed over its creation, being flexible, the initial response to the series, how the final volume changed, his creative process, the importance of accessibility, pushing yourself, giving characters a moment, the reality behind Amulet's villain, Emily and Navin, how he's changed in the process of making Amulet, the evolution of what he wants, and more.

Writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Jesse Lonergan join the show to discuss their collaboration on the upcoming Man's Best at BOOM! Studios. Pichetshote and Lonergan discuss how they got together, Lonergan's greatness, Pichetshote's editorial background, learning from collaboration, finding different ways to do one thing, how they work together, the personal nature of Man's Best, its character designs, making pets the leads, the challenges that presents, working with BOOM!, promoting the work, the evolution of comics, and more.

Writer/artist Chip Zdarsky returns to the show to talk about his wider world of projects and the story behind those. Zdarsky discusses his schedule, collaboration, the wonder of Jorge Jimenez, ten years of Sex Criminals, the legacy of books, his journey as a creator, what Batman means, Newburn's position, that title's backups, Avengers Twilight's long journey to release, connections in superhero comics, Marco Checchetto's greatness, taking on major characters, finding different angles, the secret to endings, his cross country comic shop trip, what's next for him, and more.

Polygon's Entertainment Editor Susana Polo returns to the show to chat about the recent removal of the journalism Eisner Award and some of the things we've been thinking about of late in comics but haven't had a chance to write about. Polo discusses article creation, balancing needs, the Eisner Awards changes, its impact on the comics journalism space, whats affecting that broader area, interview approaches, her love of Poison Ivy, that character's fandom, Dark Horse Comics' hot streak, the weird stretch for comic movies, where the space is at, the return of the Ultimate universe, the differences in Ultimate Spider-Man, Batman's splintered nature, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's approach to adaptations, the destruction of digital comics, the greatness of the current Fantastic Four run, and more.

My wife Amber Harper joins the show to chat about the medium from the viewpoint of a fan of comic movies and anime who doesn't read comics, before digging into three comics she read just for the show. Harper discusses her comic history, her perception of comics, how challenging comics feel to a non-reader, the comic shop experience, an unfortunate Thor read, what she appreciates about adaptations, why those appeal over comics, her take on the first volume of Runaways, its fit as a Marvel story, coloring as storytelling, standout elements, whether it made her want to read more, Danger and Other Unknown Risks, chosen one stories, how art changes the story, it being an original graphic novel, Catwoman: Lonely City, the appeal of different formats, its art, world-building, understanding superhero worlds, her comic book reading experience, and more.

Cartoonist Nate Powell joins the show to talk about his career and upcoming graphic novel, Fall Through. Powell discusses promoting comics, the social media environment, his love of the X-Men, how his varying interests affect him as a cartoonist, the overlap between comics and music, Swallow Me Whole's position in his career, March's impact, the big emotions of Fall Through, the universal nature of youth, the pandemic and Haim's impact on the book, Diamond Mine, his band Soophie Nun Squad, music world specifics, his process, what keeps him focused on comics, and more.

Retailer Patrick Brower returns to the show to talk about the year for his shop, Chicago's Challengers Comics + Conversation. Brower discusses the holiday season, his comics retail podcast, promoting comics, how the year was and its progression, product vs. process, excitement levels, what's working, building other paths, in-store sales versus online, what hasn't been working, the reasons things are a struggle, what customers are saying, awareness of titles, the conversation about the direct market, what has him hopeful about comics, and more.

Cartoonist Lucie Bryon joins the show to talk about her career in comics and her ShortBox Comics Fair comic (and my comic of the year), Ocean. Bryon discusses her recent trip to Japan, France's relationship with comics, her gateway into comics, why manga works so well for her, her art school experience, expressing herself through comics, learning from her own work, the origins of Ocean, finding the universal in specificity, the colors of the comic, finding answers in the work, the book's leads, bending archetypes, her comic making process, the future of Ocean, what she wants from comics, and more.

In a special, year-end episode of Off Panel, friend of the show Brandon Burpee returns to chat about the year in comics before we count down our 20 favorite comics of the year. We discuss the year in comics, Brandon's disconnect from the larger conversation, the perils of being overinformed, deciding what to read, how the Big Two are doing, the end of Krakoa, the Ultimate Universe's return, honorable mentions for our faves of the year, our top 20 comics of the year, and more. Bonus! By popular demand, our lists in full can be found below. David Harper Ocean by Lucie Bryon Damn Them All by Si Spurrier, Charlie Adlard, Sofie Dodgson, and Jim Campbell Wild's End by Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard Impossible People by Julia Wertz Monica by Daniel Clowes Why Don't You Love Me? By Paul B. Rainey Kaya by Wes Craig, Jason Wordie, and AndWorld Design Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly and Brahm Revel Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Erica Henderson and Ryan North A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll Time Before Time by Declan Shalvey, Rory McConnville, Geoffo, Joe Palmer, Chris O'Halloran, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou Peacemaker Tries Hard! by Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh, Jordie Bellaire, and Becca Carey Night Fever by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks Clementine Book Two by Tillie Walden Lights by Brenna Thummler Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki w0rldtr33 by James Tynion IV, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, and Aditya Bidikar Mobilis by Juni Ba X-Men Red/Immortal X-Men by Al Ewing, Yildiray Cinar, Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and more Brandon Burpee World's Finest – Waid, Mora, and Bonvillain Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Campbell, Smith, Federici, and more Darth Vader – Pak, Roberson, and Gorham X-Men – Duggan, Cassara, Caselli, and more Local Man – Fleecs, Seeley, Simpson, and Sobreiro Daredevil – Zdarsky, Checchetto, and De La Torre Peacemaker Tries Hard! – Starks, Pugh, and Bellaire Ambassadors – Millar, Charest, Quitely, Kerschl, Coipel, etc. Radiant Black – Higgins and Carlos World's Finest: Teen Titans – Waid, Lupacchino, and Bellaire Superman – Williamson, Campbell, Dragotta, and more Void Rivals – Kirkman and De Felici Immortal X-Men – Gillen, Werneck, and Ryp Adventures of Superman – Taylor and Henry Nightwing – Taylor, Redondo, and Byrne Dark X-Men – Foxe and Scharf Titans – Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott The X-Cellent – Milligan and Allred Jean Grey – Simonson and Chang Batman – Zdarsky and Jimenez

In a special year end episode of Off Panel, we look at the defining themes of 2023 in comics with the help of Books with Pictures' Katie Pryde, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald, and writer/artist Jamal Igle. Up first is Pryde (1:10), who talks about this unusual time in comics retail, what started us on this path, the exhaustion in the space, where it's manifesting itself, the metadata situation, how Books with Pictures is adjusting to it, and more. After that is MacDonald (30:01), who discusses the world of comics marketing, how the current state of social media and comic sites is affecting things, the unseen work of marketing, fitting within the distribution system, its impact, and more. And to close is Igle (1:02:15), who talks about the overwhelming fear of the unknown in comics, where and how it manifests, how it impacts things, the path forward, and more.

Writer Si Spurrier joins the show to talk about his dense workload of late on comics like The Flash, the Uncanny Spider-Man, Damn Them All, and more. Spurrier discusses this busy stretch, testing boundaries, the yes/no conundrum, balance within the chaos, finding his way into superheroes, delivering the necessary story, his contrarian nature, tie-ins, the X-Office, jumping on points, how his different flavors of writing impact each other, data pages, the difficulty of Damn Them All, the bad/good of that book, what he wants from comics, and more.

Writer/artist Skottie Young joins the show to talk about this moment in time in his career. Young discusses being a writer (but kind of not an artist) right now, storytelling, figuring out how to write, Twig's position in his career, the moment he finds himself in, not drawing interiors, Boy at the End, expectation paralysis, Stupid Fresh Mess, sustaining your career, finding new ways to excite fans, Oz's position in his career, building trust, his newsletter, the power of community, what has him excited right now, and more.

Writer Alex de Campi joins the podcast to talk about her career in comics and her recent slate of Image releases, including Parasocial, Bad Karma, and Scrapper. de Campi discusses being both a writer and letterer, the fluidity of creation, collaboration, having a day job, finding collaborators, Hell's Kitchen Movie Club and Bad Karma, the importance of research, how her experiences have affected her as a storyteller, her love of trying new things, anthologies, being herself, keeping things tight, graphic novels as a focal point, how she decides which projects to take on, the impact of visuals and music in her writing, why she keeps coming back to comics, and more.

Retailer Bruno Batista from Dublin's Big Bang Comics joins to talk about his path to Big Bang and what he's seeing at the shop and beyond. Batista discusses daily variance in comics retail, how Big Bang's online store changed things, how he ended up in Ireland, the evolution of Big Bang, staying ahead of trends, the year in the shop, working with libraries, their product mix, changing customer behavior, quality as a sales point, Transformers and the Energon Universe, Jonathan Hickman's Marvel, Dawn of DC post Knight Terrors, single issues, manga's performance, the larger direct market conversation, maintaining motivation, and more.

Skybound's Brand Manager - Editorial Morgan Perry joins the podcast to chat about her path in comics, her current role, and the world of promoting comics. Perry discusses her role at Skybound, the complexity of comics marketing, the broader Skybound ecosystem, her first comic, accessibility, working at Earth 2 Comics, manga and comics, her time at BOOM!, its rise, managing fanbases, the Energon Universe, the big takeaway from its reception, what's missing from comic marketing, building hype, what has her excited about comics right now, and more.

Cartoonist Juni Ba joins the podcast to chat about his two new graphic novels, Mobilis and The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber. Ba discusses looking back on already finished projects, the origin of Mobilis, the similarities between his two latest books, project sequencing, the evolution of his storytelling, his sketchbooks, the appeal of Captain Nemo, the book's lead, the nature of its ending, character designs, Mobilis' oversized nature, the roots of Felix and Macabber, working with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, his growth, what he wants for himself, and more.

Writer Rick Remender joins the podcast to talk about his life, career, and work at his imprint at Image Comics, Giant Generator. Remender discusses New York Comic Con, collaborators, the evolution of cons, what he loves about comics, his art brain, learning from projects, what writing is for him, evolving the work, idea generation, his artist lean, signing an Image exclusive, what Giant Generator is, this creator-owned moment, following the story, why he's leaning into comics right now, and more.

Writer Christopher Yost joins the podcast to talk about his career and his upcoming series at Vault, Unnatural Order. Yost discusses his comic origins, how other mediums drove him to comics, the idea of making comics, his early days at Marvel, his interview process, the X-Men, X-23's place in his career, writing in different mediums, trusting collaborators, Unnatural Order's origin, idea generation, understandable villains, fantasy as a genre, Unnatural Order #1's free plan, the changing landscape for storytellers, why comics are always part of the mix, and more.

Artist Erica Henderson returns to the podcast to talk about her new graphic novel, Parasocial, and how she's approaching her art and career. Henderson discusses the interview experience, the origins of Parasocial, its appeal, the intimate nature of Parasocial, the freedom comics, small moments, celebrity photos, distinguishing projects visually, collaborating with Alex de Campi, Rogue Nebula influences, conventions, the importance of color, figuring out what's next, writing and drawing, graphic novels versus single issues, and more.

Writer Joshua Williamson returns to the podcast to talk about his extensive dance card right now and the current environment for creators in comics. Williamson discusses his current workload, event comics, writing back to back events, non-writing time, his project mix, alternative paths, his current focus, workshopping ideas, the art side of DC, the positioning of superhero titles, Skybound as a fit, Duke's art team, the Energon Universe, the current direct market environment, the cyclical nature of comics, and more.

Retailer and ComicsPRO President Jenn Haines joins the show to talk about the current state of things for her shops, The Dragon in Guelph, Ontario, and comics retail as a whole. Haines discusses The Dragon's 25th anniversary, welcoming families, Guelph Comics Jam, the year for her shops, the generally strange nature of this time, variance in her shops, what's working, single issues versus trades, the single issue space, price points, balancing her two roles, the direct market environment, a recent metadata project, one thing she wants in the direct market, what excites her about the job, and more.

Writer/artist Declan Shalvey joins the podcast to talk about his current Kickstarter for Old Dog: Dossier and the rest of his busy workload. Shalvey discusses his different roles, finding time to tell more stories, the origins of Old Dog: Dossier, Kickstarter stress levels, the social media situation, what Old Dog: Dossier includes, the other roles in a creator's job, managing a shifting environment, Time Before Time's graybeard nature, foundational projects, the current environment, Joe Palmer's return, his Alien run, finding the right answers, and more.

Writer Jed MacKay joins the podcast to talk about his path to comics and current titles in The Avengers, Doctor Strange, and Moon Knight. MacKay discusses problem solving, what guides his schedule, his earliest comics, his approach as a storyteller, following a big run, Steve McNiven's Moon Knight covers, learning comics on the job, Nick Lowe's impact, Black Cat #1's area of effect, his starting points for a title, his approach to Moon Knight, the space he got on Doctor Strange, writing a Marvel #1, the shared universe, working with artists, where he wants to go next, and more.`

Writer Nadia Shammas joins the show to talk about their career to date and the upcoming graphic novel, Confetti Realms. Shammas discusses the weird year, Confetti Realms, Barnes & Noble origins, manga's influence, the Marvel internship experience, the CORPUS anthology, the power of anthologies, collaboration, putting yourself in stories, their project mix, the roots of Confetti Realms, the cast and art of the book, the current state of comics, celebrating your work, and more.

Comics critic Oliver Sava returns to the show for the sixth annual Superhero State of the Union. Sava discusses the mini-series gap between the Big Two, Dawn of DC, DC's castings, the Knight Terrors bump, event comics, price points, Big Two cohesion, continuity, Marvel's current state, Al Ewing and the upcoming Immortal Thor, the X-Men line, Marvel's messiness, Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise, the Energon Universe, Daredevil, our most desired turns for the Big Two, and more.

Cartoonist Emily Carroll joins the show to talk about her career, craft, and upcoming graphic novel, A Guest in the House. Carroll discusses early influences, their lasting impact, storytelling flow, having fun in the work, experimentation, how she views her webcomics, her process, lettering and coloring, domestic life, A Guest in the House's lead, horror endings, age specificity (or the lack thereof), the long shadow of Through the Woods, pushing herself as a storyteller, and more.

Cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson returns to the show to talk about his career and the upcoming The Transformers. Johnson discusses the San Diego Comic Con experience, how the con experience has evolved for him, a recent, giant commission, maintaining his passion, how The Transformers came together, the intensity of creator-owned, drawing for himself, figuring out how to draw The Transformers, Skybound's pitch, working with Hasbro, the version of the characters he's working with, the vibe he's going for, how his love of Transformers changes things, the freedom of Do a Powerbomb!, finding his answers, and more.

Retailer Eitan Manhoff joins the show to talk about his now Eisner Award-winning shop in Oakland, Cape & Cowl Comics, and what he's been seeing this year. Manhoff discusses that Eisner win, what went into it, Cape & Cowl's origin story, building his shop, accessibility, the selling secret, how the year is going in his shop, uneasy feelings, what's working, his online store, the impact of pre-orders, the Eisner bump, what isn't working, Marvel's troubles, how consumers have changed since he opened, the difficulty of ordering, and more.

Cartoonist Chris Schweizer joins the show to talk about his life, career, and collaborations with Kyle Starks. Schweizer discusses his Assassin Nation self, how his background shaped his path as an artist, comic strips, how he decided to make comics, his wide variety of jobs, finding new ways to tell comic stories, his middle-grade comic work, collaborating with Starks, problem solving, his coloring work, the underrated nature of Mars Attacks, his goals as a creator, and more.

Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick joins the show to talk about Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons and her approach to telling stories in comics and beyond. DeConnick discusses the life of a creator, the value of shutting our brains down, collaboration, artistic interpretations, controlling pace, letting go of the work, where comics are right now, her progression as a comic writer, Wonder Woman Historia's place in her career, growing as a storyteller, building communities, making panels fun, the freedom of Black Label, figuring out what projects to take on, and more.

François Hercouet, the Editor-in-Chief of France's Urban Comics (the publisher of DC Comics and assorted Image, Dark Horse, and BOOM! titles in the country), joins the show to talk about the French comic market and his work at Urban. Hercouet discusses connecting American comics with French readers, the essence of Urban Comics, emphasizing creators, production value, the France comic market, his path to running Urban, making superhero comics easier to read, working with retailers, curating a publishing line, having an art-centric approach, cover art, the evolution of comics in France, his view of the American market, and more.

Cartoonist Scott Kurtz joins the show to talk about the past, present, and future of webcomics and his career on comics like PVP and Table Titans. Kurtz discusses his earliest comics and main influences, the earliest comics he made, making his way into comics, the early days of webcomics, what success looks like, webcomics and community, what fueled the changes in webcomics, how they're changing, crowdfunding's role, his new career path, what's next for webcomics, and more.

Writer Ed Brubaker joins the show to talk about his latest graphic novel with artist Sean Phillips, Night Fever. Brubaker discusses the picket line experience, the insanity of Night Fever, his expectations for the response, the personal nature of the book, why it was the right idea right now, Refn vibes, section breaks, his artistic collaborators, Sean Phillips' working with bigger pages, the book's international feel, wanting to be someone else, the cover change of the book, how their sales have been shifting, their sales arc, the power of schedules, surprise comics, John Romita, Sr.'s greatness, and more.

Writer/artist Kyle Starks returns to the show to talk about his work in I Hate This Place, Where Monsters Lie, Peacemaker Tries Hard!, and more. Starks discusses his updated business card, the inescapable humor label, the impact of the Eisner Awards, where he's at now creatively, new challenges, comics as business cards, the James Gunn vibe, the origins of Peacemaker Tries Hard!, Steve Pugh's greatness, tonal balance, Black Label freedoms, his recurring use of dogs, condensing the conclusion of I Hate This Place, back matter, what he considers himself as a creator, and more.

Writer Kelly Thompson joins the show to talk about her creator-owned work and her overall approach to writing. Thompson discusses the superstar that is Jeff the Landshark, , the power of cute things, the glory of Stefano Caselli and Gurihiru, Jeff's appeal, the origins of Black Cloak, Meredith McClaren's gifts, collaboration, Black Cloak's cover design, world-building, handling mysteries, Substack's impact, the difficulty of creator-owned, Black Cloak's shape, narrative escape hatches, The Cull as a mini-series, her project mix, and more.

Writer Ram V returns to the show to talk about his approach to writing on titles like The Vigil, Detective Comics, and more. Ram discusses a sneak attack reveal, the Paris Fan Festival experience, balancing his workload, idea creation, his pursuit of the new, the idea of success, the origins of Rare Flavours, his Detective Comics run, Evan Cagle's covers, the artists he works with, contrasting Batman stories, the hook of The Vigil, the value of the big swing, the appeal of DSTLRY, what has him most excited about comics, and more.