Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Writer Ed Brubaker guests on Off Panel this week as we talk about the latest Reckless book, The Ghost in You, and how the series is going four books deep. Brubaker discusses launch week for The Ghost in You, the Brubaker/Phillips backlist, the origins of this latest book, managing narration, building familiarity, final pages, learnings from the format, this moment in time in comics, the shift in what's selling, the future of Reckless, revisiting old ideas, updating Gotham Central, time traveling in his work, comics as his constant, and more.

Mike Del Mundo and Mike Huddleston, part of the 3 Worlds/3 Moons collective from Substack, join Off Panel this week to talk about bringing that concept universe to life. Del Mundo and Huddleston discuss the 3 Worlds/3 Moons experience, the extra things that come with Substack, managing a business, designing for other artists, how design informs the story, the origins of 3W3M, little details, how big the plan is, freedom, their approach to design, working with Jonathan Hickman, casting guest artists, biggest surprises from the experience, how it feels from the inside, and more.

The team of Charles Soule and Ryan Brown join Off Panel this week to talk about their upcoming eight issue Image series, Eight Billion Genies. Browne and Soule discuss their creative process, planning stories, the finite nature of the title, Eight Billion Genies' origins, how the genies work, Browne's artistic approach, collaboration, what they learned while making Curse Words, joke making, the title's Andrew Divoff variant, core questions to the title, whether they'd want a wish, and more. Also, a quick note for listeners: shouts to Deanna Chapman for stepping in to edit this one. She crushed it, as per usual!

Writer Joshua Williamson returns to Off Panel to talk about his busy dance card over at DC Comics. Williamson discusses the reaction to the death of the Justice League, the DNA of Dark Crisis, death's place in superhero stories, the architectural side of DC, his long-term view on things, how his position at DC has evolved, being the lore guy, his Black Label series Rogues, its development, Captain Cold's position, the Black Label approach, the impact of style, how his views of his career have evolved, and more. Also, a quick note for listeners: shouts to Deanna Chapman for stepping in to edit this one. She crushed it, as per usual!

Retailer Katie Pryde returns to Off Panel to talk about her comic shop in Portland, Oregon, Books with Pictures. Pryde discusses day-to-day variance in comics retail, the "new" Books with Pictures, how 2021 was and how 2022 is starting, graphic novels/collections vs. single issues, top performing comics, Saga's insanity, working with libraries, the manga boom, Marvel's trade program, the value of floor space, single issue distributors, doing work on ComicsPRO's board, and more. Also, a quick note for listeners: shouts to Deanna Chapman for stepping in to edit this one. She crushed it, as per usual!

Cartoonist (and Silver Coin head honcho) Michael Walsh returns to Off Panel talk about his Image horror series, The Silver Coin, and his upcoming graphic novel, The Oates & The Elphyne. Walsh discusses his role on The Silver Coin, competition amongst writers on the title, his feelings about horror, seeding ideas into the series, the universality of fear, the versatility of The Silver Coin, experimenting in art, Silver Coin's covers, the rise of horror comics, The Oates & The Elphyne, how it ended up at Humanoids, whether he's entered a different phase of his career, and more.

Cartoonist Ronald Wimberly makes his debut on Off Panel this week, as he joins the show to chat about his upcoming Kickstarter for his stealth epic, GratNin. Wimberly discusses his earliest comics, cultural elements, his affinity for history, the origins of GratNin, how he viewed his path originally, playing with the comics form, the upcoming print edition of GratNin, his love of ninjas, the value of constraints, economy in art, what's in the GratNin print edition, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the publisher of Iron Circus Comics, C. Spike Trotman, joins to talk about going her own direction in crowdfunding The Poorcraft Cookbook. Trotman discusses mid-campaign feelings, advertising, differences between crowdfunding efforts, previous expectations for Iron Circus' path, reactions to Kickstarter's plans, building out her own platform, The Poorcraft Cookbook, the process of moving platforms, biggest concerns, serving niches, Nero Villagallos O'Reilly's work, big learnings from the campaign, how the industry has shifted since her first Kickstarter, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Christian Ward joins to talk about his work on titles like Aquaman: Andromeda and the upcoming Blood Stained Teeth. Ward discusses announcement day for the Aquaman title, underwater horror, the joy of that project, working with Ram V, developing his art style, the importance of color, adding writing to drawing, the origins of Blood Stained Teeth, the creative team of the book, unique approaches to vampires, eternal wealthy living, deciding which projects to take, Oscar Isaac, working on 3 Worlds, 3 Moons, and more. Quick bonus note: Shouts to Deanna Chapman, who stepped in to edit this episode, making it sound way better than usual. Thanks Deanna!

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Tom King returns to the show to discuss some of his latest work and his move over to Substack. King discusses the origins of Human Target, the appeal of finite stories, valuing art and artists, his most oppressed character, knowing yourself as a writer, taking big swings, working with John Paul Leon, turning Batman/Catwoman Special #1 into a JPL tribute, Mitch Gerads making everything work, going romance-ish with Love Everlasting, creator-owned versus for-hire, why they went to Substack, making Love Everlasting free, working with contrasts, the current comic industry environment, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the co-writer of Five Worlds and founder/editorial director of First Second, Mark Siegel, joins to chat about the story behind First Second and his latest graphic novel. Siegel discusses editor brain vs. creator brain, the early days of First Second, the range of their comics, how being raised in France affected his view on comics, how the publisher first came together, the size of First Second releases, how comics have changed over the past 16 years, Five Worlds, its origins, incorporating world change into story, working with family, hopes for the future, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Elsa Charretier returns to the show to talk about her new comic, Love Everlasting, with writer Tom King on Substack. Charretier discusses the new series, what Love Everlasting is, romance comics, pushing yourself as an artist, pairing up with King, how they made it to Substack, its appeal, why they made their comic free, whether it will be in print, how her YouTube show has affected her art, looking outside traditional structures, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Patrick Brower, the co-owner of Challengers Comics + Conversation, a comic shop in Chicago, joins to chat about the year in his store. Brower discusses his exhausting year, changing point-of-sale system, how the year was for the shop, the state of Wednesdays, what's working, the X-Men line, Reckless, Saga's return, what isn't performing well, Bad Idea, the lack of ongoings, Black Label, single issues versus graphic novels, the current distributors, supply chain issues, digital impacts, hopes for 2022, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Susana Polo, the Entertainment Editor at Polygon, joins to talk 2021 trends in comics and things we're anticipating in 2022. Polo discusses labor shifts, Substack, its potential longevity, tokusatsu taking a lead in comics, the Power Rangers Effect, Dawn of X's spread, leaning into design, the potential of a Marvel relaunch, its current state, DC getting itself sorted, Black Label's position, Webtoon and distribution, accessibility in comics, supply chain issues, Saga's return, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Juni Ba joins the show to chat about his upcoming Image series, Monkey Meat. Ba discusses the arrival of Monkey Meat, his art beginnings, figuring his work out, Mike Mignola's impact, storytelling environments, the impact of the internet, the origins of Djeliya, how Monkey Meat came together, finding joy in the work, following his passions, character design, building the career he wants, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist R. Kikuo Johnson joins to chat about my favorite comic of the year, his graphic novel, No One Else. We discuss Maui as an influence for him, his RISD experience, his editorial illustration work, the origins of No One Else, the work that went into it, its structure and format, comic strips, silence, simplifying his art, balancing the cast, parallels, character acting, the glory of Batman, the color and design of No One Else, whether comics will always be a part of his work, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns for our year end spectacular once again. We discuss the year that was for us, how it was in comics, our awareness of what's going on in comics, Marvel and DC, the current state of the X-Men, binge reading versus monthly, Marvel Unlimited's changes, our favorite adaptations of the year, the comics that almost made the cut, and more, before we close with counting down our 20 favorite comics of the year.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Kieron Gillen returns to talk about his current run of comics. Gillen discusses Immortal X-Men's announcement, its Mark Brooks drawn teaser, his audience, Once & Future's blend, fighting boredom, experimentation at Marvel, the usage of continuity, problem solving the Eternals, Sersi's place, The Machine's narration, why he went back to the X-Men, the cast of Immortal X-Men, his evolution as a writer, and more.

In a special episode of Off Panel recorded at Emerald City Comic Con 2021, artist Tula Lotay joined the show to chat about her art and the story behind it. Lotay discusses getting back to conventions, the origins of Thought Bubble, working in comic shops, the impact of influences, film's impact on her, covers versus prints, the appeal of her new title Barnstormers, sequential art, the look of her art, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Victoria Grace Elliott joins the show to talk about her debut graphic novel, Yummy: A History of Desserts. Elliott discusses pre-release hype, art and comic origins, getting into making comics, her webcomic Balderdash!, the roots of Yummy, the Random House Graphic connection, the structure of the book, nebulous histories, the guides to the story, injecting personality into the book, research, finding a balance between history and personality, Yummy's sequel, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, letterer Aditya Bidikar joins the show to chat about his career and lettering as a whole. Bidikar discusses managing workloads, health problems related to the work, getting into comics, lettering approaches, the language of comics, learning the craft, how the line artist affects the work, the impact of time, the important of collaboration, how much the role shifts project to project, the phases of lettering, getting back into writing, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Joshua Dysart joins to talk about his life and career. Dysart discusses his surprising first comic, his formative years, his atypical approach to typical stories, the terror of Swamp Thing, working on the B.P.R.D., artist collaborators, the greatness of Alberto Ponticelli, the origins of Unknown Soldier, respecting subjects, Odinn's Eye, the types of stories he wants to tell, his time at Valiant, Goodnight Paradise, the evolution of comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Christopher Sebela joins to chat about his very busy dance card these days. Sebela discusses the opening day of his Kickstarter for his new comic Foulbrood, figuring out each project, the evolution of Foulbrood, the appeal of Kickstarter, figuring out marketing, crowd-funding versus for-hire, what makes his new series .Self an interesting subject to tackle, Cara McGee, Dirtbag Rapture's jokey origin, the weirdness of the world, making dark ideas fun, his current work mix, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Pornsak Pichetshote joins to chat about his career and his current Image series, The Good Asian. Pichetshote discusses his comic origins, his time editing at Vertigo, learning about comics during that time, the origins of The Good Asian, how it evolved, the title's lead, Alexandre Tefenkgi's art, Dave Johnson's covers, how the covers reinforce the series, the current environment of comics, the title's future, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, retailer Steve Anderson joins to chat about his shops in the Maryland/Virginia area, Third Eye Comics. Anderson discusses the story behind Third Eye, differentiating his six shops, his expanding list of product lines, the shop's evolution, what's working for his shop, Marvel's weird place, Saga's return, the state of variants, Third Eye Buys, controlling his fate, where comics retail is, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Sloane Leong joins to talk about the latest graphic novel she wrote, Graveneye at TKO Studios. Leong discusses her first comics, sports comics, making your own rules, the EnterVOID experience, finding the right medium, the im,portance of color, Graveneye's origins, Anna Bowles' genius, the house as a narrator, art leading in the book, her relationship with her own art, exploring genres, her curiosity, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Cliff Chiang joins to chat about his new DC Black Label series, Catwoman: Lonely City. Chiang discusses the Prestige Plus format, watching heist movies as research, the origins of Catwoman: Lonely City, his Catwoman design, the adaptability of the character, the title's supporting cast, continuity, the real world being present, handling all aspects of a title, his emotional connection to the series, how he works, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Jonathan Hickman returns to talk about what's been happening in his world as of late. Hickman discusses this time of change, excitement levels, evolving how he does things, the recent X-Men retreat, his position at Marvel, his Substack for Three Worlds, Three Moons, the origins of that project, the greatness of Mike Huddleston and Mike Del Mundo, community, where things are headed, the positives and learnings from the X-Men experience, where Inferno fits in everything, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Matthew Rosenberg joins to chat about his upcoming Image series What's the Furthest Place from Here? Rosenberg discusses this busy stretch, the development of that series, world-building, the gangs from the book, Tyler Boss' art, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering, the value of variants, the deluxe editions of the series, putting vinyl records together, the promotional side of comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Christina Merkler - the co-owner of Discount Comic Book Service and Lunar Distribution - joins me to chat about her world. Merkler discusses a typical day in her job, the evolution of DCBS, learning curves, the main appeal of DCBS, how their ordering works, the pandemic lift, brick and mortar shops versus DCBS, the origins of Lunar, the multi-distributor model, managing issues, perceptions of Lunar, its expansion, supply chain issues, where the direct market is headed, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Terry Dodson joins the show to chat about his Image series Adventureman. Dodson discusses the past year for him, delighting in Adventureman, the importance of coloring for him, the title's release gap, their larger plans for the book and how they've evolved, the global nature of the story, creator-owned life, what he values in his art, conventions, and more, before we close with some Ted Lasso talk.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, comics critic Oliver Sava returns for the eight millionth annual Superhero State of the Union. Sava discusses idealogical differences between Marvel and DC, different flavors of Batman, DC's current approach, Black Label, Wayne Family Adventures, event comics, general disruption in superhero comics, Marvel's Infinity Comics, the Avengers trinity, Marvel's lack of a plan, Hickman's departure from the X-Men, our favorite non-Marvel/DC superhero book, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the show to chat about the recent craziness in the comics world. MacDonald discusses recent events, what it means, the Substack deal, Substack's reading experience, its viability, ComiXology's big change, the retailer response to this digital wave, the DC/Webtoon deal, creators protecting themselves, conventions, the distribution situation, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns to the show for another random episode covering comics and assorted other topics. Brandon and I chat about subjects like Substack, upcoming comic adaptations, cosmic beings and their lives, what we'd do with a billion dollars, superhero chefs, collecting vs. reading, the Phoenix Suns, fantasy football, continuity, surprising comics from 2021, maximum Batman, Image and AEW, event comics, and more, before we close with a superhero expansion draft.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Chip Zdarsky returns to chat about his Substack deal and assorted other works. Zdarsky discusses his Substack offerings, the pressure of crowd-funding, the deal's origins, what appealed to him about it, whether it was a difficult move, how it changes things for him, getting back to art, Daredevil's weird spot, its co-leads, What If...?, working with Jason Loo, sustainability of self, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Joshua Barkman joins me to chat about his webcomic, False Knees. Barkman discusses the origins of the webcomic, how different formats affect it, when it became a real thing, how he starts his comics, timing and pacing, varying structures, the impact of social engagement, the value of reposting, the prints he sells, the tensions of the platforms he used, bird power rankings, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Skottie Young returns to catch up on what he's been up to and to chat about his new book, The Me You Love in the Dark. Young discusses release weeks, his past five years, the online store he launched, the world with no conventions, the origins of Stupid Fresh Mess, stepping back from interiors, Jorge Corona, the power of covers, The Me You Love in the Dark, its autobiographical nature, why it's a mini-series, Kansas City BBQ, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the creator of the Key Collector Comics app, Nick Coglianese, joins to chat about the app, the exploding back issue market, and the app's position in that. Coglianese discusses what the app really is, the different aspects of it, the inspiration for it, the tension between readers and collectors/flippers, what's driving the insane collectors market, its sustainability, graded vs. ungraded, the app as an arbiter of what sells, the idea it's a speculator app, quirky things of the collector world, what's next for the app, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, retailer John Hendrick joins to chat about his shop, Dublin's Big Bang Comics. Hendrick discusses his first nerd love, the last year in the shop, their shift to toys, how the store itself has changed, changing consumer behaviors, the increase in work, trades and graphic novels, the explosion of young customers, whether this will keep going, the biggest thing he learned in the last year, his own happiness, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Maria Capelle Frantz joins to chat about her career and art. Frantz discusses growing up in Alaska, Alaska's impact on her storytelling, where her love of comics and art come from, short stories, making universal stories, learning from projects, the value of Helioscope Studios, imposter syndrome, generational differences, her upcoming Joan of Arc graphic novel, how she works, the importance of lettering, what she wants to do with her comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the writer and artist behind the recently released graphic novel Everyone is Tulip, Dave Baker and Nicole Goux, join to chat about that release. Baker and Goux discuss the first days of its release, idea creation, the book's origins, its path to creation, social media, the Instagram Effect, the sadness of the book, atmosphere, finding publisher fits, the work behind the work, what's next, how Tulip impacted their partnership, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Karl Kerschl joins to talk about his currently being Kickstarted webcomic The Abominable Charles Christopher. Kerschl discusses Kickstarter stress levels, crowd-funding as a discoverability tool, Seinfeld, what Charles Christopher is about, its personal nature, the pacing of the comic, how format impacts the series, changes he made in the past year, print audiences versus webcomic ones, ending the story, the idea of mainstream comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Declan Shalvey joins to talk about his new series Time Before Time. Shalvey discusses working on art interiors, his schedule turning upside down, rethinking his path, managing creator-owned projects, Sasha Head's design, releasing Bog Bodies during the pandemic, Immortal Hulk Flatline, Time Before Time, the co-writing experience, writing for ongoings, world-building, the Time Before Time Kickstarter, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Kyle Starks joins me to chat about the upcoming The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton. Starks discusses how the last year has been, adjusting to the new world order, how conventions open things up for him, expanding genres, the difficulty of funny comics, the origins of Trigger Keaton, partnering with Chris Schweizer, the cast and process of the book, balancing humor, catchphrases, and more, before we close with some serious basketball talk.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Ed Brubaker returns to talk about his recent work in Friend of the Devil and Friday. Brubaker discusses how Friend of the Devil is doing, the graphic novel switch, Dad comics, how formats influence his writing, taking time for character, building Reckless, its position as a culmination of his work with Sean Phillips, showcasing character skills, the importance of Destroy All Monsters, graphic novels versus single issues, how characters evolve, bad movies, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Erica Schultz joins to chat about her career and the currently being Kickstarted The Deadliest Bouquet. Schultz discusses her path to comics, agency life, the appeal of the medium, what an Erica Schultz comic is, the importance of the hustle, her different roles, the impact of a good editor, The Deadliest Bouquet, the three sisters of the book, the creative team, Kickstarter, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Elsa Charretier joins to chat about her new YouTube channel and Image Comics series November. Charretier discusses her curiosity, delivering good looking products, the origins of and plan behind her YouTube channel, content plans, how she sees comics, launching with the right subjects, whether she's looking to reframe her career, protecting yourself, her new Patreon, what she learned from November, very good dogs, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Christopher Cantwell joins to chat about writing comics like Doctor Doom, Iron Man, and the upcoming The Blue Flame at Vault. Cantwell discusses why he decided to get into comics, his starting point for comics and TV, the feedback loop of comics, planning across mediums, how writing comics changed his relationship with them, managing continuity, B-list characters, marrying street level and cosmic, major characters with human issues, the origins of The Blue Flame, the idea of superheroes, the creative team on the book, what he's learned from his artistic collaborators, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Gerry Duggan joins to chat about his work in the X-Office. Duggan discusses his recent run of news, Cable's ending, the story they're telling, finite stories vs. ongoings, writing for different artists, the X-Men line as a glacier, the joyfulness of the X-Office, Russell Dauterman's design game, Marauders and continuity, the X-Men vote, the new X-Men team, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Frank Quitely joins to chat about his art and career. Quitely discusses keeping his pseudonym, why he went the illustration route originally, the impact of influences, being an influence himself, working with Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, why Flex Mentallo was such a challenge, having an outsider perspective, reinventing the X-Men, his Sandman short, innovating on We3, different ways to approach comics, the lasting impact of All-Star Superman, building Jupiter's Legacy, and more.