Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Heidi MacDonald from The Beat returns to the show for a chat about the state of comics during a pandemic, which, I should note, was recorded Thursday evening before the insanity of Friday (we did an addendum in the episode). MacDonald discusses how her world is, comics changing from the inside, conventions, whether Diamond would be the only direct market distributor at the end of this, comics' obsession with the new, DC's distribution solutions, DCBS and Midtown as retailers/distributors, doing this when shops can't even open, the William Schanes story, AWA and Bad Idea, the state of Image, the book market, ComicHub vs. retailer solutions, who she's concerned about, learning from this experience, the comics community, and more.

In this special anniversary episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns for the 250th episode of the podcast. It's an all random episode, as Off Panel listeners and I generated a monster list of topics for us to discuss, and discuss we did. Subjects included the dumb characters we rep for, the quarantine life, the ComicHub situation, inventions we'd remove, comic bad boys, Maggott, most exciting/traumatic story beats, which comic character would solve the coronavirus crisis first, Dawn of X, Bill and Ted, best quarantine pals, varying sports topics, our ideal Pokemon squad, superheroes who would fail at social distancing, and a whole lot more. It's ridiculous.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Iron Circus Comics' C. Spike Trotman joins the show to chat about her publisher and current Kickstarter for Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film. Trotman discusses how she and Iron Circus are handling the current crisis, being a multimedia company, why she started Iron Circus Comics, the power of Kickstarter, the story behind Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film, the rewards for the Kickstarter, what made this project appealing, the value of stretch goals, launching during a crisis, what she looks for in projects, the impact of production value, differentiating yourself, and more.

In this special episode of Off Panel, my good friend and talented natural sciences artist Amanda Jorgenson joins the show to talk about our friendship, her work, and how the coronavirus has affected the latter. Jorgenson discusses the origins of our friendship, lasting friends, how she became an artist, moving away from a narrative focus with her art, the art hustle, whether that required a personality shift, how she went towards natural sciences, comic conventions, always improving, being in Seattle during the rise of the coronavirus, adjusting to this new world order, what kind of work she has on sale on her site, what she wants for her career, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, cartoonist John Allison returns to the show to chat about Wicked Things and his favorite shows to shelter-in-place with. Allison discusses the origins of Wicked Things, the greatness of Lottie Grote, showboating versus reality, working with Max Sarin, finding his ceiling, learning what works for you and what doesn't, world-building, detective stories, the potential end of the Bobbinsverse, and more, before we dive into John's five self-quarantining TV recommendations that double as inspirations for him as a creator.

In this episode of Off Panel, The AV Club's Oliver Sava returns to the show to provide comic recommendations for everyone who is at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Sava and host David Harper share ten comics they love that people can find at their local comic book shop or on varying online platforms, discussing what makes them favorites in the process.

In this episode of Off Panel, John Hendrick of Dublin's Big Bang Comics joins the podcast to chat about running a comic shop during the coronavirus pandemic. Hendrick discusses how it's going for him, how he would have handled the situation for comics retail, the publishers that helped, the failures of Diamond, Marvel and DC, what the best response would have been, the impact of Marvel and DC going digital first (if they did it), his Marvel order from Tuesday, Marvel's deep discount offer, Diamond stopping shipments, ComicHub, rebuilding the direct market, how readers can help shops, how David would have handled this, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, White Squirrel's Andrea Demonakos returns to the show to chat about earning options for creators in a con-less period. Demonakos discusses the state of things in her neck of the woods, how the coronavirus crisis has affected White Squirrel's work, adjusting plans, advice for creators on what to do with existing products, products creators can lean towards, mechanics for selling your work, what platforms to work with, crowd-funding options, the value of learning from others, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Tyler Boss joins the podcast to chat about his work and upcoming mini-series Dead Dog's Bite. Boss discusses his comic origin story, his love of Daredevil, the School of Visual Arts experience, finding different solutions for his art, working at Forbidden Planet, the origins of Dead Dog's Bite, whether he thinks art first, when art becomes writing, finding rhythms, his feelings towards small towns, creating in a time of crisis, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Terry Dodson joins to show to discuss his art and work in X-Men/Fantastic Four and Adventureman. Dodson discusses making comics during a national emergency, why Emerald City Comic Con rules, how important interiors are for him, the power of covers, the origins of Adventureman, his influences, the two sides of his career, world building, why X-Men/Fantastic Four jives with him, how he works with his wife (and inker) Rachel, where comics are today relative to when he started, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the writer/artist pair of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey join the show to chat about their partnership and current Kickstarter for The Comic Book History of Animation. Van Lente and Dunlavey discuss their meet cute, how they became "history guys," how they pick their subjects, making history comics pop, why they wanted to tell the history of animation, how they split the eras, the process for them on projects, why they went with Kickstarter, the volume of comics being released today, marketing a Kickstarter, and much more.

Writer/artist Elsa Charretier joins the podcast to chat about her art and latest works. Charretier discusses the work of a Kickstarter, the importance of a personal touch, her origins as an artist, her love of beauty, bringing characters to life, influences and impact, the freedom that comes without expectations of form and story, the origins of her graphic novella series November, the book's creative team, the challenges of the project, how creatively fulfilling her artbook project was, her desire to go the DIY route, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Sanford Greene returns to the show to chat about what's going on in the world of Bitter Root. Greene discusses how the first arc went, how cons have changed after the launch of the book, whether the movie deal changes things for them, the gap between arcs, what the new arc of Bitter Root is all about, how the team works together, their new editor and colorist, why they did the Blood Red Summer special, the expandability of their universe, their homage variants, and more, before we close with some NBA talk about the recent All Star Game, Kobe Bryant, his all-time crunch time squad, and more.

The Co-CEO and Co-CCO of new comics publisher Bad Idea, Dinesh Shamdasani, joins Off Panel to give a download on their...atypical business model. Shamdasani discusses why Bad Idea was something they wanted to do, how wider distribution limits quality, what their goals are, the decision to not include variants, the dissonance between making great comics and making them less accessible, the reason for no trades or digital, who their target audience is, what they are looking for in their 20 starter shops (quick note: they are only going to be in 20 shops to start with), adding to retailer workloads, restricting accessibility, pitching creators on this new structure, what kind of deal they offer creators, and a whole lot more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Declan Shalvey returns to the show to chat about his upcoming graphic novel, Bog Bodies, and his upcoming mini-series, The Punisher vs. Barracuda. Shalvey discussed the big moments of his career to date, Moon Knight's lasting nature, why he wanted to do The Punisher vs. Barracuda, his covers on the book, taking different approaches to covers, getting back into interiors, his increased writing workload, how that reframed how people perceive him, the origins of Bog Bodies, flipping expectations, what he learned while making his first graphic novel, and more.

Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang joins Off Panel to chat about his work and his upcoming graphic novel, Dragon Hoops. Yang discusses what made him fall in love with comics, his love of telling stories, the development of Dragon Hoops, whether he resisted making a basketball book considering his (previous) distaste of the sport, telling a story set in the real world, the secret identities of athletes, figuring out the structure of the book, the inclusion of basketball history, handling real people in real time, how his relationship with basketball changed, what he learned about himself and storytelling over the experience, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer and filmmaker Darcy Van Poelgeest joins the show to share the story behind the making of his Image Comics series, Little Bird. Van Poelgeest discusses why he wanted to make a comic, why Little Bird was a natural fit as a comic, its long gestation period, partnering with artist Ian Bertram, the book's creative team, the comic book creative process, how lettering affects pace, the title's origins, its path to Image, why it became a hardcover first, the importance of design, the crash course of his first comics experience, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the co-owner of Chicago's Challengers Comics + Conversation comic shops, Patrick Brower, joins to chat about 2019 in comics retail. Brower discusses their opening of a second shop, what goes into opening a store, the state of comics retail relative to when Challengers first opened, the rise of the mini-series, what's working for them, differentiating titles today, how the year was for them, risk aversion, figuring out what customers want, second issues, how BOOM! Studios is handling things, whether he'd like more experimentation from comic publishers, the in-store comics conversation, whether he still loves comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, comics marketer David Hyde from Superfan Promotions joins the show. Hyde discusses his background with comics, the things that make us love them, what he learned from working in book stores and at book publishers, the learning curve of promoting comics, his time at DC, the New 52 experience, why he decided to start Superfan promotions (which arrives at 29:50 and begins the marketing talk), paying attention to marketing outside of comics, connecting viewers of comics media to the comics themselves, the important parts of comics marketing, the news cycle, whether the old standards of comics marketing still work, the comics marketing playbook, what can be learned from House of X and Powers of X, whether comics marketing is limited by the distribution model, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Jen Wang joins the podcast to chat about her career, craft and latest graphic novel, Stargazing. Wang discusses her Twitter handle, what her webcomics experience taught her about making comics, her art process, the importance of community, how her work has evolved, the origins of Stargazing, the universality of stories, working on a middle grade book, putting herself in the story, not coloring herself on Stargazing, giving herself breaks, keeping momentum going, Comic Arts LA, Alaska Robotics Mini-Con, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Matthew Rosenberg returns to the show to chat about writing and Hawkeye: Freefall. Rosenberg discusses how things change when you're writing a comic where you know what's coming next, his X-Men run, taking risks in stories, managing reader expectations, patience in storytelling, the origins of Hawkeye: Freefall, standing out from previous with the character, what makes a good Hawkeye comic to him, finding new angles with existing characters, why The Hood and Ronin are in Hawkeye, Otto Schmidt's art, the appeal of shorter stories, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Jeff Loveness joins the show to chat about comedy and writing and his BOOM! series Strange Skies Over East Berlin. Loveness discusses his comic origins, how reading comics affected his comedy and storytelling, why he chooses to write comics, how situation changes the way we engage with stories, how comedy prepared him for comics, the origins of Strange Skies Over East Berlin, the impact of his collaborators, the title's amazing covers, learning to write comics, the loss of privacy, balancing comedy and drama, and more. Note: Jeff's audio quality starts a little low, but it picks up a couple minutes in.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns to the podcast for a year in review episode. We discuss the year that was, the impact having good X-Men comics has on us as readers, how much we engage with comic sites, how our reading habits are changing, the honorable mentions for the year that was, before we dive into counting down our 20 favorite comics of the year.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Gerry Duggan joins the show for a deep dive discussion about Marauders. Duggan shares his X-Men origin story, what makes Kate Pryde so great, how Marauders came together, the X-Men writers room, the energy of the book, its playbook, how the X-Titles got their casts, his thoughts on the whole cast, political vs. character decisions, balancing fandom with story needs, planning long-term for a title and the line, whether we're at Peak Fanboy Gerry Duggan, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Jonathan Luna joins the show for a special podcast in Anchorage, Alaska about his new series 20XX. Luna discusses the influence of growing up outside the US, how he started making his own comics, the development of his style, why he went black and white on 20XX, the cost of art, the origins of 20XX, why Alaska for its setting, how the contrasts in his stories come together, the implication of the title, the technology of the future, why he decided to create a short story made entirely by him, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Mark Waid joins the podcast for a career-spanning chat examining his writing. Waid discusses how his early jobs editing comics and writing about them affected his storytelling approach, how he became a writer, his love of writing himself into a corner, where his love of problem solving comes from, how The History of the Marvel Universe fits in there, Javier Rodriguez's greatness, why he loved writing Impulse so much, the intersection of writing young characters + knowing comic history, what continuity means to him, comics in mourning, differentiating H1 from other superhero universe, his love of not being in a box, why Ignited appealed to him as a storyteller, what the most interesting thing happening in comics today is to him, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson joins the podcast to talk about his art and Wonder Woman: Dead Earth. Johnson discusses how his career has changed since Extremity, the elevating nature of telling your own stories, how life drives adaptation, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth as a palate cleanser, why Dead Earth was the right next step, finding a new angle for the character, introducing fallibility, the idea of hope, developing the look of the book, working off the Black Label setup, the pressure of commissions, Old Man Skywalker, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Sam Humphries joins the show to talk about Dial H for Hero. Humphries discusses how the different parts of his career impact him as a storyteller, touring his personal history of comics in Dial H, the style shifting of the book, its origins, Joe Quinones' fit on the book, the importance of legacy, experimentation in storytelling, the title's unique 8th issue, expanding from six issues to 12, the guest artists of issue #7, the addictive nature of superpowers, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Jonathan Hickman joins the show to talk about his rather notable relaunch of the X-Men. Hickman discusses how he's doing post House of X and Powers of X, uniting the X-Men fans, the cohesion of the line, the state of the X-Men, how this whole project came together, the collaborative nature of these books, how being an X-Men fan changed the experience of writing them, the assembling of the creative team, being additive, not destructive, the importance of value, what his job really is on the X-Men line, evolving the X-Men, why New Mutants as his other title, interconnectivity between his own stories, whether Krakoa has a baseball field, and more.

In another episode of Off Panel recorded at New York Comic Con, artist Rosemary Valero-O'Connell joins the show to talk about the graphic novel she did with Mariko Tamaki, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. Valero-O'Connell discusses her notably good few weeks, balancing drawing Laura Dean with going to college, the important of working on this book for her, bringing characters to life, her love of details, drawing, coloring and lettering the book herself, her paneling and layout choices, working with Tamaki, the greatness of First Second, making the comics she wants to make, and more.

In a special episode of Off Panel recorded at New York Comic Con 2019, writer Brian K. Vaughan joins the podcast to talk about his approach to comics and more. Vaughan discusses writing for non-comic readers, how creator-owned helps with that, Fiona Staples' glory, capitalizing on the freedoms his success provides him, how he changes his writing depending on his collaborator, coming full circle with Paper Girls, the value of taking a break, the power of community, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Dave Baker joins the show to talk about his Kickstarter for his comic with Alexis Ziritt, Night Hunters, and what drives him as a creator. Baker discusses the NYCC experience, his different interests as a creator, existing in different sides of comics at once, his love of Todd McFarlane, charting his own path, the story behind Night Hunters, working with Ziritt, partnering with Floating World, the stresses of Kickstarter, con life, the value of having a con crew, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the podcast for a bit of a New York Comic Con precap and check-in on the world of comics. MacDonald discusses her view on cons, the celebrity circuit, how that scene is changing, how The Beat works, adjusting to the new media landscape, the state of comics right now, New York Times bringing the best selling graphic books back, changes at Diamond, the three publishers she's most intrigued by, what we're looking forward to at NYCC, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Matt Kindt joins the podcast to talk about his career and the upcoming Folklords at BOOM! Studios. Kindt discusses his early comic beginnings, art school, his desire to learn new things, the origins of Folklords, Matt Smith's greatness, the idea of quests, fighting boredom, HEK Studio, his mech story in the upcoming HEK Treasury, his love of Ninjak, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, comics critic and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou returns to the show to chat about his Eisner winning comics magazine, PanelxPanel. Otsmane-Elhaou discusses the Eisner win, how he manages the magazine, where its feature comics come from, comics marketing, the PxP redesign, the advantages of doing a paid PDF instead of a website, the upcoming PxP pocket books, the appeal of lettering, what his approach is, lettering tips, the start to the Dallas Cowboys season (note: this was recorded right after the Patriots signed Antonio Brown, so knowledge of his situation was limited), and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, retailer Brian Hibbs returns to the podcast to talk about how the year is going for his two San Francisco comic shops, Comix Experience and Comix Experience Outpost. Hibbs discusses the impact of House of X and Powers of X, their weekly nature, the limit to the ceiling of those titles, what could have been done to reach that ceiling, Once & Future and print run games, whether DC and Image reducing their lines has helped, exploding graphic novel sales, his graphic novel clubs, the growth of speculation, transitioning HoX/PoX readers into Dawn of X readers, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee joins me for a little something different, as we did a House of X and Powers of X focused episode themed after ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. What does that mean? Each topic is timed, as we discuss our feelings on the titles overall, our opinion on the Moira retcon, what we think Moira's sixth life was, the data pages, the MVP of the titles so far, our favorite changes to the larger X-Men story, Chimera mutants, Destiny's position, how many of the X-Men titles that follow we'll be reading, and a whole lot more. Needless to say, spoilers will be discussed.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the writer and artist of Pumpkinheads, Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, join the podcast to chat about their new graphic novel. The pair discusses what they liked about each other's work before working together, why these characters spoke to them, Deja's greatness, whether this was the first comic Rainbow wrote, their visit to a pumpkin patch in Nebraska, chapter breaks, the map in the book and its importance, building the cast of the book, what impressed them about each other once they had worked together, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Charlie Adlard joins the podcast for a chat about ending The Walking Dead and what comes next for him. Adlard shares why exactly The Walking Dead ended, ending with issue #193, the surprise ending, his emotions related to it, the pressures of an endless deadline, the power of inking, having longevity on a project, the freedom The Walking Dead provided, telling your own comic stories, his love of the French comics scene, what he wants next from comics, his fondest memories from The Walking Dead, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Cliff Chiang returns to the podcast to chat about ending Paper Girls. Chiang discusses how much they had sketched out from the jump, the callbacks in the finale, telling a long running story in 2019, building a community, the look of the covers, Jared K. Fletcher's impact, Matt Wilson's secret power, those two being co-creators rather than hired guns, the difference of creator-owned, staying on schedule, what he learned during the series, what's next for him, and more. Oh, and in case you are concerned, we do not get into spoiler territory for the comic in this episode, keeping it to generalities and emotions related to the issue within.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Phillip Sevy joins the show to talk about his new series Triage and his unique path to comics. Sevy discusses his foundational comic pieces, what made him want to draw comics, how his comics nostalgia fed into Triage, what he learned as a SCAD student, the Top Cow Talent Hunt, the impact Tomb Raider had on him, the story behind Triage, the value of representation, the theme of identity, the trading cards he made for Triage, and more, before we close with a brief chat about the glory of House of X #1 and Powers of X #1.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, designer Tom Muller joins to walk us through his work on the X-Men relaunch in House of X and beyond. Muller discusses how much of his workload is comics, how he decides which projects to take on, when he came onboard for the X-Men books, how his initial "X" is carrying throughout the books, the initial wave of X-Men logos, how he and line maestro Jonathan Hickman worked together, whether this project felt different than usual, design as storytelling, the Big Two and design, his fake House of X/Powers of X billboards, the importance of taking in other media for creatives, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Steve Lieber joins to chat about his new series, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and his position as a trusted mentor in the comic book world. Lieber discusses the attention paid to Jimmy Olsen, the title's development, DC's reaction to the book's oddness, how he and writer Matt Fraction collaborate on the title, the importance of pie, his Jimmy Olsen memories, becoming a "funny" artist, the key to making comedy work, his love of helping others, how much the industry has changed, specialization in the comic industry, comic marketing, his advice to newer creators, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, The AV Club's Oliver Sava returns for our annual chat about the state of superheroes. Sava discusses where superhero comics are right now, DC's big changes, Marvel and DC's current architects, Bendis killing it on DC, Immortal Hulk, the coming Hickman era on the X-Men, Tom Taylor's greatness, recent moves by creators, house styles in art, The Joker and Harley Quinn's immense presence, Ink and Zoom's launch books, Squirrel Girl's coming end, what we're excited for on the horizon, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, comic retailer and the founder of ComicHub, Stu Colson, joins to talk about ComicHub - a hybrid point of sale and marketing solutions systems (of a sort) and why he decided to create this potentially game changing new system for comic shops. Colson discusses how he got into comics retail, the differences between American and New Zealand shops, what exactly ComicHub is, its origins, how it aids in discoverability, his partnership with BOOM! Studios, developing partners, comics being slow to change, managing sell-through data, prospecting for new customers, his hopes for the future of comics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Brenna Thummler joins the show to talk about her path to comics and her graphic novel, Sheets. Thummler discusses her education and pre-comics plans, her original desire to not work in comics, what finally connected her to comics, illustration as storytelling, her first comic experience, her approach as a comics outsider, the development of Sheets, letting the art speak first, character acting, her colors, having her book represented on Free Comic Book Day, its upcoming sequel, Delicates, some spicy peanut butter takes, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Christopher Sebela joins to talk about his writing on titles like Test and Crowded. Sebela discusses his recent efforts to take weekends for himself, getting out of the house on dog walks, his project notebooks, how they help his process, putting himself into his work, working at a test marketing firm, what his Test pitch is, its origins, what's next for Crowded, the book's cast, the success of creator-owned books, merch in comics, how much he's working on at on time, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, retailer Jacob Sareli joins to talk about his shop Comikaza, the first comic shop ever in Israel. Sareli discusses how he got into comics, the Israel comics scene, how he ended up taking over Comikaza, how the shop has evolved, what's working for his shop, the impact of manga and kids comics, how the past couple years have been, what he'd like to see more of, what doesn't work in his shop, Free Comic Book Day's impact, his shop's demographics, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Michael Walsh joins the podcast to talk about his work and the upcoming Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice! Walsh discusses his fantastic author photo, finding a balance between his desires as an artist, the types of stories he's worked on, his experience on Secret Avengers, photo reference, adapting The Last Jedi, reflecting on his work, working with Jeff Lemire, the challenges of Black Hammer/Justice League, coloring himself, talent versus work, what he turns to if he needs a push as an artist, horror comics, Emily Carroll's greatness, and more, before we dive into five questions about Michael Walsh, the person.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the CCO & Editor-in-Chief and CEO & Publisher of Vault Comics - Adrian and Damian Wassel - join the podcast to talk about the world of Vault. The Wassels discuss how they decided their roles, why comics, why sci-fi and fantasy are their brand, what makes a Vault comic, where Myriad - their YA imprint - fits in their efforts, their perspective on the larger comic marketplace, design and production value, their approach on digital, what they've learned in the process of running Vault, creator relations, how they find collaborators, expanding the Vault footprint, building an audience, and more.