Artist Sanford Greene guests on Off Panel this week to talk his new Marvel book, Power Man and Iron Fist. He talks collaborating with David Walker and the rest of the team, the emotions tied to launching a new title, the internet's place in getting immediate feedback in your work, his personal connection to the title, the work of defining characters visually, his influences (including animation and Norman Rockwell (!!)), photo reference, the Carolina comic connection, the changing landscape in c...
Mar 01, 2016•1 hr 15 min
Marcos Martin, artist and co-creator of The Private Eye and Barrier as well as the artist on an upcoming Walking Dead special, joins the show this week to talk his art and the unique nature of his digital endeavor with Brian K. Vaughan, Panel Syndicate. Martin talks how the upcoming Walking Dead special came together, the serendipitous nature of that experience, what kind of oversight they've seen working with someone else's toys, how his hart changes with black and white and their horizontal fo...
Feb 23, 2016•50 min
Rich Johnston, the man behind Bleeding Cool, joins Off Panel this week to talk his site and the world of comics. The discussion goes all over the place, including how he first got into comics gossip, why he's an entertainer and not a journalist, how websites and news has changed, where his stories come from, breaking stories, his bar for substantiating stories, verifying and managing sources, his insane schedule, how Avatar influences his work, what's going on with DC's Rebirth, how he justifies...
Feb 16, 2016•1 hr 13 min
Steve Lieber, the artist of Superior Foes of Spider-Man and the upcoming The Fix, joins the show this week to talk his work, collaboration and more. Lieber shares what appeals to him about working with writer Steve Lieber, how his art had to change as humor became much more important in his work, what makes character work so interesting, the transition to digital art, the pleasure of making people laugh with his work, his Kubert School experience, the value of photo reference, Periscope Studios,...
Feb 09, 2016•1 hr 29 min
The team behind Shutter, Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca, join the show this week to talk their Image Comics book. The conversation is a sprawling one, as they talk the upcoming arc of their book, the evolution of their lead and work, their process, experimenting with story and form, standing out in today's industry, the focus on what's new, Periscope Studio, Joe's love of cats, and things close with five questions, Shutter style. It's a big talk with a phenomenal creative team, and well worth a...
Feb 02, 2016•1 hr 21 min
Jason Latour, the writer of Spider-Gwen and artist/co-creator of Southern Bastards, joins Off Panel this week to talk about his work, career and collaboration. We talk the difference between writing and art for him, how those two roles inform each other, his working relationships with his creative partners like Jason Aaron, Robbi Rodriguez and Rico Renzi, how growing up in the Charlotte area helped him, Coach Boss as Bill Belichick, challenging readers, Saturday morning cartoons, Spider-Gwen's s...
Jan 26, 2016•1 hr 23 min
Lazarus artist Michael Lark guests on this week's episode of Off Panel, as we talk about his Image Comics title with writer Greg Rucka. Lark discusses how the book's going, how he's handling the schedule, the depth the team goes to in the book, creator-owned comics, his process, the marriage of traditional and digital art, how his art is a happy accident, the fun of drawing comics, what appeals to him about Rucka's writing, and a whole lot more. It's a great conversation with one of the best in ...
Jan 19, 2016•1 hr 10 min
Comic retailer Brian Hibbs joins Off Panel this week to talk about his year at his shops Comix Experience and Comix Experience Outpost in San Francisco as a follow-up to our retailer year in review piece. Hibbs talks what 2015 was like for him, how his shops are evolving, the importance (or lack thereof) of pricing, the downturn of DC, Marvel’s mistakes, the value of handselling, the difference between his shops, whether or not there are too many comics today, his shop’s graphic novel club , and...
Jan 12, 2016•1 hr 13 min
Injection's Declan Shalvey joins the show this week to talk his Image title with Warren Ellis, Jordie Bellaire and Fonografiks. The conversation goes all over the place, as the pair discusses what the experience has been like so far, where the book is headed next, how he's managed the workload, the greater control creator-owned provides, managing his schedule, the added work promotion brings to his life, putting up or shutting up in the artist credit discussion, why he does so many covers, his i...
Jan 05, 2016•1 hr 14 min
Comic writer Michael Moreci (Roche Limit, Burning Fields) joins the show this week for a doozy of an episode, as the pair dives deep into Moreci's work, the comic industry, and...Star Wars? That's right. The pair talks about what's next for his sci-fi book Roche Limit, how film influences his writing, how to get and keep the attention of comic readers and retailers, the importance of being different in an increasingly large industry, personal branding, the struggle of quality of work versus name...
Dec 29, 2015•1 hr 19 min
Andrew WK, the musician and King of Partying, is this week's guest on Off Panel as he joins to talk comics, music and fandom. WK comes on and talks why comic books are his kind of party, the communal experience of comics and music, why comic conventions are such special experiences, the positivity and power of fandom, embracing your passions, what he enjoys about comics, how he keeps his passion for live music, his pursuit of joy in all things, and more. It's a shorter episode, but it's a good o...
Dec 22, 2015•24 min
David's former SKTCHD Out and 4 Color News & Brews co-host Brandon Burpee joins Off Panel this week to go proper fanboy and discuss the year in comics from their perspectives. While they kick things off with a very brief discussion about their thoughts on the X-Men Apocalypse trailer and how they're feeling right before Star Wars: The Force Awakens drops, the pair talks about where comics are in 2015, what Marvel and DC got right and wrong this year, how rising prices are impacting them, wha...
Dec 15, 2015•1 hr 41 min
Shannon Watters - Editor at BOOM! Studios, heads of KaBOOM! and BOOM! Box, and co-writer/co-creator of Lumberjanes - joins the show to talk about her varying roles and what she looks for in comics. The conversation's a sprawling one, and leads to discussion about all kinds of subjects, including the importance in casting on her books, how much she reads for her job (and in life), the power of characters, the tone and sensibilities of the books she works on, the importance of aspirational charact...
Dec 09, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Jim Demonakos, the founder of Seattle's Emerald City ComiCon and the Director of Comic Talent at ReedPop, joins the show this week to talk all things cons. Demonakos takes us back to how ECCC first got started, how it's grown, the deal they made with ReedPop, how that relationship is (or isn't) changing ECCC going forward, how he works to keep conventions comic focused, dealing with the backlash to ECCC's growth, the future of cons, and much more. It's a big discussion on a subject not often tal...
Dec 02, 2015•1 hr 16 min
The Beat's Heidi MacDonald guests on this week's episode of Off Panel, as she talks with David about her career as a comics journalist and beyond. They talk about how things have changed over her thirty years in the industry, the stigma surrounding comics, comics culture, her goals for The Beat, the state of things in internet and comics journalism, leading for the writers of tomorrow, and what has her the most excited about the future of comics. It's a great chat with one of the savviest people...
Nov 25, 2015•1 hr 13 min
Colorist Matt Wilson guests on this week's episode of Off Panel, as he joins David to talk the art of coloring comic. The pair talks the role of a colorist in a comic, how he works, what drives his choices, how he collaborates with his partners, what he does while he works, the increased visibility of colorists in today's industry, how his experience differs from project to project, the role of colorists as a tastemaker, the power of flatters, and much more.
Nov 18, 2015•1 hr 12 min
Designer Tom Muller guests on this week's episode of Off Panel to talk the evolution of comic design. The pair talks Muller's background, how his role plays out on both creator-owned comics and on for-hire jobs, how comic design has grown in importance, the difference between creating covers himself and working with an artist, creating a holistic feel to a comic, the designers he enjoys, and much more. It's a chat that gives a lot of insight into the rarely looked at world of comic design, but b...
Nov 11, 2015•1 hr 1 min
Jim Zub joins Off Panel to talk the business of comics and his work on Wayward at Image Comics. Zub talks about the blogs he has put together about his work, career and financials successes, managing your brand online, how interacting with retailers has impacted his books, some of the tinkering he's done to develop the audience for his book Skullkickers, his teaching job, his collaborators on Wayward, where the book is going next, and a whole lot more. It's a really insightful chat about not jus...
Nov 04, 2015•1 hr 20 min
Writer Joe Kelly is the guest in this week's episode of Off Panel, and he joins the show to talk about his career in the past, present and future. We talk about how his animation work with Man of Action has changed his approach to comics, why he keeps coming back to them, the emotional appeal of I Kill Giants, the upcoming film adaptation of that comic, returning to Deadpool, what makes that character so very popular, his artistic partners, the resurrection of Four Eyes, and a whole lot more. It...
Oct 28, 2015•1 hr 7 min
The artist of Paper Girls, Cliff Chiang, joins the show to talk about collaborating with Brian K. Vaughan, Matt Wilson and Jared K. Fletcher on the new hit Image title. Chiang shares his thoughts on bringing the era of the book to life, what he did to research it, what working with the team is like, how his past work in editorial has helped him be a better artist, the creative freedom of creator-owned, covers, and much more.
Oct 21, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Corey Murphy, the Director of Sales at Image Comics, is this week's guest on Off Panel, and she joins the show to talk her role at Image, how her experience as the general manager of Laughing Ogre Comics prepared her for the role, the importance of retailer outreach, clarification on the recent changes Image made in relation to variant covers, how form impacts approach, how Image stands out with retailers amidst increasing competition, and much more. It's a great listen for those interested in h...
Oct 14, 2015•52 min
On this week's episode of Off Panel, we have a special episode for our dear listeners as the show welcomes two guests for the price of one. Artists Tana Ford and Sean Murphy join the show this week with David acting more as a moderator, and the discussion focuses on the changing landscape in comics for women creators. The trio talk representation for women, LGBT creators and people of color, cheesecake art, empowering female creators, the importance of seeing yourself in fiction, invisible backp...
Oct 07, 2015•1 hr 18 min
On this week's episode of Off Panel, David welcomes Oni Press Editor-in-Chief James Lucas Jones to the show to talk about the world of Oni. Jones talks about what his role includes, the books Oni looks for, how they tackle retailer outreach, diversity in all senses of the word, their open submission efforts they made earlier in the year, and much more. They close with a little talk about the NBA and Jones's beloved Portland Trailblazers, as well as a little talk about an NBA star's connection to...
Sep 29, 2015•1 hr 11 min
On this week's episode of Off Panel, things take a turn in a different direction as David welcomes Grantland's Jason Concepcion to the show to talk comics and basketball. The pair discuss how Concepcion first got into comics, what he's currently reading, Jonathan Hickman, Rob Liefeld, why there's such an overlap between hoops and comic fandoms, and then jump into an NBA season preview done Off Panel style. That means they discuss their five League Pass picks for the season and then attempt to fi...
Sep 22, 2015•1 hr 27 min
On this week's episode of Off Panel, David welcomes the great John Arcudi, writer of Rumble at Image Comics and B.P.R.D. at Dark Horse Comics. Arcudi joins the show to talk Rumble, why he left B.P.R.D., the greatness of James Harren, how to make comic collaborations not just work but shine, creator-owned comics, Rumble's path to being published, genres and heroes, Raul Mondesi, and much, much more. It's a great conversation with a fantastic writer with tons of insight into the craft of comics....
Sep 15, 2015•1 hr 10 min
On this week's Off Panel, David digs into the lesser talked about world of editors with freelance editor to the stars Sebastian Girner. He's the man who edits books like Deadly Class, Southern Bastards and Drifter, and they talk about what his role entails, how he impacts books, whether or not he can live entirely off that work, managing the chaos, the shift of focus to creator-owned cmics, his time at Marvel, continuity, fan ownership, and much more. It's really excellent insight into what comi...
Sep 08, 2015•58 min
On this week's Off Panel, David talks with the cartoonist behind the upcoming I Hate Fairyland, Skottie Young, about his first foray into creator-owned comics with his new Image book. They talk about how the book came together, his affinity for Image Comics, the quality of 90's comics, the impact Marvel had on him, humor in comics, the influence of music on his work, cultural attitudes towards media, and much more.
Sep 01, 2015•1 hr 12 min
On this week's Off Panel, David welcomes the artist of the upcoming Plutona, Emi Lenox, to the show to talk her upcoming Image Comics book with writer Jeff Lemire. Emi's got a lot going on, though, and they cover everything, from her upcoming graphic novel Tadaima at Image, the experience that led to creating that book, her diary comic Emitown, Final Fantasy, her Patreon, haunted houses, the alphabet, and much, much more.
Aug 25, 2015•58 min
On this week's Off Panel, David welcomes Invincible Iron Man's artist David Marquez to the show to talk launching the future of Marvel in his big book with writer Brian Michael Bendis. It's not just that, though, as Marquez talks the evolution of his art, how digital tools changed everything for him, how digital is perceived by fans, visual storytelling, designing in comics, and much more. It's a pretty deep talk on both his work on Iron Man and his thoughts on art in general.
Aug 18, 2015•1 hr 18 min
On this week's episode of Off Panel from SKTCHD.com, David is joined by Rob Guillory, the artist of the Eisner and Harvey Award winning comic series Chew. Rob joins the show to talk his new website, the advantages of having a strong web presence and running your own store, his art process, what it's like nearing the end of his long-running series and working with John Layman, beefcake Kirkman, his favorite character, and a lot more. As per usual, it's a sprawling conversation that should be of i...
Aug 11, 2015•1 hr 1 min
