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.
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 8 min
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 fi...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 30 min
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.
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 20 min
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 ...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 21 min
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.
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 14 min
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....
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 30 min
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.
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 22 min
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 ...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 34 min
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.
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 23 min
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.
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 11 min
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.
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 15 min
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, q...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 18 min
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.
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 21 min
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 mo...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 11 min
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.
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 24 min
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....
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min
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.
May 31, 2021•1 hr 22 min
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.
May 24, 2021•1 hr 28 min
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 movi...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 27 min
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.
May 11, 2021•1 hr 16 min
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.
May 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min
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 ...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 17 min
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.
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 39 min
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, buildi...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 12 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, retailer Jenn Haines joins to talk about her shop The Dragon and being the President of comics retail trade organization ComicsPro. Haines discusses the origins of her shop's name, how The Dragon came to be, investing in the future of comics, her shop's product mix, the pandemic's impact, becoming ComicsPro's President, the Marvel/Penguin Random House deal, the future of comics, and more.
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 9 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Ram V joins the show to talk about his approach to writing, Swamp Thing, and the upcoming The Many Deaths of Laila Starr. Ram discusses his engineering background, how that affects his writing, being beholden to comics, curiosity, the impact of collaborators, why Swamp Thing stands out, freedom of story, how his Swamp Thing story came together, genres, the origins of Laila Starr, Filipe Andrade, the gods from the book, balancing workloads, and more....
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 19 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer - as well as the Co-President of Archie Comics - Alex Segura joins the podcast to talk about his currently being Kickstarted graphic novel The Dusk and Archie's progressive nature. Segura discusses the last year for him, how the pandemic affected his thinking, the origins of The Dusk, rethinking superheroes, all-ages comics, the team on the book, the appeal of co-writing, David Hahn's design, why he's such a crime guy, Archie's recent moves, being ever...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 10 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Rodney Barnes joins to talk about getting into comics after a career in TV and his work in Killadelphia at Image Comics. Barnes discusses why he got into comics, his love of Neal Adams, grounded stories, the connective nature of comics, the origins of Killadelphia, marrying ideas, the trauma of vampires, learning comics, the title's procedural nature, creating tension, Jason Shawn Alexander's work, the book's holistic feel and design, entering comics f...
Mar 15, 2021•1 hr 11 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Andy Schmidt joins to talk about his career and work on the new Crime Syndicate mini-series at DC. Schmidt discusses all of his different roles in comics, how he decided to enter the fray, learning comics on the fly, the projects he learned the most from, writing comics, what happened with Generations, the appeal of working with DC, how Crime Syndicate came together, why it's different than other Syndicate stories, bad good guys, Earth 3, what's next f...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 27 min
In this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Joëlle Jones joins to chat about her career and work on Future State: Wonder Woman and the upcoming Wonder Girl. Jones discusses how she decided to become a comic artist, her love of art, what spoke to her about comic art, how she became interested in writing, figuring that world out, the influence of just doing the work, the DC Talent Development Workshop, writing vs. art, her process, the appeal of darkness, the origin of Yara Flor, who the chara...
Mar 01, 2021•59 min
