Dark Fantasy Duo Tom Sniegoski & Jeannine Acheson Launch Nira: A Constance Evermore Story
Release Date: 02/18/2026
Comic Crusaders Podcast #639 – Ridge Kiley & AJ Light
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Ridge Kiley and AJ Light from Rising Empire Studios are gearing up to unleash a brand-new chapter in the ever-expanding Alpha Clash universe, and fans are already buzzing even before the launch goes live. Rising Empires, the new comic series co-authored by AJ Light and the legendary Mark Waid, is preparing to hit Kickstarter soon, and from everything the creators have teased so far, it’s shaping up to be one of the most ambitious indie releases of the year. With Ridge’s leadership and AJ’s storytelling vision, Rising Empire Studios continues to push boundaries, evolve their universe, and...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #638 – Erik Jensen
Comic Crusaders Podcast
When the universe hands you the hardest storyline you’ve ever faced, you either crumble or you rise. And actor, writer, director, and full-on superhero Erik Jensen didn’t just rise he soared. Fresh off his battle and successful treatment for colorectal cancer, Erik sat down with the Comic Crusaders Podcast to share one of the most powerful, uplifting stories you’ll hear all year. His secret weapon during treatment? Not a mystical artifact. Not a Hollywood miracle. Comic books. The classics. The comfort reads. The heroes that held his hand through chemo and fear and uncertainty....
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Comic Crusaders Podast #637 – T.C. Moth Talks Curriculum: A Texas Teacher Tale
Comic Crusaders Podcast
In this episode, your fearless host Al Mega cracks open the world of public education like a busted locker after 7th periodwith a whole lotta laughs, truth bombs, and soul. He’s joined by the sharp-witted and truth-telling T.C. Moth, author of the breakout book Curriculum: A Texas Teacher Tale, a satirical yet painfully real journey through the heart (and heartbreak) of teaching in the Lone Star State. This ain’t your grandma’s teacher memoirthis book reads like if The Office, Abbott Elementary, and Waiting for Superman had a lovechild… in a...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #636 – Neil Kleid & Alex Cormack talk Medieval
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Medieval arrives from Comixology Originals with the force of a warhammer crashing into a castle gate. Writer Neil Kleid and artist/colorist Alex Cormack bring an intensity, world-building sharpness, and visual brutality rarely seen in modern fantasy comics. We sat down with the creative team for a high-energy, WEPA-fueled conversation about forging this new world and the personal journeys that brought them here. Kleid brings narrative precision, emotional tension, and the grounded realism that makes the world of Medieval feel lived-inand dangerous. Cormack...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #635 – Matthew Arnold
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Matthew Arnold, the television and film writer known for NBC’s Siberia, Emerald City, and the thriller Shadow People, returns to the world of comics with Outer Lands, his newest sci-fi graphic novel from Comixology Originals. Featuring art by Davide Gianfelice and a powerful cover by Jock, this graphic novel delivers a genre-defying mashup that collides ancient history with modern weaponry, conspiracy, and the dangers of unchecked technology. In Outer Lands, a young Grecian prince is exiled to a mysterious prison island, only to uncover a global secret that reshapes...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #634 – Paul Pope/Total THB
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Comic Crusaders proudly welcomes iconic creator Paul Pope to celebrate the long-awaited return of . After three decades, Pope gathers his self-published sci-fi opus into definitive editions starting with Total THB, Volume 1, releasing November 11, 2025. Set on a divided Mars, the story follows HR Watson and her unique protector THB, who shifts from tiny rubber toy to towering guardian. The world blends artistic rebellion, oppressive control, and Pope’s signature dynamic artwork—now presented in bold black and white to spotlight every brushstroke. In this exclusive...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #633 – Jeff Marvin/Hunters of Sheydim
Comic Crusaders Podcast
On the latest episode of the Comic Crusaders Podcast, Al Mega brings BIG WEPA energy to an electrifying conversation with creator and writer Jeff Marvin, known for Cycles End and Grave Soldiers: Crutch Brigade. This time, Jeff returns with a new project from Golem Press—Hunters of Sheydim, a dark fantasy comic steeped in ancient lore, monstrous entities, and gritty world-building. Marvin dives into the origins of the project, exploring the mythology behind the Sheydim and the brutal world his hunters must survive. The interview explores Jeff’s creative evolution, his...
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T.Y. Lee Talks Return of the Rooftop Koreans on the Comic Crusaders Podcast #632
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Korean-American writer and creator T.Y. Lee joined Al Mega on the Comic Crusaders Podcast for a fast-paced, high-energy conversation about his new graphic novel, Return of the Rooftop Koreans. The 140-page book, which successfully funded on Kickstarter, blends action, cultural identity, and humor into a bold and refreshing narrative. During the interview, Lee discussed his creative influences, the cultural significance behind the Rooftop Koreans mythos, and the personal experiences that shaped the project. Known for his unique sense of humor from dressing as a werewolf to...
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Comic Crusaders Podcast #631 - Kevin Roberts talks Heavy Metal Queen
Comic Crusaders Podcast
WEPA, WEPA, WEPA Crusaders, buckle your cosmic seatbelts! Today we are blasting off into the loudest, wildest, most rock-infused corner of the comic book galaxy! Returning to the show is the creator who took space opera, cranked it to eleven, poured gasoline on top, and screamed ‘LET’S RIDE!’ the mastermind behind the HEAVY METAL QUEEN herself… KEVIN ROBERTS! This ain’t just a comic, fam. This is chrome-plated storytelling dipped in guitar solos, plasma cannons, and pure, uncut imagination! And now he’s back with Heavy Metal Queen #2 AND #3, leveling up the universe he created last...
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Nandor Fox Shaffer Returns to Discuss SEASONS Vol. 1–2: Spring & Summer on Kickstarter | CC Podcast #630
Comic Crusaders Podcast
Creator and storyteller Nandor Fox Shaffer returns to the Comic Crusaders Podcast to discuss the nearly ending Kickstarter for SEASONS Vol. 1–2: Spring & Summer. This ambitious 200+ page collection brings together themes of transformation, identity, emotional struggle, and the seasons of personal growth. In this episode, host Al Mega digs deep into the creative evolution behind SEASONS. Together they explore the emotional challenges of writing such introspective work, the artistic collaboration behind the visuals, and the powerful messages that readers can take...
info_outlineJump into the WEPA energy as Al Mega sits down with veteran author Tom Sniegoski and rising star Jeannine Acheson to unpack their new dark fantasy novella Nira: A Constance Evermore Story, released September 16, 2025 via Bad Hand Books. We talk career evolution, teaching-turned-writer transitions, collaboration chemistry, world-building, creative struggle, and what it REALLY takes to launch a new series in the fantasy realm.
📚 Pick up Nira from fine bookstores everywhere or direct at BadHandBooks.com.
Follow Tom on:
FB: Thomas Sniegoski
Instagram: tsniegoski
Threads: tsniegoski
Twitter: @TomSniegoski
Bluesky: @tomsnig.bsky.social
Website: sniegoski.com
Follow Jeannine on:
FB: Jeannine Thomas (Jeannine Surette Acheson)
Instagram: jsuretteacheson (Jeannine Thomas)
Threads: Jeannine Thomas (jsuretteacheson)
Bluesky: @jsuretteacheson.bsky.social
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Episode 626 in an unlimited series!
Host: Al Mega
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Edited/Produced/Directed by Al Mega