Stan Sakai Spotlight @ BCC 2025
Robots From Tomorrow!
In this panel discussion Greg moderated from this year’s Baltimore Comicon, renowned cartoonist Stan Sakai discusses his celebrated career, particularly focusing on his iconic creation, Usagi Yojimbo. The conversation covers various aspects of Sakai's journey, from his early inspirations and the development of the character, to his unique storytelling techniques and processes. He also shares anecdotes about his collaborations, his publishing journey, and the importance of maintaining control over his work. Sakai offers insights into his meticulous research trips to Japan and hints at future...
info_outline
Lettering: Drawing in a Different Way @ HeroesCon 2024
Robots From Tomorrow!
In this panel moderated by Greg at HeroesCon 2024, veteran comic book letterers Rick Parker, John Workman, and Kevin Nowlan, as well as coloring guru and production master Steve Oliff share their experiences and techniques as cartoonists working in the art of lettering. Here's how the show described the panel: GREG MATIASEVICH (Multiversity Comics) sits down with letterers JOHN WORKMAN, KEVIN NOWLAN, and RICK PARKER to talk about a job that involves much more than just typing with a pen. Listen to them swap stories about balancing their own careers as cartoonists; while placing word...
info_outline
Tools of the Trade @ BCC 2025
Robots From Tomorrow!
In this panel discussion Greg moderated from this year’s Baltimore Comicon, cartoonists Zoe Thorogood, Jeff Smith, David Petersen, and Stan Sakai talk about the tools they use to bring their Eisner-winning comic book stories out of their heads and on to the page. From scouting art shops for discontinued pens to building architectural models to using school supplies and family members (two-legged or four-legged) and all points in-between, these four go far and wide with their advice on what helps them keep bringing the comic booking goodness to us all, page after page, and year after year....
info_outline
The Legacy and Lessons of BROWNSTONE
Robots From Tomorrow!
Writer Samuel Teer is back to finish out the RFT trilogy dedicated to Brownstone, his collaboration with cartoonist Mar Julia. Since his last visit, Brownstone won the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and Samuel goes into detail about the impact that accolade has had on his career and mental health. The discussion doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects, including Samuel’s tumultuous relationship with HarperCollins, the industry’s shortcomings in supporting creators of color, and the emotional toll of navigating publisher...
info_outline
COPRA's Last Round @ HeroesCon 2025
Robots From Tomorrow!
In this panel discussion that Greg moderated back in June from this year's HeroesCon, cartoonist Michel Fiffe reflects on finishing his acclaimed indie comic COPRA with the release of issue 50 earlier on the week. Fiffe discusses the emotional journey of concluding the series after 12+ years, his inspirations, his creative process, the X-Men and Ninja Turtle impact on the book, the challenges and rewards of being an independent creator, how close we came to having a Batman show up, and much, much more! [This episode is number 819 in a series.]
info_outline
A CRISIS of Infinite Options
Robots From Tomorrow!
Greg welcomes DC3Cast’s Brian Salvatore back to the show to help out with this Shelf Bound look at DC’s 1985 blockbuster event CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. After catching up on Brian’s busy post-Multiversity life, balancing different passions including music, baseball, and family, and various podcasts, it’s time for some CRISIS management to figure out the optimal way to tackle the monumental and sprawling story Marv Wolfman and George Perez unleashed. Do you stick to JUST the 12-issue maxiseries? Do you throw caution to the wind and read EVERY red sky tie-in? Do you...
info_outline
Ricky Miller on AVERY HILL PUBLISHING
Robots From Tomorrow!
There’s an ecosystem to comics publishing, like everything else. You’ve got your Marvel & DC/Big Two on one end of things, your single cartoonist stapling their first minizines that they ran 20 copies off of the printer at their day jobs at the other, and many points in-between. And it’s one of those intermediate options, Avery Hill Publishing out of South London, England, that is the focus of today’s show. Going back to the earlier example, Avery Hill is probably much closer to the cartoonist than the corporations. And this makes sense when you look at their output. On their...
info_outline
Rick Parker on DRAFTED
Robots From Tomorrow!
In his latest graphic novel Drafted, readers can see how math did cartoonist Rick Parker absolutely no favors in trying to stay out of the military during the height of the Vietnam War. The 256-page book, which is the first of Parker's career that he has written AND illustrated, covers that three year period of his time in the U.S. Army in autobiographical detail both funny and heartbreaking. After being honorably discharged, the cartoonist would eventually get a job at Marvel Comics as a letterer for such titles as G.I. Joe and the Spider-Man line for most of the 1980's. In 1994...
info_outline
Andrew Aydin and GOOD TROUBLE COMICS
Robots From Tomorrow!
We live in troubling times. Turn on the news or your phone and that seems to be all there is: trouble. But according to John Lewis, the late U.S. Congressman from Georgia’s 5th District, trouble… doesn’t always HAVE to be bad. In fact, there can be GOOD trouble that helps you deal with all the bad. Carrying the Congressman’s message of GOOD trouble into these times we find ourselves in, is the Congressman’s former staffer, writing partner, and steadfast ally Andrew Aydin. Andrew’s publishing venture Good Trouble Productions is built on the foundation of that message of...
info_outline
Spotlight on Colleen Doran @ HeroesCon 2024
Robots From Tomorrow!
Today’s episode comes directly from this year’s HeroesCon in lovely Charlotte, NC. Greg had the opportunity to host a few panels this year; the first of which was this spotlight on cartoonist/illustrator Colleen Doran. As described in the show programing guide: Her work has garnered more nominations and awards than we have space to list here, but trust us, it’s a looong list. Eisners, Bram Stokers, Harveys, Hugos, inclusion in the Best American Comics series… when discussing COLLEEN DORAN’s career as a cartoonist and illustrator, there are so many highlights only the bravest of souls...
info_outlineAs part of his Someday Reading Project, Greg takes a look at the first dozen programmes of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic: 2000AD! Do those early installments still hold up? Was Dredd the leader of the pack… or the runt of the litter? What controversial boys’ adventure comic paved the way for Tharg and all that Thrill-Power? All that and more on today’s bite-sized episode!
[This is episode 804 in a series.]
******************************
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Picking 2000AD
02:24 - 2000AD's Origins
05:14 - Following Along At Home
05:54 - My Rankings
08:17 - Outro
******************************
SUPPLEMENTAL READING & VIEWING
Rebellion/2000AD’s First Stories Digital Bundle
BE PURE, BE VIGILANT, BEHAVE! by Pat Mills
FUTURE SHOCK: THE STORY OF 2000AD
******************************
Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/2000ad-the-first-dozen