Jim Rugg on VEEFRIENDS, TYRANT, WEAPON X, & More!
Robots From Tomorrow!
Greg welcomes cartoonist/designer Jim Rugg back to the show for the first recorded conversation since 2014! Last time, Jim talked with Greg AND Mike about the return of Street Angel through AdHouse Books, among other things. But for 2026, Jim brings a whole slew of new projects to the discussion: Becoming a Creative Producer at VeeFriends Writing VeeFriends #11 + #12 Writing AND drawing VeeFriends #13 Joining the creator-owned distribution co-op Power Pulp Designing new collections of Stephen Bissette's long-out-of-print Tyrant Writing a monograph for Bloomsbury Publishing on Barry...
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Jim Rugg Talks STREET ANGEL (2014)
Robots From Tomorrow!
(This interview was originally published in an earlier form on July 21, 2014) From the original episode description: We usually follow up a spotlight episode with either a Previews exploration or a free-for-all. But this week is different because Jim Rugg himself stopped by our center-of-the-earth recording studio to drop some truth about Street Angel and his career. Jim is one of the most flat-out creative talents working in comics and design today, and we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this wide-ranging conversation. His latest book is a re-release of his first published work: Street...
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Kit Anderson on SECOND SHIFT
Robots From Tomorrow!
Cartoonist Kit Anderson’s first graphic novel Second Shift was first mentioned on the back back in episode 817, where Avery Hill co-publisher Ricky Miller talked about working with her and bringing the book to his London-based company. But today’s episode dives into the book with the author herself, which is good news for Greg because he read the book multiple times getting ready for this interview and…he has questions. Second Shift was preceded by a number of short stories and mini-comics, including the Ignatz-nominated “Weeds”. “Weeds” and that other work has been collected in...
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Wes Eastin on SHOPPING FOR SUPERMAN
Robots From Tomorrow!
Today's guest is on the show to pick up a conversation we started last October when he screened his first feature film, SHOPPING FOR SUPERMAN, at Baltimore Comicon. He is a filmmaker - director / writer / editor / showman / dreamer / and many other things. His nearly 20 years in the film business has produced a CV too extensive to list here, so just take my word for it, this man knows his way around getting things out of the ether and on to the screen. SHOPPING FOR SUPERMAN, a documentary that took almost a decade to see to fruition, is a love letter to the friendly neighborhood comic...
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The Greatest Bronze Age Batman Stories, Part 2
Robots From Tomorrow!
Greg and continue their dive into gem after Caped Crusader gem of the best Batman stories of the Seventies to mid-Eighties! Come for the Archie Goodwin goodness, stay to find out more about the artistic evolution of Walt Simonson, which of the two hosts is coolest on Marshall Rogers, the correct length of the Bat-Ears, what happens when the Bruces of two different comic book universes collide, the one-stop-comicbooking-shop that is Jim Aparo, Joe Staton and the Justice Society, just how hard Dick Giordano is to pronounce, and much more. All that, and the man who stalks the most...
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JLU: "For The Man Who Has Everything" (Commentary Only)
Robots From Tomorrow!
Join Greg and Zach Wilkerson, one-third of the DC3Cast, as they delve deep into the Justice League Unlimited episode 'For the Man Who Has Everything,' adapted from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic Superman Annual #11. How deep you ask? Well, audio commentary-level deep!
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JLU: "For The Man Who Has Everything"
Robots From Tomorrow!
Join Greg and Zach Wilkerson, one-third of the DC3Cast, as they delve deep into the Justice League Unlimited episode 'For the Man Who Has Everything,' adapted from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic Superman Annual #11. How deep you ask? Well, audio commentary-level deep! The two's discussion topics range from major differences between the episode and the original comic, to continuity within the DCAU, to the story's emotional impact. Was removing Robin for the JLU episode a smart move? What could this story have looked like if it showed up during Justice League, when each story was a...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineThere’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 website, the publisher described itself as:
“Helping aspiring creators reach their potential and … a home to the geniuses that the mainstream has yet to recognise ... Our canon includes psychogeographical mappings, eco-anarchist wizards, boat-shaped coffins, an all-female/non-binary construction crew (in space), a bad canine named Greasy, and much more."
Avery Hill has positioned itself to be an option for up & coming creators, a model that has worked for them with many cartoonists, including Tillie Walden, who published the first works of an Ignatz- and Eisner-lauded career, THE END OF SUMMER and I LOVE THIS PART, at Avery Hill almost ten years ago.
To find out more about Avery Hill’s place in the comics landscape, what that landscape looks like for them in 2025 and beyond, and to talk about their newest release, Kit Anderson’s sci-fi graphic novel SECOND SHIFT just out last month, today's episode is a chat with Avery Hill co-publisher Ricky Miller.
[This episode is number 817 in a series.]
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Preamble
01:37 - Early Days and Inspirations
05:50 - Transition to Publishing
09:15 - Discovering New Talent
18:05 - Kickstarter and Business Model
20:11 - Day-to-Day Operations at Avery Hill
22:30 - Balancing Creativity and Practicality
23:03 - Impact of the Internet on Talent Discovery
23:48 - Challenges of Social Media for Creators
24:37 - Finding New Talent in the Modern Era
27:52 - Kit Anderson's Journey with Avery Hill
30:19 - The Appeal of Sci-Fi in Comics
36:43 - Avery Hill's Editorial Approach
38:59 - Upcoming Projects and Future Plans
42:54 - Avery Hill at Comic Shows
44:46 - Outro