Robots From Tomorrow!
A comix podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.
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Andrew Aydin and GOOD TROUBLE COMICS
07/01/2025
Andrew Aydin and GOOD TROUBLE COMICS
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 GOOD trouble, and is the focus of today’s episode. Good Trouble Productions, through its Appalachia Comics imprint, is running a Kickstarter campaign for ISLANDS IN THE SKY, a 112-page comics anthology to benefit the survivors of last year’s Hurricane Helene that pairs actual survivors with comics writers like Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Gene Leun Yang, Greg Pak, Alex Segura, and more to capture their own accounts on the storm and its aftermath. The Good Trouble Comics imprint is home to titles like the LGBTQ anthology RECOGNIZED, the historical reprint series COMICS OF THE MOVEMENT, and REGISTER! a new series about history and an extraordinary group of teens. And finally, talks swings back to Appalachia Comics for MONSTER APPRECIATION SOCIETY, where Andrew and artist Johnathan Marks Barravecchia delve into the horror genre with all manner of monsters lurking in the namesake mountains: Bigfoot, The Moon-Eyed People, and the worst monsters of them all: real estate developers! [This episode is number 815 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 – Preamble 00:46 – Intro 03:12 – ISLANDS IN THE SKY Kickstarter Campaign 04:04 – Pairing Survivors With Comics Writers To Tell Their Stories 10:57 – Hurricane Helene From Andrew's POV 17:06 – Getting The Word Out About Appalachia and Helene 22:25 – Alternate Distribution Models with Etsy & Kickstarter 28:33 – The Beginnings of Good Trouble Productions 33:16 – What Makes a Comic a Good Trouble Comic 38:07 – Register! (With An Exclamation Point) 40:20 – MONSTER APPRECIATION SOCIETY 47:07 – Outro ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https//robotsfromtomorrow.net/andrew-aydin-good-trouble
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Spotlight on Colleen Doran (From HeroesCon 2024)
12/09/2024
Spotlight on Colleen Doran (From HeroesCon 2024)
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 would try and host a panel looking to take stock of them all. Thankfully for HeroesCon, GREG MATIASEVICH (Multiversity Comics) has taken up the challenge. Come see how he does in conversation with one of the best artists working in comics, or any other field, today! [This episode is number 814 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 – Preamble 01:26 – Intro 02:52 – How has it been adapting Gaiman’s prose work to comics? 08:41 – What’s your process like when you’re working from someone else’s material? 21:48 – What is the status of A DISTANT SOIL, and how different do you think your career would have been if you hadn’t had a creator-owned project like it to start your career with? 22:51 – Which word is more important for a creator to know – yes or no? 24:12 – What are some working tips from your freelance career that you think every creator should know? 39:53 – Remembering Keith Giffen 42:23 – Who was the last big art revelation you had? 44:06 – Is it possible to divorce illustration from storytelling? 45:19 – Do you think the American market will ever appreciate how much of comics ‘writing’ is done by the artist? 51:15 – Outro ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https//robotsfromtomorrow.net/colleen-doran-hc24
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Paul Gravett: At Comica's Crossroads
11/21/2024
Paul Gravett: At Comica's Crossroads
"The cycle of renewal in art is peddled by the periodic influx of stuff from somewhere else. That’s why you need a man at the crossroads… He will be the purest, most fresh faced wee fellow you have ever met. His ingenuous enthusiasm will beam from his cheery countenance." -- Eddie Campbell on Paul Gravett, Alec: How To Be An Artist Today’s guest is Campbell’s Man at the Crossroads, and he has been observing, studying, and directing comics traffic for over 40 years. As this fellow’s understanding of its ebbs and flows has grown over that time, so has his endeavors in making sense of it for himself. And thankfully, Comics fans around the globe. He’s written at least seven books, including Mangasia: The Definitive Guide to Asian Comics, which has been transformed and translated into reality as the touring exhibition: ASIAN COMICS: EVOLUTION OF AN ART FORM. The Barbican website describes the exhibit at The Bowers Museum in Los Angeles, CA as "with a team of more than 20 international advisors, ASIAN COMICS features over 500 works, the largest selection of artworks from the continent, including Japanese woodblock prints, Hindu scroll paintings, digital media, printed comics, and contemporary illustrations. This unique exhibition is a gateway to an unexplored world of graphic storytelling and its artistic value." He’s also an accomplished editor and anthology curator. Among the books he’s assembled have been 2011’s 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die, which is a fantastic title, and The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics. He’s contributed to countless periodicals and documentaries about comics. He’s published one of the best comics magazines of the 1980s, Escape, with partner Peter Stanbury, giving a platform to such creators as James Robinson, Dave McKean, and Neil Gaiman. He started Comica, the London International Comics Festival with John Harris Dunning in 2003. He gives lectures, he hosts panels, and he continues to be one of the most respected comics patrons of his generation. Frankly, it’s been exhausting just narrowing down his endeavors to a reasonable summary for this blog post. He's Paul Gravett and he joins Greg today to talk about comics in all their wonderful forms and many varied locations. [This episode is number 815 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 - Preamble 02:50 - Intro 05:40 - “I want to know about everything…” 06:17 - What was the first thing you learned that gave you your paradigm shift of what comics could be? 08:28 - Shonen Magazine / Fishing Crazy Senpai 10:32 - “No nostalgia, no loyalties, no limits” 12 36 - How do you keep all these perpendicular lines of comics in your head? 17:52 - "An unlimited multiversity to comics" 19:53 - Photo comics & Gregory Crewdson 22:11 - Jayme Cortez 24:18 - Comics 1964-2024 27:20 - Sawwaf Collection 29:31 - Lusanne / Taiwan 32:27 - Lodz Poland 33:19 - Posy Simmonds 35:40 - ASIAN COMICS 37:10 - Talk about your growing understanding of Asian comics as you were working on the books and the exhibition. 41:38 - Is the diversity of Asian comics and inspiration to you about the future of comics? 44:05 - Comics preservation in the Philippines and Mexico 50:41 - How important is humility (or lack thereof) when putting together an anthology or exhibition? 57:25 - Talk about your working relationship with your partner Peter Stanbury. 1:02:25 - Comica 1:06:00 - Outro ***************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/paul-gravett-at-comicas-crossroads/
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Joseph Illidge on THE SHADOW CABINET
11/13/2024
Joseph Illidge on THE SHADOW CABINET
Today's guest is making his SIXTH appearance on the show, which means he's the most returned non-Multiversity guest in the history of the show. Previous episodes have had us talk about various aspects of his almost-30-year career in comics, from intern to editor at such publishers as Valiant, Humanoids, Heavy Metal, A Wave Blue World, and of course, DC Comics. But Joseph Illidge is here now as the writer of that company's Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #1, a four-issue limited series bringing him back to Milestone Comics, where his professional journey began. Issue #1 debuts on November 20th with art by Darryl Banks and Artigun Ilhan. [This is episode 814 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - The Shadow Cabinet Pitch 02:57 - The Shadow Cabinet Working on Shadow Cabinet 05:52 - What brought you back in the Milestone fold? 08:38 - What was it like being back? 13:27 - What kind of script / art collaboration do you prefer? 16:51 - How was working with editor Marquis Draper, aka your generational echo? 23:48 - For writing Rocket, how do you dial into her and speak for her? 28:27 - Anything you want to tease about the rest of the mini? 30:33 - Outro ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/joseph-illidge-on-the-shadow-cabinet/
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Michel Fiffe on the Life and DEATH OF COPRA
11/07/2024
Michel Fiffe on the Life and DEATH OF COPRA
Today we're talking about Copra, the indie comics darling that fuses 80s mainstream comic sensibilities with modern execution to give us an adventure story that looks familiar... up until it doesn't. In the 12 years since its inception, Copra has taken readers on a journey both on the page and off. This year saw the publication of Creating Copra, the definitive guide to making and self publishing comics. A 64-page reference guide to... well, you know. But all things must come to an end, and Copra is no exception. The four-issue limited series titled Death of Copra starts on January 8th of next year, with final order cut off on December 2nd. To cover this comic's beginning and probable end, we have cartoonist/creator Michel Fiffe in the studio to talk about all things Copra. [This episode is number 813 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:48 - How do you pitch Copra? 04:08 - Are you done with the series yet? 11:44 - Have you always had this work ethic? 13:08 - How did working on other comics during Copra help? 15:06 - Who is Annie Koyama and how did she help Copra out? 23:03 - If someone else had published Copra singles, how do you think that would have changed your experience? 35:20 - How has having to engage with retailers directly helped you? Or has it? 39:29 - Lettering 43:47 - How do you keep your creative & publishing mindsets separate? 48:32 - What does life after Copra look like? 52:12 - Outro * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Go to the episode post at:
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November 2024 Update
11/05/2024
November 2024 Update
Neither your eyes nor your ears are deceiving you -- we're back! Rested, reconfigured, and ready to return to ongoing Robot-ing! Listen to this byte-sized bonus episode to find out where we were and where we're headed!
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Mar Julia + Samuel Teer on Building BROWNSTONE
06/26/2024
Mar Julia + Samuel Teer on Building BROWNSTONE
The topic of today's episode is Brownstone, the new YA graphic novel from writer Samuel Teer and artist Mar Julia, about a 14-year-old girl spending the summer with a father she's never known as they fix up the titular dilapidated brownstone. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Samuel was just on the show last episode talking about the trials and tribulations of bringing this story from his head to our bookshelves. Now we get to hear from the other side of the Brownstone creation equation. Mar's work is absolutely in the wheelhouse of the type of comicbooking we love to see here on this show. When we read Brownstone, we saw Tillie Walden, we saw Carla Speed McNeil, we saw grounded situations portrayed with enough exaggeration to make this comic an engaging story being told rather than a mere rendition of plot points. Greg was thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to them about their process for this book and their work in general. And maybe ask the writer a question or two, if there was still time... [This is episode 812 in a series.] ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/julia-teer-brownstone/
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Samuel Teer on the Road to BROWNSTONE
04/29/2024
Samuel Teer on the Road to BROWNSTONE
Returning to the show today after a nearly eight-year absence is comics writer Samuel Teer. His new book, Brownstone, about a teenage girl connecting with her Latin heritage and her estranged father without speaking a word of each other’s language as they renovate the title structure, hits shelves on June 11th. The road from his last OGN, 2015’s Veda: Assembly Required and this one is the topic for today’s conversation. Samuel & Greg talk about collaboration, the differences between the two different markets for this thing we call comix, the importance of context, breakout panels, ominous texts, and a detailed look into the relationship between a comics creative and the agent (or agents) they pair up with to help bring their ideas to market. [This is episode 811 in a series.] ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/the-road-to-brownstone/
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The Greatest Bronze Age Batman Stories, Part 1
04/25/2024
The Greatest Bronze Age Batman Stories, Part 1
Having finished with the Man of Steel, today’s episode is the first of three looking at the best Caped Crusader stories of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties with the DC3Cast’s very own Vince Ostrowski! Come for the Neal Adams, stay to find out more about double-threat Frank Robbins, the mad genius of Bob Haney, Ra’s Al Ghul, Bruce Wayne and Sgt. Rock teaming up to fight Nazis, Batman’s Congressional career, and much more. All that, and just what the hell a hellgrammite is! [This is episode 810 in a series.] __________ The specific comics referred to in this episode are: The Brave and the Bold (v1) #79-86, 93, 94 Batman (v1) #217, 232, 234, 237, 242-244, 250, 251 Detective Comics (v1) #400, 402, 404, 407, 420, 421, 429 Swamp Thing (v1) #7 All these are available as individual issues on the DC Universe Infinite service, except for Batman 242 and 250. Batman 242 is reprinted in the Batman: Tales of the Demon collection, and Batman 250 is reprinted in the first volume of The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told collection series.
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A Few Words About Team-Ups
04/01/2024
A Few Words About Team-Ups
Today’s show is not a joke, not a hoax, not an imaginary story! Greg gives his take on the upcoming Marvel & DC crossover omnibi coming later this year, and then dives into the larger waters of comic book team-ups that absolutely totally happened . . . Find out all kinds of things about the crossovers you know about and the crossovers you had no idea actually existed! [This is episode 809 in a series.] ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/a-few-words-about-team-ups/
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Pow Pow Press Roundtable
03/17/2024
Pow Pow Press Roundtable
Today’s show has not one, not two, but THREE Canadian cartoonists on the mics ready to chat with Greg. Luc Bossé, cartoonist of Gary, King of the Pick-Up Artists and publisher of Pow Pow Press, Thom, cartoonist of such Pow Pow works as VII, Casa Rodeo, and the upcoming Botanica Drama, and returning guest François Vigneault, a cartoonist whose Pow Pow work includes the French language edition of his sci-fi classic Titan, but is here today in his capacity as Pow Pow’s Marketing Manager. As you can probably guess, the connection here is Pow Pow. More specifically, Editions Pow Pow, a Montreal-based publisher with the goal of spreading the work of Quebec cartoonists to bookshelves of French- or English-speaking readers across the globe. Pow Pow came to our attention thru François, but it KEPT out attention with books like the ones previously mentioned, but also Cathon’s The Pineapples of Wrath, Sophie Bedard’s Lonely Boys, and Éloïse Marseille’s Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman. The goal of today’s chat is to be nothing less than the best English-language primer on Pow Pow – how it came to be, what it is, and where it’s going. [This is episode 808 in a series.] ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/pow-pow-press-roundtable/
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The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 3
03/14/2024
The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 3
Today’s episode is the third of three looking at the best Superman stories of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties with ! Vince & Greg dive into what makes the Superman of this era different than his more modern incarnation and give you gem after gem of Super-Tales of the post-Silver Age / pre-Crisis Man of Steel. Crises at last! Birthday presents! Planets exploding! Planets not exploding! Team-ups great and small! All that plus one last imaginary tale on today’s episode! [This is episode 807 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 44:39 - Wrap-up / Outro ****************************** AVAILABILITY All comics are available as individual issues on DC Universe Infinite except for Superman(v1) #385-386 and 400, and Action Comics (v1) #544-546. Action Comics (v1) #544-546 and 400 are collected, either in full or excerpts, in the Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane or Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years collections. ****************************** Go to the episode page at:
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Alex de Campi on FULL TILT BOOGIE
03/04/2024
Alex de Campi on FULL TILT BOOGIE
Having just talked about the early days of 2000AD, we thought it would be fun to chat with someone with a strip running in the Progs right now. Starting with Prog 2367 was Book Two of the strip “Full Tilt Boogie”, the continuing adventures of teen bounty hunter Tee, her grandmother, and their cat as they criss-cross the galaxy. Drawn by Eduardo Ocana, colored by Eva de la Cruz, lettered by Annie Parkhouse, and written by today’s guest. She is a multi-hyphenate creator whose CV would take the entire show to lay out in detail, so with her indulgence I will paraphrase. A writer of prose, comics, poetry, film and television, she is also a director and collaborator and obviously a multi-tasker of the highest order. She has mashed up the Archie gang with the Predator, worked with Duncan Jones, and edited an anthology of soldiers autobiographical stories about their deployments. While not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do all manner of creative jobs herself, her eye for collaboration has led her to working with such talents as Carla Speed McNeil (on No Mercy) and Erica Henderson (on the pulp horror Dracula Motherf**ker and the more recent Parasocial), as well as the aforementioned Ocana even prior to “Full Tilt Boogie”. Greg tried to keep this episode’s conversation coherent but because today’s guest is Alex de Campi, with so many avenues for questions and straight-shooting answers, it was no mean feat. Find out how he did and more on today’s chat! [This is episode 806 in a series.] ****************************** Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/alex-decampi-on-full-tilt-boogie/
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The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 2
02/29/2024
The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 2
Today’s episode is the second of three looking at the best Superman stories of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties with ! Vince & Greg dive into what makes the Superman of this era different than his more modern incarnation and start giving you gem after gem of Super-Tales of the post-Silver Age / pre-Crisis Man of Steel. Intercompany crossovers! Intracompany crossovers! History lessons! Horror on a superhero scale! All that plus a REALLY big missile and more on today’s episode! [This is episode 805 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro 02:24 – Overview 05:44 – Superman vs Spider-Man + Spider-Man vs Superman 12:40 – DC Comics Presents (v1) #1-4 23:54 – DC Comics Presents Annual #1 27:32 – Superman Special (v1) 1 + Superman Annual (v1) #9 30:23 – World of Krypton (v1) + The Phantom Zone (v1) 39:53 – Closing Thoughts ****************************** AVAILABILITY The Phantom Zone and World of Krypton minis, as well as the DC Comics Presents issues, are available as individual issues on DC Universe Infinite. Superman Annual #9 is not available digitally or collected in any English-language reprint. The two DC/Marvel crossovers are also unavailable digitally, though they were reprinted at standard comic book size in both the Crossover Classics vol. 1 collection from 1992 and as individual reprints in 1996. They will both be included in the upcoming DC Versus Marvel Omnibus, and presumably available digitally at some point afterwards. ****************************** Go to the episode page at:
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2000AD - The First Dozen!
02/19/2024
2000AD - The First Dozen!
As 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 ****************************** Go to the episode page at:
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The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 1
02/15/2024
The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 1
Today’s episode is the first of three looking at the best Superman stories of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties with the DC3Cast’s very own Vince Ostrowski! Vince & Greg dive into what makes the Superman of this era different than his more modern incarnation and start giving you gem after gem of Super-Tales of the post-Silver Age / pre-Crisis Man of Steel. Kryptonite No More! Must There Be A Superman! The Great One and the Greatest of All Time! Whiz Wagons! Clones! The Sweet Science! The Wedding of the Century! Hippie Bikers! More quotemarks than you can shake a stick at! All that and more on today’s episode! [This is episode 803 in a series.] ****************************** CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:42 - What does "Bronze Age Superman" mean to you?06:32 - Which Superman do you prefer? 10:27 - Superman (v1) #232 11:17 - Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (v1) #133-139 + 141 and Forever People (v1) #1 14:08 - Kirby Faces 20:42 - Superman (v1) #233-242 26:00 - Individual Moments 30:07 - Superman (v1) #247 31:14 - Action Comics (v1) #484 33:44 - Superman vs Muhammad Ali 37:36 - "Gloriously goofy and absolutely earnest" 42:25 - The Cover 44:39 - Closing Thoughts ****************************** Superman (v1) #232, 247, and Action Comics (v1) #484 are not available digitally as individual issues. Action Comics (v1) #484 is available digitally in the Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years and Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman: The Deluxe Edition collections. Superman (v1) #247 and the main story from #232 (originally from Superman (v1) #141) are available digitally in the Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years collection. Superman vs Muhammad Ali is available digitally but not through DC Universe Infinite. The rest of the comics are available as individual issues or in the Kryptonite No More, Jack Kirby’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, or Jack Kirby’s The Forever People collections on DC Universe Infinite. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Go to the episode page at:
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WORMY by David A. Trampier
02/05/2024
WORMY by David A. Trampier
Greg kicks off The Someday Project looking at one of his early comics influences: a magazine-sized mind-bender (at least for someone of his age to read it) unlike anything else on the stands. HEAVY METAL? Nope. 2000 AD? Negative. Those are coming soon enough, but today Greg talks about the impact of David A. Trampier's "Wormy" from DRAGON magazine. Does it still hold up? How can you get a hold of it today? All that and more in today's episode! [This is episode 802 in a series.] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Wormy" ran in DRAGON issues: 9-20 29-34 36, 39, 42-44 47-52 54-58 60-128 130-132 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Go to the episode page at: https://robotsfromtomorrow.net/wormy-by-david-a-trampier/
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What is... THE SOMEDAY PROJECT?
01/14/2024
What is... THE SOMEDAY PROJECT?
The winter break is over, and Greg returns to give listeners a peek behind the curtain in this quick preview of what 2024 has in store for the show, including and most importantly, the lowdown on what has been referred to in hushed whispers around the office as... THE SOMEDAY PROJECT! What new devilry is this? All is revealed in today's episode!
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Jose Villarrubia on Restoring SWAMP THING and THE CORBEN LIBRARY
11/23/2023
Jose Villarrubia on Restoring SWAMP THING and THE CORBEN LIBRARY
Today's guest is someone listeners of this show will be familiar with, as he name is mentioned often and in tones of reverence. For almost 30 years he has worked with such artists as Jae Lee, Jeff Lemire, Bill Sienkiewicz, JH Williams III, and BERNIE WRIGHTSON to bring color into their art in a way that always enhances, never detracts - no mean feat there. He's also been a teacher/presenter/lecturer of art and illustration at such institutions as Towson University, Johns Hopkins University, the Institute for Contemporary Art in London, and MICA the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he currently a professor. Two of his most recent projects are his recoloring of the Bernie Wrightson's Swamp Thing run for the recent Absolute Edition, and the second volume of Dark Horse Comics' "Richard Corben Library", which collects Den: Neverwhere with his gorgeous restoration work giving it new life. He's Jose Villarrubia, and Greg is thrilled to have him on the show to talk about all of that and more.
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Howard Chaykin on Mentoring and FARGO
11/09/2023
Howard Chaykin on Mentoring and FARGO
Today's guest needs no introduction, but we have episode post space to fill so we're doing one anyway. He's a creator whose balance of romanticism and pragmatism has kept him in the business and thrall of comics for almost 50 years. As an artist, a writer, and a cartoonist, he has almost certainly forgotten more about comics, history and storytelling than most of us will ever know. But thankfully, two of his latest projects are about giving that knowledge back to the comics community. The first is Hey Kids! Comics!, a roman a clef work from Image about the history of mainstream comics whose final issue just came out last month and whose trade collection is due next month. The other is COMIC BOOK U, a series of in-person seminars with writer/editor Mark Waid kicking off next Saturday, November 18th at UCLA that looks to give attendees "an immersive tutorial into the process and craft of creating comic books" . In addition to all of that, he is reviving John Benteen's early 20th Century soldier-of-fortune creation Fargo with an upcoming 96-page adaptation through the crowdfunding platform ZOOP. We are, of course, talking about Howard Chaykin, and Greg got a chance to chat with him about comic book know-how, the collision of past & future, musical theater as comic book inspiration, just how neat Jason Bernard was, and a lot more on today's episode!
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Josh O'Neill and BEEHIVE BOOKS
10/12/2023
Josh O'Neill and BEEHIVE BOOKS
The last time today's guest was here for his own episode, it was July 2014, during the final days of the Kickstarter campaign for Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, the Eisner-winning anthology title assembling a truly dream-worthy roster of creators to pay tribute to Windsor McCay's seminal comic strip. In the nearly ten years since then, he has gone on to found Beehive Books, where he and creative partner Maielle Doliveux continue to put out book after book, work after work that seem like artifacts from some other, better timeline. From Illuminated Editions pairing such literary classics as Crime and Punishment, Peter Pan, and The Kwaidan Collection with artists like Dave McKean, Brecht Evans, and Kent Williams, to documenting the continuing works of cartoonist Ronald Wemberly, to blanket tapestries from the likes of Michael DeForge, Jim Woodring, Yuko Shimizu, to a literal suitcase of period-accurate text & ephemera for the epistolarian horror classic Dracula, and so much more, my guest apparently hears the word NO as an invitation, not an obstacle. He is Josh O'Neill, and Greg is thrilled to have him back on the show after much too long an absence to talk about all things Beehive Books.
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Tillie Walden on CLEMENTINE, BOOK TWO
09/28/2023
Tillie Walden on CLEMENTINE, BOOK TWO
There are many days working in the show that Greg is grateful to be an observer of comix rather than a creator of them, because the level of craft and skill his hypothetical output would have to measure up against already gives him the willies. That being said, today’s guest has already put together such a formidable resume and body of work (all before the age of 30) it makes even this comix-adjacent host wonder what the hell he's been doing with his life. With nearly 10 published works to her credit, Tillie Walden has already won 2 Eisner Awards, 2 Ignatz Awards, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, AND a Hugo Award nomination. She remains a faculty member at her alma mater, the Center for Cartoon Studies, and is currently in her first of three years as Vermont's Cartoonist Laureate. This episode has Greg peppering the cartoonist with a myriad of questions about her new book, the second volume in her Walking Dead trilogy about fan-favorite queer teen survivor Clementine, the boundaries of YA horror, how nothing brings out generation gaps like an apocalypse, just what it is in Vermont's water that makes it a cartoonist mecca, and much more!
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Tom Scioli on I AM STAN LEE and STAR WARRIORS
09/14/2023
Tom Scioli on I AM STAN LEE and STAR WARRIORS
Today's show brings another returning guest: a cartoonist so well-known for being in tune with the vibe of Jack Kirby in his own work that when he published his Kirby biography Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics in 2020, there's no doubt a large portion of the readership wondered what had taken him so long. The delay was most likely due to the fact he was busy making a name for himself with such projects in the comics mainstream and independent arenas as The Myth of 8-Opus, G0dland, Transformers vs GI Joe, American Barbarian, Go-Bots, and many more. He also takes the time to not only be the fifth-Beatle-esque third Cartoonist Kayfaber on that popular YouTube channel, but co-host his own Total Recall Show with Matt Zeoli. But today, Tom Scioli is here to talk with Greg about a new collaboration between himself and The King (separated by 80-ish years or so) as well as his new biography on the other half of the Kirby-Lee partnership: I am Stan: The Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee.
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Dr. J. Andrew Deman on THE CLAREMONT RUN: SUBVERTING GENDER IN THE X-MEN
08/24/2023
Dr. J. Andrew Deman on THE CLAREMONT RUN: SUBVERTING GENDER IN THE X-MEN
Program warning: today's episode dives directly into Chris Claremont's original 16-year run on UNCANNY X-MEN, which means Greg will be once again talking about his all-time favorite run of comics (although this time with an expert to help out). Longtime listeners playing a drinking game based on him name-dropping these comics on the show would be wise to give that game a pass today, or risk massive liver damage. You have been warned. In the epilogue to his Twitter account THE CLAREMONT RUN, Doctor J Andrew Deman wrote the following about that project and his decision to focus its attention on those comics: "What if they, contrary to every expectation, were (and always had been) profound and brilliant and worthy of literary analysis?" For over two years, Deman and his team did the work to prove he was right to see merit in those comics, posting thread after thread diving into analysis and discussion about Claremont's mutants and the highly influential yet still under-appreciated gems contained in those issues. While those posts are still available on the now-ironically-named social media site X, Deman's work on this subject will soon be available in bookstores with the publication of The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X-Men, coming October 24th from the University of Texas Press. Deman has also tackled the British corner of Marvel's mutant-verse as 1/3rd of the hosts of the Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! Podcast with Dr. Anna Peppard and Christopher Maverick, giving us an issue-by-issue rundown of the first volume of Excalibur, originally created by Claremont and artist Alan Davis. He also contributes with the aforementioned Dr. Peppard to the Sequential Scholars project over at sequential scholars dot com, which not only studies comics but aims to make the study of comics accessible to everyone. He is the expert referred to earlier and he's back on the show to talk about his upcoming book, publishing, and all x-things Claremont.
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Nikesh Shukla on SPIDER-MAN: INDIA
07/26/2023
Nikesh Shukla on SPIDER-MAN: INDIA
When someone is inducted into the Royal Society of Literature, they are invited to sign their names in a roll book dating back to the society's founding in 1820, using the pen of Lord Byron, T.S. Elliot, or George Elliot. Greg closes today's chat with writer Nikesh Shukla by asking what pen he chose, because not only is Nikesh writing the current Spider-Man: India miniseries (with issue #2 hitting shelves July 26th), but he was also inducted into the Society back in 2019, to join such fellow Fellows as Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Tom Stoppard, and roughly 596 other distinguished gentlefolk of English literature. In addition to those two wonderfully dichotomous career achievements, Nikesh has written five novels, co-founded the Zhalak Prize for British or British resident writers of color, and edited two collections of essays called The Good Immigrant, which center around race, immigration, identity, and the experience of ethnic minority life in both the United Kingdom AND in the 2019 followup co-edited with Chimene Suleyman, the United States. These are issues and aspects of life never far from his thoughts or his work, as is the concept of Seva. Greg talks with Nikesh about all this and more on today's episode!
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Milton Lawson on ORSON WELLES: WARRIOR OF THE WORLDS
07/13/2023
Milton Lawson on ORSON WELLES: WARRIOR OF THE WORLDS
Orson Welles wore many hats in his day: filmmaker, actor, writer, producer, pitch man, raconteur . . . the list goes on and on. But what can only be told now is that you can add ‘defender of the Earth’ to that list as well. According to Milton Lawson’s Orson Welles: Warrior of the Worlds comics project, illustrated by Renton Hawley and finally debuting from Scout Comics on August 16th, the thespian led a secret life keeping this planet safe from invaders from not only Mars, but all around the galaxy. Greg checked in with Milton to find out more about the book's long journey from idea to publication, and Welles’ life in general, both in front of and behind the camera.
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Mike Norton & Rafer Roberts on THE ROCK GODS OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE
06/08/2023
Mike Norton & Rafer Roberts on THE ROCK GODS OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE
Today's episode takes us back to a time when gods walked the earth. Oh sure, they may LOOK like four late 80's teenagers banging their way thru semi-coherent covers of rock songs, but they are, in fact, all that stands in the way of Jackson, TN suffering a biblical-level plague of . . . well . . . you'll find out in The Rock Gods of Jackson, Tennessee, the new OGN by Mike Norton & Rafer Roberts, now in comic shops from Dark Horse. Greg talks with the duo about how to spin autobio soul-searching into the stuff of horror classics, pros & cons of working on a single release versus a longer serialized product, just what the hell a pre-press specialist does, the comics rhythm section of Allen Passalacqua and Crank!, staying focused over the long haul, and much more. All that, and the eternal debate of Metallica versus Megadeth on today’s episode!
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Owen Michael Johnson on THE BEST OF 2000AD
05/11/2023
Owen Michael Johnson on THE BEST OF 2000AD
Today's episode returns the show to a topic apparently never too far from our thoughts: the galaxy's greatest comic 2000AD! After his recent chat with Mike Molcher where The Best of 2000AD was touched on, Mike suggested Greg reach out to today’s guest for a real deep dive into the subject. Some emails were sent, plans made, and here we are with Greg chatting with the Best Of maestro himself: Owen Michael Johnson. The pair talk about Johnson's decidedly non-2000AD comics upbringing, the peril of curating stories from a 45-year catalog into 6 volumes, his quasi-trial-by-fire directing the 40 Years of Thrill-Power festival anniversary extravaganza for Rebellion in 2017, his colleagues at the Nerve Centre, what Big Two U.S. comics character he'd love to "Best Of", and much more! All that AND some Kirby Silver Surfer deep diving on today’s episode!
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Mimi Alves & Ben Crane on COSMIC CADETS: CONTACT
04/26/2023
Mimi Alves & Ben Crane on COSMIC CADETS: CONTACT
Today's episode takes us out to the farthest reaches of outer space and the even further reaches of the human emotional spectrum with the debut collaboration from illustrator Mimi Alves and writer Ben Crane: Cosmic Cadets, Vol. 1: Contact! from Top Shelf! Greg chats with the couple about this all-ages OGN that follows a 'first contact' event for the children of the crew of the exploration vessel ESS Khonsu. Find out what goes into making all-ages material in this day & age, the importance of listening to others, the limits of universal translation, what happens when Star Trek meets Dr. Seuss, and much more! All that, plus the all-ages book that hit Greg right in the feels on today's episode!
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Eric Trautmann on THE FORGED
03/09/2023
Eric Trautmann on THE FORGED
Today's guest is writer, game designer, editor, and graphic designer Eric Trautmann. While his previous comics work has included such titles as DC's Checkmate with Greg Rucka, Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist with Alex Ross, Red Sonja, Vampirella, and the Vertigo OGN Shooters with co-writer Brandon Jerwa and artist Steve Lieber, he's on the show today to talk about his new Image Comics series The Forged. Drawn by Mike Henderson, colored by Nolan Woodard, lettered by Ariana Maher, and co-written by the aforementioned Greg Rucka, The Forged has been described by Rucka as "an over-the-top pulp adventure of sex, violence, and sci-fi inspired by Conan, Heavy Metal, and those other comics you tried to hide from your parents." Greg gets a chance to chat with Eric about the series, its inspiration, the nature of pulp fiction in today's market, his background in roleplaying games (specifically the Star Wars license of the early 1990's), his collaborations with a wide variety of creators, how to make an evil dinosaur scientist's handwriting look real, and much more!
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