Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the show to chat about a particularly wild time in the comic industry. MacDonald discusses the insanity of this moment, staying on top of everything, the Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy mess (note: This was recorded before the final decision of who won was in), the varying players, why Diamond may have favored Universal/Ad Populum, whether it matters who won, the importance of institutional knowledge, the infamous podcast appearance of Alliance's head, how the direct market responded to the bankruptcy, tariff concerns, actual and perceived impacts, the current state of the direct market, the ComicsPRO experience, what helps her in tough times, and more.

Writer James Tynion IV and artist Michael Walsh join the show to share the story behind their upcoming Image Comics series Exquisite Corpses. They discuss their recent travel, convention experiences, the origins of Exquisite Corpses, it as a game, the book's summits, how they shaped the book, its iterative nature, the people and killers in the story, the importance of rules, making it feel cohesive, cosplayability, making it big, navigating this moment, and more.

Cartoonist Zander Cannon joins the show to chat about the post-Kaijumax life and his upcoming Image Comics series, Sleep. Cannon discusses how he decides what projects to take on, the consolidation of art roles, coming off Kaijumax, losing momentum, his gap between big projects, palate cleansers, projects as business cards, the origins of Sleep, conspiracies and speculation, whether he's a horror fan, sleep as a horror angle, creative exercises, the appeal of restrictions, how he develops stories, its locations and characters, the monster in the story, working with Image, managing this moment, and more.

Writer Matt Fraction joins the show to chat about the past few years of his life as a writer and storyteller. Fraction discusses what exactly happened to Matt Fraction, how we perceived creators, the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters experience, what he missed about comics, collaboration and control, what made their approach on AdventureMan the right one, the appeal of fun, the vibe he wants, counterprogramming, working with Jorge Jiménez, where Batman comes from for him, figuring the book out, what he thought Sex Criminals would be, the idea of hits, what his Batman pitch was, outlining vs. guidelines, how he decides what projects to take on, what keeps him passionate about comics, and more.

Cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson joins the show to chat about his recent stretch on comics like Transformers and The Moon is Following Us. Johnson discusses managing the moment, physical media, the physical act of drawing, the phase he's in, original art's impact, whether Transformers has changed how he's viewed, engaging with fans, Transformers' length, what he learned about his art from Transformers, the importance of fun, what goes into The Moon is Following Us, how it feels different, the creative process, the appeal of new things commissions as tools, how much happens in his comics, the stories he tells, his livestreams, and more.

Retailer Katie Pryde joins the show to discuss the recent annual meeting for ComicsPRO and what's happening at her comic shop in Portland, Oregon, Books with Pictures. Pryde discusses this moment in time, separating from the job, the realities of owning a comic shop, the ComicsPRO experience, the standouts of the event, how the perception of ComicsPRO has shifted, the vibes of the event, an upcoming Books with Pictures anniversary, how much the shop has changed, building a community, how things are going at the shop, what's standing out in the shop, tastemaking, surprises in the shop, how varying hats affect each other, managing the current environment, and more.

Artist Klaus Janson joins the show to discuss his legendary career and his approach and viewpoints on art. Janson discusses his introspective nature, a recent gallery show that celebrated his career, where artists are these days, where they were when he first started, what the 1970s and 1980s felt like for creators, learning from collaborations, the power of restrictions, penciling vs. inking, whether he draws for himself, how he works, whether teaching made him more open to change, the story behind his cover to 1987's The Punisher #1, how handling multiple roles changes things, storytelling and spectacle, how he views comics, the most gratifying part of his teaching career, what keeps him excited to do the work, and more.

Kenny Meyers joins the show to discuss his work at Sweet, a company that makes software for comics folk like Bindings, a marketing tool, Find Your Comic Shop, and the upcoming digital comic store, Sweet Shop. Meyers discusses what Sweet is exactly, his starting point for new projects, the complicated nature of his work, why he wanted to focus his skills on comics, the ethos that guides him, discoverability, what guides him, the "Scott Snyder problem," the ideal use case for Bindings, creator buy in, building relationships, why he wanted to build another digital comic shop, working with publishers, what he learned from his previous digital comics effort, how his products work together, why he decided to get back into comics, and more.

Writer/artist Tradd Moore joins the show for a sprawling chat about his life, art, and work on projects like Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise. Moore discusses being social media free, external pressures, knowing yourself, his intentional nature, whether he always wanted to make comics, going to Savannah College of Art and Design, influences, his holistic approach, why he's writing and drawing comics, the impact of people on his life, whether his art reflects his worldview, the impact of original art sales, what he looks for in projects, two of his most recent efforts, the importance of freedom, drawing for himself, the merits of Waffle House and more.

Polygon's Susana Polo joins the show to talk about the upcoming slate of comics adaptations and to highlight things in comics we didn't get to write about but would like to talk about. Polo discusses fandom, what she reps for, her coverage of comic adaptations, the shift in interest in them, how we're feeling about comic movies and shows, flaws from the recent stretch, how important this year is for comic movies, what we're most excited for, how adaptations could connect better with comics, Marvel's struggles on that front, Vertigo's theoretical return, DC's art, Batman's strange stretch, the return of arc titles, the year of manga, writing and podcasting about comics, how she manages to keep going amidst everything, and more.