AIPT Comics

AIPT

An exploration of the comic book art form via weekly insights, news, and creator interviews. Covering it all from Marvel Comics and DC Comics to indies publishers and creators too.

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Aug 7, 2022 • 1h 15min

‘Dreamer’s got news’: Nicole Maines and Tom Taylor talk 'Superman: Son of Kal-El'

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSMarvel sets 2023 for Ultraman and Marvel superhero crossoverMarvel launching ‘Wakanda’ #1 October with ‘History of the Black Panthers’ backupsMarvel unveils SDCC 2022 Comic-Con panel scheduleEscapade returns in three issue 'New Mutants' story arc on October 26thComixology launches kindle betaEve gets follow-up series this OctoberOur Top Books of the WeekDave:There's Something Wrong With Patrick Todd #1 (Ed Brisson, Gavin Guidry)Poison Ivy (2022) #2 (G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara)Nathan:Poison Ivy (2022) #2 (G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara)Suicide Squad: Blaze #3 (Si Spurrier, Aaron Campbell)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - Batman #125 (Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiminez)Dave - Ghost Rider #4 (Ben Percy, Cory Smith)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: Hellfire Gala (Gerry Duggan, Russell Dauterman, Kris Anka, C.F. Villa, Matteo Lolli)Nathan: Barbaric: The Harvest Blades #1 (Michael Moreci, Robert Wilson IV)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Daredevil #1 (Marco Checchetto)Nathan: X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 (Adam Hughes)Interview with Nicole Maines and Tom Taylor (art by Clayton Henry)You're both writing Superman: Son of Kal-El #13, tell us in three words or less what we might expect with FOC just a few days away!What has the collaboration process been like?What made now the right time to bring Dreamer into the DCU?I've seen a few unlettered and uncolored pages from issue #13 and it appears Jon and Dreamer are in a bit of a conflict, do these two superheroes get along or will there be a conflict between them?Nicole, I'm curious were you a comics fan growing up, what were some titles on your pull list?Eleven issues into Superman: Son of Kal-El, looking back is there anything you'd change or tweak?There's a cliffhanger in Superman: Son of Kal El #10 that reveals Jay may not be trusted, with character reveals like this do you seed the story in earlier issues in subtle ways, or do you try to avoid hinting at these sorts of things?Nicole, what can you tell us about the teased Dreamer project with Rye Hickman, is it an OGN or a series?The full page splash by Jess Taylor featuring Galaxy and Dreamer was super fun, any chance we see a team up with these heroes?

Jul 3, 2022 • 1h 10min

Zack Kaplan fights the future with 'Forever Forward'

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSDan Slott and Mark Bagley team up on ‘Spider-Man’ ongoing seriesNew X-Men 2099 team introduced in ‘Spider-Man 2099: Exodus’ #5The identity of the Symbiote Bedlam to be revealed in ‘Venom’ #9Comixology Head of Content Chip Mosher to step downMulti-immersive webcomic ‘DRAC: Son of Dante’ starts todayBlondie comics project gets a release date and new deetsMilestone Initiative’s Static to grace Alex Bowman’s NASCAR racecarComichron has some new 2021 figuresOur Top Books of the WeekDave:Sins of the Black Flamingo #1 (Andrew Wheeler, Travis Moore)X-Men: Red (2022) #4 (Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Andrés Genolet, and Michael Sta. Maria)Nathan:Ghost Cage #3 (Nick Dragotta, Caleb Goellner)The Swamp Thing #14 (Ram V, Mike Perkins)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - Mindset #1 (Zack Kaplan, John J. Pearson)Dave - Variants #1 (Gail Simone, Phil Noto)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: Starhenge: Dragon & Boar #1 (Liam Sharp)Nathan: Batman #125 (Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Batman 89 #6 (Joe Quinones)Nathan: Batman #125 (John Giang variant C)Interview with Zack Kaplan to talk Forever Forward #1 - Out August 24Art by Arjuna Susini with colors are by Brad Simpson and letters by Jim CampbellFor our readers, what is Forever Forward?Do you have to create charts or a bulletin board to keep track of timelines/theories?I’m pretty surprised to see a book identify the invading force when so many choose to keep that vague. What made you decide to go ahead and say, “This is who we’re fighting?”There’s so much detail to the tech designs. How detailed was the lab description in the script? Same with the futuristic bits?The first issue uses a lot of double-page layouts instead of conventional layout structures, what made you go that route?Forever Forward is published under Scout, what made them the right publisher for this project?What is it about science going horribly right?Given the number of sci-fi stories you’ve got going this year alone, do you have a book of ideas that are yet untapped and how many good ideas are there?Do you have any other projects you’d like to talk about today?

Jun 26, 2022 • 1h 43min

Priest and Joe Illidge on crafting new villain Entropy without any rules

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSTim Sale has passed away at 66Titan Comics gets Conan the Barbarian for May 2023Miracleman news including a new #0 anthology and the start of Gaiman and Buckingham wrapping up their unfinished story‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures’ revisits animated series storyline‘Planet of the Apes’ omnibus to reprint 1975 series for the first timeImage Comics solicitations‘Ten Thousand Black Feathers’ continues The Bone Orchard universe September 2022New Image series Flawed announcedNew Skybound series Dark Ride announcedOur Top Books of the WeekDave:The Silver Coin #11 (James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Adam Gorham)Immortal X-Men #3 (Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck)Nathan:Home Sick Pilots #12 (Dan Watters, Caspar Wijngaard)Black Adam #1 (Christopher Priest, Rafa Sandoval)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - The Amazing Spider-Man #4Dave - Black Adam #1TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: Iron Cat #1 (Jed MacKay, Pere Perez)Nathan: The Variants #1 (Gail Simone, Phil Noto)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: X-Force #29 (Miguel Mercado)Nathan: DC vs. Vampires: Killers #1 (Booth & Glapion variant)Interview with Christopher Priest and Heavy Metal Executive Editor Joe Illidge about new Heavy Metal series ENTROPY (this year's event series), which debuts on July 6th with issue #1.Chris, what a week you’re having with the excellent debut of Black Adam #1 and with Entropy coming out in just a few short weeks. Thanks for being a guest on the AIPT comics podcast! To start, how did Entropy end up as a Heavy Metal series?Christopher and Joe, the two of you have been working together for a bit now. What is your collaborative process like?Press materials list Entropy as “Breaking Bad meets Green Lantern” can you explain those connections further?What was your relationships like with Heavy Metal growing up?You’ve explored the interior life of villains in Deathstroke, Black Adam, and now Entropy. What is it about the bad guys that draw your attention and make their stories worth telling for you?Two things were particularly striking from Montos’ work, the facial expressions, and the total annihilation of things, what are some of Montos’ strengths you write for?There’s a particular reference to a famous TV show in issue 1, is there a reason you picked that show and that line of dialogue?Do you have any other projects you’d like to talk about today?

Jun 19, 2022 • 44min

Best comics of the year 2022...so far

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!The AIPT Top Comics of the Year 2022...so far!Nathan: Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (Jadzia Axelrod, Jess Taylor)The Good Asian #10 (Pornsak Pichetshote, Alexandre Tefengki)Spider-Punk #1 (Cody Ziglar, Justin Mason)RetroActive (Ibrahim Moustafa)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2022 (Juni Ba)Human Target #5 (Tom King, Greg Smallwood)Dave: The Forgotten Blade OGN (Tze Chun, Toni Fejzula)Nightwing #88-#92 (Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo)Nice House on the Lake #7-9 (James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno)Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #2 (Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha)X-Men Red #1, #2 (Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli)Twig #1, #2 (Skottie Young, Kyle Strahm)

Jun 12, 2022 • 1h 15min

Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor on crafting DC’s newest hero in 'Galaxy: The Prettiest Star'

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSBruce Campbell to pen 'DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. The Army of the Dead'DC Comics to launch 'Black Adam – The Justice Society Files' miniseriesNew Dreamer OGN details surface in Nicole Maines interview‘Love Unlimited’ kicks off Marvel romance stories featuring Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, and moreMarvel and Penguin Random House ink exclusive world wild agreementNew Mutants #30 gets giant-size 40th-anniversary issueVault to host charity auction for George Perez’s birthday'The Black Ghost' Vol. 2 arrives in paperback on January 2023New ‘Ghostbusters’ movies and comic series in the worksSci-fi thriller ‘Kepler’ coming from the minds of David Duchovny and Phillip SevyOur Top Books of the WeekDave:DC Pride 2022 (various)Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor (2022) #1 (Torunn Gronbekk, Michael Dowling)Nathan:DC Pride 2022 (various)Poison Ivy #1 (G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - DC Pride 2022 #1 (“Finding Batman”)Dave - Thor #26TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: The Bone Orchard Mythos: The Passageway (Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino)Nathan: Do A Powerbomb! (Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Alice Ever After #3 (Dan Panosian)Nathan: The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #3 (Reiko Murakami)Segment: Interview with Jadzia Axelrod & Jess Taylor about Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (out May 17)How would you describe Galaxy The Prettiest Star to a reader who you know would just love to read this OGN?The secret identity is a trope we often see in superhero stories, and identity is so important to this story – was your approach to secret identities a starting point for this story?The DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults imprint takes place in a bit of a different continuity than ongoing DC comics, what are your thoughts about bringing Galaxy into the larger DC continuity? If it were to happen, how would you want her to be introduced, both narratively and visually?DC Pride 2022 had a Galaxy and Dreamer team up full-page splash, might we see these characters team up soon?Something interesting about Galaxy the Prettiest Star from a superhero perspective is how Galaxy’s powers aren’t defined quite yet, how did you approach unveiling them as the narrative took place?How important was David Bowie’s music to creating this story? Did Aladdin Sane as a whole give you a template in some ways? Can I ask which song Galaxy sings to Kat?Jess, your art is simply stunning. Can you talk a little bit about your process? Your panels and pages are so layered!How did the pair of you come up with the look of Galaxy’s powers, specifically the way she sees things differently from everyone else?Jess an artist I kept thinking of is Scott Morse reading this work, who I believe went on to work at Pixar, would you ever be interested in taking Galaxy to animation?To get inside the mind of a comics creator, what are some comics that you grew up loving? Have there been any newer comics you’ve admired?Do you have any other projects you’d like to talk about today?

Jun 5, 2022 • 1h 20min

Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell talk killing heroes and ending 'Suicide Squad: Blaze'

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSJoe Quesada stepping down from Marvel, higher-ups respondDC Comics expands 'Dark Crisis' event with more 'Flash' and new one-shotsDC Comics outlines Pride month partners and launches DC Pride HubDreamer OGN comingVault’s ‘Unbanned’ Pride Month Initiative to give LGBTQIA+ books to everyone everywhereSkybound is launching ‘Creepshow’ #1 comics miniseries this SeptemberComixology can no longer sell comics on AndroidAWA Studios launching 'Lesser Evils' universe through comics, short film, and webtoonsOur Top Books of the WeekDave:Strange #3 (Jed MacKay, Marcelo Ferreira)X-Men '92: House of XCII #2 (Steve Foxe, Salva Espin)Nathan:Strange #3 (Jed MacKay, Marcelo Ferreira)Ghost Rider #3 (Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith & Brent Peeples)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - X-Men ‘92: House of XCII #2 (Steve Foxe, Salva Espin)Dave - Nice House on the Lake #9 (James Tynion IV and artist Álvaro Martínez Bueno)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: The Ward #1 (Cavan Scott, Andres Ponce)Nathan: Aquaman: Andromeda #1 (Ram V, Christian Ward)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Aquaman: Andromeda #1 (Christian Ward)Nathan: Batman #124 (Filya Bratukhin)Segment: Interview with Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell about Suicide Squad: Blaze #3Si and Aaron, you've done horror before with Hellblazer, how is the horror different or the same in Suicide Squad Blaze?In a story where Superman can die, is there any hope at all?Something I found truly horrific aside from the monster or the talking shark, but the human faces of fear and grit. Aaron where do you find inspiration in these facial expressions?Suicide Squad Blaze #2 goes hard killing a lot of heroes. Is it freeing knowing you can kill DC darlings?With so many heroes dead, what should readers expect in issue 3 before foc this Sunday?Now that we have two issues behind us so there's less chance to spoil, Aaron what has been the most fun to draw?Does having more space to draw and write changed how you think about this story? Visually captions play in the dark well, for instance.One of our main characters, Mike is codependent on another member of the team, Tanya, how does a character recover from being such an ass?I’m fascinated by the use of color in the series, Jordie Bellaire colors this series but I was curious if you had thoughts on what the color story was going for?A core dynamic of the team in SS: Blaze is how a bunch of total rookies are given abilities, if given the same abilities how would you respond?Aaron, Si you're clearly working on all cylinders together, might you team up again soon?

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