Adrian Has Issues

This week's episode features an in-depth discussion with Cody Carpenter and Mark Day, the producers and composers of the explosive electronic/chiptune album Shadow Spirits, Vol. 1. What started as a 4-track EP in its inception, grew into a full-length auditory experience that hearkens back to the soundscapes of 8-bit and 16-bit role-playing videogames. In addition to discussing the inspiration behind the album, Cody and Mark also give listeners insight into their other work in music and indie game development.

Erica Schultz is a comic book writer, letterer and editor. She is perhaps best known for her creator-owned crime thriller M3 (Vices Press) and her work with Dynamite Comics which include the SWORDS OF SORROW series and CHARMED. She has co-created two books with artist Claire Connelly: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF WINSTON CHURCHILL and CHEESE: A LOVE STORY. Erica a has also contributed stories for anthologies such as 27: A ROCK ANTHOLOGY (Red Stylo Media) and WHERE WE LIVE (Image Comics) and has written a HAWKGIRL story as part of the pilot program for DC Comics New Talent Showcase and Writers Workshop. In this episode, Adrian and Eileen speak with Erica about two upcoming titles: the horror thriller TWELVE DEVILS DANCING from Action Lab/Danger Zone and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS #6 from Dynamite Comics, both of which hit comic shops on July 11, 2018! We discuss a variety of themes including: Cults and the cycle of abuse. The role colors play in horror comics. Overcoming problematic tropes in female characters. The portrayal of platonic relationships in pop culture.

Max Rauch is a musician, producer and recording engineer based out of New Jersey. Since 2012, he has been the vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band LKFFCT. In April 2018, the band released the 4-song EP entitled Cayenne through the label Sniffling Indie Kids. In this episode, Max and Adrian engage in a conversation about the songwriting process of Cayenne, the enduring spirit of the New Jersey DIY music scene and hilarious takes on growing up in New Jersey under shadow of New York.

Oneshi Press is an independent publishing company founded by writer/editor Lynsey G and multimedia visual artist Jayel Draco. Together, they have produced fantasy and sci-fi graphic novels, comic books and art books. Their projects include Tracy Queen, PACK and the Children of Gaia series. in their second appearance on the podcast, Lynsey and Jayel bring Adrian up to speed on the latest projects from Oneshi including their ongoing Quarterly Anthology series and two new entries in the Children of Gaia saga: War & Horses and Refuge. Additionally, there's some funny and insightful takes on the irritating nature of "corporate-speak" and what it truly takes to build maintain a thriving creative community.

Ashley Burgy is a good friend of mine going on 7 years now, having bonded over a mutual love of hockey and pop-punk music of the early-to-mid 2000s. Recorded prior to the start of the post-season of the NHL, Ashley and I engage in a hilariously irreverent discussion regarding our favorite teams that were fortunate enough to make the playoffs. From there we go on some fun tangents about Scientology's battle with folk music, a reboot of Mad Max set in the Everglades, problematic punk band members and how Kid Rock is only the tip of the iceberg regarding some of the problems plaguing the NHL. We were both a little under the weather during the recording of this episode so please bear with us.

Christopher Sebela is an Eisner Award-nominated writer, colorist and letterer based out of Portland, Oregon. His comic book credits range from work for Marvel & DC Comics (INJUSTICE: GROUND ZERO, SUICIDE SQUAD, CAPTAIN MARVEL), Oni Press (HEARTTHROB) and Black Crown (HOUSE AMOK). In this episode, Christopher speaks with Adrian about his experience writing JOHNNY BLAZE: GHOST RIDER, his first solo title with Marvel and his two newly-announced titles from Image Comics: the revenge tale SHANGHAI RED with art by Josh Hixson and CROWDED with Ted Brandt, Ro Stein & Triona Farrell. The latter of which spurs an examination of how online behavior and the culture of social media and how it affects our every day lives. There's also insightful talks about Christopher's writing process and the role music plays when working on scripts.

Hey, y'all! Adrian here. As you'll soon discover, my guests and I went on a strange journey in this episode. George "norg" Nowik, Sean "Ailsean" Stone and Chuck "finbeard" Simpson are three-fifths of LONELYROLLINGSTARS, a video game tribute band that was formed by members of other "VGM" acts The Smash Bros., Viking Guitar Live and Armcannon. The band stopped by to promote their recently released sophomore album Sugarburger, which features arrangements of songs from games like Splatoon and Shovel Knight and Persona 4. In a conversation filled with many hilarious asides and tangents, the band discusses a plethora of topics: Their unconventional approach to songwriting, performing livewith Transformers: The Movie composer Vince DiCOla, the evolution of written language and the controversial nature of avocados. Like I said: we go on a wild journey in this episode. Strap yourselves in and just enjoy the ride.

Jeff Rider is a comic book writer based out of San Francisco, California. Under the banner of his imprint Cloudwrangler Comics, Jeff has written several acclaimed comics such as Gravity Matters with Sean Dillon & Erica Schultz and Major Holmes & Captain Watson with Carlos Cabaleiro & Rachel Deering. The lovely and talented Eileen Melendez fills in as host for an ailing Adrian. For those who may not know, Eileen is the producer and occasional co-host of Adrian Has Issues as well as the creator of the upcoming blog/podcast The LatiNerd Experience. She, along with Jeff Rider, is also the co-editor of CACN.net, the online home of the Creator After Con Network. In this episode, Eileen speaks with Jeff about the real-life inspiration behind his latest comic project, The Arcane Cocktail Enthusiast, which features breathtaking artwork by Davide Puppo. The comic tells the story of Lark Leraar, a mixologist and wizard whose drinks are (literally) magic and is informed by the themes of respectful treatment of indigenous peoples, sustainable and ethical food practices.

Pat Shand is a writer and content creator based out of New York. Some of his credits include Breathless for Black Mask Studio and Little Girl for Devil's Due. Under the umbrella of Space Between Entertainment, Pat has also produced titles such as Destiny, NY and Clonsters. In this episode, Pat talks about Space Between's latest project Prison Witch, which was co-written with his wife Amy. Prison Witch is a 70-page graphic novel that tells the story of a coven of witches behind bars. The title will be launching on Kickstarter on March 6, 2018 and will feature interior art by Erica D'Urso with covers illustrated by Jenn St-Onge (Bingo Love) and Michelle Lockamy. Pat also gives helpful advice for other creators that may be considering using Kickstarter as well as the origins of Space Between Entertainment.

This week's episode features my friends and fellow podcasters, Kate Bresnahan and Bry Scalley! They are the hosts of the Takoyaki Time podcast, which covers all things anime, manga and Japanese pop culture. Continuing the conversation from their podcast, Kate and Bry Scalley talk about their introductions to western geek culture and anime itself, which leads into a discussion on the differences between American comic book culture and Japanese anime/manga and how those gaps are often bridged. Don't worry, it's not nearly as serious as it sounds. We had an absolute blast chatting and please do yourselves a favor and listen to their podcast.