AIPT Comics

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MCU recap, and Pornsak Pichetshote talks The Horizon Experiment 

NEWS

1. MCU reveals
   1. Daredevil Born Again getting second season
   2. First season has Kingpin and Daredevil team up
   3. Johnny Storm sports a cozy sweater costume
   4. Iron Heart teaming up with…The Hood?!
2. New Ultimate Black Cat, Hulk, and more in Ultimate Universe titles out November 2024
3. Marvel spotlights new X-Men Calico, Deathdream, Jitter, and Ransom
4. 'Scarlet Witch' #6 introduces new protégé Amaranth
5. Skybound launching ‘Creepshow: The Suspense Building Game’

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. The Power Fantasy #1 (Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard)
2. Cruel Universe #1 (Various)

Nathan:

1. The Power Fantasy #1 (Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard)
2. Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #1 (Various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Ain’t No Grave #4 (Skottie Young, Jorge Corona)

Dave - Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #1 (Dustin Nguyen)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Ultimates #3 (Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri)
2. Nathan: Ultraman X Avengers #1 (Kyle Higgins, Matthew Groom, Francesco Manna)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4 (Steve Beach Card Stock Cover)
2. Nathan: Star Wars: Darth Vader #49 (Dike Ruan)

Interview: Pornsak Pichetshote/The Horizon Experiment - The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian #1 - FOC September 2nd; September 25, 2024

1. It’s always exciting to have you on Pornsak, but even more so when there’s something new going on in comics we haven’t seen before. Can you tell our listeners what the Horizon Experiment is all about?
2. We understand it started over the debate of Idris Elba as James Bond. Tell us a bit about that.
   - Do you feel that dream movie would still disappoint? Is it inherently impossible for an established IP to take those kind of risks?
3. Something interesting about this project is the notion that it’s “designed to act as pilots for follow-up books if sales merit.” Do you have a number in mind for a series to flourish from a one-shot, and if one of the one-shots does merit a series how will you let fans know?
4. Tell us about your collaboration process with co-editor Will Dennis.
5. Were there any pitches you got but they didn’t make the cut for this first five?
6. Tell us about working with the Dodsons and Jeff Powell on The Manchurian.
7. We’d be remiss not to ask about Absolute Power Task Force VII #4, with a focus on Batman super robot Failsafe! This series has a different creative team each issue, and you’re teaming with Claire Roe on this one, was DC actively accepting pitches for this or did it come about organically?
8. Anything else you’d like to plug today?

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Don't miss our other fabulous creator spotlights:

• Creator Spotlight: Kevin Smith ‘All of this is act two’
• Creator Spotlight: Christian Ward on Batman: City of Madness and more
• Creator Spotlight: Chip Zdarsky on his career, Substack, & more
• Creator Spotlight: Ram V ‘Knowing everything is overrated’
• Creator Spotlight: Kelly Thompson on Powerpuff Girls, BoP, and more

NEWS

1. IDW announces new 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' ongoing series
2. Marvel announces ‘Laura Kinney: Wolverine’ #1
3. Venom Horse takes the stage in new ‘Venom War’ variant covers

Interview: Juni Ba, TMNT: Nightwatcher out AUG 14TH, 2024

1. Juni Ba, you’re known for so much incredible work, from Monkey Meat, to The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber, to The Boy Wonder, incredible cover art, and now TMNT Nightwatcher…
2. thank you for guesting on the AIPT comics podcast! To start, you’ve been building up a nice resume of TMNT work from covers to Armageddon game, the annual issue in 2022… what made TMNT Nightwatcher the right project to launch with IDW?
3. With a few issues under your belt I’m sure, how has it been working with Fero Pe?
4. If you had a mutation, what animal would you want to be?
5. I got a Dark Knight Returns vibe from the first issue, possibly due to the check-in with residents. Did you have any inspirations when scripting this series?
6. When writing a vigilante hero, are you looking to capture a certain level of brutality vs heroism?
7. Speaking of vigilantes, how would you say Nightwatcher and The Boy Wonder are different or the same?
8. Monkey Meat, might we see more of that series?
9. It’d be crime not to mention the incredible The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber, which your collaborator on that Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou just won an Eisner! Could you tell TMNT or Robin fans why they must pick this one up?
10. Do you find there’s a discovery of characters even when you have a plan? For instance, did you find you understood Robin better once you got a few issues under your belt, or for that matter Nightwatcher?

Rapid Fire Question Round:

• Best sandwich?
• What's one thing you own that you really should throw out?
• Apples or oranges?
• What is the scariest animal?
• Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
• What do you think happens when we die?
• Favorite action movie?
• Favorite smell?
• Least favorite smell?
• Flat or sparkling?
• Most used app on your phone?
• If you could have dinner with any three characters you’ve drawn or written before, who would they be and why?
• You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?
• What number am I thinking of?
• Describe the rest of your life in 5 words?

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you 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!

NEWS

1. Marvel Solicits for October 2024!
   1. Everything we know about X-Men comics out October 2024
   2. October 2024 ‘Venom War’ details revealed
   3. ‘Alien: Romulus’ prelude tie-in coming October 2024
   4. The Galactic Civil War comes into focus with 'Star Wars: Battle of Jakku'
2. New 'Fantastic Four' tale free in Marvel’s 2024 Trick-Or-Read titles
3. EXCLUSIVE: Dark Horse announces 'The Marvel Comics Covers of Jack Kirby' Vol 1
4. Todd McFarlane updates fans on ‘King Spawn’ at Blumhouse
5. SDCC ’24: Todd McFarlane talks all things Spawn comics and new movie
6. 'Christmas 365' offers bizarre feel-good story
7. New 'The Terminator' comics coming October 2024
8. Dark Horse Comics and Wizards of the Coast partner for new comics
9. SDCC portion:
   1. DC Comics reveals Justice League Unlimited and Absolute Batman details
   2. 'Absolute Flash,' 'New Gods,' 'JSA' and more announced at SDCC 2024
   3. Dynamite teases new James Bond comics by Gail Simone
   4. New Dynamite/Warner comics for Ben 10, Captain Planet, and more coming
   5. Marvel’s reveals for Star Wars, X-Men, and More! 
      1. New 'TVA' comic series announced at Marvel Fanfare panel 
      2. New Spider-Girl and female Deadpool revealed at Diamond Retailer lunch
      3. Doom for 2025!
      4. Marvel teases new ‘Psylocke’ series for SDCC 2024
      5. Marvel reveals ‘Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi’
   6. 'Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man' manga coming August 2024
   7. Darren Aronofsky and Frank Miller launching Abrams Comics series
   8. Massive-Verse movie in the works
   9. New global comics company Amazing Comics announced
   10. Eisner Award winners

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Search and Destroy #1 (Atsushi Kaneko)
2. The Nice House by the Sea (2024) #1 (James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire)

Nathan:

1. Hello Darkness #1 (Various)
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Jason Aaron, Joëlle Jones)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Annihilation 2099 #4 (Steve Orlando, Ario Anindito)

Dave - Epitaphs From the Abyss (Various: Brian Azzarello, Vlad Legostaev)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Saga #67 (Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples)
2. Nathan: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #1 (Melissa Flores, Simona Di Gianfelice)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Fantastic Four #22 (Alex Ross)
2. Nathan: Ultimate Spider-Man #7 (Doaly)

Interview: Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson’s - All-New Original Graphic Novel in JUSTICE WARRIORS: VOTE HARDER September 2024 

1. Matt, Ben, thanks for joining us on the AIPT Comics podcast for the second time! In fact, we last spoke June 23rd…just a day over a year! When you were last here you teased more would come, and now JUSTICE WARRIORS: VOTE HARDER comes out in September. Congrats! The original series came out as single issues, but now you’re going directly to graphic novel, did that change your process in creating this book?
2. What are Officers Schitt and Swamp Cop up to this time, and has a lot of time passed since the last series?
3. For the fan out there perplexed by the title, how does one vote harder?
4. Would you say the release of this book was in some way planned due to the election coming up?
5. Ben, I got a chance to check out a few pages of the graphic novel, and there’s some cool new characters, and a bonkers vehicle. Anything strike you as particularly fun to design for this graphic novel?
6. Satire is a fickle beast, any tips on how you approach writing/drawing satire?
7. 40 you have to trick us into feeling things
8. Matt, I’d be remiss not to ask about Toxic Avenger, can you give us the elevator pitch for the series?
9. As the first Toxic Avenger book since Marvel’s 1991 run, is there even more rope to write with?

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NEWS

1. DC Comics unveils 'DC All In' line of comics
   1. DC's 'Absolute Universe' creative teams and story details revealed
   2. DC core titles reveal new creative teams
   3. DC Comics solicitations for October 2024!
      1. 'Green Lantern Dark' #1 announced for October 2024
      2. New ‘Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween’ #7-10 covers and artists revealed
      3. 15:30
2. DC Comics launches Discord this week ahead of SDCC 2024
3. Digital comics reading app Omnibus is officially closing
4. New brutal revenge tale ‘The Creeping Below’ coming October 2024
5. Marvel comics relaunching 'Iron Man' on October 23rd, 2024
6. 'Star Wars: Ewoks' limited series coming October 2024
7. New Ghost Rider Fantasma appearing in 'Ghost Rider: Robbie Reyes Special' #1
8. BOOM! Studios announces 'Power Rangers Infinity' #1
9. Tom Hardy’s ‘Arcbound’ headed to Dark Horse Comics
10. Neon-infused cyberpunk series 'Nullhunter' coming October 2024
11. Dark Horse Comics reveals SDCC 2024 signing schedule and panels
12. Marvel Comics reveals SDCC 2024 signing schedule and panels
13. EXCLUSIVE: Chip Zdarsky reveals new promo project launching this week
14. ​​EXCLUSIVE: Killer clones run rampant in sci-fi series ‘Skin Police’ out October 2024

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Incredible Hulk #14 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Ryan North, Javier Garrón)
2. Into the Unbeing (2024): Part One #2 (Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman)

Nathan:

1. I Heart Skull-Crusher! #5 (Josie Campbell, Alessio Zonno)
2. Incredible Hulk #14 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Ryan North, Javier Garrón)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - I Heart Skull-Crusher! #5 (Josie Campbell, Alessio Zonno)

Dave - Ultimate X-Men #5 (Peach Momoko)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: The Nice House By The Sea #1 (James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire)
2. Nathan: Hello Darkness #1 (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Batman: Dark Age #4 (Chris Samnee)
2. Nathan: Batman: The Brave and the Bold #15 (Dan Hipp)

Interview: Jordan Morris joins the show! YOUTH GROUP art by  Bowen McCurdy - Out 07/16/2024

1. Jordan Morris, thank you for being our guest on the AIPT Comics podcast for the second time!
2. Thank you for continuing the tradition of appearing on our show the day after a Doughboys appearance! 
3. Tell our listeners, why’s Youth Group so awesome?
4. Specter Inspectors is one of my favorite comics from the last few years. How’d you link up with Bowen McCurdy?
5. Did you ever do youth ministry? This felt so specific in so many ways.
6. One of the things I love is that this book embraces the idea that there’s no wrong way to embrace spirituality. Was that an important message for you? And how long did it take to come to that, if I can get a little personal?
7. There’s specific Christian and Wiccann weaponry introduced. How’d you come about these and was there anything left on the cutting room floor? Do you have spreadsheets for the rules?
8. A lot of these characters feel deeply realized. Were any based on people you or Bowen McCurdy knew growing up?
9. For a deeply Christian person nervous about picking up Youth Group, how might you pitch this book to them?
10. What contemporary pop songs would be converted into Christian anthems if this book were set today?
11. I feel like some of the characters are learning to ask questions for the first time, and it’s difficult. Was this always a part of the story from the beginning, or something you found as you built out these characters?
12. What comics are you reading currently?

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NEWS

1. BOOM! Studios acquired by Penguin Random House
2. Ghost Machine reveals covers for 'Hyde Street' #1
3. DC Comics sheds light on ‘Absolute Power’ #4
4. Marvel’s Red Band ‘Blood Hunt’ titles all get 2nd printings
5. Beetlejuice invades DC Comics’ titles in September 2024
6. Oni Press launches 'Sectaurs' #1 in October 2024
7. New comic book company teased
8. Skybound reveals SDCC 2024 exclusives and panels
9. DC Comics reveals SDCC 2024 exclusives and panels
10. IDW reveals SDCC 2024 panel schedule
11. Image Comics reveals SDCC 2024 exclusives and panels
12. TOP 50 COMICS - JUNE 2024

AIPT Comics Podcast Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. X-Men #1 (Ryan Stegman, Jed MacKay)
2. Ultimates #2 (Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri)

Nathan:

1. From the World of Minor Threats: Barfly #1 (Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Kyle Starks, Ryan Browne)
2. Ultimates #2 (Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Spider-Boy #9 (Dan Slott, Paco Medina, Nathan Stockman)

Dave - Batman and Robin #11 (Williamson, Juan Ferreyra)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: The Powerpuff Girls #1 (Kelly Thompson, Paulina Ganucheau)
2. Nathan: The Powerpuff Girls #1 (Kelly Thompson, Paulina Ganucheau)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Ultimate X-Men #5 (Pepe Larraz Cover)
2. Nathan: Blow Away #4 (Jacob Phillips)

Interview: Kyle Higgens - C.O.W.L. 1964 (Issue #1 out August 7) FOC July 15

1. Kyle Higgens, thanks you for joining us on the AIPT Comics podcast! C.O.W.L. was your firs creator-owned at Image, but since that launched you’ve got the Massive-verse roaring, how have you changed working on projects since C.O.W.L. was first launched?
2. Its been 9 years since you’ve explored the world of COWL with Alec Siegel and Rod Reis, why was now the right time to launch COWL 1964?
3. I feel like COWL is a compelling look at the politics of superheroes, under the guise of the 60s, have the current politics of today influenced this upcoming series?
4. Back when COWL vol. 1 came out Entertainment Weekly said it was “"Mad Men meets Heroes in '60s Chicago." With those references dated and COWL 1964 a different project, how might you describe the upcoming series using TV references?
5. For a reader who may think the 60s isn’t their bag, how might you pitch COWL 1964 to them?
6. You’ve collaborated with a lot of great writers and artists, including Mat Groom, Joe Clark and now Bear McCreary & Kid Cudi. Any tips for working with a co-writer?
7. I know you love to play around with different media formats for the Massiveverse, and that's continuing with the audiobook version of Radiant Black. What made an audiobook the best format?

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NEWS

1. Rodney Barnes makes his DC series with Stevan Subic on 'Batman: Full Moon'
2. 'I Heart Skull-Crusher' gets ongoing run starting October 2024
3. Marvel teases ‘The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man’ for this fall
4. Marvel Comics teases Storm vs. Hyperion in ‘Avengers’ #18
5. It’s Moon Knight vs. Moon Knight in ‘Vengeance of the Moon Knight’ #8
6. Marvel reveals details on ‘Conquest 2099’
7. Image/Skybound and Hasbro announce ‘Choose Your Side’ initiative for G.I. Joe #1

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Absolute Power #1 (Mark Waid, Dan Mora)
2. Batman (2016) #150 (Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Denis Cowyan, Mike Hawthorne)

Nathan:

1. Batman (2016) #150 (Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Denis Cowyan)
2. Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1 (Dan Watters, Kelsey Ramsay)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Poison Ivy #24 (G. Willow Wilson, Haining)

Dave - The Boy Wonder #3 (Juni Ba)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Barfly (Kyle Starks, Ryan Browne)
2. Nathan: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 40th Anniversary Comics Celebration #1 (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: From The DC Vault: Death In The Family - Robin Lives! #1 (1:25 Mike Mignola Virgin Card Stock Cover)

Nathan: X-Men #1 (Scott Koblish Wraparound Connecting Variant)

Interview: Gillen Caspar - The Power Fantasy

1. There’s a lot of moving parts to The Power Fantasy, when did the bud of the story come to you and what was that bud?
2. You’re both no slouches in creating worlds and characters whole cloth, do you find there’s a good method to the madness, or is it truly chaotic in creating a world, characters, plot etc?
3. I understand The first extranormal individuals appeared in 1945, was this a choice so the new world history was post WW2, or does WW2 have some significance on the story? 
4. Caspar your work is incredible on this first issue. Is there a character that was your favorite to design?
5. The idea of ethics is a strong theme after reading the first issue, did you find yourselves poking in old books on ethics and philosophy when delving into the points of view of these characters? 
6. If you could have a superpower of one of the characters in this book, what would it be and why?
7. If The Power Fantasy was a song what would it be and why?
   1. Prince 1999; 
8. I understand Rian Hughes is involved with art as well, making each issue a more complex beast. Would you call his inclusion part of a “data pages” approach? 
9. Peter Cannon was a masterwork in my opinion, and also a great meta narrative on comics. Are you continuing that trend or other themes with the power fantasy?

Quick news recap:

Who are Drumfire, Sawtooth, Lockstep, and Voivod?

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 26, 2024

Vault Comics has announced Boat Rocker, an independent, integrated global entertainment company, today announced it has partnered with Don Cheadle’s...

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 26, 2024

Following Marc Spector’s triumphant return in Blood Hunt #4, Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio’s acclaimed run on Moon Knight continues...

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 26, 2024

Kevin Feige dishes on 'Fantastic Four,' 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' and more!

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 26, 2024

Oni Press is launching new EC Comics starting July 24th with Epitaphs from the Abyss, and today they’ve revealed there...

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 25, 2024

Chip Zdarsky and Gerry Duggan hire Rob Liefeld to wish Jonathan Hickman well.

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 25, 2024

Dark Horse and Marvel Comics to publish art books, launch Bullpen Books, and more.

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 25, 2024

Celebrating the reprinting of Marvel’s classic Godzilla comics, new GODZILLA VARIANT COVERS hit stands this September.

BY DAVID BROOKEJUNE 25, 2024

Two years ago, magic suddenly and violently became a thing again when the Earth's ley lines reversed.

BEST COMICS OF 2024… so far!

Best Series!

Dave: Fantastic Four

The Deviant

Ultimate Spider-Man

Wonder Woman

Nathan: 

Ultimate Spider-Man

Helen of Wyndhorn

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return

Hellblazer: Dead in America

Best Single Issue

Nathan: Doom #1 (Sanford Greene, Jonathan Hickman)

Dave: Ultimates #1 (Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri)

Best Writer

Nathan: The one-two punch of Ram V and Dan Watters

Dave: Ryan North

Best Artist

Nathan: Bilquis Evely

Dave: Valerio Schiti

Wild card options: 

Favorite relationship

Dave: Tim and Bruce (Batman by Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez)

Best Reboot/Relaunch

Dave: The Penguin’s new origin in The Penguin (Tom King, Stevan Subic) 

Nathan: Hellblazer: Dead in America

Best OGN:

Nathan: Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story

Dave: Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story

Favorite adaptation:

Nathan: My Adventures with Superman: Season 2

Dave: X-Men ’97

Biggest Surprise

Joker has mastered his own ability to create a Zur-En-Arrh persona

The One Hand mystery ending!

Deadpool’s gonna die??

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NEWS

1. DC Comics solicitations September 2024
   1. Appears the Bat-books are resetting, creators say goodbye on their newsletters:
      1. Tini Howard is ending Harley/Catwoman
      2. Josh Williamson ending Batman and Robin, and Green Arrow!
2. Vault's dark horror comedy 'Goobers' announced for September 2024
3. Mark Millar’s ‘Jupiter’s Legacy VI: Finale’ coming October 2024
4. 'The Transformers Compendium' Vol. 1 to collect Marvel Comics series
5. Marvel Comics Solicitations September 2024!
   1. Wade Wilson to die in 'Deadpool' #6 this September
   2. Spider-Man's 'Final Showdown' with Tombstone coming September 2024
   3. Zeb Wells and Romita Jr. are ending their run!
   4. Marvel to end current Star Wars comics era in September 2024
   5. Vengeance is on the hunt in 'Spirits of Vengeance' in September 2024
6. ‘Old Dog: Operations’ continues Declan Shalvey’s espionage series
7. A.C.H. Smith 'Jim Henson's Labyrinth' novelization gets graphic novel
8. ‘Space Usagi: White Star Rising’ expands Yojimbo’s space adventures
9. 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo' one-shot coming September 2024

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. The One Hand (2024) #5 (Ram V, Laurence Campbell)
2. Wonder Woman #10 (Tom King, Daniel Sampere)

Nathan:

1. Helen of Wyndhorn #3 (Tom King, Bilquis Evely)
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green #2 (Various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Venomverse Reborn #1 (Various)

Dave - Ultimate Spider-Man #6 (Marco Checchetto, Jonathan Hickman)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1 (Various)
2. Nathan: Zatanna: Bring Down the House #1 (Mario Tamaki, Javier Rodriguez)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Detective Comics #1086 (1:25 Sebastian Fiumara Card Stock Cover)
2. Nathan: Detective Comics #1086 (Seb McKinnon)

Interview - Mark Waid 

1. What was the original pitch for Absolute Power?
2. With so many books with Dan Mora, do you both have a shorthand at this point?
3. Can anyone get behind Waller’s actions after all that she’s done in recent years and now this? How do you navigate not making her too one-dimensional?
4. When writing a character like Waller, is there a certain headspace you need to be in?
5. Given Green Arrow seemingly edging towards agreeing with Waller, might we assume not every hero is on her hit list?
6. Could one assume this is all leading toward ALL heroes going into hiding, or at least never being trusted by the public again?
7. With so many characters involved in this event, and so many locations across the globe, do you or someone else have a giant Risk game board out trying to keep track of things?
8. After headlining the Lazarus Planet event, how would you say headlining Absolute Power is different?
   1. Wants an airwave action figure
9. If Absolute Power was a song what would it be and why?
10. You’ve worked with a ton of talented artists, maybe nearly every one that can come to mind, do you have a mount rushmore of artists you’d love to work with again?
11. If there was such a thing as the Mark Waid guarantee, what would you stamp on the cover guaranteed for anyone on the fence about Absolute Power?

We have a growing library of creator spotlight episodes on the AIPT Comics podcast. Check out the episodes below to get to know these creators in a new way!

• Creator Spotlight: Kevin Smith ‘All of this is act two’
• Creator Spotlight: Christian Ward on Batman: City of Madness and more
• Creator Spotlight: Chip Zdarsky on his career, Substack, & more
• Creator Spotlight: Ram V ‘Knowing everything is overrated’

You can stream the AIPT Comics podcast below or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview: Kelly Thompson - Powerpuff Girls art by Paulina Ganucheau (out July 2024), Scarlett with art by Marco Ferrari (out June 5th)

1. Kelly it’s such a pleasure to have you on the AIPT comics podcast for the second time! Congratulations on the Eisner nominations, what a year you’ve had. We’ve loved your work on Cull, Birds of Prey, and It’s Jeff, and now you’ve set your sites on Powerpuff Girls! Can you tell us how long you’ve been working on the project, and how it came to be?
2. Based on Paulina’s work, I have to say she’s an inspired pick for a series like this. Have you had a chance to check out any art yet?
3. Powerpuff Girls has such an eclectic rogues gallery, any favorite villains in the bunch? 
4. Any favorite villains you thought were underutilized? Maskara?
5. Last time you were on the podcast you mentioned you keep a notebook to jot down dialogue for characters, have you been adding to a Powerpuff Girl section and is there a specific character that you’ve grown to love writing the most?
6. If your first story arc of Powerpuff Girls was a song, what would it be and why?
   1. Best Coast - I love it Icona Pop, Call me Maybe, Cruel Summer
7. By the time this airs, Scarlet is out, but we haven’t had the pleasure of digging in yet, can you talk a little bit about how it fits within the Energon universe?
8. If the Powerpuff Girls are made of “sugar, spice, and everything nice,” what is Scarlet made of?
9. In press materials, you’ve mentioned Scarlett and Powerpuff as important to you when you were younger, what’s left for you to tackle in the comics realm?
10. Birds of Prey #12 reunites you with Sophie Campbell! What can we expect from this issue and how’d it feel getting the band back together?
11. 34
12. I’m a huge Marvel Snap fanatic and I know you play…Kelly what deck are you running these days?
13. What else do you have to plug today? The Cull and Black Cloak are both coming back, yes?

Rapid Fire Question Round (Stolen from Stephen Colbert so that a guest is “known”):

• Best sandwich?
• What's one thing you own that you really should throw out?
• Apples or oranges?
• What is the scariest animal?
• Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
• What do you think happens when we die?
• Favorite action movie?
• Favorite smell?
• Least favorite smell?
• Flat or sparkling?
• Most used app on your phone?
• If you could have dinner with any three characters you’ve written before, who would they be and why?
• You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?
• What number am I thinking of?
• Describe the rest of your life in 5 words?

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NEWS

1. ‘Avengers Assemble’ spinoff series coming September 2024
2. Marvel adds even more ’Marvel Must-Haves’ free comics in July 2024
3. 'X-Men: From the Ashes' Infinity Comic is a 'fresh start' for fans
4. ‘1982 DC Comics Style Guide’ gets full print run for August 2024
5. 'Petrol Head' lands film option deal at MR. B FILMS
6. EXCLUSIVE: ‘Epitaphs from the Abyss’ #3 and ‘Cruel Universe’ #2 scares up impressive creatives
7. Politics and horror combine in 'The Exorcism at 1600 Penn'
8. ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ #1 hits 140,000 preorders ahead of FOC
9. Creator-owned company Ghost Machine and the Joe Kubert School announced the launch of the Ghost Machine Future Superstar Scholarship, which will fund tuition and supplies for one third-year student during the 2024-25 semesters
10. TOP 50 COMICS - MAY 2024

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Ultimates #1 (Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri)
2. X-Men #35 (Various)

Chris:

1. Precious Metal #1 (Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram) 
2. Falling In Love On The Path To Hell #1 (Gerry Duggan, Garry Brown)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Chris - Birds of Prey #10 (Kelly Thompson, Robbi Rodriguez, Gavin Guidry0 [Page 19 on Box]

Dave - Get Fury #2 (Garth Ennis, Jacen Burrows)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: G.O.D.S. #8 (Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti)
2. Chris: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #1

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Fantastic Four #21 (Alex Ross)
2. Chris: Transformers #9

Interview: Soo Lee - Cheetara coming out in July

1. Soo, thank you so much for being on the AIPT Comics podcast! To start, Cheetara is very near and dear to so many, were you a fan of the original series at a young age, or did you gain interest later?
2. You’ve mentioned there’s some cool things overlooked in the original cartoon concerning Cheetara, could you expand on that?
3. This is a story about the past and future within the universe, how deep does Warner Bros let you go? Has there been any push back on ideas?
4. Why do you think Cheetara is one of the most important supporting characters? 
5. Is there any synergy between Cheetara and Thundercats?
6. Domenico Carbone draws the series, has there been a specific panel or page that went beyond your expectations?
7. Cheetara isn’t your first exploration of a licensed character as you’re coming off writing and drawing Maleficent, would you say there are any similarities to your approach to crafting these series?
8. Let’s say Cheetara gets a movie deal, and the studio wants your input on who to cast. Any actors come to mind?
9. If Cheetarah was a song what would it be and why?
   1. Abba song 
10. Superfight: Maleficent vs. Cheetara!