AIPT Comics

This week, creators Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson join us to discuss AHOY Comics series Justice Warriors. We dig into their approach to comedy, the ridiculousness of it all, and how it mirrors our own society.

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. DC Comics Solicitations September 2023
2. Marvel Comics Solicitations September 2023
   1. Marvel releases new info on ‘Dark X-Men’ #2
   2. Marvel teases Tony Stark and Emma Frost marriage
   3. ‘Werewolf by Night’ #1 returns with oversized one-shot
   4. EXCLUSIVE Marvel First Look: Amazing Spider-Man #33 and #34
   5. Marvel details Fall of X details on September 2023 ‘X-Men’ titles
3. Ram V and Filipe Andrade team up at BOOM! to serve ‘Rare Flavours’
4. Dynamite announces ‘Negaduck’ #1 for September 2023
5. Prequel 'Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny' coming September 2023
6. 'Transformers' #1 launching with Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Wheeljack

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Superman #5 (Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell)
2. Incredible Hulk (2023) #1 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein)

Nathan:

1. Incredible Hulk #1 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein)
2. Venom #21 (Al Ewing, Cafu)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Superman #5 (Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell)

Dave - Scarlet Witch Annual #1 (Steve Orlando, Carlos Nieto)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: X-Men: Before The Fall: The Heralds Of Apocalypse #1 (Al Ewing, Luca Pizzari)
2. Nathan: Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Three #6 (Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Ty Templeton)d

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Detective Comics #1073 (Kelley Jones Card Stock Cover)
2. Nathan: Harley Quinn #31 (Filya Bratukin)

Interview: Interview: Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson - Justice Warriors

1. Matt Bors, Ben Clarkson, thank you for being on the AIPT comics podcast. First off, congratulations on the second printing of Justice Warriors! For our listeners, what’s the elevator pitch for this series?
2. Every page is full of interesting background bits. Dudes with clown noses, graffiti that says “Hell is otter people.” How much of this is in the script and how much is going buck wild while illustrating a page?
3. On that same note, how often do you find yourselves going back to add “just one more” detail?
4. With the creative juices flowing at various stages of layouts, how far did Justice Warriors steer from the original outline or plan by the time you reached the end?
5. The Prince is less of a villain and more of a goober. Was it important to you to have an authority figure like this in the book?
6. I noticed fun references to pop culture, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers handshake, is there any reference or gag in the book you hold particularly dear to your heart?
7. If you handed this book to someone in the bubble, I feel like it’d read like perfect JW propaganda. Was that a tonal goal here?
8. Horoscopes play a huge part in Justice Warriors, are either of you into horoscopes, or maybe the opposite, despise them?
9. Are either of you a Libra?
10. If a Justice Warriors 2 was crafted, who might the threat be this time?
11. Matt, for those who don’t know, you ran The Nib for 10 years, a twice named a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Likely a sensitive topic, why are you closing shop now?
12. When can we expect the final issue to land at our doorsteps (after we buy it from thenib.com)?
13. It’s way too early I’m sure, but if The Nib continued in some format, where or how might we see The Nib?

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. John Romita Sr. passed away at 93 
2. #ComicsBrokeMe trends on Twitter sparking frustrations with the comics industry
3. Skybound launching Energon Universe with new Transformers and G.I. Joe series
   1. 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero' returns November 2023
4. Marvel launching ‘Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood’ #1 for Halloween
5. Alyssa Wong takes over ‘Captain Marvel’ #1 this October
6. Twisted Rafael Grampá series 'Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham' coming September 2023
7. New series ‘Green Lantern: War Journal’ goes ’80s sci-fi action movie
8. ​​Dark Horse owner Embracer Group closing studios and set to restructure
9. AWA announces ‘Rumpus Room’ by Mark Russell and Ramon Rosanas
10. New comics series 'Kill Your Darlings' mixes Narnia and horror movie 'Hereditary'
11. 'From the World of Minor Threats: The Alternates' launching this September

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1 (Various)
2. Xino #1 (various)

Nathan:

1. Void Rivals #1 (Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici)
2. Xino #1 (various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Marvel's Voices Pride 2023 #1 (Sarah Gailey, Bailie Rosenlund, Rachelle Rosenberg)

Dave - Clobberin’ Time #4 (Steve Skroce)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Ultimate Invasion #1 (Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch)
2. Nathan: Edge of Spider-Verse #3 (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: The Incredible Hulk #1 (David Marquez Cover)
2. Nathan: Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1 (Inaki Miranda)

Interview: Robert Kirkman - ‘Void Rivals’ June 14th Zertonian/Agorrian

1. Congrats on the launch of Void Rivals! How has it been getting the band back together with Lorenzo De Felici? 
2. We’re introduced to a Zertonian and an Agorrian, both of whom feel very human – how much might we expect revealed about these cultures in the first story arc?
3. Let’s talk about the Cybertronian in the room. In addition to Void Rivals, you’re overseeing a new shared Hasbro universe. Can you walk us through how this came together and what your duties look like as “showrunner?”
   1. How many months, or years, are you planning ahead?
4. What made Joshua Williamson and Daniel Warren Johnson - some of our faves! - the right fit for this universe?
5. Before you go, Robert, the most important question of all: Do you have a favorite Transformer?

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. New series ‘Predator vs. Wolverine’ launches September 20th
2. Jonathan Hickman and Marvel set to launch new ‘Ultimate Universe’ #1
3. New series ‘Avengers Inc.’ launching crime solving team in September 2023
4. Kelly Thompson reveals 'Birds of Prey' series coming Fall 2023
5. ‘DC Pride 2023’ gets second printing out July 11
6. DC3 comic of 'The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive' #1 unlocks access to The Flash: Enter The Multiverse

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Loki #1 (Dan Watters, German Peralta)
2. Poison Ivy #13 (G. Willow Wilson, Kelley Jones, Marcio Takara, Guillem March, A.L. Kaplan)

Nathan:

1. Daredevil #12 (Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto) 
2. In Hell We Fight #1 (John Layman, Jok)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Spider-Man #9 (Dan Slott, Mark Bagley)

Dave - X-Men #23 (Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Xino #1 (various)
2. Nathan: Void Rivals #1 (Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo de Felici)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Black Panther #1 (Taurin Clarke)
2. Nathan: Doctor Strange #4 (Marcos Martin)

Interview: Joshua Williamson to talk Knight Terrors!

1. Having read Knight Terrors First Blood, this feels very much like you're fleshing out a corner of he DC universe that may not have had so many...connections, is that true?
2. The trinity show up in this issue and get a lot of focus, how important are the Trinity to the DCU?
3. I've seen a criticism that harely quinn is being "stuffed" into the event, what would you say to that argument?
4. Is there a past story arc or event fans can pick up to become acquainted with the themes and characters you're using here?
5. Howard Porter's art is once again fabulous, he draws my favorite Batman as far as current artists. Compared to Shadow War, is he going for a rougher style on purpose?
6. "No sleep till gotham" is this a riff on a beastie boy lyric?

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. IDW adds DC titles to Artist Editions, including ‘Batman: Year One’ and Neal Adams classics
2. J. Michael Straczynski returns to Marvel with 'Captain America' #1
3. Marvel unveils Captain America #750 celebration milestone issue details
4. 'Moon Knight' #25 to foreshadow the end...'Knight's End'
5. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' 'Where The Body Was' set for December 6th
6. ‘The Complete Norse Mythology’ coming November 2023
7. WEBTOON’s ‘Love Stories’ celebrates LGBTQ+ stories

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. DC Pride (Various)
2. Clobberin' Time (2023) #3 (Steve Skroce)

Nathan:

1. DC Pride (Various)
2. Power Girl Special #1 (Leah Williams, Joanne Starer, Natacha Bustos, Marguerite Sauvage)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - DC Pride 2023 (Phil Jiminez)

Dave - Detective Comics #1072 (Ram V, Ivan Reis and Stafano Raffaele)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Loki #1 (Dan Watters, German Peralta)
2. Nathan: New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1 (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: The Flash #800 (Michael Cho)
2. Nathan: Groot #2 (Ernanda Souza)

Interview: Tom King and Phil Hester - Gotham Year One (TPB FOC June 11) (the interview took place March 21st)

1. Gotham Year One is a great treat for someone like myself who loves film noir, are you both fans of the genre?
2. Gotham Year One is a complex sort of story, what was the bud or start of this idea before scripting and drawing even began?
3. Gotham Year One def feels like it doesn’t necessarily need to be tied to the greater DCU or be a “Batman” book at all, so I want to know why he wanted to do this as Gotham story, not just a standalone/creator-owned series
4. Phil, I love how you play with silhouette, what goes into doing that at the opportune time and place?
5. Since this book is so noir, did either of you do any research of noir classics, or do you have any favorites?
6. The atmosphere and mood is always visually arresting too, what has it been like working with Jordie Bellaire and Eric Gapstur?
7. Tom, there are interesting connections to the Gotham we know in this series, like how crime alley got its name, were you able to fit every connection in or did any hit the cutting room floor?
8. With the final issue out the 28th, might we ever see a sequel, a year two?
9. What's next, what are you most excited for in the coming year.

The AIPT Comics podcast is happy to host Leah Williams and Joanne Starer on today's show to discuss Power Girl Special #1 (art by Marguerite Sauvage and Natacha Bustos) out on May 30. We dig into character development, what to expect in their upcoming series Power Girl (ongoing) and Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville (currently slated for six issues), out September 5th, and so much more. And by more, I mean we even talk about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!

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. Dawn of DC grows with ‘Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War’ event
2. Sci-fi toy turned comic 'Rom' returns to Marvel Comics in 2024
3. Marvel adds ‘The Micronauts’ to release schedule in 2024
4. Meet new hero Kid Venom emerging from 'Death of the Venomverse' #2
5. Bryce Gold named Head of Comics at Kickstarter
6. DSTLRY sheds light on first title 'The Devil's Cut' out August 2023
7. Image Comics signs exclusive distribution deal with Lunar Distribution

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Fury (2023) #1 (Al Ewing, Scot Eaton, Cam Smith, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, and Ramon Rosanas)
2. Extreme Venomverse (2023) #2 (Various)

Nathan:

1. Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 (Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham)
2. Action Comics #1055 (Various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Darth Vader: Black, White, and Red #2 (David Pepose, Alessandro Vitti)

Dave - Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 (Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: DC Pride (Various)
2. Nathan: DC Pride (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Detective Comics #1072 (Kelley Jones)
2. Nathan: Alien #2 (Dave Johnson)

Interview: Leah Williams and Joanne Starer join the show to discuss Power Girl Special #1 (art by Marguerite Sauvage and Natacha Bustos) out on May 30.

1. Leah and Joanne, thank you for being on the AIPT comics podcast! Congrats on the Power Girl Special, and thank you for bringing these characters into the Dawn of DC initiative!
2. To start at a baseline: What are your histories with these characters?
3. All of these are characters with a good bit of baggage, both emotionally and in terms of decades of continuity. How did you create these stories as jumping-on points for new readers?
4. At the same time, these characters have all lent themselves to various interpretations over the years. Human Target, the New 52, etc. How do you go about synthesizing and building off of all of the different women they have been? - i accidentally did this too
5. Power Girl Special feels like it gets to a lot of emotional areas for Power Girl, especially grief and self-doubt. These emotions are so resonant and deeply powerful, how do you achieve the emotionality in the character and make it so real?
6. Johnny Sorrow, what makes him so fun to write?
7. Leah, we loved X-Terminators – and it got us wondering - and feel free to jump in here, Joanne: What DC characters or team would be ripe for an X-Terminators-style grindhouse book?
8. Joanne, superhero breakups seem to be the worst. Are they actually more difficult than they are for civilians, or just louder?
9. Something tells us Smallville won’t be all cornfields and apple pie. What does this series have in store for our heroes?
10. Joanne - Sirens of the City is finally coming to print from Boom in July! How did this come about?
11. Do you have anything else to promote today?
12. Lighting round
    1. Favorite ice cream flavor?
    2. Favorite pet type?
    3. Favorite Kryptonian?
    4. Do you play Marvel Snap? If so, what deck do you run?

This week on the AIPT Comics podcast, Dave and Nathan interview Jed MacKay, the mastermind behind the new Avengers ongoing series with C.F. Villa. We dig into character dynamics, why we made Captain Marvel the leader of the team, and so much more! Plus, we unpack more news than we usually get in two weeks, let alone one!

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 August 2023 Solicitations are here!
   1. ‘Immortal Thor’ announcement leaks ahead of August 2023 previews
2. Marvel promises Carnage vs. Knull in new 'Death of the Venomverse' #5 teaser
   1. Symbiotes rise (including the Symbiote Six) in new Gabriele Dell’Otto ‘Death of the Venomverse’ connecting cover
3. Marvel Comics warns fans 'Amazing Spider-Man' #26 spoilers have leaked
4. New 'Daredevil' creative team Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder starts fall 2023
5. DC Comics solicitations are here!
6. Lunar Distribution announces distribution agreement with DSTLRY
7. Ahead of the new Netflix animated series, 'Mech Cadets' returns to comic shops
8. Sci-fi Afro-futurism OGN ‘Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze’ coming November 2023
9. ‘Greatest superhero comic book on the planet’ ‘The Schlub’ coming August 2023
10. 'Beyond Mortal' graphic novel features heroes against unimaginable horrors
11. Rare Flavours #1 Tasting Menu Ashcan (BOOM! Studios) - PREVIEW ISSUE. The Eisner, Harvey, and Ringo Award-nominated team of Ram V and Filipe Andrade make their celebrated return, and you can get a first taste in this exclusive ashcan edition! Tantalize your senses with this amuse bouche introducing this creative duo's next masterpiece marrying the supernatural, Indian cuisine, and the cutthroat world of chef-driven celebrity in what will be the most talked about new comic of 2023! This ashcan will be strictly limited to its first printing, never to be printed again!
12. 2023 Eisner Awards nominees announced

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Batman: Brave and the Bold #1 (Various)
2. Avengers #1 (Jed MacKay, C.F. Villa)

Nathan:

1. The DC Book of Pride (Jadzia Axelrod)
2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 (Various)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 (Tom King, Mitch Gerads)

Dave - Fantastic Four #7 (Ryan North, Iban Coello)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Fury #1 (Al Ewing, Scot Eaton, Cam Smith, Adam Kubert, Ramon Rosanas)
2. Nathan: We Are Scarlet Twilight #1 (Benjamin Morse)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: X-O Manowar: Unconquered #3 (Liam Sharp)
2. Nathan: Fury #1 (Chris Samnee)

Interview: Jed MacKay - Avengers #1, Moon Knight, Timeless, Doctor Strange 
(last on the show April 18, 2021)

1. Jed, thank you for being on the AIPT comics podcast! Congratulations on the Eisner nomination! The first of many I’m sure.
2. Last time you were on the show it was April 2021, Moon Knight #1 hadn’t yet released, you delivered some of the best Black Cat comics ever, and the world was your oyster, take us through what you’ve been up to since April 2021. (and when do you sleep?)
3. You’re currently juggling Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Avengers, how do you keep up with those three at once?
4. Was there any desire to get Moon Knight and/or Doctor Strange on the team since you’re writing their solo books?
5. Do you listen to any music when you write? Your Strange books have big Pink Floyd/King Crimson energy.
6. If your Avengers run had a tagline, for the entire breath you’ve plotted or for this first story arc, what would it be?
7. Avengers has a new team lineup and a new team leader, what made Carol the right choice to lead the team?
8. I liked how you up front point out Carol had beef with Tony once, and where Black Panther is at currently, how do you balance the characters arcs and what you want to do with them in the team book?
9. The Ashen Combine is such a cool concept, and it’s not even your first awesome villainous team as we got the Three Mothers in Death of Doctor Strange, what motivates you to build these evil teams?
10. Timeless has been a nice annual preview of things to come, do you and Marvel have plans to continue bringing it back each year?

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. Wonder Woman’s daughter, Trinity, to be introduced in ‘Wonder Woman’ #800
2. DC ‘New Golden Age’ series for Sandman, Green Lantern, and Flash coming October 2023
3. Doomsday returns to fight Supergirl and Martian Manhunter this summer
4. Fall of X grows with new X-Men miniseries 'Jean Grey'
5. Captain America Finale #1 announced
6. 'Hunt for the Skinwalker' gets comics adaptation by Zac Thompson and Valeria Burzo
7. WEBTOON and Discord team up for webcomic 'Wumpus Wonderventures'
8. Creator-led ‘Black Box Chronicles’ comes to Kickstarter May 16 – exclusive

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Silk #1 (Emily Kim, Ig Guara)
2. Spirit World #1 (Alyssa Wong, Haining)

Nathan:

1. Ghostlore #1 (Cullen Bunn, Leomacs)
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 #1 (Christos Gage, Ig Guara)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - Superman: Lost #3 (Priest, Carlo Pagulayan)

Dave - Extreme Venomverse #1 (Story B Mirka Andolfo and Nico Leon)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Fantastic Four #7 (LGY #700) (Ryan North, Iban Coello)
2. Nathan: Batman: Brave and the Bold #1 (Various)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Maleficent #1 (Jennifer L. Meyer cover)
2. Nathan: Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #4 (David Mack cover)

Interview: Curt Pires - You’ve been Cancelled #1 (with Kevin Castaniero on art) FOC Monday, May 15 out on June 07, 2023.

1. You’re a comic shop owner and you’ve got You’ve Been Canceled #1 on the shelf, who is this book for audience-wise?
   1. What’s the pitch to the comic book reader?
2. Portions of this book reminded me of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Running Man in the best way possible, what goes into crafting a gnarly kill?
3. How did you get paired with Kevin Castaniero on this project? 
4. What went into building the protagonist, Roland Endo, and why is his mouth so far from his nose?! (jk) Getting big “90s badass” vibes from him, in a fun way! 
5. The conception and perception of cancel culture are prevalent in all walks of life, is there a grand statement you’re trying to make on the concept of being “canceled”?
6. Do you think/One might construe this comic is trying to say those who are canceled may not be treated fairly, or it’s not necessarily the consequences of their actions, just mob mentality, what would you say to that argument?
7. The story takes place in 2050, given the state of the world today, is your estimate for global blood lust for people being canceled too late or too soon?
8. There are two kills in the first issue of “canceled” people that seem to be a reference to real-life folks, how do you walk the line of depicting potential real-life people in fiction?
9. Why do you think there’s a love of hitmen in our culture?

This week, the AIPT Comics podcast goes off script with a brief intro of news, and then we dive into an interview with writer Kenny Porter. The writer behind the recent relaunch of Superboy as well as the super fun DC Mech, he also crafted the official prequel comics miniseries The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, out May 16th in comic shops.

Interview: Kenny Porter - Flash: The Fastest Man Alive - Out May 16

Working with artists Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Juan Ferreyra, and Jason Howard!

1. Kenny Porter has been tearing it up at DC with titles like DC: Mech, and stories in Batman: Urban Legends, with THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE coming out in trade paperback May 16th, it’s an honor to have you on the AIPT comics podcast! 
   1. To start, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE ties into the upcoming movie universe, for fans of who don’t read the comics, how important is it to read this before watching The Flash this summer?
   2. Fans are probably wondering, how much of The Flash script did you get to read before diving in?
2. After reading all the issues, it’s clear you’re establishing some things, is it fair to say these things are established so the movies don’t have to?
3. How open was Warner with which villains you could use in the series?
   1. Were any villains off the table?
4. Batman plays a big part in this series, did you find yourself writing his dialogue in a Ben Affleck voice?
5. What was it like working with three different artists on the series?
6. Getting to see Flash discover three key abilities in this series, set in the movie universe, is so rad. Were there any other abilities of Flash you wanted to show or reveal but didn’t have the page count to do so?
7. Congrats on Superboy The Man of Tomorrow #1 winning the DC round robin! Comic shops have till March 26th to put in their orders for Superboy The Man of Tomorrow #1, are kids of the 90s who grew up with black leather jacket Superboy in for a treat?

Welcome to another edition of the AIPT Comics podcast, where we recap the news, review comics, and host special guests. This week, special guest co-host Chris Hassan returns to unpack X-Men Monday 200 and talk comics. Plus, we have very special guest Dan Abnett on to talk about Groot, the new series launching next week that will unveil the untold backstory of everyone's favorite Guardians of the Galaxy member. This is an extended interview from the written interview from a few weeks ago.

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. X-Men Monday 200 Behind AIPT’s mutant milestone and the biggest scoops!
2. Dawn of DC adds new series 'Power Girl' and 'Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville'
3. Dawn of DC grows with 'Blue Beetle' #1 out September 2023, 'Green Arrow' gets extended to 12-issue series, new character Troublemaker
4. ‘Scarlet Witch’ #7 to debut new villain Hexfinder
5. Marvel details ‘What If…?’ starting July 2023 adding Venom and Moon Knight
6. Stan Sakai’s Dogu Publishing announces 'Oni Ronin' for November 2023
7. Creed gets a comic series
8. Jonathan Hickman’s 3 Worlds / 3 Moons opens online retail portal Emporia
9. Comics Publisher IDW Hit By Massive Layoffs

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Clobberin' Time (2023) #2 (Steve Skroce)
2. Unstoppable Doom Patrol (2023) #2 (Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham)

Chris:

1. Invincible Iron Man #5 (Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri)
2. Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 (Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, Paco Medina)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Chris - Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 - Last page - TO THE PIT! (Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, Paco Medina)

Dave - Star Wars: Darth Vader - Black, White & Red (2023) #1 (Peach Momoko story)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Peacemaker Tries Hard! #1 (Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh)
2. Chris: Immortal X-Men #11

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Batman #900 (Joe Quesada) 
2. Chris: Moon Knight #23 Variant by Declan Shalvey

Interview: Dan Abnett talks Groot #1 out May 3rd!

1. Dan, we last spoke in 2016 about Aquaman, how have you been?
2. At that time we got to talk a bit about how James Gunn made it clear the Guardians movie version is the Guardians you and Andy Lanning formulated, and now you're going back to Groot's past adding things, any chance what we find in this comic may be referenced in the third film?
3. What's it like revisiting a character like Groot and formulating something new set in the past?
4. Did you have a list of things you wanted to tackle as far as creating new continuity?
5. Groot #1 is coming out May 3, right in time for a bonafide Guardians of the Galaxy month of delights, so let's start with, how important do you think Groot to the Guardians team and how it works?
6. You hinted when Groot was announced there were unexpected Marvel characters popping up, with four issues in the series, can we expect 4 unexpected faces?
7. According to my research, Brian Michael Bendis and Jeff Loveness were the last two writers to contribute to Groot's early origins, one detail is we did not get along with his fellow saplings but did prefer the company of "Maintenance mammals" is this something you'll be exploring further?
8. Did this scratchan itch that makes you want to return to Marvel comics titles?

Welcome to another edition of the AIPT Comics podcast, your weekly fix for comics news, reviews, and more! This week we have special guests Tini Howard and Sweeney Boo on to discuss Harley Quinn, their new Dawn of DC relaunch of the series. We dig into their inspiration for the new direction, their love of the character, and so much more!

We also have a special surprise at the end of the interview. As listeners may know, Nathan has been working on an album with his songwriting partner for the last year, and they’ve got some cool new stuff on the way!

Stay till the very end of the episode to catch Nathan's new single, “Nothing Between,” from his band The Fever // The Rage! You can also listen to the new single on any of your favorite platforms by clicking here. 

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 Move' mobile fitness program and app set to launch Summer 2023
2. Full July 2023 Marvel Comics solicitations: ‘Hellfire Gala’ and ‘What If…’ return
   1. 'Marvel Age' #1000 coming August 30th to celebrate 84 year anniversary
   2. Captain America #750 gets star-spangled spectacular guest writers and more
   3. ‘Moon Knight’ gets anniversary special and new miniseries ‘City of the Dead’
   4. New series ‘Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest’ by Ann Nocenti launches July 5th
3. Rocket Raccoon returns
4. J.M. DeMatteis and Todd Nauck launch 'Magneto' #1 August 2nd
5. DC solicitations released for July 2023
6. 'Tales of the Titans' set to reveal backstories of Starfire, Raven, Donna Troy and Beast Boy
7. IDW outlines comics crossover event ‘Star Trek: Day of Blood’ coming July 2023
8. New ongoing high fantasy series 'The Hunger and the Dusk' launching July 2023
9. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things' crossover coming July 2023
10. 'BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness' one-shot announced by Keanu Reeves and Steve Skroce

Our Top Books of the Week

Dave:

1. Punisher #11 (Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz, Paul Azaceta)
2. X-Force (2019) #39 (Ben Percy, Robert Gill)

Nathan:

1. All Eight Eyes #1 (Steve Foxe, Piotr Kowalski)
2. The Punisher #11 (Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz, Paul Azaceta)

Standout KAPOW moment of the week:

Nathan - All Eight Eyes #1 (Steve Foxe, Piotr Kowalski)

Dave - Superman #3 (Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell) 

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Dave: Star Wars: Darth Vader - Black, White & Red #1 (Jason Aaron, Peach Momoko, Torunn Grønbekk)
2. Nathan: Star Wars: Darth Vader - Black, White & Red #1 (Jason Aaron, Peach Momoko, Torunn Grønbekk)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

1. Dave: Miracleman: Marvel Tales #1 (Alex Ross Cover)
2. Nathan: Star Wars: Darth Vader - Black, White & Red #1 (Art Adams)

Interview: Tini Howard & Sweeney Boo - Harley Quinn

1. To start, what got you into Harley Quinn as a character?
2. Tini, coming off a Punchline miniseries, do you feel like you rule the roost of clown-themed characters in DC Comics?
3. Two-Face is our main antagonist in the first issue, what made him the right villain to start with?
4. Even the solicit mentions cartoon fishes, which makes me wonder...did you watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit and was it an influence on this story?
5. Sweeny, I love how you create an outline around characters which helps lift them up, what kind of atmosphere and vibe are you going for with the visual style?
6. Kevin is a relatively new character, what made him the right fit for this story?
7. A spoiler question to be sure, Tashana aka Lady Quark pops into this tale, would you say she's the type of person that would have no patience for Harley Quinn?