Heavy Metal Presents: Geoff Boucher's Mindspace

YOU HAVE MY AX! This week, Geoff takes a deep dive into the world of NICK PITARRA, centered on Pitarra's smash-hit crowdfunded comic, AX-WIELDER JON. This gory, beautiful adventure centers on a titular barbarian, as he discovers deeper truths about life and love while fighting his way through a surreal landscape of monsters. Nick and Geoff discuss the creative origins of the project, writing and fatherhood, and inspirations like Moebius and Geof Darrow.

Special thanks to: Jordan Plosky and Garrett Nickell

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Holy new episode! Geoff talks about Batman's legacy and history with MICHAEL USLAN. The historian, writer, and producer talks about how the caped crusader has been translated through media, from broadway to TV to the new Batman movie (of which he is executive producer). He's also the author of a new Bat-memoir and industry guide, "Batman's Batman: A Memoir from Hollywood, Land of Bilk and Money."

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The fur will fly! Welcome to the intricate and high-stakes world of stop-motion animation, specifically Aardman's Oscar-nominated ROBIN ROBIN. Directors MIKEY PLEASE and DAN OJARI give us a glimpse into the agony and ecstasy of a medium where each tiny, hand-constructed frame can have tremendous consequences. We learn how they streamline a story, and why they traded Aardman's famous plasticene for fuzzy needle-felt animals. Robin Robin is on Netflix now: https://www.netflix.com/title/81058433.

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ALBERTO MIELGO lights up Mindspace the same way he lights up the screen - with bright colors, striking ideas, and bold opinions! Mielgo talks about his acclaimed new short film, "The Windshield Wiper," and how his animation style draws from the medium of comics. "Windshield Wiper" joins his formidable body of work, which includes Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, TRON: Uprising, Watch Dogs, Gorillaz, and "The Witness" short from Love Death + Robots. Tune in to learn about composition, script writing, and more!

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Mindspace welcomes accomplished animator and director ERICK OH to discuss his newest project, NAMOO. A frontrunner for the 2022 Academy Award nominations for animated short, NAMOO is a moving look at life, family, and time. Oh talks about how NAMOO was informed by the future, including its Oculus and VR components, and also how it grew out of the past, drawing from family history and childhood memories. Check out a trailer here.

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This week on Mindspace, Geoff is joined by incomparable media maven Michael Giltz to look back at Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Under what circumstances was this harrowing and wholesome classic created, and how have different eras of Hollywood adapted it? We talk Mr. Magoo, Orson Welles radio plays, and Rod Serling's "Carol for Another Christmas," a dark antiwar version from 1964.

Besides all that, we wish all Mindspace listeners an absolutely wonderful holiday and new year! We're so grateful for your support.

Mindspace is a HM podcast, hosted by veteran journalist Geoff Boucher, with many thanks to Garrett Nickell for audio production.

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Famed editor and writer JIM SHOOTER talks with Geoff about Ferro Lad, a character he created for DC's Legion of Superheroes as a teenage writer in the mid-60s. Ferro Lad, the boy hero whose sacrifice changed comics in the 1967 "Death of Ferro Lad," appeared on DC's pages as white -- but he wasn't supposed to be. Jim Shooter discusses why he originally wrote Ferro Lad as Black, the political and social causes that inspired him, and why DC suppressed the idea.

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New drop! Mindspace is hype this week as the creators of "Fairfax" — MATT HAUSFATER, TEDDY RILEY, and AARON BUCHSBAUM — talk about their neon-colored vision of Los Angeles and their delightfully berserk hit show. The trio chat with Geoff Boucher about the future of R-rated animation in the 21st century, and all the work that goes into producing animation (especially in pandemic conditions). Stream "Fairfax" and snag some pigeon merch on Amazon. // Stick around for a Mindspace discussion on LA and pop culture, including the one time Quentin Tarantino showed Geoff his favorite hangout spots.

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In a must-hear episode for comics fans and storytellers, Geoff Boucher welcomes WALT SIMONSON of Marvel to discuss his prolific career. Simonson gives us an insider's view on his works - including Thor, X-Factor, and graphic adaptations like Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark - and his recent contribution to The Winter Men by the late John Paul Leon. You'll learn all about Simonson's approaches to storytelling and how he adapts his drawing style to the projects at hand. And if you stick around for the outro, the Mindspace team discusses the comics industry in the 70s/80s, including that one time Marvel printed a comic with literal blood.

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You can pre-order The Winter Men on ZOOP, the crowdfunded comics community. All proceeds from the project will benefit the late artist's wife and family. John Paul Leon's art has been re-scanned for this project, and this new artists' edition includes pin-ups by Walt Simonson, Peach Momoko, Kim Jung Gi, Bill Sienkiewicz, Lee Weeks, and more. At various fundraising tiers, you can get all sorts of goodies, from the book itself to signed prints. Check it out on ZOOP here: https://zoop.gg/c/wintermen

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EMILY ARMSTRONG rocks Mindspace! The lead singer of rock band DEAD SARA tells us all about how the band crafted their latest album, Ain't It Tragic, in the depths of the pandemic. She talks about how she comes up with lyrics, and how the band has broken loose of previous expectations of sound or "brand." She and Geoff also explore the Doors, and band-name backstories.

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