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Is Clive Barker Responsible for The Matrix?! on The Corner Box - S3Ep37
David & John talk about the brutal math of making comics after the pages are done and the hard truth of the hard work behind every Kickstarter project. The guys talk about Marvel's changing of the guard, Dan Buckley’s legacy, DC’s momentum under Marie Javins, and whether comics are being pulled closer to media-brand machinery than comic-book instinct. John then drags Clive Barker’s Razorline out of the longbox, complete with Ecto Kid, Hyperkind, Steve Skroce, James Robinson, Lana Wachowski, and some truly heroic cover embossing. David counters with AmeriKarate, an Action Lab oddball that sounds like Team America, American Dad, Chuck Norris, and karate-chop insanity got shoved into one very dumb, very fun blender. Somehow, it all becomes a love letter to strange comics, dead-end experiments, and the beautiful mess of the medium.
Captions:
“Marketing comic books is a lot.” — John stating the creator pain in six words
“We blew it, man. We were like amateur hour big time.” — David on wishing they’d done more with David Harper
“It is nonsense… but oddly under control.” — John on Hyperkind and the chaos of Razorline
“Everything is solved with a karate chop to the face.” — David on AmeriKarate’s entire operating system
Splash Page:
[00:47] – The Kickstarter Pain Machine: David breaks down why making the comic is only the first boss fight.
[03:39] – Eisner Guest Regret Spiral: The guys admit they may have fumbled a killer David Harper conversation.
[05:05] – Marvel Gets a New Boss Fight: Dan Buckley’s exit sparks talk about Marvel, Disney, and the future of the line.
[09:23] – Dark Horse Alarm Bells: David worries about shops closing and comics losing focus to bigger media plays.
[12:01] – DC Gets Its Flowers: Mark Waid’s comments back up David and John’s read on Marie Javins’ steady hand.
[18:16] – Enter Razorline: John revisits Clive Barker’s strange Marvel horror-superhero experiment from the ’90s.
[22:00] – Embossed Abs Era: Ecto Kid’s cover becomes a love letter to ridiculous, beautifully overworked ’90s production.
[46:04] – AmeriKarate Kicks the Door In: David recommends a wildly dumb, wildly fun Action Lab series with maximum karate stupidity.
Support the Corner Box:
David Hedgecock (https://funtimego.com) - The Corner Box Co-Host
John Barber (https://www.pugworldwide.com) - The Corner Box Co-Host
The Corner Box (https://www.thecornerbox.club) - Official Website
Dive Deeper Into the Back Issue Bin:
Part 1 — Creators Mentioned
David Hedgecock (https://funtimego.com) - Co-host, comics veteran, and creator behind Super Kaiju Rock n’ Roller Derby Fun Time Go.
John Barber (https://www.pugworldwide.com) - Co-host, writer, editor, and Transformers Hall of Fame comics veteran.
David Harper (https://sktchd.com) - Comics journalist and Off Panel host discussed after his recent Corner Box appearance.
Dan Buckley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Buckley) - Longtime Marvel publishing executive discussed during the Marvel leadership conversation.
Marie Javins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Javins) - DC editor-in-chief credited in the conversation for helping steer DC’s current momentum.
Mark Waid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Waid) - Veteran comics writer discussed for his long-running relevance and current DC work.
James Gunn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gunn) - Mentioned in the conversation about comics-aware leadership and DC’s broader direction.
Mike Richardson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Richardson_(publisher)) - Dark Horse founder discussed in relation to the company’s leadership shift.
Clive Barker (https://www.clivebarker.info) - Horror and dark fantasy creator behind Marvel’s Razorline concepts.
Steve Skroce (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Skroce) - Artist on Ecto Kid and later collaborator with the Wachowskis.
James Robinson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Robinson_(writer)) - Writer of early Ecto Kid issues, discussed shortly before his Starman era.
Lana Wachowski (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Wachowski) - Mentioned for taking over Ecto Kid under her earlier name and later collaborating with Steve Skroce.
Corey Kalman (information missing) - Co-writer of AmeriKarate; reliable official reference not provided in transcript.
Brockton McKinney (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2444198/) - AmeriKarate co-writer connected in the discussion to Gingerdead Man movies and Rick and Morty comics.
Devon Roth (information missing) - AmeriKarate artist praised for animation-flavored storytelling; reliable official reference not provided in transcript.
Dave Dwonch (https://www.actionlabcomics.com) - Letterer on AmeriKarate and Action Lab-connected creator mentioned in the credits discussion.
Part 2 — Topics & Resources
Super Kaiju Rock n’ Roller Derby Fun Time Go (https://funtimego.com) - David’s Kickstarter comic promoted during the episode.
Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com) - The platform at the center of David’s creator-marketing pain and Super Kaiju campaign.
Marvel Comics (https://www.marvel.com/comics) - Discussed through leadership changes, market position, and the Razorline back catalog.
DC Comics (https://www.dc.com) - Discussed for its current creative momentum, Absolute line, compact editions, and editorial direction.
Dark Horse Comics (https://www.darkhorse.com) - Discussed through leadership changes, shop closures, and publishing focus.
Things From Another World (https://www.tfaw.com) - Dark Horse-connected retail operation discussed after store closure news.
Razorline (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razorline) - Clive Barker’s Marvel imprint and the centerpiece of John’s reading pick.
Ecto Kid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecto_Kid) - Razorline title praised as the strongest of the batch.
Hyperkind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperkind) - Razorline superhero title discussed for its wild ’90s execution.
Hokum & Hex (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokum_%26_Hex) - Razorline title discussed for its hard-to-explain weirdness.
Saint Sinner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sinner) - Razorline title discussed as one of the darker Barker concepts.
AmeriKarate (https://www.actionlabcomics.com) - Action Lab series David recommends for absurd action-comedy mayhem.
Gingerdead Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gingerdead_Man) - Bizarre horror-comedy rabbit hole connected to Brockton McKinney.
Image Comics (https://imagecomics.com) - Discussed as the massive early-’90s disruption that forced Marvel and DC to react.
X-Force (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Force) - Used as a reference point for Marvel’s early-’90s artist churn and post-Liefeld direction.
View all episodes
By David & JohnDavid & John talk about the brutal math of making comics after the pages are done and the hard truth of the hard work behind every Kickstarter project. The guys talk about Marvel's changing of the guard, Dan Buckley’s legacy, DC’s momentum under Marie Javins, and whether comics are being pulled closer to media-brand machinery than comic-book instinct. John then drags Clive Barker’s Razorline out of the longbox, complete with Ecto Kid, Hyperkind, Steve Skroce, James Robinson, Lana Wachowski, and some truly heroic cover embossing. David counters with AmeriKarate, an Action Lab oddball that sounds like Team America, American Dad, Chuck Norris, and karate-chop insanity got shoved into one very dumb, very fun blender. Somehow, it all becomes a love letter to strange comics, dead-end experiments, and the beautiful mess of the medium.
Captions:
“Marketing comic books is a lot.” — John stating the creator pain in six words
“We blew it, man. We were like amateur hour big time.” — David on wishing they’d done more with David Harper
“It is nonsense… but oddly under control.” — John on Hyperkind and the chaos of Razorline
“Everything is solved with a karate chop to the face.” — David on AmeriKarate’s entire operating system
Splash Page:
[00:47] – The Kickstarter Pain Machine: David breaks down why making the comic is only the first boss fight.
[03:39] – Eisner Guest Regret Spiral: The guys admit they may have fumbled a killer David Harper conversation.
[05:05] – Marvel Gets a New Boss Fight: Dan Buckley’s exit sparks talk about Marvel, Disney, and the future of the line.
[09:23] – Dark Horse Alarm Bells: David worries about shops closing and comics losing focus to bigger media plays.
[12:01] – DC Gets Its Flowers: Mark Waid’s comments back up David and John’s read on Marie Javins’ steady hand.
[18:16] – Enter Razorline: John revisits Clive Barker’s strange Marvel horror-superhero experiment from the ’90s.
[22:00] – Embossed Abs Era: Ecto Kid’s cover becomes a love letter to ridiculous, beautifully overworked ’90s production.
[46:04] – AmeriKarate Kicks the Door In: David recommends a wildly dumb, wildly fun Action Lab series with maximum karate stupidity.
Support the Corner Box:
David Hedgecock (https://funtimego.com) - The Corner Box Co-Host
John Barber (https://www.pugworldwide.com) - The Corner Box Co-Host
The Corner Box (https://www.thecornerbox.club) - Official Website
Dive Deeper Into the Back Issue Bin:
Part 1 — Creators Mentioned
David Hedgecock (https://funtimego.com) - Co-host, comics veteran, and creator behind Super Kaiju Rock n’ Roller Derby Fun Time Go.
John Barber (https://www.pugworldwide.com) - Co-host, writer, editor, and Transformers Hall of Fame comics veteran.
David Harper (https://sktchd.com) - Comics journalist and Off Panel host discussed after his recent Corner Box appearance.
Dan Buckley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Buckley) - Longtime Marvel publishing executive discussed during the Marvel leadership conversation.
Marie Javins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Javins) - DC editor-in-chief credited in the conversation for helping steer DC’s current momentum.
Mark Waid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Waid) - Veteran comics writer discussed for his long-running relevance and current DC work.
James Gunn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gunn) - Mentioned in the conversation about comics-aware leadership and DC’s broader direction.
Mike Richardson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Richardson_(publisher)) - Dark Horse founder discussed in relation to the company’s leadership shift.
Clive Barker (https://www.clivebarker.info) - Horror and dark fantasy creator behind Marvel’s Razorline concepts.
Steve Skroce (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Skroce) - Artist on Ecto Kid and later collaborator with the Wachowskis.
James Robinson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Robinson_(writer)) - Writer of early Ecto Kid issues, discussed shortly before his Starman era.
Lana Wachowski (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Wachowski) - Mentioned for taking over Ecto Kid under her earlier name and later collaborating with Steve Skroce.
Corey Kalman (information missing) - Co-writer of AmeriKarate; reliable official reference not provided in transcript.
Brockton McKinney (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2444198/) - AmeriKarate co-writer connected in the discussion to Gingerdead Man movies and Rick and Morty comics.
Devon Roth (information missing) - AmeriKarate artist praised for animation-flavored storytelling; reliable official reference not provided in transcript.
Dave Dwonch (https://www.actionlabcomics.com) - Letterer on AmeriKarate and Action Lab-connected creator mentioned in the credits discussion.
Part 2 — Topics & Resources
Super Kaiju Rock n’ Roller Derby Fun Time Go (https://funtimego.com) - David’s Kickstarter comic promoted during the episode.
Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com) - The platform at the center of David’s creator-marketing pain and Super Kaiju campaign.
Marvel Comics (https://www.marvel.com/comics) - Discussed through leadership changes, market position, and the Razorline back catalog.
DC Comics (https://www.dc.com) - Discussed for its current creative momentum, Absolute line, compact editions, and editorial direction.
Dark Horse Comics (https://www.darkhorse.com) - Discussed through leadership changes, shop closures, and publishing focus.
Things From Another World (https://www.tfaw.com) - Dark Horse-connected retail operation discussed after store closure news.
Razorline (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razorline) - Clive Barker’s Marvel imprint and the centerpiece of John’s reading pick.
Ecto Kid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecto_Kid) - Razorline title praised as the strongest of the batch.
Hyperkind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperkind) - Razorline superhero title discussed for its wild ’90s execution.
Hokum & Hex (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokum_%26_Hex) - Razorline title discussed for its hard-to-explain weirdness.
Saint Sinner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sinner) - Razorline title discussed as one of the darker Barker concepts.
AmeriKarate (https://www.actionlabcomics.com) - Action Lab series David recommends for absurd action-comedy mayhem.
Gingerdead Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gingerdead_Man) - Bizarre horror-comedy rabbit hole connected to Brockton McKinney.
Image Comics (https://imagecomics.com) - Discussed as the massive early-’90s disruption that forced Marvel and DC to react.
X-Force (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Force) - Used as a reference point for Marvel’s early-’90s artist churn and post-Liefeld direction.