Okay, it’s time to press pause on your life and press play on this week’s episode. Klaus Janson is an icon. He’s worked in comics for over fifty years, radically shaping characters like Daredevil and Batman, while working alongside other comic book greats such as Frank Miller, Dick Giordano, Gene Colan, Dennis O'Neil, Grant Morrison, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brian Michael Bendis, and many, many more. He’s worked within the medium from multiple angles as penciler, inker, colorist, writer, and teacher. By thriving through comics, he’s also collected a million stories to tell. We got a few out of him today.

We’re honored to have Klaus Janson join us for our 350th episode, especially during a time that sees his first North American art exhibit on display at the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York City. You have until April 11th to witness more than one hundred Klaus Janson pieces, reflecting a lifetime of dedication to our favorite art form. If you’re looking to extend the 40th anniversary celebrations of The Dark Knight Returns, a book that continues to shape the entire industry and a few others as well, then you owe yourself a trip.

Klaus Janson takes us all the way back to his time before comics, and how two unique jobs prepared him for his life at the drawing board. We discuss his collaboration with Frank Miller on Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns, a few of the projects he’s proud of that don’t necessarily get the most attention, and how comics have shaped him as a person.

Also, we spend this episode’s introduction discussing our recent excursion to WonderCon in Anaheim, California. With multiple conventions fighting for your attention this weekend, we consider what WonderCon offers that other gatherings don’t, as well as some of the comic book news revealed across multiple panels. Absolute Crisis?

Please say Thank You to Klaus Janson by following his Instagram.

This Week's Sponsors

Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.

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Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

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Watch The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

Previously on CBCC: Ethan Young on Demon Run

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Comic Book Club: My Boyfriend is a Bear at Meanwhile...Coffee in Herndon, Virginia, on 2/1 at 3:30 PM

Comic Book Film Club: Paying For It on 4/26 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia.

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

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