Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Retailer and distributor Christina Merkler joins the show to talk about the year at Discount Comic Book Service (or DCBS), In-Stock Trades, and Lunar Distribution. Merkler discusses her New York Comic Con experience, wearing multiple hats, the advantages of being a retailer and a distributor, the weird year at DCBS and In-Stock Trades, finding new customers, the timing of Ultimate and Absolute, the publisher mix, nostalgia comics, 2019 comparisons, readers versus collectors, DC's Compact Comics, manga, views from a distributor standpoint, the biggest things she's learned as a distributor, DC's return to Wednesday, relationship management, her outlook on the direct market, and more.

Writer Ryan North joins the show to talk about his career and relationship with comics, as well as his work on Fantastic Four and the upcoming The Rise of Emperor Doom. North discusses his busy travel schedule, balancing his life, how he got into comics, the origins of Dinosaur Comics, the advantages of constraints, the impact of his computer science brain, collaboration, how he chooses projects, Fantastic Four's structure, his approach to continuity, how he builds arcs, Johnny Storm's mustache, The Rise of Emperor Doom, the greatness of Doom, working at the center of Marvel, what keeps him coming back to comics, and more.

Designer Tim Leong joins the show to talk about his recently released book, Marvel Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Marvel Comics Universe. Leong discusses his comic origins, the lasting nature of comics, the comics that hooked him, how his Eisner-nominated comics magazine Comic Foundry came together, his journalism background, the design of magazines, the importance of having something for yourself, the origins of Super Graphic, the variety in that book, how comics have evolved, taking on the House of Ideas with Marvel Super Graphic, how he's evolved as a designer, the subjects he included in the book, the research process, his creative process, what excites him about the current state of comics, and more.

Artist Michael Allred joins the show to talk about his life and career in comics and his soon-to-be-Kickstarted art book, The Marvel Art of Michael Allred. Allred discusses the importance of having non-comic outlets, his early journey with comics and art, his quiet influences, the impact of his passions, time as a restricting factor, what goes into successful collaborations, the story behind Doop, why Madman has been home for him, the origins of The Marvel Art of Michael Allred, what went into the book, his art process, how he's perceived, the projects he leaned on for the book, keeping his original art, continuing to learn, and more.

The hosts of the podcast Comic Book Couples Counseling, Brad and Lisa Gullickson, join the show to chat about the story behind their show and their first work in comics. The team discusses their busy October, work/life balance, the role of stories in their lives, how their different vibes work, the development of Comic Book Couples Counseling, editing's impact, the couples counseling side of the podcast, their lean into interviews, figuring out which direction to take, programming the show, imposter syndrome, their improvements as podcasters, the upcoming Pots & Panels anthology, their comic in it, how collaborating has affected their relationship, their relationship with comics, and more.

The creative team behind the upcoming DC graphic novel This Land is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story, Jacoby Salcedo and Julio Anta, join the show to chat about that book and their careers to date, both together and separate. The team discusses convention experiences, the build up to This Land is Our Land's release, the pace of graphic novel releases, how they met, how well they really know each other, the impact of Sonic comics on Julio, what inspired Jacoby to draw, their biggest influences, how their friendship affects their collaborations, the origins of This Land is Our Land, their Blue Beetle backgrounds, Easter Eggs, the art and design of the book, tackling immigration, their collaborators, what they learned from the project, what they want next, and more.

It's time, folks! Comics critic Oliver Sava returns to the show for the seventh annual Superhero State of the Union! Sava joins for a discussion about his return to The AV Club, why we read superhero comics, leaning towards art, superhero comics outside the Big Two, following creators, art and arcs, where DC is right now, its hits and misses, DC editorial's moves, where Marvel's at, the new Ultimate universe, our Ultimate rankings, where Fantastic Four fits, the power of cool, the From the Ashes era for the X-Men, Jonathan Hickman's recent stretch, Marvel's safer path, what we'd like to see more from the Big Two, and more.

Writer/artist Declan Shalvey joins the show to talk about his rather considerable mix of projects. Shalvey discusses his busy dance card, the value of time, putting out fires, why he wanted to work on Mystique, cool versus good, writing and drawing an X-Book, what Mystique started with, how he's handling the character, how Old Dog Operations came together, what it's about, the creators of the project, what's next for Old Dog, the Thundercats explosion, becoming a licensed guy, the stigma around those titles, what he's missing, and more, before we close with a conversation about John Cassaday.

Writer/artist Caitlin Yarsky joins the show to talk about her upcoming Dark Horse Comics series Living Hell and what goes into soloing a comics project. Yarsky discusses her current slate, working on Black Hammer, how she engages with comics, influences outside of comics, overthinking art, the origins of Living Hell, the appeal of folklore and mythology, domestic life, writing for yourself, the different levels of ideas, the hook of the book, pulling from real life, her process, working with Dark Horse, the business side of comics, the Portland art community, and more.

Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick joins the show to talk about her upcoming Dark Horse Comics series FML and everything that comes with it. DeConnick discusses current stress levels, the origins of FML, its evolution, the glory of David López, FML's visual styles, her collaboration with López, building from her own life, FML's personal nature, embracing the pandemic, finding humor in the nightmare, relearning creator-owned, marketing comics, Dark Horse's fit, figuring out next steps, the human side of creation, and more.