Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Writer/artist Tradd Moore joins the show for a sprawling chat about his life, art, and work on projects like Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise. Moore discusses being social media free, external pressures, knowing yourself, his intentional nature, whether he always wanted to make comics, going to Savannah College of Art and Design, influences, his holistic approach, why he's writing and drawing comics, the impact of people on his life, whether his art reflects his worldview, the impact of original art sales, what he looks for in projects, two of his most recent efforts, the importance of freedom, drawing for himself, the merits of Waffle House and more.

Polygon's Susana Polo joins the show to talk about the upcoming slate of comics adaptations and to highlight things in comics we didn't get to write about but would like to talk about. Polo discusses fandom, what she reps for, her coverage of comic adaptations, the shift in interest in them, how we're feeling about comic movies and shows, flaws from the recent stretch, how important this year is for comic movies, what we're most excited for, how adaptations could connect better with comics, Marvel's struggles on that front, Vertigo's theoretical return, DC's art, Batman's strange stretch, the return of arc titles, the year of manga, writing and podcasting about comics, how she manages to keep going amidst everything, and more.

Writer Matthew Rosenberg returns to the show to talk about his past few years in comics. Rosenberg discusses his podcast Ideas Don't Bleed, what he gets from it, what his Substack Pro Grant ultimately allowed him to do, the power of time, figuring out what's next, work/life balance, what kind of swing guy he is, collaboration, his humor, the marriage of ideas in his new series We're Taking Everyone Down with Us, its origins, long titles, how the creator-owned space has evolved, how that evolution is changing what he wants for himself, and more.

Writer Kyle Higgins joins the show to talk about his career and his work on Radiant Black and The Massive-Verse. Higgins discusses the power of curiosity, how creating changes your relationship with the creation, Radiant Black as a response to his career to date, the importance of other people, his journey as a creator, the origins of Radiant Black, how The Massive-Verse became what it is, its improvisational nature, its leads, the biggest things they've gotten right and wrong to date, what makes comics such a draw, and more.

Writer Deniz Camp joins the show to talk about his career and his current slate of projects. Camp discusses creator realities, being a Barnes and Noble kid, JLA's impact, the power of restrictions, the impact of experiencing different cultures, varied influences, what made him want to make comics, 20th Century Men's impact, working on PanelxPanel, collaborating with artists, what guides him as he decides on projects, figuring Ultimates out, swinging for the fences, the upcoming Assorted Crisis Events, how he approaches his own writing, being musical with his work, the book's title, navigating the darker side of comics, what he wants his future to look like, and more.

The writer and artist behind the recently launched The Lucky Devils, Charles Soule and Ryan Browne, join the show to talk about the year their new Image Comics series and the path to bringing it to life. Browne and Soule discuss new release anticipation, how their projects evolve, the rules of these worlds, what they learned from Eight Billion Genies, how they balance each other out, the structure of 8BG, its Wishworld one-shot, what made them want to develop The Lucky Devils, its leads, the darkness of the series, how their collaborations evolve, the sins that tempt them, promotional efforts, how they continue to build, and more.

Retailer Patrick Brower joins the show to talk about the year that was in his Chicago comic shop, Challengers Comics + Conversation. Brower discusses the slow open to years, the top comics of the year at Challengers, stimulating foot traffic, the year that was at Challengers, Saga's immortal nature, Absolute learnings, what else is moving the needle at Challengers, the impact of handselling, how customer behaviors have changed, the world of comics distribution, behind the scenes work, managing the amount of product, his view on the broader world of comics retail, the evolution of that space, and more.

Writer Wyatt Kennedy joins the show to talk about his career and his work on the Image Comics series, Nights. Kennedy discusses managing stress, his comic origins, finding your things, influences outside of comics, figuring things out in real time, comic book rules, the origin of Nights, his artistic collaborators, the world of Nights, its season model, the work of making a comic, what he wants to do next, and more.

Cartoonist Guillaume Singelin joins the show to talk about one of my comics of the year, his graphic novel Frontier, and his career in comics. Singelin discusses his origins as a comic reader, France's relationship with comics, the works he originally connected with, what he originally wanted to do, his love animation, where inspiration comes from, working by himself or with others, creating French comics vs. American ones, the origins of Frontier, developing ideas, his process for creating Frontier, his cute characters, drawing environments, the political nature of the story, how the characters push each other, what he wants to do next, and more.

My pal Brandon Burpee returns to the show for Off Panel's annual year in review episode. Burpee joins me to discuss the year that was in comics, the different flavors of comics, how we read these days, the appeal of micro lines, where the Big Two are, the From the Ashes era for the X-Men, surprise standout moments for us, and more, before we both count down our 20 favorite comics of the year.

Also, by popular demand, you can find Brandon and I's lists below.

David

1. Hirayasumi 2. Frontier 3. Nights 4. Public Domain 5. The Library Mule of Córdoba 6. Self-Esteem and the End of the World 7. Local Man 8. Tokyo These Days 9. The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn 10. The Jellyfish 11. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees 12. The Power Fantasy 13. Marriage Toxin 14. Lunar New Year Love Story 15. Dog Days 16. Fantastic Four 17. Ultimate Universe 18. Helen of Wyndhorn 19. Kaya 20. In Utero

Brandon

1. Batman & Robin: World's Finest 2. Grommets 3. Falling in Love on the Path to Hell 4. Batman 5. Wolverine 6. NYX 7. Redcoat 8. Radiant Black 9. Avengers Twilight 10. Cobra Commander 11. Ultimate Spider-Man 12. Local Man 13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 14. Batman: Dark Age 15. Geiger 16. Spider-Man: Reign 2 17. X-Men 18. Uncanny X-Men 19. Wolverine Deep Cut 20. Green Arrow