The Blastoff Podcast

In this week's COMICS 101, Scott helps you tell one Captain Marvel from another in "Captains Marvel," then takes a moment to remember the recently departed actor and writer Miguel Ferrer in "Gone Too Soon." Then, Jud tells the tale of a little boy and his quest to meet the wizard in "In Brightest Day." http://BlastoffComics.com

An interview with legendary screenwriter, actor, producer and director Carl Gottlieb, whose six-decade-spanning career includes cinematic classics Jaws and The Jerk, as well as television favorites such as The Bob Newhart Show and The Odd Couple. That's a resume large enough for most to envy, but Carl has done so much, much more. http://BlastoffComics.com

Quinton Peeples has been writing, producing and directing for television for over 30 years, and has a lot to offer us. You might recognize him from his TV work on Flashforward - a great show - The Last Ship, and Unforgettable, or his extremely well received inspirational film Woodlawn. Last year he acted as writer and executive producer on Hulu's 11/22/63, the adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel; it was pretty wonderful. This year, he's making the same magic happen with Iron Fist, Marvel's next big comic-book superhero extravaganza for Netflix. http://BlastoffComics.com

Todd Stashwick started his career in the cast of Chicago's illustrious Second City improvisational group. He leapt from the stages of New York City onto television screens, and has become one of the biggest character actors in Hollywood. After being the man of a thousand faces in literally hundreds of small- and large-screen projects (trust me, you've seen him take a turn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes, Justified, Teen Wolf, The Riches, Supernatural, where he brought Count Dracula to life, and scores of other fan favorites), he's finally settled into the role of Deacon on SyFy's hot show 12 Monkeys. He created an online comics and graphic novel series with artist Dennis Calero called Devil Inside - open up your browser right now and look at its badassery. And as if all of that wasn't enough, he's currently writing a licensed Star Wars video game for Electronic Arts that is going to absolutely knock you out. http://BlastoffComics.com

Scott introduces you to Pogo Possum and the rest of the denizens of the Okeefenokee Swamp in this week's Comics 101 offering, "It Ain't Nohow Permanent." while Jud walks you through the end of a relationship in this week's ReTales, "The Break-Up." http://BlastoffComics.com

Our guest on this episode is Cecil Castellucci, one of America's most influential young-adult novelists. Her first book, Grandma's Gloves, won the California Book Award Gold Medal. Her novel Boyproof debuted in 2005 and was named one of the best books for young adults by the American Library Association. She's also in the world of comics; she won the Joe Shuster Award for her graphic novel Plain Janes, which was published by DC Comics' Minx imprint. She was nominated for a Will Eisner Award for her book Odd Duck, and Moving Target, her Princess Leia Star Wars novel, was published to great acclaim last year. Right now, she is working on Shade the Changing Girl, part of the new imprint that DC Comics is putting out, Young Animal, which is spearheaded by none other than Gerard Way. http://BlastoffComics.com