The Comic Source Podcast

Jace chats with Jordan Plosky, CEO of Zoop, a new crowd -funding platform for comics. Zoop handles all the logistical challenges of marketing, fulfilling and running the campaign. This frees up the creators to just create. Plus Zoop only gets paid if the campaign is successful so they have a very vested interest in getting projects over the line. The platform essentially performs like other crowd-funding sites, but brings in so much more simplicity and each campaign is custom tailored to best suit the needs of that creator or creative team. Currently the platform is live with it's first project, Slow City Blues, with many more projects to come in the new future. Even some creators who have been regulars on other crowd-funding platforms are making the switch to Zoop. Listen in for all the details.

Jace and Rocky from the Comic Boom! YouTube channel talk about the latest DC books. There are so many great titles this week starting with Batman Urban Legends #4, the Red Hood and Grifter stories continue to be absolutely amazing. We get a fun look at Luke Fox back in the Batwing costume and the first of a three part Tim Drake Robin story. Meanwhile the emotionality and action of the Justice League's last adventure continues in Justice League Last Ride #2 and the art is spectacular. Rorschach #9 doesn't move the narrative forward in a big way, but the visual storytelling is superb and it feels like the clues are starting to line up. Batman The Detective #3 gives a welcome look at a young Bruce Wayne traveling the world and learning some manhunting skills, the guys both would love a series focused solely on this period of Batman's training. Over in Detective Comics #1037, Bruce Wayne has actually been accused of murder and arrested. Doesn't the GCPD now better by now? One of the back-ups starts a big debate about Lucius Fox and had Jace all fired up! Wonder Woman #773 might not resolve the Norse storyline in the most mythic & impactful of ways, but the story is wildly entertaining and feels authentic. Also the last page view of Themyscira is a great cliffhanger. Joker #4 has more of the actual Joker in it than any of the previous issues and the guys are divided on whether that's a good thing or not. Future State Gotham #2 teases a chance at redemption for Jason Todd, but is it too little, too late?

Jace chats with the creative team for a new crowd-funded project, Slow City Blues. The story follows a detective who is trapped in his own imagination after some tragic events in the real world. A story that explores loss, grief and self-acceptance set in a fantasy world with incredible artwork. Not only is this a new project, it is the debut project for a new crowdfunding platform called Zoop. This new company will handle all the logistical parts of crowd-funding campaigns and leave the creators free to create. Be sure to go and check out the project on Zoop!

Jace chats with Mitch Hallock, creator of Terrificon a true COMIC-con returning at the end of July. They guys chat about the challenges of bringing back a convention post-Covid. Also the comic-centric nature of Terrificon and how that informs what guests are invited and the panels and programming offered at the show. There are tons of great guests coming to the show for 2021 and lots of vendors with some amazing comics, collectibles and more. Give this one a listen and make some plans to attend Terrificon if you can!

Jace is joined by veteran comic book creator John Livesay to chat about all sort so things. John gives a brief history of his childhood love of comics and how he acquired so many of the great books he is constantly sharing on Twitter. We also hear how he went from writer to penciller to inker. There's talk about the current state of inking and how it has changed over the years. Plus John teases his upcoming creator owned comic Slow City Blues.

Jace welcomes comic creator Erica Schultz to the show to discuss her current Kickstarter campaign for The Deadliest Bouquet. When the mother of three women dies under mysterious circumstances the sisters must reunite to solve her murder all the while dealing with the consequence of their upbringing that including being trained to hunt Nazis. Skills passed down from one generation to the next, including grueling physical training makes for a very unorthodox childhood & leaves the sisters with complicated emotions for their mother, especially now that she is gone. In a word, despite the action and mystery contained in this original graphic novel, this story is about relationships. We all deal with loss in our own ways and we all certainly have relationships in our lives. From these touch points, this creative team hopes to bring this entertaining narrative to life. From the gorgeous 90's inspired cover by Kevin Wada to the beautiful interior and covers, you should definitely check this project out!

Jace and Jay talk about some of the titles that are hitting comic shops the week of June 2, 2021. Amazing Spider-Man #67 has a very classic Spider-Man, but Jace is hoping we get to the end of some of the many plot threads that are playing out in the title currently. Nocterra spends some time on quiet moments and has some great characterization, but this month's issue also really brings some hardcore action! Can't wait to see what happens next. Dep Beyond #5 gives us a look at what is on the other side of the portal and really shows how far the series has come in only a few issues. Out of Body #1 from AfterShock is surprisingly grounded for a book that deals with the supernatural. It has both an ethereal and procedural feel, fantastic work by the creative team. Inkblot is just a while lot of fun, exactly the book you would expect starring a fantastical and possible mythical cat. Speaking of cats, Black Cat #7 shows the heart of Felicia Hardy with gorgeous artwork. This character has come so far from her Spider-Man sidekick days. Iron Man Annual #1 does such an incredible job of establishing a start to the Infinite Destinies narrative it has convinced Jace to go all in. Also the art is SPECTACULAR! Heroes Reborn #5 is ok, but Jace worries about the inconsistency in art and story for the event overall. Crush and Lobo gets Jay's stamp of approval, he also feels like the characterization of Crush is authentic. Immortal Hulk #47 has us very close to the end of this series and it feels like its time to take the Hulk in a different direction, but we can't wait to see how this one ends first! Jay's Book of the Week is Star Wars War of the bounty Hunters #1, based on the strength of this issue, Jay is going all in on this event. We love how much it enriches the character & story points we know from the films and even adds to the Star Wars film canon. Also we are reminded in this issue what a bad ass Boba Fett is! All this, plus Jace runs down some other titles you may want to pick up this week.

Jace and Manny talk about the last two prelude issues for the Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunter event. We check out Doctor Aphra #10 and wonder how the events of that book and the characters are going to collide with Boba Fett, Han Solo, Darth Vader and all the rest of the bounty hunters caught up in this intricate collision course of a story. Darth Vader #12 is a much easier narrative to predict as it adds so much to the canon of the original fil trilogy in it's examination of how Vader sees Han Solo. A constant thorn in Vader's side, it is never more apparent than in this comic how much Darth Vader wants Han to pay for the times he has thwarted the Sith lords plans or helped Luke out of harms way.

Jace and Rocky from Comic Boom! talk about the DC offerings for the week of June 1, 2021. Crime Syndicate focuses on Emerald Knight, the Earth-3 version of John Stewart. Is he friend or foe? The jury is still out, but both guys think he is the most intriguing character in the book so far. The latest Batman Fortnite Zeropoint issue is a blast and shows off both Batman's leadership skills and his ability to play straight man to a good dose of humor. Speaking of Batman, the journey towards the Magistrate continues in the Caped Crusaders regular title, but we get plenty of Harley and Ghost Maker also. Swamp Thing #4 feels familiar as it leans into the mythos of the character very well and we get a not surprising, but not necessarily welcome cameo on the last page. Crush and Lobo had the guys very divided with Rocky seeing it as a missed opportunity while Jace very much enjoyed reading about Lobo's daughter for the first time. Justice League was solid, but once again the back up of Justice League Dark outshone the main story. Batman Catwoman had an awesome Harley vs Selina fight, but the alternating timelines have the overall story moving rather slowly so we still aren't quite sure what the point of it all is yet. Suicide Squad finished up the Red X crossover and the guys rather enjoyed it. Red X seems more formidable than we first expected which leads the guys to some guesses about who he might be. Green Lantern #3 is the best issue yet. We get some solid, relatable and very authentic characterization of John Stewart, a very intriguing look at what is happening amongst the wreckage of the Corps on PA and a tease that Hal Jordan may just be the Lantern that can help save the day. Finally The Nice House on the Lake #1 is a perfect first issue. An ensemble cast we meet to varying degrees, an antagonist who is suitably mysterious and a big event at the end that pushes the narrative forward in a big way. This is the kind of book that can keep you up at night thinking about what you would do if you found yourself amidst these events. The art is also suitably beautiful and creepy. An absolute must read.Jace and Rocky from Comic Boom! talk about the DC offerings for the week of June 1, 2021. Crime Syndicate focuses on Emerald Knight, the Earth-3 version of John Stewart. Is he friend or foe? The jury is still out, but both guys think he is the most intriguing character in the book so far. The latest Batman Fortnite Zeropoint issue is a blast and shows off both Batman's leadership skills and his ability to play straight man to a good dose of humor. Speaking of Batman, the journey towards the Magistrate continues in the Caped Crusaders regular title, but we get plenty of Harley and Ghost Maker also. Swamp Thing #4 feels familiar as it leans into the mythos of the character very well and we get a not surprising, but not necessarily welcome cameo on the last page. Crush and Lobo had the guys very divided with Rocky seeing it as a missed opportunity while Jace very much enjoyed reading about Lobo's daughter for the first time. Justice League was solid, but once again the back up of Justice League Dark outshone the main story. Batman Catwoman had an awesome Harley vs Selina fight, but the alternating timelines have the overall story moving rather slowly so we still aren't quite sure what the point of it all is yet. Suicide Squad finished up the Red X crossover and the guys rather enjoyed it. Red X seems more formidable than we first expected which leads the guys to some guesses about who he might be. Green Lantern #3 is the best issue yet. We get some solid, relatable and very authentic characterization of John Stewart, a very intriguing look at what is happening amongst the wreckage of the Corps on PA and a tease that Hal Jordan may just be the Lantern that can help save the day. Finally The Nice House on the Lake #1 is a perfect first issue. An ensemble cast we meet to varying degrees, an antagonist who is suitably mysterious and a big event at the end that pushes the narrative forward in a big way. This is the kind of book that can keep you up at night thinking about what you would do if you found yourself amidst these events. The art is also suitably beautiful and creepy. An absolute must read.

Jace chats with legendary comic creator Jim Starlin about his return to the drawing board and his most recent project that brings back his creation Vanth Dreadstar. They guys are joined by Jim's inker Jaime Jameson who talks about bringing some modern ideas to the project. Jim also mentions that working on this project has brought other ideas for future Dreadstar stories back and he has plans to do more crowd-funded projects with Dreadstar. Also Jim mentions felling even stronger now in terms of recovering from his injury than when he first started the project. It seems like comic fans will be lucky enough to see more future Jim Starlin artwork. Join us for the chat with Jim and Jaime and learn where you can get he Graphic Novel and Sourcebook if you missed out on the campaign.