Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, veteran comic writer Ron Marz joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock in this two-part episode to talk about Ron’s introduction to comics in his life, getting his start with Jim Starlin, his experience as a comic writer working on Diablo 4, how the comic book industry has changed over the years, the truth about the CrossGen compound, and how Ron writes visual scripts.

Stick around for part 2 of this conversation of... The Corner Box vs Ron Marz.

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:15] ChatGPT on Ron Marz.

·       [03:24] Ron’s highlights.

·       [04:46] Ron’s gateway comic.

·       [09:25] Meeting Jim Starlin.

·       [16:32] Writing full scripts.

·       [20:43] Working on Diablo 4.

·       [24:18] Transitioning from comics to video games.

·       [30:26] Who is interesting nowadays?

·       [34:07] The evolving market.

·       [40:57] The CrossGen conspiracy.

·       [45:18] Ron’s visual scripts.

Notable Quotes

·       “You have to be able to do the job and be professional once you get in the door.”

·       “Comics is like alchemy… Video games are like sorcery.”

·       “There are more good books out there on the stands than at any time in the history of the business.”

·       “Not that many people read, period.”

Relevant Links
TheCornerbox.club.

www.ronmarz.com.

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, Megan Brown joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about David’s first comic book script after decades in the industry, everyone’s writing processes, writing issues at breakneck speeds, working with artists, how to compel readers to continue reading, and serving the role of an editor.

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:33] David has written a comic book script.

·       [03:51] John’s writing process.

·       [07:59] Megan’s writing process.

·       [10:15] When the script doesn’t hit.

·       [12:46] Speed-writing.

·       [17:53] Writing to an artist.

·       [22:29] How to compel page-turning.

·       [26:54] Hating on infinite scroll.

·       [29:20] Approaching artists.

·       [34:32] The role of an editor.

·       [47:24] John’s Action Man.

·       [48:46] Scriptwriting How-To.

Notable Quotes

·       “Every panel should make you read the next panel. The end of every page should make you turn the page.”

Relevant Links

TheCornerBox.Club.

@megan_mb.

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about David’s surprise unboxing, when they first encountered Bone, how self-publishing has changed since the 90s, how Jeff Smith and Bone altered the course of the industry, and how Bone became an “all-ages” adult comic.

Timestamp Segments

·       [00:45] David’s unboxing surprise.

·       [09:24] Jeff Smith was in the news.

·       [11:28] First encounters with Bone.

·       [15:34] The indie comics scene in the 90s.

·       [20:44] Jeff Smith changes the model.

·       [26:37] Lessons learned from re-reading Bone.

·       [33:52] Is Bone for adults?

·       [38:29] The publishing history of Bone.

Notable Quotes

·       “We’re still in a weird world where the rules of other media do not apply to comics.”

·       “How’s this thing not a TV show yet? How’s it not an animated series? It’s tragic. When are we going to get what we deserve as fans?”

Relevant Links

TheCornerBox.Club.
Boneville.com.

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about the weird things seen in Blackhawk, John’s experience of attending the Eisners without David, Zoe Thorogood’s It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth, David’s newfound appreciation for X-Men, the game-changing Issue 107, Wolverine’s costume redesign, and why there’s nothing greater than comic books.

Timestamp Segments

·       [02:26] Blackhawk.

·       [06:43] Attending the Eisners.

·       [12:01] Zoe Thorogood and It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth. 

·       [23:46] David’s X-Men journey.

·       [29:52] Issue 107.

·       [42:50] Wolverine’s redesigned costume.

·       [46:59] More about Dave Cockrum.

·       [51:05] What’s great about comics.

Notable Quotes

·       “If you treat talent right, you’re usually, probably going to come out ahead.”

·       “There’s nothing greater than comic books.”

Relevant Links

TheCornerBox.Club.

Episode Summary

On today’s episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock, are joined by veteran comic artist, Paul Pelletier, to talk about how CrossGen’s collapse was the best thing for Marvel, how Paul became a comic fanatic, when Paul realized he’d made it, what he was doing before comics, and his dream to scratch the Spiderman itch.

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:07] Paul’s career highlights.

·       [06:07] CrossGen.

·       [09:39] The studio life at CrossGen.

·       [15:32] The comic that made Paul a fanatic.

·       [21:08] Paul’s influences.

·       [23:47] When did Paul make it?

·       [27:50] Paul before comics.

·       [33:42] What the heck is Megastar?

·       [41:18] Paul’s favorite things to work on.

·       [42:50] If Paul wrote his own book.

·       [44:04] The itch to work on Spiderman.

·       [47:10] Paul’s dream project.

Notable Quotes

·       “No matter how good or bad you are, you’re always going to find people who like what you do or not like it.”

·       “Nobody’s in comic books to get rich.”

About Paul

Paul Pelletier has been drawing comics professionally since 1992, starting with The Ex-Mutants, for Malibu Comics. Prior to taking up comic drawing as a career, he had spent several years drawing black and white comics, such as Zen: The Intergalactic Ninja, Totem: Sign of the Wardog, Wayward Warrior, Chiron, and Demon’s Tails. He also spent time at DC Comics, working on Darkstars, The Outsiders, Aquaman, Cyborg, Batgirl, Green Lantern, Superboy and the Ravers, Flash, and Titans, while also working on The Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, eXiles, GLA, Fantastic Four, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, Fear Itself: The Fearless, Wolverine, and more for Marvel.

Relevant Links

TheCornerBox.Club.

paulpelletierart.com.

Episode Summary

On today’s episode of The Corner Box, dedicated to Charlie and Pinto, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about some long-awaited comic book comebacks, the history of Speedball, they reimagine Speedball in the modern world, John digs into the moral issues in Spider-Man Annual #22, and David shares some fun tidbits about Speedball: The Masked Marvel!

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:33] Battle Chasers #10 finally dropped.

·       [04:17] Major comebacks.

·       [06:35] Appreciating comic artists.

·       [11:22] Speedball.

·       [20:51] The moral issue in Spider-Man Annual #22.

·       [22:54] Making Speedball work today.

·       [33:47] Naming Speedball.

·       [34:38] Some Speedball tidbits.

·       [40:49] Finding the core of a character.

Notable Quotes

·       “Comics are a visual medium. The visuals are king.”

·       “How do you be true to the character? Because if you’re not doing that, there’s not a huge reason to be using that character.”

Relevant Links

TheCornerBox.Club

Episode Summary

On today’s episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about how Kickstarter has started to disrupt the comic book business, how the distribution model has changed, and they highlight some notable examples of Kickstarter campaigns, including Labyrinth, The Few and Cursed, We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other’s Wounds, and the Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library.

Timestamp Segments

·       [03:20] How Kickstarter has helped the comic book cause.

·       [14:00] The Labyrinth campaign.

·       [15:59] Variant covers on Kickstarters.

·       [18:56] The Few And Cursed.

·       [25:31] We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other's Wounds.

·       [28:10] The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library.

·       [33:14] Kickstarter and WebComics.

Notable Quotes

·       “The comic book industry has had decades of a monopoly in the distribution system.”

·       “The direct connection between the comic and the person who wants to read it is front and center on something like Kickstarter.”

Relevant Links

Cornerbox.club.

The Few And Cursed.

We Will No Longer Have to Cover Each Other's Wounds.

The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library.

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, Comic Editor and Writer, Megan Brown, joins the show to talk about all things comics. Megan is an Editor and Writer, formerly of IDW Publishing. She has worked on books including Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, Read Only Memories, GLOW, Dungeons & Dragons, TMNT, Star Trek, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Napoleon Dynamite, and Godzilla, to name a few. She helped spearhead IDW Publishing’s original graphic novel initiative, acquiring and editing over fifteen books for the line to be published through 2027.

Today, David, John, and Megan talk about the fall of superheroes, reinventing properties vs. leaving them in the past, and everyone’s exciting upcoming work. Hear about how Megan’s first introduction to comics led to her career as a writer, how David liked an unlikeable show, and how they solved world hunger in the greatest podcast episode ever.

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:24] Megan’s origin story.

·       [06:02] Getting into the comic space.

·       [06:45] Megan’s best work.

·       [08:21] Megan, the writer.

·       [09:32] Does John write?

·       [11:53] Indiana Jones and the era the story is set it.

·       [15:08] Did Batman ‘89 kill the 90s superhero trend?

·       [17:00] Flash Gordon in the modern day?

·       [19:19] Why characters and properties get stuck in eras.

·       [31:04] David doesn’t like superhero movies.

·       [32:54] Was this the greatest 30 minutes ever?

Notable Quotes

·       “Trying to find ways to reinvent things for the modern audience is always the most difficult part.”

Relevant Links

Website:          megancolleenbrown.com.

Twitter:            @megan_mb.

LinkedIn:         Megan Brown.

Resources:

TheCornerbox.club.

Episode Summary

On today’s episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock kick off the podcast, talking about how each of them got started with comic books, led prolific careers as both comic book editors and writers, their experiences of becoming burnt-out from comics, how comics have changed from era to era, and the obscure but impactful influences in their lives.

Timestamp Segments

·       [01:38] Who is John?

·       [06:10] John, the Marvel editor.

·       [09:16] The Transformers Hall of Fame.

·       [11:12] A bit about David.

·       [14:04] The crucial comic years.

·       [17:19] Continuing David’s origin story.

·       [21:18] Comic burnout.

·       [24:32] How comics have changed over the years.

·       [35:28] Obscure but impactful influences.

·       [39:13] Blackhawk’s IT factor.

·       [41:22] Captain Carrot’s influence on David.

Notable Quotes

·       “Is the comic book medium passing me by? Am I getting too old for it?”

·       “If you wanted to sit down in the mid-90s and write the best novel that’s ever been written, you’re almost definitely not going to do that.”

·       “There are creative teams behind these books, and it did actually matter which creative team was on a book.”

Relevant Links

TheCornerbox.club.