Thinking Critical Comic Book Podcast

Tom King and DC Comics can’t seem to catch a break these days. He’s once again crapping the bed with STRANGE ADVENTURES and RORSCHACH. Wes has had enough and goes on an epic rant about everything wrong with Tom King and Brian Michael Bendis. (00:00:55) Modern comic book writers have lost the comic script so to speak. The craft of writing comic books is rapidly deteriorating. Dok and Wes talk about the dreadful pacing issue in current day comics. (00:19:53) Politics and social commentary have always been present in comic books. Wes and Perch discuss why so many readers have adverse reactions to politics in modern day comics. (00:42:42) DC Comics released their August 2021 solicitations. A whopping 46% of all new DC Comics are led by a Batman Family member. Wes and Perch discuss why it’s a problem. (00:58:42) Joshua McDonald from batman-news.com joins Wes to discuss the current state of the Batman comic universe. (01:15:26) Dylan from TheRealComicBookGamer YouTube joins Wes to discuss the current state of the Superman comic universe. (01:50:19) Dok rejoins Wes to discuss art swiping at Marvel and the latest issues of WOLVERINE and WAY OF X. (02:12:13) Finally, Wes reviews Jonathan Hickman’s exhilarating X-MEN #20! (02:34:22)

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Mark Pellegini and Wes take a deep dive into exploiting the comic book medium. No antagonist or protagonist can carry everything on their own. They need to be surrounded by friends, family, mentors, teachers and rivals to carry a story to a satisfying conclusion. In many ways developing engaging supporting characters is just as important creating your heroes and villains. Supporting characters are vital to fleshing out your main characters and setting, carrying subplots, creating conflict and providing crucial information. To create a captivating comic book story writers need to develop multiple supporting characters to support and challenge their antagonist. Comic book writer Mark Pellegrini demonstrates how to develop supporting characters who challenge and enhance their main characters and settings. 

Mark Pellegrini Bio

Mark Pellegrini is a creative consultant and writer for NINJAINK, LLC and his collaborations with Timothy Lim have been published by IDW and UDON studios. As a freelance featured writer, his articles and creative works have been published by such websites as Adventures in Poor Taste, Comics Alliance, Ain't it Cool News, and io9. You can find more of his writing at TMNT Entity.

YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCl-CXprfvSb6wMblmXH-pZg

Website: deviantart.com/ninjaink

Twitter: @PelleCreepy

Aaron Sparrow Bio

Aaron Sparrow is a comic book writer and editor who got his start as a copy editor at Tokyopop. In 2009, he became the Lead Editor for Boom! Studios' new line of Disney comic books. In addition to his editorial work on these titles, Sparrow also heavily lobbied to do a Darkwing Duck comic, having been a huge fan of the cartoon. 

YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCFMFLB8b2908bhhChZhgU6A

Twitter: @Aaron_Sparrow 

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AT&T admitted a mistake announcing a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery to create a mega entertainment entity primed to be a huge player in the streaming market. With WarnerMedia comes DC Comics publishing and their vast array of characters. Many people have been proclaiming doom and gloom for the venerable comic publisher. Are DC Comics really in trouble? (00:00:00) Award-winning comic editor Joe Corallo and Wes break down the details of the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger and potential fallout for DC Comics. (00:15:00) Joe sticks around to discuss BATMAN: FEAR STATE DC Comics horror-themed crossover event. (00:34:20) Comics writer and TMNT enthusiast Mark Pellegrini and Wes discuss the current state of Teenage Mutant Turtles after the introduction of Jennika. New writer Sophie Campbell places Jennika front and center in TMNT comic, with the original four brothers take a back seat. Unsurprisingly sales continue to drop. (00:56:30) marvel Writer Dan Slott broke the cardinal rule this week; never apologize to the mob. Writer Aaron Sparrow and Wes breakdown why it’s a terrible idea in today’s cancel culture. (01:27:44) Dok, Pele, Uel Carter and Wes preview an upcoming show on the podcast diving into the comic book collectors market. Back issue comics and key comic prices are skyrocketing and Pele has all the answers. (01:47:20) X-Men Historian Dok and Wes have a four-pronged solution to save Hickman-era X-Men. (02:20:28) Si Spurrier’s WAY OF X is the most promising new X-Men series since House of X/Powers of X. Wes reviews issue #2 and explains why this could be a turning point for the franchise. (02:44:42) Life-long comic reader Eric Breen joins the pod to break down his Top 5 game changing comic book stories or series of all-times. (03:06:18)

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J. Scott Campbell had to release multiple statements following his latest controversy. There were several inappropriate comments supporting him on Twitter and Instagram. In his initial statement he ran afoul of ComicsGate and eventually released an apology. (00:00) Dan Slott made statements supporting race, gender and sexuality swapping in TV, movies and comic books this week. Comic book writer/editor Aaron Sparrow and Wes debate the implicates of Slott’s comments and question why he isn’t willing to give his spot at Marvel. (12:59) Writer Lonnie Nadler lamented many of his friends ion the comic industry considering leaving the profession or finding part-time work to support their careers. Aaron Sparrow and Wes discuss why creators can’t get a break or afford to support their families these days. (36:56) New X-MEN writer Gerry Duggan has a history of disrespecting comic fans. He took it to another level this week. Aaron Sparrow has some pointed words about Gerry’s view of the fans. (59:47) Failing your way to the top seems to work in Marvel’s X-Men office . Gerry Duggan and Leah Williams recently had comics cancelled due to low sales and promptly received higher profile series. Perch and Wes discuss. (01:21:10) The quality of writing and customer service in comics has trend down for many years. Eric Breen and Wes debate how we got here. (01:35:02) Recently Marvel and DC Comics have started courting the indie comic office. No longer creating stories that appeal to the masses. X-Men historian Dok has theories about why this happened. (01:57:33) Marvel Comics are overhyping and spoiling upcoming events and story arcs to generate interest. Comic writer/editor Joe Corallo explains why that’s a recipe for disaster. (02:17:19) Comic artist Timothy Lim is producing art at an unprecedented pace in crowdfunding comics. He’s also a licensed Audiologist, manages all his crowdfunding campaigns, runs a YouTube channel and talk radio host. How does he juggle all the responsibilities and maintain his deadlines? Tim breaks it all down with Wes. (02:36:45)