Thinking Critical Comic Book Podcast

Joe Corallo and Eric Breen join Wes to discuss two classic Fantastic Four comic book issues. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #51 “This Man, This Monster” is the perfect display of two legendary creators at the top of their game. Jack Kirby’s illustrations of Reed Richard’s Negative Zone machine are only equaled by his mind-bending depictions of the Negative Zone itself. Stan Lee weaves a tale of revenge turned hero. John Byrne’s Fantastic Four #285 is a brilliant portrayal of the tragedy superheroes must endure along with their triumph. Wes, Joe and Eric dive into two essential Fantastic Four stories that changed the idea of what a comic book could be.

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Mark Pellegini and Wes break down Worldbuilding in comics. Worldbuilding is key no matter what genre or world you’re creating in. It establishes the rules and setting your characters and story operate in. In many ways it can be the longest and most part of comic book writing. In fact, a vast majority of the rules, history and culture you create may never show up in your comic book. But it drives your story and allows readers to become immersed in the setting and story your telling. 

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 

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/ThinkingCritical

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Marvel Comics continue running off longtime X-Men readers. Hellfire Gala was already derided after initial promo materials featuring characters in outlandish costumes. The X-Men team take it to another level with their free X-Men Hellfire Gala Guide this week. How long before readers refuse to come back? (00:00) The comic book industry has a long standing tradition of developing new talent in-house. The industry is trying to figure out how to develop writing and art talent in today’s climate of creating at home. Dok and Wes talk about the history and current climate of developing new talent. (14:25) Marvel and DC Comics are creating content for a new, modern audience. But they have yet to crack the code on how to market their stories to this new audience. Gevian Dargan and Wes discuss the ramification. (36:22) DC Comics Batman Fortnite cross-promotion is an enormous success. What can DC Comics do to top it next.? Video game developer and comic artist Eric Canete joins the channel to discuss. (01:06:01) Comic book readers are weary of digital comics because you don’t actually own the material. This week Madefire shutdown, leaving digital customers of Archie Comics, BOOM! Studios and others with nothing to show for their money. Joe Corallo and Wes discuss the worst case scenario playing out. (01:24:17) JoeCoralloa sticks around and discusses the latest reports Disney aren’t paying royalties to comic book creators. (01:42:40) Finally, Wes and comic books etailer Pele review last weeks CHAMPIONS #1 from Danny Lore. Many in the industry have hailed them the next bog writer in comics. Based on CHAMPIONS #1 they have plenty of work to do to make it to the top. (01:58:20)

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