Interviews with writers & artists who create comic books and graphic novels
Episodes
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Two returning guests talk about their action adventure heroes that have grace and guts!
First, Ron Randall talks about his third Kickstarter, a graphic novel about Mercy St. Claire entitled Trekker: Battlefields.
Ron is well known for his work on DC’s Sgt. Rock, Future Quest, Astro City, and many other characters for publishers over the course of his distinguished career.
Did you know he also illustrated Doom Patrol in the late 1990s?
I get Ron’s reaction to the new Doom Patrol series and we discuss movie spoilers.
Please note we do not discuss any blockbuster super hero movie spoilers. (I’m looking at you Avengers End Game!)
Instead, we marvel at how we managed to avoid Avengers End Game spoilers and how it is essential for a script unfold on the screen as the writers intended, rather than through spoilers!
My second guest Sam Johnson is a huge fan of Doom Patrol.
Sam explains why he hasn’t see the first season yet, and gives his impression based on the trailers.
Sam has launched his next Kickstarter for Geek-Girl.
This campaign is for the Crime War Trade Paperback and issue #5 of the ongoing Geek-Girl series.
Sam is so dedicated to the success of Geek-Girl he has taken off work to focus 100% on managing his Kickstarter campaign!
Finally, I ask both guests which defunct technology they miss the most.
Interview Segments:
Ron Randall / Trekker 02:00-28:07
Sam Johnson / Geek-Girl 28:08-51:41
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Ron Randall’s Trekker
Sam Johnson’s Geek-Girl
This episode’s sponsor The Comic Book Shop!
Thursday May 30, 2019
Thursday May 30, 2019
Returning is writer and playwright Sean Lewis who was last on episode #127 talking about his series Coyotes (Image Comics).
Sean provides the details behind the ending of that series with issue #8 and looks forward with his new series Thumbs on sale June 5th.
Making his debut on Creator Talks is artist Hayden Sherman (Cold War, Mary Shelley Monster Hunter / Aftershock).
Hayden collaborated with Sean on their series The Few (Image Comics) and team-up again for Thumbs.
What is the story of Thumbs?
“Imagine someone like Mark Zuckerberg created his own army of tech-obsessed teens and directed them to take on the government. What would the fallout be?"
Charley “Thumbs” Fellows is a member of just such an army. Poor and raised by the influential MOM™ app, he finds himself in the center of a war.
How does Hayden use color to show the proliferation of technology?
We talk about technology and ask the question, are we giving up too much info by using social media, for too little in return?
What is the real product of social media?
Are we at risk of further isolation and de-humanization through VR?
All this plus I ask what my guest think is the greatest invention of the 21st century.
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More about Thumbs
More about Sean Lewis
More about Hayden Sherman
More about this episode’s sponsor The Comic Book Shop!
Thursday May 23, 2019
Thursday May 23, 2019
Writer Caitlin Major and artist Kelly Bastow are the duo behind Manfried Saves The Day, a graphic novel published through Quirk Books.
“Come visit a world where human felines keep cute little humans as pampered pets…and the most spoiled of them all is irascible Manfried the Man.
Can a pet man who spends most of his time eating and sleeping take first prize at the Manflower Man Show? If not, the local shelter for stray men will be forced to shut down forever!”
Caitlin Major is a writer based in Toronto. Her web comics include Home Sick, Peach Plum Pear, Yer a Witch Milly, and The Spirit and the Spider.
Caitlin’s full-time job is as an animation compositor for Skyship Entertainment. Why is her work so critical to the animation process?
Kelly Bastow is an artist also based in Toronto whose work includes The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, Lumberjanes, and Adventure Time and Capture Creatures.
Both were housemates. What does Caitlin think of Kelly as a housemate, and vise versa?
We’re talking cats too!
What do they think is the best cat toy and how can one make a cat happy? What gift did Caitlin’s cat bring into her house?
All this and lots more fun in the Kicking Back With The Creator Segment.
Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes
More about Caitlin Major
Caitlin’s Podcast: Shitty Wizard
More about Manfried Save The Day
More about this episode’s sponsor The Comic Book Shop!
Thursday May 16, 2019
Thursday May 16, 2019
Writer Adam Glass (The Normals & Rough Riders) returns along with co-writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (Criminal Minds, Peaked in High School) to talk Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter.
The story asks what if the Frankenstein Monster was real?
According to the Diamond Previews solicitation:
“…With the recent discovery of Mary Shelley's secret memoir, the truth is finally revealed: Mary Shelley didn't just write Frankenstein, she lived it.”
Hayden Sherman, artist of Cold War, The Few, and Wasted Space illustrates the series.
The first issue was release April 17; the 2nd issue issue will be available May 22nd.
Olivia researched Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s background.
Did you know she is considered the founder of modern horror and was a feminist pioneer?
Olivia shares fascinating facts about Mary Shelley’s life and her relationship with her husband Percy Bysshe Shelly. Find out:
Who was accompanied Mary Shelley to Geneva, Switzerland during the summer of 1816 where the idea for her novel Frankenstein came to life?
Why were her traveling companions considered scandalous throughout Europe?
Why is Mary the sole reason Percy’s work survives today?
Why does Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein still resonate with audiences today?
Could a Frankenstein movie strike terror into 21st century audiences?
In the Kicking Back With The Creator segment, Adam and Olivia answer more of my fun question including which horror movie kept them up at night when they were children? And, if they had the chance, what is the one question each would ask Mary Shelley?
Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes
More about Adam Glass
More about Olivia Cuartero-Briggs
More about Mary Shelly: Monster Hunter
More about this episode’s sponsor The Comic Book Shop!
Thursday May 09, 2019
Thursday May 09, 2019
He’s back! Rags Morales returns to Valiant Comics to pencil and ink Bloodshot: Rising Sprit and he’s going to tell us all about it, unfiltered!
Join Rags and I with a glass of merlot and learn about the classes he took at the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art.
What did he find so valuable about Joe Kubert’s method? Who were his contemporaries taking classes?
Hop in the way back machine with us for a peak between the pages of the early days at Valiant during the 1990s.
Which giants of the comics industry did Rags meet while at Valiant?
How successful was Rag’s run on Geomancer?
What was does Rag’s think was the “event” that triggered the comic publisher and comic shop implosion of the mid-1990s?
How does Rags manage riding out downturns in comic book market place?
What is his most requested commission at comic conventions and which was the oddest! (Note: Put on your ear buds listeners, this episode is rated E for Explicit!)
All this plus when I Kickback With The Creator, Rags answers all my fun questions and provides the best answer to date for his action figure accessory!
And for all ages, Dawn Griffin returns for a Creator Corner segment on location at The Comic Book Shop! May 4th Free Comic Book Day, talking about her upcoming Kickstarter Ida Finds Her Voice. Parents, you need this book!
Interview Segments:
Rags Morales: 02:01 - 52:17
Dawn Griffin: 52:18 – 1:07
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More about Rags Morales
Click after May 13th: more about Dawn Griffin’s Kickstarter Ida Finds Her Voice
This episode is sponsored by The Comic Book Shop!, where comics as for everyone, just be nice.
Thursday May 02, 2019
Thursday May 02, 2019
My guest is comic book producer and Brooklyn native Tom Sacchi, the mind behind the crime-noir Offbeats and the 1960s manga-style Ultrabot Go Go Go! Both comics are published through Antarctic Press.
Tom begins by sharing his memory of the 1960s television cartoon series that introduced him to the world of comics. He also shares his memory of discovering a store, before the days of direct market distribution, which sold new and back issue comics and magazines.
He eventually drifted away from superhero comics and explains why the independent boom of the 1980s and Marvel’s Epic line rekindled his interest in comics.
Why did he want to make comics and what podcast and television series inspired Tom to become a producer of comic books?
Just what are Belgian style comics and how did they influence Tom’s Offbeats? Who is the creative team on the series and why were they the best match for this Belgian-style comic?
Which of these creators also helped make the one-shot Ultrabot Go Go Go! ?
Tom explains why the art style of 1960s Japanese comics appeal to him and what they do that is so different from most comics that fits Tom penchant for quick paced story-telling.
In the Kicking Back With The Creator Segment, we learn what would be Tom’s island book and who is the creator he would most like to meet. Both you have probably not heard of before this interview. Learn why the both book and creator earned Tom’s praise.
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This episode is sponsored by The Comic Book Shop! where comics as for everyone, just be nice!
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Andrea Mutti, artist of Rebels (Dark Horse) and Port of Earth (Image) returns this week for an interview about living in Italy, what fuels his creative process and a new graphic novel he is illustrating written by Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and Kevin Maurer (No Easy Day: The First Hand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden) titled Six Days: The Incredible True Story of D-Day’s Lost Chapter (DC Vertigo).
The Diamond Preview solicitation for Six Days reads:
“D-Day. One hundred eighty two members of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division parachute into the French countryside-a full 18 miles southeast of their intended target.
This original graphic novel from DC Vertigo is the true story of an obscure World War II battle that took place in the small village of Graignes, France, for six days and the men who survived to tell the tale.”
Andrea explains why, although he loved living in Italy, he enjoys the artistic freedom he has found and collaborative nature of making comics in the United States.
How does Andrea add a sense of authenticity when illustrating war comics such as Rebels and Six Days?
How does he attend to the details and sense of realism? And how does he add an a identity to each solider he draws?
How does he manage collaborating with two writers, does it get confusing?
Andrea also takes a swing at my fun questions in my Kicking Back With The Creator Segment.
What is his favorite region to visit and really experience in the United States?
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More about Andrea Mutti
More about the DC Vertigo title Six Days on sale May 8th 2019
This episode is sponsored by The Comic Book Shop! where comics are for everyone, just be nice.
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Creator Talks welcomes from America’s heartland prolific artist Greg Paprocki. He comes to highly recommend by my 2 year-old. How is that, you say?
Greg has partnered with Gibbs Smith and their BabyLit division to publish his historically themed ABC books. We discovered his wonderful work at our local library and want to share with all of our listens that are young or young at heart.
Greg’s simplified retro-style art style harkens back to the advertisements of the 1940 through the early1960s.
His BabyLit books include A is for Atom, G is for Go-Go, V is for Vittles, and E is for Easter.
Greg is also taken the reins as artist on the popular children’s book Curious George.
The first step on Greg’s journey as an artist began with an ad he found in a comic book.
With experience working as an art director, why did Greg decide to become a freelancer?
I learn about Greg’s career path and how he prepared to make it on his own.
Greg also talks about the commercial art he produced for Mattel’s Barbie, a Cheech and Chong beer label, and many more.
We talk comics, how Greg manages keep balance in his life and why it is important to trust his gut.
All this, plus Greg answers my fun question in the Kicking Back with The Creator segment.
In Creator Corner this week I have a brief interview with artist Andrea Mutti (Rebels, Star Wars, Batman Eternal) who tells us about the next arc of sci-fi thriller Port of Earth (Image Comics) written by Zack Kaplan (Eclipse). Its next arc of begins with issue #9 on sale April 17th.
Andrea will be back next week for a full interview discussing his upcoming work for DC Vertigo Six Days: The Incredible True Story of D-Day’s Lost Chapter.
Interview Segments:
Greg Paprocki 02:01-44:30
Andrea Mutti 44:31-59:30
Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes:
About Greg Paprocki
About Andrea Mutti
This episode is sponsored by The Comic Book Shop, where comics as for everyone
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
This week we're talking steam punk!
Undaunted by con crud and travel fatigue is writer Stephanie Cannon (It Came Out on a Wednesday - Alterna Comics) and writer/musician Matt Knowles.
Together they are Insymmetry Creations (#INSYM). I find out why they decided it was critical to create the company.
First, I catch up with Steph about her half marathon run, then turn my attention to their recent experiences at the 2019 Seattle Emerald City Comics Con!
Who were some of the creators they met on the floor?
What is the demographic of their steampunk fandom?
Did they have proper foot wear!?
Stephanie and Matt have combined their creative talents to craft Tales of Nocturnia, a medieval fantasy adventure in which a kingdom lies in shambles. The throne sits empty. Can the survivors re-assemble to fend off an impending attack from the forces of darkness?
Matt and Stephanie join me to talk about the Kickstarter for Tales of Nocturnia #1. The campaign is to fund the first issue of this three-part mini-series. Lending his talent to illustrate the book is artist Javi Laparra (Boot Hill - Finalist of the Ghost City Comic Competition).
Matt explains the set up for Tales of Nocturnia and how it grew out of a sequence Javi drew in Heirs of Isildur #6.
Why did Matt leave his heavy metal band?
How do Matt's new heavy metal compositions tie into Heirs of Isildur?
What artistic nuances does Javi add to that series?
What are Steph's big plans for her two-page Hexed story in 2020?
We close by Kicking Back With The Creator where I ask my guests fun questions to learn more about them, including the hazards of officiating soccer and what is the best heavy metal band, ever!
Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes
More about Stephanie Cannon
More about Tales of Isildur
About the Tales of Nocturnia Kickstarter
This episode is sponsored The Comic Book Shop, where comics as for everyone
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Julius Otha is an artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil who began his comic career as a colorist on Grime Fairly Tales (Zenescope) and Serenity (Dark Horse Comics).
His first work on interior art was Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man (Dynamite Entertainment), and now he is the artist of Bettie Page and the upcoming Bettie Page: Unbound.
Julius joins Creator Talks to discuss why he wanted to change from colorist to a penciler/inker.
How did Julius land his first assignment Sherlock Holmes with Dynamite Entertainment?
What suggestions did he make to the writers of the mini-series that changed the look of Holmes and Watson? And how does Julius collaborate with David Avallone, writer of Bettie Page?
All this plus in the Kicking Back With The Creator segment in which we learn what is Julius' favorite action/adventure film of all time. Hint: It would be the perfect film as a stand alone and not part of a trilogy!
This episode also debuts a new feature, Creator Corner, a short interview with returning guest Rafael Lourerio artist of The Mall (Scout Comics) written by James Haick III.
Rafael is accompanied by writers Don Handfield and Joshua Malkin to talk about their Kickstarter Unikorn, a family-friendly graphic novel with the message that with a little love, faith and hope, we never have to let go of the ones we've lost.
Interview Chapters
Julius Ohta:
02:00-48:47
Rafael Lourerio, Don Handfield & Joshua Malkin:
48:48-1:13:19
Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes
This episode is sponsored The Comic Book Shop, where comics as for everyone