Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

IDW's Group Editor, Licensing Heather Antos joins the show to talk about the life of an editor and her work on the Star Trek line. Antos discusses what a typical day is like for her, her varying hats, casting roles on projects, her comic origins, the capabilities of comics, whether her job has changed how she feels about comics, her interest in story, how she made her way into comics, her first editorial project, the power of communication, the project she learned the most from, the project that was the most fun, who she learned the most from, the licensing side of IDW, her vision for the Star Trek line, building out its creative lineup, managing fanbases, finding things for yourself, and more.

Cartoonist Tillie Walden the show to talk about the her past few years and her soon-to-complete Clementine trilogy over at Skybound Comet. Walden discusses the disparate audiences for the Clemetine series, atmosphere, going outside the box, how tools define an artist, tapping into the right energy, her extremely busy recent stretch, learning on the job, her plan for Clementine, dealing with trauma, the different levels of working on a property, her creative process, Clementine as a focus, the character's fanbase, the evolution of how she sees the character, how her experiences affect how she feels about her books, how her recent projects changed her as a person, and more.

Co-writers Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan join the show to talk about the comics podcaster to comics creator pipeline. Parker and Sheridan discuss their comic origins, the way they work together, how they think about story, their first collaboration, the origins of their partnership, experimentation, how they ended up making comics, idea generation, working on licensed comics, the power of restrictions, working with editors, debut release anxiety, whether they're still figuring themselves out, operating during a time of chaos, what the future holds for them, and more.

Retailer Eitan Manhoff joins the show to talk about the year in his shop Cape and Cowl Comics and the year in the direct market. Manhoff discusses how his role has changed, how the year has been in his shop, what's driving things, success spreading to other titles, the sustainability of the moment, customer interactions, adjustments he's had to make, the impact of available space, when things changed for his shop, the original/creator-owned side of comics, Deniz Camp's moment, the impact of micro lines, challenges from the year, Diamond Comic Distributors' bankruptcy, its impact on other product lines, what should be learned from the moment, the Eisner judge experience and more.

Cartoonist Gabriel Bá joins the show to talk about his career and the upcoming The Umbrella Academy: Plan B. Bá discusses the build up to new releases, the past few years for him, whether that stretch has changed him as a creator and storyteller, San Diego Comic Con's impact on his journey, how his career and what he wanted from it evolved, following new directions, co-writing The Umbrella Academy: Plan B, Gerard Way's artistic background, script flavors, the differing approaches he and Fabio Moon have, learning about art, his art across the years on Umbrella Academy, the joy of the series, what keeps him excited about comics, and more.

In this week's road show episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi, writer Ryan North, and cartoonist Lucy Knisley join the show to talk about why they love comics so much, albeit in individual segments. Up first, Kibuishi discusses the original appeal of comics, what stood out about the medium, comic strips and picture books, his reader self versus creator self, information compression, the excitement of the new, the power of Dog Man, and more. Then, North chats about his own love of comics, his view of the medium as a reader and creator, whether making them has changed his feelings about reading them, what keeps him excited about comics, knowing where the walls are, and more. To close, Knisley discusses her own love of comics, the primal impact of words and pictures, the comics that unlocked the medium for her, multi-generational creator relationships, the low barrier of entry for comics, diversifying what you do, what keeps her excited about comics, and more.

In the landmark, hologram-covered 500th episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns to the show to hand out some awards and to answer questions from friends of the podcast. We discuss favorites and surprises from the first 500 episodes, the comics that aged the best and worst from the past decade, comic book crushes, advice for our previous and future selves, comics that made us cry, comic character influencers, what we would change in comics, the comic we think everyone should read, our favorite X-Men comic ever, my approach to interviews, detail in art, our Star Wars connections, comics that get better with rereads, who won the past decade, favorite birthdays and Halloween costumes, our favorite writer, artist, and comic from the past decade, comic and music pairings, and more.

Writer/editor Alejandro Arbona joins the show to talk about his shift towards writing and his upcoming Kickstarter for his new graphic novel Lake Yellowwood Slaughter. Arbona discusses how he views himself these days, shifting how he's perceived, navigating the current publisher landscape, how he decides which projects to take on, the big things he learned from his editorial work, the origins of Lake Yellowwood Slaughter, his slasher movie background, the roots of its name, Suspiria Vilchez's cover, making a horror comic work, the difference between film and comics, the format of the book, his view of the current state of comics, the wonder of Goats Flying Press, and more.

Writer Jonathan Hickman joins the show to talk about this phase in his career and the varying projects he's working on. Hickman discusses his love of the World Cup, the phase he finds himself in, his current reality versus his previous one, why Imperial is a focus, his project mix, whether he has to think differently because the current market, promotional materials, working with artists, the origins of Aliens vs. Avengers, notable pitches, the space side of Marvel, Imperial's roots, finding new corners to work in, editorial experiences, the type of writer he is, Ultimate Spider-Man's timeline, delivering what people don't expect, creator-owned versus for-hire, the lasting feelings of his X-Men run, keeping things fresh, how he finds the right fit for himself, and more.

Writer/artist Sophie Campbell joins the show to talk about her career in comics and her work on the upcoming Supergirl at DC Comics. Campbell discusses her comic origins, the SCAD experience, her evolving relationship with comics, her writer/artist lean, how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became her for-hire home, the project she learned the most from, writing for other artists, the evolution of her art, the origins of Supergirl, its classic feel, being character first, finding joy in the work, Tamra Bonvillain's colors, her Mothra: Queen of the Monsters series, managing the workload, her preferred role in comics, and more.

Cartoonist Craig Thompson joins the show to chat about his comics career and life before diving into his upcoming graphic novel, Ginseng Roots. Thompson discusses his journeys as a creator, the people he meets, his comics connection, his lean towards black and white, his relationship with Blankets, how memoir work changes relationships, the Space Dumplins experience, how projects affect one another, the roots of Ginseng Roots, figuring out what to include in memoir work, the story's serialization, comic rhythms, how he thinks of comics, the color and challenges of the book, the physical act of making comics, how making comics has changed how he sees the world, and more.

The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the show to chat about a particularly wild time in the comic industry. MacDonald discusses the insanity of this moment, staying on top of everything, the Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy mess (note: This was recorded before the final decision of who won was in), the varying players, why Diamond may have favored Universal/Ad Populum, whether it matters who won, the importance of institutional knowledge, the infamous podcast appearance of Alliance's head, how the direct market responded to the bankruptcy, tariff concerns, actual and perceived impacts, the current state of the direct market, the ComicsPRO experience, what helps her in tough times, and more.

Writer James Tynion IV and artist Michael Walsh join the show to share the story behind their upcoming Image Comics series Exquisite Corpses. They discuss their recent travel, convention experiences, the origins of Exquisite Corpses, it as a game, the book's summits, how they shaped the book, its iterative nature, the people and killers in the story, the importance of rules, making it feel cohesive, cosplayability, making it big, navigating this moment, and more.

Cartoonist Zander Cannon joins the show to chat about the post-Kaijumax life and his upcoming Image Comics series, Sleep. Cannon discusses how he decides what projects to take on, the consolidation of art roles, coming off Kaijumax, losing momentum, his gap between big projects, palate cleansers, projects as business cards, the origins of Sleep, conspiracies and speculation, whether he's a horror fan, sleep as a horror angle, creative exercises, the appeal of restrictions, how he develops stories, its locations and characters, the monster in the story, working with Image, managing this moment, and more.

Writer Matt Fraction joins the show to chat about the past few years of his life as a writer and storyteller. Fraction discusses what exactly happened to Matt Fraction, how we perceived creators, the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters experience, what he missed about comics, collaboration and control, what made their approach on AdventureMan the right one, the appeal of fun, the vibe he wants, counterprogramming, working with Jorge Jiménez, where Batman comes from for him, figuring the book out, what he thought Sex Criminals would be, the idea of hits, what his Batman pitch was, outlining vs. guidelines, how he decides what projects to take on, what keeps him passionate about comics, and more.

Cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson joins the show to chat about his recent stretch on comics like Transformers and The Moon is Following Us. Johnson discusses managing the moment, physical media, the physical act of drawing, the phase he's in, original art's impact, whether Transformers has changed how he's viewed, engaging with fans, Transformers' length, what he learned about his art from Transformers, the importance of fun, what goes into The Moon is Following Us, how it feels different, the creative process, the appeal of new things commissions as tools, how much happens in his comics, the stories he tells, his livestreams, and more.

Retailer Katie Pryde joins the show to discuss the recent annual meeting for ComicsPRO and what's happening at her comic shop in Portland, Oregon, Books with Pictures. Pryde discusses this moment in time, separating from the job, the realities of owning a comic shop, the ComicsPRO experience, the standouts of the event, how the perception of ComicsPRO has shifted, the vibes of the event, an upcoming Books with Pictures anniversary, how much the shop has changed, building a community, how things are going at the shop, what's standing out in the shop, tastemaking, surprises in the shop, how varying hats affect each other, managing the current environment, and more.

Artist Klaus Janson joins the show to discuss his legendary career and his approach and viewpoints on art. Janson discusses his introspective nature, a recent gallery show that celebrated his career, where artists are these days, where they were when he first started, what the 1970s and 1980s felt like for creators, learning from collaborations, the power of restrictions, penciling vs. inking, whether he draws for himself, how he works, whether teaching made him more open to change, the story behind his cover to 1987's The Punisher #1, how handling multiple roles changes things, storytelling and spectacle, how he views comics, the most gratifying part of his teaching career, what keeps him excited to do the work, and more.

Kenny Meyers joins the show to discuss his work at Sweet, a company that makes software for comics folk like Bindings, a marketing tool, Find Your Comic Shop, and the upcoming digital comic store, Sweet Shop. Meyers discusses what Sweet is exactly, his starting point for new projects, the complicated nature of his work, why he wanted to focus his skills on comics, the ethos that guides him, discoverability, what guides him, the "Scott Snyder problem," the ideal use case for Bindings, creator buy in, building relationships, why he wanted to build another digital comic shop, working with publishers, what he learned from his previous digital comics effort, how his products work together, why he decided to get back into comics, and more.

Writer/artist Tradd Moore joins the show for a sprawling chat about his life, art, and work on projects like Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise. Moore discusses being social media free, external pressures, knowing yourself, his intentional nature, whether he always wanted to make comics, going to Savannah College of Art and Design, influences, his holistic approach, why he's writing and drawing comics, the impact of people on his life, whether his art reflects his worldview, the impact of original art sales, what he looks for in projects, two of his most recent efforts, the importance of freedom, drawing for himself, the merits of Waffle House and more.