Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Writer, artist, and newsletter impresario Chip Zdarsky joins the show to talk about his world (and the wider world) of comics. Zdarsky discusses the notoriety of Zdarsky Comic News, the work that goes into it, its Eisner Award nomination, learnings from reading manga, what ZCN and Mangasplaining offer him, the origins of White House Robot Romance, its odd timing, the impact of colorists, recent changes to his process, working in the DSTLRY format, the importance of risk taking, figuring out his approach, how reader expectations factor into his thinking, his approach to Captain America, the appeal of bigger stories, how Marvel and his position there has changed, how he figures out which projects he takes on, Comic Comps Con, and more.

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.

Jonathan Hickman, renowned for his work on Marvel Comics like Ultimate Spider-Man, dives into his multifaceted career. He shares his passion for the World Cup and its impact on his creative process. Hickman reflects on his challenges navigating a shifting comic industry while juggling various projects, including Imperial and Aliens vs. Avengers. He emphasizes the importance of writer-artist collaboration and explores the delicate balance of delivering unexpected stories. With insights on his X-Men run and evolving narratives, Hickman's journey is both illuminating and inspiring.