Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

In this special anniversary episode of Off Panel, my pal Brandon Burpee returns for the 250th episode of the podcast. It's an all random episode, as Off Panel listeners and I generated a monster list of topics for us to discuss, and discuss we did. Subjects included the dumb characters we rep for, the quarantine life, the ComicHub situation, inventions we'd remove, comic bad boys, Maggott, most exciting/traumatic story beats, which comic character would solve the coronavirus crisis first, Dawn of X, Bill and Ted, best quarantine pals, varying sports topics, our ideal Pokemon squad, superheroes who would fail at social distancing, and a whole lot more. It's ridiculous.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, Iron Circus Comics' C. Spike Trotman joins the show to chat about her publisher and current Kickstarter for Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film. Trotman discusses how she and Iron Circus are handling the current crisis, being a multimedia company, why she started Iron Circus Comics, the power of Kickstarter, the story behind Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film, the rewards for the Kickstarter, what made this project appealing, the value of stretch goals, launching during a crisis, what she looks for in projects, the impact of production value, differentiating yourself, and more.

In this special episode of Off Panel, my good friend and talented natural sciences artist Amanda Jorgenson joins the show to talk about our friendship, her work, and how the coronavirus has affected the latter. Jorgenson discusses the origins of our friendship, lasting friends, how she became an artist, moving away from a narrative focus with her art, the art hustle, whether that required a personality shift, how she went towards natural sciences, comic conventions, always improving, being in Seattle during the rise of the coronavirus, adjusting to this new world order, what kind of work she has on sale on her site, what she wants for her career, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, cartoonist John Allison returns to the show to chat about Wicked Things and his favorite shows to shelter-in-place with. Allison discusses the origins of Wicked Things, the greatness of Lottie Grote, showboating versus reality, working with Max Sarin, finding his ceiling, learning what works for you and what doesn't, world-building, detective stories, the potential end of the Bobbinsverse, and more, before we dive into John's five self-quarantining TV recommendations that double as inspirations for him as a creator.

In this episode of Off Panel, The AV Club's Oliver Sava returns to the show to provide comic recommendations for everyone who is at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Sava and host David Harper share ten comics they love that people can find at their local comic book shop or on varying online platforms, discussing what makes them favorites in the process.

In this episode of Off Panel, John Hendrick of Dublin's Big Bang Comics joins the podcast to chat about running a comic shop during the coronavirus pandemic. Hendrick discusses how it's going for him, how he would have handled the situation for comics retail, the publishers that helped, the failures of Diamond, Marvel and DC, what the best response would have been, the impact of Marvel and DC going digital first (if they did it), his Marvel order from Tuesday, Marvel's deep discount offer, Diamond stopping shipments, ComicHub, rebuilding the direct market, how readers can help shops, how David would have handled this, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, White Squirrel's Andrea Demonakos returns to the show to chat about earning options for creators in a con-less period. Demonakos discusses the state of things in her neck of the woods, how the coronavirus crisis has affected White Squirrel's work, adjusting plans, advice for creators on what to do with existing products, products creators can lean towards, mechanics for selling your work, what platforms to work with, crowd-funding options, the value of learning from others, and more.

In this episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Tyler Boss joins the podcast to chat about his work and upcoming mini-series Dead Dog's Bite. Boss discusses his comic origin story, his love of Daredevil, the School of Visual Arts experience, finding different solutions for his art, working at Forbidden Planet, the origins of Dead Dog's Bite, whether he thinks art first, when art becomes writing, finding rhythms, his feelings towards small towns, creating in a time of crisis, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Terry Dodson joins to show to discuss his art and work in X-Men/Fantastic Four and Adventureman. Dodson discusses making comics during a national emergency, why Emerald City Comic Con rules, how important interiors are for him, the power of covers, the origins of Adventureman, his influences, the two sides of his career, world building, why X-Men/Fantastic Four jives with him, how he works with his wife (and inker) Rachel, where comics are today relative to when he started, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Panel, the writer/artist pair of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey join the show to chat about their partnership and current Kickstarter for The Comic Book History of Animation. Van Lente and Dunlavey discuss their meet cute, how they became "history guys," how they pick their subjects, making history comics pop, why they wanted to tell the history of animation, how they split the eras, the process for them on projects, why they went with Kickstarter, the volume of comics being released today, marketing a Kickstarter, and much more.