Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

On this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Jason Aaron joins the show to talk his work and process. Aaron discusses how he balances his workload, his writing process, the difference between creator-owned and for-hire, the impact of a good editor, how far he planned out his Thor run, why the major story beats of his Thor run appealed to him, the Nick Fury mystery beat, whether he misses tackling smaller, more finite stories, turning the Legacy one-shot into a cohesive story, how his work differs (or doesn't) from artist to artist, his personal connection to Scalped, whether Southern Bastards feel like a different beast than his other creator-owned books, the community building of letters columns, growing up in a small town and its impact on his relationship with comics, Alabama football, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, Strip Panel Naked and PanelxPanel's Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou joins the show to discuss his work. Hass shares how he got into comics originally, his film background, how that all informed Strip Panel Naked, what made him want to start the show, how he works puts the show together, how he deals with the grind of creating, what made Patreon the right move for him, the origins of PanelxPanel, its monetization model, the niche he's filling in comics journalism, his Under the Hood podcast, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the show to talk the state of comics and comics journalism. MacDonald discusses where comics are creatively, the sheer volume of comics these days, how new opportunities have changed things for creators, what she's really enjoying in comics, the health of the comics industry, Marvel's arrogance, DC's bold moves, where comics journalism is these days, the Craig Yoe controversy, the niche-y nature of journalism, monetization models, how the journalism struggle goes beyond comics, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Caspar Wijngaard joins the show to talk his art and his upcoming Image comic with writer Si Spurrier, Angelic. Wijngaard discusses how his interest in comics and art developed, the influence video games had on him, the development of his career, why creator-owned appeals to him so much, how for-hire work prepared him for Angelic, the development of the book, meshing the natural and future looks of Angelic, the appeal of world building, the perks of working digitally, why he colors himself, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, artist Paul Azaceta joins the show to discuss his work on the Image/Skybound title, Outcast. He discusses how he got started in comics, the Alex Toth influence, finding efficiencies in his art, his process on Outcast, the benefits of digital art, how his process has evolved, why he and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser jive so well, Outcast's covers, whether he as trepidatious about signing onto the project, the value of working on an ongoing, the book's inset panels, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, cartoonist Zander Cannon joins the show to discuss his Oni Press comic, Kaijumax. He discusses how the book became more than a side project, why he went with a season model on the book, his trepidation diving into it without a safety net, whether his DC layout work prepared him for Kaijumax, problem solving on the page, handling everything himself on the book, his process, working with Oni and Charlie Chu, balancing tone in the book, the benefits of the season model, the appeal of studio life, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, comic shop owner Brian Hibbs joins the show to talk about the state of comic retail. Hibbs discusses how his shops are performing in 2017, whether Marvel's downturn has impacted other publishers, the idea that trades can solve everything for a book that doesn't sell, how Rebirth is holding up in his stores, whether there's a cyclical relationship between Marvel and DC, customer interest in DC's Metal and Dark Matter endeavors, the trouble with lenticular covers, the grim outlook for Marvel Legacy, why some shops buy into variants, the gates and discounts of Legacy, the immense volume of titles these days, and more. As a heads up, in the middle, there's a bit of wonky audio, but it cleans up pretty quick.

On this week's (second) episode of Off Panel, Image Comics' Branding Manager David Brothers joins the show to talk comics. Brothers' discusses his comic book origin story, why manga tackles so many more subjects than Western comics, why he got into writing about comics, whether working in comics has changed his relationship with them, the difference in approach he had on 4thLetter! and Comics Alliance, what helped him improved the most as a writer, what makes a good interview, how his job at Image came together, the evolution of Image+, the current state of writing about comics, and more, before diving into five questions about Brothers, the person.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, writer Si Spurrier joins the show to discuss his new Image Comics title, Angelic. Spurrier discusses what the book is all about, its lowkey all-ages nature, why the idea of genre bothers him, the book's origins, working with Caspar Wijngaard, Jim Campbell and Emma Price, how he works on this book compared to other projects, the difficulties of the comic distribution model and ongoings, why his works are typically shorter runs, the language of Angelic, and more.

On this week's episode of Off Panel, writer/artist Declan Shalvey joins the show to talk about his upcoming graphic novel, Savage Town. Shalvey discusses the origins of the story, what made it one he wanted to tell, what made the rest of the creative team the best fits for the book, how it changed as it developed, finding the right balance with humor, the language of Ireland, the full creator-owned experience, how his upcoming Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan mini-series came together, the influence other writers have had on his own writing, whether becoming a "writer" has changed his perception as a creator, the impact of his Art Cred article in Image+, and more.