Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Retailer Aaron Trites joins the show to talk about the origins of and year in his San Diego based comic shop, Now or Never Comics. Trites discusses his own fandoms, his path to opening Now or Never, its location, the development of the shop, the year so far in his shop, market trends, what's leading the way, the single issue boom, the spread of new readers, the speculation world, handselling, superstar artists, Marvel's struggles, the changes at Marvel, the overall health of the market, the power of passion, and more.

Writer Mark Waid joins the show to talk about his life and career in comics and the new Zoop campaign designed to fund a hardcover for his series, Empire. Waid discusses how he works, cliffhangers, his approach to new projects, his character-centric nature, focusing on problems, staying active as a writer, whether he's evolved, staying open to change, the comics of today, staying outside the box, the power of comic shops, the current era of DC, the return of Empire, out of print books, the new collection for Empire, Barry Kitson, the story's darkness, art imitating life, tips for creators, and more.

Writer Dave Wielgosz joins the show to talk about his journey from comics editorial to writing comics and his new series at Ignition Press, Showdown. Wielgosz discusses the build up to release, his comic origins, the 2000s in comics, making his way into comics and DC editorial, becoming a master of continuity, the key to being a good editor, relationship management, the origins of Showdown, the market's influence on his work, revenge stories, collaboration, the title's creative team, the different sides of his brain, what he's learned from Showdown, his ideal project mix, and more.

Writer Matthew Rosenberg joins the show to talk about his new book, If Destruction Be Our Lot..., and his approach to comics overall. Rosenberg discusses hitting podcast row, The Mets, the origins of If Destruction Be Our Lot..., the medium it ended up in, the complexity of Abraham Lincoln, the book's art team, collaboration, the impact of time and money, its extra sized first issue, the power of character, his promotional efforts, speculation, taking over Spawn and King Spawn, figuring out the right approach for those books, finding the right mix, his public advocacy for comics, and more.

Artist Rafael Albuquerque joins the show to talk about his life and career in comics and the upcoming Absolute Green Arrow. Albuquerque discusses traditional vs. digital art, his comic origins, the generations of artists in Brazil, how he figured out art, the impact of influences, the project that changed how he was seen in comics, why Absolute Green Arrow feels like a next step, his original Absolute experience, collaboration, Absolute freedom, his favorite part of Absolute Green Arrow's design, how horror shapes his work, what keeps him excited about art, learning from others, where Brazil's comic scene is headed, and more.