Creator Talks Podcast

My guest Zack Keller is the writer of Cuphead Volume 1: Comic Capers and Curios released July 2020 and Cuphead Volume 2: Cartoon Chronicles and Calamities coming in February 2021 (Dark Horse Comics). Based on the wildly popular and very challenging video game, Cuphead is illustrated in the rubber hose style of animation used in cartoons of the 1930s produced by Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios.  Shawn Dickinson illustrates both books and the second volume introduces a new character Miss Chalice.  In addition to discussing the new adventures of Cuphead, Zack talks about his early work writing adventure video games for the Tell-Tale Series and his multi-award winning YouTube animated series that he co-created with Ed Skidder titled Dick Figures. When I Kick Back With The Creator, learn how Zack has been spending his off time fishing, baking bread, brewing beer, about the wonderful caffeinated drink he discovered during a trip to Japan and the what comic work he has planned for 2021.  Cre

I bid you… welcome... to Creator Talks 2020 Halloween Special!  My special guest is Kerry Gammill, perhaps best known for his illustration of Power Man and Iron Fist and Superman comics in the 1980s and 1990s. We start our conversion discussing the comic legends’ work he admired as a youth and the conversations he later had as an adult with Jack Kirby and John Buscema. Kerry reveals why he decided it was time to move on from comics and work as a special effects concept designer and storyboard artist for television and film. Learn which television project was Kerry’s favorite and why. Kerry is also a big fan of classic Universal Horror movies.   Growing up in Texas in the 1950s he would catch them on television and Saturday evenings watch his favorite local horror show Nightmare Theater hosted by Bill Camfield as Gorgon.  We discuss why Kerry thought Gorgon was the one of best horror show hosts ever. Did you know Kerry has written and illustrated several horror works since leaving the world of monthly

Dave Baker is a writer living in Los Angels and co-creator of Action Hospital, F*ck Off Squad and contributed one of the stories contained in Star Trek: Waypoint (IDW). Dave is a big fan of the Star Trek franchise and is the writer of the forthcoming mini-series in November Star Trek Voyager: Seven's Reckoning (IDW).   This is the first Star Trek Voyager series in nearly 10 years and set within Voyager continuity.  Dave's co-collaborator is artist Angel Hernandez (Star Trek: Picard Countdown and Star Trek /Green Lantern). Dave discusses the critical role of his co-collaborators on the titles he writes and his issue with some journalists and publishers placing the all emphasis on the writer of a title. We discuss some of Dave's favorite comics, including Jack Kirby's Captain Victory. Learn why of all Kirby's creations, Jack's later work from the mid-80 and early 90s are Dave's favorite.  Dave also explains his theory why bad movies are so popular, and it not because people particularly like bad movies.  

Steve Ditko was a legendary artist and storyteller who co-created such characters as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Question and The Creeper.   Join me for this special interview with David Currie, author of the upcoming book published through Hermes Press Ditko Shrugged: The Uncompromising Life of The Artist Behind Spider-Man and The Rise of Marvel Comics.   It is the first in depth biography of comics-legend Steve Ditko, in his own words, taken from many years of correspondence with author and endorsed by the Ditko family.   In his book, David Currie tells the stories of Steve Ditko’s contemporaries, from Jack Kirby to Wally Wood, and the struggles they all faced working in the comic industry.   David describes some of the topics he discussed with Steve Ditko in their correspondence as well as some of Ditko’s well-known, and not so well-known, comic work. Please rate and review Creator Talks on Apple Podcasts   More about Ditko Shrugged: The Uncompromising Life of The Artist    

My guest  Leah Moore is the daughter of Alan Moore who is known for such titles as V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, Swamp Thing and From Hell. Leah has written comic series with her husband John Reppion including The Trial of Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes-The Liverpool Demon (Dynamite Entertainment). Leah is writing the graphic novel Morrison Hotel, a celebration of The Doors album by the same name. The book is due for released in October. The anthology is written in collaboration with the surviving members of The Doors Robby Krieger and John Densmore. Artists from around the world including Colleen Doran, Marguerite Sauvage and more are illustrating the book. Leah describes her reaction as a teenager in the early 90s listening to The Doors music she discovered among her parent’s vinyl record collection. Co-founding member of The Doors Ray Manzarek once said, “Jim Morrison wasn’t a showman, he was a shaman.”  Leah Moore describes what made Jim Morrison and The Doors distinct among rock bands of

In less than 60 days the United States 2020 Election will take place and there could be no better time to present my next two guests. Cynthia and Sanford Levinson are the authors of Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and The Flaws That Affect Us Today.  Their book will be as part of a line of civics graphic novels from the acclaimed publisher First Second. Alley Shwed illustrated the 228-page graphic novel edition of Fault Lines on sale September 22nd. Cynthia and Sanford explain how despite the Framers of the Constitution's best intentions, there are faults in the Constitution that still impact and impede our political process today.   Among the issues we discuss are the Electoral College system, the disproportionate representation between small and large states and a lack of representation of states' population diversity within the Senate. With the current back the drop of the Black Lives Matter movement, I am very fortunate to have Cynthia also discuss two of her other books

September starts out strong for Creator Talks with another bonus podcast for the Labor Day Holiday.  Award-winning Australian writer/artist Chris Gooch joins me to discuss the making of his graphic novel Under-Earth through Top Shelf/IDW on sale October 2020. This is the second of two graphic novels Certified Cool by Diamond Previews I teased on previous shows.  Diamond Preview's description of Under-Earth reads: "The inmates of an expansive underground prison struggle to build meaningful lives in a broken system, in the most ambitious graphic novel to date from rising indie star Chris Gooch...Equal parts sincerity an violence, Under-Earth explores  humanity's inextinguishable drive to find meaning, connection, and even family-and how fragile such constructions can be" Chris' other notable and award-winning work includes Bottled and Deep Breaths. I discuss these works with Chris as well, and how he works on multiple projects in different stages of development, simultaneously, to keep his work fresh as he

Sean Chen (artist of X-O, Iron Man, Wolverine and Batman Beyond) joins Creator Talks to discuss the September 1st only 24-hour digital drop of Wingman: Compendium of an Artist's First Writing Experience.  The book was inspired by the 1957 classic Swedish art film The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman. The digital version of Sean's book is available free and in it's entirety on Nextchapter's Instagram @NextChapterPost. The physical copy will not only contain the story but also a page-by-page look at Sean's creative process. Why did Sean decide to post the story on Instagram and partner with NextChapter for the physical edition rather than a launching a Kickstarter campaign? Don't worry if you are listening to our interview too late to get a physical copy. There is still a plenty of discussion of Sean's career, from Valiant to Marvel, and the lessons he has learned about making comics. We talk about the first time I meet Sean during the Delaware Valley CBRI One Day Tour that was held Saturday Februar

Koren Shadmi is an award winning writer/artist who has provided cover illustrations for Newsweek, LA Weekly, The Village Voice and other magazines. He studied and now teaches at the Visual School of Arts in New York City.  As a teacher, Is Koren able to tell which of his students have the best chance of making a living as an artist? What skills do they need to develop to survive in the business world? Koren has two graphic novels being released. The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and The Birth of Television published by Humanoids. This 168 page black and white graphic novel will be available again in print this October. Koren talks about the life of Rod Serling, the successes he achieved in television and the struggles he faced.   What makes the The Twilight Zone a timeless classic? Koren's other work coming this October is Bionic, a full color 192-page graphic novel being published by Top Shelf / IDW.  Bionic is a near future coming-of-age story for the digital generation. Victor is geek and wants to win

Vali Chandrasekaran is a producer and comedy writer living in Los Angeles. His first work for NBC was writing television scripts for My Name is Earl.  Two other programs he wrote for were 30 Rock and Modern Family, both Emmy nominated multiple times for Best Comedy Series. I discuss with Vali how he landed his first television work and how breaking into screen writing can be very competitive. Vali spent some time in front of the camera on an episode of the The Office.  We go behind the scenes to learn how he landed the role and what the experience was like working with cast. He has written his own comic, Genius Animals, which is available for free and in it’s entirety online at genuisanimals.net Genius Animals is a comedic mystery about that situation where you think your relationship is going well, then one day your significant other disappears. When you try to figure out what happened, you can’t tell if you have been ghosted or have to save all of humanity.   Why did Vali decide to go from Hollywood

I continue to explore the Batman Family corner of the DC Universe with veteran writer / artist Dan Jurgens.   Among Dan's vast body of work is the 1992 classic Death of Superman, his run on Thor, Captain America and The Sensational Spider-Man.  Dan is also the creator of the classic characters Doomsday and Booster Gold.   I check in with Dan to see how he is faring during the coronavirus pandemic and how he managed to safely connect with local fans at a Minnesota comic shop during a recent signing event.   Dan is working with former collaborator Sean Chen, one of the current artists on Batman Beyond.  I asked Sean in advance to comment on working with Dan and shared his feedback.    Both creators have in common working for Valiant Comics during the 1990s. Dan reflects on a few highlights while writing Solar Man of the Atom.   Dan explains why every comic he writes still contains enough exposition to make the issue accessible to new readers.    We talk about comic book anniversaries and how they ha

Wake the kids and phone the neighbors!   DC artist Jason Fabok joins Creator Talks to discuss  Batman: Three Jokers. Years in the making and delayed two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, issue #1 of this DC Black Label mini-series arrives on August 25th 2020.     Jason worked on titles Superman/Batman, Batman, Batman Eternal, Dark Knight, Detective Comics and Justice League. He won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best Short Story with Swap Thing Winter Special: The Talking of the Saints.    Why did Jason decided make a living illustrating comics after going to bible school for one year and how did this choice make his faith even stronger?     How did David Finch help Jason break into DC comics? Jason's run with Geoff Johns on Justice League Darksied Wars ended with issue #50.  Learn why they agreed their next story together had to be Batman: Three Jokers.   We also find out how The Killing Joke influences the layout and tone of Batman Three Jokers and why Jason insisted he illustrate all the variant c

Thou demanded more and ye shall have it!   Stuart Moore joins me to continue exploring the world of AHOY Comics. We focus on two titles he is writing: Bronze Age Boogie (art Alberto Ponticelli) and Captain Ginger (art by June Brigman). Stuart explains the challenges of building creative teams and keeping things running smoothly.  How did one whimsical illustration of cats by June Brigman ignite a creative spark that lead her joining forces with Stuart to tell the story of Captain Ginger?   Stuart is suspicious of nostalgia and explains why Bronze Age Boogie is not just a nostalgic trip. But there are some delightful 1970s references. We discuss a few of them, Chris busts out a few of his old 45s (singles records, that is :) and we share our memories of the 1970s. Next we turn to the Bronze Age of comics.  We have a pretty good idea when it ended, but what marked the beginning of the Bronze Age of comics?  Stuart and I share our thoughts on the subject.  We discuss some comics from the 1970s including on

Extra! Extra! A bonus episode to kick off the holiday weekend, because we could all use a little fun during this difficult time. Terry Dodson, artist known for his artwork on X-Men, Spider-Man, Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman joins Creator Talks. Terry discusses his creator own series Adventureman (Image Comics) written by Matt Fraction and his work on the  mini-series X-Men/ Fantastic Four (Marvel) written by Chip Zdarsky. We dig into the genesis of each series. Why did the first issue of Adventureman need to be super-sized? And will the fall out from the events of the X-Men/Fantastic Four mini-series matter in the grand scheme of Marvel universe?   Rachel Dodson, Terry's wife, inks both series and most of Terry's other comic work. We discuss the joys of working from home with our spouses and the secret to making it work.  Terry pulls double duty by penciling and coloring Adventureman.  Why did he decide to take the series palette into his own hands? Terry was a co-founding member Mercury Studios (now He

Tom Peyer, Editor-in-Chief of Ahoy Comics, joins Creator Talks. We begin highlighting some of Tom's past work admired by Ye Podcast Host, including Hourman,  Marvel Team-Up, and Magnus Robot Fighter. I ask Tom about working with Mark Waid, his co-writer on Captain Kid (Aftershock). Learn the reason for founding AHOY Comics in 2018 and some of the titles published in the past, present and future.   Comics spotlighted in our interview include Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Terror, High Heaven, The Wrong Earth and Captain Ginger.  Taking a deeper dive into High Heaven, we sink our teeth into the subject of L-Meat. What is the common thread that runs throughout all Ahoy publications?  Why are the series written as seasons? What does the future hold for publishing AHOY Comics post-pandemic? How will the comics industry be changed, forever, post-pandemic? During the signature feature of the podcast Kicking Back With the Creator, I ask Tom what was the one project that got away and what book changed the way he

Adam Wallenta is the co-creator of Punk Taco, the 2019 Ringo Award winner for Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel.  His co-writer is son Makana who was just five years-old when the book was written.   Who is Punk Taco?  "... a lovable, sentient, alien-taco, who rocks out across the galaxy with his band of misfits whom he calls family. Together they spread peace and love through the power of their music, help those in need and battle bullies and evil tyrants wherever they may be. Written by Adam Wallenta and his 5-year-old son, Makana, Punk Taco is a brand new all-ages sci-fi, humor, adventure, graphic novel series meant to encourage kids to read, laugh and love. Punk Taco is appropriate for libraries, schools and great for kids to read with their parents" -  Comixology. Adam is busy at work on volume two and three of Punk Taco. What were some of the difficulties he faced distributing volume one before winning the Ringo Award and what challenges did he encounter during the Covid-19 pandemic during the tempor

Brent Schoonover (artist on Batman '66, The Phantom) visits with Creator Talks to discuss his new comic book project coming in June titled Devil's Highway.   This five-part comic series is written by Benjamin Percy (Green Arrow, Nightwing) and colored by Nick Filardi. It's being published by AWA Studios, a new business venture captained by former Vice President of Marvel Bill James and former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Axel Alanso. Why did the did they decide to launch a new comic book publishing company? What makes AWA Studios different from other publishers, and why have they decides to release Devil's Highway digitally first then print later? Other comic book publishers have been reluctant to release their titles digitally in advance since the Covid-19 pandemic which forced the closing of non-essential businesses including our beloved comic book shops. How did Axel's editorial experience influence Devil's Highway and how did Brent's suggested changes to the script add to the first issue's stunning cliff-

Not going anywhere this three-day weekend?  Let's visit Spain for this special edition of Creator Talks to meet artist Benito Gallego. Benito studied art at Faculty of Fine Arts in Spain and is a huge fan of legendary Silver Age and Bronze Age artist John Buscema (The Avengers, Silver Surfer, Savage Sword Conan, Tarzan). Having a style which harkens back the powerful style of John Buscema, Benito has illustrated comics and strips scripted by the great Roy Thomas including the World War II super-hero team Anthem and The New Tales of Tarzan. Benito also illustrated the entire run of the Bronze Age flavored super-hero comic Apama, The Undiscovered Animal. This multi-talented artist who also has colored and lettered his own work has made many contribution to horror tales in The Creeps! written by Don Glut, including one of Benito's personal favorites Maciste Against Dracula! The work that Benito is most proud of is The Life of Bob Marley, which he drew, colored and lettered.  We learn from Benito what is the

Heather Antos was recently promoted to Senior Editor at Valiant Comics and joins Creator Talks for this interview.   Once Heather discovered editing comics was what she wanted to do as career, she felt it was too late to break into the business.   How did she overcome the odds to land a job at Marvel?  How does she harness Twitter as a force for good? And what the heck does that mean? We discussed some of the things an editor looks for in telling a story through comics books and gives an example of the perfect application of these techniques that blend script and sequential art.  Among Heather's editorial duties are overseeing the relaunched Shadowman and X-O Manowar series. We take a deep dive into the creative team on each series and their new direction. Heather has worked for Image and Marvel as well.  What new found freedom does she have at Valiant as an editor? We conclude by Kicking Back With the Creator as I ask Heather all my fun question including about the one that got away. Hear it here fir

Chris Condon is the author of That Texas Blood (Image Comics) due out June 24th and is my guest on this installment of Creator Talks.  This neo-noir crime comic book series opens with 70 year-old Texas Sheriff Joe Bob Coates and the search for a casserole dish.  Chris Condon explains what makes his comic book a neo-noir crime story and how it has changed throughout its development from film to comic. I learn from Chris why Ambrose County, Texas is the perfect setting for the story, from it's unique culture to its haunting landscape. He also shares the experience of growing up in the small town of Metuchen, NJ including: who were some of the famous people that lived there and its food scene. Chris had a different childhood from the other kids in his neighborhood. His parents raised him on 1950s television and movies which had a significant impact on his writing style. Another major influence on Chris' writing was the unique educational experience he received working for director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The