Creator Talks Podcast

Surprise! A fresh new Creator Talks an interview conducted in person at Big Dog’s Brewing Company with Derek Hunter (Disney animation designer for Duck Tales) and Jason Young (architect of I Hate Fairy Land), creators of Pretty Violent (Image Comics). Derek and Jason were in Las Vegas for a signing August 24th2019 at the Maximum Comics at the Centennial Hills location.  Before heading off to the signing, we talked about creating Pretty Violent and what has been the fan reaction. Also I discuss their other work, Derek and Jason's Pirate Club and Derek's early autobiography Derek Hunter is a F___!  Jason talks about his involved in I Hate Fairy Land with Scottie Young. Plus: what lessons did they find out about making comics the hard way, and what did they learn that from someone that was invaluable advice. We still have time for Kicking Back With The Creator Questions. Note: Due to technical issues the external microphones we used failed to pick up our voices, however the built in recorder's microphone d

Writer John Ward is Creator Talks guest this week.  John is the writer of Offbeats and Ultrabot Go! Go! Go! created by Tom Sacchi (interview #169).  John has a four-part horror mini-series with art by Juan Romera and lettering by Eric Grissom. The first issue will be published September 4th through Antarctic Press. What's it about?  Vegas tattoo artist Dee discovers her clients are becoming possessed by the tattoos she gave them.  Her life is thrown into turmoil when she realizes her best friend Sarah has turned into a monstrous killer, seemingly controlled by her new tattoo.  A guilty Dee sets out to save Sarah, but soon finds herself out of her depth as she faces off against forces she can barely comprehend. - Diamond Previews Did you know John has a Ph. D. in physics and his thesis dealt with String Theory? Taking the show to a whole new level, John breaks down String Theory for us in layman's terms.   He also explains what is a spec script, why he writes them and what are his favorite shows are to bas

Creator Talks podcast host Christopher Calloway sits down with artist J.K. Woodward at his Rio Hotel & Casino suite during the Star Trek Vegas 2019 convention. J.K. discusses working on the upcoming Star Trek Voyager one-shot "Mirrors and Smoke" being published in October through IDW. The book kick-offs a series of monthly Star Trek Mirror Universe comics. Christopher also explores three of J.K.'s favorite subjects: the Star Trek series, Doctor Who and legendary composer/performer David Bowie! Plus when Christopher asks his Kicking Back With The Creator questions, we learn which was J.K.'s favorite birthday. Also, Christopher asks J.K. to reflect upon his life and career. Does he have any regrets ? J.K.'s answer may surprise you! To experience the video of this interview which includes J.K.'s illustrations and images of the topics and people we discuss, please the Creator Talks YouTube channel here http://bit.ly/2OSffOg Like what you hear on Creator Talks?  Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks

Carlos Giffoni is a musician and game producer whose first creator-owned comic Strayed (Dark Horse) hits comic shops on August 21st 2019. The artist on the series is Juan Doe (Descendent, Dark Ark) a veteran in the comic book industry.  What is Strayed all about? The Diamond solicit reads: In the far future, a military-industrial complex reigns over all humanity and actively destroys distant alien worlds. The galaxy's only hope can be found through an unlikely pair: an astral-projecting cat named Lou and his loving owner Kiara. Trading nine lives for the well being of billions, their revolt is a battle for love, friendship, compassion, and the soul of humanity.   Carlos tells us about a decommissioned government project that sparked his idea of a sci-fi story that features an astral-projecting cat. It doesn’t hurt that he owns a couple of cats too. Juan talks about the joy of collaborating on Strayed with Carlos. Also, Juan tells us about the unusual path he took to illustrating comics and why he chose t

Liana Kangas is the artist of She Said Destroy (Vault Comics) and Devil’s Dye (Black Mask) Before Liana packed her bags for SDCC, we had a chance to catch up since we last chat.   I asked about her invigorating experience at Heroes Con 2019 and her recent book tour.    Always on the go, Liana has also moved many times over the years. I ask why that is and what she loves about Memphis, the place she now calls home.    One of her first jobs was working in a comic book shop in Florida.  I find out what it was like working there, about some the creators she met and what the cliental were like.   We dive into her latest work which just wrapped up, Devil’s Dye (Black Mask) and one reaching its midpoint, She Said Destroy (Vault Comics).    How has Liana's artistic style evolved as her work load has steadily increased?    In my Kicking Backing With the Creator segment, I ask one of my questions that Liana just so happens to ask everyone she meets!     Plus we digress about what to do with all the comic books and ori

Special Edition! TwoMorrows Publishing has launched a KickStarter to make a second printing of American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s.   John Morrow joins Creator Talk's for a Creator Corner feature to explain why the publisher decided to take the Kickstarter route for a second printing of the sold out 1980s volume of the world's greatest comic book history encyclopedia. The 1980s volume covers comics published year by year placing within historical context and does extensive research to include the stories behind the making of the comics.  Other volumes of American Comic Book Chronicles , which cover the 1940s through the 1990s, are available only at certain Kickstarter pledge levels, while supplies last. The campaign was fully funded in just the first two days and top tier pledge levels have already sold out! My advice if you are interested in pledging? Act fast.  Ever wonder which era of comics is John Morrows' favorite? And why?  Since this is Creator Talks, I ask!  Please take a moment to rate 

As flooring contractors work just outside of Christopher’s studio, writer Jeremy Lambert joins to Creator Talks to discuss Doom Patrol (DC). The first issue of the series Weight of the World was released July 3rd. So if the series is returning, why a new number#1? Jeremy explains the reason for resetting the numbering and the incredible artist working on the series. He also talks about the success of the DC streaming series, and how it impacted the release of the new comic series.  Also, he explains how he and co-writer Gerard Way met, how they collaborate “old school” style and the time he met the most influential writer of the modern age Doom Patrol. We also discuss Jeremy’s very early Halloween preparation, some of his coolest decorations and the horror movies we’ve enjoyed watching since our last discussion. Plus: Kick Back With The Creator to learn how Jeremy’s favorite birthday changed his life, the oddest job he ever had, and much more!   Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes  

On this bonus edition of Creator Talks, Cameron DeOrdio joins the show to talk about his latest series Charlie’s Angels vs. The Bionic Woman published through Dynamite Entertainment.   In preparation to write his four-part series which launched July 3rd, Cameron re-watched the TV series, reboot of the Bionic Woman and the Charlie’s Angels movie (whew!)   Which version did he prefer?   Which were episodes are his favorites?   What does he think was the charm of the original 1970s-80s series?   And why did he decide to set this new mini-series in 1983?   Cameron began his professional comic career co-writing Jose and The Pussycats with Marguerite Bennett for Archie Comics.   How did he land that gig? We find out during our interview.   We also discuss his favorite sci-fi and horror stories and why they are his two favorite genera.    Plus: Kick Back With The Creator to find out Cameron’s favorite birthday, beverage of choice, island book and much more!   Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes   Mo

Karl Kesel discusses just some of the indelible marks he has made upon the comic book industry throughout his long and illustrious career.  Along with his collaborator Tom Grummet, Karl created Kon-El  Superboy, wrote a land mark issue of the Fantastic Four inspired by a Jack Kirby drawing of The Thing and returned Daredevil to being a swashbuckling hero!  How did it all begin for Karl? Why did he decide to become an inker and who his favorite inker of all time?  What were the first comics he read and which artist does he admire for the impact he made on himself and the entire comic industry in the early 1970? But that’s not all! We talk about the success of his Section Zero Kickstarters with Tom Grummet and his latest project with David Hahn (Six Million Dollar Man, Batman 66) titled Impossible Jones. And in the Kicking Back With The Creator segment, I discover Karl’s favorite way to rest and relax, his specialty dish and about the dinner parties hosted for comic book living legends.    Love the show?

Dean Kotz is an artist living in Brooklyn working on a five-part series written by Jeff Parker Warlord of Mars Attacks!! Issue #1 of this Dynamite Entertainment mini-series goes on sale June 19th.  Dean is big fan Edgar Rice Burroughs work and is excited to share what it is like working on this action-packed cross-over between John Cater Warlord of Mars and Mars Attacks! We begin by discussing Dean’s art education and first paid comic book work. Why are horror and crime-noir his favorite genera? What comics, books and movies influenced his tastes? We learn more about his previous gaming work for Dungeons and Dragons. Is Dean into D&D? Dean also provides a few hints about the other series he is working being published by Dark Horse Comics and Alterna Comics. In the Kicking Back With The Creator Segment, I ask Dean what was his favorite birthday, his oddest job and what character series would he like to draw.   Please take a moment to rate Creator Talks on iTunes   More about Warlords of Mars Att

Two returning guests talk about their action adventure heroes that have grace and guts! First, Ron Randall talks about his third Kickstarter, a graphic novel about Mercy St. Claire entitled Trekker: Battlefields. Ron is well known for his work on DC’s Sgt. Rock, Future Quest, Astro City, and many other characters for publishers over the course of his distinguished career. Did you know he also illustrated Doom Patrol in the late 1990s? I get Ron’s reaction to the new Doom Patrol series and we discuss movie spoilers. Please note we do not discuss any blockbuster super hero movie spoilers. (I’m looking at you Avengers End Game!) Instead, we marvel at how we managed to avoid Avengers End Game spoilers and how it is essential for a script unfold on the screen as the writers intended, rather than through spoilers! My second guest Sam Johnson is a huge fan of Doom Patrol. Sam explains why he hasn’t see the first season yet, and gives his impression based on the trailers. Sam has launched his next Kickstarte

Returning is writer and playwright Sean Lewis who was last on episode #127 talking about his series Coyotes (Image Comics). Sean provides the details behind the ending of that series with issue #8 and looks forward with his new series Thumbs on sale June 5th. Making his debut on Creator Talks is artist Hayden Sherman (Cold War, Mary Shelley Monster Hunter / Aftershock). Hayden collaborated with Sean on their series The Few (Image Comics) and team-up again for Thumbs. What is the story of Thumbs? “Imagine someone like Mark Zuckerberg created his own army of tech-obsessed teens and directed them to take on the government. What would the fallout be?"  Charley “Thumbs” Fellows is a member of just such an army. Poor and raised by the influential MOM™ app, he finds himself in the center of a war.  How does Hayden use color to show the proliferation of technology?  We talk about technology and ask the question, are we giving up too much info by using social media, for too little in return? What is the real

Writer Caitlin Major and artist Kelly Bastow are the duo behind Manfried Saves The Day, a graphic novel published through Quirk Books. “Come visit a world where human felines keep cute little humans as pampered pets…and the most spoiled of them all is irascible Manfried the Man.  Can a pet man who spends most of his time eating and sleeping take first prize at the Manflower Man Show? If not, the local shelter for stray men will be forced to shut down forever!” Caitlin Major is a writer based in Toronto. Her web comics include Home Sick, Peach Plum Pear, Yer a Witch Milly, and The Spirit and the Spider.  Caitlin’s full-time job is as an animation compositor for Skyship Entertainment. Why is her work so critical to the animation process? Kelly Bastow is an artist also based in Toronto whose work includes The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, Lumberjanes, and Adventure Time and Capture Creatures. Both were housemates. What does Caitlin think of Kelly as a housemate, and vise versa?  We’re talking cats too!

Writer Adam Glass (The Normals & Rough Riders) returns along with co-writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (Criminal Minds, Peaked in High School) to talk Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter. The story asks what if the Frankenstein Monster was real? According to the Diamond Previews solicitation:  “…With the recent discovery of Mary Shelley's secret memoir, the truth is finally revealed: Mary Shelley didn't just write Frankenstein, she lived it.” Hayden Sherman, artist of Cold War, The Few, and Wasted Space illustrates the series. The first issue was release April 17; the 2nd issue issue will be available May 22nd. Olivia researched Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s background. Did you know she is considered the founder of modern horror and was a feminist pioneer? Olivia shares fascinating facts about Mary Shelley’s life and her relationship with her husband Percy Bysshe Shelly. Find out: Who was accompanied Mary Shelley to Geneva, Switzerland during the summer of 1816 where the idea for her novel Frankenstein came

He’s back! Rags Morales returns to Valiant Comics to pencil and ink Bloodshot: Rising Sprit and he’s going to tell us all about it, unfiltered! Join Rags and I with a glass of merlot and learn about the classes he took at the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art. What did he find so valuable about Joe Kubert’s method? Who were his contemporaries taking classes?  Hop in the way back machine with us for a peak between the pages of the early days at Valiant during the 1990s. Which giants of the comics industry did Rags meet while at Valiant? How successful was Rag’s run on Geomancer? What was does Rag’s think was the “event” that triggered the comic publisher and comic shop implosion of the mid-1990s? How does Rags manage riding out downturns in comic book market place?  What is his most requested commission at comic conventions and which was the oddest! (Note: Put on your ear buds listeners, this episode is rated E for Explicit!)  All this plus when I Kickback With The Creator, Rags answers

My guest is comic book producer and Brooklyn native Tom Sacchi, the mind behind the crime-noir Offbeats and the 1960s manga-style Ultrabot Go Go Go!  Both comics are published through Antarctic Press.  Tom begins by sharing his memory of the 1960s television cartoon series that introduced him to the world of comics. He also shares his memory of discovering a store, before the days of direct market distribution, which sold new and back issue comics and magazines. He eventually drifted away from superhero comics and explains why the independent boom of the 1980s and Marvel’s Epic line rekindled his interest in comics. Why did he want to make comics and what podcast and television series inspired Tom to become a producer of comic books? Just what are Belgian style comics and how did they influence Tom’s Offbeats?  Who is the creative team on the series and why were they the best match for this Belgian-style comic? Which of these creators also helped make the one-shot Ultrabot Go Go Go! ? Tom explains why t

Andrea Mutti, artist of Rebels (Dark Horse) and Port of Earth (Image) returns this week for an interview about living in Italy, what fuels his creative process and a new graphic novel he is illustrating written by Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and Kevin Maurer (No Easy Day: The First Hand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden) titled Six Days: The Incredible True Story of D-Day’s Lost Chapter (DC Vertigo). The Diamond Preview solicitation for Six Days reads: “D-Day. One hundred eighty two members of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division parachute into the French countryside-a full 18 miles southeast of their intended target. This original graphic novel from DC Vertigo is the true story of an obscure World War II battle that took place in the small village of Graignes, France, for six days and the men who survived to tell the tale.”   Andrea explains why, although he loved living in Italy, he enjoys the artistic freedom he has found and collaborative nature of making comics in the United States.

Creator Talks welcomes from America’s heartland prolific artist Greg Paprocki. He comes to highly recommend by my 2 year-old. How is that, you say? Greg has partnered with Gibbs Smith and their BabyLit division to publish his historically themed ABC books. We discovered his wonderful work at our local library and want to share with all of our listens that are young or young at heart. Greg’s simplified retro-style art style harkens back to the advertisements of the 1940 through the early1960s. His BabyLit books include A is for Atom, G is for Go-Go, V is for Vittles, and E is for Easter. Greg is also taken the reins as artist on the popular children’s book Curious George. The first step on Greg’s journey as an artist began with an ad he found in a comic book. With experience working as an art director, why did Greg decide to become a freelancer?  I learn about Greg’s career path and how he prepared to make it on his own.  Greg also talks about the commercial art he produced for Mattel’s Barbie, a Cheec

This week we're talking steam punk!  Undaunted by con crud and travel fatigue is writer Stephanie Cannon (It Came Out on a Wednesday - Alterna Comics) and writer/musician Matt Knowles.  Together they are Insymmetry Creations (#INSYM). I find out why they decided it was critical to create the company. First, I catch up with Steph about her half marathon run, then turn my attention to their recent experiences at the 2019 Seattle Emerald City Comics Con! Who were some of the creators they met on the floor? What is the demographic of their steampunk fandom?  Did they have proper foot wear!? Stephanie and Matt have combined their creative talents to craft Tales of Nocturnia, a medieval fantasy adventure in which a kingdom lies in shambles. The throne sits empty. Can the survivors re-assemble to fend off an impending attack from the forces of darkness?  Matt and Stephanie join me to talk about the Kickstarter for Tales of Nocturnia #1. The campaign is to fund the first issue of this three-part mini-series. 

Julius Otha is an artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil who began his comic career as a colorist on Grime Fairly Tales (Zenescope) and Serenity (Dark Horse Comics).  His first work on interior art was Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man (Dynamite Entertainment), and now he is the artist of Bettie Page and the upcoming Bettie Page: Unbound. Julius joins Creator Talks to discuss why he wanted to change from colorist to a penciler/inker.   How did Julius land his first assignment Sherlock Holmes with Dynamite Entertainment? What suggestions did he make to the writers of the mini-series that changed the look of Holmes and Watson? And how does Julius collaborate with David Avallone, writer of Bettie Page? All this plus in the Kicking Back With The Creator segment in which we learn what is Julius' favorite action/adventure film of all time. Hint: It would be the perfect film as a stand alone and not part of a trilogy! This episode also debuts a new feature, Creator Corner, a short interview with returning guest Rafael